Basketball is Back!

By Chris
This week was the first Old Dominion basketball game of the year (an exhibition, but still a game). Nick and I went with Mike (college roommate, friend and more than 15-year co- ODU fan with me . . . Mike's twin Mitch is also in our basketball crew for more than a decade). I don't hunt. Don't fish. Don't golf. Don't buy many gadgets. Mostly love using my free time on family stuff and coaching my kids' teams. But, I am pretty stubborn about my ODU games. I'll try to re-arrange almost anything to see the Monarchs play. We had to switch sections this year and up our donation to the Big Blue Club to get decent seats, since the guys are expected to be very good, possibly even nationally ranked. I'm happy when they win and grumpy when they loose. It is about the only place I raise my voice (except when one of the knuckleheads needs a jolt at home!). It might sound strange, but it's very therapeutic. It starts in November and ends in March, so it's not even a year-round vice! Nick goes to pretty much every game with me, and likes hanging with Mike and Mitch. It's about the only thing that Nick, as middle kid, gets to do with me by himself (Ben is starting to ask about going, but his hyper butt really can't sit there for two hours yet, and chasing him around is not an option!). Teresa is very cool with it. She never really gives me a hard time about games, even those on anniverseries! She does always ask "did you win," when I get home. She'll admit that she doesn't really care, except that it will tell her if she needs to leave me alone for a little while the answer is "no." Thanks, baby, for letting me have my basketball!