Breaking news ... this just in ... Competitive Sports Enjoyable to Watch.

We had a weekend full of John's baseball and Sam's soccer, which inspired me to write this post ...
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Last night I watched an entire game of college basketball. On TV.  I didn't know anyone on the team, nor did I care about the teams because of other loyalties.  Somehow, I was just interested.  

I know some of you are thinking that I may have finally just matured in general, but others of you (namely, my mom and dad) realize that this is huge.breaking.news of the sort that Fox is all over.  

Even though I "cheered" (yes, that is an acceptable verb in this example), I despised sports for most of my youth.  I was terrible at actually doing them (in a throw-the-bat-cuz-you're-angry-that-Karmashay Moore-struck-you-out sort of way), and I had zero interest in watching them even though in my small home town, I knew everyone in every position on every team in every sport.

Today I realized that I have turned a corner.  In fact, I have not only turned a corner, I have embraced the corner.   Mark this day down in history y'all:  I love the competitiveness of sports.  Hello fun, delightful corners everywhere: I will never snub you again. 

When we got to the baseball tournament at the reasonable hour of 7:20 a.m. on a Saturday, I was skeptical of the significance of it all.  But then, my kid’s team started playing, and suddenly I realized that every team in all of the history of world sports is made up of people's kids. 

Hello!?! Who missed her calling as a rocket scientist?

Here is an important photo which I attempted to crop with my new phone.  It ended up pixellated and midgetized and I ended up mad.  But despite all of that, here is John up to bat in Game 1 of the tournament.

John-John has the privilege of being on an awesome baseball team. Nevermind their white pants; the coach is moonlighting for OxiClean.  They are such fun to watch, and I swear I'm not saying that because I heard an NPR story in which major league players confessed that the most important things their parents ever said was that it was fun to watch them.

Side note: I'm writing this as I'm watching the NCAA basketball championship.  Those players have fingernail-less mothers who are thrilled and terrified right now, and who will probably never have to mop again because within 24 hours, their children will have signed multi-million dollar NBA contracts.  Another reason to embrace sports! Those moms at the Murfreesboro, Tennessee Little League Tournament with the super-annoying coke cans full of dry navy beans abruptly became remotely forgivable.  Poor things just had the wrong team in mind. 

Here's a tidbit for you, in case you are still suffering in the darkness of a who-cares-about-sports mindset (bless your heart):  

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS HAVING FUN.

They deserve to be excited!

And here's one more tidbit:  

NOTHING IS MORE FUN THAN WINNING.

John is really into the plaque.  

The players admire their hard-won plaque.

John-John receiving his tournament trophy

The 1st place team

Two of the team's players, seconds after the big win.  Their mothers are beyond  proud.

Key players (3rd baseman, catcher, left fielder, and half of the first baseman) listening attentively during the awards ceremony.

Sam B examines the trophy/plaque and simultaneously discovers the meaning of  envy.

And with that, another athlete is born ...

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