db

[db @danielbuergela]

This was forest against flame.

Person against plague.

Beast against bug.

Matt Geiger against Shaquille O’Neal.

It was, undoubtedly, over before it began.

And then it wasn’t.

Read more: https://t.co/XQbW08K9Mo

[db @danielbuergela]

It has been 25 years since the greatest playoff run in NBA history.

I remember Game 1 of the Finals.

Laker fans were showing up with brooms.

To Game 1!

That audacity is astounding.

But my goodness it’s hilarious.

I can’t believe people hate LA fans.

I just cannot solve it.

[db @danielbuergela]

But then they saw Laker fans calling sweep before a series even started and said “we at least have to make these assholes wait 5 games.”

So that’s the mood going into Game 1.

Even saying David against Goliath is unfair.

That implies David has a chance.

[db @danielbuergela]

Which, as we’ve established, is possible!

But, if we remove the other variables I mentioned, is this even a conversation?

I doubt it.

Read more: https://t.co/sT7DdTDbTs

[db @danielbuergela]

I’m going to preface the rest of this with one thing - I am not some kind of Dalton Rushing superfan.

I don’t feel particularly passionate about him one way or another.

He’s just the backup catcher on my favorite team.

Nonetheless, I remember the first time I saw him play.

[db @danielbuergela]

But how much leeway does a punchable face give us for hating a guy? Shouldn’t he have to be more offensive to warrant such venom?

Now, the professional haters will tell you it isn’t his face. It isn’t his performance. It isn’t his franchise affiliation.

It’s just him.

[db @danielbuergela]

@BHolmesSays @MLBTV when I lived in eugene oregon they blacked out the giants games & it made me mad every time

[db @danielbuergela]

That morning I strategically donned my 1998 Kobe Bryant jersey.

I also put an entire bucket of hair gel onto the top of my head.

These were wild times, man.

But I knew what was coming, and I was going to be ready.

Read more: https://t.co/xGgajd4TtP

[db @danielbuergela]

It was March 2000.

Detlef Schrempf, member of the Portland Trail Blazers, was visiting my 6th grade class.

A girl in said class had won a radio contest.

Bring a Blazer to school! Fun!

The idea was to listen to some life advice and a round of Q&A.

That was my time to shine.

[db @danielbuergela]

This is merely the beginning.

It’s going to keep coming.

And it’s going to get louder.

Read more: https://t.co/pbmjOfh96G

[db @danielbuergela]

Hey, be quiet for a second.

Do you hear that?

It’s faint, but it’s there.

And it’s getting louder.

It’s the sound of baseball fans collectively deciding the Shohei Ohtani experience isn’t quite so cute anymore.

Curious how winning turns guys from novelty to notorious.

[db @danielbuergela]

The only thing we love more than building someone up is tearing them down.

An angry manager wondering why the opposing SP gets an extra (gasp!) 40 seconds between innings.

An entirely different manager, questioning a “bizarre” rule that allows Shohei’s team an extra pitcher.

[db @danielbuergela]

But, for right now, our vision stays narrow.

When was the last time, for those of us blessed enough to remember Donkey Kong Country, the Lakers felt like the Lakers?

Turns out, the answer will ruin your day.

Read more: https://t.co/KPpIuIiOxu

[db @danielbuergela]

A really bizarre thing has happened over the last decade.

In the world of LA sports, we’ve experienced the ol’ switcheroo.

For about 30 years, there was one team that reliably reached the Finals, pursued top talent, and regularly added rings to fingers.

[db @danielbuergela]

But, whatever the real reason, sometime between then and now, the Lakers became the Dodgers and the Dodgers became the Lakers.

And for those of us from the before times, boy has the whiplash been an experience.

I suppose, zooming out, that’s a different topic entirely.