This semester marks my first as a Daily Cougar editor, but it’s not my first as a sports enthusiast.
I grew up living down the street from the Astrodome. When the summer days got too long and too boring my brother and I would get dropped off at the dome and buy $2 pavilion tickets and sit by center field and watch the ‘stros battle it out, hoping a fly ball would find its way to us.
My two brothers and I would make up our own rules to classic sports like baseball. We were a team of three so we had a pitcher, a batter and I was usually relegated the painful position of catcher. There was no one on first or second or even third. It was the pitcher’s job to cover all the bases and act as umpire.
Those adjustments alone made it interesting; add to the multiple home runs and inflated egos that came out of playing with a tennis ball instead of a standard baseball, and there wasn’t a dull moment.
Make contact with a tennis ball using an aluminum bat and you’re sure to make something happen. I don’t know if we ever played with a real ball. We played with what we had and were happy with that.
My dad’s habit of registering for grocery store prize drawings brought us a portable basketball goal. I spent the entire summer playing on that thing, and by the school year I had enough in me to make the junior varsity basketball team.
My new position on a real team coupled with the emergence of the WNBA led my romantic seventh grade mind to believe a future in professional sports was attainable for me. I’ve since come to terms with the fact that I will never play sports well enough to get paid for it, but I’m more than happy to bring the sports to you.
This summer was painfully slow. The Astros offered us an emotional roller coaster with their fluctuating wins and losses, but Biggio’s attainment of 3000 hits and his eventual retirement announcement were the emotional apex for Houstonians who grew up with him. Summer also brought us more controversy, both on and off the field. From steroids to illegal dog fighting, sports walked away with a black eye.
Needless to say, I think we’re all ready for the football season to start. The Cougars capped off last season as the 2006 Conference USA champions and we’ll be here to bring you all the news of their quest for a repeat this season.
