I've spent the last 15 seasons agonizing over Fox, Wesley, Radja, Walker & Pierce, and what they meant for our bleak playoff chances. I've suffered through the worst of the Celtics. I am a Greenie..a C's fan that grew up in the shadows of 16 Championship Banners that have cast shadows over my meaningless fandom. I am 26 and I was 4 the last time we had raised the last Banner. I have a beautiful girlfriend that has been with me since Beckett shut out the Yankees in Game 6 of the '03 Series...and yes-sadly I remember-that was the exact day. Why she is with me? I have truly no idea. And yes, I am a maniacal fan that remembers everything according to sporting events. I remember my pin codes by combo's of players' numbers...Mike Lowell-Stephen Neal. My girlfriend and my 3 year old son know how Cassell is Antoine Walker Lite... They have heard me say countless times that Rondo WILL BE BETTER than Tony Parker. They know this as fact. And it's not until this season, have I gained a sense of reason-a maturity I guess most normal people would call it. I would constantly question why I invest so much emotionally to this team-or any team for that matter. A Sonny from A Bronx Tale type of thinking- what have these people ever done for me? I honestly don't know if any of you have experienced this type of thinking. That is my reason for posting this... to find out. Yet, because of these Finals, I finally realized why I do it.
Imagine what it's like turning on the radio or tv and hearing how bad you are at what you do. Imagine hearing how you constantly fail in the clutch, how you're not a leader, how you can't knock down an open jumper, how you can't out coach Craig T. Nelson or making a trade that you knew would take a while to bear fruit...or having to hear $#!% for it. How you passed on the Rookie of the Year. Imagine getting trashed for your defense while you are trying to decide which entree has more fat calories...for the sake of the team. Imagine brushing off the seat next to you on the bandwagon...you know...cause you're actually a good person. Obvoiusly, anybody that has endured this type of crap knows what it is like to be $#!% on.
It had finally dawned on me why this is so important. Why it means so much to so many. It's a revelation only deserved for those fans who have experienced a Championship and have gone through Cellar Dwellar Hell. The reason why I love it so much is because of the experience. Living vicariously through these tormented people. Those who have gone through the wringer and back. It's a force that unifies people from all different ages and nationalities. And it's the motivating power behind an apologetically corny post. It's our excuses for acting completely irrational. It's our reason for talking to that person that you normally wouldn't talk to. It's a reason to go wild. It's a reason to be euphoric for a moment. And for some...like me...it's a reason to shed a tear shamelessly. I thank the Celtics. I thank this Blog. And most of all, I thank the likes of Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Cowens, Heinsohn, Allen, Garnett and Pierce.
Topic: Why it matters so much.... (Read 1093 times)