Hooray for baseball!

Stephanie and I took a weekend trip to Houston to see the Detroit Tigers (my team) take on the Houston Astros (one of her teams) in the final game of pre-season baseball before opening day (and also probably the easiest way to get to see Tigers game in person this year). Though my team didn't win, and instead lost 9-4, it was still a fun weekend. I am pretty sure this was my first pre-season game, and it was kinda cool to see how both teams rotated in the "no-name" rookies to get a last look before finalizing the roster for Opening Day.

I am really excited about the start of baseball, as well as the winding down of the NHL and NBA seasons. I am fairly certain that my two teams in those sports (the ones from Detroit of course :P ) will do pretty well in the playoffs, potentially leading to some more awesome championships! Even though Steph wants the Spurs to win their 5th and build a dynasty, I think that the only team that can stop the Pistons is the Celtics, but my Pistons will pull out the win and knock off the Spurs (if they make it that far). I'm living dangerously talking down the Spurs in this town! While I'm talking up my teams I will also add that the Stanley Cup is practically the property of the Red Wings, so everyone else should just go home already.

Speaking of my teams and the playoffs, it is quite interesting the role that sports has played in our relationship so far. The Pistons-Spurs Finals in 2005 was pretty much the biggest fight Steph and I ever had. We are both very competitive people. Our first date included air hockey (I'm fairly sure I am leading overall in our games thus far) and bowling (I will give her credit, she beat me to 200 on the Wii, but I usually win in real life). So before the Finals, we had a date where we played one of those mini basketball shooting games in an arcade. Before we started, we declared confidently that the winner (and therefore the loser) would cement their fate in the Finals based on the outcome of our contest. The token card was swiped, the "Classic mode" button was pushed, the game counts down and the buzzer sounds. In a flurry of leather spheres flying toward the twine and steel............she won. She was so unbelievably happy and I was kinda embarrassed. Not only did I lose to a girl, but I knew I would be REALLY pissed if this whole thing came true and we lost to the Spurs (And Steph) in the Finals. June 2005 came. The series went back and forth, and our confident and over competitive sides were firing. Then came GAME 7....we couldn't even talk to each other...and then the Pistons went on to a horrible loss to the Spurs. I was so unbelievably mad. She muted the phone and cheered, knowing how mad I would be. I learned one important thing that day: I love Steph more than sports, and no matter how frustrated and disappointed I am at the end of a game, we still love each other and that is all that matters. That....and sports are cyclical.....so I will eventually get my turn to rub it in. Love you dear! and GO TIGERS!

- Joe