I have an obsession with sports.  I don’t deny it.  Sports saved my life, is my life, my being, my work and my love.  But, where did it all begin?  What sports have I played?  At what levels did I participate in sports during my life?  What professional sports teams do I follow?  How do I stay in shape?  These questions and more.  Tonight, in Charlie’s Amusing Journal.

My 1st year of organized team athletics was tee ball when I was a mere 8 years old.  We played our games at Harvey West Park ball field in Santa Cruz.  I don’t remember much about how my team did but I do remember hitting the baseball over the head of an outfielder for the 1st time.  I liked it.  I sometimes hit the tee and would get out.  I hated that.  I also learned I hated to lose.  I still do.

The list of sports I’ve participated in is nearly endless.  Badminton.  Baseball (still playing).  Basketball.  Bocce Ball.  Bowling.  Boxing.  Camping (considering how long it takes me to put up a tent, I consider this an endurance sport).  Cricket.  (American) Football – flag and tackle.  Cross country skiing.  (Modern and ballroom) Dancing.  Darts.  Downhill skiing.  Fishing.  Golf.  Hiking.  Horseshoes.  Hunting.  Ping Pong (table tennis).  Racquetball.  Rollerskating.  Running.  Sailing (though Bonnie and I needed to be rescued because I didn’t know how to tack).  Snow shoeing. Soccer (football).  Softball.  Swimming.  Tennis. Trapshooting.  Volleyball.

And I’ve played at all amateur levels.  City League Basketball, Flag Football and Softball.  Little League.  Pony League.  American Legion.  Jr. High School.  Pop Warner.  High School.  Junior College.  University.  Amateur Leagues.  I only wish I would’ve had the talent to play professionally.

I credit my Grandmother for taking me to my first professional sporting event.  It was a baseball game between ironically the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Montreal Expos.  It was the 1st year the Expos were in Major League baseball and the Dodgers won handily.  Ironic, because I hate the Dodgers.  When we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area,  the Giants became my team.  Then came the San Francisco 49ers and a decade of losing that was only cured by my father’s obsession that one day they would be winners and he was right.  The Golden State Warriors won their only NBA title and it didn’t take me long to get hooked.  Even the 1st year of the San Jose Sharks made me feel like I had to root for a 4th team.  I’ve watched these teams on television, listened on the radio, read their results and their stories on the Internet or in the newspaper.  These are my teams.  I live and die based on whether they win or lose.  I can’t understand a sports fan who can’t commit to their hometown team or any team for that matter.  If you can’t commit to a favorite team, you can’t make a commitment.

Never will I live a sedentary life.  Sure, I’m not as strong as I used to be, not as fast as I used to be.  I don’t see as well.  I’m heavier and not as flexible.  But, in order to continue to play sports, I have to exercise regularly and I do.  Running, stretching and weight lifting are as much a part of my daily routine as eating and sleeping.

I don’t know where I would’ve ended up without sports.  I certainly wouldn’t have ended up here in Portland working for NIKE.  My dream job.  Working with some incredibly smart, dedicated, sports nuts like me.  Say what you will about one of the greatest brands in the world, but the employees are amazing.  Perhaps one of my favorite NIKE quotes aptly describes us, “We’re a bunch of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”  I like that.