Hey, I’m the New Kid

By: JustJack | August 15th, 2008

Like Nathan and Jen, I’m helping Laurie phatten-up our fair blog’s sandbox. I just wanted to introduce myself before you get to read my first post. What a time to arrive, in the middle of the Shakeup of 2008 and the aftermath of last night’s hard fought…draw. I’m not getting much sleep, are you?

I’ve been a Galaxy fan since the very beginning of MLS. Before Carson there was the Arroyo (not to be confused with Stamford Bridge from whence the world was created, of course) where I made the weekly pilgrimage to see our boys in then gold and green until they moved southward to the fancy-pants HDC. My kids don’t know a world without the Galaxy, the water from our first child’s arrival into the world flowed down the Arroyo steps one afternoon in May 1997. CoJones is from my hometown. My kids play for the same guys Cobi played with at Westlake High who are now local club and AYSO coaches. The Galaxy is as home-town local to me and my family as a pro-side can get.

I’m a “heart guy,” a super-fan who often conflates the Galaxy players to be my very own sons. Most of you have probably picked that up from my comments here in the past. I try to be a good “Dad” about the boys in blue and gold, but I’ll admit I’m prone to emotional outbursts and mass quantities of malted refreshment down at the HDC. My wife keeps telling me they’re someone else’s boys. Sure, deep in the darkest corners of my mind I know that, but I can’t help myself, I love those eleven-plus heroes that grace the burned and tattered pitch every week, even Landycakes, in spite of all the ribbing and moaning I give him–I just want him to earn the hooplah, and when he has, I’ve been screaming his name jumpin’ up and down with the lot of Galaxy fans the world over, like any passionate Dad does when his kid makes good, right?

Mostly I dunno Jack about all the fancy sports-things. I grew up when “soccer” was called “commie-ball” by the locals and if you weren’t good at stand-around-ball (a.k.a. “baseball”) or throw-ball/pointy-ball (that grid-iron thing) you weren’t a “sports guy.” I’m Just Jack and I know futbol only from the artist’s heart, from the dirt-pitch pickup games at the park, from the LOTG & ATR the USSF drills into us at referee clinics, and from what I experience facilitating a half dozen youth matches every week, whistle in hand and shirt-eater grin plastered on my face. That’s what I hope to contribute here, that heart-beat that burns for the Beautiful Game and for the men who play for the LA Galaxy, our side, our pride, our fine strong sons. [geez, cue fanfare music...while I dodge the water bottle missiles and popcorn storms]

I hope you’ll share my commiseration in your comments, and keep teaching me all that MLS business and fancy sports-thing stuff too.