Men - More Than Just Sports Fans
Houston Heartbreak
We were like nomads in search of burgers, beer and baseball. At our local Champs we found no parking. Onward to a favorite chicken wings joint near Rice University. Standing room only. Finally, walking several blocks to a pub favored by college students, we meet James and Mike who had the foresight to arrive an hour and a half before game time to secure the best vantage point.
I walked by their table of six with only three seats taken. I looked Mike in the eye, smiled and asked if we could share the table. I could tell he wasn't used to a woman looking him in the eye, let alone even looking at him. As the night progressed he shared his love of music and Houston heat. He once stood in the center of the Astrodome playing trombone with his high school marching band. And if the Astros won, he planned to give the shout of the "Sand People," those creatures from Star Wars. "Did we remember the Sand People?" We did.
His buddy James, more effusive, told us he had to be up at 4:30 a.m. to be at his job by 6:00. If the Astros hadn't lost, I'm sure he would have arrived on time without sleep. He definitely has no vocal cords left. He cheered the entire final two innings.
When I shook his hand goodbye, he got all shy. For all his confidence and sports bravado, he was basically a shy guy.
I wish young women would gives these young men a chance. What I saw and felt last night, besides comradery and a love of baseball, were two grounded, fun-loving twenty-somethings, possessing intelligence and heart.
I don't want to share with you the conversations I overheard in the women's restroom. Suffice it to say, I'd rather be with the boys.