Sports Takes
Since I don't call into sports radio talkshows anymore, please indulge me in some sports thoughts. Thank you.
**Less than 1000 days until World Cup 2010 kicks off in South Africa. We're down to three digits.
**The other day I started looking at procuring a Greg Oden jersey. Then I am thrown for a doozy by finding out he will miss his first season of professional basketball following a very serious knee surgery last week. Drat. Just when things were looking up as a Blazer fan. I guess I could still pick up the jersey on the cheap and put it in the closet for a couple of years.
**Growing up as a Christian in Portland does not lend itself to being a NFL fan. We had no team. By the time you got home from church, all of the early games were already over. By the time I got home from basketball practice, Monday Night Football was mostly over. Thus, I grew up without a team attachment. So, when I moved to Kansas City a few years ago, I adopted the Chiefs as my own. It seemed like a good enough idea. Longstanding tradition is a plus, as is having a hometown team to root for.
I'm regretting that decision. Not just because the Chiefs are the worst team in football right now, and utterly unwatchable. I just feel very drawn to the Cincinnati Bengals at this point in time. Now, I certainly can't jump ship. The Bengals are good and it isn't proper form to jump to a front runner when things go poorly for your team. But, dang. They just fit me so well. For instance:
-They have a huge Star Wars fan base. They play the Imperial Death March often during games, and have fans who dress up as Orange Storm Troopers. As we all know, the fastest way to my heart is through the Force.
-They have Chad Johnson. He has to be the most interesting player in the history of football. And his antics aren't even annoying, because he works so hard at his craft. Work hard, play hard, entertain hard. The NFL should give him kickbacks, because he really does a lot for the League.
-They have Marvin Lewis as their coach. I've been a big fan of his ever since he got punked by Tampa Bay. They had offered him the Head Coach position a few years ago, then backed out two days later. It was total bush-league. He's a quality coach and a classy guy. Gotta love that.
All of those factors aside, I'm not going to hand in my resignation as a Chiefs fan. It just wouldn't be kosher. Perhaps I'll have to get a red Darth Vader outfit to wear to games.
**The next six days are soccer nirvana. The Champions League starts today, which is a season long tournament that pits the best clubs in Euorpe against each other. Then this weekend we have major matches in England (Chelsea-Manchester United) and Italy (Roma-Juventes). Needless to say, the Tivo will be working overtime this week.
Fair Dinkum
**Less than 1000 days until World Cup 2010 kicks off in South Africa. We're down to three digits.
**The other day I started looking at procuring a Greg Oden jersey. Then I am thrown for a doozy by finding out he will miss his first season of professional basketball following a very serious knee surgery last week. Drat. Just when things were looking up as a Blazer fan. I guess I could still pick up the jersey on the cheap and put it in the closet for a couple of years.
**Growing up as a Christian in Portland does not lend itself to being a NFL fan. We had no team. By the time you got home from church, all of the early games were already over. By the time I got home from basketball practice, Monday Night Football was mostly over. Thus, I grew up without a team attachment. So, when I moved to Kansas City a few years ago, I adopted the Chiefs as my own. It seemed like a good enough idea. Longstanding tradition is a plus, as is having a hometown team to root for.
I'm regretting that decision. Not just because the Chiefs are the worst team in football right now, and utterly unwatchable. I just feel very drawn to the Cincinnati Bengals at this point in time. Now, I certainly can't jump ship. The Bengals are good and it isn't proper form to jump to a front runner when things go poorly for your team. But, dang. They just fit me so well. For instance:
-They have a huge Star Wars fan base. They play the Imperial Death March often during games, and have fans who dress up as Orange Storm Troopers. As we all know, the fastest way to my heart is through the Force.
-They have Chad Johnson. He has to be the most interesting player in the history of football. And his antics aren't even annoying, because he works so hard at his craft. Work hard, play hard, entertain hard. The NFL should give him kickbacks, because he really does a lot for the League.
-They have Marvin Lewis as their coach. I've been a big fan of his ever since he got punked by Tampa Bay. They had offered him the Head Coach position a few years ago, then backed out two days later. It was total bush-league. He's a quality coach and a classy guy. Gotta love that.
All of those factors aside, I'm not going to hand in my resignation as a Chiefs fan. It just wouldn't be kosher. Perhaps I'll have to get a red Darth Vader outfit to wear to games.
**The next six days are soccer nirvana. The Champions League starts today, which is a season long tournament that pits the best clubs in Euorpe against each other. Then this weekend we have major matches in England (Chelsea-Manchester United) and Italy (Roma-Juventes). Needless to say, the Tivo will be working overtime this week.
Fair Dinkum