It’s officially March. I’m observant I know. Normally this month would mean green hills, trips to the beach, and busting out the flip flops and shorts (perks of growing up in LA). Since moving to Denver though, I’ve come to realize that March is actually Colorado’s snowiest month. In an effort to warm my soul, I am dreaming of baseball. Because baseball means summer and summer means I’m warm enough to get my little ginger-haired self burnt to a crisp. So in light of the season, here’s a video analyzing the Cards offense. Should be interesting to see how this plays out in the season.
If You Were Hot
Recently a female friend shared an article on Facebook about the controversial post called “A Girl’s Guide to Watching the Rangers.”
(See link here to read full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/girl-guide-watching-rangers-sparks-outrage-ridicule-pulled-222100637—nhl.html )
The article started me thinking (never a good sign) and thus the following personal rant was brought to life. As a woman, I never considered my love of sports to be a political statement. I do not see my potential career in sports as an opportunity to become a man-hater and pave the way for women. I wasn’t trying to say anything about gender roles in society through my blog. Yet, in the past couple of years, my interest in sports has garnered some noteworthy reactions from men and women alike.
About a year after starting my blog, I moved from the LA area to Monterey Bay and while in college there, I came in contact with many interesting people. One young man, upon learning of my love of sports, had the following reaction: “Wow, that’s crazy that you love sports that much. You dress so girly I would never have guessed that. Seriously though, it’s crazy you want to work in sports. I’m not kidding, if you were hot, you would have every guy worshipping at your feet.”
I’ll just let that last sentence sink in for a minute.
Naturally I did not react to his comment the way he expected. I’m assuming he somehow meant it as a compliment, but that did not stop me from staring at him in disbelief before excusing myself to go talk to someone else. One of the most intriguing changes I noticed after starting my blog was the amount of men who began telling me they “respected” me. Interesting, seeing as my intelligence, personality, looks, and opinions hadn’t changed. Yet the fact that I knew who the Lakers had played the night before somehow blew the minds of guys around me. Too bad I’m not hot, because they might have all given me their numbers right then and there.
This leads me to next observation. Apologies for hating a little on my own sex but it shocked me how many women questioned my motives for following sports. If I had a dime every time a girl asked “seriously though, do you even like sports or do you just kinda watch ESPN every now and then to get the attention of guys?” Because apparently it is unfathomable for a female to enjoy sports without having an ulterior man-hunting motive. This crazy notion only seems to be furthered by my love of fashion and my sense of style. I understand few people would ever initially guess that I am passionate about sports based on the fact that I try to dress like an LA hipster (forgive me for the using the dreaded mainstream “h” word. I literally could not think of another word to describe it). Yet this fact should not somehow discredit my interest in sports once someone is aware of it. I’m a girl. I enjoy wearing pretty clothes. What, am I supposed to wear basketball shorts and a jersey if I expect to be taken seriously in the sports industry? I thought I was in college, not middle school.
Another annoying observation I have made is the idea that since I pay attention to sports, I must know everything about every player and every team. Now this issue will likely improve once I graduate college and have my own place to watch sports as frequently as possible. However, since I live with other girls who do not necessarily want to watch Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless argue each other in oblivion every day, I must be considerate of how often I watch sports on TV. Therefore, I pick and chose my “battles” so to speak. I’d rather watch a game than ESPN corespondents talking nonsense (however fun it is to watch). I also do not have time to watch every video, read every news article, or memorize every stat. Even more shocking is the fact that I enjoy chick flicks (I know, the horror!), politics, fashion, graphic design, learning French, and event coordinating. Varying interests lead to what some consider a well-rounded individual. Work and school also play minor roles in my life, so let’s not forget those two gems. I love sports but I have other interests and responsibilities in my life. Sue me. I’ve been caught off guard numerous times when either guys or girls have asked me about a particular player, game, or team and I did not know the answer to their question. “That’s funny Amy, I thought you lived and breathed sports.” So apparently, that’s now strike three, because I failed the hotness, authenticity, and knowledge tests. Looks like I’m out. (I really hope someone appreciates what I just did there).
