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The All Star Game be damned...

Several days ago I received a text message from my good friend Connor inquiring of my plans next Tuesday... Now he is a fellow photographer and good friend so usually these rather innocuous text's meant something about a photoshoot or lunch at our favorite spot, the quasi-vintage restaurant the NoHo Diner (as in North Hollywood Diner). "I don't know, might have basketball... why whats up?" I respond, hoping to quell the mysterious inquiry quickly. To my surprise he really had something up his sleeve this time. This guy had tickets to the MLB All Star Game in Anaheim and wanted me to go with him... Wow right? But much to his surprise (or shock), I merely dismissed the rather scrumptious invitation by saying "only if I don't have basketball". This, surely, dumbfounded him. "Don't worry about it I will take someone else"...

The following day I found out we were indeed scheduled to play Tuesday evening (around the time the All Star Game would be inching toward the late innings). And interestingly enough we were set to play a Team we haven't defeated for as long as I can remember. Sort of like the L.A. Lakers 5 year losing streak at the Rose Garden in Portland. In fact save for the last time we faced off losing by a tantalizing single point, the rest were truly truly embarrassing... This was a true foreboding sign because we have had a slow start and was in desperate need of a win (or at least 3 out of the last 4 games of the season) to have a chance at making the playoffs. Perhaps an easy decision for many guys particularly Baseball Fans like myself (and besides I play in three different leagues), but clearly I do not take these trivial Basketball Leagues lightly. I hate losing and there was no way in hell I was going to miss the opportunity to finally put an end to this one-way rivalry against a Team aptly called Dynasty. Bastards! The All Star Game be damned...

Fast forward to the Basketball Game (or to the top of the 8th in the grandiose All Star Game. The NL leading 3-1 after a base clearing double by the Braves Catcher) I was beginning to think I've made a poor choice. These All Star Games have only been played four times here in Southern California and there I was amongst seven determined teammates despite a losing record haplessly trying to beat a team that had almost literally destroyed us every single time out for a very long time. And wouldn't you know it an inauspicious beginning.....

Halfway through the first half the mystical Dynasty had built a massive lead. I know what you are thinking "This is really stupid"... Why yes it was. It was deja vu all over again. It was impossible. It was sad. It was the worst feeling in the world... I remember calling for a desperate timeout after yet another impossibly easy basket (to make it 35-10). No one dared say a word during the timeout. But surprisingly it didn't really seem like we'd given up hope or that we'd all resigned to the fact that Dynasty just had our number period (And not that they were just that better than us. In fact we had identical records at that point). It was more like a silent gathering of thoughts if you will. Seriously it was kind of subliminal like something special was about to happen. The All Star Game be damned...

At halftime we'd narrowed down the lead by just a little more than half (14 I believe). Not too shabby right? And the second half? Well it was nothing shy of spectacular maybe miraculous. We'd put together a sort of defensive tour de force and a kind of virtuoso performance on the offensive side. I believe it to be the greatest comeback in league history and undoubtedly my Teams best yet. Yes we have a flair for the dramatics. We've come back from deficits of 17, 19, and 20 before...

And most importantly not only did we win a most important game, we'd finally put an end to a curse. And perhaps I will never again be offered free tickets to any All Star Game and perhaps we wont make the playoffs after all and maybe this single Basketball Game will never amount to anything anyway? All I can say is that I prefer the simpler finer things in life over the grandiose. Haha well just call me weird or quirky coz' I know nothing I can say right now that involves this stupid basketball game will make you understand.

I suppose the real question is had we lost the ball game would I have regretted the decision? The answer would be a resounding No! I just probably wouldn't have bothered writing a blog about it.....

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Wednesday, July 14, 2010