Games

4/27/11

Games

Just as I've never succumbed to any of the popular addictions…coffee, booze, smoking, TV-watching— I've never developed much interest in playing team games or in watching others play them. Genetic? A past incarnation?

Sure, I've watched baseball, football, ice hockey, basketball, polo, and so on live as well as on TV. In high school I enjoyed bowling…got pretty good at it (180s)…and fencing, where I was made manager and third man on our team. I loved six-wall handball and swimming competitions..

My love of horseback riding, which started with ten lessons when I was ten, led me to a Professor of Horsemanship (Beery School of Horsemanship), and owning a couple Arabs. My love of scuba diving has taken me all around the world.

But watching ball games? What a way to waste one's life! Why does anyone care whether the Red Sox or the Pirates win? Good grief! Yet I see the stands packed solid with cash customers cheering on their teams.

A while back our New Hampshire Fisher Cats had me throw out the ceremonial first ball…I have it here on the shelf (hmm, says "Made in China" on the back). After a couple of innings I gave up and drove home. On the way from Manchester, while passing through Pinardville, I stopped at a supermarket to get some grapes. I was amazed when a woman walked up and said hello…explaining she'd seen me throw out the first ball at the game. We'd both left early.

No matter what business you're in there are things you can learn from the experts, so better to use your time to learn than just sit and watch others playing games. What an incredible waste of time! And money, if that's you up there in the stands.