Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Sports Crazy
I am becoming obsessed with sports in a way that's probably unhealthy. Right now there are several important decisions I should be making about my life, or at least thinking about: Am I moving out of Boston this year, and if so where? Am I serious about finding a writing job, and if so, where do I work? Am I going to continue teaching swimming lessons 20 hours a week on autopilot because working 20 hours is enough money to cover all my expenses? Should I work more? Am I wasting my potential? Am I wasting my life? The answer to the last three questions is yes, yes, and you bet your lazy ass yes! And you know what? I don't really care about any of this. There's just too much going in the great world of sports.
The Australian Open is on every day for the next 2 weeks. I can watch Serena Williams play some chick from Luxembourg ranked outside the top 100 in the second round and be riveted. We're right in the middle of the NFL playoffs and my favorite AFC team (Colts) is about to face the team I hate more than anything in the world (well, except working, apparently). I still hate the New England Patriots enough to watch their regular season games hoping to see them flail. Now that they've escaped San Diego and go to Indianapolis I am beside myself with anxiety. I cannot stand to see them beat the Colts and win another Super Bowl. I will never hear the end of it from my ridiculous Peyton Manning-hating friends. I'm more emotionally invested in this Pats-Colts game than any other game since the 49ers played Dallas for the NFC Championship in 1994. If the Pats win, I probably won't cry....but I might.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, every time I watch the Phoenix Suns I get goosebumps. Like a basketball equivalent of the Colts, they are the most exciting offensive team I have ever watched. I have had three religious experiences in my life. One occurred in Jerusalem; one in rural Maine. The other happened last week while I sat on my couch and watched the Suns absolutely obliterate the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'll let Sports Guy Bill Simmons describe for me: "There was one moment when everything kicked into a higher gear for the Suns and they started rolling off easy basket after easy basket -- really, it was breathtaking to watch -- and eventually, their fans stood up and just kept cheering and cheering, even during a break in the action, just to profusely thank the players for what was happening." I also would've been standing and clapping had I not been put into a total stupor by their wondrous play. I was in shock. The second quarter was more like a Cirque De Soleil spectacular. 12 straight minutes of tightly controlled fast breaks and perfect shooting, as the Suns outscored the Cavs 34-15.
Basically, I'm warning readers of this blog who don't like sports and people in my life who want me to excel to expect disappointment throughout the month of January. The Australian Open final is Sunday January 28th. It's live at 3:30 am. I will almost certainly be awake to watch it. After that we can talk.
The Australian Open is on every day for the next 2 weeks. I can watch Serena Williams play some chick from Luxembourg ranked outside the top 100 in the second round and be riveted. We're right in the middle of the NFL playoffs and my favorite AFC team (Colts) is about to face the team I hate more than anything in the world (well, except working, apparently). I still hate the New England Patriots enough to watch their regular season games hoping to see them flail. Now that they've escaped San Diego and go to Indianapolis I am beside myself with anxiety. I cannot stand to see them beat the Colts and win another Super Bowl. I will never hear the end of it from my ridiculous Peyton Manning-hating friends. I'm more emotionally invested in this Pats-Colts game than any other game since the 49ers played Dallas for the NFC Championship in 1994. If the Pats win, I probably won't cry....but I might.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, every time I watch the Phoenix Suns I get goosebumps. Like a basketball equivalent of the Colts, they are the most exciting offensive team I have ever watched. I have had three religious experiences in my life. One occurred in Jerusalem; one in rural Maine. The other happened last week while I sat on my couch and watched the Suns absolutely obliterate the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'll let Sports Guy Bill Simmons describe for me: "There was one moment when everything kicked into a higher gear for the Suns and they started rolling off easy basket after easy basket -- really, it was breathtaking to watch -- and eventually, their fans stood up and just kept cheering and cheering, even during a break in the action, just to profusely thank the players for what was happening." I also would've been standing and clapping had I not been put into a total stupor by their wondrous play. I was in shock. The second quarter was more like a Cirque De Soleil spectacular. 12 straight minutes of tightly controlled fast breaks and perfect shooting, as the Suns outscored the Cavs 34-15.
Basically, I'm warning readers of this blog who don't like sports and people in my life who want me to excel to expect disappointment throughout the month of January. The Australian Open final is Sunday January 28th. It's live at 3:30 am. I will almost certainly be awake to watch it. After that we can talk.
