Of Sports and Bibles

I’m watching the Winter Classic on TV with my brother and right now, it’s still 0 to 0. Besides being sick of the Rose Parade ("Look!!! This float’s decorative scrolls are made out of two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand white amaryllis!!!" That gets old after about two seconds. :-D) I think it’s pretty cool that they’re playing hockey at Fenway Park (can you tell I’m a Red Sox fan?) and it was even more cool when Daniel Powter sang “O Canada.” (I don’t want to sound all fannish but I admit that having him sing was a nice touch on the event planner’s part.) Another random note... When I asked my brother if he knew why Daniel Powter always wears a hat, he said, “Hezes zald?” My brother was putting his rubber bands on his braces at the time, so he was a little hard to understand. (And that’s not the reason Daniel Powter wears a hat.) And we’re waiting for the announcement about which NHL players made the USA Team for the Olympics. (That’s very important. :-) ) Anyway, the commercials are the same as baseball season... especially that one by Budweiser where they say, “The difference is drinkability.” Hearing that slogan reminded me of something that happened last summer. Our church decided to change our pew Bibles from the New International Version to the English Standard Version and to ease us into it, they had the ESV salesman come and talk to the congregation. I was unimpressed and a little annoyed by his speaking during church...not only do I prefer the NIV but there’s just something wrong about sales pitches in church. I kept thinking about the time Jesus overturned the tables in the temple and wondering if the deacon and elders would tackle me if I tried the same thing. Deciding they would, I just tried to tune out the salesman but that’s easier said than done. About halfway through the spiel, when the salesman said, “The ESV is so readable...” I leaned over to my brother and whispered, “The difference is readability.” We spent the rest of the service trying not to dissolve into fits.... :-) I think I’ve been watching too much baseball and hockey.

:-)

What it was… was Hockey

My brother and I went to a pro-hockey game last night and I have to say it was pretty entertaining. I like hockey―though I prefer to watch the highlights on TV―but it is fun to go to a game once in awhile―especially since our team won. :-) However, I was very amused by the behavior of the season ticket holders seated nearby. (We know someone with season tickets and they got us seats about five rows from the ice. Sweet huh? :-) ) Its strange how the fans think that the players can 1: hear them and 2: care about what they say/yell. At one point, our team had a power play but they weren’t doing anything with it, and this one huge jersey wearing season ticket holder, who heretofore had been quiet, yells at the top of his lungs, “IT’S A POWER PLAY!” If I’d been holding anything at that moment I certainly would have dropped it but thankfully I wasn’t so I just giggled to myself. Our team finally scored and everyone jumped to their feet; then, the season ticket holders went around and high-fived each other and even embraced―I mean, you’d think that they’d been the ones to score and not the players. It was really funny. :-D So then, we’re in the 3rd period, a player swings a little too close to the referee, and jersey guy decides that it’s imperative to yell, “HIT THE REF!” And I’m sure the ref. heard it…the season ticket holders seem to hate the refs. Other season ticket holders yell at the players, and some of the things they say are kind of nasty…. I think the players must decide to be deaf or are so into the game that they don’t hear the things people yell at them. Though it was amusing when the jersey guy yelled, “THE PUCK IS RIGHT THERE!” and I’m thinking, “Yes, I’m sure the player is well aware of that since he's the one pushing the puck along with his stick.” Oh and having people yell “SHOOT! SHOOT!” as if the players need their advice is extremely funny too. The mascot came down by us―I detest mascots―and my brother and I sat there whispering, “Don’t come near us, don’t come near us…” (He didn’t come near us.) We also saw a fight…and the season ticket holders were yelling “FIGHT! FIGHT!” You know…I wonder why the players beat each other up… if I were them… I’d go after those season ticket holders. *evil smile*

:-)