Parlez vous Olympics?!

Yes, I've got Olympic Fever.  I admit it.  I adore the Olympics, always have.  Even the commercials make me cry!  My family has always watched sports and used them as quality family time.  When I was growing up, we would go over to my grandparents' house on Saturdays and watch the PBA Bowling tour and then Wide World of Sports.  Then, on Sundays during football season, we would go back over and watch the Browns game.  During baseball season, sometimes my grandfather would put the tiny portable tv on top of the big tv and we would watch baseball AND Wide World of Sports!  So, I come by my love of sportswatching naturally.  I think I might miss my family the most when I'm watching sports by myself...

Favorite sports moments?  Off the top of my head:  I think I remember my dad waking me up to watch Hank Aaron hit 715.  My whole extended family gathered around the tv during a picnic to watch Mark McGwire hit #62.  There may have even been some sneaking away from my sister's wedding reception to see the Indians in the World Series.  We played softball as kids, and the Indians in the 70s weren't big deals back then, so you could get them to come pass out trophies at sports banquets.  We met Buddy Bell and Joe Charboneau - so fun.  The Fumble.  The Drive.  The gal who hit me in the back in a softball game and the umpire called ME out (I can still hear my dad scream "THIS ISN'T DODGEBALL!!!).  My family gets as riled up about this stuff now as we did way back when.  Sports are fun. 

Anyway, most indelible sports memories are from the Olympics.  Even all these years later, I can still remember being excited at seeing Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci.  We all wondered who would light the flame in LA and Atlanta.  Nancy v Tanya?  The Battle of the Brians?  Some of that stuff is more real to me than my real life.  Which is kinda scary, I guess...

I love having Opening Ceremonies parties.  I've had quite a few over the years - some big, some small.  Last Friday's party was small, but grand.  In fact, the Ceremonies were so theatrical, it was nice to be quiet and watch and marvel, rather than have a lot of voices shouting over each other at each new element.  Not that I don't enjoy that, too.  Plus, it was nice to not cook myself into a frenzy for once and just enjoy some wine and my beautiful gal pal's company.  That's a perfect sports memory, if you ask me.