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by The Times-Picayune Wednesday January 30, 2008, 12:00 AM
By Chris Rose
Living columnist
I'm officially on the bus. Or the bandwagon. Or whatever it's called when a
Johnny-come-lately gets stoked with fanatical exuberance and transforms from
indifference to passion in the blink of a Chris Paul crossover.
I am a Hornets fan. Big time. And I am joining the ranks of several of my colleagues
here at this newspaper -- and the many team boosters around the region -- urging you,
too, to get on the bus. Because this bus is bound for glory.
And it might also be bound for another city if more people don't start going to games.
And I never -- ever -- thought I would hear myself say these words but: Having a class
NBA team strikes me as a fine complement for this town.
As a disclaimer, let me state that this column has not been paid for by the Hornets or
any of their affiliates. In fact, I am on the record that professional sports is a generally
costly and corrupt machine, too far gone and invested in the fat cats' pockets to be
fixed, made pure, made whole, made good again.
But it is what it is and there is still joy to be mined from its administrations, still a thrill
to be witnessed in its execution, still inspiration to be found in its protagonists, still
room in my world for locker room heroes.
And apparently there is still enough magic in it to cause otherwise cynical newspaper
columnists to lose perspective and wax purple, to believe in the power of the home
team crowd and the bonding (and healing) power of common interests.
OK, maybe I'm just drunk on honey, stung by the fever, got a case of the hives.
Because I love this team. I really love this team.
And you might have already heard this part, but: They're good. They're very, very good.
Thirty-two wins and 12 losses good. Second-best record in the NBA good.
I took my kids to their first game last Friday night. I got five of us in the door of an NBA
ballgame for under a hundred dollars, which is, in the inflated economics of professional
sports, a steal. And the price included a "free" hot dog, chips and soda.
And when we walked in, all my kids were given free David West jerseys and those really
annoying inflatable clapper things, so I was off the hook for buying concessions. And
there were free entertainment stations all over the place for face painting, temporary
tattoos, balloon sculptors, caricatures and other kid-friendly diversions and activities.
http://www.nola.com/living/index.ssf/2008/01/chris_rose_time_to_back_those.html
lus-un2:
By Chris Rose
Living columnist
I'm officially on the bus. Or the bandwagon. Or whatever it's called when a
Johnny-come-lately gets stoked with fanatical exuberance and transforms from
indifference to passion in the blink of a Chris Paul crossover.
I am a Hornets fan. Big time. And I am joining the ranks of several of my colleagues
here at this newspaper -- and the many team boosters around the region -- urging you,
too, to get on the bus. Because this bus is bound for glory.
And it might also be bound for another city if more people don't start going to games.
And I never -- ever -- thought I would hear myself say these words but: Having a class
NBA team strikes me as a fine complement for this town.
As a disclaimer, let me state that this column has not been paid for by the Hornets or
any of their affiliates. In fact, I am on the record that professional sports is a generally
costly and corrupt machine, too far gone and invested in the fat cats' pockets to be
fixed, made pure, made whole, made good again.
But it is what it is and there is still joy to be mined from its administrations, still a thrill
to be witnessed in its execution, still inspiration to be found in its protagonists, still
room in my world for locker room heroes.
And apparently there is still enough magic in it to cause otherwise cynical newspaper
columnists to lose perspective and wax purple, to believe in the power of the home
team crowd and the bonding (and healing) power of common interests.
OK, maybe I'm just drunk on honey, stung by the fever, got a case of the hives.
Because I love this team. I really love this team.
And you might have already heard this part, but: They're good. They're very, very good.
Thirty-two wins and 12 losses good. Second-best record in the NBA good.
I took my kids to their first game last Friday night. I got five of us in the door of an NBA
ballgame for under a hundred dollars, which is, in the inflated economics of professional
sports, a steal. And the price included a "free" hot dog, chips and soda.
And when we walked in, all my kids were given free David West jerseys and those really
annoying inflatable clapper things, so I was off the hook for buying concessions. And
there were free entertainment stations all over the place for face painting, temporary
tattoos, balloon sculptors, caricatures and other kid-friendly diversions and activities.
http://www.nola.com/living/index.ssf/2008/01/chris_rose_time_to_back_those.html
lus-un2: