I am, I admit, emotionally attached to several of the pro teams of my youth (i.e., the Winnipeg Jets, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers & the Saskatchewan Roughriders -- NHL hockey, CFL football & CFL football, respectively), and I will watch the odd game -- the big ones -- the Jets' emotional return to Winnipeg after a 15-year absence (I was in tears just during the warmup!), the Canadian Olympic hockey team's gold medal victories in 2002 & 2010, the Grey Cup (CFL championship game) every year (which I will take over the Super Bowl any day!). And the TV set is almost always tuned to the Toronto Maple Leafs when we visit FIL on a winter Saturday night. But I don't make a point of regularly watching any team's games.
That said, it's October. Which, in North America, means baseball playoffs. Baseball is another one of those sports I don't generally follow -- but this week, the Toronto Blue Jays (Canada's only Major League Baseball team) are playing the Kansas City Royals for the American League championship (and the chance to go to the World Series) for the first time in 22 years. Game 3 is tonight. (There's also a federal election today, but who cares about that, right?? lol)
Last Thursday night, as dh & I watched a nail-biter of a do-or-die game against the Texas Rangers, which would determine who went to the American League finals, I posted on Facebook, "I haven't been this tense over a baseball game in, oh, 22 years. (Come to think of it, I haven't WATCHED an entire baseball game in 22 years, lol.)"
22 years is a LONG time. Generally, I find baseball a pretty sleepy game to watch. I went to a couple of Blue Jays games at the SkyDome (oops -- Rogers Centre -- but it will ALWAYS be "SkyDome" to me...) in the first few years after it opened in 1989. But I watched every one of the Jays' 1992 & 1993 World Series games, often staying up until 11 or 12 o'clock at night, and then dragging my butt into work the next morning. (Of course, I was far from the only one!) When the Jays won the first time, in 1992, the victory parade was held at lunchtime on a weekday. My boss & I walked a few blocks over from our office to the parade route. Even though we went about an hour in advance, the sidewalk was already 12 deep with people. All I saw were the tops of people's heads as the cars bearing the players & the World Series trophy passed by, to deafening cheers. Oh well, I WAS there. ;)
It was fun. It would be nice to do it again. And if you think we went nuts in 1992 &/or 1993 (or even on Thursday night, when the entire city, maybe even the entire country, went collectively bonkers), just wait until that mythical "someday" when the Maple Leafs (our hapless hockey team) reclaim the Stanley Cup...! ;) (The last time they won was in 1967 -- 48 years ago.)
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
I watched the game! I used to be a huge Blue Jays fan - in high school my boyfriend was a baseball fanatic, so I had to learn all about it of course. Even collected baseball cards. I used to go see them when they were in Exhibition Stadium. I was in Toronto when they won the pennant and it was so exciting! I'll be watching the games to come, so sad they lost the first 2.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you -- I'm not a big fan of watching team sports BUT baseball is the one sport I follow. I have to as a Nationals Superfan :-). Glad you caught the game.
ReplyDeleteI like team sports. Though these days I only regularly watch international rugby games, and the occasional netball game. We had an exciting team sport watching weekend too. The All Blacks (our national rugby team and current world champions) played the French in the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup, and thrashed them 62-13. So next week we'll be up in the middle of the night for the semis (they're playing in London), hoping they keep alive the chance to become world champions again.
ReplyDeleteI hope your team wins! (And I hope ours does too.)
Our guys lost two in NY over the weekend but come home to the friendly confines. I am not a fan but many in my office are. Winning teams are good for the city.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big sports fan, from the couch. Blue Jays did really well today, despite Royals coming back strongly. I want Cubs to beat Mets, then not too fussed as to whether Royals or Blue Jays beat Cubs (or Mets). With the Royals v Blue Jays I was cheering Royals, then Blue Jays, as I want to see it go to seven games! My favourite sport is rugby league (big in Australia, not so big here in NZ) so watch 49ers with interest as Jarryd Hayne has just code switched. My favourite US teams are all St Louis based, as Meet Me In St Louis is one of my favourite movies.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so now I just look like a crazy person ...
Hope you enjoyed todays game
It's so much fun to cheer for your team in the playoffs see your city go sports crazy over a baseball team! Three years ago our city's team made the playoffs for the first time in 21 years and the city literally shut down. They made the playoffs this year too but lost (miserably) in the wild card round to the Chicago Cubs.
ReplyDeleteI had something similar back in 2004. I watched more baseball games, start to finish, that year than I ever had in my entire life. Did I mention I'm from New England... *grin*
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