Oct. 10, 2003 - 21:29 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

GRAND OLD GAMES ?

I guess a wimpy way to react to the FF today would be to say, "No comment." Then again perhaps just answering the questions would be the way to go. Friday Five

1.Do you watch sports ? If so, which ones ?

A. - Occasionally, soccer, competition figure and dance skating. Will be watching our grandson in what ever sport he is playing when we go to Eugene in November.

2.- What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes ?

A. - At this time I have no favorites. There are some sports figures who are definitely my anti-favorites.

3. - Are there any sports you hate ?

A. - Not sports per se, but any so called sport where poor sportsmanship and cheating play a major part, I despise.

4. - Have you ever been to a sports event ?

A. - Yes. As a little kid I would walk up to the D.U. stadium with my Dad and Mom and watch Denver University football games. My only real memory of those is my pitiful attempts to stay warm. High school basket ball when my young brother in law was in high school, I would go with him. We went to field days when our grandkids were of the appropriate age.

5. - Do/did you play any sports (In school or other ?) How long did you play ?

A. - I played golf with my Dad, started out as his caddy and earned the right to play with him. Various sand lot games. I began to play table tennis in high school and played until I got married and moved away from my table. Then when we lived in Florida I played softball with a muni team for two seasons. Bar room shuffle board -- is that a sport ? Darts were about my favorite game for a long time. We had a dart board where I worked and on our breaks and lunch hours we were rabidly competing. We took on some engineers from upstairs (United Kingdom types) and beat them at every style of dart game they proposed. But, who ever heard of organized darts ?

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I became one of those bad ass, macho kids who smoked cigarettes at age eight, beginning a habit lasting sixty-eight years. Of course I had no wind or endurance to speak of, so team sports at school were out of the picture for me.

The worst I ever got hooked on physical stuff was in 1951 when TV came to our town. I watched every wrestling program on any channel in town. UNTIL - I realized that what appeared to be happening in the ring truly was happening there would be blood and broken bones, teeth flying every which way. I quit watching wrestling.

Then Jai Alai came to Tampa, Florida, I went every chance I got. Didn't have the money to gamble, but I loved the machine gun action, the tigerish agility and speed of the players. The way I look at it is, that sport is wonderful as long as there is honor and integrity in full force all the time. But that is just my lonesome opinion.

I am horrified at the riots connected to athletic events and the sometimes vandalism which occurs. The original Olympics, now weren't those Grand Old Games ?

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