Well, the World Cup 2010 is on and today the test of juggling work and watching games surfaced in a most unexpected way. Today's challenge attempting to watch two games, USA v Algeria and UK v Slovenia, both on at the same time 9 am. Originally,the plan was to go to Flossmoor Station and watch with Joe and Roger in Homewood. However, the weather did in cable availability and timing was a concern so I searched the area down Western ave and 115 Bourbon Street assuming that these popular areas would be open, of course they weren't. By this time the game had started and frustration built knowing that I would be unable to watch both games and that I would probably have to drive another 20 minutes home. Heading in that direction down 111th Street just before Pulaski I spotted my opening, Quigley's Irish Pub, cars in the parking lot and cigarette smoking at the door. Relieved I walked in to find about a dozen guys and a Mexican woman sitting at the bar settled having a drink. Hopefully, probably shift workers and not raging alcoholics having a beer for breakfast. Still I was shocked. Fortunately the game was on so I settled into my chair as the bar tender came over I explained my purpose for patronizing his bar and asked arbitrarily for a coffee. Laughing and sharing my order with the other patrons he informed me that the bar didn't have a coffee maker. So I ordered a Coke which I received in a small plastic cup filled mostly with ice and turned my eyes toward the game.
It looked ugly all these southside guys more than happy to make stupid comments and communicate disgust and boredom at this sissy sport that I was there explicitly to watch. Undeterred and sensing an opening, since with nothing else to do they continued to watch, I attempted to explain what I knew and taught them all the rules, important players and made many hockey analogies that they understood finally peaking their interest. It was a great game and well played so they could begin to appreciate the skill and pace and it was all good and exciting and hilarious to me. The theater of the game was amplified by their responses to close plays, bad calls and missed passes and felt pleased that they might have been turned. By the time we reached extra time, score still 0-0, all hope was lost and they were back communicating their disinterest and general wasted time like any of them were going anywhere in the 90 minutes prior. Recall here that this is still the qualifying round and a tie would have sunk our chances of advancing to the round of 16 the inevitable despair was deep. Then in the 92 minute of 93 we scored on a counter attack that just seemed to have happened in an instant. In one of the more surreal moments of my life in that same instant we all jumped out of our chairs and celebrated screaming and slapping hands with more energy and excitement than I thought possible from such a rag tag group. For a moment I thought they were taking the piss but then the bar tender offered up a free round, apparently a tradition started during the hockey playoffs, and the celebration continued. It was hilarious everyone was giddy after that like they had really accomplished something today or had something to talk about. Soon after I told them that I had to go work, slipped out the door and that was it. On my way back to work I smiled wondering if they will be watching come Saturday.
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