Thursday, September 4, 2008
So here’s my Mario Chalmers story. You may have heard that Chalmers reportedly got busted at the NBA’s annual transition program — basically rookie orientation — for smoking marijuana — reefers, as they say in that one Sublime song. So I figure today is as good as any for telling the Morning Brew’s Mario Chalmers story.
It was a few days after the national championship. Just a hundred hours or so after Mario Chalmers had become immortal. I was lucky enough to be sitting just a few feet away from the Alamodome court. And I hate the saying, “time stood still,” because obviously time can never stand still, and people who use such trite phrases are just poor writers who can’t think of anything else to say. But I’m telling you, that for those seven seconds, those few ticks when Sherron Collins brought the ball up the court, it did.
Collins moved up the court, slow at first, then faster. He moved right, torqued his body sideways and started to fall. Then time started again. Chalmers ended up with the ball, moved to his left and floated a shot, a miracle parabola heading skyward. And time stopped again. And that was it. I was 21, only a college junior, and I had seen the greatest shot in Kansas history from 35 feet away.
But that’s not the story. A few days later, Lawrence was trying to shift back into some form of normalcy. The Kansan was offering free editions of the Championship Kansan to anyone who wasn’t able to pick up a copy the day after the game. A lanky kid walked up to The Kansan business office counter to pick up a Kansan. He had on sweats, his hat was slightly askew. He mumbled something to the person behind the counter.
“Umm, I don’t have my ID, but can I get a paper?” Then the kid grabbed a paper and left. Mario Chalmers needed a Kansan, too.
Fantasy Football Ramblings
So what’s worse? Hearing people talk about their fantasy football team or actually spending two hours doing a live fantasy football draft? I did the latter the other day. And I’ve got to be honest, when I was done, I sat back and thought, ‘I just spent two hours pondering if Donald Driver or Bernard Berrian would be a better fourth wide receiver.’
I’ve got to admit, there’s something romantic about 12 dudes sitting in a room, talking football, analyzing the Eagles’ defense. But it’s also a little weird. And when you’re done, you feel a little empty inside.
But here’s what I wonder about fantasy football. How much bigger can it get? I think about the World Series of Poker, beanie babies, pogs, grunge music, all these fads from my childhood. Eventually they all faded from the top of the pop culture mountain. Don’t get me wrong, fantasy football’s obviously not a fad. But eventually fantasy football has to reach a tipping point. Eventually people will get tired of randomly drafting football players and keeping up with their stats, right? Right? Maybe I’m dead wrong. Maybe I just want those damn two hours back.
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