MJ, Kobe, Lebron.....and me

As I have mentioned on my blog before I was not your typical little girl. In the third grade I started playing basketball and became slightly obsessed. I distinctly remember the summer before telling my mom I wanted to trade in my little white Keds for some "boy" tennis shoes like my cousin Nick's. My mother died a little inside that day. If she had it her way me, my sister and my brother would all still wear bleached white Keds every day of our lives.

And so began my tom-boy phase, which never really ended. How many little girls can say they had a Nike birthday party? Well, this girl did. My sister sent me a picture of one of my old Barbie's she found the other day. My Barbie was wearing a Chicago Bull's uniform.



At this stage in my life I could not get enough basketball. I even failed at tried to become interested in the WNBA. But the NBA became the real source of my obsession. I had a Kobe Bryant poster in my closet, afro and all. I would watch a VHS tape of the NBA's Greatest Finals Moments over and over and over. I memorized names like Isiah Thomas, Bill Russell, Kareem, Magic, Larry and of course Michael.

As I grew up, my interest in the NBA waned and it became (and still is) college basketball. However, I do usually try to tune in for the finals each year (partly because I'm interested but mostly because I'm jonesing for a real sport to watch on TV between college basketball and football season). This year I joined the masses and jumped on the bandwagon of Lebron haters. Now, to be fair I know little of this man other than the hype surrounding him being "the greatest player without a ring." Now he's simply King James again.

Lebron made it pretty easy to be a hater. He leaves Cleveland and heads to Miami to join Wade in pursuit of a ring. It's hard for me to respect a man whose only goal is a ring. Sure, I'm sure it's a feeling like none other but wouldn't it be more satisfying to do it yourself, without riding Wade's coattails? I'm not here to argue about Lebron's talent. I'm here to argue about his heart. He's damn good. But that's it. I compare every NBA player I see speak or play to Magic. There is a man who LOVES this game. A man who gave it up because he felt he was hurting the game.

How many players are in it for the love of the game? And how many of them are after a title? I see some who put me in the mind of Magic. Namely, Derek Fisher and Kevin Garnett. But the hype gets to some of these guys. Lebron thought he deserved a ring, it was his turn.....Nevermind earning it. Let's head to Miami where they've got some good players already and a ring or two that will guarantee that I will finally get what's mine. Shewee it's hard to enjoy watching a man with that mentality. (Never mind his 4th quarter "cramp" in game 4). Oh and as a side note, I puke in my mouth every time they ask if Lebron is better than Michael Jordan.

Maybe I'm just bitter because the Heat put the Celtics out. I love Boston and those boys but we all know they're getting up there. I worry that if they couldn't do it this year, it may have been their last chance. Here's hoping they can make another run for it next year. But in case they can't.....

 Here's another bandwagon I will jump on: Durant. How much respect will I have for him if he can take OKC to the title game next year? A heck of a lot more than I do for Lebron for leaving Cleveland without one.

 

This Game

This post might be construed as a rant but at least it's on my blog, not facebook (which I consider deleting more and more everyday). For those of you who have been living under a rock or those of you who (I just learned exist) don't follow sports, the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Championship last night. And it feels good. I wanted to write this while I'm on this high.

I love this game. Of course I love Kentucky's program: the rich history, the fan base, the passion and Coach Cal. But there is no other game like it in the world. I don't want to gush and freak out those of you who care nothing about sports but I will just say again, I love the game.

Perhaps it's because I'm a fan of the game and not just of Kentucky that I can put on my big girl panties and deal with a loss or a tough season. When Kentucky lost the SEC tournament, I was still so happy for Vanderbilt, their coaches reaction could warm even the hardest heart and they outplayed us that day. Plus they hadn't won an SEC tournament in over 50 years.....how can you not be happy for that?

The game I was most nervous about the whole tournament was Indiana and they didn't disappoint. I dare say there are few places harder to win in than Assembly Hall (where we lost this year). Indiana came to play and did not give up. They were tough opponents both times we played this year. How can you not respect their program? Rich history, amazing fan base, making their comeback in the last couple of seasons (sounds eerily similar doesn't it?).

The regular season game against UNC I had pretty much written of as  a loss before it was even played. Partly because I was scared of John Henson but mostly because Coach Williams knows how to get the job done.

I could give you a long list of other programs, especially coaches and individual players who I admire. Thomas Robinson's story is amazing, Louisville who defied all of the odds this year, and my respect for Billy Donovan grows every time I watch him coach. But again all of those things are because I love the game. I'm no basketball whiz, I don't claim to know what calls coaches should or shouldn't make (in most cases). But I know enough about the game to enjoy watching any and every game I get the chance to.

I cheer for Kentucky because it is bred in me from my Pap to my Dad and now to me. I had no say in the matter, but just let me say if I did....I would still choose Kentucky. I didn't jump on the "bandwagon" if there is one and I certainly haven't changed teams over the years. And any other team I may have a stronger dislike for is for one of two reasons: either their fan base or a coach I just don't care for.

