Between the Longhorns, the World Series, and rival losses, Saturday was a day to remember
My son’s birth is probably the best day of my life. It’s either that or the day my wife was confirmed to be carrying a baby of unknown sex. When you want to be a dad but don’t think you ever will be, well that news is hard to top.
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As great as my son’s birth was and still is, the excitement of delivery day didn’t preclude secondary memorable events. Even seemingly trivial sporting events, if there’s such a thing. At the exact second the doctor broke my wife’s water, Sweden and Mexico kicked off in the 2018 World Cup. You may not remember it quite as vividly as me, but being half Swedish and disliking Mexico like I dislike OU or Texas A&M, the game captured a fair amount of my attention. I mean, our attention.
Barrett’s birth was no doubt the main event, but Sweden beating Mexico made for a hell of an undercard and did more than just pass the time. Should we change his name to Sven we wondered? No, that’s already taken by an uncle. Maybe we should go with Bjorn. Yeah, Bjorn in the USA. Post sports win highs are a real thing. Just so you don’t think I’m a terrible husband, my wife readily admits to having the easiest child birth of all time and we did watch Suecia together.
In my house, yesterday featured co-main events. Nothing so grand to compete with delivery day, but along with UT trying to exorcise road demons against a quality opponent, we also had the Astros trying to close out the Phillies in the World Series. Fortunately we have a setup outside that allowed my ability to watch both while my wife and now four-year old had the World Series on the inside TV accompanied by UT on an iPad. I must admit to being a bit peeved they weren’t outside with me. Do they know who pays the bills in this house? It’s not me, it’s Texas football.
Like Sweden vs Mexico, yesterday’s undercard satisfied. Rather than sitting around overthinking what’s to come, or what might come, Texastros fans were delighted by A&M and OU losses. Both of UT’s rivals, one a real rival and the other an amusing one, are on hard times, and outside of sports it’s not kind to take joy in the misery of others. But this is sports. The only tempering of joy was due to potential karmic implications.
If you believe in Karma, or are even agnostic of its powers, you didn’t enjoy A&M’s or OU’s loss like you should. Texas playing at night meant you tempered any jubilation you might have felt. If that describes you, please take a moment now to enjoy the outcomes and properly internalize potential recruiting implications. Because there are some.
The co-mains didn’t disappoint, either: Stros win, Horns win is the short story.
Note to the dear reader: if you don’t care about the Astros, or even hate the Astros (lol), I genuinely couldn’t care less. In fact, I care exactly as much about you hating the Astros as I care about Aggies hating Texas.
For the Stros it’s offseason, but that does’t matter until after the parade. It may not matter at all because as Rangers fan @W.W. McClyde coined, flags fly forever.
Texas has a lot to clean up before it raises another flag, but after the big road win over conference contending Kansas State, Texas is still in the running to raise a Big 12 title flag.
That fact capped a memorable day in which there were plenty of secondary joys.
