A Sports Fan's Guide to Scheduling Surgery
November 14, 2008 11:39 AM | 0 Comments
My sports fan husband Bryan has to have hip replacement surgery. Even though he’s relatively young, he suffers from early arthritis. We’ve been trying to figure out the best time to schedule the surgery, because he has a pretty intense job as a Project Manager. I suggested the month of December. My rationale is that things pretty much come to a halt for about three weeks of that time anyway, and his estimated recovery is about a month. Additionally, since he never helps with Christmas shopping, being on the injured list won’t impact the holidays that much.
This caused great lamentation, not because of the holiday accusation, but because Bryan prefers Spring for convalescence, specifically the month of March. Here’s an insight into fanthropology – the endlessly fascinating study of fankind.
Here are some stats. In the nearly 20 years since I’ve been married to Bryan he’s had three surgeries: two knee surgeries and one of a highly personal nature related to birth control – yes, the Big V. In each case, unbeknownst to me, Bryan scheduled the surgeries during March so he would have an ironclad excuse to laze around, I mean convalesce, watching college basketball games. As his nurse, I’d set him up with snacks, beer and a bag of peas in the freezer for icing. If you haven’t discovered the glories of frozen peas in the household medical kit, start now. What’s beautiful about peas is that they will sculpt to whatever part of the body needs to be iced.
One day, when my Louisiana mother-in-law was visiting us, we got home from work and she had surprised us with dinner. One of the items on the menu was peas. Once I realized that these were medicinal peas, I politely told her I’d have to pass on the peas.
Lesson learned: label the peas clearly in your freezer if they are not meant for consumption.
Bryan is consoling himself with the fact that there are a lot of Bowl games during this December timeframe, so life is not all bad for the sports fan.
The Sports Widow
(aka Nan Hall)
Tell me what you think of A Sports Fan's Guide to Scheduling Surgery...
From the Archives
Political Football: How Can Sports Widow's Play It?
November 7, 2008 4:55 PM | 0 Comments
All week we've been hearing about politics. I'll tell you what's political in a male-female relationship, or a sports fan-sports widow relationship: Time. I'll tell you about a turf war: Football. In the days of yore, there were only three stations and Monday Night Football, but now football oozes into every crevice of our lives. The Safeway cashier talks about how the game is keeping shoppers at home, the pastor references the game in his sermon, the flat screen TV in your local restaurant intrudes on your night out, the sports commentator on the radio blasts while your fan searches for a parking space, and worst of all Saturdays and Sundays are dominated by college and professional football.
At the crux of it, it's all about time: me time, we time as a couple, we time as a family AND, of course, equity. There really is no equivalent to sports fanatacism in most women's lives. We laughlingly say shopping is an antidote, but the fact is that two things curtail our shopping - time and, sadly, budget! My husband easily spends about 10-15 hours a week on sports, but the times where the parity rubs me wrong are the long 2 to 3-hour stretches. When you have young children, someone has to shepherd them. This is time I want back.
The Sports Widow's 13 Horrifying Habits of Sports Fans
October 31, 2008 4:39 PM | 0 Comments
For The Sports Widow, Halloween would be incomplete if I didn't prepare a ghoulish, hair-raising, spine-tingling list of the 13 Horrifying Habits of Sports Fans. So, here it is, Mwah ha ha ha ha ha....
A Sports Widow Halloween
October 31, 2008 10:06 AM | 0 Comments
I've got to be honest. Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays and I rarely dress up for it. I just walk around the neighborhood with the kids looking like a disengaged bodyguard. But I always experience last-minute pressure to dress up, because in my heart of hearts, I'm fun-loving. I haven't completely lost touch with the child within. This is when I try to figure out a new twist on the three Cheeseheads I own.
The Sports Widow Gets a Regular Gig on the Chat With Women Radio Show, KKNW 1150AM
October 28, 2008 4:51 PM | 0 Comments
In September, I was interviewed by two funny, warm and wise radio hosts: Pam Gray & Rochelle Alhadeff. They, along with their amusing sidekick Benny, host a morning show entitled Chat with Women on Seattle's KKNW 1150AM. Well, now I am pleased to announce that those crazy lunatics have invited me to become a regular contributor to the show.
Sports Widow Discovery: Chat, Chew & Chocolate
October 24, 2008 11:39 AM | 0 Comments
I just discovered a new web site that I wanted to share with my fellow Sports Widows. Chat, Chew and Chocolate, is a super fabulous company that is sweeping the nation that serves fun, friendship and inspiration with a side of chocolate. Everything they do is for that busy woman who suffers from the Superwoman Syndrome (or Sports Widowhood) who need some chocolate, wine and girlfriend time every once and a while.
Chat, Chew and Chocolate has custom retreats, chapters, merchandise and members online AND offline.
Even better: The CCC Party Kit: everything you need to host a Girls Night In for 8 friends. The kit includes gourmet chocolate, Sex and the City Movie DVD, 8 goody-bags for your party guests plus A LOT more stuff.
Chatting With Women About Sports Widows
September 26, 2008 2:48 PM | 0 Comments
Last Tuesday, I was interviewed by two funny, warm and wise radio hosts: Pam Gray & Rochelle Alhadeff. They, along with their amusing sidekick Benny, host a morning show entitled Chat with Women on Seattle's KKNW 1150AM. They gave me the opportunity to talk about my experiences as a Sports Widow and to define the various types of Sports Widows, e.g. Avenging, Sabotaging, Enabling, Compromising, Keeping-Up-With-The-Fan and Role Reversal. Then, their listeners were able to go online and take my Sports Widow Poll, which I encourage you to do, too, if you haven't already.
Poll: What Type of Sports Widow Are You?
September 20, 2008 11:26 AM | 0 Comments
With election season approaching soon, I decided to get into the spirit by conducting a Sports Widow Poll (please take a minute to take the poll below). In the U.S. alone, there are well over 62 million sports fans and at least 19 million sports addicts, and they are 92% male, ages 18-54. (See more details in my entry entitled The Definition of a Sports Fan.)
If you think about it, conservatively, behind these sports fans at least half -- or 40 million – have a disenfranchised wife, girlfriend, mother, partner or reluctant companion, who is overshadowed or excluded from “The Club.”
Who Are We Sports Widows and What Are Our Credentials?
In my unofficial survey, Sports Widows span age, nationality, temperament and gender, but we are mostly female. Despite Title IX, Sports Widows are as self-replenishing as their foils, the sports fans, are. We may not generally identify with the term Sports Widow, but instead may consider ourselves a specialist: Football Widow, Basketball Widow, Baseball Widow, Soccer Widow, Golf Widow, Tennis Widow, Hockey Widow, Racing (NASCAR) Widow, Bowling Widow, Hunting Widow, Fishing Widow, Cycling Widow, Poker Widow…
Our definition of Sports Widowhood may even get more specific, depending on how the sports fan in our lives manifests his/her passion. Is the fan an athlete or a spectator? Does the fan follow or participate in professional, college, or youth leagues? In other words, there are as many Sports Widow varieties as there are Bubba Gump shrimp recipes***.
Soccer Mom is Added to the Sports Widow's List of Credentials
September 19, 2008 10:20 PM | 0 Comments
Today marked my 10-year-old son Austin's second game as a soccer player. When I woke up, there was a steady, unwelcoming drizzle, and I planned to send my sports fan husband Bryan to Austin's game, knowing that my girls, Caroline (8) and Kit (14), are fair weather fans and would complain the entire time. But, Austin, by special request, wanted me to watch his game this time.
