A Postscript to Dear LeBron
Honestly, after raising my arms in triumph following the final seconds of the Game 6 match between Dallas and Miami, I surprisingly felt a wave of sympathy towards LeBron James. Like Kobe Bryant before him, I didn’t easily gravitate towards James.
It’s never easy when someone challenges an idol (in my case that was Michael Jordan). You hope they fail. You hope that he never comes close to challenging what has been accomplished. Of course, I’ve changed my stance on that after all, Robert Horry, the luckiest role player in history, has seven championship rings.
I wrote “Dear LeBron” not as a sarcastic letter but one of hope and well, reconciliation. And I was surprised at the responses I got on email, chat, text, and Facebook (thanks to those who wrote in; I super appreciate it).
Here are some of them:
Harry R of Cincinnati, OH, wrote and said: “I hated James for The Decision. I cannot put into words what he did to us. Reading the article-in-the-form-of-a-letter made me pause to think. In fact, it drove me to tears. James is like that friend who did something stupid to hurt you. You hate him, want to kick the crap out of him, but at the same time, you want him back to be friends and hope all will be good again. Thanks for putting things in perspective and in a different light. It was a beautiful and moving piece.”
Albert T, of Manila, wrote: I read with great interest your letter to LeBron in Bleacher's Brew. I agree very much with what you wrote. I am a Celtic fanatic and appreciate very much your insights into how Philly won a championship in the middle of the Celtics-Lakers era.
With everything that was wrong with how the Heat team was put together this year, it was interesting to note how all three superstars had to take major pay cuts to get under the salary cap. Whatever else we say about them, in a world of materialism and consumerism where a man's worth is measured by how much he makes, these three guys did something incredibly unselfish in pursuit of the ring. They fell short but you have to admire the effort.
Javier M of Miami said: I have refused to read anything after Game 6 because there has been nothing good to say about my team and LeBron James. A friend of mine forwarded your letter to me and a few friends and INSISTED THAT I READ IT. I DID. It’s a sobering, brilliant, and a hopeful look at what happened. Thanks for giving LBJ and the Miami Heat a chance. Good luck to you in your writings.”
Elizabeth G of Madison, WI: This was the best piece anyone wrote about Game 6 and post-Game 6.
Good friend, Bob Guerrero, who writes as well as he does sportscasting, chatted with me and it turned out this way:
Bob Guerrero: reposted ur brew thing on lebron. good job. wouldn't look out of place in SI.
Rick Olivares: thanks. i wrote that in 10 minutes? and i mean it not in a sarcastic way.
Bob Guerrero: yes but it took you a lifetime of sports geekery to be able to write it
Rick Olivares: at least i hope he learns haha
Bob Guerrero: so in reality it took about 20 years. it is fair nga. It’s not hatey.
Rick Olivares: i hope not. i got some mail about it. all positive
Bob Guerrero: good. of course. It’s one of ur best
Rick Olivares: they love the hoops junkie vibe
Bob Guerrero: parang the subtext of it is: "tangina I’ve seen this shit before, so you better get w the program and grow up" but its done in a non-preachy fashion.
No comments:
Post a Comment