GENERATION GAP EXPERIENCES

Every so often something happens that allows one generation to understand how another generation felt during a certain period in history. Those certain periods, that I am currently referring to, are usually negative experiences.

It's harder to recapture positive experiences because.......hell i have no idea why it's harder.... but it just simply is.

Last Thursday night Los Angeles Laker fans experienced one of those SOMETHINGS that brought generations together in a huge fashion

X generation, and whatever the new generation is called, were given a small doze of what baby boomers went through in the 60's regarding LAKER and BOSTON basketball games.

Thursday night was one game........

EVERY TIME THE LAKERS PLAYED BOSTON IN THE FINALS DURING THE 60'S....THEY LOST

EVERY FREAKIN TIME...and it wasn't until 1985 that they finally defeated the Beantown boys and by then it really didn't mean as much. Oh it felt good but it didn't take away the sting of all those repeated losses during the 60's.

I mean we had two of the greatest players in the history of basketball and both of them, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, probably looked at Thursday's game as just another BOSTON/LA experience.

Jerry West still lives and dies by Laker wins and losses, so I'm sure he took it harder than Elgin who has become a Clipper....but neither of them probably feels as bad as my young friend Seamus.

Seamus is 30 years old and this is his first true moment of tasting Boston/LA bulls..t.

And it is bulls..t when you blow a 24 point lead in a playoff game that would have tied the series and was suppose to make the Celtic players and fans extremely nervous.

THEY WENT FROM BEING ALMOST EXTREMELY NERVOUS
TO COCK OF THE WALK
IN ONE FREAKIN QUARTER.

EVERYTHING CHANGED
AND IT CHANGED QUICKLY
AND THERE WAS NOTHING ANYBODY COULD DO

IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE COACH DIDN'T DO
IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE PLAYERS DIDN'T DO
IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE REF'S DID OR DIDN'T DO

IT WAS BOSTON
CREATING A
GENERATIONAL GAP EXPERIENCE

THEY DON'T HAPPEN THAT OFTEN AND WHEN THEY DO WE SHOULD TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST BE
THANKFUL

THOSE OF US WHO ARE BABY BOOMERS DON'T WISH TO INFLICT PAIN ON THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS BUT WE DO WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT MAKE US WHAT WE ARE.

Of course there were some other "occurrences" that took place during the 60's that just might have had stronger influences on our behavior but those fringe experiences, pertaining to sports and entertainment events, ALSO AFFECTED US IN WAYS THAT ARE HARD TO EXPLAIN....

UNLESS YOU ALSO FEEL THE PAIN

Welcome to the select world of LAKER/BOSTON pain.

and the only thing that will minimize the event of last Thursday is for the Lakers to come back and win three in a row....and that will probably happen around the same time that a monkey flies out of my ass.

Everybody knows that the Lakers weren't even suppose to be in the finals this year but that still doesn't help ease the pain of Thursday night.

WHAT WILL REALLY HELP IS NEXT YEAR WHEN THE LAKERS ARE BACK IN THE FINALS WITH THEIR FULL TEAM AND THE BLOW THE CELTICS AWAY...

The problem with that picture is that Boston probably won't be back in the Finals.....they are getting a bit long in the tooth.....which brings me to the nice side of the story.

KEVIN GARNETT deserves a ring....and no matter how much I moan and groan...that might be the entire reason for this current...

GENERATIONAL GAP EXPERIENCE

Sometimes we just learn to accept defeat in sports by understanding the personalities involved on the other side of the court....or diamond...or field....or arena.

It's very easy to understand why this is happening to the Lakers....RIGHT NOW....THIS YEAR....when you learn a bit about KG.

The only thing I can say about him is I was really excited when rumors were circulating last year that he might become a Laker. KG and KOBE.....now that would have been a WOW....but apparently the price was too high.

(Rumor has it that the Timberwolves wanted Jerry Buss's daughter and five Laker girls)

I'm not asking anyone to root for Kevin Garnett during the playoffs....I'm just saying that sometimes good things happen to good people....and don't forget....Kobe already has three rings.

Of course the series isn't over and strange things can happen in the world of sports.....

hell...... strange things can happen in the world...... PERIOD!

Joe Lieberman is a prime example of how strange things can be in the world of politics

what's up with that guy?

And last but surely not least....Tim Russert's family will never believe that Friday the 13th is NOT THE UNLUCKIEST DAY OF THE YEAR......

EVERYBODY REALLY ADMIRED TIM RUSSERT AND TRUSTED THAT HE WAS GOING TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND THAT'S NOT A COMMON TRAIT FOR MOST PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA.

HE SEEMED LIKE A VERY NICE MAN

HE WILL BE MISSED and Friday the 13th becomes a extremely hard day to simply explain away...as just another day....for the Russert family.

Reality can make sporting events seem rather trivial....and suddenly a basketball game means absolutely nothing.

ANOTHER GENERATIONAL GAP EXPERIENCE....the kind that make baby boomers understand their parents experiences during World War 11

"participate with joy ..... in the sorrows of the world"

Joesph Campbell

It was just a freakin game...

a very important freakin game...but still.....a game.

AND THOSE OF US FROM LOS ANGELES.... HAVE ALREADY HAD YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TRYING TO DIGEST THAT BOSTON PILL.....

NOW YOU YOUNGER FOLKS HAVE A TASTE......

A BITTER PILL......TO BE SURE

BUT

A GENERATIONAL GAP EXPERIENCE

Michael Timothy McAlevey