6/12/17 The Last Ride
Mid 80s and sunny, supposed to break the record (93) before the day is out.
The Pittsburgh hockey club beat the Nashville hockey club for the Stanley Cup and that makes me sad. After years (20 this coming Friday) of being an industry professional and having my emotional attachment to individual teams slowly wilt I became a Nashville fan this year after my nephew got a job with the team. I honestly didn't expect them to have their most successful season ever, in fact I characterized them as "an extremely likable but fatally flawed team" when I saw a regular season game in November. The playoffs started around Easter and I was in town again visiting my nephew when after several beers I said "If they make the finals we're coming back for a game". Which, much to my surprise, actually happened. A whirlwind 40 hours of already-favorite places and playing with my nephew's dog and finally the game itself which the home team won. As it turns out not only was I present for the last win they would have this season but the last goal as Pittsburgh shut them down in Game 5 and got the benefit of a quick whistle in Game 6. Add a freakish bounce with about 90 seconds to play and that's all she wrote. It was an unjust end but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. This was very likely my last go-round of deep emotional involvement with the fortunes of a sports team. Yes, it looks like my New York Yankees are rebuilding into a contender and are already an entertaining watch this year but it's not the same as when you're invested in a team as an employee or even a season ticket holder. Nope, this was the last ride for me in all likelihood; though I don't know where my career or the careers of people I care about will lead. Never say never, I suppose, though that's a lame way to end a story.
The Pittsburgh hockey club beat the Nashville hockey club for the Stanley Cup and that makes me sad. After years (20 this coming Friday) of being an industry professional and having my emotional attachment to individual teams slowly wilt I became a Nashville fan this year after my nephew got a job with the team. I honestly didn't expect them to have their most successful season ever, in fact I characterized them as "an extremely likable but fatally flawed team" when I saw a regular season game in November. The playoffs started around Easter and I was in town again visiting my nephew when after several beers I said "If they make the finals we're coming back for a game". Which, much to my surprise, actually happened. A whirlwind 40 hours of already-favorite places and playing with my nephew's dog and finally the game itself which the home team won. As it turns out not only was I present for the last win they would have this season but the last goal as Pittsburgh shut them down in Game 5 and got the benefit of a quick whistle in Game 6. Add a freakish bounce with about 90 seconds to play and that's all she wrote. It was an unjust end but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. This was very likely my last go-round of deep emotional involvement with the fortunes of a sports team. Yes, it looks like my New York Yankees are rebuilding into a contender and are already an entertaining watch this year but it's not the same as when you're invested in a team as an employee or even a season ticket holder. Nope, this was the last ride for me in all likelihood; though I don't know where my career or the careers of people I care about will lead. Never say never, I suppose, though that's a lame way to end a story.
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