Before the Red Sox - Angels playoff series began, I saw the headline of a story on a local news website that read something like "Get ready to be sleepy...". Reading the headline, I thought the writer of the article was going to talk about how he thought the Sox - Angels series would be boring and therefore Sox viewers would be sleepy . The writer in fact was talking about the start time of the games - 9:30ish pm on the east coast. The writer assumed that Red Sox fans would be up late at night watching the games. Not me.
I don't remember when exactly my priorities changed - but they did. I, for the most part, go to bed if I am tired. I do not stay up late to see who wins the game. Sarah will not wake up at midnight to discover I am downstairs awaiting the final out of a baseball game or for the final tick of the clock of a Patriots game.
Don't get me wrong - I've had my share of late nights watching professional sports. Yes, I've seen MANY of the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots celebrations over the years. I've lived my entire life in the Boston area and have my share of stories. Whether the story is about sitting a few rows in front of Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson at a concert or a story standing in line for hours to get Larry Bird's autograph. I have great memories of watching Celtics games with my dad (God rest his soul) and my brothers. I saw the Celtics play at the old Boston Garden - I saw The Chief, Kevin McHale, LB & company at their best. I am a sports fan, but something has changed.
It kind of irritates me now when I am at a party, wedding, or some other social event and guests "sneak away" to catch the score of the game or to watch a game. Give me a break. I've heard it said it's "passion for the game". I don't get it. I consider myself somewhat passionate about running but you won't see me change into running shorts and my Saucony shoes to get a run in during a Christmas party. P L E A S E.
Some may say I am an old fart. I think I've just gotten better at choosing what is meaningful in life.
With all that said, GO SOX!