In which I brag about how cool I was in 7th grade -

Today is opening day of the 2011 baseball season.

In the fall, (college) football becomes somewhat of an obsession for me, intensified by the fact that a Saturday of games can fuel an entire week's worth of debates, conversations, and ragging on one another. My love for college football has grown in the past four or five years; so much so that I think I surprise some of my friends who remember me before football. (Ha.) The SEC is my conference, and the South Carolina Gamecocks are my team. (I know. I know. But, I was born into it, and it's charmingly inescapable.)

In the winter, basketball is on. Pro basketball means nothing to me. My parents - especially my mother - have college basketball games on almost constantly, even if they aren't watching. I know my mother enjoys the pace of the games and how the tide can turn from one team to another so quickly.

But in the spring and summer, there is baseball, my first true love, thanks in almost all part to TBS. The summer after seventh grade I was not cool. I had friends, but they didn't live within bicycling distance, so I had alot of free time. So, I watched the Atlanta Braves. Almost every day. I scheduled my life, as much as I could, around those games. I remember getting mad at my parents when I realized we wouldn't be home in time for the start of a game.

(image via)

I also distinctly remember once reading and watching a Braves games at the same time. I would often set my glasses down right beside me on the couch, even though my dad told me not to because "I'd sit on them and break them." Bah, I wanted new frames anyway and had been asking for them for a while. Soon after, Dad was outside mowing the grass, Mom was not at home, and I sat on my glasses and broke them. The best worst part was that I slunk outside, showed my dad my glasses, and lied. I told him that they just tragically broke in two in my hands. Somehow, I think my dad knew the truth, but I was a kid who truly needed glasses, so we trekked over to the eye doctor immediately. My punishment came quietly. As I prepared to peruse the options, Dad walked over to the counter and ordered the exact same frames as I currently owned. Since the lens didn't break, I had my old new glasses before the end of the game.

I still love baseball. Today marks a new season for the Braves, and I'm so excited. Young talent, old talent, a fresh manager (though Bobby Cox is missed). I want it to be a good season.
Please tell me that I'm not the only child of the Braves' reign on TBS in the 90s.

(Also, the USC Gamecocks' win in the College World Series last year was stress inducing and amazing. We watched every game we could.)

One more thing: Remember the dress exchange I mentioned in this post? Well, the lovely lady who currently has my dress did a post about it on her personal fashion blog last week. How cool is that? My dress is famous.