Nationals pastime

Hello again.

There's no truth to the rumor that I filled up both arms with tatts and ran off to form a rockabilly band. I've just had a particularly tough stretch at the office, and the blog-o-rama was moved down to last on the list for a while. I'm back, though. I hope on a regular basis. At least for now.

Enough about me. How have you been?

OK, more about me. Sharon and I finally got to a Washington Nationals game yesterday, making us the last in the Greater D.C. area to do so. I'm afraid we weren't much help to the home team, as the Nats lost 6-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals and put another nail in the coffin of their playoff hopes.

I know what you're thinking. What's the big deal? You're a sports editor. You must go to baseball games all the time.

That's simply not true. But I can't blame you for thinking that way. In fact, most people I talk to think that being a sports editor is a really glamorous job. Granted, it's more glamorous than coal mining. It's just not as sweet as you might think. It's definitely a lesson in "be careful what you wish for."

Here are a few myths about being a sports editor that I'll dispel for you:

1. "It must be great to sit around and watch sports all the time": I guess that would be great, but when you have to be responsible for getting five editions of a newspaper out on time every day, it leaves little time to stay glued to the tube. I've missed more big plays in the Super Bowl than I've seen in the past 11 years.

2. "It must be great getting to go to games for free": Again, that would be great. But unless your newspaper is a corporate sponsor of a professional team, it's usually only a reporter or two who get out to the games. Going back to scenario No. 1, I wouldn't be able to be at the ballpark all the time and still get my job done.

3. "You must really love sports": I did. A long time ago. This is the dirty little secret of the sports business, people. A lot of us love sports a lot less than when we used to. I can't go so far as to say that I hate it, because I still enjoy watching college and pro football, March Madness and the baseball playoffs, particularly if the Red Sox are in it. Other than that, though, there's not much to be excited about. People outside of the sports department usually don't understand this. To those people I say this: If you read story after story about athletes holding out for more money, using performance-enhancing drugs, getting arrested for everything from drugs to beating their wives, and snorting coke off of strippers' asses, how much would you like sports?

So, needless to say, I don't have a burning desire to get out the the ballpark whenever the Nats are in town. Sharon and I both like getting out to a game on occasion, though. I also have to say, and maybe it's the former high school catcher in me, that once I get to the park I remember that I enjoy watching a baseball game and seeing the strategy unfold from the seats. Sometimes it even reminds me why I got into the sports business.

Comments

[Sharon]

Personally, I kinda appreciate the fact that you're a little burned on sports. Because then we get to see "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on Sunday nights. :-)

[kate]

Amen to No. 3. Ayyyyyyymen!

[G]

Dude,
The Iron Bowl is coming up in a mere couple months if you are in need of the rejuvenating power of seeing Auburn getting face fuc*ed by the all powerful Tide. Seeing the Orange and Blue take it like a crack whore in need of a rock should restore your faith in the power of sports. And if that doesn't work, curling is pretty awesome.

[Sean]

You are undoubtedly correct that the Tigers will fare about as well as Ben Affleck in prison against the Crimson Tide. This is partly due to the fact that even that late in the season Auburn will still be whining about how it got screwed last year.

[Stacy]

I hate you both, forever and ever.

[pat]

Best part of going to a game? Not hearing asshead announcers tell me what each player is thinking, or talking about what a superb play it was when I was doing the same thing in 9th grade.

[Sean]

That's exactly why I rarely watch a game with the sound on. I almost always have the TV muted and the stereo on.