By Jeff Orvis
Anyone who has known me for any length
of time will not be surprised with my admission that sports has and
still does play a very important part of my life. As I begin my
retirement adventure and realize I will have to watch my budget, I
know that one of the last things I will be cutting is cable TV and
internet access. As long as I have a roof over my head, a warm place
to lay my head, batteries in my TV remote and my Kindle close by to
keep track of my friends, I'm content.
Unlike some of the so-called “experts”
I see on ESPN and other sports networks, I was never a star athlete.
The extent of my participation included one season on the high school
tennis team and another season on the high school golf squad. But
even if I quickly realized I didn't want to spend Friday nights
knocking heads in the fall on the football field or if I also
realized I would never dunk a basketball (quit laughing, readers!), I
maintained a strong interest in sports via working as a manager for
the high school football, basketball and track teams.
I admire folks who spend years as
devoted fans of specific sports, sometimes at the expense of much
interest in other sports. As May approaches, we will once again
discover that some people live and breathe horse racing. We are
currently in the midst of college lacrosse season, drawing at least a
few thousand spectators to some of their games. Those are two sports
which interest me only slightly.
So I started thinking about what I
like or dislike about my favorite sports. For what it's worth, here
are my thoughts on some of them.
Baseball – If you think you could
ever become interested in major league baseball, I prescribe a trip
to Wrigley Field on a sunny, June day. Along with Fenway Park in
Boston, it might be the last of what I call a “baseball cathedral.”
Even with the many changes the park is undergoing, the ivy will soon
be green on the outfield walls and the grass is already in midseason
form. The players are young and hungry for a winning team.Third
baseman Kris Bryant, one of the newest members of the Cubs, is a joy
to watch as he plays the game with not only natural skill, but plenty
of enthusiasm, respect and awe.
Football – In just a few days, the
NFL will be hosting the annual draft of collegiate talent.
Speculation on which team will draft which player has been running
rampant for months, which should please the owners and commissioner,
as the NFL is one of the biggest businesses going in this country. It
still amazes me that on any given Saturday in the fall, there are
undoubtedly millions of us in the stands at college games across the
country. Several of the stadiums of the major teams seat 100,000 and
are sold out far in advance. College game day is one of the best days
of the week in the fall, whether you are tailgating in a stadium
parking lot or making sure your refrigerator is well stocked for a
full day of viewing on television.
Basketball – I really like watching
college basketball. It was easy to watch this past season, as all
three of the Iowa major universities had super seasons. In fact, two
of the three women's teams also had exciting seasons. A lot of people
like to watch the NBA. I haven't been very interested since Michael
Jordan and his teammates retired. The pros, who play in excess of 82
games a year, just don't show much enthusiasm as their younger
counterparts. Of course, they are paid to display what would be
considered spectacular plays on the college level and do it each
night.
Hockey – I am still not a big fan,
although I am trying to be. It's hard for me to follow the fast
moving little figures gliding on the ice on TV. In fact, I believe
the best thing that has happened in recent years in making the sport
more popular is instant replay and HD TV. Some commentators can spend
hours each day discussing the play of certain players. The only thing
I know so far is if a goalie lets the puck get by him very often,
he's not having a good day. I really admire the abilities of good
hockey players. I never could ice skate (again, quit laughing,
readers!). The game moves fast and in recent years, there has been
more good skating and stick handling and fewer silly fights in the
game. And perhaps the best two singers of the National Anthem in
sports are Wayne Mesmer for the Cubs and the guy who sings at Chicago
Stadium.
Horse racing – With the Triple Crown
about to begin with the running of the Kentucky Derby, my brief
interest in this sport is piqued again. Great race horses and their
jockeys are incredible athletes and I appreciate their abilities.
Perhaps one of the best sports songs I've heard was sung by the late
Dan Fogelberg. His “Run for the Roses” should be played all day
on the radio on Saturday race day.
Auto racing – I've started watching
NASCAR more often in recent years. I especially like to watch action
on the super speedways, while I'm not really a fan of 43 cars racing
500 times around an asphalt half-mile track. You can't follow who's
in the lead. Too many cars going too fast on a track more suitable
for half the number of cars on a dirt surface at a county fair on
Saturday night. The Indy car season will come into prominence later
next month with the Indianapolis 500. Those cars aren't much bigger
than some go-carts, but they go frighteningly fast. As with NASCAR,
drivers and their crews must know much more than how to turn left.
Many crews have engineers on their staff to make their cars go
faster.
Golf - There was a time in my life
when I could play 18 holes in 85 degree heat, walking the course.
That was several decades ago. Then for several years, I attended the
Quad-City Open, which became the Ed McMahon QC Open, then the
Hardee's Open and most recently, the John Deere Classic. As a member
of the press in those early years, I got to interview Tom Watson when
he was a little known pro from Kansas City. I followed Fuzzy Zoeller
and Lee Trevino around the course during a practice round. I even
shook hands with the late, great Ed McMahon, as jolly in person as he
was for years on the Tonight Show. Fast forward several decades and
though the body will no longer allow me to tramp around the green
meadows, I still appreciate the game. Televised golf is a good thing
to watch while you are also doing a jigsaw puzzle on your Kindle or
reading the Sunday paper. Again, instant replay is a godsend.
Soccer – It's supposedly the most
popular sport in the world, mainly because it is played in many other
countries besides the U.S. Any given weekend, you can tune into a
European match, where up to 100,000 folks are maintaining a roar
throughout the match. I'm convinced that enough beer and wine are
consumed at those matches to float a small yacht. Soccer is another
pasttime that is best watched while you are also doing something
else. Don't worry, the announcer will scream “GOAL!!!” when
something interesting happens. Trouble is, you might not hear that
scream more than once or twice in a two hour telecast.
Of course, these are just a few of the
sports in the world. Every four years, many of us become fans of snow
skiing, figure skating, speed skating, track and field and numerous
other sports at the Olympics. I think I'll save discussion on these
and other sports for another time. Right now, the Blackhawks and the
Predators are playing in a Stanley Cup playoff game out in the
livingroom. I think it's time to go see if the Hawks can keep going
on their bid for another Cup.