The fan base part is probably the hardest to overcome. Nobody wants to be considered "good" at losing but losing is a reality. You have to be able to lose and hopefully lose nobly because it's inevitable....it seems certain fan bases think they are above losing (and as my dad pointed out in a certain upset this tournament, their coach as well).

Sports are about people, Coach Cal says it better than anyone....on the floor it's about the team but otherwise it's about individual people. Regardless of how good of a player a guy is on the floor, you still want to be able to respect him (and hope he gives you reason to). It isn't always about his skill (and most certainly isn't about his looks) but sometimes about his story...again I say Thomas Robinson because that kid had a rough road.

I will end by saying this, friendly rivalry is necessary...healthy even. But flat out blatant hatred of a program or an individual player is just classless. Love the game and respect it. Oh and Go Cats!

 

Basketball Fan.....Tomboy.....Freak of Nature.....one in the same right?

It becomes increasingly apparent that I'm not like most girls. My husband lies to me and tells me that he likes it but sometimes I know it freaks him out. I have been following the NFL playoffs much more closely than he. I cursed out Dish Network just yesterday because our area was blacked out for the Kentucky basketball game, we instead received Wake Forest and Boston College....misery. I realize that it is a terrible misconception and stereotype that girls don't like sports because I know (a few) who do.

However my "boyish" tendencies go past that. I don't care for pink, I will make a bold statement and say my daughter will wear little to no pink. I don't know how to do my make-up, half the time Drew is wiping streaks of make-up off of my cheeks when we get out into sunlight. My hair is 99% of the time in a ponytail (but hey I still think I look damn good). I have a bit of a dirty mouth and I HATE to lose. It is always a fight amongst members of my family of who has to be my partner in password because I am not a pleasant teammate.

I have always refused to fit into that cookie cutter image of sugar and spice and everything nice. I became obsessed with basketball in around the 3rd grade and wore only basketball shorts and t-shirts for several years. During which time when most girls were having Make Up parties, I enjoyed a Nike birthday party. When I was around 10 or 11 My uncle gave me  a VHS tape of "Greatest NBA Finals Moments" for Christmas and while I don't fancy myself a pro sports girl, more of a college follower, this video exposed me to the names of Magic Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, and many others (the name of Larry Bird had already been burned into me since the day I was born by my father). I distinctly remember taking this video to a sleepover with me and being very disappointed when none of the other girls seemed as excited to watch it as me.

I had a Kobe Bryant and Nike poster on my wall, wrote down play by play in my notebook what happened in games of the NBA finals (which the Lakers were playing in). I even tried in vain to become a fan of the WNBA. I can appreciate it for what it is, but in my opinion trying to watch one of their games is like torture.

My basketball life only made it to my freshman year of high school but I pride myself on saying I never spent one day in a cheerleading uniform or a pageant dress in my life. Those things seemed so superficial to me. Granted some of my best friends were cheerleaders I preferred to cheer from the stands behind them where I could freely yell profanities at the refs and opposing players. Moral of the story: I love the game of basketball, God didn't bless me with much talent for it but I love it like nothing else.

For Christmas this year I bought my dad a book I stumbled across in Barnes & Noble "When the Game Was Ours" about the ever intertwined careers of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I thought my dad would enjoy it because, as I figured out in my high school years, the NBA isn't what it was when Magic and Larry played. (Which is why I believe more people flock to college basketball, myself included). I was very happy when my dad finished the book in a few short days and I could become a true "Indian giver" (that is such a politically incorrect statement) and take the book home with me to read. I finished it this week and would encourage any basketball fan to read it. The way those 2 loved the game and respected each other and the story around their 2 teams is just what a basketball fan like me views as too good to be true.

I call it a must read, even for those of you who say you're a "football fan" like my husband. I believe any sports fan can appreciate the competition and love of the game. My two best friends in the world are basketball freaks like me, thank God we all follow the same team, (unlike me they were both blessed with more talent and played all of their high school years and now each of them has had their turn coaching this sport we love). Because they were closest to me all through high school I grew to believe that all girls were like me that all girls checked out from school with their friends to watch their teams play in March. However I see all around me in this football town that it just isn't the case. Girls at the football games are more concerned with how good they are going to look in their cowboy boots and short shorts. And it never fails that a girl behind me will say "What's a first down?" or "What does that mean?" In which case I look at my husband and smile to remind him how lucky he is to be married to a freak like me.

It is a mystery to me that everyone doesn't love sports like I do but I understand that this is what makes the world go 'round. Different people, different interests, and different sports preferences. But I mean c'mon how do you not love March? Or the NFL playoffs? Or SEC play in football or basketball? Or going to a baseball game in the summer? It brings a smile to my face like nothing else can.