Ten on Tuesday

Ten sports I like to watch or do

I had a lot of trouble with this one, as I've never been especially athletic, and I wasn't sure I could think of that many sports I like to watch. I put them more or less in order of preference.

Watch:

1. Soccer, but generally only if my daughter is playing.
   
2. Gymnastics, preferably women's. I really enjoy watching people do things I know are physically impossible.
   
3. Figure skating. All right, so I'm a chick. Have I ever tried to pretend otherwise?
   
4. Baseball. I'm amazed that it's this high on the list, but I really do like watching, even though it's nerve-rackingly slow. At the moment, for example, the Red Sox are down 2-1 in the eighth with the bases loaded and two outs, all facts that we can clearly see but of which Don Orsillo keeps feeling the need to remind us, probably because he has to continue talking between pitches. Of course while I was writing that sentence Lowell made the third out, which (almost certainly) means the Rays are going to win again. I can't help feeling semi-sort-of-happy for the Rays, who have never even made the playoffs and whom everyone expected to occupy their usual lowly spot this year.
   
5. Tennis. See gymnastics above. Granted, tennis players don't defy the laws of physics quite so consistently and spectacularly as gymnasts do, but at least once a match comes a shot that no human should be able to make.
   
6. Football. I never used to like it, but now I do. Blame it on the Patriots, who I predict will turn back into mere mortals this coming season.
   
7. Basketball, mostly when the Celtics are playing.

Do:

8. Swimming. Well, the way I do it it's not exactly a sport: there's no Olympic category for paddling about. But I do love to swim, even if I do it very slowly.
   
9. Canoeing. See swimming.
   
10. Hiking. I'm not sure hiking counts as a sport at all, and in my case it's usually indistinguishable from going for a walk. But I have climbed a couple of small mountains, so I'm going with it.

How about you?