The Breakup

The straw that broke the camel's back. It may have been a small straw, but nonetheless, it was the final straw. I don't like feeling mistreated. I think my loyalty should be rewarded and not taken for granted. But I don't feel that way. I feel hurt and nauseous. "This must be a dream," I keep thinking, "It can't be real."

Antoine Wright fouled Carmelo Anthony; that is fact. And there is no acceptable reason to justify why it wasn't called. In the grand scheme of things one could say that it was a minor mistake by the referees (although one with major ramifications), and that I am overreacting. But it has been a series of minor mistakes that has gotten me to this point. I've watched a lot of play off games this post season, and my opinion comes in a somewhat non-biased form. I'll admit that I am biased when I watch Maverick games(1), but I am virtually unbiased when I watch any other game. I can say that I have watched approximately half of the postseason games to this point, and I can say with complete confidence that the officiating has been inconsistent at best (and flat out awful at worst). And it's that inconsistency that has brought me to my decision. I'm through.

It frustrates me more than anything else to see bad officiating, in any sport. And basketball seems to have the worst. I'm not completely sure why that is. I realize that calling any sport must be difficult, but the same inconsistencies are not present in other sports. Football has the benefit of instant reply to get some things right(2), and maybe baseball is just easier. Maybe it's the fast paced, physical nature of basketball that makes it more difficult. I don't know. But I can't go on being a basketball fan if it's going to upset me this often. And so, I'm through.

It may seem irrational, but it really isn't. If my girlfriend angered me every time we were together, I'd break up. If a friend constantly upset me, they would cease to be my friend. So why should I continue my relationship with basketball when it always upsets me?

And for those of you who think this is temporary and that will be back together in a week, think again. I broke up with baseball back in '05 and only now have I started to care again(3). I have the will power to break up with the NBA, and once I break up, I through. Perhaps, at some point I will return to being a passive fan, following a team again, but for now, I'm through.

Of course it wasn't all bad times. There are certain memories that I will always cherish. The comeback against the Spurs in the 2006 finals, for example. Or the joy of watching a brilliant rookie season from a future star, like Josh Howard or Jason Kidd. I'll never forget hustle players like Eddie Najara, Darrel Armstrong, or Brandon Bass. And the thought of Popey Jones' ears will always bring a smile to my face(6).

Like the break up of any meaningful relationship, it's a little saddening. But I have to remember that in the end, its really the best thing for both of us. I'll always look back fondly on my time with basketball(7), and I wish it all the best in the future.


1. Bias aside, the final blown call is indisputable.
2. But so does basketball and it seems to be used more often.
3. I still wouldn't say that I'm back to being a "fan"(4) of Major League Baseball, but I am back to following the rangers again.
4. I mean 'fan' in the sense of it being the shortened form of the word 'fanatic'(5). I was at one point in time a fanatic about baseball. Same for basketball too. But I am no longer a fanatic and I can't ever really see myself become one again.
5. Of course I realize that the word fan has more than one connotation. So let me say, when I stopped being a fan of baseball, what I mean is I stopped following, I lost all interest in going to games, I stopped caring about the Rangers or any thing else with baseball. Only now am I becoming a passive fan, as the MLB has begun to make some attempts to correct the error of there ways.
6. Or Avery Johnson's voice, or Shawn Bradley's... ridiculousness.
7. I feel it necessary to clarify that this "breakup" only pertains to NBA basketball. I'll still enjoy playing basketball and may even pick up college hoops... well maybe, I don't think I ready just yet for a relationship with any organized basketball right now. I need to take some time for myself first.

CRASH BAM BOOM

… is not the sound my truck made as it hit the wall. It was actually more of a crunch sound. There wasn’t a single dry part of I-35 as I made my trek to San Antonio. In fact it was horrendously pouring in some parts. As I entered New Bransfels it was raining hard, but not crazy hard. Nonetheless, I felt the slickness of the roads beneath my tires and decided it best to pay close attention to my truck and the road. Hands at 10 and 2, eyes straight ahead, cell phone out of sight, radio turned down. I felt safe with my speed 50-55mph because I was getting passed on both sides. I drove in the right-middle lane of the four lane section of I-35 and ended up crossing the two lanes to my left before crunching the wall. What happened? I simply lost control. My truck hydroplaned and I was left helpless as I spun a full 360 narrowly missing an 18-wheeler.

The point of impact was my front driver’s side corner. The bumper is crushed in and pressing against the tire. The good news is I am not writing this from a hospital ER but rather from the lobby of Tri-County Collision. Gerry at Tri-County will look at my truck first thing in the morning and I’ll know the verdict then. I am fine and have no pain at all, so no worries there.

The weird part though is my reaction as it started to happen. I can distinctly remember saying to myself, “Well, this is happening” as I begun my spin. I never tensed up at all and I can remember feeling very calm as I spun into the wall. I’m not sure how to feel about my complete lack of fear while this happened. Several people now have said, “wow, I bet that was scary,” and I’ve agreed with each of them. But in fact, I wasn’t scared at all. I wonder why. How could I not be terrified? Wouldn’t everyone else? Weird.

And the Winner Is.... Me

My church's silent auction dinner tonight went much better than expected. My expectations were to make around $800 to go toward mission trip. At best I thought we might clear $1000. When it was all said and done we pulled in $1199 and everyone seemed to have a really good time. But having our most successful fundraiser ever isn't the only thing I'm excited about.

Our crown jewel of the auction was two 7-day passes to the Crown Plaza Invitational at the Colonial Country Club. This, of course, is a leg of the PGA tour featuring some of the top golfers in the world. Last years winner Phil Mickelson will be back again this year to defend in what will likely be an exciting tournament. The listed value on the tickets was $360, but I knew they would sell for much lower than that, giving someone a great value. I hoped they would sell for as little as $150 which is the most my mom was willing to spend on them. But when I glanced at the auction sheet in the middle of the night and saw it was already up to $160,I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. After I called the close of the auction, the sheets were collected and brought to me to read off the winners for each price. "Winner of 4 passes to Rave Theaters... Winner of 2 fun family packs at Putt-Putt... Winner of a $25 gift certificate to Mexican Inn..." and so on and so forth. Obviously I would wait until the end to announce the winner of the Colonial tickets, building as much suspense as I could. In fact my plan was to read all of them, except the Colonial tickets and fake as if that was it and I was trying to secretly steal the 7-day passes. But when it came time for my little rouse, I glanced down to see who the winner really was, and I was completely caught off guard by the name I saw. "Carol Howton - $210" I proudly read off the winning name and followed with an enthusiastic, "Thank you mom!"

So now I am the proud owner of two 7-day passes to a PGA event. Of course the main event is Thursday - Sunday, but there is something going on everyday starting Monday, May 25th. Monday and Wednesday both feature a pro-am event, Tuesday is reserved for the pros to practice (which should offer some uncrowded picture taking opportunities), and then Thursday begins the Tournament proper. Initially I thought I would be giving away half of my passes, but as I think about it, this definitely seems worth it to take off work for an entire week. I can easily see myself hanging out for 12 hours a day being a golf groupie... but now the question becomes, which golfer am I going to follow and obsess over?