Sunday SIL: Pinup!

This week's SIL brings me back to the wall of my office. The office (ok - technically bedroom #4) is where the computer sits, and it's the one room that is all mine, in a decorating sense. I chose the paint color and what's on the walls is what I want. And what I want is sports stuff. I have talked about the pictures on the walls, and the baseball cards. Let's talk now about a framed set of pins. But first, some honesty - this frame is not actually on the wall. See, the office is a work in progress, which means I never, EVER do anything in it besides work, sort cards and fart around on the innerweb tubes. There is far too much bare wall space, and also far too much crap on the floors. But it's a work in progress. That's what I say so I don't admit I have truly given up all hope on doing anything in here. I tried a week ago to get some shelves up. Damned if I cannot find one of the wall studs.

But all that is neither here nor there. Stuff I Like is why you are reading, so let's get to it.

I talked before how I was a professional mascot (alright - paid idiot). Back in 1987 (if you look close enough at the pin on the right), a team from the USSR did a tour of the states against a few MISL teams. At the time of this tour, Dynamo Moscow was the football equivalent of the Red Army hockey team. That is - the BEST. So they came over to the US for a few indoor games against the MISL teams, and lost all 6. Granted, the Soviets were not used to the indoor game at this time, and actually took one of the games to overtime. Against the Sting, though, they lost 10-4.

So the story of the pin on the left? When I saw this game on the schedule, I put in to "work it" as Stanley, and did in fact get to be mascot. After the game, I grabbed a pennant, went into the Dynamo Moscow locker room (when the press was allowed in) and scored autographs of every player but one if I recall. I was in my shorts and a sweat soaked t-shirt, with very unkempt hair. The players were very nice and all I approached signed without any issues. But the keeper figured something out when he saw me. After looking me up and down, in broken English he asked if I was the big bee he saw. I fessed up. He then asked if I could get him a pennant like he was signing for himself. I dashed back to the room I changed in and grabbed an extra pennant that was in the room. When I returned, I handed over the pennant and he traded me with the above pin, and this really cool carved wooden pen that looked like a thin Russian nesting doll. The girl I was dating at the time took the pen, so it's long gone. But I have the pin, and it's a pretty cool reminder of that game, and a great memory for when I was 21 and got to interact with a world class goalkeeper. I was very much in awe in that locker room.