Sports Fan Charlatan

Major accomplishment from yesterday: 3 loads of laundry cleaned, dried, and folded
Today's task: put the folded laundry away before it gets tromped on by Binta
In the Attic: Pending excitement for today's game...

I am not a sports fan. I want that stated clearly here for the record. I know the basic rules of some sports. I mean the basics. I know the objective of baseball is to hit the ball hard enough to occupy the other team with chasing after the ball, while you yourself sprint around the bases. I know the objective of hockey and soccer is similar, in that you're trying to place the sport's accessory (puck or ball) into the designated scoring space more times than your opponent.

I know slightly more about basketball, as I joined up with the school team in seventh grade. I could impress you with a few rules I know, regarding travelling, double-dribbling, and "three in the key."

I could go on to amaze you with little known details about the history of basketball, thanks to the report I had to write sometime in junior high school. For example, basketball was invented by James Naismith, who wanted to create a good indoor game for the winter time. He nailed a peach basket to the wall and there the game started. (using a soccer ball!)

Lacking even more than my sketchy knowledge are my pitiful skills. That seventh grade team that I joined? My dad was the coach. One would think that I'd get plenty of play time, but he would be sadly mistaken. Even nepotism was no help to my pathetic abilities. In fact, my most exciting moment on the court occurred when a scorer's elbow came down on the bridge of my nose, and was forced to leave the practice (yes, it wasn't even a game!) covered in blood.

I ended up joining the high school swim team. There were much less rules to memorize. And I can only recall one bloody nose.

Now, you may see me watching the occasional sports game, but my motivation comes much more from the desire to consume beer and nachos and socialize than to really watch the game.

Today is the SuperBowl. And although I have been known to watch a SuperBowl game from time to time, it is either for the clever commercials or the half time entertainment. Rarely do I even know which teams are playing before the game begins, and I can name a few times that I was still unaware after the game had ended. I know even less about football than I do about any other sport.

But today, I will be watching the game itself. The addictive energy and team enthusiasm here in Seattle has converted me to a temporary Seahawks fan. Nearly everyone in Seattle is into it! Today, Binta and I will each be proudly sporting Seahawks T-shirts, and watching the progress of the game with great interest. Thankfully, I'll be with others who can help interpret the progress of the game when I appear lost.

Go Hawks!