Ferbruary 16, 2015: Shootout Decision

Driving past the United Center on Sunday morning, I saw the guys out there early with the $25 parking lot signs.  What the heck is going on at the UC at 9:30 in the morning?  Well, it was an early matinee Hawks vs Penguins NHL on NBC game.  Game time was 11:30 AM.

I missed most of the game, but did catch some of the 3rd period and OT… I did miss the shootout though.  How could I catch most of the 3rd period & OT and miss the shootout?  Picking my son up at my parents’ house, we started to get ready towards the end of the 3rd period, and pretty much were fully bundled up in OT, so it was time to go.  We couldn’t have waited 5 more minutes to see the shootout?  That is the question.

As a die hard fan, you have to make these type of choices all the time.  Yeah, of course, I wanted to watch that shootout.  Yeah, of course, I want to watch every minute of every game, but as I talked about here before, that just isn’t feasible with a family.  It actually starts when you begin a relationship…  It’s that choice between the game and a movie with the girlfriend.  At that point, if you’re still trying to close the deal with that girlfriend, it’s an easy choice.  Next you get engaged, then married.  Hopefully you didn’t plan your wedding around a major sporting event.  Hopefully that major sporting event didn’t have one of YOUR teams playing in it.  I remember going to a family wedding when I lived in California, and the USC-Notre Dame game was on.  All the guys, of course, including me, were standing in the bar area watching this matchup, until…. the bride walked over and made the bartender turn the TV off.  Wow, that was bold, but hey, it was her day.  So married life begins….

It’s all about compromise at the end of the day.  Hopefully, you’re able to do most things you want to do (as long as those things don’t involve drinking, gambling, or strip clubs), and in turn, she gets to do the things she wants to do (as long as that doesn’t involve spending large amounts of cash).  Sometimes, there is conflict.  It is then, that the decision has to be made.  For me, I’ve learned to chuck it up for most regular season games if & when that conflict arises.  Believe me, if it’s a game I really want to watch, I try to plan around it, but sometimes that just can’t be done.  Thankfully, Bears games are pretty sacred… she knows that, and I watch pretty much every game.  As far as the other 82 hockey games, 82 basketball games, and 162 baseball games, it’s a give and take; you’re going to miss some games for sure.  I typically let those pass by without much, some, but not much, resistance.  After all, the playoffs are really what counts…
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Then comes the kids….  Having just one, a son in my case, presents additional challenges.  My nights usually involve getting him to sleep, which is a fight in itself sometimes.  This usually matches up with that primetime game time… 8pm-10pm.  Ouch!  Well, guess what…  the choice isn’t that tough most days, again, that is until the playoffs begin; guess who’s staying up late on those nights?  Then he gets older, and starts to play sports, and has to attend HIS games…  those will be the real can’t miss games.  As long as we can try to avoid Sundays during football season… haha.

Come playoff time, it’s a slightly different animal.  It’s more of MUST SEE TV.  I hate missing any minute of any playoff game, although that sometimes happens too.  Sometimes this just can’t be avoided.  Birthdays and other family functions become priority.  Hopefully, these events can be attended while simulatenously having the game on in the background….  that is the ideal situation.

Back to this Sunday, I was hoping to catch the shootout in the car at least, but as I placed my son in his car seat, my phone began to vibrate.  “Yeah baby! W” and “Sweet shootout goals!”.  I was happy they won, but got that pissed off feeling that I missed it.  As I heard them talk about what a great shootout it was, I simmered some more… giving my wife a dirty look…  But then it was over.  You see, it wasn’t that serious.  I could go home and watch the highlights again and again if I wanted to.  Still, it’s not the same, but this was only Blackhawks Penguins potential Stanley Cup Finals matchup.  It was only of the best shootouts of the year.  It was only a regular season game… again.  It was only a regular season game.  The shootout decision had been made, and I was fine with it.  This is the life we chose, and I couldn’t be happier.  Playoff time is coming, and then is when I’ll get my way.  That is, unless you’re trying to watch Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on vacation with your family and it’s dinner time…. let me know how that goes when you get there.  That is the true decision, and in that case, you want to avoid a shootout at all costs.  I survived it, you can too!