An Oldtimers Take

[I love my PTSD. 92]

A few truisms I have learned over my 22 years as a Magic fan.

 

1. It is good to have the Magic here. For a long time we had nothing more than gimmick sports in Orlando, and most of those were minor league or bowls between 3^rd runners up.

 

2. Some people, like me, are just fans. We follow the team. We don’t expect to win a championship every year, or sometimes even 20 games.

 

3. I like the worse player on the Magic better than I like the best player on the other team. If Duhon ends up guarding LeBron, I want Duhon to stop him. I don’t expect it, but I want it.

 

4. I don’t care if we win a championship this year,but I would like to win one before I die. The Red Sox were better fans beforethey won.

 

5. It is a lot more fun to win when you don’t expect to. It hurts more to lose when you weren’t expected to.

 

6. Heart and Hustle may not beat Strength and Muscle, but it is a lot more fun to watch.

 

7. Big men who play as hard as Daryl Armstrong do not exist.

 

8. I think I am underpaid. So do the players.

 

9. Last place is better than being the Rapid City Rock Kickers.

 

10. There are 29 losers every year.

 

11. Every pro is one ligament away from retirement.

 

12. The prices will never go down.

 

Bottom line, The Magic is something that my wife and I love to do, whether they are winning or losing. We will continue to go to games aslong as we can, and it doesn’t matter whether we have a chance to win it all or not.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

Hallmark and the email forwarding community will be contacting you shortly to discuss royalties.

[Beast From The East 663]

Nice :D

[chosen12 75]

excellent!!! I am humbled!!! I want and expect to win every jump ball and every call there after! Excellent post Sir!

[TheNameIsOrlando 310]

22 years as a Magic fan? Wow!! And here I stand at the ripe age of 25. I hope to be a fan of the Magic as long as you someday. :cheers:

[SATOLS 7]

You know, I understand your point of view, but I can't agree with it completely.

 

1. 
    
   
2. I was just getting started in my career when I started buying Magic tickets, and I have had season tickets for many years. But if they don't win a title pretty soon, there is a very good chance that I won't live to see them win one.
   
3. Tickets are getting so expensive that I have to sacrifice a lot of other things and do some things that I could afford to pay someone else to do if I did not buy tickets. That can make you miserable in more ways than one.
   
4. Heart and Hustle is fun when they win some -- and we were lucky that they did that one year that we had Heart and Hustle, just missing the playoffs. I love Darrell Armstrong for who he is, but Heart and Hustle did not make the playoffs, and Darrell never got us out of the first round in 9 seasons. Shaq, Tim Duncan...they won titles. And my concern for the upcoming season is that it's going to end up being "No Heart and Who are These Players?" You have to have someone that makes you want to come to the games. Even then, when they don't win much, it's awful. The 20-win season was not fun at all. Watching games in an empty building sucks for the fans who do go and for the players and doesn't help good players want to play for your team. And empty seats is what losing brings. Except when the stars come to town -- and then the "fans" are rooting for the other team. When your team has to advertise, "Come see the (fill in the blank star on the other team)," it is humiliating.
   
5. If you just keep saying that it's OK if the team doesn't win a title, then they don't feel any pressure to try to win one. If you just keep telling them it's OK to destroy the roster and start over, they will keep doing that because it's easier than trying to build a team that can stay good.
   

[0rland0fan 53]

Well said Sir. I agree wholeheartedly. I especially love #7.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

I was just getting started in my career when I started buying Magic tickets, and I have had season tickets for many years. But if they don't win a title pretty soon, there is a very good chance that I won't live to see them win one.

 

Committing suicide because your favorite basketball team doesn't win a championship is a very bad idea. I will concede that there are legitimate reasons for taking your own life, but I'm not sure this is one of them. I think you need to think this through a little bit more.

[SATOLS 7]

Committing suicide because your favorite basketball team doesn't win a championship is a very bad idea. I will concede that there are legitimate reasons for taking your own life, but I'm not sure this is one of them. I think you need to think this through a little bit more.

 

Funny, smart guy. I'm just getting old now. That's my point!

 

Entering the 24th season. Miami has 2 titles and is likely to win more in the near future, and they got their franchise just one year before us.

 

If they are starting over again, it's likely to be 5 more years at least before they can contend. If it works like it worked in the past, then it will be 10 years before we make it out of the first round again.

[I love my PTSD. 92]

You know, I understand your point of view, but I can't agree with it completely.

 

1. I was just getting started in my career when I started buying Magic tickets, and I have had season tickets for many years. But if they don't win a title pretty soon, there is a very good chance that I won't live to see them win one.
2. Tickets are getting so expensive that I have to sacrifice a lot of other things and do some things that I could afford to pay someone else to do if I did not buy tickets. That can make you miserable in more ways than one.
3. Heart and Hustle is fun when they win some -- and we were lucky that they did that one year that we had Heart and Hustle, just missing the playoffs. I love Darrell Armstrong for who he is, but Heart and Hustle did not make the playoffs, and Darrell never got us out of the first round in 9 seasons. Shaq, Tim Duncan...they won titles. And my concern for the upcoming season is that it's going to end up being "No Heart and Who are These Players?" You have to have someone that makes you want to come to the games. Even then, when they don't win much, it's awful. The 20-win season was not fun at all. Watching games in an empty building sucks for the fans who do go and for the players and doesn't help good players want to play for your team. And empty seats is what losing brings. Except when the stars come to town -- and then the "fans" are rooting for the other team. When your team has to advertise, "Come see the (fill in the blank star on the other team)," it is humiliating.
4. If you just keep saying that it's OK if the team doesn't win a title, then they don't feel any pressure to try to win one. If you just keep telling them it's OK to destroy the roster and start over, they will keep doing that because it's easier than trying to build a team that can stay good.

 

Small crowds are great. You will never have a better chance to get one of those things they shoot into the crowd. They don't care much if you sneak into a better section. And the lines for chicken fingers are shorter. Plus, you get to know the people sitting around you, and LeBron might actually hear you scream "You Punk'.

[SATOLS 7]

Small crowds are great. You will never have a better chance to get one of those things they shoot into the crowd. They don't care much if you sneak into a better section. And the lines for chicken fingers are shorter. Plus, you get to know the people sitting around you, and LeBron might actually hear you scream "You Punk'.

To each their own, I guess. I go to the games to see good basketball. I could care less about those things they shoot into the stands.

 

And I have sat through seasons when either no one was sitting around you -- or it was different people every game, so there wasn't much chance to get to know them.

[A Better DJ & Photographer 457]

I'm there with you! I sat through the worst and enjoyed it so no matter what as long as we don't bring Otis back I'm a fan of he team form life :D