OT #1 Sport

[Bezzz]

Baseball! I caught the bug from my Dad. I played from 3rd grade through college (D3) and beyond until my rotator cuff said Stop! Here's a prized possession, letter to my Dad from famous Yankee scout Paul Krichell (he signed Lou Gherig). Dad was all set to be a Yankee except a little thing call World War II got in the way...he ended up in the Navy for two years right out of college. Then he went home and got a real job.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

LOL it’s kind of complicated. Basically, my dad likes the Yankees and doesn’t really follow other sports.

Perfectly understandable.

In 1986, I lived halfway out to Montauk, worked for a company of Mets fans, with tickets occasionally available to employees, and the local cable system had stopped broadcasting WSBK Red Sox games for the many eastern Long Islanders who had New England roots & affection.

After deep bonding with co-workers while watching an extra innings NLCS pitching duel between Mets & Astros, I was all in for the Mets and announced this to family when we visited West Hartford the following weekend with my newly walking daughter. My normally inexpressive father offered a single side long glance, and I knew that I was previously committed to root for the Red Sox. So yes, Bill Buckner & game 7 got experienced as heartbreak (well not really, I expected something like this) instead of joy for the team I'd rooted for all season (and had liked well enough before then).
My co-workers couldn't understand. Perhaps you do.

PS - Nowadays, I'm pretty much down to the latter stages of major sports playoffs to see the best when they are trying their hardest.
I got curious enough on Friday to watch my first-recalled Olympics Opening Ceremony, and have seen no performances at all. I could offer a similar random story about US Open (either) or how I streamed a relay of the Mayweather fight, but mostly so much else in life captures my attention.

I'm here year round, and marvel that I care so much and spend so much time on a pretty unimpressive display of minor league sport. Again, the eggs.

 

[mauconnfan]

Baseball! I caught the bug from my Dad. I played from 3rd grade through college (D3) and beyond until my rotator cuff said Stop! Here's a prized possession, letter to my Dad from famous Yankee scout Paul Krichell (he signed Lou Gherig). Dad was all set to be a Yankee except a little thing call World War II got in the way...he ended up in the Navy for two years right out of college. Then he went home and got a real job.

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Very cool!!

 

[TheChamps990411]

1. Chicago Bears (since 84`) Hated football but as a 10 year old you see Jim McMahon with the headband, gloves and cools shades and it leaves an impression. I was hooked. Ironically i hated football as my brother always watched it on sundays when i wanted to watch cartoons.
2. New York Mets ((since 86`) My mother actually babysat former Padres catcher Benito Santiago.
3. Uconn MENS basketball (since 1990) That was simply a magical time just like the decade.
4. Boxing (Tito Trinidad my all time favorite fighter)Now i dont have a favorite i just love the sport. If not for all the corruption and horrible judging because of it this would problably be #1.
5. I think im a closet Knicks fan. Dont ask why but i just seem to watch them whenever their on tv.

 

[Austin316]

Taking UConn out of it...

CCSU.

 

[Rico444]

Is it hockey? We all have memories of playing on the frozen pondsnu in our hometowns.-Not all of us!

Football. UConn and Patriots. UConn mens basketball.

Ironically UConn mens basketball and the Pats lost some luster when they started winning titles and the bandwagon started filling up.

These days I hope to see the Mets win it all soon.

If Duda didn't make that awful throw home...or Murphy didn't let that ball go through his legs...

 

[Husky25]

I remember "saying" I was a Celtics fan first. Go figure, growing up in Central Massachusetts. Four straight years of birthday presents that included a Celtics T-shirt during the peak Big 3 years didn't hurt either (84-87, IIRC), but my first love was baseball, which started roughly in '84-'85 and solidified in 1986.

At recess in the spring we would play with a tree branch and tennis ball. At home, I remember my brother and his neighborhood friends spraypainting a home plate, batters boxes, a pitchers "mound" second base, and outfield distance markers on the rock wall at the end of our street. They used to play 3 on 3 (or 4 on 4) with pitcher's mound poison. 2 outs per 1/2 inning. We played with an aluminum bat and tennis ball and the games took on a suburban middle class Norman Rockwell-esque stereotype.

I remember liking the Redskins because of their colors from an early age, but really got caught up in football during the Patriots' run up to Super Bowl XX, and lastly hockey during the Bruins' Stanley Cup Finals run in 1988. I first took notice of UConn during the Dream Season, but college basketball was not televised much in Massachusetts until the Tournament. Seems like everyone was focused on the Celtics.

Soccer was always in the background and I really enjoyed playing it, but it was tough to get into as a spectator sport because of the lack of professional team/league.

 

[Waquoit]

My favorite teams are UConn, the Sox and Pats. But my favorite sport these days is soccer. It's the only sports where I will watch an entire game that doesn't involve one of my teams. It's the best product out there. It's done in two hours without commercial breaks. There's no tanking, it's free-flowing. Even games among cellar dwellers have a degree of intrigue. Great games every weekend, every day in fact during weeks like this.