Horses and Reindeer

Jared and I went to a Dallas Mavericks game. They were playing the Milwaukee Bucks. This was Jared's first NBA game (he's 5 years old) and I was excited to see how he responded to the athleticism and speed of the players combined with the excitement of the crowd. I had no doubt that his eyes would be glued to the greatest show on hardwood. I was prepared to explain the intricacies of the Flex offense, the importance of player movement in the 1-4 Quick Hitter, and all the advantages and disadvantages of Run & Jump pressure.

Before leaving our home, Jared had been playing outside with his friends. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and as we were getting into the car, Wendy asked if he should wear pants. She was worried that he would get cold. I told her that he should be fine and Jared agreed. So, in the mouth of these two witnesses, we headed off.

We arrived at the American Airlines Center an hour early. We walked through the award-winning architectural masterpiece gathering all the free giveaways of the sponsors and credit card companies - drink koozies, foam fingers, towels, t-shirts, and posters. Having a five-year-old as your liason allows you to avoid signing up for the contests and credit cards. There aren't very many five-year-olds attending, so when Jared would ask, "Daddy, can I have one of those blue thingys?" the vendor would happily toss one his way. I didn't have to say a word.

After making off with all the free "treasure" we could find (mostly stuff I threw away when we got home), we headed to our seats. We still had about 30 minutes before the start of the game, and Jared was ready for something to munch on.

"Dad, I want some candy."

Not seeing any candy, I asked one of the vendors where I could find some. He said they don't sell candy before the game, and the only candy available during the game is cotton candy.

"Jared, they don't have any candy."

"But, where can we get some candy?"

"They don't have any candy here. They have ice cream, though."

"I don't really want ice cream, I just want candy."

"They don't have candy, they have ice cream."

"I don't want ice cream."

So, he deferred to a bucket of popcorn and a 7-Up (in the Dirk Nowitzki souvenir cup). However, on the way back to our seats, I had an idea that it wouldn't be long before he would be asking for some ice cream.

We arrived at our seats, and they were pretty good seats. They were about 15 rows up from the court and behind one of the baskets. It gave us an up-close view of the pounding in the paint. There was still about 20 minutes before the game would begin, so we ate popcorn, drank 7-Up, and watched the occassional player participate in their personal pre-game warm-up. We watched the Mav's drumline and spoke to some of the fans sitting around us. The pre-game entertainment, shown on the overhead big screen and on the floor, was pretty fun to watch.

Finally, after the well-sung national anthem and a purposely dull introduction of the visiting Bucks, the lights slammed off and the music blared. Spotlights and strobe lights flashed all around. The fans rose to their feet and cheered with anticipation. The arena announcer excitedly ripped of the names of each of the Maverick starters. The players high-fived each other and bumped chests. Jared loved it. He was standing on his seat and screaming with the best of them. After the line up was announced the lights popped on and the players were on the floor for the tip-off.

So it began. Yes, the game began, but more prominent than Avery Johnson's (Mav's coach) league leading offense, was Jared's offensive to distract my attention from anything basketball. Here is the play-by-play, and attention to the time stamp is important (each NBA quarter is 12 minutes long):

11:58 - "Daaaad, can I have some cotton candy?"

"Sure," I replied, "just keep your eye out for the cotton candy guy."

"Dad, I already see him, he's way over there. Can we go get some?" The cotton candy guy was half way across the arena.

"No, we have to wait until he gets closer. Keep your eye on him, and when he gets closer we can get some."

11:23 - "Dad, Dad, Dad, he's closer now! Can we get some cotton candy now?"

"Nope, he's not close enough yet."

10:45 - "Okay Dad, he's really close now. I can just go get it from him."


"No, the way it works is, when he gets over to our section, we wave our hand in the air and he brings it over to us. So, wait until he gets to our section."

9:33 - "Dad, the cotton candy guy is in our section now."

"No, he's on our side of the arena, but THIIIIIS is our section," pointing out our section to him. "Just watch the game for now, and I will make sure you get the cotton candy."

5:01 - "He's right there, Dad. He's in our section now." We waved our hand, called him over, and finally had our cotton candy.

Having now abandoned all hope of giving Jared his first basketball clinic, I resulted to candy as a means of keeping him entertained. I thought if there was anything that could keep his attention for awhile, it would be cotton candy.

