I Love NY?

I have a twin brother, and I often get asked what it's like. People assume that we have ESP. This is not the case, however, I often say that we have a connection that is unique. I have this connection to thank for my greatest sports achievements (which is not saying much). Our chemistry on the basketball floor had something to do with back-to-back b-league intramural championships at North Park University, as well as a string of consecutive 3-on-3 tournament championships at Covenant Cedars Bible Camp. (Put that on my hall of fame plaque).

Anyhow, this week, our close connection was evident again when Jeff posted on my Facebook wall, "Lebron should go to Knicks." It was entirely out of the blue, and when he wrote it, he had no idea that I was thinking about blogging on this exact topic. Not only that, but I (almost) completely agree.

Now before I tell you why I agree with this let me make one thing clear:

I hate it when people talk about what an athlete should do. Athletes are people with backgrounds, personalities, interests, and motives that fans cannot understand. Lots of people say Michael Jordan should have stay retired after his sixth championship. Michael Jordan's stint with the Wizards is not a pretty part of his legacy, but that doesn't mean it was the wrong decision. So when I say Lebron James should go to the Knicks, I actually mean, I would really really like to see Lebron on the Knicks.

Living in Minneapolis, as I do, the big news around here is Joe Mauer signing an 8-year, $1 billion dollar contract. Obvious comparisons have been drawn between the two athletes. Both of them young. Both of them playing in (or very near) the cities they grew up in. Both of them MVPs. Both of them playing in small markets. Both of them good guys.

The comparisons are completely appropriate. But what I'm afraid of is the if Lebron leaves Cleveland, people will assume he is somehow a worse person than Joe Mauer: that choosing to leave Cleveland is an indictment of Lebron's values. But there are some key differences between their two situations. And to me, these differences are enough to make me think that the better decision is for Lebron to go to New York.

1. Lebron and Mauer have different lifestyles and goals. By all accounts, Mauer likes to hunt, fish, spend time in his cabin on a lake. And there is no better place in the United States to do this than Minnesota (at least no better place where you can play professional baseball and do this). Lebron, on the other hand, has stated his desire to be a global icon. Some will say that he has achieved this in Cleveland, which is true. But, if this is your stated goal, then your probably not going to settle. And there is no better place in the United States to continue your ascent to global icon than New York (I tried doing this in Omaha, and it was really hard).

2. Baseball and basketball are two different sports. Basketball, and particularly NBA basketball, is my favorite sport (I may have to explain this in a later post). One of the things I love about the NBA, is that it tends to make sense. The best team usually wins. A history NBA champions doesn't include anomalies like the 1997 Marlins (with the possible exception of the 2002 Pistons, but still they were not the Marlins). Also, the best players tend to win championships. In my lifetime championships have been won by Bird, Magic, Isaiah, Jordan, Olajuwon, O'Neal, Bryant, Garnett, etc. By going to New York, Lebron risks leaving a good situation (especially if the Cavs win it all this year). But it is almost a guarantee that the Knicks would be contending for a title within a year. Baseball has no such guarantees. In baseball, the Yankees can have a 9 year World Series drought. Mauer leaving a pretty good Twins team to go to the Red Sox or Yankees guarantees him nothing. Baseball is too team oriented and too nuanced. Too many things can go wrong. In basketball, if you have one of the best players, you'll probably do ok.

Outside of these reasons there are a few others that make me excited about the prospect of Lebron in NY:

1. D'Antoni and Lebron: D'Antoni is largely responsible for basketballs continuing rise back to popularity (which will be killed by the 2012 lockout). But the question has been, can he win it all? Well, give him the best player in the league and I think we'll find out. Lebron's gifts of strength, speed, and court vision fit perfectly into D'Antoni's running style. This would be endlessly entertaining.

2. Lebron could probably pick his team. Yes, the cupboard is bare in NY. But in basketball, as much as any sport, free agents go to desirable destinations. The combination of playing in NY and playing with Lebron will be too appealing to say "no" to. He'll probably bring Wade or Bosh with him (although I think Joe Johnson alongside him, in that offense, is also a nice option). And if they need to add more later, it will be easy. D'Antoni took a starting five of Nash, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, and Kurt Thomas to the Conference Finals (this after losing Joe Johnson and Stoudemire sitting out with injury). It won't take long to put a couple nice pieces around Lebron.

