The familiar phrase ‘Speaking of Sports’ was Howard Cosell’s exclamation he used in delivering his sports reports. I am borrowing that phrase to title this week’s column because this week, I will be ‘Speaking of Sports’.
I always enjoyed Howard Cosell’s commentaries and his famous whimsical antics with Mohammed Ali. Howard was a sports man but not a sportsmen and a master of his trade. He loved sports, and he loved reporting it. . Although this column is not about Howard Cosell, it is about sports in general -- sports that Howard embraced and lived his life speaking of.
Watching sports on television or in person is great fun if you enjoy the sport you are watching. I like most sports, but not as much as Football
Baseball is a slow paced game. I do watch baseball sometimes, but I do tend to dose off waiting on some action. When some action is taking place, when someone hits a three run homer, and hearing Skip Caray say “That ball is ... out of here.,” I will wake from my slumber to take all that in and drift back into sleep mode until the next loud exclamation of action taking place.
Hockey is a faster paced sport than baseball it is not so apt to put me to sleep, but it is hard to keep up with the tiny puck being tossed back and forth at lighting speed.
They are more fights in hockey than any other sport;, and it does seem to living it up somewhat. and watching the fights, you’r not worrying about where the puck is. I am reminded of an old joke...Suppose someone gave a fight and a Hockey Game broke out.
Basketball bores me. How many slam-dunks can someone make in a game. The first time I saw a player do that it was impressive, now that everyone does it frequently, it’s just not as exciting anymore and is redundant. Basketball does have a lot of fans I am sure..It just don’t have me. It’s boring to me to watch grown men run up and down a Basketball court wearing what looks like to me — skirts.
Did I mention football? Football is my sport of choice. It is also fast paced and exiting. I simply love it. Football also has its crazed fans who think that its gods game and certain players are his designed criteria and can do no wrong. In spite of that, I just like the game. I hold none is such a high regard that if they break the law their guilt will be ignored. No man is above the law not even football heroes. They should all always answer to the consequences of an unlawful act.
Is wrestling a sport? It is to a certain extent although wrestlers are actually actors. They all are members of the Actors Guild, and their wrestling is merely a big show. They are some folks that will argue with you about the substantiality of TV wrestling. Some will even fight you if you tell them it’s not real.
I wish they would bring back Roller Derby, now that is an action fast paced sport. Or is it a Sport? They don’t use a ball. Maybe they should use a ball and add a combination of Dodge Ball or something to do with a ball of some kind.
Roller Derby is like Hockey they also have fights when tempers flare. I expect that is why it was so popular. I guess folks like to see fights in sports other than Wrestling and Boxing.
Like the late great Howard Cosell I am speaking of sports, glamorizing Football because I think it is the best sport ever. I am slightly slamming other sports because most are not as exciting to me as football.
We are right now in the middle of summer and it is not football season. I will be in withdrawal until this autumn, grit my teeth and wait until I hear Hank Jr. exclame in song “Are you ready for some football”?. If the wait get somewhat long and I get awfully bored, I can always give a fight and see if a Hockey game breaks out.