I didn't come into this life a sports fan. Some of us are born into families with long-held team allegiances and a genetically pre-determined love of sports. Mine was not one of those families. I'm a late-bloomer when it comes to being a fan of anything sports-related, but especially football. It wasn't until I married Mike and subsequently moved to Nashville, with their newly minted Tennessee Titans, that I became a football fan by default. And while I never fell head over heels for the Titans like so many around me, (my hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts, drafting Peyton Manning sealed that allegiance for me), I did fall head over heels for NFL football.
You see, Mike and I don't really have that many hobbies and interests in common. He loves poker, I can barely manage to get through a game of Go Fish. I love coffee shops and lingering in book stores, he can barely manage 10 minutes in either without developing a tic. He thinks statistics are fascinating, but as soon as I hear him say, "Do you know what the odds are of ____________?" my mind wanders to far off places. I think social media is fascinating, but as soon as he hears me say, "Do you know what I read on Twitter today?" he gets a glazed look in his eyes.
We love our sports, though. Nothing ties a couple together like shared interests, especially when that shared interest involves bashing the New England Patriots and/or Phillip Rivers.
Now Mike is pretty knowledgeable about all things football, so it takes a lot for me to impress him. So last year, when a friend invited me to a NFL combine tweet-up, and I told Mike I'd met Peter King? He was impressed. And when I told him that, since that meeting, Peter and I have had a few nice exchanges on Twitter? Doubly impressed.
But not nearly as impressed, no dumb-founded, as he was last Friday morning. I woke up that morning to a nice message from Peter about my post lamenting 8 being the new 13. Something along the lines of "brilliant blog." I called Mike to brag on myself a little and he's like, "Dude. I'm listening to him right now on NFL Radio. How crazy is that? He's reading your blog while reporting from the NFL Combine!"
Mike got the opportunity to meet Peter in person that evening, at the 2nd annual Combine Tweet-up at Scotty's Brewhouse. He got a chance to see Peter in action – how he's embraced social media, the way he can take sports talk to an entirely different level. But mostly, he was able to see how he engages with the people who enjoy what he does.
Yeah, we're both impressed. And hey, throwing a little mention of us in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column over on SI.com doesn't hurt, either. Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. King.
And that's how Mr. and Mrs. Six spend a hot date: eating burgers, soaking in football talk, and rubbing shoulders with a really great guy.
You can follow Peter King on twitter (@SI_PeterKing).
That is so cool! You guys are all like BFFs now! Those are some serious bragging rights.
Are we going to now be hearing more tweets from @predator006?
Angie:
How cool. I couldn’t make this year’s Tweetup. That is so fantastic that you were in the column. You guys totally need to frame that. Awesome:) Fantastic photo too– frame that as well:)
Look what you started!
I wouldn't hold your breath. He has a love/hate relationship with twitter, with heavy leanings toward "hate."