Before I could speak, I was watching sports. Because I was born two months premature, I was relatively portable, so my dad would park me on his lap, while he watched everything from Saturday boxing matches to pro and college football to late-night baseball.

He tells me I watched the Rumble in the Jungle with him, which goes a long way to explaining why I've always loved Muhammad Ali. And why I found myself the only (female) person under 50 watching a showing of old films of Sugar Ray Robinson fights at the National Archives several years ago.

Unlike most sports fans, I wasn't blessed by inheritance or geography when it comes to teams. My parents are from Buffalo (yes, I've heard that Bills joke) and we spent most of our lives in the Washington, DC, area (The Natinals, Orioles and the despicable Peter Angelos, Les Bullets, etc.), so instead I learned to love sports in general without any particular affiliation.

From my father, I have an unfailing love of baseball -- especially its history -- and a deep affection for college basketball, hockey, boxing, and horse racing. One of my life highlights is seeing a Stanley Cup Final with him - little did I know watching that Red Wings' win over the Caps would prove to be in my favor when I met my husband.

From my mother, I gained not only the ability to get nervous/shockingly vocal during any close-matched sporting event, but also an abiding interest in college football, the NFL, and tennis. One of my favorite memories is waking up early to watch the Sunday Wimbledon finals with her and my sister.

Although I played soccer as a kid, I've only recently developed a thing for watching it (to be fair/specific: the international game) because of my husband. My great hope is to take him to a World Cup game someday. I hear Qatar is lovely in the summer.

There's more to my sports bio - including some sweet title team karma and a swooning reaction to particular sports writers - but I'll cut myself off now.