Sunday, May 4, 2008

Follow Follow




If you help people, people will help you.

I support a Scottish soccer club known as Glasgow Rangers FC. I have reasons to follow this team. Fort Wayne, IN native DeMarcus Beasley plays for the first team as well as Dave Weir who played three years of college soccer for the University of Evansville Purple Aces. Indiana connections.

Rangers FC is world famous and has fans all over the world. They make this public through a network of supporter club chapters across North America. Houston, Texas has a chapter known as the Texas True Blues RSC and they have followed their boys since 1999 at Big John's sports bar. I had never been before, but I wanted to watch the UEFA Cup semi-final against Fiorentina. I wanted to make a good first impression so I brought some Dynamo t-shirts to give away. Based on their reaction, you would have thought I had given them a check for a million dollars. These Rangers supporters deep in the heart of Texas now had a new best friend and what made it even better was that he worked for the local professional soccer club. They thanked me by making me a honorary member of their club and gave me a free club t-shirt.

I had another similar situation with a guy named Tony who owns a bar in Midtown. He has jerseys of all the teams in Houston- Astros, Rockets, Texas, Aggies, Longhorns, etc. He asked for a Dynamo jersey because he is from Croatia and a big soccer fan. I told him I couldn't make any promises but I'd do what I could. I got him a jersey replica t-shirt and gave him a pair of tickets to an upcoming game. I now have free drinks every time I go to this place.

These examples go to show that how a little kindness and generosity can go a long way in our self-centered world. It seems that no helps other people just to help other people. Everyone has a "what's in it for me" kind of attitude and that's really sad.

Now on the Dynamo ... The State of Orange is still win-less on the season. However, we are currently on pace to break the league record for most ties one season. George H.W. Bush was in attendance at the game last night on HDNET (thanks Mr. Cuban) and I actually got to shake his hand. Shaking hands with a former United States president was a first for me. However it would been better if all the Secret Service agents had not been there making me nervous as hell.

FOLLOW FOLLOW! We will follow Rangers! Every where- anywhere! There's not a team like the Glasgow Rangers! No not one and there never shall be one!