Sports RULED in our house! Three boys and there was sure to be some kind of game going on. Or ESPN. Over and over again and again. Somebody was rooting for or against something, someone. Gregger was right at the head of the pack. Sports gave Gregger a break. He stopped working. He stopped thinking. He just enjoyed. Or stressed over who was winning/losing. He was so devoted to his teams, you’d think he had a stake in them. Coming from a small town in Iowa, he had to reach outside of his city to find his favs. The Suns, Cardinals (AZ and St. Louis), Diamondbacks, Chiefs, Royals made up his elite crew. He was a true blue fan. He had that midwest devotion and stuck hard and firm to his teams. If he loved you, awesome! If not, watch out! Even Gregger, the nicest guy on the planet, could be a hater in sports! I didn’t quite grasp the concept of the love/hate relationship with teams, but the passion exploded. He was funny. One dissed player could blow his fanfare for the whole team. One awesome dude and count him in.
While I rallied to watch or attend sporting events with Gregger, my favorite was basketball. And playoff time was the BEST! This was always an exciting time in our house. Of course, we LOVED when the Suns were in, but in or out, we made playoffs a part of our TV viewing. I was so hooked that I even watched alone. We’d text back and forth. High five signs. Claps. Thumbs up or down. It was something silly we shared together, but always brought joy, laughter, and smiles. 
The season came to a spectacular end Tuesday night. I watched alone. I missed Gregger for so many reasons. The Suns weren’t playing. But he would have been so thrilled for his pal, Alvin Gentry, assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. It was a hard fought battle between LeBron and Stephen, two superstars, two MVP’s who showed grit, sportsmanship, and unbelievable talent. But the Warriors killed it in the end. A six game series. On Cleveland’s home court. I missed Gregger’s screams. I missed his fist bumps. I missed his high fives as the score bounced back and forth. I missed hearing him talk about Alvin’s clothes. I missed having him next to me. He just would have been so damn excited for that team. 40 years they waited for a championship. And his friend was there to be a part of it all. He helped make it happen. Gregger just would have been beaming. I missed seeing that smile. So in the end, when the flares burst, the confetti streamed down, the tears trickled down my cheeks. These are the moments that make me sad. He should be here to see this. But he’s not. So I celebrated for him. I cheered. I clapped. I fist bumped the air. And I smiled for the glory of a team who deserved to win. 
Maybe it all sounds silly. But sports was part of our life. Season to season. Football to baseball, tennis, basketball and right back into football season. It never stopped. I want to believe Gregger was cheering those Warriors onto victory. He had a birds-eye view into those stadiums and was fist bumping his buddies in heaven.
