Saturday, March 3, 2012

SWISH!

A couple of my favorite things collided last night. Of course, it goes without saying that my adorable granddaughter tops my list of favorite people & things, followed closely by my incredible son and wonderful daughter-in-law. So,with that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll move on to the Kings/Clippers NBA game that we attended yesterday.

If I had to choose the things I enjoy the most, sports and photography would be at the top of that list along with travel (after a visit with the aforementioned people, of course). Last night we attended the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers game.  A few weeks ago, I decided to take my remaining Christmas money (plus some extra!) and buy a new Canon top-of-the-line digital camera. I will likely be well into my 80s before I figure out most of what it can do.

Armed with my new camera and lower level tickets, compliments of Lou’s sister as our Christmas gift, we headed out to the former Arco Arena (now Power Balance Pavilion, which will never sound right to me) here in Sacramento. As is our “tradition”, we had dinner at nearby Mel’s Diner wearing our purple King’s jerseys – both of which are throwbacks to a previous era. Mine is Bobby Jackson’s number 24 and Lou’s is Brad Miller’s number 52.

Needless to say, it’s a little difficult to snap photos and actually watch the action take place. I made a point of pulling out the camera for five minutes then putting it away for fifteen or so in order to concentrate on the game. The Kings played fantastically in the first half but unfortunately not the second half. They lost 108 to 100…….not really as close as the score sounds.

But I had a great time taking tons of photos. The 35x zoom really brings the players up close and personal. Here are some of them with comments.

Some of the retired jerseys of previous King's stars hang from the rafters.

Sacramento King's player introductions including my new favorite player, rookie Isaiah Thomas.

The opening tip - our Jason Thompson #34 beat out his Clipper counterpart.

That's Isaiah in the middle with the purple headband - he is only 5'9" and is named after the other Isaiah Thomas from the Detroit Pistons of the 1980s.

This little guy was the LAST player taken in the draft and he has earned the starting point guard position. He is so cute and I just love him even though he could literally be my grandson. Geez!

Tyreke Evans, our NBA Rookie of the Year a couple years ago - you gotta love that 35x zoom!

Our other rookie this year, Jimmer Fredette, is a real fan favorite but I still love Isaiah.

DeMarcus Cousins shooting a free throw - I think it went in.
Just as a side note, and I am really serious about this, how do these women walk in their six inch platform heels??? I kid you not, I saw hundreds of women wearing these hugely high heels, walking up and down the stairs AND they had to get from the parking lot to the arena which is not a short walk.

Since the seats directly in front of us were vacant at tip off, Lou commented that it would be nice if no one sat there.  No such luck….about five minutes into the game three men arrived – an older one with a cane and two younger ones with their pants hanging far below their hips. How do they not simply fall to the ground? Really, if you know the answer to either of my fashion questions, please enlighten me. The guy in front of me was tall with dreadlocks. When he leaned back his hair smelled of smoke. Yuck!  He plopped into his seat at half time and spilled some of our beer resting in the cup holders……NOT cool…..at nine bucks a pop, that was probably a dollar fifty laying on the floor. Fortunately, they left halfway through the fourth quarter.

One of my pet peeves is people who leave a sporting event early. I have never, and will never, leave early. I don’t care if my team is trailing by thirty points, I will stay to the bitter end. And I believe that any true sports fan should do the same. Come on, will you really get home that much earlier?  And will that extra fifteen minutes of sleep REALLY make a difference in your life?

All in all, it was a great evening. Watching a live sporting event and screaming at the top of your lungs is such a great time. As long as I can climb the stairs and want to go, I’m there. Fortunately, Lou is in complete agreement with me. It’s the same with traveling. I always say that as long as I still want to go places, I will find the means and the money. When I look at my dad or Lou’s dad, I realize that it will be soon enough before it is just too much of a hassle. BUT in the meantime, bring it on! Life is too short to do it any other way!

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