Winners

Tonight, we actually have a newsworthy photo to share with you. Above is the scene at the end of the Warriors game, where the officials are reviewing the tape to decide if the game is, well, really over.

It was, and the Warriors beat the Grizzlies, 110-107.



Earlier this morning, at his basketball camp, my 13-year-old was told by his coaches that he has a "future" in basketball. As soon as he got home, he told me about that.

Tonight, thanks to my extremely generous buddy, Tom, Aidan got to watch NBA stars like Monta Ellis and Baron Davis and Mickael Pietrus drive to the rim again and again, seemingly floating on air until the climactic moment when they gently set the basketball over the rim and into the hoop.



We were sitting in the fourth row, court-side, in section one.



We could see the visiting team close-up.



This close to the court, NBA players are not only appear to be the giants they truly are, they are super-humans.

Why?

Speed. How can organisms this large move that fast? No matter kids believe in super heroes. There actually are some. In case you didn't notice, most of them are black. Lately, a sizable number of Eastern Europeans have joined the top ranks of this American super sport; and even a few Chinese players with thyroid disorders.

Meanwhile, several South American players have made an impact, not to mention Caribbeans, Italians, Frenchmen, and Russians.



Yep, the NBA has gone international, big-time, just like baseball.

Still, for now, it is mainly an African-American game, although, given the demographic trends, it is easy to imagine this is just another special moment in time, when the descendants of former slaves outshine the European-Americans who still consider "this land," as "their land."

Looking at my growing son, still thin as a rail but hard as iron, fast as a gazelle, and carrying the competitive blood of my father in his veins, I wonder what he would have to do to end up playing in a venue like we visited tonight.

Perhaps what separates athletes from those who fall away along the way is inner toughness. Aidan's inner toughness is not about his own success but about empathy. Tonight, as we exited the arena, he spotted among all the exiting fans a paraplegic being pushed in his wheelchair.

"Dad, it makes me sad to see that guy, because the only way he can communicate what he needs is by a lever attached to his head that he can use to type a message to the person pushing him."

Empathy.

Smells like team spirit to me. Go Aidan!

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