Sunday, May 23, 2004
It's Who I Am
As you can read from last night's post, Tampa Bay is going to play for the Stanley Cup. Wow - This town is insane right now. I know I'm so excited - I wish I could go to one of the games, but there isn't much chance of that happening, between the move and a trip home in the near future - so I'll just promise not to do anymore LIVE BLOGGING while watching. :) I have no idea why I did that, but it was kinda fun.
It's funny that people don't realize what a huge sports freak I am. I grew up watching football with my father. On fall Saturday afternoons all yard work, house work, work of any kind stopped. He and I would sit in the living room - he in his green lazyboy and me in the blue arm chair, with a cold drink (he an ice cold beer and me a soda) and a bowl of popcorn. It was all about Notre Dame football. By the age of 9 I knew every player, every position and the majority of the plays. When Daddy died in '72 I kept up the tradition. Only I really missed talking it all over with someone, so I did the next best thing. I wrote letters to the coach of the Irish. Yep - after every game I would sit down and write out what I thought they did right and what needed attention. :) See - I've always been like this.
Daddy also loved the Cubs. I will admit, baseball is not my favorite. I tried to keep it up, but about 3 years after he died, Mom found me down at the cemetery sitting there talking to Dad asking him to please forgive me, but I couldn't watch one more game. I do watch now, just not all the time. I much prefer going to the games than seeing them on T.V.
Hockey is my other passion. Daddy didn't watch it so much, back then it was pretty violent and I think he wanted to shield me a bit. But once I got to college I was hooked. In my mind it was the perfect marriage of soccer and football with a twist. Plus, I hung around with a large group of guys from Canada during school so I didn't have much of a choice. I learned to really appreciate it.
I played soccer and basketball - so I will always enjoy watching them. Basketball isn't the same for me anymore, but I still love a good game. I was the female version of the enforcer. My coaches told me I was never to play an entire game. If I wasn't in foul trouble by the end of the 3rd period I wasn't doing my job. That trait still does well for me in life (and the occasional backyard game).
Why am I telling you all this? Well, because I can and because I had a very interesting conversation with one of my larger customers earlier this week. We were sitting in the conference room talking line-ups and new items along with pricing and somehow the hockey game came up. The guys had a hard time believing that I was really a true fan and not just a groupie. Now I had better warn you, I don't say I know something just to hear myself talk. I study the things I enjoy just like an analyst. I know facts, figures and history. That's part of the fun for me. And I'm not the kind of woman that will have a bunch of people over for the game and spend most of the time in the kitchen on goodies. IF I have a game party, food is prepared ahead of time or ordered in. I get the Gold Chair and no one had better come between me and the TV. You want something - you know where the kitchen is. You want to chat - that's what commercials and breaks are for. And did I mention I'm loud. Yeah, pretty loud. In fact my Mom didn't like me to watch sports in her house for over 10 years. It was only the first time the Bucs made the playoffs that she gave in. I came home for the holidays and it was either her house or the local bar for the game - Mama Vi doesn't like me to go to bars alone so she gave in. Even bought me a couple beers! :)
Anyway - this is just a bit of nonsense letting you know how much I enjoy sports. You can bet I'll be watching the Cup. Then I'll take a bit of a break to rest up before training camp for the Bucs. Did I mention it's only 10 mins from the new house! I'm already rescheduling my calls to hit some of the practice sessions.
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It's funny that people don't realize what a huge sports freak I am. I grew up watching football with my father. On fall Saturday afternoons all yard work, house work, work of any kind stopped. He and I would sit in the living room - he in his green lazyboy and me in the blue arm chair, with a cold drink (he an ice cold beer and me a soda) and a bowl of popcorn. It was all about Notre Dame football. By the age of 9 I knew every player, every position and the majority of the plays. When Daddy died in '72 I kept up the tradition. Only I really missed talking it all over with someone, so I did the next best thing. I wrote letters to the coach of the Irish. Yep - after every game I would sit down and write out what I thought they did right and what needed attention. :) See - I've always been like this.
Daddy also loved the Cubs. I will admit, baseball is not my favorite. I tried to keep it up, but about 3 years after he died, Mom found me down at the cemetery sitting there talking to Dad asking him to please forgive me, but I couldn't watch one more game. I do watch now, just not all the time. I much prefer going to the games than seeing them on T.V.
Hockey is my other passion. Daddy didn't watch it so much, back then it was pretty violent and I think he wanted to shield me a bit. But once I got to college I was hooked. In my mind it was the perfect marriage of soccer and football with a twist. Plus, I hung around with a large group of guys from Canada during school so I didn't have much of a choice. I learned to really appreciate it.
I played soccer and basketball - so I will always enjoy watching them. Basketball isn't the same for me anymore, but I still love a good game. I was the female version of the enforcer. My coaches told me I was never to play an entire game. If I wasn't in foul trouble by the end of the 3rd period I wasn't doing my job. That trait still does well for me in life (and the occasional backyard game).
Why am I telling you all this? Well, because I can and because I had a very interesting conversation with one of my larger customers earlier this week. We were sitting in the conference room talking line-ups and new items along with pricing and somehow the hockey game came up. The guys had a hard time believing that I was really a true fan and not just a groupie. Now I had better warn you, I don't say I know something just to hear myself talk. I study the things I enjoy just like an analyst. I know facts, figures and history. That's part of the fun for me. And I'm not the kind of woman that will have a bunch of people over for the game and spend most of the time in the kitchen on goodies. IF I have a game party, food is prepared ahead of time or ordered in. I get the Gold Chair and no one had better come between me and the TV. You want something - you know where the kitchen is. You want to chat - that's what commercials and breaks are for. And did I mention I'm loud. Yeah, pretty loud. In fact my Mom didn't like me to watch sports in her house for over 10 years. It was only the first time the Bucs made the playoffs that she gave in. I came home for the holidays and it was either her house or the local bar for the game - Mama Vi doesn't like me to go to bars alone so she gave in. Even bought me a couple beers! :)
Anyway - this is just a bit of nonsense letting you know how much I enjoy sports. You can bet I'll be watching the Cup. Then I'll take a bit of a break to rest up before training camp for the Bucs. Did I mention it's only 10 mins from the new house! I'm already rescheduling my calls to hit some of the practice sessions.
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