Steve (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} thesportinglife) wrote,@ 2003-08-20 10:34:00 |
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Sports round-up, a.m.
· It's good to hear that Michael Vick isn't letting his injury deter him. The Falcons have a favorable schedule for the first month (with the exception of Tampa Bay), so there's a good chance they'll be in good shape when he returns.
· There's no question that Jeff Kent is what the Astros needed. And not because he drove in six runs last night in the 12-8 victory over the Cubs. We needed a guy willing to make some bold statements on occasion and not let Houston be seen as just a "nice team."
Brotherly love
The first guy I ever talked with on the Internet was named Zack. Except, his name wasn't really Zack. It was Kevin.
But my name wasn't Mitch, either, though it was, just as he was doing, the alias I was using in a gay.com chat room on the afternoon Kevin began talking with me. One of his best friends has that name, so he decided to strike up a conversation. We were both still deep in the closet and struggling with our sexual identities, and gay.com seemed a safe way to communicate in some form with men who shared our preference.
That was more than five years ago. On Friday, I fly to Philadelphia to see Kevin for the first time in almost three years. And I can't wait.
The last time I saw him was the weekend of the Auburn-Georgia football game in November 2000. We chose the weekend specifically because he had never attended a Division I-A football game, and I had a feeling our obsession with the sport here in the South would fascinate him.
We drove down from Atlanta on the morning of that year's installment of the deep South's oldest rivalry. Before kickoff, we lined our stomachs with chicken fingers and Guthrie's sauce for lunch; we wedged into the mass of orange-and-blue-clad shoppers at Anders, J&M and Tiger Rags; we walked over for a beer, handshakes and predictions about the game at the tailgate hosted by my friends Parker and Neally. And we spent most of the day, including the game, with my friend Denise.
What a memorable gridiron clash Kevin got to attend. The game not only went into double overtime but also resulted in Auburn's first win at home against the 'Dawgs since 1990, in what had been a "visitors win" series for almost a decade. The only thing that prevented me from knocking the guy to the ground with a bear hug when we emerged victorious is the fact he outweighs me by about 40 pounds of muscle.
Because the Tigers prevailed, Denise and I got to introduce to him the traditional rolling of Toomer's Corner across campus.
At one point along the walk back to my car, Denise pulled me aside for a quick and simple observation: "You need to find a 'Kevin.'"
I knew exactly what she meant. I could think back on different instances in the day when she would've gathered enough information to make such an assessment. Like when he asked her about her job and her family and was obviously genuinely interested. Or when he mingled comfortably among a group of strangers with whom I regularly spend game days. Or when he froze his butt off in only a T-shirt during the last half of the game because he shed his sweatshirt for Denise to stay warm. In fewer than 24 hours, she had come to know that Kevin was, as the saying goes, "our kind of people": honest, sincere, friendly and of a strong set of personal values.
So what if he's danced shirtless on a platform at Philly gay club Shampoo because he has an exhibitionist side? So what if I have to remind the meathead he needs to take his partner, Barry, out to dinner on occasion? And so what if he has a temper shorter than the lines to see "Gigli"?
He was one of only three people who I let see the most vulnerable side of me last year, when the guy I wanted to spend my life with said it was over.
Kevin and I have been face to face on only two separate occasions, but we've managed to forge a friendship via e-mails and phone calls that is nothing short of solid. I'm glad I was fortunate enough to meet him in the most unusual of circumstances.
· It's good to hear that Michael Vick isn't letting his injury deter him. The Falcons have a favorable schedule for the first month (with the exception of Tampa Bay), so there's a good chance they'll be in good shape when he returns.
· There's no question that Jeff Kent is what the Astros needed. And not because he drove in six runs last night in the 12-8 victory over the Cubs. We needed a guy willing to make some bold statements on occasion and not let Houston be seen as just a "nice team."
Brotherly love
The first guy I ever talked with on the Internet was named Zack. Except, his name wasn't really Zack. It was Kevin.
But my name wasn't Mitch, either, though it was, just as he was doing, the alias I was using in a gay.com chat room on the afternoon Kevin began talking with me. One of his best friends has that name, so he decided to strike up a conversation. We were both still deep in the closet and struggling with our sexual identities, and gay.com seemed a safe way to communicate in some form with men who shared our preference.
That was more than five years ago. On Friday, I fly to Philadelphia to see Kevin for the first time in almost three years. And I can't wait.
The last time I saw him was the weekend of the Auburn-Georgia football game in November 2000. We chose the weekend specifically because he had never attended a Division I-A football game, and I had a feeling our obsession with the sport here in the South would fascinate him.
We drove down from Atlanta on the morning of that year's installment of the deep South's oldest rivalry. Before kickoff, we lined our stomachs with chicken fingers and Guthrie's sauce for lunch; we wedged into the mass of orange-and-blue-clad shoppers at Anders, J&M and Tiger Rags; we walked over for a beer, handshakes and predictions about the game at the tailgate hosted by my friends Parker and Neally. And we spent most of the day, including the game, with my friend Denise.
What a memorable gridiron clash Kevin got to attend. The game not only went into double overtime but also resulted in Auburn's first win at home against the 'Dawgs since 1990, in what had been a "visitors win" series for almost a decade. The only thing that prevented me from knocking the guy to the ground with a bear hug when we emerged victorious is the fact he outweighs me by about 40 pounds of muscle.
Because the Tigers prevailed, Denise and I got to introduce to him the traditional rolling of Toomer's Corner across campus.
At one point along the walk back to my car, Denise pulled me aside for a quick and simple observation: "You need to find a 'Kevin.'"
I knew exactly what she meant. I could think back on different instances in the day when she would've gathered enough information to make such an assessment. Like when he asked her about her job and her family and was obviously genuinely interested. Or when he mingled comfortably among a group of strangers with whom I regularly spend game days. Or when he froze his butt off in only a T-shirt during the last half of the game because he shed his sweatshirt for Denise to stay warm. In fewer than 24 hours, she had come to know that Kevin was, as the saying goes, "our kind of people": honest, sincere, friendly and of a strong set of personal values.
So what if he's danced shirtless on a platform at Philly gay club Shampoo because he has an exhibitionist side? So what if I have to remind the meathead he needs to take his partner, Barry, out to dinner on occasion? And so what if he has a temper shorter than the lines to see "Gigli"?
He was one of only three people who I let see the most vulnerable side of me last year, when the guy I wanted to spend my life with said it was over.
Kevin and I have been face to face on only two separate occasions, but we've managed to forge a friendship via e-mails and phone calls that is nothing short of solid. I'm glad I was fortunate enough to meet him in the most unusual of circumstances.
