It's like a carrot to a hungry man

A conversation that took place last night with Shally after the Warriors beat the Mavericks to earn their first spot in the NBA playoffs since 1994:

Shally: So do the Warriors have any chance in the first round?

Bob: No, not really. They're playing the best team in the league.

S: Well that's kind of sad, isn't it? It's hopeless...

B: See, being a Warriors fan these last 13 years has kind of been like... say you hadn't eaten anything for 13 years. Then, someone gives you a carrot. You'd think it tastes pretty awesome.

Compare that to my fandom of the Spurs (which is not sports bigamy, under the Sports Guy's rules, because I began following the Admiral while he was still in college), who've made the playoffs almost every season since 1989. After a lot of carrots, you get tired of them; they get a little dry. At that point, you want steak... which is like winning the championship.

So, from the Spurs, I've gotten to taste 3 steaks in the last 10 years... but with the Warriors, all us fans are just hungry folks gobbling up carrots, and they taste pretty darn good.

... Hm, the analogy sounded a lot more clever to me when I was saying it then when I'm writing it. Ah well.

The NBA playoffs are here... for the next two months I'm going to be inundated with the drama of almost daily hoops competition. There is almost no first-round matchup that doesn't have some intrigue... time to put ESPN HD to the test!

For perspective, the last time the Warriors made the playoffs (1994):
- The top-grossing films were Forrest Gump, Lion King, and True Lies
- Some musicians on the top of the charts included Ace of Base, the Real McCoy, Janet Jackson, and Nirvana
- Star Trek: The Next Generation concluded, and both ER and Friends premiered
- OJ Simpson... 'nuff said
- Major League Baseball went on strike
- Netscape Navigator 1.0 was released
- Several of the kids in youth group weren't even born yet

Speaking of the youth group, this past weekend's youth retreat went quite well. I think it was important for the youth to hear the message that God's grace is already given to them, and that God sees them as saints (who still sin, but are covered by grace) rather than sinners who need to attain some level of holiness before they'd be accepted by God. I know that was a message I never quite internalized when I attended church during high school.

It was touching to hear testimonies from high schoolers saying that for the first time, they felt like they could worship God even though they might feel like they were too messed up for Him to accept their worship. It's a freeing thing to know we don't have to earn God's love and acceptance. I suspect there are plenty of non-youth in the church who need to hear the very same message. Heck, I forget it and need to be reminded of it often myself.

Back to sports... baseball season has started, and I really don't care much. I exert so much mental energy on the NBA and NFL (for fantasy football) that I really do need to take a break during the summer. So fare thee well, Giants and A's... wake me up if you make it to the playoffs.

24 has had something of an uneven season... at least two significant loose plot ends (Logan and Jack's dad), some pointless characters (Milo and Nadia) and acting that can't quite touch the stellar cast from last season. But, there's some promise for the rest of this one. Jack vs. China!

Lost, on the other hand, has taken quite a turn for the better. It's almost as if the producers realized they couldn't keep coming up with crap because even loyal viewers were losing patience. The last few eps have been genuinely enthralling.

Go Sharks!

Go Warriors!

WE BELIEVE PLAYOFF!