This story is about eighteen months old now, but I don't think I shared it. I was reminded of it when Degrassi-themed nicknames started popping up in this entry about our slo-pitch team's search for a new moniker.
I'm not the most social guy (although I'm getting better), so I usually took a pass when our ball team would meet up in the off season for drinks, bowling or whatever. When Mike and Jen invited us over to watch a Leafs game and devour pizza, I decided to shock the team and show up.
During Hockey Night in Canada, they aired a CIBC commercial. Patino decided to tell us all that the dude by the ATM was Shane from Degrassi. I simply couldn't stay quiet after that. Toronto Mike knows his Degrassi and Toronto Mike knows Shane. That was not Shane at the ATM but Patino wouldn't hear it. The rest of the evening was spent arguing about whether that was Shane or not.
At first I think we were having fun with it, but it quickly became personal. I'd blame it on the flow of alcohol, but I don't drink. We were in no mood to agree to disagree and we weren't going to let this go. This subject was far too serious, far too important.
Eventually, we were literally in each other's faces. As God is my witness, I was going to hit Patino, and it was a fight I was likely to lose. There was a little shoving, I remember some finger poking thing that was clearly a precursor to blows, then I disappeared.
That's right, I snuck away and went home, remembering why I'm slightly anti-social to begin with and why I typically avoid these things. I was royally pissed, not because Patino was being such an ass, but because the dummy truly believed that was Shane in that CIBC commercial.
I sometimes wonder if Patino pretended to think that was Shane, just to piss me off. It worked, you Machiavellian genius. I'm upset all over again, 18 months later.
