School Sports

Sometimes I'll be in a conversation with another guy and a football (or other sport) reference will arise, like "I remember when I played football in high-school..." I nod knowingly, but fraudulently. I played only geek sports in school. I don't get to live vicariously through my kids.

In middle-school, I was on a bowling league. Had my own ball and everything. I rocked the lanes, man. There's no way my daughter is going to take up bowling unless we could get her a leopard-print ball.

Then in high-school, there was a pool table at our apartment complex and I played religiously. I played at the apartment complex, in billiard halls, wherever I could go. Bought my own cue. Got pretty good. Again, not something that I can work into a conversation with other guys. Pool is NOT a contact sport. There's no gruff Billiards Coach for the Billiards Team. So, as you can imagine, this aspect of my youth has become dormant.

Until last night.

Met up with a friend and decided to have a beer at the local tavern. He offered to buy a game of pool.

I smoked him.

Unhappy (and just a wee-tiny-bit competitive), he threw two more quarters down.

Smoked him again.

Now unable to face his family unless he can redeem himself, we played another game - and he won this one. However, being beaten two out of three wasn't satisfactory. He needed to even the score.

Two more quarters. "I *will* gloat if I win this game," I told him.

Smoked him a third time. Three out of four. Yesss.

Twenty years after putting down my cue and forgetting my rather embarrassing sports past, I was finally able to relive my glory days.