I’m not exactly sure what I hoped to accomplish with this post. I certainly do not expect men and women around the world to read this, throw their hands in the air and say “wow, well there’s the answer to all our problems. Let’s all be more considerate of Amy’s obsession with sports. Boom. World peace. Accomplished.” Perhaps though, it will just get people thinking a little, teensy, tiny bit. If someone enjoys a hobby or occupation that seems out of the ordinary or does not seem to fit their “persona,” think before reacting. Understand that people are complex and you may not fully know everything about that person five seconds after meeting them. Although there are undoubtedly women who show an interest in sports only for male attention, do not jump to conclusions. Even if that woman is only doing it for the attention of men around her, at least she’s making an effort.
Truthfully, I’m simply complaining. If people not taking my love of sports seriously is the worst part of my life, I’d say life is pretty darn good. Besides, given the name of my blog, what did I expect? I really have no idea what I’m talking about anyway.
Farmers Field Part 1
“Hey Amy, did you hear AEG is up for sale?” “Hey Amy, guess this means there’s no more Farmers Field!” “Hey Amy, did you hear…”
Seriously, if I had a penny for every text I have received this week about AEG, I’d be free of my private school debt. So I decided I would just set the record straight.
1. Yes, I still want to work for AEG, even if Anschutz Co. won’t own them anymore.
2. Yes, I still believe Farmers Field will be built.
3. No, I do not know which team will move to LA, but right now, the Chargers and Rams are top contenders.
4. Yes, I believe Von Miller is the greatest player in the NFL right now. What? Oh, you didn’t ask about that. My bad.
I actually think the sale of AEG will benefit the plan to build Farmers Field, and help keeping moving it forward. Mainly because Farmers Field has always been AEG’s CEO Tim Leiweke’s project, and Phil Anschutz, the owner, was simply the financial backer. Leiweke has been the driving force behind this project from day one, and because he is the one based in LA, it makes more sense for him to be more excited about this project. Anschutz is based in Denver and he hasn’t exactly kept his feelings on not wanting to being committed to the NFL a secret.
By selling AEG, Anschutz is keeping his commitment to bring the NFL back to LA, but now he won’t have the financial burden of Farmers Field. Leiweke said whoever buys AEG will HAVE to be on board with Farmers Field. It’s a requirement to buying the company, not an option. If AEG were bought by an avid sports fan who is committed to LA, it will only add an ally to the Farmers Field project, and boost the chances of getting a team there by next summer.
Now, a quick disclaimer: if this project falls through, or if the sale turns out to be the end of Farmers Field, I do not want to hear about it. I may claim to know it all, but the truth is, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I make this stuff up as I go. Hopefully you all have realized that by now.
Lastly, you may have noticed that it says Part 1 in the title of this post. That is no mistake. I fully plan on discussing Farmers Field more in the future. Surprised? Yeah I figured. I especially plan on talking about the “why.” Several people, including one of my professors, have expressed a strong disapproval over building this stadium. I can only hope to bring those poor souls to the light after I discuss in length why LA needs Farmers Field. As if the answer wasn’t obvious enough: so that Tebow can be traded to LA and we can finally meet. Until next time folks…. keep it classy.
Bad Day?
Sometimes life is rough. Sometimes it really stinks. This blog is really groundbreaking, huh? I will say however, that on days when school, work, or life in general begin to overwhelm me… I look at this picture.
Life can be mean, but at least it’s never hit me the way Golden Tate creamed Sean Lee. For that, I thank you life. So just remember folks, when life gets you down, remind yourself that at least your name isn’t Sean Lee.
My Brothers Owe Michelle Beadle. Big Time.
My heart is broken. No, not because I moved to Denver AFTER Tebow moved to New York. Ok that’s a lie. It’s true that every time I drive past Sports Authority Field a little part of me dies knowing I can’t stalk him there. But there’s another reason I’m sad.
