Re: Thoughts

["R. Bentz Kirby" <bocelts@usit.net>]

Gene Kirkpatrick wrote:

> 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.

You know Gene, you take me back to about 1968 or so, when my Dad worked
for a YMCA and we lived three houses down the street.  On Sundays, when
the Y was closed, I would let myself into the Y, go into the gym with a
ball and spend hours imagining myself as the Celtics vs. the 76ers or
Lakers.  When it came down to the final shot, I was usually Russell making
the shot to win over Wilt.  That was my dream.

Now short white guys don't play a lot unless they got game, and I didn't
have it.  So, I ran track instead and that got me a college education.
So, I made the right decision to quit basketball and run track.  But, for
the life of me, I can not understand how a man with the talent of Antoine
Walker or Tony Battie, would not be working on his game all year, driving
himself to win a championship.  How can you be that close to my dream and
not work to make it come true.  It eludes me to wonder how they can not
want it.

I guess when you get too much too young, it is too easy to let it get
away.  Maybe they need to bring in the Marvin Barnes of the world instead
of the Bill Russell's so they can see that without that drive or pride,
you end up forgotten.

I wish I could tansmit my desire to those guys, so they would take it
seriously.

I believe that Griffin will be fine next year after a rest this summer.
But he is the only one that needs a rest.


--

Bentz Kirby
bocelts@usit.net
http://www.public.usit.net/bocelts/