Dr. Buss Over and Out

I've got to admit to feeling a little more down than I thought I'd be after hearing about the passing of Jerry Buss. He was after all, an arch-enemy of the Celtics and Boston sports fans everywhere akin to The Boss and his New York Spankees. It's not just that the Celts and Buss's Lakers derived a good deal of their identity from their bitter rivalry, its that, like the Yankees, the Lakers are now being run by the spoiled, entitled progeny of a legend. And things just will never be the same. The Lakers, the rivalry, showtime. . . all gone.

Am I sad to see the end of the Buss era? You bet.

Its weird to say because for the most part we can't even acknowledge the existence of enemies nowadays. We might offend someone's fragile sensibilities. But in sports, you absolutely need an enemy. Someone to curse when you lose and gloat to when you win. It makes the highs higher and the lows unbearable. But at least they make your blood boil whenever the whistle blows - which is more than you can say about most things in life.