The Belated Intro Post

Every story has a beginning- it's just that the beginning of one story comes in the middle of someone else's.  To explain myself, and why I'm here, I have to go a little further back.

So, in a sense, this intro post is the story of a woman who agreed to keep her hair long in exchange for her soon-to-be husband not protesting her Rangers season tickets; a woman who tailgates faithfully at Giants Stadium once a year; a woman who prefers the NCAAs to the NBA because of the style of play; a woman who grew up in the glory days of the Yankees; and most importantly of all, a woman who believed the time had come for a major women's league, and who dragged her 12-year-old daughter to the first game at MSG.

And in a sense, this intro post is the story of a man who eschews American sports for their nattering commentators and ridiculous salaries; a man who follows Italian soccer from an armchair in Queens; a man who watches the Serie A game on RAI like it was religion, no matter what teams are playing; a man who chose his sport and his league for crisp passing and playmaking, not high scoring; a man who occasionally pokes fun at his daughter's obsession, but who makes a quilt out of a replica conference championship banner for her.

This is who I am.  I love my teams passionately, but I love the game even more.  Show me teamwork.  Show me defense.  Show me intensity.  Show me a crowd that's just as into the game as the players are.

I'm a storyteller.  That's what I take pride in.  That's what I like to think is my greatest skill.  I hope to make you, the reader, feel as if you were next to me at the game.  I want you to see the game in your mind's eye, feel the basketball pounding against the hardwood, hear the fans shrieking about the bad calls, smell the popcorn and hot dogs from the concession stand around the corner, and taste the soda in your mouth.  By the time you finish reading one of my posts, I hope that you think your butt hurts from sitting in the bleachers, your throat is sore from screaming encouragement to the team of your choice, and that you're just coming down from an adrenaline high.  I want you to be surprised that you're at a computer, reading a blog entry.  I don't want to get bogged down in specifics.  I want to give you the general feel.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to pack my bag and check the train schedule.  My team's got a road game tomorrow, and you can be sure I'll give you the skinny.