When fandom ages

From the mid-nineties until a bit after my son was born I was an avid follower of the Ohio State Mens Hockey team. My wife was a reporter for a college hockey website, covered the league, and extensively wrote about the team. We got to know a lot of their players, and their parents. Since I had nothing in my life going for me, I probably got a bit too involved.

At the end of the 1997-98 season, the players' game worn jerseys would go on sale and since my wife did have the connection we were able to purchase the jersey of the team captain. It was a cool bit of sports memorabilia and neat to wear to games.

As then Notre Dame coach Dave Poulin was overheard saying, "So he got the jersey in the divorce."

Yes I did, Dave.

Life and time meant I stopped going to the games. Maybe one a season. Maybe.

So the jersey sat in the closet for years.

Here I am a man approaching sixty and with no reason to wear a game worn jersey to a game - what happens to the jersey after I die? Without specific instructions it would probably go to goodwill and it's more important than that.

I reached out to the players' wife on Facebook asking if he'd be interested in having it back and received a quick reply of yes.

I remember talking to him a year or two after I got the jersey and he said all of his game worn jerseys are in his possession, except the one I had.

It's time for it to go home, to the owner it deserves to have.

Went to the post office today, and shipped it Canada.