3. We love watching Lebron play in Cleveland, we'll LOVE watching him play in New York. New York is a great basketball city. Even when I hated the Knicks, I always enjoyed watching games at the Garden. It feels like an event. Basketball is just more fun with the big cities involved.

Again, I struggle with my own feelings on this issue. I usually enjoy rooting for small markets. I like it when players stay in one uniform for their whole career. I think Lebron's chances to win a championship may decrease slightly with the move. But if he decides to stay in Cleveland, it will be boring. All the speculation will have amounted to nothing. We'll try to tell ourselves that finally leading Cleveland to a championship is a better story than reviving basketball in the biggest city in the country, but we'll be wrong. The best player in basketball, in the biggest city, is the best story. Just like Jordan, Lebron will be able to captivate even non-fans. Worst case scenario: we'll have another reason to root against New York.

Loyalty

Two weeks ago, I watched Brett Favre's interview on Jay Leno. On the surface that may not seem so strange, probably many people watched one of America's most popular athletes on America's most watched late night show. However, it is misleading to say I merely watched the interview, when in fact, I stayed up specifically to watch this interview. I went out of my way to watch an unfunny talk show host, interview a football player, who I knew would not say much of substance.

Here's my problem. I am a Bills fan (a problem for many, many reasons). I have no business caring that much about the Minnesota Vikings. But there I was, staying up to see if #4 might give even the slightest hint as to whether or not he will come back next year (he, of course, did not).

I moved to Minnesota in June (Brett joined me in August); the fifth stop in my life's journey so far. My rooting interest in the Bills is a combination of being born in Buffalo, and falling in love with sports at a time when the Bills went to (and lost) four straight Super Bowls. The K-Gun Bills are truly the first team that I ever loved. But a few things have happened since 1994 that have made it increasingly difficult to continue to love the Bills:

1. The Bills began to steadily decline. The problem for me was not that the Bills were now a worse team, as I believe a true fan stays with a team through thick and thin. The problem is, when a team from Buffalo is no longer successful, nobody hesitates to scratch them from nationally televised games. It became harder to follow my Bills.

2. I moved to Omaha from Connecticut. Had I stayed in Connecticut during the decline, at least I would be treated to games against AFC East rivals. In Omaha, I was forced to watch the Chiefs, and the AFC West every week.

3. I went to college in Chicago. After struggling to watch the AFC West for six years, I got to see the other side of the coin: the NFC North (a combination of history, proximity, rivalry). I started to fall for the Bears during there improbable playoff run in 2001. I was jealous of three of my best friends who had grown up in the Chicago area, and lived and died with the Bears each year. I wanted to care like they cared, I wanted to enjoy local sports talk radio the way they did. I wanted to watch my team week in and week out. I went to my first live NFL game in Chicago (Bears vs. Vikings). I have never seen the Bills in person. The seeds had been planted for a change in loyalty, but I still couldn't make the switch. I was a Bills fan.

The Bears had become my second favorite team. However I warned my Chicago friends before I left, that I don't really believe in second favorite teams. I explained that my love for the Bears had mostly to do with the fun of following a team from week to week. When I sat down to watch the games, I wanted them to win. When I moved to Minnesota, I did not intend for the Vikings to become my second favorite team (again I don't believe in second favorite teams). But there was a buzz about the Vikings this year. I started to watch the games. And they were fun to watch. They had a playmaker at every position. And then I watched the Niners game with my youth group. Favre found Greg Lewis at the back of the end zone, we all went crazy. I was all in. For the rest of the season I didn't miss a game. I felt emotion for a team in a way I hadn't since the '94 Bills. I didn't try to, it just happened.

I value loyalty. Its always one of my strongest traits on a personality test.

When Favre came to the Vikings, people questioned his loyalty. How could Favre, who bled green and gold, join the hated Vikings? How could he abandon a fan base that idolized him? (Wrangler might have felt the same way about his choice of jeans on Leno). But I found myself taking Favre's side. He just wanted to play football. The Vikings gave him an opportunity to play football for him. Who am I to judge?

I just want to enjoy football. The Vikings have given me a chance to enjoy football in a way that I haven't since I was 12. This year the Vikings play the Bills at home. I will begin the game as a Bills fan. I am not sure who I'll be when the game ends. I can't force it. And if somehow I end up a Vikings fan, I'm not sure that makes me a bad person (or at least that's what I tell myself).