Thoughts

["Gene Kirkpatrick" <gkir@tjc.tyler.cc.tx.us>]

I appreciate the report about one of our players (it was Battie if you
missed it) with limo, with entourage of women, with cigar, all the
trappings of wealth, and who knows what else.  I think this mentality
indicates what's lacking in our club and countless others.  These guys
grew up just like we did--sneaking into the gym over the weekends,
instinctively loving the swish of the net, dribbling around imaginary
stiffs to lay it in the hoop, following heros named Cousy, Russell,
Dr. J.--except many of them came from poverty that we can't well
imagine.  Their dreams of the big show likely hurt their college teams
as they preened themselves toward stardom and longed for the
individual glory that awaited them.

And, now that they have the dream and the (false) glory and the
millions of dollars, they don't have the balance from which to
sacrifice.  They talk about team and about titles and doing what it
takes to win, but then they exit the gym to their seven figure
lifestyle. It's all so fine.  But sacrifice ain't sacrifice when you
walk off the court and don't care again til the next time the team
loses a game.

Oh well.  I'm supposed to be teaching somebody somewhere.  

Gene