The Ghost (AKA Stamos) hails from Bethlehem, Pa......The city that created this country, a huge part of the world and was instrumental in the industrial revolution. Also the birth place of indoor plumbing (thanks Moravians).
Been a Dolphins fan since the mid 80's as a young child I remember watching a Monday Night Football game (I contend it's possible it was the 85 Bears MNF game, I just don't remember) but I do remember being captivated by No.13's ability to throw a football. I was hooked. That was my guy and this was my team. I thought I was going to be the next Dan Marino til I was about 12 years old.
I took pride in being the "anti-philly" guy when it came to sports although I became a Sixers fan when they got Allen Iverson. But overall I don't really care for much (sports wise) outside of the Miami Dolphins and a distant second is my Ohio State Buckeyes. I take a lot of pride in being the anti-Penn State guy too.
As a child of Greek immigrants, there was no push in my house hold to watch American football. It was soccer only. Some of you know I am pretty obsessive about the topics I discuss, well it wouldn't surprise anyone to know my dad is the exact same version of myself just with European soccer. I just couldn't get into it, still can't.
Growing up in the 80's and 90's direct tv wasn't a thing yet so needless to say I missed a lot of games and would just to tune into SC for the highlights, although I am very grateful we were a big national draw and would get 4-6 prime time games a year. You'd expect that with the games highest paid and most talented player playing for the Dolphins. When the internet rolled around and you could live listen to games on yahoo, that was a game changer for me. Even though I couldn't watch them all, knowing what was happening in real time was exciting. Then the illegal video feeds started to become a thing. That was GREAT but short lived. And the feed was scrambled but it was soooooooo much better than nothing.
Fast forward to the late 90's and I'm in my late teens, I started begging pops for the Sunday ticket. No way he said, too much money. So that's when I told he had to go to a sports bar and sit there for 3 hours while I watched the game. To his credit, he did it. He sat there drinking diet cokes, waited three hours for the game to end and took me home. I am still thankful for that. And very thankful for the cold weather games he took me to at the Meadowlands. We never lost a game that I've been to and that started with the games my dad sat there miserably as I cheered on my team. I was 3-0 watching the Dolphins at Giants stadium against the Jets before taking my first trip to Miami.
My first home was majestic. All 3 of the home games I've been to are memorable. September 22nd, 2002. Bye bye Ricky, bye bye streak. 30-3, and with that the 8 game losing streak to the Jets was no more. Oranda Gadsden's stretched out Air Jordan logo catch came in that game too.
2nd game in Miami, Buffalo 2005. Lee Evans catches 3 TD's in the first quarter from JP Losman, who's parents are sitting right behind me. Great. That first half sucked. Walked out of that building high fiving every single person willing to put there hand up to mine, which was every single person not wearing Bills gear. Chambers breaks the team record for receptions and scores the comeback clinching TD on 4th down with about 15 seconds to go.
3rd home game I went to, New England season opener in September 7th, 2014. 8 days after my wedding and you guess it, this was our honeymoon, well for 3 days, headed to Nassau the next morning. We kicked the crap out of New England that day. No miracles. No excuses from New England. Ryan Tannehill beat Tom Brady. First game I went to with my wife. First time she saw the wildness. She sees game days. She had never before seen me surround with 60,000 of my peeps. F U Brady. This is the only season in which I went to multiple games. I also went to the Sunday night game against the Jets, I believe the original metlife takeover. It was cold and rainy and we won an ugly game.
The Ghost has never witnessed the Miami Dolphins lose in person.