The Phenomenon of Sports Fan Migration
September 15, 2008 11:33 AM | 0 Comments
If you're a Sports Widow in Seattle, you may think relief is here. From what I hear, all of the teams in Seattle (the Mariners, the UW Huskies and the WSU Cougars) and environs either stink (to use a highly sophisticated term) or are no longer physically located here (as is the case with the Seattle SuperSonics, our former Pro basketball team which was relocated to Oklahoma with much objection and angst. New name: Oklahoma City Thunders).
So, you might mistakenly believe you don't need to stand on your widow's walk waiting for your fan to come home: He's stuck by dint of his circumstances. The seas miraculously dried up, and there's no fishing, right?
Why Sports?
September 3, 2008 9:55 AM | 0 Comments
It's the first day of school, the annual transition time from lazy, lackadaisical summer to face-paced, structured Fall. This period of time always makes me pensive. Naturally, a topic which I frequently ponder is: Why Sports? Why are so many people, largely men, obsessed with sports? So, here are my mostly unscientific musings.
Football Widow Tips: NFL Season Survival Guide
September 1, 2008 5:33 PM | 0 Comments
It's hard to believe that it's early September and that NFL football is in full swing. It's a grim reality for Football Widows throughout the country. But it doesn't have to be. My roots as a Sports Widow began with being a young Football Widow. In the 1960s and 70s football was dominated by male fans, and my Dad, stepfather and all of their cronies were no exception. Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, football meant the Green Bay Packers and the University of Wisconsin Badgers, but mostly the Green Bay Packers.
This was before there were more than three TV channels and the World Wide Web. Today's Football Widows compete with more than Monday Night Football, they contend with Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, and Thursday night football, and 24/7 commentary on television, in newspapers and on the web. They also compete with Fantasy Football Leagues and Madden '08 video games that can be played on-demand, online or via X-Box 360, PlayStation 3, Game Cube, etc. Football season can make you feel sidelined, but here are some ways you can take charge of the situation.
An Awkard Football Widow Moment
August 30, 2008 10:05 PM | 0 Comments
I like to wear the color red. Anyone who knows me, works with me would quickly tell you this. It's not because it's supposed to be some power color; it's mostly because when you live in an overcast city like Seattle, you want to bust through the dreariness.
I just got back from a University of Washington Huskies party to celebrate the first game of the season against the Oregon Ducks. The party was hosted by Tracy, one of my sports fan husband's (Bryan) colleagues. Knowing it was a casual affair, I didn't put too much thought into my wardrobe choice. I wore a red hoodie, black cargo paints, red sandals and red & silver earrings.
Red Alert: College Football Starts Today
August 28, 2008 10:05 AM | 0 Comments
I glanced at the Sports section of the newspaper on our kitchen table this morning and the main feature was a preview of NCAA College Football. EEEEKKKK! It's here, and it's not going anywhere soon.
What are the ramifications or as I call them, the famications (impact on family): Football games (which are daylong affairs from door-to-stadium), football on TV, football game play-by-plays delivered by sports commentators on the car radio during weekend recreational outings, frequent checks on the Internet for football results, fantasy football team updates, and even football-related traffic congestion en route to my church (which is near the University of Washington Huskies stadium). Yes, football is in the air.
Angels in the Outfield & Homemade Applesauce in the Sports Widow's Kitchen
August 26, 2008 10:25 PM | 0 Comments
It was a mercifully quiet, low-impact sports night for me. It's been raining steadily here in Seattle, and there is a chill in the air that reminds me Fall is right around the corner. We have an espellier in our front yard and it's producing three varieties of apples, two of which are ready for harvesting.
So I alternated between watching the movie Angels in the Outfield with the kids (it was on TV) and making homemade applesauce. After flipping burgers on the grill and a hotdog for our the non-burger lover (14-year-old Kit), our sports fan Bryan descended to the basement family room to watch sports on TV: "I'll take baseball for $500, please."
The Sports Widow Summarizes The Beijing Olympics, Le Fin d'Olympics
August 24, 2008 10:46 PM | 0 Comments
So, the torch for The Beijing Olympics is now extinguished, punctuating two exhilirating weeks in which we have witnessed athletes from around the globe performing astounding feats, breaking records and occasionally really flopping in front of millions of spectators. How can I, The Sports Widow, contribute to the commentary? How can I intelligently assess the phenomenon known as The 2008 Beijing Olympics?
The Sports Widow Reflects on Sports Palaces and KOs
August 23, 2008 8:12 PM | 0 Comments
Today marked our return to West Seattle, after a 2-week stint in Washington, D.C. and Virginia Beach. As I left Washington, D.C., which is where I met my sports fan husband Bryan, memories swarmed me like mosquitos in a swamp, like mosquitos in Washington, D.C., which at one time was a swamp and, frankly, still acts like one. Ask my children, these mosquitos have unusually large proboscises (I'm too lazy to look this one up, but it means stingers, emphasis on plural).
The Sports Test, Quoth the Raven and Other Baltimore Stories
August 22, 2008 9:30 PM | 0 Comments
It was our last full day on the East Coast and 10-year-old Austin had to see The National Aquarium in Baltimore. When he is not planning to be a baseball or basketball player, his goal is to be a wildlife photographer or to host a wildlife show, a la Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter.
Beach Volleyball & Riptides: Sports Widow Report
August 20, 2008 5:30 AM | 0 Comments
Last night we watched Women's Beach Volleyball on The Beijing Olympics. The first thing I noticed was that a couple of the women had the letters BRA on their chests. I thought: This is ridiculous; are they labeling their clothing or something? Do the bottoms have the letters UNDERPANTS written across them? But the fact was that one of the teams was Brazil.
In an interview on the Sports Widow Radio show, we talk to a woman, Noreen, who was a Beach Volleyball Widow. When she first learned that her boyfriend, and eventual husband, played 2-man beach volleyball, she thought he just couldn't assemble enough players for a full team.
TV in the Bedroom Keeps the Beacon of The Beijing Olympics Alive
August 19, 2008 4:30 PM | 0 Comments
For the past few nights we've been staying in my oldest brother Jeff''s condo in Virginia Beach, and wouldn't you know it: There is a TV in our bedroom.
Aaacckkk.If you know me, you know how I feel about TVs in the bedroom. My sports fan husband Bryan, who occasionally has trouble sleeping, has been up to his old tricks, the old tricks prior to the banishment of the TV from our home master bedroom. In the middle of the night, the TV, on mute (he is not an insensitive brute), has been popping on like a lighthouse trying to lead its ship to shore. In this case it is the lost sports fan trying to navigate his way home.
Fortunately, Boogie Boarding is Not an Olympic Event
August 18, 2008 12:38 PM | 0 Comments
While Michael Phelps is busy breaking Olympic records in swimming, including Mark Spitz's record, some of us are on a far more elementary, pedestrian, if not amoebic level. This morning, inspired by the wonder of The Beijing Olympics, I decided to try something new: boogie boarding. It's not an Olympic event, but it may as well have been for me.
