I make no apologies...I am a New York Yankee Fan! The "Evil Empire" is 'my team.'
I also admit the following: I'm a frontrunner! I chose the Yankees because they're good. More so (or maybe how I justify it), the Yankees is probably the most historically significant sports team in the world. Yes, Boston wouldn't be the same without the Red Sox, Chicago has the Cubs and the White Sox, but there's something about those Yankees. Maybe I'm a Yankee fan because of who I am. I'm a yankee...a northerner. A foreigner in a foreign land.
Don't get me wrong, I love North Carolina. I like grits, I even make sweet tea in the summer, I go to church regularly (ok, I'm the pastor, so I kind of have to, but even if I weren't the pastor, I'd still go). But, I'll never be a southerner. I like collards, but I like them best with bacon (not ham hock). But, if you're cooking them with ham hock I'll eat them...and even like them! I've added "y'all" to my vocabulary, and I even use it regularly, but there's something "fake" about it when people hear me say it. No matter what I do or how long I live here, I'll always be a yankee. But, I'm fine with that.
So, maybe that's why I chose the Yankees. To be honest, I used to HATE baseball! Then, one day, my son was having a teething tantrum (he was 2), so I took him for a walk. By our house was a baseball field, and there was a Church League Softball game going on. Once he heard the bat hit the ball, he was amazed. Tantrum stopped and he was fixated. UGH!! Now I have to watch that boring sport??? So, I found a game later that week on ESPN and actually liked it. Then I started reading up on the strategy and was even more hooked. Finally, I had to pick a team...and the rest is history.
Ok, A-Rod used steroids...I don't advocate or even defend that. But, is there a better sportsperson than Derek Jeter? He beat Lou Gehrig's record for the most hits. Now, if I beat Lou Gehrig's record for ANYTHING, I'd be dancing and jumping and screaming (sorry for putting that picture in your head). But did Jeter do that???? No! All he did was take off his hat for the screaming audience and wave with a smile. Or, what about Nick Swisher??? He brought the fun of the game back. Practical jokes, pies in the face. He made it fun.
Yes, they are overpaid. I think most (if not all) professional athletes are overpaid. But, on the other hand, if people are willing to pay as much as they do to see them, then I guess there's an argument on their side. Just don't ask me to be the attorney for the athletes (well, technically you wouldn't want me as your attorney for any matter, but that's not the point here).
I even read a very successful and devout theologian (Stanley Hauerwas) who wrote an article answering questions. One was something to the effect of "How do I teach my child to be a Christian?" I don't remember the exact answer, but it was something like "Teach them bible stories and how to play baseball." There's a lot of truth in that. Some of the best bonding my son and I have done has been playing baseball (well, we've done a lot of bonding -- making up a bedtime story that picks up where we left off the night before, camping in the living room where I fell asleep in the tiny little tent and he went to his bed, and a lot more). I can't wait till my daughter is old enough to join us!
And here we are...it's the end of March, and a new season is about to begin! Go Yankees!
No comments:
Post a Comment