Its hard to be a Clipper fan. I love em to death but the shit is hard. Especially when you live in Southern California, the land of purple of gold. Been in southern Cali all my life and i was taught to hate the Lakers at a young age. You see pops was a Larry Legend fan and i was instantly enchanted by Jordan the first time i saw him play. I grew up in the middle of the Showtime era In LOS ANGELES Los Angeles where no other team but the Lakers exist as far as the natives are concerned.
I was introduced to Clippers around 1990 when bitch ass first round draft pick Danny Ferry declined to play for the Clips and took his underachieving ass to Italy before coming back and a year later forcing a trade to the Cavs, who gave us Ron Harper. At the tender age of 9 i really had no idea what kind of franchise i would be backing. Had no idea that my team was in the middle of 10 straight years of 50 or more losses. Had not one clue that to that point the Clips had failed to make the playoffs every year since moving to Los Angeles. Didn't have a hint that this was a team that had traded away Terry Cummings, Rickey Pierce, and Craig Hodges for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, and Harvey Catchings (who the fuck...).
I was introduced to Clippers around 1990 when bitch ass first round draft pick Danny Ferry declined to play for the Clips and took his underachieving ass to Italy before coming back and a year later forcing a trade to the Cavs, who gave us Ron Harper. At the tender age of 9 i really had no idea what kind of franchise i would be backing. Had no idea that my team was in the middle of 10 straight years of 50 or more losses. Had not one clue that to that point the Clips had failed to make the playoffs every year since moving to Los Angeles. Didn't have a hint that this was a team that had traded away Terry Cummings, Rickey Pierce, and Craig Hodges for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, and Harvey Catchings (who the fuck...).
We are the face of mediocrity. We've had 3 playoff seasons in 24 years. The Los Angeles Clippers franchise's history is highlighted by a SECOND ROUND appearance in 2006 (fuck you Raja Bell). I think about these things and a few questions come to mind:
How the fuck is Elgin Baylor still our GM? He's been our GM for 22 fu**ing years! Does anyone else find it odd that he's been at the Draft Lottery Table 19 out of 22 years? Did Elgin save Donald Sterling from a blazing fire in a past life and then did Mr. Sterling (Donald, not Mike) pledge his undying devotion to him? Unbeli...and can we please change those outdated, cursive writing, we dress like we're gonna lose uniforms already? Shit man, just talking about this makes my blood boil.
No other sports fans know what we go through. Literally, no one. Maybe Montreal Expos fan...and Arizona Cardinal fan (they'll never win anything). To stay loyal to a team in a city where your team will always be second fiddle takes unmeasurable discipline. Maybe your mind wanders to a team like the Chicago White Sox or NY Mets or even the New York Jets. Its got to be hard on those fans, knowing that whatever happens the Cubs, Yanks, and NY Football Giants will always rule those respective cities.
But even those fans have tasted success that I've only imagined about. The Sox won it in '05, the Mets were amazing in 1986, and before he was getting sauced up and hitting on Suzy Kolber on national TV(I wanna kiss you right now!), Broadway Joe guaranteed his Jets to a Super Bowl win. What does Clipper Nation have? Fuckin Keith Closs and Michael Olowakandi.
What makes me most upset is how Laker fans don't take us seriously. Ask a Laker fan about the Clippers and they don't hate us. They say shit like "the Clippers are cool, i kind of root for them since they're an LA team." Don't patronize me you spoiled sons of bitches...its like the Clippers are this cute 5th grade basketball team that everyone reeeeaaaally hopes does well. We're not even good enough to be hated back. Im a simple man. I have modest dreams. One of them is for the Clippers to be consistently good enough to be hated by Laker fans everywhere.
With all that being said i bleed red, white and blue. Names like Bo Kimble, Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Mark Jackson, Loy Vaught, Gary Grant, Ken Norman and Stanley Roberts bring a smile to my little face. Maybe I'm addicted to that agonizing feeling of pain and disappointment or maybe my loyalty and patience will be rewarded someday. Either way if you're a bandwagon fan you have no idea what I'm talking about and you should dive head first into helicopter propellers while the helicopter is lifting off. You're less than nothing and i hate everything you stand for.
Looking ahead to the 2008-09 season I feel overcomed by genuine optimism. Elton Brand's departure hurt like a K-Rod fastball right to the testicle. Maggettee can kick rocks, I'm glad he's finally gone. Getting Marcus Camby is huge, really softens the blow of losing Brand. Rickey Davis just adds depth and firepower off the bench. Eric Gordon is gonna be special, straight up. Thorton's gonna be just nasty in his 2ND year and the prodigal son has returned home. Baron effing Davis is our point guard. It feels so good to type that!!!
Here's to the Clips making some noise this year in the Pacific Division.
Clipper Nation!
5 comments:
I was born in New orleans in 1971. My dad had season tickets to the saints. I learned the expression "son of a bitch" at a very early age while watching the saints on sundays.
My earliest memories involve seeing archie run for his life with his jersey being ripped from his body, the guy went through like 20 jerseys a week. I was in the third grade when manning was traded. To my knowledge that trade marks the first time my heart was broken.
It was a dark time for the saints,dark like when Luke had his hand cut off by darth vader and then found out vader was his dad right before falling 10,000 feet perfectly into some little 3 foot hole where he safely came to a hault right before falling again onto some kind of upside down antenna thing hanging at the bottom of cloud city, not to mention cloud city had their own problems, being that the empire was surely going to leave a garrison there after Lando pulled his little stunt to try and save Han, not to mention that Han solo was frozen into carbonite... yeah that kind of dark.
the bum phillips era, the aints fans wearing bags on their heads and jake the snake's last hurrah were the highs and lows for the saints during those bleak days.
Sure the saints have enjoyed some success, like playing in the nfc champ game recently only to come back the following year to not make the playoffs.
I feel your pain clipper nation. MISERY loves company.
It could be worse. You could be an Eagles fan.
yes nug, but the eagles do have at least one ring in my life time. If we are going to talk about what could be worse we have to talk about the 4 time, back to back to back to back superbowl losing bills.
It could be worse you could be a fucking loser CHARGER FAN . Oh wait you are a charger fan hahah. my bad. Hey anytime people start dancing in the streets when you guys are above 500 when the season is over is bad times. I have to say I actually hate the Clippers I dont concider them a nba team or even a wnba team . I look at them more like a njb team. In the words of Doc Holiday From Tombstone the movie. ( Maybe Basketball ain't your game. I know Clippers how about a spelling contest??)hahahah.
How about a spelling contest? You cant be serious "varganator" can you? I mean, last time i checked, the Clipper roster was filled with people who attended at least one year of college which is more than i could say for your less than stellar posts and comments. A comma here and a period there wouldn't hurt your cause at all, you should really look into it....then again, maybe blogging just isn't your game. I know, how about marbles? What do you say huh? Just like when you were a little ankle biter growing up. You got a lot of nerve talking shit, especially since your Mr. "i was a laker fan but then my friend wore a kobe jersey at my house, so then i wasn't". Who's your squad? You're that same moving target that is mentioned in the greeting to THIS very website. There's a war going on here and your playing the sideline under some shade drinking a lemonade. TAKE A STANCE DOGG! MAKE A POINT THAT MAKES SENSE! And if you want to attack, bring your big guns next time...i stay ready homie. I mean your a Chiefs fan in Southern California...you've never even set foot on midwest soil. Fuck outta here. Clipper Nation!!!
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