So.... sport, eh?

Right.  So. Well. Right-e-ho. Sport, eh?

There are those that follow sports teams.  There are those that LOVE their sports teams.  There are those that are aware of this sport thing, and that it generally leads to far to much noise from people enjoying themselves.  There are those that claim to be sports fans, but can do nothing but complain about almost every form of sport (and I'm talking about the likes of you, Tony Veitch - you who took away one of my great loves in life - ie listening to sport radio - by being generally the least sports loving sports radio host in the known multiverse (and for the purposes of this blog post, the known multiverse = Radio Sports breakfast show)).

Then there is me.  I'm the luckiest bugger I know, because my wife is about as big a sports tragic as I am (yes chaps, it does exist, it is out there and you're shit out of luck because I got there first).  I can be about as fair weather a sports fan as there is, I can be blase about various sports / games / matches / events as the next guy.  But I'm also a romantic.  I can watch through all the tosh, drivel, long hours of 'stab yourself in the eyes because it takes away the pain of watching the next five minutes of this travesty' because I know that life defining moments can happen any moment.

Okay, waffling now (this *may* not be the last time :/), back on course.  In the interests of full disclosure of the deeply embedded (or otherwise) levels of bias I will from time to time display, here is what and who I follow, along with a brief (I promise (you'll learn I LOVE the parenthetical intervention)) blurb about my history with said sports/teams:

Waikato Rugby Team (Rugby)

My first love.  My second deepest passion.  Maybe it was the fact Waikato rugby were languishing in the second division when first I was taken to a match by my father.  Maybe it was the fact they lost that match.  Maybe it was the fact I was young and impressionable.  Maybe it's just the simple fact they're AWESOME.  In any case, I'm a confirmed rugby tragic, and the Waikato rugby team has given me most of my most memorable sporting highlights to date.  GO MOOLOO!

All Blacks (Rugby)

Hey, I'm a New Zealand born male.  LDO.  1987. 2011, 2015, 2019 (we're going, watch out Nihon!).  One of the great sporting records in one of the bigger international team sports, the pride of the country.  Enough said. GO ABS!!!

Chiefs (Rugby)

It's taken me awhile to really come around to the Super Rugby competition. Sure, I've always followed it, I've always supported the Chiefs as the team centered in the Waikato.  I've always described myself as a Waikato rugby fan and a Chiefs supporter.  Whilst my juices still don't quite boil in the way they do when watching Waikato play, given Super Rugby's place in New Zealand rugby landscape, more and more I can say I'm a Chiefs man. It's January, the end of February means rugby is on! GO CHIEFS!

Pakuranga United Rugby Club (Rugby)

One of the weirdest moments in my sporting life was the first time I cheered for my PURC U85kg team as I stood on the sidelines with my snapped wrist.  The first time I'd cheered for an Auckland rugby team, and a serious personal growth moment for moi.  I've been coaching junior rugby at the club for a couple of years now, and the PURC senior team are forming a part of my live sport watching calendar.  GO THE RANGA!

New York Yankees (Baseball)

My newest and one of my strongest sporting passions.  To many baseball fans, they're the evil empire (on a par with Manchester United in football, Manly Sea Eagles in rugby league and any sporting team coming out of Auckland).  To me, they're the only MLB team I've ever seen play at home (v my second favorite team, the Cleveland Indians), they're the team I knew about growing up (even if back then it wasn't really a proper sport), and they're based in one of the coolest cities on the planet.  Oh, and they're not the Mets (jokes, jokes, calm down you poor, poor Mets fans).  The spring training schedule kicks off 24 February, and the real deal kicks off against the auld enemy, the Boston Red Socks on April 1 at the New Yankee Stadium.  Bring it on!  THEEEEE YAAANKEEEEESSS WINNNN!!!  GO YANKS!

Howick-Pakuranga Baseball Club (Baseball)

My team.  Game one of the Summer season was today.  I got sun burnt so I bailed before the second head of the double header today (and therefore didn't get rained on - go Auckland weather)).  I want Baseball to become THE summer sport of choice for kids under the age of 11 in the next five years, so there is a real chance you'll be hearing more about this team in this blog. HP BASEBALL RULES!!! (obligatory sports team name/brand to come soon).  I'm currently on the committee, I coach at the under 8 T Ball level, I have big dreams for the sport.  HP BASEBALL RUUULLLLZZZZ!!!

God, I've only just started - bugger it, if you're going to do something, do it properly...

New Zealand Men's Cricket Team (BlackCaps) / Northern Distcits (Cricket)

In order to reduce the number of entries here, I'll lump my two cricket passions into one.  Cricket for years has been my number two passion (only recently facing the challenge of the usurper, Baseball).  I grew up as an absolute cricket tragic.  I watched (almost) every ball of every test New Zealand has played for the best part of my life up until the age of... say 25.  Life got in the road after that, but I still considered myself a major cricket fan up until the last year or so.  Test cricket has supplied some of the biggest highs I've ever experienced as a sports fan.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to the emotion a hard fort, gritty and damn near miraculous a win for a New Zealand cricket team evokes. It also has to be one of THE great sporting pleasures, watching a days test cricket at Seddon Park in Hamilton.  I'm very much looking forward to another such day in the near future. GO KIWI, GO ND!

Okay, it speeds up from here, trust me.  Ish.

New Zealand Breakers / Miami Heat (Basketball)

The Breakers in the Australian based ANBL (despite being a party to the stupid, STUPID practice of being labelled a New Zealand team despite patently being an Auckland team - a victim of marketing bollocks).  Always a good night out, I'm definitely going to a regular season game at the Vector Arena before the current ANBL season concludes. C'MON THE BREAKERS!!!

The Miami Heat are my current team (I'm a bit of a nomad in terms of NBL team support).  I'm following the Heat because I can't not support a team with Le Bron, Wade and Bosh.  Hanging out for the repeat championship. GO HEAT!

New Zealand Warriors (Rubgy League)

I've never been the biggest rugby league fan, but being married to a HUGE rugby league / Warriors fan, it makes it pretty easy to be a Warriors supporter.  Watching the Warriors, on the other hand, makes it pretty hard to be a Warriors supporter.  Another roller coaster is preparing to leave the boarding platform shortly.  GO THE WARRIORS!!!

Wellington Pheonix (A League) / Liverpool (English Premier League) (Football)

I've followed Liverpool football since I was 8.  I've followed the Nix since inception.  Neither have really given too much to get excited about (outside of Liverpool nicking the odd European championship here and there over the last decade).  Here's hoping the TwentyTeens are the decade of these teams forging legacies.  I'm not holding my breath.  C'MON YOU NIX!!!

Indianapolis Colts (NFL)

We're big fans of big sporting events round ours, and for a decade now we've been having a Superbowl party on Superbowl Monday (timezones FTW).  I had to pick a team, and the Colts seemed to embody a lot of the things I look for in a sports team.  And they have a pretty good record.  Lets face it, I was never going to pick the Jets.  The Colts are out after Andrew Luck pulled them back into the post season after a dreadful 2012 season.  So for this year, lets just know that spicy chicken wings will be the winner on the day.  GOOO COLTS!!!

Okay, epic post is epic.  There are other teams, and other sports.  But, let's face it, no one is reading through this.  I consider this an arse covering post - if ever I get accused of bias I'll be pointing out yes, read this you muppet.

Manamana.