So I was watching the culmination of the glorious awesomeness that took the form of the Cavaliers 4-0 sweep of the Pistons today when I had a realization.
A whole generation of basketball loving kids is going to grow up in Detroit hating LeBron James. (When I have really important realizations they're usually italicized, by the way.)
Think of that for a moment. These are kids that live in Detroit, so they obviously don't have a whole lot going for them. And to to top it all off they won't get to enjoy the best basketball player of their generation because of deep, churning, visceral bitterness stemming from a series of days like today.
I should know. I was obsessed with the Cavaliers as a child in the 1980s, which were really the dawn of Michael Jordan's dominance. We were able to put together some remarkably talented teams, but always managed to come up short in the playoffs. Like in 1989. "The shot." That's right. "The shot" has its own Wikipedia page. Give it a click. I'll be here when you get back. Allow me to set the scene ... May 7, 1989: Cavs are favored in the series but find themselves down 3-1 at home in the Richfield Coliseum ... You know what, I can't even describe it. Too painful. Still. 2 decades later. Just know that the scene ends with Jordan celebrating and Craig Ehlo crumpled on the floor along with a small but very important piece of my soul. And on that day I started hating Michael Jordan. With the intense, irrational, unadulterated hatred that only a seven year-old-boy with shattered dreams can muster.
And for that reason I was unable to truly enjoy most of Michael Jordan's amazing career. It's a shame this all has to happen again.
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Alas, and such was my childhood hatred of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Dan Marino (yes I know the last is a Dolphin, but they were our arch rivals in the AFC). I like Emmitt better now, only because he has a good smile. I still don't like that he is the top all time rusher. Though topping 18,000 yards is pretty impressive. If only Barry Sanders had played for as long (or had one of the best block-for-rushing offensive lines in NFL history). Alas, these are my experiences. I suppose I need not mention my hatred of the Yankees late nineties as a Braves fan, or my hatred of the Blue Jays early nineties as a Braves Fan. But there you have it anyway. :o)
Oh, I should have stated more explicitly my growing up in Rochester, NY as an impassioned Bills fan.
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