I believe this was actually the first "article" I ever turned in to Fish. For reasons that are pretty solid, he decided not to use it (that's not intended to be snide - I understand and agree with his decision).
For some background, it was written at a time when there was a wealth of negativity floating around the DB.com message boards just prior to free agency.
I won't lie and pretend to have foreseen the wonderful Mavs-Championship World we live in now, especially considering the injury to Caron and the lack of impact from Roddy, but I did believe there was ample reason for hope. There is actually another version of this that I could not locate on my computer that had some further attempts to justify my hopes ... but this should suffice in this space.
Hopefully you can enjoy as is ...
Turn Your Head and Cough ... But Don't Bite the Nipple
I had another idea all laid out for this, and then my soon to be six-month-old son bit my wife's nipple. What made it really strange was that she wasn't even nursing at the time. Well, she was, but that would have been funnier.
I was going to write about the fact that this summer holds a great deal more hope than those in the recent past. I was going to point out that the quest for a championship is a race that spans beyond a single season, that blankets more than last year's regrets, that lingers beyond the riddled attention span of most fans, particularly the disenchanted; and in that race, the most recent Mavs strides have been good ones.
Then, my son bit my wife’s nipple. Where this nipple bite lead me wasn't far off my intended course, but still a digression. Happenstance lead me to the fans nursing at the proverbial Mavs’ teat, to the fans that so often resort to biting.
Don't get me wrong. I am a fan as well. I overreact at times. I get angry. I’ve threatened my television. I hold grudges that may or may not be on the reasonable side ... I'm talking to you David West.
Given that, I am not seeking to condemn those who voice their displeasure. That voice, and the actions (or inaction, when fans turn away) behind it are how we, the fans, contribute to the motivations of improvement.
Without it, Kobe would be making his sneer-face (which doesn’t seem contrived at all, by the way) after persuading you to undergo unnecessary surgery. Lebron would be throwing chalk in the air to have a better grip on his pen before a long day of paperwork. Bruce Bowen would be kicking homeless people and laughing before the police decided it was ok for him to do that and no arrest need be made (No, I don’t have an anti-Spurs bias. Why?). Paul Pierce and Dwayne Wade would become millionaires after extended court battles and separate, but near identical, video footage showed them feigning 47 simultaneous broken bones after a harsh breeze knocked the hat from their head in the courtyard of wealthy business chains.
None of them would be making money as a paid athlete. They have their jobs because the fans have granted them the opportunity to earn a living while playing a sport. Still, in the realm of the fan there remains the line between the reasonable and those that bite the nipple despite the milk in their belly.
I’m a fan, and I can’t overlook the positive steps the Mavs have taken in the recent past, even if those positive steps have yet to yield the desired results. The trades that brought in Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson were the kind of moves we’ve all been looking for. They were steps forward.
I’m not sure how many feel the way that I do, but I happen to agree with Caron Butler’s recent comments on this team (when he stated the Mavs were contenders). Even if there are only minor moves this summer, even if the DUST Chip doesn’t return Lebron (ended up bringing Tyson Chandler to help topple LeBron and company), Wade or whoever sits atop your wishlist, this is a team that will begin the season among the elite.
Even if you don’t feel that way, just as you may have used other summer’s to justify your distrust for the Mavs’ front office, shouldn’t you use the last calendar year to at least relabel that with hope...even if you do so in pencil? Personally, I have.
