Re: Warming to Walker

[Theresa Lee <tjoyce@mit.edu>]

I was at the game on Friday night ....YES! Nice selection for my first game
of the year. The sequence with Walker guarding Hardaway was unbelievable!!
He talked to him the whole time, shaking his head, getting REAL low and
telling Timmy boy "keep that you know what out of here!" TOUGHNESS backed
up by ACTION. I watched it in person and then over and over on tape.

After the game Antoine spoke to the crowd when Willie May interviewed him.
It was hard to hear him 'cause the crowd was still buzzing. After he was
interviewed, he had to run the gaunlet among a large group of well-wishers.
It was sweet. It was like the 80's.

So I also went to the game on Monday night (Pacers) and sat behind a
potential Walker "boo-bird." We got talking and he was badmouthing Antoine
and I started asking him if he'd seen him play lately, etc. He admitted he
hadn't paid attention lately, called Antoine a punk, etc. I told him that
Walker was changing and he shouldn't be so down on him. I figure this guy
is a typical fan. Takes in a few games a year, doesn't follow them
day-to-day, believes what Bob Ryan writes. Just an anecdote about who the
boo-birds may be (someone referred to them as yuppies, etc).

I also attended the game w/ a guy who remembers when Larry Bird was
introduced to the crowd as the Celtics draft pick. He represents another
type of fan who grew up with all of the championships and can't stand this
team. He was ranting about Vitally AFTER the game (25pts, 16 rbds) and how
he sucked at Center and that the Celtics should go out and get Vin Baker.
He also admitted to not following the NBA that closely. Well, I do follow
NBA basketball and most casual fans base their opinions on the latest
popular thing to say (AW is a punk and we should get Vin Baker). Yikes!

I guess the stands are filled with the many and varied and there is no one
profile of a fan. AW would exhaust himself trying to please all of those
disparate attitudes so he should play for his team, teammates and coach.

The fans just aren't that smart anymore, if they ever were. How hard is it
to root for Larry Bird?

TJL


>On Mon, 19 Apr 1999, j.hironaka@unesco.org wrote:
>
>> But if it bothers "traditional fans" so much, maybe Toine should cut it out.
>> I actually think he is slowly adopting to Boston (a small town after
>>all). By
>> the same token, I think Boston fans are starting to recognize that Antoine
>> has a lot of decency and character compared to his peers (Marbury, Iverson
>> etc.) Or at least I think they should recognize this. We are fair people.
>
>Hear, hear.  I certainly was turned off by Antoine's gyrations and other
>forms of celebration, along with the occasional stupid statement to the
>press.  But his supporters on this list kept me from writing him off and
>I've slowly warmed to him over the last year or so.  I still *hate* it
>when he wiggles when the ball is still in play, it doesn't bother me
>nearly as much after a foul (i.e. he makes the hoop and a foul is called).
>
>This summer is a crucial time for him, and I hope he meets one objective:
>show up next year in shape.  If he does that, everything else will take
>care of itself.
>
>Dan