for the love of the game

I finally got my hands on Bill Simmons' book yesterday. I read Malcom Gladwell's intro (with a hilarious line I'll go over later), which talked about why Bill is who he is, followed by the prologue and the first chapter. About 60-70 pages total read.

In yet another another "Danny Glover, you right" moment, I got really sleepy and tired around midnight and had to go stop reading and go to bed. In my younger days, like, 18 months ago, I would have stayed up and read at least 300 pages before I called it a night. Then I'd sleep for 3 hours and the next day I'd be fine assuming I have enough AC/DC through the ears, coffee through the mouth, and soul through the wire.

After the prologue, my initial reaction was "this isn't as funny as I had expected". I wasn't thinking that in a bad way though. The prologue was more than just comedy. It was...human.

Bill opens the book telling us why he is who he is and why he loves basketball so much. He tells us his history: his father got a tax return in 1973 and wanted to buy a motorcycle. Mrs Simmons refused. So he spent the money on Celtics season tickets. It just so happened that was the year everything clicked for the Dave Cowens Celtics teams and they won the championship. They'd win two of the next three, in fact. Bill, at age 6 or 7, spent 35-40 nights a season with his dad at Boston Garden and witnessed the action up close and personal. Bill tells us how that was before a time when all the athletes cared about were money, bling, and crap. They played with passion, they played with heart. The league, not yet hit by all the stigma for being um, hip hop, were rough and physical.

Then, he tells us how he and his father hoped and prayed the Celtics land Larry Bird after Cowen's reign ended. He tells us what it was like to see your team land a top five player, one of the most transcendent athletes ever, of all time and follow his entire career. He equates that to winning the life lottery--you don't win money, but you win plenty of memories.

The Cs upgraded the Simmons' season tickets to near the tunnel in the 80s, and that's when he first interacted with many a basketball players via high fives and 7 second conversations. Bill tells us he loved basketball and the league so much he wanted to be Black (something that may sound ridiculous to HKers but most Americans who loved ball all thought that at one point or another. I tried to grow a fro just a couple of years ago)

After Bird retired in 92, the Celtics spiraled into mediocrity for the next 16 years (except that one year The Truth and Toine went to the ECF). Bill tells us how his dad, tired of seeing unmotivated spoiled athletes lose games, thought about not renewing season tickets several times this decade. But the elder Simmons could never do it--he loved the team too much.

In 2007, with two potential "once-a-decade player" (Oden and Durant) about to enter the draft, the Celtics shamefully tanked away the 2007 season in order for a better shot to land either the 1st or 2nd pick. The Celtics, despite having the highest odds to land the 1st pick, ended up with the fifth pick. A worthless pick in a two-man draft.

All hope seems lost for the elder Simmons...when out ofthe blue, the Celtics landed Ray JESUS SHUTTLEWORTH Allen and Kevin Garnett in a trade. Suddenly the Cs were contenders.

Still, Bill and father didn't want to get their hopes up, they figured the Cs would take a year or two to gel. They gave the team a three year window to win.

But the Cs won it all the first year. And given KG's knee, the three stars's age, and the dillution of the league, it's not unlikely that this Celtics core is done--they won't be winning anymore. So for Bill Simmons, the 2008 title was yet another championship moment shared with his father, only this time, given the elder Simmons' age, it may be the last.

"I'm just glad I witnessed the Celtics win once more before I go," the dad was quoted saying in an article last year.

So yeah. This 700 page book of basketball will give me--and the millions of Simmons fans aroundt he world--what we love about Simmons' articles:

1: insightful, opinionated basketball talk that is aimed to start arguments

2: obscure ass random pop culture references that connects basketball with professional wrestling or Rocky Balboa, or Saved by the Bell, or The Departed

3: cheapshots at every Lakers, most notably Kobe and Kareem

and most importantly...

Heart. Passion. And why sports matters.

I've long been proud of my ultra passionate geek attitude towards all things I love. Other cats usually look at me like I'm weird because I get so passionate about basketball, or a movie, or a band, or a book. But I believe that being passionate about what you like--and what you do--is important to being happy. You have to let it be known that you love something. You must be willing to defend your point of view or argue to the death about your favorite anything. It doesn't have to be just movies, or an album. It could be anything. The point is--you can't be apathetic. If you like something--let the world know and share the love. There are others out there who are just as crazy about it as you are.

Bill Simmons loves sports. Detractors may argue that sports ultimately don't matter in the world and that there are more important issues at hand to worry about. But really that's not for anyone to say. Sports is the only thing that matters in his world.