WORDCHASM

January 25, 1998
Qualcom Stadium Attendance: 68,912
And the basement housed twenty if you held your breath. Jim Salvo hosted this party most years. Five guys from the softball team would bring their wives and a few kids a piece. This year, the shots started early — the teams were extra special.
You see, Father Isaacs loved [...]

My mind wandered and I started to put the pieces together. As the only child of a single mother, I was indoctrinated into a different world than most of these guys. I didn’t have a father or brother or uncle to teach me the nuisances of sports. I grew up lacking an affinity for anything athletic. My childhood was filled more with details of menstruation than Joe Montana. I knew all about PMS, but nothing of the PGA. When I heard a man say something about ERA, I had to remind myself he probably didn’t mean Equal Rights Amendment.
The trend continued through my teens and twenties. Throughout high school and college, most of my friends tended to be women. I was taken into their confidence. Suffice it to say, being “one of the girls” did little for my dating life. When a woman considers you a friend, she doesn’t want to date you. Even worse, she overlooks you as a candidate for any of her single friends.
Then, of course, comes “the assumption.” Thank goodness for the new millennium and the introduction of the metrosexual. At least now, my sexuality isn’t questioned the way it once was. Although, my fiancée’s role should not be overlooked either.

We’d never been to a Gator game before. We’d always scoffed at the notion — showing up with thousands of drunken, violent, mainly redneck hooligans. But, this was different.
I had free tickets from a generous friend. So, Reg and I headed toward the stadium. I’d seen the crowds before, but never this closely. It was [...]