The Sports Widow's Questions for Michael Phelps
August 17, 2008 12:58 PM | 0 Comments
After spending the entire day at Water Country USA, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, it's only fitting that we concluded the day at my brother Jeff's condo in Virginia Beach unwinding to The Beijing Olympics Men's Swimming Finals. As far as I'm concerned, every night has been the Michael Phelp's show. That guy has got to be an automaton.
If I ever get the opportunity to interview him, I plan to ask for the answers to some eternal swimming-related questions:
Water Country USA Here We Come
August 15, 2008 10:28 PM | 0 Comments
We're spending the night at the Crown Plaza in Williamsburg, Virginia, tonight, because tomorrow we intend to immerse ourselves in Water Country USA. The major selling point for the Crown Plaza, as we surfed the internet hotel offerings, was that it had swimming pools and it was located on Pocohontas Rd, which has historic implications. Not surprisingly, our kids -- 14-year-old Kit; 10-year-old Austin and 8-year-old Caroline are tired of Washington, D.C.'s memorials, monuments and museums. In my opinion, a visit to a waterpark is an excellent way to pay homage to The Beijing Olympics, particularly to swimming contenders such as Michael Phelps. My only fear is that the weather is really nasty today. It's been raining and lightning, so we may not be permitted in the park. This would be what we would call a major bummer, particularly since this is the only time our family had to spring for lodging. We've been staying with family this entire trip.
Chinese Food is a Great Way to Celebrate The Beijing Olympics
August 14, 2008 8:50 PM | 0 Comments
My sister-in-law Helen took us to a fantastic Chinese restaurant in her neighborhood of Oakton, Virginia. You don't have to pay homage to The Beijing Olympics by parking yourself in front of the TV every second, do you?
A Hunting Widow: President Theodore Roosevelt's Wife Edith
August 14, 2008 6:28 PM | 0 Comments
After touring The White House, our next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. When I was in my 20's I worked as a research assistant in its Paleobiology Department and wrote the 120-page guidebook that was in use until several years ago, when a new edition was published. So, this museum is home to me. It also immediately gave me some insights into my question about First Ladies and sports widows. 
The Sports Widow Tours the White House
August 13, 2008 2:38 PM | 0 Comments
My sports fan husband Bryan is a project manager by profession, and he knows how to manage anything. We equate his job at work to the plate twirlers in Cirque de Soleil; you know those people who twirl plates simultaneously from every appendage on their bodies? Anyway, he uses the same skills to manage our family, which is a blessing and a curse on these family trips. The blessing was that he had the foresight to request White House tour tickets through Senator Patty Murray's office. I secretly hoped we would have access to the Oval Office so that I could see President Bush's post-it holder, but no such luck. The curse is that Bryan likes to run these trips with the same focus and no-nonsense precision as a wartime general's campaign, and I by nature tend to meander. After dining at the venerable watering hole Old Ebbit Grill, we marched to the White House, paring all personal items down to keys and a driver's license.
The Sports Widow Goes to Washington, D.C., The Other Washington
August 10, 2008 10:18 PM | 0 Comments
I lived and worked in Washington, DC, for seven years, so you would THINK that I would know better than to arrange a family vacation during the month of August, but this was the only time that was convenient. Another incentive was that we were fortunate enough to have free lodging both in the Oakton, Virginia area with my sister-in-law Helen and in the Virgina Beach area with my brother Jeff. Washington, DC is a special place for me because this is where I met my sports fan husband Bryan. It will be a walk down memory lane for me personally and for me as The Sports Widow.
The Sports Widow & The Seattle Seahawks: An Ironic Pairing
August 7, 2008 10:22 AM | 0 Comments
Well it happened last night. I can once again add the phrase As Seen on TV to my list of credentials. Last week, a video crew came to our house at dinnertime to videotape our typical evening ritual. This was all a part of the Nutrition & Fitness for Life pilot program that Austin (age 10), Caroline (age 8) and I participated in. It was created in conjunction with the National Football League, the Seatle Seahawks and Virginia Mason Medical Center, which is where our pediatrician of 11 years resides.
A Sports Widow Football Season Advisory
August 4, 2008 8:44 PM | 0 Comments
I am so exhausted today because I stayed up until 1:30pm contending with a culinary UFO, one of those situations where you unwittingly encounter the paranormal in preparing a very basic dish. Bear with me, there IS a Sports Widow message here.
Sports Fans Can Put the Bite in an All-Woman Dental Practice
August 4, 2008 10:23 AM | 0 Comments
I've mentioned this before, I think. I go to a dentist that is quintessential Seattle, aka the land of lattes. It's called Espresso Dental, and it's the Venus of dental practices, consisting of attractive, cheerful, meticulous, expert female staff. I don't know if this is purposeful or just happenstance.
Phew! Sports Obsession Took a Backseat Today
August 3, 2008 10:07 PM | 0 Comments
The thing that astonishes me about sports is just how much of an impact it has on my day-to-day life, especially televised sports and sports radio, but today offered a welcome respite. Aside from the Mariners game being broadcast on the car radio as we travelled to our neighborhood pool for a dinner BBQ and hearing the announcement on television that Brett Favre is returning to football, sports just played a cameo role today. How merciful is that?
Spiraling Into Football Season
August 2, 2008 10:07 PM | 0 Comments
Today was one of those days when my best strategy is to divide and conquer between the boys and the girls in the family. It's my oldest daugther Kit's 14th birthday and we're having a casual party at Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis club, our community pool. And, ironically, because I, 10-year-old Austin and 8-year-old Caroline participated in a health & fitness pilot program that is sponsored by the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL with Virginia Mason Medical Center, I get all sorts of football-related opportunities, and one came our way this week.
Parents Are Teammates, Too
August 1, 2008 11:07 PM | 0 Comments
Tonight my sports fan was parked in front of the TV watching a baseball game. I couldn't tell you which one, but the announcer's play-by-plays blared monotonously in the background while I: baked my nearly-14-year-old daughter Kit's birthday cake (with the help of resident chefs 8-year-old Caroline and 10-year-old Austin); made frosting from scratch, of course; and processed all three of them through baths/showers.
Turnabout IS Fair Play
July 31, 2008 11:49 PM | 0 Comments
Last night was Campfire Night at the Girl Scout Camp my daughters 13-year-old Kit and 8-year-old Caroline have been attending for the past two weeks. It's a day camp at this lovely little oasis in West Seattle called Camp Long. Campfire Night marks the final night of camp. The girls put on skits and sing songs for their parents and siblings, and then spend the night at camp. I have to confess that their songs make The Brothers Grimm fairy tales look upbeat - it seems like everyone croaks prematurely in their songs or meets odd ends.
Sports Widow Rehab from Little League Baseball & Coach's Gifts
July 29, 2008 11:05 PM | 0 Comments
OK. It's over. Seriously. I have proof: I just turned in my 10-year-old son Austin's Little League Baseball All Stars uniform, but drat, wouldn't you know it, I grabbed the wrong black under shirt? There's always something, isn't there?
Tonight we punctuated the Little League Baseball All Star Season and bid for the Washington State championship with an end-of-season barbecue at none other than Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis Club, our local community pool. Because of the rigorous summer schedule and all of the All Star commitments, our family has barely been at the pool, but over the last week we're suddenly members of the Frequent Swimmers Club.
