Those So-Called "Shout-Outs" Start in Afghanistan

Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where I’m stationed, is sometimes the source of those so-called 30-second “shout-outs” you see on television at home or the video at a stadium.

Recently, an announcement went out asking for fans of several Major League Baseball teams to show up one day and give shout-outs to teams from Chicago, New York and Cincinnati, just to name a few. The recordings were made for the Fourth of July celebrations back in the USA.

I actually love doing that kind of promotional stuff. The problem is, working night shift, I’m not going to get up in the middle of the day to give shout-outs to a sport I don’t follow much anymore. I gave up on baseball during the 1994 strike and never returned as a fan. I’ll let somebody else have the fun this time.

Had the shout-outs been for the National Football League, I would have not only got up in the middle of my sleep cycle, but I would have risked leaping over strands of razor wire just to be the first in line.

Other than incoming rounds, one of my biggest fears in Afghanistan is the NFL season getting cancelled this year because of labor issues. I have big plans for the 2011 NFL season, and they include the NFL Sunday Ticket, a 42-inch high-definition television, fatty food, a couch and beer.

So here’s my shout-out to the NFL: “I don’t care how you solve it -- just solve it and get on with training camp!”