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Why This Fan Loves Her Sports

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Lieslntx, May 24, 2008.

  1. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    First off, for those of you that don't know it, I am not in the journalism business. I am simply a fan of sports. My brother (AlleyAllen) who posts here was, and that is how I was turned on to this site. I just wanted to share with all of you my experience at a live baseball game tonight, with the hope that it might remind each of you that the kind of fan that I am is the kind of person that you all work so hard for every night. Keep up your good work. And I hope that you enjoy a long story from the other side.

    With that thought in mind, I would like to share my experience at tonight's Astros game with you. I have been to many live sporting events. It's what I do. But tonight's game was special for many different reasons. Most of which I hope to touch on below.

    AA decided to take me, Little Man and a mutual friend of ours to an Astros game tonight, using his birthday money that he received from our mother. That was very sweet to begin with, simply because I am usually the one treating us to live sporting events. As always, we were in the cheap seats. We like the cheap seats. 95% of the time we are in the cheap seats. We like the view from there. We like the people we are surrounded by. We like the atmosphere in the cheap seats.

    So the game progresses and we are in about the third inning. AA, myself and our mutual friend are all natives to Houston, so of course we begin to reminisce about the old Astrodome, the old Astros, the old colors and uniforms, who out favorite player from that time was, etc. This kind of sets the stage for the rest game, I suppose.

    So we are down 0-1 to the Phillies. Then my cutie Hunter Pence hits one out of the park to tie it up.

    Now at this point I must break away from my story to share a side story with you. I rode in the back with Little Man on the way to the game. As usual, we discuss who the "bad guys are." But being the good Aunt that I am, I try and make sure he knows whose name to shout out tonight. So I begin to teach him to say Hunter Pence. The mutual friend (who is driving) keeps saying "Berkman!" We work this confusion out and it's all good and he's ready. Well then the talk turns to the Texans (as it always does with the people I'm with) and I decide that I need to teach Little Man my favorite Texan's name: Kris Brown. So then we work on this for a while. Again, he's ready to go with the name.

    So back to the Pence homerun. After I am done cheering, I ask Little Man who hit the home run. He knew who hit it. I had, of course, made him pay attention when Pence came up to bat. So he says, "Hunter Brown!" WTF? For real? So then he continues this all night, knowing that it is upsetting to me. We were still 20 mins from home when AA asks him who the player of the game was and he shouts, "Hunter Brown." So the game continues, and Hunter Pence hits another home run later in the game. Again, "Hunter Brown!" I give up and take it for what it is and enjoy my game and the lead that the Astros have taken.

    The game goes on and the Astros are in the lead. The 8th inning is coming up and what a fine inning it was. If you want the full story of all that happened, or a play by play, you will have to google the story. Again, I am not a reporter but just a simple fan. Let's just say that the 8th inning was amazing and very exciting. At least I think it was the 8th, I could be wrong.

    Anyway, by this point the Astros are in the lead. Valverde is in as relief pitcher. He gets hit in the head with a line drive. Now, we were busy with little man and missed the play. And they don't really like to show replays much in baseball. Thank goodness I get a phone call from a fellow Astros fan who tells us what happened. My understanding is that the ball, once it was hit, bounced off Valverde's glove and hit him in the head. All we knew was that he was face down on the mound for at least five minutes. And a very tense 5 minutes is was. That's how it is when you are at a live game. Things go in slow motion sometimes. Eventually he gets up and continues the game. Can you even imagine what the crowd felt like at this point? After a tense 9th inning (I belive it was the 9th) and the Phillies getting within one run of us, we do eventually win the game 4-3.

    Well, one would think it is over at this point, but no ... It is Fireworks Friday at Minute Maid Park. Now many of you might think this kind of marketing scheme as outrageous, but please bear with me a few more minutes and hear my side of the story. The roof of Minute Maid was closed tonight. I do not know what the tempature was, but it was hot. When we left at 10 something, it was 88 degrees outside.

    On Fireworks Friday (and we did NOT know this prior to going to the game) they open the roof and shoot off fireworks. Now, to be sitting in this beautiful stadium, and the watch them go through the process of opening the roof is something else. Then, once it is open and because our seats were behind first base, we have the most amazing view of the Houston skyline that you have ever seen. And all three of us have seen this skyline, trust me. But this was beyond beautiful. Little Man crawls up into my lap and the fireworks begin. I wish I could do justice to the scene before us, but I really don't believe I have the words to describe it.

    It was magical. It really was. All of Houston was there in front of our eyes, and in between us and that beautiful city the most amazing fireworks show was put on. Even Little Man was speechless. He was in my lap, with his head on my shoulder, enjoying a site he could not quite comprehend. I have to tell you, it made me quite proud at that moment to be a Houstonian.

    And quite proud to be a fan of my Houston teams. This is what being a fan is all about. Right there, in this one evening at Minute Maid Park, in Houston, Texas. This is my town. And these are my teams. And this is why I love them, win or lose.

    I know this was a long post, but I sure hope that a few of you stuck with it until the end. Thank you for letting this fan ramble.
     
  2. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    That equals the wordage of all my posts combined.


    Sounds neat, tho.
     
  3. pallister

    pallister Guest

    Your favorite Texan is a kicker?
     
  4. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    If you had been at the game with me (and it plays out pretty much like the above story) you would understand why my favorite player is a kicker. I'm just happy that someone knows who the hell Kris Brown is. Thank you for that.
     
  5. pallister

    pallister Guest

    His penchant for 50-plus-yard field goals has not been kind to me in fantasy football.
     
  6. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    Yeah, but this fan enjoyed the hell out of his field goals this past season. Sorry that screwed up your fantasy football. But I had fun watching.

    And if it matters, I hope to shake his hand (and Sage Rosenfels) on Thursday.
     
  7. Norman Stansfield

    Norman Stansfield Active Member

    Neither has your drafting nor TOM_BRADY
     
  8. pallister

    pallister Guest

    Stupid online drafts.
     
  9. Norman Stansfield

    Norman Stansfield Active Member

    It's either that or you drafting all Bears players.

    Either way, you're gonna suck :D
     
  10. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    Stop, stop, stop!

    AA is still getting BIRTHDAY MONEY from his MOTHER? :eek:

    [​IMG]

    ;D

    (I do too.)
     
  11. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    Jack my thread, guys. It took almost everything I am to type what I typed and put myself out there like I did. But go ahead, jack away.
     
  12. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    Grow up already.
     
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