My Emotional Support Sport

There’s just something about baseball that soothes my soul.

Teaching is hard. Like, actually hard. Some days, everything that can go wrong does—kids acting like they were raised in barns, adults in matching bad moods, the copier jammed for the eleventh time this week (I know it's plotting against me), and the day feels like it’s stuck in some cruel time loop.

And when that kind of day ends? I go home. I pour myself a glass of wine. I kick off my shoes, prop my feet on the couch, and turn on MLB TV. 

And suddenly... everything is okay.

The Sox are on. The crowd is buzzing. The grass is perfectly contoured, the baselines are bright and crisp, and the camera pans across a field that somehow looks like peace in visual form. I find myself smiling. I remember how to breathe.

It’s almost meditative—my version of Zen. The world may be loud, messy, and completely off the rails, but here, in this moment, Crochet is throwing 95 mph fastballs and all is right with the world. School, with its infinite noise and unpredictable chaos, feels a million miles away.

Baseball doesn’t fix everything. But on nights like this, it sure comes close. 

I thank my friends Dave and Sue from the bottom of my heart for this gift. They have no idea how much my sanity depends on baseball! 

Or maybe they do. 

Superbowl 50

Superbowl 50 is in the books. 

Carolina Panthers     10

Denver Broncos        24

Yes, I was rooting for the old guy.

Congratulations, Peyton Manning and the Broncos Nation! 

Superbowl Prediction

Steven? 

Bunny?

Who do you think will win the Superbowl?

Well, he says, in that introspective way men have when they discuss matters of great importance, Carolina is the 6 point favorite.

Oh! So Denver is going to win!

(Laughing) Yep. Can't help but root for the old guy.

Seattle is going to the Superbowl!

Earlier this year, I watched an entire Bills game with a friend of mine. He was great. He even let me ask questions during the game! Anyway, I came away with a reasonable amount of basics and an understanding that there is a whole lot more to this game than I previously thought.

Now, from listening to the radio every morning, especially on a Monday morning following a Bills game, I've come to the understanding that they really aren't that good. So I caught the occasional game during the season to keep my hand in, so to speak, and never had any Superbowl hopes that Bills fans seem to have at the beginning of every season.

Besides, my brother lives in Seattle. If I'm going to root for a team, why not a good one in his hometown?

I have to say I surprised myself. I was so disappointed in the Seahawks for most of the game...interceptions, sacks, penalties...it appeared hopeless. I still, though, could not bring myself to root for the team whose fans wear Swiss cheese hats. I have my standards.

I don't know how, but they pulled it off. Seattle won in overtime and will be in Superbowl 49. Guess who I'm rooting for on Superbowl Sunday?