Page 30 - MN

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Why Yes, I Can Shoot a Jump Shot
For me, the best sports show on TV was Open Court. It had everything. Stories, lots of humor, great inside knowledge, and the beauty is you can still find it on YouTube.
I played basketball in high school and I had no clue how hard you had to practice to be really good. I thought I was practicing a lot but I was doing about 50% of what it would've taken to just be a good high school player. I was at a tiny high school. Grosse Ile High School, on an island in the Detroit River, had about 200 students and was a wonderful school. We had five good basketball players and I wasn't one of them. A smart kid would've learned to dribble with his left hand and shoot jump shots moving in either direction. All I could do decently was rebound. I made the team, but I never played meaningful minutes. Garbage time was my life.
I still watch basketball and I'm a Golden State Warriors fan because I love their style of play. Even now, with their stars injured and a weak lineup, they still move the ball and put out effort. LaBron James is the best player in the league, but I don't care if I ever see a team clear out one side so their star can go one-on-one and score. Boring. My early heroes were Magic Johnson and Larry Bird because they made the players around them better.
You know which old-time comedian did that? Jack Benny. I didn't realize it until I read it somewhere, but on his radio and TV shows, Benny never took the punch lines! You can go back and watch or listen. Everyone's making fun of him, and he's reacting. He was the ultimate comedy team player. How cool is that?
So I know two things about excellence. One, none of us mortal people know how much work you have to put in to be the best in the world. And two, there are people who are the best in the world, but are also selfish and mean-spirited. I don't admire them. I admire talent, skill, and decency. By the way, I don't think LaBron James is mean-spirited or selfish and I guess the Lakers are now playing more team ball but I still like the Warriors.
I wish I knew who the decent golfers are. I'd hate to be rooting for a jerk, but I've probably done it because I just don't have the information. I'm sure there are top golfers out there who are great, thoughtful people, and there are others who are racist, misogynistic bastards, and I know that it will be covered up. Oh well. I solve it by always rooting for underdogs, and never, ever betting on sports. If you love underdogs and bet on sports, you will end up a street person.