The Sporting Life

Devotees:

     Those of you fortunate enough to know me well, understand the prominent role that major college and professional sports have played in my seemingly endless universe of interests.
     Cursed with an embarrasing lack of ability, I struggled to achieve barely adequate performance in any thing and had no choice but to turn my attention to becoming a fan of athletics, rather than a participant. Blessed with an abundance of natural ability and skill (my record of 38 home runs in our backyard Home Run Derby stands to this day), I naturally gravitated toward athletics, excelling in everything I tried. Coevally, interest in sporting teams I had adopted as my own, was developing at a brisk pace. My preferences were: Baseball - New York Yankees / Basketball - Los Angeles Lakers / Hockey - New York Rangers / College Football - Penn State Nittany Lions.
     As I matured and my intellect soared, it became apparent that little/no attention need be paid to Soccer; hence, my lifelong disdain for that. I flirt occasionally with Golf (don't get me started on Tiger Woods - deep sigh, eyes rolling), but that waxes and wanes. In the intervening years since my youth, I have modified my focus, paring Basketball from the list of sports in which I held an interest. 
    Surely, dear folk, you'll agree that it has morphed from the beautiful hardwood ballet of Cousy and the Big O, to the unwatchable, cartoonish, Dancing With The Stars version that LeBron and Kobe currently treat us to.
     I provide this background as the foundation of my current malaise; I'm adrift in a soupy mix into which my predelictions have led me. My beloved Yankees have, yet again, soiled the bed of Post-Season play - the NHL is mired in a contentious strike/lockout <vernacular depends on your bias> - and good old PSU finds itself in a spot that was absolutelyunimaginable just one short year ago; "Say it ain't so, Joe!"
      With Fall upon us and Winter not far behind, the
gloom is palpable. As such, I find myself groping for a modicum of joy, a sliver of bliss to replace what's been so tragically lost. It is for this reason that I've decided to turn my attention to the more refined pursuits that lie ahead. In the weeks to come, my foci narrow to my annual camping trip to Gifford Pinchot State Park, perfecting my Bloody Mary recipe for the holidays, and of course, compiling my annual Christmas gift list (volumes I, II & III).
     References and recaps of all these will follow in posts to come. In the meantime, stay warm, my diamonds. Ens me est ita frigis....



EDITOR'S NOTE:
     As by now you know, Speed recently returned from a sojourn to Sierra Leone, where his arrival went largely unnoticed was hailed as a great holiday (they even cleaned the streets for him). He and his travel-mate Bearcat, have formed their own Non-Governmental Organization (NGO): Jerks Without Borders.
     However, the effort required to spread their own sappy brand of Tommyrot is not without cost. Contributions to this worthwhile effort are now being accepted. Remember, without your generous gifts, they stay here ..... with us!