Basketball anyone?

As we enter farm ball season (yes the boy has moved up from t-ball), I am suddenly struck by the fact that despite being small for his age and low muscle tone... well even so... he's all boy in some ways. Of course the first clue to his boyishness came when he turned straws and popsicle sticks into weapons to my disgust. I have learned, stretched and grown in that area, trying to seperate out my feelings from his actual play scenarios and goals. I was turned on to a terrific article on this topic not long ago that totally changed my thinking and I could pass it on to you if requested (and if I haven't lost it completely under something or another in our house).

But these days it is all about sports! He enjoyed soccer when he was 6 and t-ball when he was 7 and this month he turns 8. We are now in the basketball revolution. I am probably asked 20 to 30 or more times a day (as is my spouse and daughter) who is our favorite NBA player, what is our least favorite East Conference team, what is the away team uniform color of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would win between the NY Knicks and the New York Rangers (yes we all know the Rangers play hockey). Ay, yi, yi as they say. Although I must say we are all handling it fairly well.

For the most part, we all manage to listen and try to come up with some semblance of an answer although every once in a while it's a big "I don't know." And I even noticed my daughter and one of her best friends playing "Portland Blazers" the other day as part of their preschool day.

Funny part is, even as a non-sports type ultimately (I hid in the outfield in softball and attempted to get out of the way of any balls headed my direction), I had my sports moments. I once played a really good game of tennis (once). I once played an almost perfect game of bowling (again just once). I actually lettered in golf in High School (don't laugh - it's true, although I think my mother may have given my letter to my brother by accident or sold it in a garage sale so I can't produce it as evidence). Ask me and maybe I will tell you sometime just what earned me that letter.

So I'm no stranger to sports really... And I used to know every player, their number, their stats, their penalty minutes and probably lots of other things about every single St. Louis Blues hockey player far too long ago to give it a date. And yes... I wasn't overly popular in High School so I had plenty of time to think about these things.

But now it's all about the basketball.

So... who do YOU like better, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy or Yao Ming? I'll tell you my answer if you tell me yours (and at this point, I can also tell you what team they play for too).