well as the basketball season rolls along
and the lakers basketball play waxes and wanes
i go through a variety of emotional states as anyone who reads my blog
can clearly see
there is the mature flea (rarely) who sees it all as a growing
experience and appreciates the struggle and the great talent around the
nba
there is the angry frustrated flea who needlessly takes players to task
for having bad games and who is impatient and a finger pointer
that same angry flea who gets mad at lamar or devean or smush or kwame
for having a bad game who couldn't do a darn thing on the court himself
except in his recurring dream where they call him in from the stands
and he dons the purple and gold and comes in to save the day
that same frustrated guy who thinks he knows what he is talking about
from the safety of his living room couch or comfy season ticket seat
that he is so proud of
the guy who complains about substitution patterns but like most
basketball fans only sees the obvious things like a big rebound or who
is scoring points or making flashy assists
and yet questions the decision making of someone who has dedicated
their life to understanding the minute of details and biggest picture
of what makes a basketball team play well
and spends day after day with the players in practice....
the optimistic flea (my favorite) who is positive the lakers are about
to go on a ten game winning streak and have a good chance of winning it
all this year
who can feel the momentum building and see the team making a profound
breakthrough into greatness
who knows they can match up against anyone in the nba when they are on
and they are on baby!
the regular flea who just loves the lakers, knows they have been a
touchstone for sanity in his life for many years and appreciates his
long relationship with them
the guy who really loves the players and wants the best for all of them
then there is the crazy neurotic flea (my least favorite of all) who
thinks that the lakers play actually affects his life
when superstition takes over and if the lakers are winning his life is
going swimmingly
but if they are losing he is certain of impending doom at every turn
and the slightly crazy inoffensive type of crazy flea who listens to
the tv with the sound off or on depending on which might be good luck
and who puts his magic johnson shoe in front of the tv and his chick
hearn bobblehead for good luck
who has his current lakers bobbleheads up front but makes derek
fisher and rick fox stay way in the back and put his shaquille o'neal
bobblehead in the corner facing the wall like the kids at the end of
the blair witch project

basically i have been pretty wrapped up in this lakers thing for some
time

and they are a shoe in to win the championship this year

if smush could just make his freethrows