I love football.......almost to the point of fanaticism......oh hell, i AM a fanatic actually........in the off-season, i long for pre-season.......i pay attention to all the off-season moves and speculate which team will draft which player.......i play fantasy football during the regular season......and i faithfully hitch my hopes to the one-wheeled wagon that is THE ATLANTA FALCONS.........yep, imma fanatic......
I think the reason i love football so much is the oppurtunity to live vicariously through the players, experience their triumphs and failures if you will......i played the game once upon a time....and NFL and college ball helps me relive my days playing rec. league and junior high ball.......
Sadly, i never once had the oppurtunity to play on a winning team......every team i played on was the rebirth(or afterbirth maybe) of the Bad News Bears,only they were football teams instead of baseball teams..........i excelled to a point within these failed organizations......but as they say "there is no I in team"......i was hampered by the fact that i was never a very big guy also......
I remember when i played on my first team at 6 or 7.......we were THE BULLDOGS.......but as poorly coached as we were, it would've made more sense to call us THE BULLSHIT........my family was poor at the time, so instead of cleats, i had to wear my regular tennis shoes...they were Payless specials or "catheads" as everyone called them.........not even real Chuck Taylors..........and they always flew off when i ran............our stupid coaches had me running alot as i played half-back and returned kickoffs.........on the first play of the season as i ran back a kickoff, i was hit from two sides and upended.......my left shoe must've flown 30 feet..........i was mortified........i'm not sure if we won a single game that season.........
My skill and fearlessness had increased exponentially by the time i reached 7th grade......i played free safety(roverback)for TABOR JUNIOR HIGH in Warner Robins,GA.......and i was a starter........i think i missed 4 tackles all season.......but i made those tackles at the expense of my body.........at something around 5ft tall and less than 120lbs, i was not intimidating to opposing running backs......so instead of trying to evade my tackles, they ran straight at me.....it hurt...........but most of the time i made the tackle........even if the guy that just flattened me outweighed me by a hundred lbs.........
The following season, i turned around at the door of the gym on the day of football tryouts......not too long after that i picked up drums.......now I'M the one doing the brutalizing..........
And i've gotten great pleasure out of watching the exploits of others on the field........NFL and college to be sure.......but most notably my son, who has enjoyed success on his rec. league football teams..........
Rock it like a FALCONS fan........NEVER give up on the ones you love.........
Stak
2 comments:
i'll send ya to hell in a rocket ship......
okay moses.
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