As the game is going on I was determined to finally figure out how to use the quick shot on my
digi cam. What do you know, all you have to do is hold down the shoot button and then rapidly press it over and over again. Wow, a lot easier than I thought. Now I’m feelin like a pro, snapping about 400 pics during the first half alone and some beauties of the Raps Dance Pak, sometimes so close together that it looks like a movie because all the screenshots are so similar. After I have my fun it’s now half time and the Raps finally put together a decent 2 min stretch of basketball to pull within 6.During half time the guy beside me and the girl he was there with (I assumed it was some sort of preliminary date, maybe the third they’ve been on together by the looks of their body language and guilty feeling to laugh at each others jokes. I’m no Jerry Seinfeld, but this guy was like a college kid, desperate for a few extra bucks, telling locker room jokes at the local Yuk-Yuks, not the most tasteful to say the least). He turns to me and compliments my camera and photography skills. I humbly thank him, and then the three of us see the MLSE disclaimer about fan behaviour during games start to play on the video scoreboard – they use clips from the show The Office to tell patrons how to act (I LOVE The Office by the way, and if you haven’t watched it go and rent the dvds). Turns out that this guys girl(friend) loves it too. We talk about all the characters, the crazy plot lines, the similarities to the real life office world and other crazy topics for about 5 minutes, this whole time her date is sitting in between us. Being the kind man I am, I leave them to their own company, originally thinking I might be able to scoop her away from him, but I thought “Hey, I’m not here to steal anyone’s girl or get into a fight. I’m here to watch an exciting basketball game.” And that’s what I was going to do. I leave them and revert my attention back to the on-court action.
Did I just say on-court action, I mean sleepfest. The Raps were playing horrible! Couldn’t get the offense to flow, Garbo throwing up crazy shots from 20 ft and the Hornets, without Paul and Peja, start looking like last years squad; hitting a high percentage of shots, getting into the lane at will and pretty much killing the Raps.
They’re showing the NHL All-Star game on the TVs behind us, so my Bro and I are checking it out every few minutes, getting updates on the score, trying to see if it’s worth our time. On a side note, how boring was the skills competition? Was it just me or did it seem like CBC hasn’t moved forward into the 21st century with their telecasts? Where are all the montages of the all-stars showing off their skills throughout the season? Why weren’t they announcing the change when the competition would move from one event to another? Where is the competitive element in the speed skating drill (didn’t they use to have two skaters going head-to-head, but still against the clock, in past comps)? All of these things bothered me. The whole event seemed to be a letdown, poorly organized and executed. As if they were speeding through it all, getting it over in the least amount of time possible with the hidden agenda to make everyone want the season to get going again. "The NHL really has no idea what’s going on right now" I kept saying to myself throughout the show. And if what I heard yesterday is actually true (that even if they keep the Pens in Pitts they might expand the league to 32 teams bringing in KC and another dead market), I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to defend this league anymore. As much as I love hockey, and think many others should, that’s just flat-out stupid, there’s no other way to put it.
My Dad was in town for a meeting the next day, so we told him that we’d swing by after the game and catch the 3rd period from his hotel. Well, after downing our last beer, the Raps are now down 15 and it’s not looking good. My Bro and I have seen this before and now that the pre-game haze was wearing off, the beers settling in and the clock ticking on the All-Star game, we decided that with 5 mins to play we’d make a quick exit, meet Dad for a few and get home reasonable early to chill and relax, all while missing a terrible loss. So we both make a quick stop by the pisser, relieve ourselves, head downstairs and stop by the gift shop because I spot a great deal on a Raps door rug for $20 (down from $70 - I'll save pricing at the ACC for another time) and we exit the building.
What ends up happening? Raps play like garbage for 43 minutes, turn it up once we leave, and
make it back from 15 down. Thankfully we made it to Dad’s hotel room just as Bosh rattles his 3-pointer in to tie the game. After a few free throws and the Hornets finally coming down to earth, we pull out a very gutsy win, and one that this team should assume it should get entering the contest. Mark another one on the board for The Wasylyk Early-Exits-Followed-By-Dramatic-Finish. I’m thinking of starting to chronicle all the games we step out early on and see what kind of winning percentage we have. We’ve already missed the Eckstein walk-off grand slam in extras in St. Louis a few years back, my Dad and Bro 2 left Shea right before Beltran’s heroics against the Cards, after being down 7 runs this past summer, and now this game. Hey, at least we can say we were there, even if it was for only 90% of the game.If the Raps keep this up, they will be good enough not to lose the Atlantic and make the playoffs. I think they will. Mitchell has them playing well, Bosh is back and in full swing with a crazy ferocity, and, like he showed against the Hornets, the willingness to say “This is my game now, we are NOT losing!” and going out and doing it. We haven’t had that since the good VC years, prior to him declaring he’s not dunking anymore and falling down on every other play with a “severe” ankle injury. The rest of the team is finally playing with confidence (which they gained during Bosh’s time on the DL) and they all have the mentality that they are able to contribute which will be why they make it into the playoffs.
Next up for us is Orlando and the Freak-of-Nature Dirty Dozen, Dwight Howard. This time we’ll be staying in our seats for the entirety.
Have a great Friday, everyone.
- JW
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