Sports

Yet another story from my time in Boise, Idaho. A few of us, while we were waiting for a couple more people to show up to a meeting, were just chit-chatting. One of the women in the meeting started talking about her kids and how one of them said they wanted to be a rodeo clown. What provoked the kid to say that? They were watching the rodeo on television, of course. We all laughed about it, and she went on to say something like, “at least they don’t want to go mutton bustin’”.

Mutton what?
Mutton bustin’.
Mutton what?

I had never heard this term before. Turns out it’s some kind of weirdo “sport” that is basically the same as bull riding, except the bulls are replaced with sheep, and the riders are replaced with 5-10 year olds.

I come back with a new bit of “wisdom” after every trip to Boise. What will I learn on my next trip? Stay tuned folks... stay tuned...

Mutton bustin’... {shakes head}

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What a fantasmariffic way of ringing in the new football season! Those Marauders are looking good out there!

The World Cup just finished with Italy winning it on penalty kicks. I must say, I was actually sucked into the excitement of the game. It also happens to be the only game I watched this World Cup. The last time I watched soccer was in ‘94 during that World Cup. I hated it. It was so boring, and I didn’t understand the excitement everybody else seemed to feel and emote. So for the past 12 years, I’ve gone on, not giving soccer another chance, and continuing my beliefs that it sucked.

I was in the North End¹ recently, and it was kind of fun to see all the posters, flags, and other various items hung in the various cafe’s in support of the Italian team. So when I found out that Italy was going to be in the final match, for whatever reason, I felt interested. I watched the game with some enthusiasm, while rooting for Italy². The more we watched, the more I got into it.

I gotta say, a LOT of what kept me interested was the fact that the time continues no matter WHAT is happening... injuries, ball kicked out of play, etc. This helps keep the game moving for me, and I kind of like that aspect of the game. My reason for not really liking soccer was that it’s rare that there are any shots being taken in attempt to score. The ball sits around midfield for a majority of the time, transferring possession between the two teams over and over again. It gets old.

Anyway, I don’t claim to be a fan of soccer by any means, just that I don’t “hate” it anymore. I can understand why people love it so much. The athleticism is absolutely amazing, and I can certainly appreciate that. Not sure if I’ll continue to watch soccer, but I may not be as quick to change channels if I came across it while channel surfing.


¹ This is Boston’s version of a Little Italy.
² The only reason I rooted (rooted? Is that a word? Should it be rot?) for them was because my wife is half Italian and we were in the North End a couple weeks ago. Yeah, no other reason, it’s as lame as that.