I was born on the east coast, then spent the vast majority of my late childhood and adulthood in Oklahoma and Texas…with regular visits back east to visit family and friends. It is this path that has made me “east coast” to the bone….east will win over west in my book without so much as a nanosecond pause—except for the whole rap thing—I like the music period! and feel no need to argue which is better. Along the way, large doses of southwest swag were thrown in the mix! Give me my Sooners shirt, cowboy boots, cowboy hat and the tune of “Oklahoma” whistling in my ear and I’m ready to hit the door….
After a relatively successful run out west…with one or two setbacks sprinkled in…I made the move back to the eastern seaboard. Home…..
So when King James decided to move back to Ohio, a sense of calm came over me. It all made sense….heart is in the buckeye state, better opportunities exist elsewhere, seize those opportunities and make the absolute most of them, then perceive your current situation as having maxed out on its potential—why not give home a chance again?
I’ll be the first to admit the whole calm, cool and collected moment was not immediate. In fact it took roughly an hour to arrive at namaste. Given the way the Cavs owners and fans reacted when he left Cleveland..specifically the letter in which the owner gave his best attempt at undressing James—a letter which wasn’t removed until early in the same week of his announced return….I was all but convinced James would stay in South Beach!
Surely after LeBron’s adamant stance against Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the firestorm following the release of Sterling’s racially charged private conversation…James would not fathom taking his talents back, with the hopes of winning a championship….whereby this asinine owner would reap the benefits?
For the record Sterling’s conversation was inexcusable…yet, it was private. Gilbert’s comments and behavior were unconscionable…apparently the fury of an owner failing miserably to invest in players that would elevate his star and team to the next level….and his refusal to accept said star’s departure, make that of a woman scorned looked like child’s play!
As my dad often says “it takes all to make the world go round”. Frankly, the world needs more people like James. While Cleveland would have been so far in my rearview mirror it would barely be in view at all, I commend LeBron’s decision. Ohio is where this young man first started dreaming of doing what he was, by all accounts, born to do. In many ways it is refreshing to know that the donkey like tendencies of some fans and a spiteful owner didn’t outweigh the pull of home!
Side B of this saga…the onslaught of negativity surrounding James donning a Heat uniform inspired my blog. I became a LeBron fan when he went to Miami and will not root against him. However, it is at this point that we part ways. I felt so strongly about the unjust way in which James was treated….that I’ve been standing on a soapbox for four years…with a lot of success to tout. Four title appearances & two championships…which really should have been a three-peat…umm on the front end—the series against the Mavericks slipped through Miami’s fingertips…this last once against the Spurs didn’t stand a chance!
I’m nowhere near ready to root for a championship banner in Cleveland though….just as the student who misbehaves for weeks at a time doesn’t deserve to go on the next school field trip…with their good behavior and the principal’s too in this case, the Cavs might find themselves eligible for the next one!
It is official…I’ve stepped down from the soapbox. Right on time too…while all of this offseason hoopla was going on, days were slowly ticking off the calendar. I’m sooooo ready to kick my feet up and tune into football—it’s coming, y’all, it’s definitely coming!!!!