3:24 - "Dad, are you going to have some cotton candy?"

"No, I am not going to eat any candy, but thanks."

2:02 - "Dad, I want you to have some cotton candy." I realized, after looking at the almost untouched bag of cotton candy, that he wasn't eating it. I was beginning to understand that he wanted me to eat some cotton candy because he was feeling a bit guilty that we bought it and he wasn't eating it.

"Jared, why aren't you eating it?"

"I forgot that I don't like cotton candy anymore," he said with a tinge of regret.

"Huh? When did you stop liking cotton candy?"

"I don't know, I just did," with an apologetic tone.

"It's okay, we can just take it home to Rowan."

1:26 - "Daaaaad, can I have some ice cream?"

"Not right now. Wait, I thought you said you didn't want ice cream?

"But, I do now."

"Maybe in the 2nd quarter we can get some."

"But, why Dad?"

"Because we just got cotton candy. Do you want some more popcorn?"

"Okay," a little somberly.

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER

11:22 - "Dad, what quarter is it?"

"It's the 2nd quarter. Dirk is having an awesome game. But, the Bucks are leading by 6 points. I think the Mavs need to switch to a 1-3-1 zone and shadow Michael Redd. He is killing them."

"I thought you said we can get some ice cream in the 2nd quarter?"

"I meant later in the 2nd quarter."

"Well, you saaaiiiid...."

"I know, but let's wait a little longer."

10:07 - "Dad, I'm cold."

"What? It's not even cold in here," I say - while wearing jeans.

"But, I'm cold."

"Here, come sit in my lap. It'll make you warm."

8:18 - "Dad, can I have some ice cream now?"

"I thought you said you were cold? Ice cream will just make you colder."

"I'm not cold anymore."

"Okay, just wait a little bit longer."

7:52 - "Dad, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Number 1 or number 2?" Not that it really mattered. I guess I just asked out of habit.

"Number 1."

"Can you hold it for a little longer," I asked, not wanting to leave the game while they were playing.

"No, I can't."

"Okay, let's go."

We arrived just outside the restrooms, and I noticed that there was a family restroom. Knowing these restrooms are usually cleaner and more private, we went inside the family restroom instead of the men's room. And it was a good thing, because after number 1, he decided number 2 was ready to come off the bench and enter the game.

"Don't look, Dad."

"I won't."

We washed our hands and headed for the ice cream stand. I figured since we were already up, we might as well knock the ice cream out of the way. He got a nice sized cup of Dreyer's vanilla ice cream. And, I must say, it kept him busy for most of the remainder of the 2nd quarter.

1:22 - "Dad, I'm cold."

"I knew you would get cold. Come sit in my lap."

"Mom told you I should wear pants."

"I know, but you said you didn't need pants."

"But Mom said I did, and you should have listened to Mom."

"I know."

0:53 - "Dad, who do you like better, the horses or the reindeer?" Even though he was laughing along with me, I think he was a little confused as to why I was laughing so hard. Just in case you are as confused as Jared was, here are the logos of the two teams:




















I guess I was laughing for several reasons. First, because others around us heard it and got a good kick out of it. Second, since he cheered so loudly every time the crowd cheered, I just assumed he understood for whom he was cheering. Third, I realized that it really is that simple to a boy his age. Tell him which animal to cheer for, and he will cheer his heart out for that team.

I told him, "I like the horses better. The horses are the Mavs and the reindeer are the Bucks. The Mavs are the best team in the league. They are the ones we were cheering for at the beginning of the game."

"Oh."

END OF THE 2ND QUARTER

After half time, we took our seats. The visiting team was now playing on our side of the court, and since we were behind the hoop, we were given poster-like bricks to be used to distract the free-throw shooters. Jared loved this. His eyes were peeled, searching for foul shooters after each whistle.

We watched, talked, and cheered. Once his stomach had its fill of popcorn, 7-Up, and ice cream, he was able to give his 5 year-old attention to the game. We had a ton of fun, and I really enjoyed spending time with Jared. He is a funny kid, and he keeps me entertained. The best part is he is well-behaved, which makes him easy to be with. I am glad he enjoys doing the same things that I enjoy.

The game was a tight one, going down to the final seconds, but the Mavs pulled out the win.

Next up - Perhaps an MLS soccer game or a Rangers baseball game.