I report, you decide

Case,

This past Friday, your mom and I went to our first sporting event since your arrival. It was the Nationals vs. the Orioles.

In the course of our night out, I somehow managed, despite them literally being attached to me, to lose my keys on the Metro ride to the ballpark. And, on the way back, I was denied my wish that the drunken group of twentysomethings sitting behind us would either spontaneously combust or be struck as mute as they were dumb. All things considered, though, it was a good time. And it got me thinking about where your sports allegiances will lie.

Perhaps, you won't be a sports fan and will gravitate to other interests. OK, who are we kidding. You have two parents who are rabid sports fans. I'm not sure how much choice you'll have in the matter. Anyway, you can certainly choose whom you want to root for.

You'll know long before you are able to read this that I LOVE the Bears and I have a lesser, but still significant fondness for the White Sox. You'll also probably have to hear your mom talk all about the Broncos. Now you can root for the Broncos if you wish. I won't pressure you into screaming at the same 22 or so people for three hours each Sunday as I do. Of course, while it's never been proven that John Elway kills puppies, he's never denied it. So keep that in mind.

OK, back to baseball. Your mom doesn't have much of an attachment to any team, although she enjoys rooting for the Nats, especially Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper (let's hope, for the sake of the game, that when you read that sentence, you'll think, "Cool, those guys are awesome!"). If we stick around our current neck of the woods for a while, you'll be exposed to lots of Nats and almost as much Orioles, who play right up the road. Maybe you'll adopt one of them as your favorite team. Maybe you'll follow your dad and root for the only Chicago baseball team that has won a World Series since automobiles became popular (I'm not going out on much of a limb to assume that will still be true when you find this page).

Or, you may become a Cubs fan. There is precedent. Many, many Pallisters root mindlessly for them. Of course, the smart ones among us -- myself and your uncles Mark and Kenny -- know better. But, again, no pressure. If you decide to root for a bunch of losers who are partially to blame for global warming and completely responsible for the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Google it!), I'll still love you. I'll mock you and taunt you from time to time, but I'll still love you. :)

In all seriousness, I hope you do root for a bunch of different teams, just so I can be exposed to the love of the game through your eyes. I can't think of many things that would be cooler for this lifelong sports fan. Aside from proof that John Elway doesn't kill puppies. Your mom doesn't need to live with that uncertainty.

Love,
Dad