Named after Zach Parise

We follow five sports teams: Yankees (Baseball), Giants (Football), Devils (Hockey), Nets ("Basketball"), and Red Bulls (Soccer). The Red Bulls were added in June when I wanted to learn about a new sport. We feel it's important to cheer for the local team. It's only okay to cheer for another team if you're from their area. An example is our friend, Chris. He's from Boston but lives here. He is into a lot of sports too so we joke about the teams especially the Yankees and Red Socks. Personally, I don't think Fantasy Sports are a good thing. It creates individual fans instead of team fans and that's when teams fail, when the players care more about their own stats then about how the team is doing. The teams that succeed are the ones filled in players that don't complain about their own chances to improve their records but do care about how well the team is doing. Are you blaming a teammate for a rough stretch or the team as a whole? As you can tell by the title Zach is named after Zach Parise of the Devils, the only New Jersey team not embarrassed to BE a New Jersey team. The New Jersey Nets are planning to move to Brooklyn and have officially removed the NJ part from their name. For Games LAL is for LA Lakers and the Nets used to be NJN now they are NETS. The work of the New Russian owner.

In a way we have both been Yankee fans all of our lives. Josh's dad knows Yogi Berra and Josh and Jake even have a birthday card from him. On my end, my Great Grandfather was Joe DiMaggio's Taylor. We were watching when they brought home number 27 and the next day with tears in my eyes I watched the parade, filled with joy as JayZ sang a song that is a favorite now, "Empire State of Mind". When the doctor told me at 10am that he was inducing labor with Zach I said, "I bet he's here in time for the Yankee game." He was born at 5:18 the game was scheduled for 7:05 but rained out (we won the rematch). I think he also wanted to watch the pregame. He even says "Ankees" and "Bayball". When Zach walks around Modell's Sporting Goods he goes strait to the toddler sized Yankee bat and ball set.



Wearing Daddy's cap. He kept saying "want that" until he got that.



We started re following the Giants in 2007 and after the first two games with a rough start I said, "Stick with them through the bad times it makes the good times that much better." That was the year they beat the previously undefeated Patriots in the surprise upset of a Super Bowl. I still smile when the analysts and sports writers talk about that season for the Patriots and have to add the words "almost perfect" or "perfect regular season". Zach can say "Iants" and "Fooball". He likes wearing Josh's Giants winter cap. Back in October, when the Yankees were starting the ALCS (American League Championship Series which they lost to the Rangers) I asked Josh which of our five teams he would choose to win a championship if only one could win. He said the Yankees but I said the Giants. If Eli has one ring more then Payton maybe he won't be treated like a blundering little brother who will never be as good. Maybe then he will get the respect he deserves. Analysts and Sports Writers gush over Payton's accomplishments but gloss over Eli's. Maybe that one more ring that Payton couldn't get would make a difference. As of today we have three games left in the regular season and are in the playoff picture. Sunday (December 18th) we play the Eagles. They are the division team we are tied with at the top and this game can be the decider between playoffs or not. Maybe God was listening that night in October and has more Magic in store. In August of 2008 I was mad at God for the 3rd miscarriage and as it approached two years since coming off the pill to try to have a baby. Sports Illustrated did an article on the miracle catch made by David Tyree that lead to the winning touchdown. In it, Eli mentioned that after watching the video over and over he realized that basic Physics states that catch should not have happened. He said, "It was an act of God". That gave me my faith back and a month later I got Zach. Wish us luck through the end!!!



Daddy has the coolest hats

You can blame my brother, Hugh, for the Devils. After that Super Bowl we were looking to fill time until Yankee season. Hugh has been a big Devils fan for a very long time and so we decided to give it a try. The Super Bowl was February 4, 2008. On February 28, 2008 I had my third miscarriage. A little less then a month later Josh and I were watching the Devils going through all of the player's names and came to Zach Parise. We agreed right there that we loved the name Zach, Zachary. I didn't want to be one of those pregnant women choosing a name all hormoned up so I choose something odd. He  always looked like a Zach. He can't say "Evils" or "Ockey" yet but it's coming.



In my Devil's Chair

When I was in Middle School my mom worked for Verizon and they had a box so we saw a Nets game. When we started following the Devils we also started following the Nets. It keeps us grounded to cheer for a team that is just now figuring out the right way to rebuild. The old Coach, Larry Frank, was great but a Contractor can't build a house with just a hammer and a Coach can't get to the playoffs with only two strong players. Kiki Vanderwig, the old GM took over when they had to fire Frank last year. He was a horrible GM that got rid of almost all of their good players starting with Jason Kidd. Avery Johnson is the current Coach and he's great!

I like the Red Bulls and I like the players they have brought in this year like Tierry Henry. I love Juan Pablo Angel so I hope they bring him back. The MLS has to make one rule change and I'm certain it'll catch the eye of a lot more sports fans, make it so those that can score don't have to wait for a defender to get ahead of them. It'll be a higher scoring game but still a great one. Soccer is confusing to follow but I like figuring it out.

If you cheer for multiple teams here is my question for you, If only one can win a championship this year, who would you choose? Why?