A GOOD SPORT

 "Good is not good when better is expected." Vin Scully

     I like sports! A lot. Although nowhere near as knowledgeable as others, I know enough to enjoy what I watch. I love excellence.

     The only sport I never got into is basketball. I never learned the details of the game beyond throw the ball and hope it goes in the basket. My experience was limited to playing 'HORSE' or 'GHOST' in my best friend's driveway (it's the same game - just spelled differently) I rarely won.

     In elementary school, I was the 'Carrie White' player, usually getting picked last when it came time to make teams. I now know my problems were because of lack of confidence and not so much my lack of skill. I never played in any development leagues, so the skills never came. I was so uninformed, I once even fell for the first-baseman pretending to throw to the pitcher and got tagged out when I stepped off the base. Sad.

     In junior high school, besides the usual stuff, we climbed ropes, wrestled (not while climbing the ropes), and boxed. Yes, boxed! I had arranged with a friend to pair up and go easy on each other. The teacher had other ideas and paired me with someone else. I think there were three one-minute rounds, and I actually held my own (mainly to protect it). 

     When high school rolled around, I actually tried out for baseball thinking all those hours with my friend tossing the ball back and forth in the field next to my home was enough. I remained on the team until we went outside from the gym, and then things got real. When the roster was posted (much like a cast list in theater after tryouts), my name was missing. 

     I split the difference and ended up as the football manager for a couple of years. It was neat being around and helping the team.

     All of the above was a lead-up to my college years. I ended up at Emerson College in Boston (Emerson Football - Undefeated since 1880 [true]) and was a frat boy and served in the animal fraternity (we made "Animal House" look tame). Our faculty adviser was Jim Peckham (a big name known to real wrestling fans - he wrestled in the 1956 Olympics). In the pre-Pinocchio-ad days, he looked at me one day and said, "You have potential." He talked me into going out for wrestling! Really!

     I lasted one day! On the first day of practice, we had to piggyback teammates up four flights of stairs.

     I ended up playing ice hockey for the school and made the team, but that's another story. I also played fraternity sports (all but basketball) and did okay.

     Those were the days!