It’s Friday

By Peggy Walker, R.D.

Jumping Through Hoops

No, I didn’t play basketball.  I am tall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything except that I’m frequently asked.  Actually, my basketball career pretty much ended on the day it began in 5^th grade.

As best I remember, it was the very first day that we girls were gathered in the practice gym, we were instructed to do lay ups.  I was last in line and my shot didn’t go in.  I had to run laps around the gym as punishment.  The other girls moved on to another activity without me.  I’ve never liked to run and I sure didn’t like for anyone to watch me run, especially in my embarrassment.   

Another opportunity

Junior year. The basketball coach asked me to keep the score books. No running required.  I could do that, and I did, for both the girls’ and boys’ teams for two years, and enjoyed it.  It was fun and I learned so much about the sport.  And I could go to all the games.  Sometimes I rode with coach’s wife who was also my home economics teacher, but mostly I rode the game bus. 

Rules

The girls rode on one side and the boys rode on the other. Team rule, with one exception…the water boy and scorebook keeper.  We sat together, at the front of the bus, and as it turned out, that water boy eventually became my brother-in-law, now lovingly known as Uncle Fred.

I enjoyed basketball games at Freed-Hardeman and at MSU as a student.  But until last week DW and I had not been to a game of roundball in years, maybe 20, except for one preseason game played at the Landers Center in Southaven.

We watch SEC games faithfully, and most recently had really enjoyed watching the Lady Bulldogs on television.  So, DW ordered us tickets.

More rules

We met friends and motored on down to Starkville for the State – Ole Miss game. It was raining, DW dropped us off at the entrance and drove off to find parking.  Sporting event venues now have rules for what fans can carry in, which I totally understand.

But that day my little purse wasn’t small enough, though it would barely hold my phone and lip gloss.  I pleaded my case, it was approved at the football stadium, this had never happened, and I’m a rule follower.  The student directing us in said it looked okay to her, and the nice lady who measured it apologized and called in the student who evidently had the final say in the matter.

He took one look at my purse, threw up his clinched fist with thumb up and called it out, just like an ump across the street at the baseball field would have called an out at home plate.  Embarrassed again, the people behind me were staring.  At least he didn’t make me run laps around the coliseum.

I’m thankful for kind friends and a patient husband, who had to leave his newly found parking place to come back to get my little… but too big… purse.

Game time

Fast paced, loud, kinetic, and exciting. Our seats were up high, really high. But still good, we could see and hear everything, except for conversation with the person next to you. Worse than cowbells, was the unrelenting, reverberating sound, which I guess I’ll get used to.  And the game was just as I remembered…fast paced, rough and tough with steals, dunks, 3-pointers, fouls, even technicals, fast breaks, lay ups, and free-throws, and now, previous play reviews.

From our vantage point we could see the student section very well.  Many students were waving pom-poms, but after a time I realized that some were waving pom-poms stuck into the tops of pool noodles.  I got distracted, now wait a minute.  How in the world were they allowed to bring in 5-foot long pool noodles when my little 5-inch purse was too long?   Sounded like a foul play to me and needed to be under review.

Our team lost.  I regrouped, got over my purse debacle, and enjoyed our outing anyway. And we’ll go back; maybe though next time I’ll stick a pom-pom out the side of my purse and get to go right on in! 

Recipe of the Week

Rueben Sideline Sliders

The only reason to call foul with these is if you don’t make enough for your game time crew!

½ cup Thousand Island dressing

1 16-ounce loaf party rye bread, or rye-pumpernickel swirl bread

1 6-ounce package Swiss cheese slices, halved

12 ounces thinly sliced corned beef

1 16-ounce can shredded sauerkraut, drained

Spread dressing evenly over each slice of bread.  Top half of slices evenly with half of cheese, corned beef, kraut and then remaining cheese.  Top with remaining bread slices.  Coat baking sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray; place sandwiches on baking sheet.  Coat another baking sheet with cooking spray; place, coated side down directly on top of sandwiches.  Bake in 375-degree oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until bread is toasted to a nice golden-brown color and cheese is melted. Serve with extra dressing for dipping.