The Steve Blake lesson

Now, I made this blog with the idea in mind to talk as much about basketball as basketball cards.  Though it's no secret I'm a Portland Trailblazer honk, I try to limit the Blazer-centric posts.  And I especially was not going to complain about the Blazer injuries. 

But it's just gotten so out of control.  The next in the list is Steve Blake.  Not an ankle or a knee injury, no.  But pneumonia.  Freaking serious? 

It's a fickle thing, this love of sports.  We invest so much into it, and more often than not, you don't get always get out ahead.  Watching a team playing hamstrung has the same effect on my enjoyment in my day as a bad day at work.  And I sometimes have lots of bad days at work.  So this is just needling me without cause. 

I follow enough sports to be able to tune into one of my teams and find some good news.  Today for instance, Everton beat Carlisle in the Europa cup (that's international soccer).  Seeing that put me in a better mood right away.  But looking toward the Blazer game tonight kinda brought me down.  I'm a loud fan.  I cheer and curse and clap.  The whole nine yards.  And now Steve Blake isn't going to be able to give me some enjoyment.

And then it hit me what a jerk I am.  I'm talking about a guy I root for.  A guy who's got a wife and kids.  And he's in the hospital with pneumonia.  People die from that.  And if they don't die, they can stay marked with the aftermath for the rest of their lives. 

As a fan, I just had to check myself to put it in perspective.  I boil down sports into compartments that fit into my day.  I got the cardboard to collect.  The jerseys to wear and the hat to match.  And I got the games to watch live.  It's so easy to become detached from the experience of the guy on the other side of the screen.  Here's hoping Blake makes it out alright.  Here's hoping that he gets healthy for his family before he worries about getting healthy for the team and the fans.