Game 3: Westside Red Bulls Lose, But From The Sports Widow's Perspective, They're Winners
July 22, 2008 8:30 PM | 0 Comments
Well, I got The Call. My sports fan husband Bryan phoned home to tell me the sad news: My 10-year-old son Austin's Little League Baseball All Stars team, the Westside Red Bulls, narrowly lost their third game in the Washington State Tournament, which marks the end of The Road to Vancouver. The score was 6-5.
Free Day for Westside Red Bulls at the Washington State Little League Baseball All Stars Tournament
July 21, 2008 9:19 PM | 0 Comments
Free Day & Logistics: Scenic Multnomah Falls, WA
Today we took respite from the intensity of the Washington State Little League Baseball All Stars Tournament by going on a scenic tour to Multnomah Falls. We hiked about halfway up, and I fully intended to reach the top, but I quickly readjusted my goal. My new goal was to descend quickly and find the nearest restroom. Delivering three large-headed, 100th percentile babies hasn't done me any favors in the endurance category and the pounding sound of The Falls wasn't helping matters. After the tour of The Falls, we went to a hatchery and passed the Bonneville Dam. We also ate at a kitschy cafeteria-style burger joint with an incredible view of the mighty Columbia River. I think it was called the Flambee Grill. I ordered a burger with mushrooms and swiss cheese, delusionally believing that it would be made with fresh mushrooms and a slab of Oregon Tillamook cheese ( I am a cheesehead, after all), but the reality was canned mushrooms with sliced Kraft. What was I thinking?
Game 2: West Side Redbulls at the Washington State Little League Baseball All Stars Tournament
July 20, 2008 5:24 PM | 0 Comments
It’s Sunday morning, Day 2 of the Washington State Little League Baseball All Stars Tournament for 9/10-year-olds. I begin the day at my usual breakfast post, at the La Quinta, WA, Make-Your-Own Waffle Iron. Tip: If you forget to use cooking spray, you’re history. You’ll spend the next ½-hour prying off pieces of waffle. This did not happen to me, but the guy at the Waffle Iron next door was really frustrated. I cheered him up by telling him he wouldn’t have to chew quite so much. This was metaphorically good preparation for the upcoming game, learning to deal with mauled waffles instead of perfect ones.
Game 1: Westside Redbulls at the Washington State Little League Baseball All Stars Tournament
July 19, 2008 3:30 PM | 0 Comments
Next, it was off to the game. Opening ceremonies included an announcer who desperately needed a pronunciation guide, Boy Scout flag-bearers and a piped in instrumental version of the National Anthem a la M.A.S.H.(TV_series).
Breakfast with the West Seattle Little League Baseball All Stars in Vancouver, WA
July 19, 2008 9:30 AM | 0 Comments
It’s morning at the La Quinta in Vancouver, WA, which is conveniently located less than a mile from the epicenter of this week’s events - HB Fuller Park, where the Washington State Little League Baseball All Star Tournament in the 9/10 Division is occurring. The sounds of energetic, boisterous boys from the Westside Red Bulls All Star team carry through the hotel halls. I establish one important point. How do you pronounce La Quinta: La KWIN tah, La KEEN tah, or La KIN tah? I’ve heard everything. The desk clerk confirms my favored pronunciation: La Keen tah. It’s gratifying to see my elementary school TV Spanish coming back to me.
Vancouver, Here We Come for the State Little League Baseball Championship
July 18, 2008 1:14 PM | 0 Comments
We’re heading to Vancouver, WASHINGTON, for the state Little League Baseball Championship Tournament, and our luxurious accommodations are at the La Quinta, which I guess is redundant, because La means The in Spanish. The specter, I mean the prospect, of a weekend with Austin and his teammates and their families looms, I mean gleams, before me. I just hope my limited Spanish will be sufficient for my stay at La Quinta. In grade school I took TV Spanish and learned important phrases like: “Por favor sierra la puerta,” which means “Please, close the door.” This should come in handy while at the hotel. My understanding is that cervesa is another handy word. I forgot to mention that this is the 50th Annivesary of the West Seattle Little League, which is quite momentous.
Another Little League Baseball Task
July 16, 2008 6:10 PM | 0 Comments
Tonight’s Little League Baseball championship assignment is to create a sign, essentially a blown up trading card, starring my 10-year-old son Austin. The sign is supposed to include his player details: Photo, nickname, number. Each player will have one, and we’ll use them to cheer them on.
Little League Benefactor With Strings Attached
July 14, 2008 6:03 PM | 0 Comments
Today’s my day off from work. (I am a marketing professional in health care and, happily, work a 32-hour week, which permits me to live in the delusion that I can cram all personal/family needs into a single day of the week.) The first item on the agenda was to take a homemade banana cake to one of the local jewelers. This jeweler offered to donate a generous sum of money to our cause IF we satisfied his request for baked goods, but these weren’t just any baked goods; he was very specific.
Awash in Little League Baseball & A Car Wash Fundraiser
July 12, 2008 5:57 PM | 0 Comments
Our local West Seattle branch of the Puget Consumers Cooperative, a health food store chain in the Northwest, generously agreed to let the Red Bulls use one of their parking lots for a Car Wash/Bake Sale Fundraiser. In addition, some of the families scrounged up Seattle Mariners memorabilia and tickets to assemble prize baskets we could raffle. (Darn, I have a University of Washington Husky’s Football commemorative book that’s still in the plastic sleeve, but this doesn’t go with the theme. I scavenged our house for other potential items we could sell. I briefly consider selling our futon at the car wash, but it’s over 20 years old and I’m not sure how much we’d fetch for it.)
Little League Baseball Abducted My Family
July 9, 2008 5:53 PM | 0 Comments
One of the Team Moms just shared the shocking news with me: Depending on how Austin’s All Star team advances in the tournament, we could be doing time in Vancouver, WA, for as long as 10 days! That’s 10 days of gas, food, lodging and a posse of 9/10-year-old boys and their entourages. This is going to wreak havoc on our family budget and schedule.
Our Destiny: The Little League Baseball State Championship
June 28, 2008 5:45 PM | 0 Comments
The Red Bulls are going to State! Yeah, they won the District 7 (I think that’s the number) Tournament, and they are now statebound (don’t ask me the final score). Yes, this means the 9/10-year-olds are heading to Vancouver.
I'm Tired of Playing the Game: Little League Baseball, That Is
June 27, 2008 7:24 PM | 0 Comments
While most Little League Baseball mothers are breathing a sigh of relief because the season is over, there is a select few, which includes me, that is continuing to slog through a prolonged season. Austin's team, the Red Bulls (I'm disappointed because at one point they toyed with the concept of The Cheeseheads) won their championship, and now they've proceeded to the district level. They play at a field near Seatac, which is adjacent to the airport, which I find distracting. One good hit and one of those boys could probably hit the window of the passenger seated in 6A.
The NBA Draft: Do You Really Have to be 6' 11"?
June 26, 2008 9:51 AM | 0 Comments
This morning my 10-year-old son Austin woke up with a new obsession. After performing quite satisfactorily in a Little League Baseball District game last night (particularly in light of the fact that he was recovering from a nasty flu), for some reason he was seized with anxiety over his future as a professional basketball player.
When Cheering Goes Too Far: The Sports Widow's Inappropriate Outburst
June 14, 2008 7:34 PM | 0 Comments
Last night I went to a movie, which was featured in the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), entitled The Wackness.
One of the members of my Movie Club, which is 16 years in the running, is a past president of SIFF, so we always let Mary do the driving and select the movie during the festival. She has a film website you should definitely try out. This is a welcome change from attending Little League Baseball games, which are my recent preoccupation. The problem is that I've gotten to be such an exuberant, vocal fan that I don't know when to cut the cheering off. Here is my embarrassing example.
The Sports Widow Pep Talk
June 6, 2008 10:10 PM | 0 Comments
This morning, as I was conducting my usual sweep through two bedrooms to wake the 9AM elementary school contingent in my family (my sixth grader has a 6:15AM appointment, so she was long gone), I detected what I would describe as a "loss hangover." My lively renditions of "Good Mornin', Good Mornin" from Singing in the Rain and "Rise & Shine" from Girl Scout Camp at Camp Northern Hills in Wisconsin were surprisingly inadequate to wake the somber 10-year-old Austin. Instead, he lay motionless in his bed with tears ambling down his cheeks over last night's loss at the hand of the despicable Smelly Sweat Socks (in truth, it is possible my singing exacerbated the situation). Since the Boa Constrictors have been undefeated this season, Austin's feeling of loss was unfamiliar to him and paralyzing. As a lost, middle-management career person, I can relate to his angst. So, I, the Sports Widow who has never truly cared enough to care enough about losing a game, needed to find it in myself to deliver an inspiring pep talk.
Winning isn't everything (But it sure can help minimize a Sports Widow's pain)
June 5, 2008 9:37 PM | 0 Comments
Yesterday was another one of those days where I am reminded of how much we sacrfice in the name of sports. I started out the morning discussing the Seattle Mariners' Manager's 45-second diatribe, complete with 17 expletives, about their poor performance, with my son while schlepping him to the dentist to resolve a chipped tooth, in which the offender was cooked broccoli (go figure). In the PM, I raced from my day job as a marketing professional, which is quickly being supplanted by my real job as sports manager, to attend a parent tennis team meeting at our local Arbor Heights Swim & Tennis Club (AHSTC). Unaccustomed to reaching this destination from Tukwila (don't ask where this is), I took a creative route (short hand for nearly got lost) to locate my destination, which is a seasonal community club open from May through September. Then, after getting the details of the Tennis Team, I raced to 10-year-old Austin's third play-off game.
Peril at Sea: A Recreation Widow Battles the Puget Sound Tides
May 27, 2008 9:36 AM | 0 Comments
We just completed our annual Memorial Day family weekend at Camp Orkila on Orcas Island, which is one of the San Juan Islands on Puget Sound. This is our sixth year of serving on a church committee, which plans this event, along with Sports Night and Advent Night. About 320 parents and families from University Presbyterian Church attend the camp, which is an old YMCA camp. Nothing fancy about the experience: Our family walks on the Anacortes Ferry, looking like human pack mules, and we set up camp in open-faced, three-sided cabins. Our cabin is right on the beach, so we fall asleep listening to the water gently lapping the shore. This kind of water lapping is nice, but there is another type of water lapping, of a ferocious, unpredictable nature, when you're in a rowboat, that is not so nice. This kind of water is the stuff that makes Memorial Day even more memorable.
The Thrill of Little League Baseball Victory
May 19, 2008 9:04 AM | 0 Comments
I'm sure I've mentioned this about a million times: I am NOT a winner. The only thing I ever won outright was a Noah's Ark coloring book, which was one of the prizes handed out at a 5-year-old birthday party. I think I won a few of my high school tennis matches, but the eye of the tiger is not a part of my psychological makeup. This is why my reactions to my son Austin's Little League Baseball experience are so odd. He's 10, and his team, which I have nicknamed the Boa Constrictors, has devoured all of the prey in its path. They are undefeated for the regular season, as they coil their way into the playoffs. 
Little League Mom Tips: Snack Shack Shift
May 9, 2008 8:24 PM | 0 Comments
I'm pleased to say that I survived another shift at the Little League Baseball Snack Shack. I think it's the advanced preparation that really made the difference this time, and my friend Rhonda's instructions/warnings. Going in ahead of time really helped ease my fears about how the whole operation worked, especially the dreaded hotdog rotisserie.
Last year, I had a devil of a time trying to harpoon those weenies as they rotated around a weak flame. I felt like I was at the duck-shooting station at the county fair and had no chance of winning that ridiculously large and poorly executed stuffed animal, usually a bunny with a goofy smile. This time, I found out where the shut-off button is on the hotdog machine, which makes the whole proposition so much more reasonable. You should know if you don't already that I have a fear of machines and technology of all sorts.
Here are some of the skills that are required for womaning the snack shack:
TV Turn-off Week Frustrates My Sports Fans
April 24, 2008 9:07 AM | 0 Comments
This week, April 21-27, is the official TV Turn-off Week, so I decided to sacrifice myself to the volcano and take the plunge into the fiery abyss of TV addiction in my household. While the mushroom cloud over West Seattle is probably visible from space, we're surviving, but it's not pretty -- especially for the sports fans in my family, namely my husband Bryan and his mini-me, 10-year-old Austin. So here's my accounting of TV Turn-off Week as we conclude it.
Baseball Consumes The Sports Widow's Schedule
April 11, 2008 9:39 AM | 0 Comments
As if the onset of the Major League Baseball season weren't enough, Little League Baseball is beginning to assert itself on our family schedule, beginning with the triumphant return of The Boa Constrictors, my nickname for my 10-year-old son Austin's baseball team. (Since I used to be the PR Director at Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle, I just love the idea of an American baseball team named after a non-indigenous species.
It's positively revolutionary. And, you have to admit that boa constrictors ARE powerful predators that swallow their prey whole, so this team name would automatically add cache and inspire fear in opponents.)
Out With College Basketball and in With Baseball
April 4, 2008 4:07 PM | 0 Comments
This Monday night one of the defining annual features of my Sports Widowhood will have concluded: The NCAA College Basketball Tournament will end. This is my husband and sports fan Bryan's passion. What's different this year, however, is that we've already segued into baseball, which has slided into second-place prominence with the two major sports fans in my household, Bryan and my 10-year-old son Austin. As I blog, I am listening to announcer Dave Niehaus narrate the Seattle Mariners playing the Baltimore Orioles. Groan. Is there any mercy?Here are a few of my deep thoughts on this season which truly never ends.
Sports Widows Guide to March Madness
March 23, 2008 11:22 AM | 0 Comments
For many Sports Widows, March is the time of year when their sports fans emerse themselves in the College Basketball Championship Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness. The NCAA Mens and Womens tournaments are single-elimination tournaments held each spring featuring 65 teams. Also referred to as the Big Dance, the tournaments take place over a three week period at four sites across the country.
Sports Widow Reviews MLB Spring Training…
March 20, 2008 10:04 AM | 0 Comments
We just got back from Tucson, AZ where we celebrated my mom’s Birthday with a family reunion. It was wonderfully sunny and warm…a great break from the overcast drizzly Seattle skies.
Believe it or not, one of the highlights of the trip was our trek to Mesa, AZ to see the Chicago Cubs play the Kansas City Royals in a MLB Cactus League exhibition game.