I am despondent, crushed, depressed, and inconsolable because the last hope for women in sports entertainment is gone. And if anyone asks if I am talking about Erin Andrews, I will disown you as my friend and never speak to you again.
No, I am talking about my hero and imaginary BFFL, Michelle Beadle. Again, if you do not know who Beads is, consider our friendship terminated. Beads has left ESPN’s show SportsNation, and moved to New York so she could stalk Tim Tebow, just like me. Just kidding. She’s there to stalk Mark Sanchez. Well whichever QB from her favorite NFL team she decides to crush on, the point is she moved on to bigger things, like working on Access Hollywood on NBC.
Now most of you are probably thinking “Um Amy, this is old news. It happened months ago.” I know, I know! But I’ve been so busy crying from her departure, I’ve barely found the strength to get out of bed in the mornings, much less discuss it here. And quite honestly, this was such a pitiful weekend for my teams I didn’t have the heart to discuss them, so I decided to pour my dramatic sorrows into my loss over Beadle. Because I just can’t talk about this weekend. I don’t have the heart to talk about how Cal lost to Ohio State by a freaking touchdown. I certainly don’t want to talk about how the Dodgers lost to the Cardinals, 5-2 in 12 innings. Of course, any discussion of the Broncos losing to the Falcons on the night before my birthday would just….gah! I just can’t. I need to go slam my head through a wall.
Here’s what’s so heart-wrenching about this change: Beads was the greatest female to ever be on ESPN. Am I biased on this issue? Maybe just a little, teensy bit. But am I right? Always. Beadle was easily the most popular female correspondent on ESPN. She is beautiful, educated in sports, and has sarcastic wit most stand-up comics would kill for.
There is a reason ESPN fought their hardest to keep Beadle on SportsNation right before she decided to move to NBC. There is a reason why, over three years ago, ESPN hired Beadle for a brand new show called SportsNation, alongside ESPN seasoned pro Colin Cowherd. ESPN took a risk and hired Beadle, someone who at the time was outside of their corporation, and threw her into a huge experimental project. Why? Because out of all the females who interviewed for the job on SportsNation, she was the only one who made a joke out of the interview and mocked the interviewers. Instantly, ESPN knew they had struck comedic and sarcastic gold with this lady. They had finally found someone who could not only match, but beat Cowherd at his own game. And let’s be real, that man NEEDS someone who can give him a hard time. Keeps his head that much smaller.
The key to SportsNation’s success as one of the most popular ESPN show of all time is not a secret. It was the chemistry between Beadle and Cowherd. He’s uptight, opinionated, and intense. She’s laid-back, sarcastic, a tad self-deprecating, and can throw whatever Colin gives her, right back at him. They are both clearly experts in sports but it was their witty banter and joking that made everyone want to watch. And now she’s gone.
ESPN will never be the same without her. SportsNation will never be the same without her, although I applaud Charissa Thompson for her noble effort to replace Beads. I certainly would never want to try to fill those shoes.
I started this blog because I saw Michelle Beadle when SportsNation was just beginning.
(See original post here for the full, fascinating, tantalizing story: http://ihavenoideawhatimtalkingabout.tumblr.com/post/3772744917/but-youre-a-girl )
My brothers did their best to brainwash me and force me to love sports when I was a kid. But the truth is, my brothers wouldn’t have been successful without Beads. She’s the real reason I love sports as much as I do. I realize Beadle is still on TV and I can always Twitter stalk her of course. But seeing a woman succeed so effortlessly in the sports industry literally made me change my career goals. Now that she’s gone, what am I going to do? How will I go on? How will I survive? I feel like a family member has died. Ohmystars what am I going to do with my life now? I have completely lost my way. What is the point of living anymore? Wow, this Finance homework is really getting to me and I seriously need some sleep.
