So looking at the slice of life that doesn’t involve chemistry, chemistry, and more chemistry over the course of the past month or so…well there isn’t much exciting going on. Most of the hours not spent in the school building are spent recuperating from those very same hours.
A constant though for anyone who knows me has always been my passion for sports. My teams at the moment are limited to the Cowboys and the Wolverines (Rangers…*tears) and they have decided been up and down over the course of the first few months of the season. They have the tendency to lose in the most gut-wrenching fashions (see Cowboys-Giants, or UM-Iowa) and this kills me a little inside. It has always been something of a debate in my mind as to whether such events have a negative effect on my day-to-day life. I mean I think it isn’t that the losses themselves are particularly the problem because I have experienced years and years of bad losses…I am somewhat equipped to handle them at this point. (Debatable I know some will argue.) But rather, it is the lack of uplift that such losses don’t provide as a boost for the week.
Many weekends I am left wondering…why did I waste this weekend away watching a whole bunch of games only to be disappointed? It kinda opens the flood of insecurities about my path in life more generally. Something that perhaps merits a closer look at some point in the future.
Well anyway, this weekend was something slightly different as the Cowboys had a bye and Michigan played a terrible FCS team in Delaware State…not a lot to be gained or lost from either of these games. So it was a somewhat trimmed down sports weekend with the opportunity to do something else or watch some emotion-free sports events.
While the Rangers are out of the playoffs (actually never were in), I finally broke down and watched a good chunk of the Yankees-Angels on both Friday and Saturday. I am a notorious Yankees-hater (really anyone who doesn’t LOVE the Yankees…hates them I believe) and we don’t even need to go into how much I hate the Angels. (The Angels may be the most annoying team on earth.) So really the question becomes, who do I root for in the series, or even game-to-game? Well for a variety of complicated reasons both sports related and personal, I have professed an allegiance to the Yankees for this series, but boy is it rough.
I felt kinda bad when it looked like they were going to lose after the Angels took the lead in extra innings, so I changed the channel to watch SNL or something, figuring that the game was probably over and the freakin’ Angels had managed to steal the. But how quickly I forget that the Yankees too have the annoying habit of gross, inexplicable comebacks. So when I turn back over, the Yankees had found a way to tie it…and of course it is thanks to a former Ranger…A-Rod. My feelings of disgust that this development once again reveal that as much as I say I want the Yankees to win…deep down inside…failure would be great. Actually if it were possible, both teams losing would be awesome. Naturally, I went to bed half an inning before the Yankees’ walk-off win (*great*) fueled by another former Ranger…Jerry Hairston, Jr. Perhaps its better that way.
One final thing I would like to point about this crazy series is the number of former Rangers playing for either the Yankees or the Angels.
For the Angels: Darren Oliver (who incidentally pitched for the Rangers the last time the Rangers made it to the playoffs in the 1990s), Gary Matthews, Jr (who bolted for the big money payday and now sits on the bench), I think that is it…
For the Yankees: A-Rod (enough said), MTex (I don’t hate him…just wish he was more invested in what the Rangers were trying to build and less about money), Jerry Hairston, Jr (for a little while at least), Freddie Guzman (one-time Rangers prospect saw some action a few years ago…and I remembered him!)…Naturally all of these players played a huge role in the Yankees win on Saturday. Much to my chagrin!
Somewhat related random note: watching the Arkansas-Florida game on Saturday…I was disappointed by Arkansas and their inability to get our of their own way to beat Florida (they should have won with any better execution than they had). I guess partially because a) they have Michigan’s QB in Ryan Mallett and b) because Wright State share’s the Razorbacks' fight song. Isn’t it strange how the loosest of connection can effect one’s rooting interests?
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