It's Real Simple: March Madness is Here
March 7, 2008 8:31 AM | 0 Comments
It's March and the madness is setting in. My sports fan/husband Bryan is an ardent fan of NCAA basketball, and the tournaments will begin soon. He will fret over brackets, and basketballs will fly across the television screen. The picture in this entry is circa 1950s. It's my Uncle Lee, who is one of the contributors to my Sports Widowhood. So here's a salute to my Uncle Lee and my beloved fan, Bryan.
Sports Widow reviews Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
March 2, 2008 3:42 PM | 0 Comments
It's that time of year again, when Sports Illustrated publishes the annual Swimsuit Edition. Maybe I was in the mood to torture myself. On the other hand, perhaps I was steeled for it, but last night I reached over to the Guy Side of the bed and grabbed the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition to take it for a visual spin. Here's my review:
The Sports Widow Helps Coordinate Sports Night - Ironic, Huh?
February 15, 2008 2:02 AM | 0 Comments
One of the great ironies of my life is that I serve on a church committee that is responsible for planning an annual family event for elementary-aged children called Sports Night. This event is religion lite for Presbyterians in that it's heavy on fellowship and short on doctrine.
Patriot Fervor is Doused, but Sports Widow Super Bowl III Party is a Success
February 4, 2008 9:27 AM | 0 Comments
Needless to say, after spending the past week incorporating "My Pats" into every conversation and trying to internalize fan fervor, it was really disappointing when the New England Patriots lost yesterday. Well, momentarily disappointing might be more accurate. I nearly missed the denouement, because I was about to march upstairs to bust up a fracas between some of the kids who attended our Sports Widow Super Bowl III Party, when it occurred to me that something monumental was about to happen. Surprise, those New York Giants pulled it out at the last minute! The scoundrels. So much for "My Pats."
Countdown to Super Bowl Xtra Large II: Football Widows Unite
January 28, 2008 7:26 PM | 0 Comments
With just days before the Super Bowl and days before what has become my traditional annual Super Bowl party (Sports Widow Super Bowl Party III), I'm finalizing my strategy, so in the interests of helping my Sports Widow comrades, I'm sharing mine with you. Here are my tips as a card-carrying Sports Widow/ Football Widow.
Free Sports Widow Tattoos; Yes, Absolutely Free, While Supplies Last....
January 22, 2008 12:31 PM | 0 Comments
The Super Bowl, Final Four, Opening Day of Baseball. They're all coming up fast, which brings up a subject that is important to me. In our country, there is a debate swirling around a critical issue, which is at the heart of our constitution and our civil liberties: Exercising the right to bare arms. If you opt to bare your arms, is it a requirement to have toned musculature? I sure hope it isn't, because I have taken the risque and risky action of showing you my bare biceps, adorned with a Sports Widow temporary* tattoo. Sadly, my biceps are hillocks instead of mountains.
Mourning the Green Bay Packers and Pondering Men are from Mars, Widows are from Venus
January 21, 2008 11:26 AM | 0 Comments
So, yesterday's game was an abject disappointment for my kindred Cheeseheads. In their dreams they hoped for a dramatic repeat of the legendary Ice Bowl. Since this Green Bay Packers vs. The New York Giants game was the third coldest played in NFL history (the first being the Ice Bowl), the stars should have been aligned.
I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about this hosting opportunity, so I offered a medley of cheeses, crackers and low-impact culinary selections that still saluted my Cheesehead roots and paid tribute to the nickname my kids have given me: The Dairy Queen. Since I'm a fairweather Cheesehead, I woke up feeling pretty chipper this morning, but the disappointment lingers for fans like my friend Keith, who incidentally was interviewed with his wife Melinda on our pilot radio show. To find out how Keith felt before the game, check out his essay under the Football section. I am anxious to hear about his recovery.
Sport or Not-A-Sport?
January 21, 2008 8:41 AM | 0 Comments
I rarely (once or twice a year) read the sports section of the local newspaper. However, I couldn’t help myself last week. The headline of the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper (1.17.2008) sports section posed the question: Sport Or-Not-A-Sport? What defines a sport? Like a ping-pong match, the debate goes back and forth by David Andriesen (P-I Reporter).
David Andriesen attempts to provide a definitive answer the question: “What’s the definition of sport?” Until I read his story I had no idea that “taking nested stacks of plastic cups and arranging them into pyramids and back again” had been declared a sport. “Cup Stacking” was officially renamed to “Sport Stacking” in 2005 by the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA). In fact, cup stacking has become a must-see-event on YouTube (there are more than 1,000 videos posted). And you can compete in the World Sports Stacking Championship in Denver on April 3 and 4, 2008.
Men are from Mars, Sports Widows are from Venus
January 20, 2008 12:14 PM | 0 Comments
By Keith Mack (Life-long Packers Fan and Sports Widow-maker)
I am in football heaven. My beloved Green Bay Packers, left for dead in 2005 with a 4-12 record, are going to play for the NFC championship at Lambeau Field! They crushed the Seahawks, scoring touchdowns on six consecutive drives after two early fumbles. Brett Favre, written off three years ago by most “experts,” is playing like he’s 28, not 38. Cheeseheads everywhere are fantasizing about the Lombardi trophy coming home (translation: Packers win Super Bowl).
The Packers Vs. The Giants Vs. The Sports Widow
January 18, 2008 5:56 AM | 0 Comments
Last Saturday I had my first-ever post-season football party, apart from having a handful of Super Bowl parties. And, this Sunday, it's looking like I may be doing an encore with the upcoming Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants game. Note, I've never had a pre-season football party, so this undoubtedly will be a very exciting event when it occurs. Like most things in life, I just tumbled into having a little football shindig. I was chatting with those cheesehead neighbors of mine (who, incidentally, are all named Mike), and before I knew it I had invited two families to my house and was launched into event planning. Here are some of my reflections, my deep thoughts on being a Football Game Tailgate Party Hostess.
Cheeseheads Unite - The Green Bay Packers Play the Seahawks
January 10, 2008 7:52 PM | 1 Comments
The Green Bay Packers play the Seattle Seahawks in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at Lambeau Field this weekend. I've lived in Seattle, WA, for nearly 20 years, but I'm originally from Wisconsin, hence the fetching cheesehead photo of me. You can best describe me as A Cheesehead Without a Cause (since Packers fever never infected me, but claimed the lives of nearly every male I ever encountered in the state of Wisconsin). But, in the spirit of finding ways to rise above my disenfranchisement, tomorrow we've invited some Green Bay Packers fans to our house for a tailgate party. Believe it or not, on my block alone there are two Green Bay Packers fans, one from Wisconsin and one from Townsend, Montana. I'm intrigued: How does a guy in his 40s from Townsend, Montana, become a Packers fan? So, I chatted with Mike last night about it.
Snowflakes on the Football Field Coconut Cake Recipe
January 5, 2008 6:51 PM | 0 Comments
Over the holidays, my 8-year-old daughter Caroline and I baked one of the most incredible cakes in my repertoire, and to honor the College Football Games and Professional Football play-offs, I've anointed it with the above title: Snowflakes on the Football Field Coconut Cake. This recipe is another treasured one I inherited from the legendary baker Aunt Joan, pronounced in Deep Southern as two syllables - Jo-ON, who lives in Purvis, Mississippi. It's gorgeous, snowy and delectable.
