I went to my first professional sporting event in June 1983. My dad, my grandma, and I took a road trip to Dallas, Texas that summer to visit my aunt and uncle and they treated us to a night at the ballpark. Thanks to the internet, I can pinpoint exactly what game it was because I can remember my dad talking about how we saw Jack Morris pitch. There were some other significant names playing that night: Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Bucky Dent...but at the time I couldn't have cared less. I think we left the game early and for most of my life I've felt bad because I thought maybe I was being too big of a pill. But now that I look back, the Rangers were down 7-0 in the fourth inning and 12-1 by the seventh inning stretch so maybe that's why we bailed.
My interests in the summer of 1983 and the following school year were primarily the following:
- Star Wars
- Star Wars
- Star Wars
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
- Dukes of Hazzard
- Star Wars
And I think that was pretty much it. After all, this was the same summer that Return of the Jedi was released. I spent tons of time with my Star Wars action figures during this time frame and thinking of how I could acquire more of them.
My mom, however, felt I needed to socialize with others and signed me up for a program called "Kid Wrestling" in which you were dropped off at the strange, unfamiliar high school and were taught the principles of grappling. Again, I couldn't have cared less what they were talking about. I wasn't the aggressive type, so what was the need to learn combat techniques? Mostly I spent the time worrying that they would make me wrestle one of the big mean kids. I must have sufficiently expressed my displeasure as I don't remember going to very many practices and or the big "tournament" - whatever the heck that was. Thank goodness. Who wants to waste a Saturday on that?
But I wasn't completely off the hook. After school let out for the summer, my mom signed me up for T-ball. Didn't anyone understand that I was happy just playing Star Wars and riding my bike around? I can remember the very first practice I went to - I knew nothing about baseball. I think they asked all the kids if they wanted to play outfield or infield. I chose outfield, which was a pretty good choice for a kid who didn't know anything about the game and didn't care to learn. I remember the weather at the first practice: windy, cold, overcast. When would it be time to go home?
I guess I went to more practices and a few games although I'm sure I also skipped as many as I could get away with. My parents tell one story about my team from that T-ball season. An opponent smashed a long drive to the outfield and we all just watched it go. The coaches yelled for us to get the ball and so the entire team took off running to the outfield to retrieve it.
Later that summer was the famous 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. I remember the Olympics being on TV but don't think I watched very much of them. I have a vague memory of going to watch the torch as it passed through our town on US Highway 285. I sometimes wonder if that really happened. Because why on earth were the Olympics routing the torch through our tiny remote town? But based on this, apparently it did happen. Click "facts and figures" on that page to see the route map.
I remember my dad sometimes laying on the floor and watching college football or a baseball game on television. Sometimes I'd sit and watch for a few minutes and maybe ask who was playing. But that was about as far as it went.
The Denver Broncos were always on the periphery. Sometimes they were on television, but it was no more significant to me than an episode of Knots Landing being on TV. On October 15, 1984 (34 years ago tomorrow) the Broncos were hosting Green Bay on Monday Night Football and it was dumping down snow in Denver. The Broncos improbably returned two fumbles for touchdowns on each of the Packers' first two plays from scrimmage. I remember my dad being kind of excited, but as for me it wasn't really any more significant than what we were eating for dinner that night.
And so I tell you all this so you can understand where I was with respect to sports in October 1984. Check back for the next post - "The Awakening".
