NEW YORK, NY – It is exhausting being a sports fan. This weekend has yours truly gassed and we’re only 50% into it. Thankfully, the Knicks and Nets are on the golf course, otherwise I’d be “forced” to watch the NBA. That is something I’d wish on no one. Anyway, it’s all about investing your time, energy and – quite possibly – your relationships. Here’s glimpse at this fan’s vested interests, any of which would be more than a handful to keep up with on their own: NHL Playoffs, MLB Game Day, Major League Rugby
NHL Playoffs
My wife and the in-laws are from Pittsburgh. I am a NY Rangers‘ fan. You can likely guess where this is going. Fortunately, they are VERY NICE people, so the jabs during the Penguins’ rise to a 3-1 series lead were not hard to duck. There’s a penguin/duck joke in there somewhere… Anyway, it has been a draining series for little ol’ me. From the text threads with said in-laws (the wife doesn’t know a thing about sports, FYI, but Joey Mullen’s kid played T-Ball with her and her bro). The Telegram threads with my college rugby buddies was far more vicious, as it’s laced with Islanders and Sabres fans. They seem to think they have some advantage in the ball-breaking department. Indeed, they deflect the Tee-Time jokes with aplomb. The 24-hour barb-trading does leave one on fumes, though.
MLB Game Day
I can’t figure out how to simply listen to NY Mets games on the phone. Can you listen to the radio broadcast on a Galaxy S21?! I have the 880 app but it looks like MLB has some block on it, forcing a local fan to pay for their service. Yours truly steadfastly refuses to do so. That admirable stance has me like a zombie, staring at MLB Game Day in the “live” function, while doing things like walking the dog. You want to talk draining?! Try doing that while keeping up with the Rangers vs Pens, while battling in the text message corners! Since Angry Ward is a Mariners fan, it is particularly vital to stay abreast of each teasingly delayed pitch.
Major League Rugby
Did I mention that in the background of all that is happening above is the other still-playing pro team from Seattle? That’s right, the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby are playing Rugby New York tomorrow in Hoboken. Yours truly is the play-by-play guy and needs to know both teams like the back of Mr. Met’s hand. The match is at 3pm on MSG+, by the way. That’s free cable, people. With just 4 games left in the 16-game season, both teams need this win to stay in the playoff hunt. That game will end just in time to get into my Rangers’ gear. Oh, and add producing three weekly rugby shows to mix. At least for this one, some parts of the rugby thing are reciprocating, in terms of investment. No small bit of news to that end, the USA was just awarded a Rugby World Cup. Yours humbly got some air-time here.
Time for more coffee.
Drop your fanatic sports stuff below and come back tomorrow for the guy with the best name in sports, Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis.
