The older I get the less interest I have in sports. One by one the sports that I loved and followed slowly and eventually lose all interest for me. It’s as if they lose their innocence and become tainted. Pro football was one of the first to go. Not sure if it was when Jack Kent Cooke didn’t pick up Sonny’s contract for that last year that sealed it for me, but probably close to then that I slowly and surely lost all interest in pro football.

      College basketball was next. I use to love ACC basketball, especially when Jefferson Pilot aired the games. I’d watch them all. Again, I can’t recall the exact event or reason I lost interest. Not sure, don’t remember, don’t care, but was probably when when Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose right after signing with the Boston Celtics. 

     Baseball? I have commented on this before, I use to love baseball, October 26, 2006. So maybe it wasn’t really when Fay Vincent resigned, but I do know the 1994 strike was definitely a final deathknell for me. Well, I did go to Fenway once after that, but I was in Boston and it was opening day. Clemens pitched. It was ’95 or so.

     All week, I have been thinking I needed to write something about NASCAR, since we’ve got a race here Saturday night. Coming home last night, I heard an ad on the radio for Dale on CMT. Watched it, loved it, and since it is rerunning again tonight, count me in. Earlier this year, I commented on the state of NASCAR right before the Daytona 500, Goodbye, NASCAR, February 14, 2007.  So tonight while I am watching Dale, (CMT, Comcast Channel 69 at 8 p.m.), I am going to bide my final farewell to NASCAR. When Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won’t even be driving for DEI (i.e., Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) and won’t have the 8 car next year (you know Dale Jr’s grandpappy, Ralph, drove the 8 car first), it is definitely time to move on. Hell, some guy with a name like Montoya driving a Toyota will probably win the 50th Daytona next year. 

    Step-mothers, I got one, too, Jr., so I know how he feels.