I'm the kind of asshole that likes to root for whatever team everyone else is against.

So the first time the Cowboys played the Texans in 2002, I was sitting in a bar in Dallas, the only Texans fan to be seen, fresh off my first year in college in Houston. I cheered twice as loud and reveled in smugness when the upstart expansion team beat one of the greatest sports franchises in their opening game.

I didn't really become a serious Cowboys fan until I moved to New York and made an equally annoying spectacle of myself as the 'Boys beat the Giants in a seminal division game.

By then, I was hooked. The underdog charm and first-down scrambles of Tony Romo, an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois University that just happened to have all-American good looks and a way with famous blondes; the drama of T.O., who had great moves but cringe-inducing butterfingers; the scowls of Bill Parcells and the exaggerated sighs of Wade Phillips; the high school friends onscreen as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders; the misery of watching the playoff losses.

In Dallas there are two birth rights: Cowboys fandom and big hair, and I fully embrace both.

For a sports rivalry, Dallas and Houston keep it pretty tame. That's probably because our teams are in different conferences and only meet on the field twice a decade or so. (No, I don't count the preseason.)

Actually it's pretty easy to be a Dallas fan in Houston. I see almost as many blue jerseys on a regular basis as I do red Texans ones, and it helps that Cowboys games are almost always aired nationally — that's why we think of ourselves as America's Team.

With the faceoff at Reliant this weekend, I'm preparing for more insults about the offense and possibly some bruised pride, especially with Dallas coming in 0-2 and the Texans sitting at 2-0. But the Cowboys started last season 2-2 and still finished first in their division with an 11-5 record and only lost in the divisional playoffs, so I'm hoping for a turnaround.

(Yes, it's true. Every Cowboys fan thinks the team is headed to the Super Bowl each year until proven otherwise.)

So thanks for letting me wear my Dallas pride, Houston. I promise to be sympathetic when you guys lose on Sunday.