Brian Kimmes

Is it truly possible to be married to your work? Well, I don’t know, but I can honestly say I’m in a relationship with my work, and my work is sports.

Sports and I have a wonderful relationship. We get along swimmingly.

I’ll never forget my first date with sports. It was love from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. We’ve been in the zone our entire relationship.

We often spend quiet evenings together, just gazing into each other’s eyes. Our relationship ranks a perfect ten – even the French judge could not deny us that.

Sports has so many different aspects to her. No matter how long I’m with her, I can never know all there is to know about her.

She changes throughout the year. In the fall, she’s football. The leaves change while we sit outside on a cool autumn day, soaking in the glorious afternoon sun as we watch a football game, knowing that either team can win on any given day.

Or she’s baseball. We huddle close together on the couch, holding our breath as we anxiously await the delivery of the 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the ninth during the World Series. We know the game is never over until the fat lady sings.

As autumn turns into winter, Sports shows her diversity. She juggles different tasks. While the football season rages on, she tackles head-on the additional responsibilities of the beginning of both basketball and hockey seasons. She does not back down from a fight. Hope springs eternal for us at the beginning of the new seasons.

In the spring time, Sports prepares for the most difficult balancing act she has to perform. We have NCAA basketball, baseball spring training and NHL and NBA playoffs to contend with. But no matter how difficult things get, we have to conquer our fears and stick to our game plan. We have to try our hardest until the final whistle blows.

Finally comes summer – Sports’ down time. Baseball is the only main sport going on. The other major leagues are in the offseason. Finally, all that we accomplished throughout the past nine months sinks in.

Her many different sides keeps me on my toes all year long. But Sports has a softer side as well.

Just like anybody in a committed relationship, Sports accompanies me to family gatherings. The holidays can be overwhelming for any couple, but we take them one holiday at a time. We cannot worry about Christmas Day basketball until we get past Thanksgiving Day football. Sports has a great calming effect in the living room. She assists in our family chemistry.

As with any girlfriend, I have friends who like Sports and friends who dislike Sports. Some of my closest friends just do not understand what I see in her. They don’t get the special connection we have in our relationship. We block out all of the outside distractions and focus on what we need to do to make our relationship work. We can’t let what others say about us affect our performance in the relationship.

Sports is a great companion. She is very demanding at times, but very understanding. She expects a lot of me, but not more than she is willing to put in. She understands I need my space. Sometimes I need to go see an action movie to recharge my battery. At the same time, I give her space. I do not intrude upon NASCAR and soccer. She needs to have her own time as well. There is more to life than just our relationship.

The best thing about Sports is how I can always count on her down the stretch. She is a clutch performer. She rises to the top when the pressure is on. No matter how far down I get, she is always there with her rally-cap on. Sports always finds a way to inspire me to keep swinging for the fences.

#1.883743:2928066539.jpg:BrianKimmes.jpg:Brian Kimmes, Ball Talk: