tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405461353905329786.post2062523206792890503..comments2023-10-07T06:41:17.098-07:00Comments on I'll take real life for $2000 Alex: The Coming Sports DiasporaJChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17454042380517829871noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405461353905329786.post-21790497604173142122010-06-12T08:43:54.119-07:002010-06-12T08:43:54.119-07:00Part II
Professional Soccer – Who cares! I hear t...Part II<br /><br />Professional Soccer – Who cares! I hear there is some kind of Cup thing going on a million miles away in South Africa, where a bunch of guys run around aimlessly for a couple of hours hoping upon hope to maybe score one goal. The only Cup that really matters is Lord Stanley’s, and that one can be seen parading around the streets of Chicago this weekend!<br /><br />Baseball – This one is easy due to the 2 leagues. I grew up a White Sox fan, first following the game as a 7 year old in 1960. I married a Sox fan – that was a prerequisite – who subsequently gave birth to 3 great Sox fans. In our house it’s “ABC” – Anything But Cubs! In fact, at Jared’s future brother-in-law’s 4th birthday party, someone gave him a Cubs T-shirt. He held it up for all to see and then proclaimed “my dad won’t let me wear this.” I was never prouder. So if it is necessary for my grandchildren to root for a National League team, the Phillies are ok with me. But remember – if and when the Sox ever play the Phillies in the World Series – those grandkids will be wearing the Silver and Black! Oh, one last thought – you can’t take them to any Phillies games in Citizens Bank Park where Phillies fans think it is great fun to vomit intentionally on other fans!<br /><br />Now for the real toughies – College Sports. It seems that Jared’s family takes pride on trying to attend every major school on the east coast. That will never be true here. Jared is marrying into an Illini Family. If Jared’s fiancée were to paraphrase George M. Cohan in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” it might go like this “my father went there, my mother went there, my brother went there, my little brother went there, and I went there.” Now I really have nothing against Penn State – a fine University. And until they joined the Big Ten (or Big 11 or Big 12, as seems to be happening these days) they used to dominate east coast football, beating up on the likes of the Lehighs, Temples, Rutgers, etc, each week.<br /><br />As for college basketball, this one’s easy as I don’t think Penn State even has a basketball team, so it’s the Fighting Illini all the way. I grant that Football is a little tougher. Illinois’ football program most of the time is just a tad better than intramurals. But school loyalty must prevail here. So Penn State can be my grandkids’ second favorite college football team and if someone wants to get them a cute little lion, that’s ok with me. But they will be born and bred as true Illinois fans.<br /><br />And I must take great exception to one point Jared made about our (Illinois’) mascot – The Chief. First, it is NOT a mascot. It is a symbol. And a revered one at that. Second the University, much to the chagrin of many, has retired the Chief, caving in to political correctness (that doesn’t seem to have affected the Washington Redskins, the Cleveland Indians, the Florida State Seminoles, the Fighting Irish and many others).<br /><br />So Jared, as you can see, I’ve tried to be fair, giving you some, and keeping some. And I know that deep down you will agree with what I’ve posted. And if you don’t – well you can pay for the wedding! -Lee Arbusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405461353905329786.post-17380762548414421882010-06-12T08:43:03.620-07:002010-06-12T08:43:03.620-07:00I am not in the habit of reading my future son-in-...I am not in the habit of reading my future son-in-law’s blog and certainly not in the habit of posting comments. But after my wife showed me Jared’s diatribe on which teams my future grandchildren will root for (and which laundry, as Jerry Seinfeld most aptly put it they will wear), on this proclaimed “Chicago Blackhawks Day,” I feel compelled to set the record straight. Now because Jared has sought to limit the number of characters in a response (although he has unlimited rights), I will post this in two separate parts.<br /><br />Part I <br /><br />Now when Jared first told me that he wanted to marry my daughter, I responded that I wanted to be a good father-in-law, which by my definition meant that I would stay out of the kids’ business unless asked. Well, as you can see, that promise has only lasted until today. Fortunately so far we have been thrilled by their decisions, especially the one to reside in Chicago. But I see that they will need some help here.<br /><br />Now to set the record straight, I have never stepped foot in Philadelphia, so I have nothing against the city, except how Flyers fans unmercifully booed my Hawks the other night while they skated that magnificent Cup around the Wachovia Center ice. Hey Flyers fans – you lost to a better team. Get over it! <br /><br />But, after all, this is a city that claims as a delicacy, a wonderful Italian beef sandwich that they ruin by smearing it with Cheeze Whiz, of all things. C’mon guys, you call it a cheesesteak and it’s not even real cheese. It’s made, of course, by a Chicago company, Kraft Foods, but even Chicagoans know better than to eat it. <br /><br />Back to sports. <br /><br />NFL Football – Bears v. Eagles. Now all of you in Chi-Town may be surprised that I’m going to give this one to the Eagles. I have never been a huge pro-football fan. I guess that may emanate from my jealousy that football has really stolen the title of “National Pasttime” from my first love – baseball. Around here it is Bears all day, every day, even when they stink, which is more often than not. So go ahead, dress up my grandchildren in Eagles green. See if I care.<br /><br />NBA Basketball – Bulls v. Sixers. I have often felt the NBA is a just one step ahead of professional wrestling. And recently one of their refs was jailed for throwing games, proving my point. So with Michael Jordan just a fleeting memory, and no imminent sighting of LeBron James here, Jared, you can have this one too. (To be continued.)Lee Arbusnoreply@blogger.com