Happy Father's Day

                  

Happy Father's Day to everyone.  If you are reading this blog, then you probably are a sports lover.  And if you are a sports lover, chances are that your dad had something to do with it.

Sure, you're name isn't Ken Griffey Jr.

Or Barry Bonds.

Or Moises Alou.

Or Peyton Manning.

Or Eli Manning.

Or Tiger Woods.

Or Venus Williams.

Or Brent Barry.

Or Kobe Bryant.

If you are....then my blog is doing better than I thought.

You aren't though.  But that doesn't mean that the seeds of your sports life weren't sowed by your dad.  Whether it is watching the game with him....playing catch....learning what 1/2 game in the standings are....or that feeling when you were small that your dad was the greatest athlete of all time [and, to the dads, the feeling you get when your kid thinks that]. 

My dad certainly was that.  He taught me about sports, mainly baseball and football.  He was the manager of my Little League team.  If you've ever played for your dad in any league...you know how hard that is.  You can't win...lol.  Your dad is probably harder on you than anyone else on the team 'cuz he expects more.  And your teammates give you crap because your "daddy is the coach". 

He showed up at all of my football games [even the ones on the road in the rain].  Even though I wasn't on the field that often.  He went to a few basketball games as well.

He did teach me all those rules.  I probably know more useless rules in baseball than anyone should.  I know that throwing your glove at a batted ball is an automatic triple.  He told me so.  He told me that there still was a NFL team in Tampa Bay....even though I never saw them on television.  I know how to keep score in a baseball game and I used to [back when I though baseball was thegreatest] sit in front of the TV and keep the scoring book of the games. 

As far as playing pool, he taught me everything without really saying anything.  He only gave me tips if I asked for them....but was willing to show me anything if I was willing to watch.  And whenever I played him in pool, I wanted to beat him more than anyone else I played.....just because, well, there is nothing like beating your dad at anything...lol.  He taught me what betting lines were....and the over/under.  He taught me how to play Euchre [a card game for the uninitiated].  He kept me away from soccer.  We played baseball and football on Intelevision...and then Atari. 

But not everything is shared.  He is a Carolina Panthers fan.....I am a Washington Redskins fan.  He is a Indiana Hooiser fan [really, a Bobby Knight fan]....I am a North Carolina Tar Heel fan.  I love the NBA....I don't think he ever watches it.  He was a mechanic....I can't tell you what anything is under the hood of a car [unless it is already labeled, but I still don't know what it does]. 

And that all is just sports.....but this is a sports blog.  But many times, with fathers and sons [and daughters], sports is the perfect place for getting together.  It's a chance for dads to pass on their knowledge to their kids and watch them learn and grow on the field of play.  For kids, it's a great chance to learn something that didn't involve a school book or homework.  It's a chance for kids to be in awe of our dads and a chance for dads to still think they "got it".

Either way, I wish all the dads a Happy Father's Day!!!  And wish all the kids great memories of the days learning about the things they know now.