Hi, my name is Mindy and I'm a sports-a-holic...

I was going to spend my first 3 real posts letting you in on how the components of this blog's title play dominant roles in my life and make me happy. I was going to do this in order - books first, followed by boys, and lastly sports - but right now the Championship game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is on, and while my mind is also on boys (I have a soft spot for jocks - go figure), it's pretty all consumed with sports, and so you shall get sports.

I've been a sports junkie for literally as far back as I can remember. I remember growing up with a little game my dad and I used to play where he would name a team, and I would tell him what city they played in including recent re-locations. I was 6 or 7. I played softball (rec, All-star, middle/high school), I played soccer, I played basketball (rec, AAU, middle/high school), and I even picked up a completely new sport in college just because - crew. I love sports. If my parents would have let me, I would have tried out for my high school football team, but apparently that's "not a sport for girls" and I "wouldn't be able to handle the pain" that comes with playing. I just wanted to play. I even love watching bull-riding (I'm a Yankee with another soft spot for cowboys).

Without sports, I'm not sure if I would be the person I am today. And not in that cheesy, sentimental, sports-changed-my-life sort of way (though that's entirely true). I mean it in the way that I eat, sleep and breathe sports. I still watch every Syracuse game I can find either on TV or online, and if we're not doing well, I'm swearing like a sailor at the screen (one of my flaws - I have a potty-mouth when I watch sports... it could be worse). I still hold old rivalries in my heart (like how tonight I still haven't decided who I'm rooting for because while I want to root for the Big East Conference because I competed in the Big East and it's home, as a Syracuse fan, I simply can't bring myself around to actually cheering for UCONN. Ever.)

During football season, I plan my errands and chores around Jets and Syracuse games (and now that I'll have a 2nd alma mater in June, scheduling just got that much tougher as I add Husky games to the list - the Washington kind not the UCONN kind obviously). I plan my errands during basketball season around when my Orange play. Hell, sometimes I even plan dinners out at the sports bar when there's a big game on so that I can watch, have some beers, and meet guys (Who's a multi-tasker? This girl. I'm not getting any younger and there's still no ring on this finger.)

And now, to top off this crazy obsession with sports, last May I quit my NYC advertising job (where I was actually working with sports, as one of my clients was a sports nutrition supplement) to go back to grad school so I could work in college sports. I plan on combining books(!) with sports and starting a career as an athletics academic advisor. I've come full circle.

And so my friends, this is my life of sports. Hi, my name is Mindy, and I'm a sports-a-holic. With that I will leave you with one of my favorite sports images of all time.

Until next time, I'll be enjoying my life of books, boys, sports and..., and I hope you'll be enjoying whatever it is that makes your life happy.