February 3, 2010

HAT TIPS

Hello,

You know, I like sports. Oh, I don’t sit glued to the TV for a football game. But I occasionally watch one. Did you know that in a three-hour football game, there are about twelve minutes of actual football? Really. Twelve minutes. The rest is analysis, replays, advertising, and a pretty much general waste of time. And personally, I think the refs in the Viking game last week were horrible. And Brett Favre is maybe the toughest guy in the world!
And I like golf. If you are in a cart. Sharing refreshments with a friend. And you don’t care where the dang ball goes. And the weather is nice. And it’s not windy. And there is going to be a card game after the golf game. I still can’t answer the question, “Are golfers athletes?”
I don’t care for professional basketball. I don’t think anyone other than Jack Nicholson does. But college ball, when March Madness starts is wonderful. Who can forget the excitement of NDSU playing Kansas tough last year? Awesome!
But, really, high school sports are where it is at for a lot of the Dakotas. Gyms fill up in large and small towns across the plains. People will fight raging blizzards, icy roads, and power outages to cheer on young athletes who are wrestling, playing ball, cheerleading, or maybe in the band. I did all of the above. Well, most. Okay. Some.
I was back in my old home country over the weekend. Berthold. You know. The Berthold Bombers. The headline on the sports page of the Minot Daily News read “Bombers Survive!” And they did. Barely. Against a handful of kids from Mandaree. The Warriors. Both teams had kids and grandkids of friends of mine.
I didn’t get to go to the game. But I talked to a lot of people who were there. And although Mandaree didn’t win the game, they won a lot of friends at that game.
My brother, who attends most of the Bomber games, said the Mandaree coach and kids showed the most class of any team he could remember. As well as the Mandaree fans.
When a player went down in a scramble for the ball, it was a Warrior who was the first guy there, offering a hand up.
When a Bomber fouled out, it was the Warriors and their coach, who lined up to give a ball player a pat on the back, a hug, or shake his hand.
When someone made a great shot, or a great pass, it was the Warrior fans that gave the player applause, no matter what team he was on.
The Warrior fans applauded when Bomber players were introduced. They didn’t turn their backs.
Two great teams. And nobody lost.

Thanks guys,
Dean Meyer

WATFORD CITY WEATHER