Ok, well... first blog post after my intro is going to be about sports... go figure.
Baseball season is about to start back up. The Texas Rangers, winners of the last 2 AL Pennants, begin AGAIN to claim their first World Series title. Coming off a World Series loss. Again.
While I'm ready for baseball to be back, I'm not sure I'm ready to CARE about baseball again. When they lost the WS to the Giants, that sucked, but it was such a fun ride, I didn't really care. While most pundits said the Giants shouldn't pose much problem, being a fan of them, I KNEW they'd give Texas all they could handle and more. That series was hardly competitive, so when Texas lost, while it stunk... it didn't hurt.
This time around?
My sports-heart is still sports-broken and it's taking me a while to get over it. Once they made the WS last year, I had a great feeling about how things would turn out. With sports, there's always the risk of having your heart broken... and I was actually prepared to watch another World Series loss. But, as the Series progressed, there was such a magic. The closest thing I could describe is when the Mavericks were playing Miami and won their championship. Sorry, Jerry... your Cowboys may have given that to me back in the early '90s, but that was a long time ago.
But, the Rangers captured me last year. I honestly didn't expect them to beat Detroit in the ALCS. When Boomstick hit his 11th inning grand slam, I really thought that was going to catapult them. And in a sense it did.
When it was St Louis vs Texas, I told people to worry about the Cards. I thought Texas would win, but Pujols is just too dang good.
Then I got to go to Game 5. Bar none... the absolute best sports experience of my life. I was literally sitting about as far from home plate as you could possibly get... and it was amazing. I could write all night long about that night, but good friends, good games... and a win. Heading back to St Louis with 2 chances to win.
Game 6.
Oh dear lord. Game 6.
1 pitch away. Multiple times. 5 blown leads. The biggest choke job recorded in a single night. It was all right there. ALL. RIGHT. THERE.
Then the bottom fell out while the wheels flew off while the sky fell.
I still remember that pain like it was last night. I'm not ready to invest myself like that again. Not because of any lack of faith... but to get caught up in something, you inherently have to risk that heart break. I can't do that yet. Hopefully it'll come. But, I was literally depressed. For about a week.
Don't tell me it's just a game. That's not the point... or even the truth. It's what the game meant. It's the investment I had in that game.
Game 7 rolled around and while I hoped they'd win... I sure didn't believe. And I don't think they did either. Understandable. I resigned myself to that outcome. That night was also included a very personal heartbreak that sucked, so the two coupled together made for a really crappy night.
I'm ready to follow my as-yet undrafted fantasy baseball team.
Just not sure I'm ready to care about the real thing.
I may have to make a game or two this year although I must confess I'm not much of a fan of any sport. I may follow one that I can do or have done. I just don't see the point of all the excitement. However, I will pay more attention if a local team is in the playoffs. What gets me is "Why does your mother get all excited about something she knows nothing about." It's fun to watch her yell and complain during a game then ask me "When is halftime" during the World Series.
ReplyDeletelol... Yeah, I'd love to be around her when she's into it. As for the excitement? Just like that feeling you have on the Harley... or on the sail boat... it's not something you can explain. It's either there or not.
ReplyDeleteHow can you compare actually doing something like screaming down the hiway or a far out country road at 70 mph dodging bugs and armadillos and coyotes while getting sunburnt and windblown or screaming along the water on a broad reach hanging onto the tiller with all you got just inches from the water with sails literally bouncing off the waves to setting on the couch watching something happining 1,000 miles away eating potato chips or setting in crowded seats with a bunch of noisy beer stained people then spending an hour in a parking lot trying to get home afterward.
DeleteI think I have become more of a fantasy sports fan than a real sports fan. There may be no turning back.
ReplyDeleteI have also become more jaded towards future Cowboys teams after going through Quincy Carter and the Romo bobbles
I think, though, that the Rangers still are fresh and have that newness so I will stay engaged just one more year.
-Jacob Reynolds
Yeah... QC ruined a lot of people. The age you had to watch that trash was the age I watched the Cowboys win 3 Super Bowls.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes last years WS worse for me, it having a best friend that moved to St Louis some years ago and become a Cards fan. Having that back and forth between two fans and then still having to hear about it months later.
ReplyDeleteYeah, reliving that pain... especially at someone else's joy, would stink. That trump card/scoreboarding is the ultimate kick in the crotch... Ugh.
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