This cake is my mother-in-law's favorite so I baked it for her 74th birthday, which is on Dec. 30. Fortunately, she took the last of the cake home today, which was a relief for me. I am a lightweight when it comes to expiration date tolerance. Anything over three days old is positively wretched in my opinion. She, on the other hand, is not squeamish and happily packed up the remains of the cake in a ziplock bag.
Sports Widow Holiday Highlights
January 2, 2008 9:20 AM | 0 Comments
Happy New Year to all of you Sports Widows out there!
My wish for you in 2008 is that you achieve ultimate harmony with the Sports Fan/s in your life. Lofty, unachievable? Perhaps. But we can dream, can't we? Here's a rundown of the sports-related events in our household.
College Football Bowl Fans Might Consider a Peace Offering
December 18, 2007 7:59 PM | 0 Comments
The other night I drove into my usual space on the street in front of my house, when a figure emerged from the shadows clutching a piece of paper. It was an ambush from my across-the-street neighbor Mike. Knowing my proclivities and reigning title as The Sports Widow extraordinaire, Mike sheepishly confessed that he had something he needed to deliver the Sports Fan in my house. Did I detect trembling hands? Them's fightin' words, bucko.
Seattle Supersonics Promote Lust for Reading (& Hooters)
December 11, 2007 7:19 AM | 0 Comments
My husband Bryan and 10-year-old son Austin went to the Seattle Supersonics basketball game on Friday night. Austin won a ticket to the Sonics vs. The Milwaukee Bucks because he completed the NBA Read to Achieve challenge, which is aimed at fostering a lifelong love of reading. In turn, my husband had a good excuse to buy a companion ticket and indulge his lifelong love of basketball. Ironically, literary zeal isn't the only thing Austin won.
The Sports Widow Spreads "Christmas Cheer"
December 7, 2007 9:54 PM | 0 Comments
One of our annual Christmas traditions is to take a ferry out to Vashon Island, WA, and go to a U-Cut-Your-Own Christmas Tree farm called "Augie's".
We've been doing this for 15+ years. Our traveling companions are my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, her husband and my niece and nephew.We bring homemade muffins on the ferry and thermoses of hot chocolate to warm us while we tromp around the farm looking for the perfect Christmas tree (we also get greens and a wreath in the package).
One year we returned with the sorriest, most pathetic, scraggly looking tree you've ever seen in your life but, if you're into stats, our average is pretty good and we haven't repeated this (good thing, because it was so forlorn, it bummed me out every time I looked at it).
Fan Fare: More Football Widow Tailgate Party Recipes
December 3, 2007 3:09 PM | 0 Comments
For hundreds of thousands of football fans around the nation every year, tailgating has transcended from burned burgers and blistered hot dogs on the hibachi to an elaborate event. For the football widow, the tailgate party can offer an opportunity to join in the fun of the game without having to endure the actual game, if you know what I mean. Why not consider inviting other football widows and their fans to a home tail-gating party (pre-game/halftime/post-game/televised game), where you can stay dry & warm. As a survivor of harsh Wisconsin winters, I place a high premium on comfort.
The Tailgate Tradition
According to Wikipedia, "In North America, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consumption of alcoholic beverages and barbecuing. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during sporting events.” Hardcore tailgaters pack designated areas with everything from beat-up pickups and mini-vans to customized RVs emblazoned in team colors and logos. Families and groups get together each week to try to outdo each other with ever-more-elaborate setups; RV's and tents equipped with BBQ grills, beer kegs, margarita dispensers and more. The American Tailgaters Association and the United States TailGating Association have created websites devoted to inspiring professional and amateur tailgaters alike to craft memorable events, share tips/recipes, and shop for tailgating gear.
Though Seattle ranked dead last in tailgating.com's 2007 national survey of major football cities, the festive scenes outside the Seahawk’s Quest Field and University of Washington’s Husky Stadium suggest that the phenomenon is alive and well in the Emerald City.
More Tailgate Party Recipes
Here are some easy-to-prepare-ahead recipes for your tailgate party, whether its indoors or outdoors.
The Sports Widow's Christmas Wish - Teammates & Correspondents Wanted
November 27, 2007 10:05 PM | 0 Comments
I just officially launched sportswidow.com and sportswidowstore.com but, as you can tell, I've been blogging about my Sports Widowhood for nearly two years now. I wanted the site to be fully loaded when I turned on the switch, so that there would be something for everyone. The best way to describe blogging without a community is that it's like talking into a tin can with a string that doesn't connect to anyone else.
The Sports Widow's Thanksgiving Scorecard
November 22, 2007 11:17 PM | 2 Comments
Well, Thanksgiving is over. I bade goodnight to my mother-in-law, as well as sister-in-law and her family, grabbed a late-night turkey & gravy snack, and here I am to give you a report on the day.
There are three more sports-dominated days ahead of me, but so far I haven't been knocked out. Here's why:
The Sports Widow's Survival Guide to Thanksgiving
November 18, 2007 5:25 PM | 1 Comments
When we're all sitting around a festive, autumnal table celebrating Thanksgiving, that uniquely American holiday, we'll gratefully pass around the standard-issue turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie ("Light on the whipped cream, please, I'm watching my weight."). But, hey, isn't there always one more staple on the menu that can leave you with heartburn? Yes, there is: Sports, and lots of it. Somehow I don't think this is the outcome the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag anticipated when they had their first potluck in the 1600s.
Bubba the NASCAR Fan
November 5, 2007 10:12 PM | 0 Comments
I recently attended a Northwest Entrepreneur's (NWEN) breakfast in Bellevue, WA, which is about 20 minutes East of downtown Seattle. Attending the breakfast required me to get up really early, quietly dress in the dark to avoid disrupting my family, pick up a colleague at the ferry terminal and drive 30 minutes to my destination. As I stepped out of my car in the parking garage, my colleague, a designer, made the discerning observation that I was wearing unmatched black shoes. In my morning fog, I didn't even notice that the heel heights were different. We quickly devised a way to camouflage my fashion faux pas. We decided the best course was, when standing, to drape my trenchcoat over one foot and, when seated, simply hide my feet under the table skirt. It was under this type of duress that I met Betsy, an engaging woman whose husband is a respectable CFO by day and Bubba the NASCAR Fanatic on weekends.
The Season Never Ends: How to Survive the NBA Basketball Season
November 5, 2007 8:26 PM | 0 Comments
If you listen to our Sports Widow Blues theme song, you'll hear the lamenting phrase, "I'm a Sports Widow, baby, and the season never ends." The plaintiff stylings of composer/vocalist Chris Sharp ring particularly true this season. The Boston Red Sox just swept (won the first four games of) the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, the ballpark seats aren't even cold yet, and professional basketball and college basketball are bouncing into our lives. And, not just for a few months, but until June 2008 in the case of pro basketball. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! That's the sound of Basketball Widows hurling themselves off their widow's walks in abject despair.
Halloween, The World Series and Two Children's Birthdays Converge: A New Twilight Zone Episode
October 27, 2007 12:53 PM | 0 Comments
It's October. The leaves are swirling. Halloween is approaching. NFL and NCAA football are in full swing. The MLB World Series is about to begin. And, two of my three children were born during this month, so there are two birthday parties, two sacrificial offerings to be planned and staged. If that's not pressure, I don't understand the definition.
