Trading in my heels for cleats: Part II - There's No Place Like Home

Music: Young MC "Bust a Move" and then Debbie Gibson "Electric Youth"
Mood: Happy, Excited and a wee bit Anxious

I can see you. Scratching your head, scrunching up your nose and squinting your eyes saying "Heels, cleats, no place like home? Is this post going to be some sort of marriage between sports and The Wizard of Oz?" Don't put that past me. I could write a quick lil diddy about munchkins and winged monkeys playing arena football, IF you would like.

In my last post I introduced you to the new me. The new college football (JPW) lovin' me. Several years ago as my passion for college football was ignited, my interest in some other sports grew too. Don't get it twisted. I don't sit around watching ESPN by choice, oh, actually sometimes I do. I don't pray for my favorite teams to win. Well, maybe once. And I definitely don't cry when my team loses. Actually I do. And THAT is what we'll be discussing today.

It was the fall of 2007, and I'm living in GA. The Cleveland Indians were playing The Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. With a win that night, the Cleveland Indians would be going to the World Series. Please join me in a pause for dramatic effect.... I'm not sure why I was watching the game in our bedroom instead of in the living room, but by my guesstimation I am sure it was because Ken was watching a football game. I'd even carried the ironing board into our small bedroom so I could iron my work clothes for the next day as I watched the baseball game. As I stopped ironing to watch some play in the game that could make it or break it for the Indians, I looked into my pink Hello Kitty tv, hoping for the best. So what happened?


Let's rewind. In January of 2007 my heart first broke when the annoying Florida Gators killed our Ohio State Buckeyes in the 06' Football National Championship game. (I blamed that Tebow character. He inflicted losses on his enemies. But he loves him some Jesus, so I was somewhat torn.)

Come on! I'm a Bama fan. What picture did you think I was gonna post?

              * In the spring of 2012, Tebow said in front of a crowd of Christ lovin Chrisitans, that he loved me. This is not a lie. This is very true. Ask Aimee. He didn't say I love you - as in the crowd or Jesus. But me. Only me. Not you. Just sayin'...*

Noah obviously has anger issues.

Then April rolled around. After all that March Madness hugabaloo, that I cared diddly squat about, The Buckeyes faced The Florida Frickin Gators, in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game. (Do you guys know how my heart is racing right now?) Come on Buckeyes. Please Buckeyes. My heart cried out to the young college boys and Buckeye gods. We didn't win. (I blame Joakim Noah. He made me mad. All that unruly hair just a rippin' and a railin' through the air, blinding my sweet Buckeyes.) I remember a sadness taking over me.

This brings us back to October 2007. Me, the Hello Kitty TV, and the ironing board, all with fingers crossed. I don't recall the play that caused the Indians to be shut down but I remember my emotions in the moment that I knew that the Indians had lost the game. Chunks gathered in my throat and tears in my eyes, and then, I just broke the hell down. My heart broke for my city. My heart broke for my state. Broken, my heart ached for my home.  And ya'll, I was really crying hard. So much so that my husband came upstairs to see what was wrong with his wife, slumped over the ironing board.

Why can't you be doin all that #Winning now?

Between sniffles and ugly face crying I blurted out "First it was the football game, then the basketball game, and now this. And I'm not going to even bring up the Browns. Damn Gators! Damn Red Sox. Damn Florida Marlins! (Yeah I pulled up the 1997 World Series loss too.) We never get a chance! We never get to win. Why don't we ever get to win?" I was truly aching and filled with sadness. Although I now lived in Georgia, Ohio, CLEVELAND (Heights), Ohio was home. And for all the crap the nation wanted to give us about some measly lake fire and Indians curse, it was still truly the best place on earth. And it was home. And there is no place like home.

Me as a young Brown's fan. (Before gravity and breastfeeding took affect.)

I do not feel as happy as I did when I first started typing this post. I am remembering that moment and how sad I was. But you know what? I am PROUD! I am proud to be from Ohio! I am proud to be from Cleveland Heights, Ohio! I am BLESSED to be from Cleveland Heights, Ohio!!!! And to the rest of the world, who can continue withholding awards from our trophy cases, or taking talents to sunny Miami frickin' Florida, bite me on my buckeye shaped booty! There is no place like home.

Here the whole state of Florida is represented by the wicked witch's green hands.