Video Tribute

It should be well-known by now that I don’t follow basketball. Oh, I know, I keep readers of the Victoria Times updated on the Timberwolves stats, but really, I couldn’t name any player on the team right now. With a little thought, I could probably name a few, but after that, I’d be lost. This is not to say I don’t know anything about basketball. I do know most of the rules. I was a big fan of the sport in high school, but it never moved with me to college (I didn’t go to an athletic college. I think the starting quarterback my freshman year was a freshman, who, incidentally, was also my lab partner in chemistry. That’s pretty much as close as I got to sports in college).

Mostly, I find professional basketball a little boring. Yet, I can appreciate the great players of the game. To this matter, I bring up the recent Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan. Watching him was impressive. The way he played was insane. There’s a reason he was the icon for basketball, and courted* by athletic companies to be a spokesmodel for their gear. Where would Nike be without him?

* Pun not initially intentional, but left in and noted when realized.

This is all a round-about way to talk about something I found disturbing. It was briefly mentioned in this article about the man, David Thompson, whom Michael Jordan chose to present him. The line that stuck out the most was: “Thompson won’t have to give a lengthy speech for Jordan; those days are over for the Hall, replaced by video tributes.”

I’d just like to say that video tributes are for television. Coming into and going out to commercial breaks is the place for a highlight video. ESPN, et al., special features are for video tributes. A ceremony is not. How many of us have been at ceremonies where you couldn’t really see? In the crowds of graduates, could you really see your brother get handed his diploma, or was it by craning your neck to look through the holes in the crowds? Leave the video tributes at for home. The Hall of Fame Induction is the place when we want to remember a great player. I’d love it even more if old teammates could share their funniest moment, or what they felt was the most defining moment in his career. I don’t want long, drawn-out speeches. I want to laugh, remember, and perhaps even learn. I saw him play for years, and while I would love to see him play again, I know I’ll get to see video highlights again.*

*Note: I’m not saying no video should be shown. While speakers are approaching the platform, having video of the player would be a nice touch.

If we’re going to do video tribute, there’s no reason for me to go. The reason to go is to see these people again, in real life, and hear them speak.

If you want to see some of Michael Jordan’s great hits, well, here they are:

There’s plenty more where that came from.

And now, Minnesota Twins’ first baseman, former MVP Justin Morneau is out for the season. Of course, since he tends to slump in September, and due to a stress fracture in his back was doing worse than usual, having him replaced isn’t the worst thing in the world. However, having the good Justin Morneau out of the line-up is pretty devastating to play-off hopes. If it weren’t for the completely inept AL Central, they would have no hope at all.