I Ought To Be A Reporter

I ought to be a reporter. Check this out. So my last blog entry was about Cleveland, right? And I talked a bunch about how we’re a great town because of Cleveland sports. Well, check out the above-the-fold article on the front page of today’s Plain Dealer (the local Cleveland paper, for those of you not from around here).

Maybe it’s just in the air. I’d sue, but c’mon, what Clevelander is not thinking about the same thing right now. Even as I sit here writing, we’re down by three with 4:23 left in the game. Okay, down by 1. This is too much. I can feel a contraction coming on (okay, not really; I think the kid’s just stretching).

When I was on bed rest during my last pregnancy, bed rest that was imposed because I kept having early contractions (tie game, 3:15 to go), I would often play this silly game (up by 1!) on the Merriam Webster website called Fowl Words, where you are shown eight or nine letters (you’d think I’d know by now), each in an “egg”, and you have to make up as many words as possible from the given letters in the time given. You make wagers as to how many words you’ll make, and get more points if you find longer words (and there’s only one word using all the letters). Argh. Down by 2, 36 seconds left. Not looking good for our heroes.

Anyhow, I played the game once after my son was born, and I suddenly realized how relaxing it was to play the game without contractions. Apparently, the tension from the game (and that was just a silly computer game, not game 6 of the NBA playoffs) made me tense up enough to cause contractions. Maybe that’s why instead of totally getting into the game right now, I’m writing. 1.4 seconds left, we’re down by 3, LeBron will take 2 shots at the free-throw line. How is this still close?

I have to confess that for a long time now, I’ve believed that the NBA is fixed. We lost. And I have to say, cynic that I am, that since these games generate a lot of money - in ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, television commercials, what else am I missing here? – of course it would go to seven games. Think drama. Sports are the ultimate drama (I think I saw that on a commercial on TNT). Two antagonists, teams with opposite goals, a fixed amount of time, rules everyone understands. The story is so well known (which is often the case with novels, and perhaps explains why people keep reading novels, too), yet people watch game after game after game to see how it ends. And, of course, the true fan wants to read the whole book, not just skip to the end – the Sports section of the paper – to see how it ends.

So why would I say, even as the Cavs are doing so well, that the NBA is fixed? Well, here’s my theory. Superstars are good for the sport. The big plays, while also generating great clips for the sports reels, make money. Stars get contracts with Nike, Reebok, Gatorade, or other companies that air commercials during games. I previously suspected (haven’t watched many games in quite a while – except the Cavs, so I can’t claim this is still true; or, for that matter, if it ever was) that rules were different for the superstars. I mean, can they really pull off those incredible dunks without traveling?

And then LeBron joined the Cavs. And Usher co-owns it. And I think, finally! Finally, we have superstar-power and will finally stand a chance to make it to the next level. And what do you know, here we are. Now, in game five, we did get called for traveling, and we did miss some easy basic shots, but the drama was there. And we did win it. But when you see basic mistakes, and your team still wins, don’t you kind of wonder if it’s really well earned? I do, anyhow.

My husband, bitterly, had to work during tonight's game to cover for someone who was supposed to work at the game. I tried to make him feel better.

“On the bright side,” I told him, “we’re probably going to lose and you’ll be able to watch game seven.”

Okay, I’ll admit that doesn’t sound like much of a bright side, or like something a true fan would say. But perhaps this conspiracy theory is simply a defense mechanism (like writing during a game) to keep me from getting too emotionally into the game, like I can in a good book that I find myself reading late into the night, much later than I had hoped to go to sleep, just wanting to – having to – get to the end once and for all and see how it turns out instead of just reading a chapter or a quick few pages before going to sleep.

All I know is, even if the NBA is fixed, it’s okay. I’ll play along. Because finally, it seems to be fixed in our favor (if not this year, then some year soon). But then again, maybe that’s what all sports fans think.