1/10/13

1/10/13 - Ok…I know what you’re about to say… You’re so used to me ranting and raving about current events and things that piss me off to the point that it’s almost expected. I hear it all the time! People accuse me of being one of the most negative people that they’ve ever met in their life! First of all…if most people weren’t such closed minded douche bags with a passion for living in the past…I wouldn’t be so hard to get along with. Second…you don’t have to worry about that this week. Bathe in the ambience of the positive for a change because it probably won’t last long. Someone or something is destined to piss me off in the next seven days or so. I’m sure of it. The law of averages never lies… The NHL lockout is over! Now…some of you are asking yourself “didn’t he just say that he was going to say something positive for a change? Who cares about hockey?” You poor, poor, Neanderthals. Have faith, ye cavemen and women of Cro-Magnon proportions, I’ll explain. Don’t I always? I mean, sure…my explanations might be above your head sometimes but I DO explain nonetheless! I used to be exactly like you. I was all about football through and through and could’ve cared less about much else. Why? Because that is how our fathers raised us…and their fathers before them…and so on. Same philosophy as local beliefs on gay marriage, gun control, and Texas becoming its own country. Grow up. Live in the ‘now’. Get on with life. Grandpa is dead for a reason, right? He was old…and so were his beliefs. If we don’t roll with the punches of this ever changing world then we are going to get left in the dust. I never cared about any other sport but football because it was all I or anyone else around me knew. As a matter of fact, when I first arrived at Army boot camp, I would ask my Drill Sergeant every Monday morning how the Cowboys did. (We didn’t have access to news). He would usually make fun of me for an hour for being a Cowboys fan and then make me do pushups until I got sick. Weren’t they ‘America’s Team’? Obviously not…it’s just something that we’ve convinced ourselves of in this wonderful state of ours. Anyway, I was standing in a PT formation one morning in June at Ft. Huachuca Arizona when one of my friends approached me to congratulate me on the Dallas Stars winning the coveted Stanley Cup the night before. I honestly replied with “Thanks. Who in the hell are the Dallas Stars?” Shortly after my time of military service ended, I moved in with the same guy at his home in Long Beach, California. We had landed a job in the same department of Nortel Networks (remember that company?). When I walked into his living room I knew that I was instantly in trouble. Hockey jerseys and equipment were laying and hanging everywhere. Even the Playstation was emitting hockey almost 24/7. I immediately starting making jokes…but it had little effect on the true believers in the room. I argued for weeks actually…until I was sitting in the Staples Center watching the Los Angeles Kings play the San Jose Sharks for the very first time. The regulation periods were over and sudden death overtime was upon us. The score was 0-0. Suddenly, the arena erupted in an electric frenzy as the Kings scored the game winning goal and it was the most energy I had ever felt in my life. I had attended NBA, NFL, and MLB games before…but never had I felt such an emotional explosion. I was hooked. Any hockey player is physically fit enough to pull off a decent game of basketball, football, or baseball…but I bet you that few basketball, football, or baseball players could ever strap on a set of skates and play a decent game of hockey. Why haven’t we been celebrating this sport in Texas? After completing some research, Texas actually has MORE pee wee, recreational, and minor league hockey teams than any other state in the U.S.! For once…I was passionate about something that I could share with others. Upon my return home…I tried to. No such luck. Hockey fans are far, few, and in between in the bustling Mecca of Greenville, Texas and, once again, I was on my own in my passion. In 2004, my wife and I divorced and I was only cool with it because I was going to be able to watch the hockey season unfold uninterrupted. Again, no such luck. The 2004/2005 lockout engulfed the entire season and I often refer to it as the worst year of my life up until this point. In the midst of war, a crap economy, a possibly fixed election, a potential catastrophic event on December 23, and various other heinous events of 2012…at least I was looking forward to the hockey season. Second verse…same as the first. Millionaires began arguing with Billionaires about money and such and the season is just now beginning. The most important part though…is that it IS beginning! Finally, my life and passion can return to a normal level and I can begin looking forward to the good things in my life…beginning with the drop of the puck and deep, red blood on pure, white ice. I can travel to the American Airlines Center and make instant friends with thousands of people that are just like me in my excitement for the sport. It’s the little things in life, right? In the meantime, everyone else around me can watch their cave man sport that takes basic human motor skills to accomplish mediocrity by running a two yard play and celebrating for the next couple of hours. Go Stars!!! Damn…this turned out to be negative after all! I haven’t skipped a beat. All is well. Howl…growl…snarl…