It is no secret that all children grow up rooting for the teams that their parents rooted for. My first baby shirt was a brand new Steelers Traning Camp T-shirt. I had no choice in the issue. My earliest jersey was a number 12 Steelers jersey. And so it has been forever.
My wife and I are in agreement on a great many things, but we've been at a crossroads on one issue for a while now. First I will break down what I have given my daughters to root for. In these things we are in agreement.
Football:
We're Steelers fans in this house. My wife has come to my way of thinking. Even though she doesn't necessarily like football, she tolerates it. And the girls all have their little Steelers outfits. They get it. There is no going back.
Basketball:
Not a real question here. This is our bread and butter. We cheer and cheer. We high five and make noise. In this, the family is in agreement.
Soccer:
Now we have here the emblem for our (really my) favorite EPL team, Everton. They rule. Tune into Fox Soccer or Setanta sports once in a while. Watching English soccer is a game changer. And next is the Pachuca Tuzos. That's a Mexican League team my wife follows. I don't follow that league, so I'm ok with it. And of course, the US National team. That was a point of contention since my wife's family is all for the Mexican team. But I won out on that. We root for Donovan and Howard and Davies. We do not mess around.
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But what is missing? What could tear our family apart in the summer time and force us to watch two televisions in different part of the home? Baseball.
Now for a while, I've been following the Padres as an extension of the Portland AAA Beavers. I've watched a lot of young guys come up and...well, really do nothing at all. Every great prospect that comes up ends up being marginalized in a crap system. I knew it. And my wife knew it. She mocked me. I took it like a man though.
My wife isn't a Padres fan. Never had any interest in them. She was able to sever the tie when the boys went from AAA to the big show. But the time has come, we cannot be a house divided. So, my children will be given my wife's favorite team to root for. That team is:
And my wife has made it clear to me that I should stop this foolishness with the Padres and support my girls in their new endeavor. I have a hard time denying her request.
7 comments:
Dude, I just recently found your blog and love it. Not enough Bball, the hoops kind, that is represented on the blogs out there. Maybe I didn't need to clarify, does anyone actually call baseball, bball? I do have issues with your rooting interests, however, except for the us national team. The correct choices are: NFL - Cowboys; NBA - Mavs; MLB - Rangers and EPL (well, as soon as they get back)- Newcastle. Keep up the good work.
My household is Braves. My wife is all in.
The Canadiens or Flames. My wife could care less.
Me, Man U. Her, Stoke City. Long story.
Me, Da Cowboys, her, the Colts. It is on like Donkey Kong. No mercy. Lines are drawn, threats are made. The children hide. It is not pretty.
Man. I thought we were on friendly terms and then I find out you are a Steelers fan. Really? I mean...really?
I guess you are going to have a lot of free time on Sundays this month. Go Patriots!
Big D - Thanks for the support. I really didn't know what to expect starting a basketball-centric blog. The response has been great. That being said...I can't go for the Cowboys. But it sounds like you're from Texas, so I have to let it pass. Newcastle!!! If I had to pick a second team, it'd be the crew from St. James' Park. I think it's awesome how many people here are into EPL as well.
Cap - Man U is like rooting for the Yankees, but at least you have more to root for on any given weekend than the rest of us. And Stoke City? That is out of left field. That would be an interesting story.
TJ - I saw that you were a Pats fan. And I let it slide. My hate of Spygate Bill and Boy Brady knows no bounds. But the love of the Blazers is stronger than the hate of the Pats. So we can still get our hoops on in a local park sometime this year.
This is deep.
But the Mariners choice makes perfect sense. We are even seriously considering making them our Emergency Backup Team in the coming season.
DC,
Yes, my wife is talking some good sense this year. And really, would I want to punish the girls with the Padres as I've been punished? No.
We'll go to the AAA stadium and bid them farewell when the move on. I'll have to start learning something about the M's if I'm to continue to educate my girls about the beauty of baseball.
G_Moses,
I like what I read. Good to see a basketball blog hit the circuit that is enjoyable to read.
I haven't read your post on Oscar Robertson yet, but I think you should read "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons. He has a real eye opener of a chapter on Big O.
As for me and the wife and sports, the only place we draw the line and not supporting the same team is college sports: I support Texas Longhorns, she supports Ohio State, Tennessee and North Carolina (all the places she grew up in).
Keep it up, I plan on reading more :D
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