Boring Athletes
I've just had the displeasure of reading a stupid column on SI.com where an apparently bored writer decided to scour U.S. sports for the most boring athletes. Among the lot included Tiger Woods, Kurt Warner, Mia Hamm (soccer, look her up) and Pete Sampras. Who topped the list? Tim Duncan.
What do these athletes have in common? In my extremely humble opinion, they have the ability to wow spectators and opponents with sheer talent. They exhibit the utmost repsect for their chosen field of play and they're the ones who win and lose graciously. About Duncan, the writer said, " ... But at least the Lakers' O'Neal has some flair about him. At least he can get a little mean once in a while.At least Shaq is fun to watch. Don't get us wrong. Duncan is good. Real good. But, all in all, we'd rather have Shaq over for dinner." Actually, I absolutely do not want Shaquille O'Neal over for dinner. And I didn't think "fun" was an emotion to be had in watching sports. If I wanted to have fun, I'd go to *ucking Disneyland. Actually, that wouldn't be fun for me. We all come to sports for different reasons. But I personally would rather watch players on my teams have class (like the Spurs did when they didn't jump up and down for joy at defeating the Lakers and Mavericks). It's not about grandstanding. It's not about being the most popular or making the most fantastic dunk. It's about playing basketball. They called David Robinson boring, too. And he's leaving he NBA after a stellar career with the respect (most likely) of every single basketball player who came before him, played with him, and will come after him. So Shaq can continue to dunk and look at his hands in awe. I noticed he was trying to perfect his bank shot -- a shot nearly perfected by Duncan.
Shaq's game may work for most, but it doesn't work for me. Thank you for allowing me to express my frustration. I get very sensitive when the Spurs are involved. I'm a little nervous about the finals. But I'll be watching every excruciating moment. I couldn't write a better story: 02/03 Coach of the Year (Gregg Popovitch); 02/03 MVP (Tim Duncan); and David Robinson's last season. Let's all join in the good vibes toward San Antonio, shall we? I wonder if there are tickets left. Hmmmmm.
I got some sun today before the skies opened and the thunder rolled. Debbie came over tonight and she brought a friend who is visiting from Madrid. It was fun. I fear that I will have no good stories for the summer -- no flatulent professors, no ignorant classmates. Maybe when the weather gets better and I start walking the streets of NY things will happen. I'm still waiting to run into Nicole Kidman. I have faith.
