A Good Way to Make a Home

I'm not sure there's anything more that can unite people together than sports. It's something to connect to. It's something to have in common.

I grew up a big sports fan, specifically baseball, in Cleveland. That is where my sports roots are, but those roots have spread and I think I can officially call myself a Kentucky basketball fan now.

It was not my doing. I've been in Lexington nearly three years now, and I'm not sure how anyone can live in this town and not become a Kentucky fan. Especially in my line of work, you just become absorbed in the world that is UK basketball. I was there when Billy Gillespie announced he was leaving (fired). I was there during the chaos that was John Calipari flying into town to announce he was the new coach. Stations in Memphis and here in Lexington were staking out his home, the airport, any place they could get site of Calipari. I covered the ticket lines during Midnight Madness two years in a row, where people lined up for days to get tickets to the teams first practice. I even run into the players on the street while doing stories! The list goes on and on.

Of course it helps that the team is really good, but there's something about watching these kids play basketball. It's not like the professionals who many times just play like it's just a job. In college, they play like it's their passion. There's nothing better to watch than that.

Last night, the team that wasn't expected to do it all took down the beast. UK beat OSU, the number one ranked team in the nation 62 to 60 in the Sweet Sixteen. I am not lucky enough to travel for work to be in Newark covering the game, so instead, I brought the fun to my house. I've always wanted to host a gathering in my comfy little condo, but honestly, never got the house clean enough to bring people over. As part of my Lenten resolution to give up being messy, I thought there's no better time than now to host people over to watch the game. We all gathered in my tiny living room to cheer on the Cats. Needless to say, we couldn't believe they beat out the Buckeyes, but we had a great time watching together.
Tomorrow UK will take on UNC in the Elite 8. Not sure where I'll watch the game, but I know I'll be hoping they can win. Regardless, I think I'm now a fan for life.