True Confessions

I have something to admit. Something to come clean about. It's the type of disclosure that could leave you all aghast. No, I'm not a Yid or Scouser in disguise. Here it is: when I first began watching soccer - Arsenal - I didn't mind international breaks.

I actually didn't even know what they were. Doc would say "No games for two weeks. The players have friendlies" or playoffs or whatever. I would of course look appropriately disappointed, but inside I was thinking "Oh good, my Saturday morning is free". Don't get me wrong, I was fascinated by this new sport - by watching something that was overseas. But I also was, at that point, engaged in a take-it-or-leave-it mindset. I had other sports to fill the gap. I was an avid Cubs fan which filled April to October...okay only September as we never really make it to post season. I followed Notre Dame and Chicago Bears football (American football) and that picked up where baseball left off. It was good until January. Arsenal filled January until spring. And then once again...baseball.

I sometimes wish for that attitude again. That "Oh, I was out late last night and don't feel like traveling 45 minutes in the early morning to get to a friend's house that has the right TV package - so I'll just catch the score line later". Jeesh - I have to arrive early now to watch any pregame or mostly to discuss the latest news with my Arsenal club. My weekend is totally made or broken by our team's performance. Either my head is buried in my hands or I'm skipping on my way to the car and singing on the drive home. The rest of my weekend events can be in the toilet, as long as my Gunners have done well, I have no worries. My family has noted this all consuming affect. If I arrive for a family event with my brow deeply furrowed, my mom asks "Oh dear, did they lose?". Grunt.

And it's not as though I have completely stopped cheering for my other teams. I went to Wrigley Field for a game this year (I boycotted last year as they had blown a chance at post season...again). I was there with great friends and have to admit I encountered some difficulty paying full attention. Baseball is a beautiful game - being outside in the summer with the green grass before you. But, it does take awhile to play out. I actually had more fun attending the Fire vs Red Bulls soccer match - seeing Henry and Freddie up close? Fantastic. Yes, it was the MLS but the soccer was more enjoyable than the baseball.

I've tried to fix the exact time when I turned from casual observer/student and entered the world of obsessed Gooner. I think it began when I was turned onto Arseblog. I read only once a week at first. Then it was everyday...which turned into checking out the links on his page to other blogs. Suddenly, knowing more about what was going on with my team, the opinions of other fans, and the happenings in the world of soccer made it even more pertinent for me to catch ALL the games. Preseason friendlies, Champion League qualifiers, European and World Cup qualifiers. All of a sudden, I felt confident enough to think I had something to contribute to the blogging world and started my own. Being an Arsenal fan now feels like a second job. Crazy.

I think my soccer fixation reached its peak this summer with the World Cup. I was timing my appointments with clients around the games - all the games. I was blogging about the US squad and learning about the players. I printed out brackets. I haven't printed out brackets since March Madness 2003. Not only did I print out brackets, I filled in all the boxes with goals, points, and who was moving on. I forced my mania onto friends and co-workers, handing them copies of their own brackets - whether they wanted them or not and explaining why a match could end in a draw. When wearing my Arsenal jersey at sports bars, I could spot a soccer jersey worn by another person a mile away (usually they were Manure fans) and we chatted together knowing we were the minority in a restaurant full of American Sports fans.

Anyway, here we are now. Another interlull is upon us...and I'm bored already. Bored and concerned about players getting hurt while on "duty". I am cautiously optimistic in returning from this break with players returning from injury. We could be entering a great couple of months here with some big names checking out of the physio room.

In the meantime, I'll be checking the news diligently for our Arsenal international players form and fitness. I'll be racking my brain to come up with ideas to write about (Bobby returning to the grounds is great, 'eh?). I'll be doing whatever it takes to make this interlull go by quickly, because I can't wait for more Arsenal.

Who needs to sleep in anyway?