Yes sports a common denominator for you and me. To watch it was to see people playing and having fun but we enjoyed the action, the challenge, the strength & coordination required and of course the competitive nature of it. We made a game out of the simplest things... how long could we keep the object i.e. ball, Frisbee, whatever in the air without dropping it.. then try to break our record, it was always about breaking the record, bettering the numbers.. the obstacle courses we set-up in the back yard.. the wheel barrel jump, scaling the concrete planter etc. the basketball games with goal tending allowed during the backboard-nailed to a tree era in the early 70's. The Olympics inspired many a competitive event between us. The Friday or Saturday night basketball games on the wooden floors with a wad of socks balled up. We either didn't have a ball around for whatever reason or mom was opposed to the idea of a basketball bouncing and bursting around the front bedroom. We played about as raucous, rough and tumble as happy puppies... we decided that the area just above the door was the basketball goal. We had some tremendous airial type moves and only got better as we grew to excel and have a blast in sports. We both pitched, you in baseball, me in softball & both held our own on first base. I recall feeling a great deal of pride when you compared my batting skills to Babe Ruth & Hank Aaron. I honestly fancied myself to be quite the quarterback, threw a good looking spiral that sailed & spanned some real estate. Alas, my QB days were shorter-lived than I expected and saddened me deeply. We appreciated the effort involved in organized sports too, the commadare, the practice & training involved altho not necessarily our most favorite thing to do but a big part of the athletic equation.The ABC Sports motto has always struck a nerve with me and I think you appreciated it too;
"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat".