Beads- you will always be my favorite sports correspondent, and I will never, ever, forget that birthday video you made for Colin. I’m going to miss gold gems like this in future on ESPN
—> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4bDqZ_tlZg&feature=player_embedded
Why I Will Be Rooting For USC This Year. (Did I seriously just write that?)
Growing up, there were a few things that my brothers and Dad taught me, which I accepted as indisputable truth: Southern California is the best place to live. Period. College football is the greatest sport known to mankind. Period. Cal and OU are the only teams I should be rooting for. Period. Never say USC in our house. Period. And don’t even think about the SEC. EVER.
My mom is from Oklahoma and my dad’s from Berkeley. Despite growing up in Southern California, USC was never an option for my family to root for, and since Cal and OU hardly play each other, it wasn’t difficult cheering for both teams. And even though we lived and breathed OU football, our family has always been more geared towards the Pac-12 than the Big 12. Blame it on our best coast pride, I guess.
I remember years ago when I was young and naive, I told my older brother how annoying it was that the SEC was the best conference and how I wished the Pac-12 was as great as the SEC. Glass shattered, jaws dropped, and everyone in my family promptly turned around to throw daggers at me with their eyes. The looks on their faces seemed to say one thing: TRAITOR. My brother immediately handed me a college essay he had written and said “quick, read this before mom and dad disown you!” The essay was titled “Pac-10 vs SEC” and boy, did it open my eyes. That thing was like finding out Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy didn’t exist, all at the same time. But in a good way. Am I even making sense anymore? Good grief I need more coffee.
“Wait,” I cried, after reading the shocking material. “You mean the media has a natural bias towards the SEC? And that the Pac-12 actually has a better winning record against non-conference teams, and is the only conference to hold a winning record against the SEC? You mean to tell me that the SEC’s winning streak in bowl games can actually be attributed to the fact that bowl games are more easily manipulated, and the SEC is almost always given favorable playing conditions?”
Boom. Mind…. Blown.
After that, I read more about how the SEC really wasn’t as great as everyone seems to believe. See article below if you don’t trust my biased, opinionated, know-it-all blog.
The more I read, the happier I became. The SEC certainly did not suck, but at least I could take pride in the fact that the Pac-12 was much more of a contender than I originally believed. Which was music to my ears. After all, at the time, our family was still smarting from the 2009 BCS Championship when a team-who-shall-not-be-named beat our beloved Oklahoma Sooners. Never mind the fact that I may or may not be Tebow’s biggest fan… now. What? Oh come on! The man gives to charity, helps orphans, and runs shirtless in the rain! I can’t help myself; he plays dirty.
So how does cheering for USC play into all of this? Pretty simple. I am tired of the media bias surrounding the SEC, multiple SEC teams making it into the Top 25 preseason rankings every year, and back-to-back BCS National Championships for the SEC the past several years.
At this point, I would root for any team to win the BCS National Championship, so long as that team is not from the SEC. Ok I lied. I could never root for Texas. That’s crossing into immoral territory.
The Lakers weren’t able to get it done this year, but the Kings sure did. The Dodgers are looking very promising, the hopefully in a few years AEG will have built Farmers Field so that LA can finally have some NFL pride. But until that happens, the West Coast needs to remind the rest of the country that media bias and manipulation only win you so many games for so long. That, and reaffirm why California is the greatest place to live. NOTE: I will concede, our economy does not work in our favor here. But have you SEEN our beaches?
I’ll never root for USC against Cal or OU of course, but I vow this right now: I will be screaming my head off for USC during every non-conference game they play, and if they make it to the National Championship and win, I will personally sing the Trojan Fight Song and shout Hallelujah!
Ok, ok Dad… too far? I really should end this thing before I find myself with no place to live and no family to call my own. Just, Barkley, please win. I’m begging you. I don’t think my stomach or my ego can take another SEC victory.
I tried to fight it. I really did. For years, I kept insisting hockey sucked and football was the greatest sport ever invented. Turns out, I was wrong but only on the hockey part.
