I am such a fangirl

It’s usually all about Jan Ullrich, but since he lives so far away (i.e. Europe), I’ve had to find someone else. Not to replace him, because who could replace Jan? ;-) It's more of a winter distraction before cycling season gets into full swing. I just know you are all dying to know who! Ta da! Nick Collison. I know, seems like an unlikely choice but there you have it.

I convinced MC to stay after the Sonics game last night because Nick was going to be the guest on the post-game radio show. Being a tolerant and indulgent spouse, he went off to the team store to buy a shirt and left me to fight off the hordes trying to get an autograph. O.k., so there weren’t exactly hordes but the old lady behind me did get a bit aggressive. I find it disconcerting to stare at someone while they are speaking so although I was standing right in front of Nick while he was answering questions from the host, I would occasionally look away check out his shoes, etc. He wouldn't be included in Fashion No-No. (I'm sure he's relieved to hear that he won't be joining Chris Kaman as a subject of a FNN blog entry). A big thumbs up on the brown and beige suede leather Nike shoes, the dark blue jeans and the brown jacket. Also, the watch was a nice touch – no bling to be seen, just a nice round watch face in silver with a black band. More surprising, his nails are in better shape than mine. Actually, not that surprising as it has been over a year since my last manicure. Scandalous, I know. Anyway, enough about his sartorial sense and superior grooming habits. I think he interviews pretty well; he answers the questions and does so with a minimum number of “ums,” “aaahs,” “uuhs,” or other verbal ticks. (See I was paying attention to what he said!) On a side note, Nick’s baby daughter is cute, as is his girlfriend.

Thanks to MC’s patience, I now have a Nick Collison autograph sitting on the counter at home. So much better than the last time I tried to get an autograph. I’m pretty sure they won’t let me within 100 feet of Jan Ullrich...