a long awaited reunion.

I'll admit it. I didn't watch last night's game. In fact, I didn't even know who had won until this morning, when I glanced at the newspaper that the man in front of me on the train was reading. Celtics 108, Lakers 102. Nice.

I started thinking... this warrants a post. However, as Melody has already written quite an impressive exposé on sports, I will not attempt to do so myself. I will only share with you my thoughts from this morning.

You see, I don't know very much about the Celtics. Why should I? Growing up, they were a joke team. Actually, most of Boston's teams were kind of... sad. Our crown jewel was our football team. The baseball team was so-so, the hockey team was... well.... yes. And the Celtics? I remember when I was in elementary school, I asked my teacher if they were any good, and he laughed. With bitterness. "Hah! Good? Riiiight..."

I think I only knew 2 of the players' names back then in the late 90's, early 2000's. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. It was the two of them that brought the team to the 2002 Eastern Conference finals (one of only 4 times we've been to the finals in the past 12 years... excluding this year, of course). Antoine Walker. Number 8. I can still picture him now.

In 2003, Antoine was traded to Dallas. I was (almost) devastated. I felt betrayed, used. How could he leave us? After that, he was traded another bazillion times, even coming back to the Celtics for the 2005 season, I believe. And now, I hear he's with the Timberwolves. (side note: I used to think that Timberwolves sounded so cool, but that was probably due largely to the fact that I was in love with Justin Timberlake at the time.)

Anyway... my point is... this morning, as I was relishing our team's victory with as much enthusiasm as a band-wagoner could muster up, I thought of Antoine. Poor Antoine. I wonder what he's thinking now. I wonder if he wished he would've stuck with us just a few years longer.

Then, as soon as I got to work this morning, as if in a vision from the hypothetical sports gods, I saw him. We've been reunited at last, Antoine and I. I hadn't seen him for... 6 years (the last time I kind of cared about the Celtics and watched a game). He looks just like I remembered him to look, except older, sadder, and sans a Celtics' jersey.



OK fine. I didn't see him in person. But here's a picture from ESPN of him at last night's game. Poor Antoine. If only you'd stayed.