I have this friend. Yes, he chose to associate himself with me. My parents didn’t bribe or blackmail him so I could have a friend. This nice man’s name is Brian. And he LOVES hockey. Annoyingly so. I never cared about hockey and couldn’t have cared less about the Kings. Why? Because college football is so much more interesting to watch. But I digress.
Brian spent the better part of this last year trying to convince me the Kings were worth at least one game. “Amy, you just have to watch a game; you’ll never remember life without hockey; how can you call yourself a diehard sports fan and hate hockey; baseball sucks, hockey rocks… blah, blah, blah.”
I remember laughing at the Kings throughout their less than stellar season. I remember laughing at the 8th seed. And now I will remember eating crow.
The first hockey game I ever watched in my entire life, the Kings blew out NJ 4-0. I sat there on the couch, hating every minute of the game because I realized what I had been missing out on this whole time. It was awesome! Fast paced, violent, intense, and bloody. The best kind of sport. Some might say I was simply jumping on the bandwagon. I like to think of it as coming to my senses just in time to witness history.
So this is me admitting I was wrong. This is me admitting hockey is insane in the best kind of way. This is me admitting I should have been watching a long time ago.
But this is also me confirming that LA is still the greatest city. That I always knew and will always believe in. I mean, did anyone SEE the Dodgers last night? Hello Ethier. So thanks Kings. I owe you one. Just because the Lakers couldn’t get it together this season, doesn’t mean we can’t still show up the rest of the country. LA is King.
Oh You Know What Time It Is
4 hours, 51 minutes, 34 seconds till the pretty boy meets the beast pictured above. But who’s counting right?
Can we just get one thing out of the way right now? Despite all that’s written about Tebow, his mechanics, and his faith, we all need to accept one, cold, hard fact right now: This man is a physical beast. In fact, I’d be willing to say that ANY athlete is more of a beast than that particular quarterback who models for Ugg. Let’s all take a moment to howl with laughter at the picture below. Heck, feel free to take an hour. I certainly did.
Fine, fine, I suppose Brady has a bit of talent. I’ve even heard rumors he can throw somewhat decently. I suppose I’ll have to give him some credit, even though it pains me like a fat kid giving up cake.
I’m going to make a very earth-shattering and shocking statement right now: I really want the Broncos to win. I realize this comes as a shock to everyone I know. For those of you who do not know me, well first off, count yourself fortunate. Apparently I’m weird. Secondly, I love the Broncos. So naturally my statement above was clearly not meant to be earth-shattering. Sarcasm at it’s finest ladies and gentlemen.
I realize today’s game will be difficult, and most do not expect the Broncos to beat Brady, Belichick, and the Pats on the road. I get it. Come on though, you cannot deny how incredible it would be if the Broncos made it to the Superbowl. Forget the Superbowl, and just marvel at Brady getting beat by a QB nearly every expert said would never start or win in the NFL. I believe that’s what my mother refers to as eating a large slice of humble pie. B-E-A-UUUUTIFUL!
So here’s to Tebow Time. Here’s to 316+ passing yards. Here’s to another 80 yard deep ball to DT for a TD. Here’s to another 97.3 QBR for Tebow. Oh yeah, did I mention he received the highest QBR in playoff history last week? Well I did now. Here’s to Champ Bailey blocking more of Brady’s throws, and Von Miller sacking Mr. Ugg. Multiple times, please! Here’s to more games for the Broncos, because that means more terminally-ill kids get to go to games, via Tebow’s W15H program. Oh yeah, I just went there. Sympathy vote.
Jump on the bandwagon people. You know you want to. It’s so easy. Just do it. Oh, and don’t forget to adjust your watches….
