All Heart

I tried to watch some of the recent NBA playoffs and I just couldn't. I'm sure this generation (did I use the word generation?) has some fine players but ever since 1996 the league and the sport have slid off my radar screen.

Why don't I care? Because they don't anymore. Show me the money screw everyone else should be the new NBA tag line. When I lived in NY it was the best time ever to be a fan. My beloved NY Knicks had two awesome rivals in the Pacers and the Bulls. I know Michael Jordan was the man at the time but he wasn't my hero. I liked him and I had the opportunity to watch him play as a Bull twice in Madison Square Garden, and lose twice. No doubt Jordan helped bring the NBA to new heights but without worthy opponents and players who never gave up Mike would not have looked so good. My NBA hero was just such a man. His name is John Starks.

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John worked his way into the league. Junior colleges and minor league teams helped create this special player. Between seasons he packed groceries and did other odd jobs. No golden child for sure but I fear he is quickly being forgotten, replaced by high school super-stars and spoiled men who act as if the fans don't matter. John wasn't the best player but he had more heart and guts than anyone in the league today. Even in the heart breaking defeat to the Houston Rockets John went down shooting and shooting and shooting. At the time I screamed at the TV, Pat Riley needed to take him out. But Pat left him in because John had the heart of a champion and if anyone could "get hot" and save the day it was John. He had done it before and he could do it again. That was the magic of his game. His intensity and drive was the same whether he was "en fuego" or "cool as the other side of pillow".

John's Official Bio http://www.johnstarks.com/johnstarks.html

His game was like life. When he won he won big and we all cheered. When he lost we cried and looked forward to the next game. Maybe that was John's gift. Jordan was a machine, when he played he won, but when he lost there was always a reason why. Please, no one is supposed to win all the time. John Starks had his ups and downs like the rest of us. Ya know some days we are not just on our game, fact of life. Some days you crash and burn, some days you face down a rival, some days you are the savior, and some days you are the asshole. This brought the game into my world. This made it something I could relate to and so I became a super-fan. During the season I adjusted my work schedule to see home games and I subscribed to the NBA league pass so I could watch the away games. My old friend and roommate was a Bulls fan but he too liked John Starks because of the heart he showed on the court and on the bench. As long as there was time on the clock there was a game to be played.

This is what the NBA is missing today. I don't know anyone who can actually relate to these guys (LA and the Lakers exception invoked) with their bad attitudes, bad behavior, and bad sportsmanship. Dope smokers, date rapists, gun toting drunks, and spoiled assholes make up a good portion of the league today. So I keep my dollars and try to make sense of the people who still subsidize these jerk knots.

John Starks was someone I could actually relate to and so I could make the jump and feel part of the team. I felt the losses; I reveled in the wins and most of all I felt empowered by the guy who played bigger than his size. When you play like that there is no shame in occasionally stumbling or failing. The important part was showing up the next day or game more prepared and focused. When you learn to lose you are finally ready to win. Winning is much more than a "W", it is an attitude. So here's to my guy John Starks, the little guy who gave Jordan the facial and showed me that anyone can be great by shear force of will. Number three thank you.

John has released his biography John Starks: My Life

Peace,
Sean