On Sports

I tell you this because I cried when Dan Wheldon died

and I knew it was okay because my father cried when Dale Earnhardt died 

because I had the dream of playing first base for the St. Louis Cardinals when I was young 

and when they won the World Series in 2011 a friend asked “who died?” 

mistaking my tears of joy for grief because when someone asks for my favorite book and I say 

Drive by Larry Bird and they respond “Really?” I can look them in the eye and say 

“Really” because a man who called himself “The Normal One” made the people happy

and connected a lady from Liverpool and a kid from Loogootee because I was raised

Catholic but the thing I pray for the most is the Pacers to win a championship because 

my jump shot is a Southern Indiana calling card given to me from 

the roots of my past and it will tell you my name

I tell you this because I want you to know me

I tell you this because I love you

DAVID STRANGE is a high school English teacher living in Indianapolis, IN. He had dreams of playing first base for the St. Louis Cardinals when he was younger and if that failed, starting shooting guard for the Indiana Pacers. He believes that professional wrestling is the perfect mix of art and sport and he has been going to the Indy 500 for over half his life. A graduate of the University of Southern Indiana, you can find his previous work in Dogwood Alchemy, Anchorage Press, Driftwood Press, and Ranger Magazine, among others. You can find him on Instagram at @dcstrange.