17 June 2008

Banner 17

Finally. Since I've had no children, and may never, I think this could go down as the greatest day of my life. Yeah, yeah, it's so pointless/shallow to have such an amazing feeling stemming from a sporting event -- one that I clearly didn't play in -- but listen, I've been waiting for a Celtics' championship my entire life. They may have technically won championships in the Eighties but I was just a kid then. I have no memories of watching any championship Celtics' teams.

In the last twenty years or so, I've only been able to read every book I could get on them, watched every video, and endured heartbreak after heartbreak as they sucked.

My only wish is that this could have happened on Father's Day because that would have been poetic. The reason I'm a Celtics fan is because back in Taiwan, they only showed the Finals and it was always the Lakers or the Celtics. My dad chose the Celtics and by extension so did I. Between Tiger's heroics on Sunday and the possible Game 5 clincher, I figured this would be fate. My dad loved golf, he liked basketball, and he helped me learn to appreciate both. So karmically it had to be Father's Day right? A day we would have surely spent together.

But this was pretty damn good too. A blowout win in Boston that got ever more amazing as the lead increased. This was a memory that I can cherish forever and the sheer childlike joy of cheering for this 2008 Celtics' team has been something not easily duplicated. Usually I was a Celtic superfan alone but this year I had a bunch of support -- some of it coerced.

To Frances for using her super powers of defeat and cheering on the Lakers. To Brian and Gene for highlighting the positive Celtics' matchups. To George for making the trek to an Irish bar for Game 6, while on a date no less. To Hong for always believing. To James for being the good luck charm. To me for jumping up and down like a crazy person. Actually, not to me because I still haven't found my Vegas ticket that would win me a princely sum from my pre-season bet.

Whatever. It's not about money, it's about heart. And to crossing off one item on my 43 Things. Let's do it again baby.