Yes, I am a sports fan. All sports. Football, baseball, hockey, and basketball. Possibly because one of my earliest memories was watching football on Sunday afternoons with my father. I liked football best because there is more action involved than baseball, and it was easier for a four-year-old to see what was going on than with basketball. All those tall people crashing into each other was hard for me to sort out at that point. With football, though, a four-year-old can tell that where the clump of people are on the ground is how far the ball got, and the goal was to get to the pretty colored part at the end of the field. Besides, the nice men in the stripy shirts put the ball right there between each play for the camera to see.
One drawback to living in New Mexico is that there are no sports here. So, I continue to cheer for the teams I grew up cheering for. The home team! Unfortunately, the "home" is in Michigan, where the only routinely good sports team plays hockey. They don't tend to televise (or care at all about) hockey in New Mexico. Nonetheless, I continue to watch football whenever I can, and groan at the fact that the Lions seem unable to win a single game. I look for the scores of the Pistons and Tigers in the paper every week and cheer when they break .500. (The Pistons tend to be somewhat hot-and-cold, and the Tigers tend to be plain horrible.)
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!! The TIGERS! The very ones that my grandfather called "that bunch of clunky lunk-heads!" (Well since that was fifteen years ago they aren't really the same ones, but they still tend to play like a bunch of clunky lunk-heads.) The Detroit Tigers are now one win away from the World Series! I can actually cheer for them! Out loud, and in public! They put the games on t.v. and I can watch them. This year was the first year I actually watched a baseball game all the way through since the late 1980's.
It's kind of nostalgic, really. I used to watch baseball games on Saturdays at my grandparents' house. My grandfather drank Old Milwaukee and I drank coke. My grandmother made popcorn in a big pan and put lots of butter and salt in it. My grandfather got the great-big bowl, and I got a little one. At that time, I knew almost the entire line-up of the Tigers. Somewhere in that time two Tigers had over 50 home-runs in one year: Mickey Tettleton (catcher) and Cecil Fielder(1st base). Alan Trammel (shortstop) had one of the best batting averages in the majors.
I now know why baseball is always so popular. It really does make you feel like a kid. It takes you back to summers spent outside at the playground. Getting to stay up late for church picnics or softball games. A time when a hot-dog was absolutely the most wonderful food, and popcorn was a treat.
Well, here's to the Boys of Summer!
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3 comments:
Yay, Tigers! I'm also happy that Michigan beat Michigan State in football...and because U of M is #4, they actually televised the game on ESPN down here! Considering your family connections, I imagine you're probably not a huge U of M fan, but regardless, I just want to say I know what you mean. It's great to actually be able to watch a game you want to see.
No, I am not a U of M fan. My college teams are MSU and South Carolina, both of whom seem to be losing more than they are winning.
Loved the post!
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