Right now, as we speak, my husband Bryan and 10-year-old son Austin are alternately groaning and yelling at the TV. The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians are duking it out for the American League Championship Series, which determines which team will go to the World Series and play against the Colorado Rockies. Frankly, I don't care whether they're wearing red socks or white socks or dirty ones (with the exception that the latter would require Clorox), but it makes me reminisce about the birth of my son Austin 10 years ago, about how I unwittingly spawned another sports fan, who would seal my fate as a Sports Widow. An interesting side point is that my son Austin and his Dad Bryan are rooting for different teams. Because Austin likes those despots, the New York Yankees, he is a fan of the Cleveland Indians. Bryan, on the other hand, is cheering for the Boston Red Sox.
The Penalty Box: Sports Fan Abandons Daughter's Birthday Party for Football Game
October 21, 2007 2:19 PM | 1 Comments
Today is my 8-year-old daughter Caroline's birthday party. At her request, we are having a Charlotte's Web-themed party, which she has carefully arranged. As we speak, I'm on break, because she is watching Charlotte's Web with a gaggle of eight girls in our basement. Just before this, we painted the girls' noses pink with black nostrils, colored in a picture of Charlotte feeding Wilbur a bottle, did a scavenger hunt for pigs and spiders, and played Stick-the-Spider-on-the-Web. Much to my chagrin, a couple of hours before the party, my husband Bryan got last-minute tickets to a Washington Huskies game and left with my 10-year-old son Austin. This introduces an age-old dilemma, an age-old feud between Sports Fans and Sports Widows: Priorities.
The Sports Widow Pays Tribute to Sports Team Mascots
October 9, 2007 10:30 AM | 0 Comments
As The Sports Widow, one of the few entrees I have into sports is, naturally, through the back door. Even though I don't relate to, care or understand the rules of the games themselves, I've discovered that the football game half-time entertainment, the pounding tribal music, the perky cheerleaders, the absurd fan behavior, tailgate party food and the concessions can sustain me. Oh, and for me in particular, there is that other sideshow, that animal magnetism: The Team Mascots.
In corporate America, they love to do warm-up activities at retreats, and a favorite is Three Truths & A Lie. You tell the group (3) truths and (1) lie, and they have to guess which one is the lie. One of my offerings is: One summer, I was the Wisconsin State Fair mascot - Violet the Cow.
Warning: Baseball Playoffs & Football Monopolize October
October 3, 2007 11:29 AM | 1 Comments
Sports Widow Advisory: Autumn is officially here in Seattle, and a steady rain is falling on The Emerald City. Despite the gloomy weather, I do have one thing going for me: As of today, our hometown baseball team, the Seattle Mariners, throw in their gloves and bats for the season, and the stadium lights at Safeco Field go out until April 2008. I confess to feeling a bit Grinchy about this sense of relief, but, between NFL and NCAA Football there appear to be plenty of distractions for the sports fans in my family.
My false sense of security about what might translate into a waning interest in baseball was scuttled when I scanned the Major League Baseball web site to see what the October Sports Widow Forecast holds. Sure, our home team is no longer a factor for the World Series, but the dreaded Migration Phenomenon will come into play.
A Sports Widow Sideline Report: Hunting
September 29, 2007 6:26 PM | 0 Comments
Growing up in Wisconsin, I am no stranger to Hunting Season. When you travel up to the Northlands, it's not uncommon to step into a bar and see the words Bucks and Does designating the men's and ladies' bathroom doors. I always duck upon entering, just in case...
Wisconsin's Legendary Nannie Oakley
My personal experience with hunting and operating firearms is limited, which should be a relief to the nation, if not the world. When it was my father's turn to host us for the weekend (my parents divorced when I was 6), my Dad, who spent his early years growing up in Miles City, Montana, used to play cowboy with us. From the munitions perspective, my Dad was a bit of a bull in a china shop. He was fond of either taking us to a quarry near Madison, Wisconsin, for target shooting or blasting the bucolic fields of his stepfather's farm near East Troy, Wisconsin. The latter choice always angered his stepbrother Gerald, who managed the farm, because it spooked the livestock. During these target practices, my label was Nannie Oakley, but I never liked holding a gun, and I don't think I ever came close to hitting any of the rings of a bull's eye target. In fact, my Dad and brothers are lucky to be alive today with intact eyes and appendages.
The Sports Widow Playbook: Scheduling "The Big Games"
September 24, 2007 6:24 PM | 0 Comments
Everyone always says that the cobbler's children frequently have the shoddiest shoes, if they have any shoes at all. (I think many of them just wear sweatersocks.) So, you could surmise that - while The Sports Widow can talk a big game - she may not always heed her own advice.
To counter any such accusations, I decided to employ one of the more controversial survival tactics from my Sports Widow Playbook: Scheduling "The Big Game".
Football Fans: I Come in Peace
September 17, 2007 4:00 AM | 1 Comments
After being interviewed on CNN Headline News about how Football Widows can survive the NFL and NCAA football season, I received my first flaming torch email comment from a defensive Football Fan, Ryan, who misconstrues what I am trying to accomplish with sportswidow.com. His antagonism doesn't surprise me because I know that when I shine the spotlight on the tensions between Football Widows and Football Fans, I am treading on sacred ground. But, since Ryan got personal, I'm compelled to respond. My premise is that sports is here to stay, so a peaceful co-existence is the only option. My crusade is to help all Sports Widows keep their sanity, gain access and gain equity, preferably maintaining a sense of humor along the way.
Fan Fare: Sports Widow Tailgate Party Recipes and Tips
September 9, 2007 10:27 AM | 4 Comments
Go out for the pass or step up to the plate for some sports-inspired recipes and entertaining ideas.
Occasionally my father would take me and my two older brothers to his alma mater for football games in Madison, Wisconsin. Inevitably, he would try to buy tickets from scalpers to the University of Wisconsin Badger games, and we would all get split up. I would be sentenced to endure the game solo with a loud-mouthed, John Candyesque Midwesterner seated beside me, making arm-chair calls, shouting obscenities, and splashing beer on me throughout the game.
My only consolation was the pre-game tailgate party. This cherished rite combines four American institutions into one: sports, automobiles, picnics and alcohol. And, in the Midwest, you can add a fifth ingredient: sausages. Bratwurst. Knockwurst. Bockwurst. Amherst. You name it.
When it comes to a tailgate party, I simply have to channel my Wisconsin cheesehead roots. While I wasn't a Greenbay Packer's fan, I do know the essentials of a truly good tailgate party, and the menu has to include the proper equipment (which years ago was a hibachi and now is probably closer to a George Foreman Grill), Usingers Brats (the all-time best sausages are Usingers), Wisconsin cheese products and maybe a cherry pie with cherries from Door County, Wisconsin. And, yes, leave your concerns about cholesterol at home.
Fantasy Football...Football Widow's Nightmare
September 3, 2007 10:26 AM | 2 Comments
I guess I’m lucky. Nobody in my family is into Fantasy Sports. Apparently, other sports widows are not as fortunate.
I ran across a story recently on FOXSports.com, Top 10 signs you're a fantasy football addict and it got me thinking. According to FoxSports, more than 10 million people play Fantasy Football each year. If the sports fan in your life has a fantasy team, you might want to have him take the test.
“The typical player is 41 years old, married with 2 kids, has a household income of $95,000 and, in what should come as a shock to nobody, is usually male”, according to a new survey conducted by Kim Beason, an associate professor at the University of Mississippi.