Retirement day
I guess it's time to say farewell to my San Jose Sharks T-shirt. I love using things for their entire expected lifespans and then some, but after 32 years, this one's ready for the landfill. Maybe I'll wash the car with it a time or two – it's a couple of years older than the car – but its utility as an article of clothing has come to an end.
This day has been coming for a few years now. The shirt was relegated to pajama status a year or two back. But it's been in steady rotation as sleepwear. It's too good to leave sitting on the shelf.
I bought it when I was working at Stanford in the fall of 1992, back when they lowered themselves to allow me to teach a course there. I probably got it at the Stanford Shopping Center. It was back when the Sharks were a new team in the National Hockey League, only a year old. I couldn't name you a single player on that team, either then or at any time since. But I liked the shirt.
They were playing in the Cow Palace just south of San Francisco at the time. They didn't actually get a home in San Jose for another year or so.
In addition to its longevity, the shirt was comfortable. And the insignia wound up being more durable than even the fabric. It's hard to find stuff made this well.
Some sensitive singer-songwriter had a song "I Love My Shirt." Was it Donovan, or maybe Cat Stevens? Whoever it was, I get it.
My mind drifts back to the guy who first wore this item. He seems like a different person than the one who's discarding it. Maybe not.
Never saw the Sharks. But, I have fond memories of a lot of events at the Cow Palace.
ReplyDeleteThe Sharks played at the Cow Palace for their first 2? seasons while the Shark Tank was being built in San Jose. Of course, the Shark Tank has "naming rights" and I don't know what it's called now. Most Silicon Valley-ites (including me) always called it "the Shark Tank" (it was not very far from where I lived at the time). This appellation pre-dated the TV show by many years.
DeleteThe crossword puzzle had arena name before the current name> Compaq Center.
ReplyDeleteWhen the arena first opened, it as the "San Jose Sports Arena". The naming rights went to Compaq shortly after so it became the "Compaq Center". Then HP bought Compaq so then it became the "HP Pavilion". With the split of HP into HP Inc and HP Enterprise, HP gave up the naming right so now it's the "SAP Center".
DeleteYou sure got your money’s worth out of that one. I view the sleepwear phase as the first way station, followed by gardening, then painting, then cutting it up for staining woodworking projects.
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite - gardening, then painting, then sleepwear if not too stained.
DeleteI just bought a Viva Las Vegas campaign tshirt (she shoulda won). Almost as nice as the "Where's Hunter" tshirt from 2020.
ReplyDeletein college i once spent the xmas holidays at my girlfriend’s parents’ house when we were 22. in the spare room where i slept, there was a family photo showing the family from about 20 years before. when i noticed that her dad wore the same shirt at dinner that he was wearing in the photo, it was the funniest thing i had ever seen.
ReplyDelete