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Friday, June 22, 2012

Unsolicited Sports Commentary

http://rabenteuerlich.tumblr.com/post/25642280226



The Thunder lost to the Heat last night (or early this morning, I guess) in the NBA Finals. Everyone back at home (OKC) was pretty much flipping their shit through the playoffs and the finals pretty much goes coo-coo bananas anytime there's a game. It's been this way since the team moved to town four years ago.

And when I say everyone, I mean...everyone.

Here's my Aunt Helen. with her official James Harden beard.


My aunt is the one on the left. It's chameleon-like, really.

Several thousand Thunder fans gathered at the airport to welcome the team back from Miami and to tell them that it's ok that they lost, because the city is still behind them.

And it's true, the city has wanted a professional sports team (any kind of professional sports team). Remember that time that we "hosted" (and then subsequently tried to gank) the New Orlean's Hornets after Hurricane Katrina? And that was just one example. Whenever the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, et. al. would be on the look out for home for some new expansion team...it became a BFD in OKC.

Unfortunately, Seattle was the city that ended up letting their guard down and I guess, in the end, learned the hard way precisely why Oklahoma is called "The Sooner State".

I've never been an extreme (barely even moderate) practitioner of local patriotism, but not being there in the thick of things, I can't really say how I would have acted. Maybe I would be swept up with Thunder-fever as well. I did get that shirt from my brother Remy. Maybe I'd have a bunch of shirts and go to every home game. Maybe I'd spam the shit out of my friends' Facebook walls before and after every game.

Maybe I'd have a party by myself at home like Aunt Helen and be all adorable and Trinidadian about it. Ok, maybe not that...but when I read the following update, I totally heard it in my head as her thickly accented voice:


Translated:

Well, I think it's great that the OKC Thunder won. I've never watched a game all the way through from the beginning. Tonight, while I was cooking, I had the TV on in the kitchen. The TVs in the bedroom and living room were on as well. I was just partying, praying and cooking. I hadn't planned on cooking, but I found a few things and threw them together. I was slightly louder than I intended to be, but I had a great time.

My gut feeling tells me that I'd most likely avoid the hype. Right now, I’m mostly just glad that I’ve got one annoying/large sports competition out of the way…and one to go (looking at you Euro 2012).

I feel completely ambivalent about the Olympics.

1 comment:

mofo from do said...

thanks for the translation