THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

I hate to be a spoil sport here.  Pun definitely intended, but I’m relieved the Olympics are nearly over.  While I admire the dedication, the energy, the physical and mental talent athletes expend on their games, for me organized sports are like garlic, a little goes a long way.  Including, Superbowl Sunday, The World Serious (my pet name for them), and boxing’s Heavyweight Championship of the World.       

The origin of my antipathy may have something to do with the fact that I’m myopic.   Like Mr. MacGoo, without glasses I walk into walls.  Even with contacts my eye-hand-foot-knee-thigh coordination stinks.

In high school, enforced gym class was torture.  All that running up and down the slippery gym floor trying to nail the volley ball was hell—sheer hell. The only sport I ever remotely liked was tennis, more for the cute little outfits than for the challenge of the game.  Whack!  Whack!  Whaaaack!  Trouble was, without glasses I couldn’t see the ball coming—no contacts in high school.

Granted, the aesthetics of PGA golf are great.  I’ll give the sport that much.  Grass, trees, and only a few, very few, maddeningly little holes.  And I love Tiger’s shoulders.

I’ll also concede that in winter Olympics ice dancing has glorious moments.  But outside of that, sports are downhill all the way.  Including the luge.  Heck I used to luge with the neighborhood kids.  We called it sledding.  And as far as summer Olympics go, what’s that playing volley ball in a bikini all about?  Boing.  Boing.  Boiiing.

Okay, enough.  Actually, I have the entire London Olympics schedule taped to my fridge, and enough bottled beer and frozen pizza to keep John and me happy throughout August 12. I’ve hardly missed a single event, and have actually devoted two full weeks to the 1012 Games.

So if you believed all that stuff above about hating sports, no coordination, gym class horrors, etc, all I can say is that my writing must have improved.  Either that or I play a heck of a game of snooker ball.  Sorry.  The devil made me do this.

Jean Harrington lives in Florida and writes the Naples set Murders by Design Mystery Series for Carina Press.  The first book in the series, Designed for Death, was released in January and the second, The Monet Murders, came out in June.  For an excerpt of both, Jean invites you to visit her web site: www.jeanharrington.com.