Tebow photo via Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/timtebow
Brady photo via Sportsology. http://ology.com/sports/watch-new-tom-brady-uggs-commercial-makes-me-nauseous/09082011
Why Every Girl Should Watch ESPN
No… Tom Brady has nothing to do with this. And no, this post will not be about hot male athletes in tight pants, muscles rippling, sweat dripping down their faces as they pump up the crowd after scoring. I’m talking about you Aaron Rodgers. (Side note: I do not include Brady in the category I just described, mainly due to the fact that I believe he is more girl than man. But that’s another debate for another day).
No people, this is about the hypocrisy my sex inflicts on men. Allow me to play out a little scenario for you all. It’s friday night, a young man and his girlfriend are deciding what to do after dinner. Movie theater it is (this couple likes to think outside of the box). Now, let’s take a wild guess at which movie this couple went to go see? Chances are…. a beautiful, heartfelt, sweeping, tear-jerking drama. Ah, the chick flick. As a girl, I will admit I enjoy my fair share of these puppies. No shame. I’m not here to prove how manly I am, despite what my brothers say about my pixie cut. (For you men, that’s when a girl cuts her hair short like a boy, while effortlessly making it look feminine. Well, not all girls do.. but you get the point. Just Google it).
Moving on. So what exactly is my beef with chick flicks? Well, apart from the fact that many of them should never have been made (Twilight anyone?), I don’t appreciate the injustice of women forcing men to sit through nightmare-inducing films like A Cinderella Story, while complaining about sports.
Think about it girls. How many times have you begged your dad/brothers/boyfriends/guy friends to watch a girly movie with you? Girls can be really annoying (I should know, I have personally perfected this trait) so they usually win the debate. In my house, my dad is lucky because my mom is fair enough to share tv time and my dad is a peach because he will watch things like Pride and Prejudice or Gilmore Girls with us ladies. My brothers, my sister, and I were brought up this way: Guys get the TV on game nights, girls when their favorite shows are on, and the rest of the time is evenly divided. We all had to share (difficult concept to grasp for many people my age, I know) and all the guys and girls had to endure watching things they would not have originally picked. The horror, right?
But guess what?? Something incredible happened. Due to the fact that I was forced to watch sports or risked going without dinner that night, I ended up liking them! Surprise, surprise! My mom now cheers louder than anyone when OU scores a touchdown. Yeah… she’s intense. She also makes fantastic tacos. But I digress.
My point is simply this ladies: If you insist on guys sitting through The Notebook, you should be willing to accommodate your men and at least pretend to like sports. Log as many hours watching Around The Horn or First Take as your man does watching Gossip Girl with you. He’s making compromises for you, so help the man out! Disclaimer: If your man refuses to watch anything with even five seconds of romance, you are completely dismissed from this. This is a two-way street men!
Of course, if all else fails and you find yourself either falling asleep or going cross-eyed from watching sports, entertain yourself by looking for the cutest guy in the game. This was the key to my sister’s and my survival as kids during games. If you’re lucky you’ll get to watch Denver’s new starting QB Tim Tebow throw a pass to Eric Decker for a touchdown. Now that would be beauty everyone can appreciate.
P.S. Anyone see the OU killing of Texas this weekend? Talk about tear-jerking beauty….. I was nearly deaf from my mom’s excited cheers.
“… But we’ve got to get better.”
So says head coach for the Packers, Mike McCarthy. In this case, I’ll simply let the highlights speak for themselves….
http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Packers-Broncos-game-highlights/5713f6f7-97a3-4eb4-9101-1dde95231b52
Credit http://www.packers.com/index.html
Missed the game? Lucky you.
Disgusting. Horrible. Awful. So pitiful I almost poked my eyeballs out just to get my mind onto something else. Most of you are probably thinking I’m describing that beautiful ballad Friday, by budding pop tween Rebecca Black. But no. The train wreck I’m referring to would be the Lakers-Hornets game yesterday.
Excuse me gentlemen, while I kindly scream at you to ask “WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE??”
