GLORIOUS SPRING
Spring blooms spray the hills rolling to the Pacific behind Cayucos California.
A wind chime serenades.
A box set. Hemingway and Joy ready for a snooze.
CONFESSIONS OF A BASKETBALL JUNKIE
It's tough now. The Big Dance is over, the confetti has been swept away. It ended well, one of the most competitive and hard fought games in the history of the men's championships, but that makes it tougher, the withdrawal harder.
When Villanova's Kris Jenkins left fly a three point buzzer beater, basketball fans were in ecstasy. North Carolina and Villanova had spent 39 minutes and 58 seconds of extraordinary athletic and emotional effort. After a month of tourney play when 66 other teams had failed to get to the summit, that a game could come down to a final shot with two seconds left is an exhilaration stupendous.
But now it's over. No more Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays of back to back games. That unique harmonic rush of arenas full of thousands cheering, balls and shoes on hardwood, rims rattling, the CBS sports theme, announcers and analysts who become like friends and neighbors no longer fill the sound scape.
Growing up in Indiana, home of Hoosiers, and the Hoosiers, Bulldogs, Boilermakers, Cardinals and Fighting Irish this guy fell in love with the game. We started playing in the second and third grade. High School basketball is a thing of legend the world knows because of the above mentioned Hoosiers. But college basketball is my addiction and that jones is fevered during March. It is indeed a madness, but April brings the hard comedown.
I get mildly interested in the NBA playoffs but it is somehow different, less passionate and without the same buzz. My daughters remind me some of their happy family memories include the almost festive air of the home during basketball season, the aroma of chili, or pizza or chicken wings, or burgers in the air with that hypnotic audio mix of a game on the tv and dad and mom in varying states of enthusiasm or despair. Now we must wait another year as we rehab and withdraw.
But there are sports classic channels and youtube. And course there is tennis, which conveniently fills the calendar. I love tennis. I no longer play basketball, but I play tennis and I love to watch it. The Opens and the Slams are great, but it is oh so quiet and there are no last second shots!
See you down the trail.
A great Indiana film would star Dennis Hopper as a drug addled coach, who goes to rehab, gets clean and coaches his high school team to a State championship in Moto Cross...call it "Easy Hoosiers"
ReplyDeleteBTW, did you know those Cayucos bluffs have lots and streets platted on them? A throwback to a development scam in the 30's.
Angelo Pizzo, an IU graduate wrote Hoosiers. He returned to Indiana so he could coach his kids as they grew up.
DeleteThey seemed to have reached a max build out now in Cayucos, preserving miles of those rolling foothills of the Santa Lucias.
And now there's baseball. 'Course the long awaited debut of the Diamondbacks' 200+ million dollar acquisition didn't work out so well last night. Zach Greinke gave up six runs and lost the season opener 10 to 5!
ReplyDeleteI have only a mild interest in baseball. I played it as a kid and my little league trophy is a prize possession still. Since moving to California I've become more engaged, as result of local friends who are all baseball nuts. I'm a Giants fan, though we have Dodger, Padres and Mets boosters in our coffee house crowds. There are also a few other Giants boosters, but no Diamondback supporters.
Delete'Twas an amazing final game! I'm with you, nothing quite like March Madness. Now it's baseball. Was hoping to listen to/watch Vin Scully in his final season, like I've done for 40+ years, but the powers that be have refused to compromise. I can still listen to the radio which is how I always did in years past. With baseball it's almost better when he's announcing. He paints a mighty fine picture for his listeners. The voice of summer...
ReplyDeleteScully is a legend. Even if you don't care about baseball, listening to him is a pleasure. Pat Summerall was that way as well. They really don't make 'em like that any more.
DeleteI always look forward to your wonderful photographs. They're a feast for the eyes and make me feel happy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephen, that is a lovely compliment. There is so much beauty around here, all I have to do is point and shoot.
DeleteBut there is BASEBALL!!! And remember that a great print journalist once wrote that "TIME BEGINS ON OPENING DAY."
ReplyDeleteAnd the Giants opened nicely!
ReplyDeleteLarry and I have a tradition of taking our big TV outside and watching all of March Madness on our deck (with a nice fire pit burning if/when it's cold). Needless to say, our screams and cheers keep our neighbors up until the wee hours of the night -- but we know they're all inside doing the same! I'm with you on the withdrawals. This year was as good as it gets!
ReplyDeleteFinally, props for the wonderful photos. Just when I think the green mountains can't be beat, you add that box of cats! Spectacular! See you soon in Cali!!
That's a great tradition!
ReplyDeleteHemingway and Joy are no end of chuckles for us. Their love of boxes is always good for a laugh.
Looking forward to catching up with you out here. It's green this spring.
Ciao