Jenny Winston with Eric and daughter, Julie, at Minute Maid Park after the home run derby.
EDITOR'S NOTE: HoustonTexans.com is pleased to introduce fans to Jenny Winston, the wife of starting right tackle Eric Winston. She will provide periodic diary entries on a range of topics to give fans a woman's perspective on the NFL and life off the field.
Eric and I are both huge sports fans. I think it's a good thing that we truly do have an interest, because otherwise the fall would be a very long season! It's pretty amazing that during the fall, football isn't just limited to Sundays and Monday nights. Games can be enjoyed all week long with a little planning.
With the convenient addition of NFL Replay to the television lineup on NFL Network, some games are replayed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. So, as many of you women probably know already, your hubby can even watch the same game twice if he wants to! Aren't we lucky, girls, that our husbands think they have an excuse to eat wings, drink beer and claim the TV to watch football more than one night a week? Oh, the priceless compromises of marriage...
I try to be a bit more lenient on Eric because deep down in my heart I know he is strictly doing research to become better at his job. =)
Luckily, when football season is over, there are many other sports to watch. Again, I would like to shake the hand of whoever invented the DVR because it ensures that we never have to miss a goal, dunk, or home run! All jokes aside, we are very lucky in Houston because we have many great sports teams to follow, which motivates Eric and I to get up from the comfy couch in our living room and go to the games in person! This offseason, we have attended many Houston sporting events, including a Rockets' playoff game and an Aeros' playoff game. We also have spent a lovely evening at beautiful Minute Maid Park, and we plan to do so many more times this summer. During the fall, it is not uncommon for us to partake in an old Texas tradition and attend a local high school football game on a Friday night. Eric and I are sports fans and love to get out to cheer on other Houston sports teams at all different levels.
The schedule that most professional athletes keep can be grueling at times and it tends to vary from sport to sport. I can't imagine what it would be like to be involved with a league other than the NFL. What may surprise some is that the NBA and the NHL both have 82 regular season games. This number doesn't include preseason games or playoffs should the team qualify! Furthermore, professional baseball players have a schedule that includes 162 regular season games. That's a significant difference when compared to the NFL's 16-game regular season schedule.
From a scheduling standpoint, I can say as an NFL wife, I am happy to be involved with the Texans because the schedule is a bit easier on our families! In the sports mentioned above, I have heard it is common for players to be out of town for over a week at a time squeezing in all the games of their schedule.
In the football world, the duration of an away trip is similar to a typical business trip that many people take every day. If the Texans have an away game on Sunday, they usually take off around noon on Saturday to get to the city they will be playing in the next day. Shortly after the team boards the plane for the away trip, I am usually on the phone with other football "widows" to decide who's house we're going to get together at to watch the game!
The minute the game is over, the players shower, get dressed and head straight to the airport to fly back to Houston. With the Texans having a majority of noon kickoffs, dad's usually can be home to kiss their kids goodnight on Sunday evening. Even if they get in late, it's nice that Eric is home so quickly to begin the recovery process, enjoy a big plate of Texas hash and get a good night's sleep on his Tempur-Pedic bed. Knowing him, he's probably happiest to be back on his couch to resume his rigorous studying routine.=) He's always been such a good student!
Thanks again for taking the time to read this diary entry! I have received many interesting e-mails and I am looking forward to more feedback and questions! Until next time..Go Texans! =)
