Did You Miss Me?

Cuz I sure as balls missed you all. All five of you.

Here is whats happening: I'm over loaded with writing again this term. I'm gonna try and write whenever possible, but right now it's not. So yeah, this is getting brutal. I wish I could con someone into filling in for me right now.

Maybe I can. We'll see if I can swing that.

Until then, if I write something, I'll post it on twitter. Follow me for updates @bad_belvin.

Reflecting on Roy

I had to write a 250 (ish) word article on an event that I witnessed that was covered in the news. I was at Game 4 last year, where Roy borrowed Patty Mills meniscus's and took Shawn Marion to the hole.

So in the spirit of my neglection of this blog, and the fact that Basketball has been back for 3 weeks and I haven't spoke word one yet, I'll post this piece.

Enjoy:

ESPN referred to Brandon Roy’s comeback performance in Game 4 of the 2011 playoffs as ‘one of the greatest comebacks ever’. They followed up the story in typical fashion, by going around the horn of the ESPN universe to gauge the reaction. The next day, they moved on.

ESPN, a national Sports Network, is often accused of showing a bias towards big markets stories. Had it been LeBron James who battled injuries to erase a 22 point deficit, they would’ve handled it like election coverage. Which isn’t necessarily a fault. In their perspective it makes sense: a story revolving around New York is going to draw more attention than one about Portland.

My perspective remains different. As someone who was part of the sold out, April 23^rd Rose Garden crowd, I remember it as watching a miracle unfold before me. In my mind, I was watching Kurt Gibson’s home run. It was seeing Willis Reid emerge from the tunnel at Madison Square Garden. It was the hand of God reaching down from the Heavens and curing leprosy.

For casual observers, this might sound like a dramatic over-sell. But not for those who were there. Not for those who watched a lethargic Blazer squad enter the 4^th quarter down 18 points. Not for those fans who for months were told that Roy’s career, due to two meniscus less knees, was in basketball Hospice.

I can’t imagine ever forgetting that game. I will savor the details like prized heirlooms. Roy’s go ahead shot over Shawn Marion, the roar of the crowd. The taste of blood in my mouth after my voice left me.

ESPN gave the comeback credit, but they didn’t understand what it meant for us there. The next day they moved on. Nine months later, I’m still there.