Home court advantage, size advantage in the block, as well as the fact no one expected New Orleans to beat the Lakers, much less in Game 1. All the Lakers had to do was show up and play like it was the postseason! Apparently, this was more difficult than getting the Ms. Black’s voice out of your head. Gasol gave a pitiful performance, capping it off with a grand total of 8 points. The rest of the team really did nothing to help him out either. Odom was completely useless while Bryant and Artest gave noble efforts that sadly, just weren’t enough. There also wasn’t enough distribution or balance in the Laker’s offense which made Kobe a target. Besides, if the Lakers expect to gain big wins they can’t sit back and let Kobe be the only double digit scorer. It’s a team sport remember gents?
So what was it? Did they just check out mentally? I’d say no because that would mean they were in the game when it started. The Lakers didn’t even show up yesterday. The real problem was attitude. And because I am a seasoned expert on all things sports, my opinion is correct and all of you should agree with me. I say it was attitude. Take it or leave it homes.
That’s what made this loss so pathetic. Lazy playing, indifferent attitudes at the end and lame sound bites. Yes Odom, I’m talking to you. Don’t even try to hide. We all know where you live, thank you reality tv via the Kardashians. You think this was “good?” Well to that I say, nice try at saving your weak performance.
This loss would have been “good” in the sense Odom meant it, if there had been even a little effort in the game. However this team played like they didn’t give a flying poptart about the series. Hello! It’s the postseason. You know, when it actually matters. What that’s Kobe? You know that already? My bad, I couldn’t tell at all yesterday.
It’s time to wake up and smell that poptart burning. Or coffee. Or whatever food you like. I really don’t care. Just fix it and your attitudes before it’s too late and you guys become the little boys crying in the toilet.
While the Lakers insisted on giving a pathetic performance yesterday, this stellar team decided to actually show up and play like men. Congrats boys. You make me proud. You deserve a gold star. Or a cookie at the least! Too bad I just ate them all….
I can already smell the Dodger Dogs….
Opening Day. You know what that means…. yep, time to start getting prepped for college football.
Ok, ok so really it means that summer is coming and that baseball is about to dominate tv for way too many months. (You can never be over prepared for college football though. Just saying).
Despite the lengthy season, baseball brings many perks. Dodger Dogs. Nachos. Cotton Candy. Drinking a Coke on a hot day. Fine, my mind is on food right now. I admit it.
However, there is something about the smell of the dirt and freshly cut grass. The crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd. And naturally I can reflect on those things from personal experience. Didn’t you know? I am brilliant at baseball! I play all the time! Wait, shhh. Hear that? That’s my mother rolling on the floor laughing because she knows the closest I’ve ever come to hitting a baseball was when I missed the ball FIFTEEN TIMES while my dad was throwing from 5 ft away!! It goes without saying my brothers and their friends were doubled over, breathless in the outfield. I mean they had to do something out there to entertain themselves while I was at bat. Took me years to work past that shame.
As one young baseball mom told me recently “baseball feels like summer.” Cheesy? Maybe. True? Absolutely.
So here’s to a fresh beginning. Here’s to a summer filled with LOTS of food, many viewings of The Sandlot, a big Fourth of July party and a World Series win for the Dodgers. Oh come on! Don’t laugh! What are they always preaching from the rooftops in sports movies? If you believe, then you can achieve! Dreams come true in the last 5 seconds of every game!…. Or something really stupid like that.
So come on Dodgers, I’m believing, so start achieving. Wow, I’m hungry after all this ranting. Time for a hot dog.
PS I really hope Jeff Weaver gets signed on this season. I’m a big fan.
A Way With Words
“This is the NBA. No Boys Allowed. Big boys don’t cry. But, if you’re going to cry, do it in the toilet where no one can see you.” -Phil Jackson’s comment on the Heat crying after their loss to the Bulls. Genius. It doesn’t get any better than that, boys and girls.
My hero. Michelle’s tweet the other day said “I could watch ‘The Notebook,’ ‘Marley and Me,’ and ‘Beaches’ and still not cry as much as this Heat team will tonight.” I told you I Twitter stalk her….
