Am I a Sports Nut?

The HB and I had another fun night. We cooked pasta and hung out and I gave him his first algebra problems (yeah, like he'll remember that fondly). He must have been pretty whooped as he turned off his light before his bedtime.

Commenting on my post where I essentially called all PGA players not named Tiger a bunch of pussies, Jen wrote, "Do you watch ALL of the sports?" There may be differences of opinion on this, but I think I can definitively answer that, "No." For instance, I would never willingly watch NASCAR, soccer, rodeo or ice skating.

I grew up playing a lot of sports. I wasn't that big, strong, or fast, but had enough wits about me to learn by observation. So, while I was never the best kid on the field, I wasn't the worst either. Some sports (baseball and tennis) came more naturally than others (basketball and skiing), but I would give just about anything a try. And me and my friends would play any sport any time (one of the many cool things about growing up in SoCal).

As a kid, baseball was by far my favorite. I know that I learned math from the backs of baseball cards. I grew up as an Angels fan, which was tough when I was young because they sucked just about every year. And when they didn't, they would suffer a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs (the Red Sox of the west as a friend of mine called them before either team won a World Series in our lifetimes).

I enjoyed football and became a Raiders fan the first time they were in Oakland. Probably because they were the only team in the NFL with a player with my first name (or, so I thought). I also rooted for the Rams because my dad and some buddies had season tickets (first at the Coliseum, later at Anaheim Stadium). When the Raiders moved to LA I was VERY happy. I had other friends who were (and still are) Raiders fans and I remember going to some great games before they left.

The college I went to (UC Irvine) didn't and doesn't have a football team, so it shocked many of my friends that I went there (my wife still can't believe I went to a school without a football team). But, Irvine was a small enough school that I was able to not only DJ at the campus radio station (see link on right side of the blog) but also do play-by-play for the basketball team and for some baseball games. Doing that was awesome and was something I considered pursuing. In fact, in the pre-ESPN days I auditioned as a sports announcer for a new all sports radio station. I did a few gigs for them and then the station went under. I think they were just a little ahead of their time.

When grad school came calling, going to a university with a big sports program was not on the decision making criteria, but I'm glad that Tennessee had one. Being in that atmosphere on a big football Saturday or when Kentucky came for basketball is an unbelievable experience that pro sports rarely touch (though Raider Monday Night games and Laker playoff games were close).
I still remember many of those games, which is kind of a miracle considering how much we drank at them, and still try to make it back to UT once a year for a game.

A couple of profs suggested that I combine my interest in sports with my career, but I decided against it. It just seemed like shitting where I eat. I would have hated to lose my interest in sports, or become overly jaded about it, because I had to keep some emotional distance to 'understand' it better. I like being really happy when my team wins, even if it means bumming out for a bit when they lose.

Since the HB is not into sports at all, I don't go to that many games. In fact, my wife and I will get a sitter so WE can go to a baseball game. When he was young it was tough to catch all of the games I wanted to on TV. But then, the DVR was invented {angels singing}. I would say that I spend less time watching sports now than I did before the HB was born, but I get to see all of the games I want to since the DVR cuts the time it takes to watch one in half. Have I ever told my wife or son I can't do something because a key game is on? No. No game is more important than spending time with them.

Having my own business does make some events easy to catch. For instance, the first two days of the NCAA men's basketball tournament is a company holiday. As is the opening day of baseball.

Am I a big sports fan? Hell yeah. Nut? Well, that's in the eye of the beholder.