As wacky as life can be, every now and then things happen
that can turn your world upside down. As
for me, yeah sometimes life has handed me and my family a big old turd that
left me hurt and angry. But sometimes you have to learn to just roll with it
and have a sense of humor about the things that happen in your sphere. And if
you play your cards right, you can get a kick out of it and learn not to take
yourself so seriously. Such was the case with me at a basketball game I was
broadcasting.
I was setting up my gear in the corner of a high school gym
at floor level. It wasn’t the best viewpoint but it would have to suffice. It
was out in the sticks and featured one good team and a terrible one. So I had
my work cut out from the start. I was only two feet from the front row of
bleachers to my left and had to keep my eyes on the court for the odd stray
ball that would come our way and spank the announce table. Some of the young kids were sitting in the
bleachers, being kids and acting innocently silly. So back to the old geezer blowhard… ME! I am
having a lousy day, doing a lousy game and trying to act like I’m interested.
I’m bored stiff because the game is a blowout and my eyes start wandering
toward the kids messing around in the bleachers. How I wish I could trade
places with them! The game was so slow and boring that I could keep up with it
whilst watching two mischievous fifth graders pick on each other incessantly.
One was sitting behind the other in the low bleachers right next to me and the
one on top took off his shoe and when the time was right, he face-planted the
shoe in the mug of the kid sitting in the front. Well , the younger one at the
front, slapped the hand and shoe that he was breathing in for all it was worth,
dislodging the shoe from his face and sending it airborne. Nothing could
prepare me for what happened next… as I was calling the game, I looked out of
the corner of my eye and saw a natty looking tennis shoe in a somersault
motion, coming right at me. Before I could even say “and the three pointer is
no good”, the sneaker clobbers me on top of the head. I was stunned but I kept
it together enough to keep going without acknowledging it. However, the same
can’t be said for my broadcast partner. That
goofball made sure to announce that I got clobbered over the head with a tennis
shoe… laughing out loud along the way.
After the game, my crew gave me some grief and teased me but
after all was said and done, I decided that I have to look at it as funny. I
had to loosen up and not take myself so seriously… the more I thought about it…
the funnier I thought it was… I got whacked upside the head by a shoe… by a
fifth grader no less!! Gotta love it!
