An unreconstructed hoopist

Last night Barack Obama reminded me just how prejudiced I am. No, no, no... I'm not a racist. I'm a hoopist.

I can't help it, but I -- like a lot of people I know -- form concrete judgments about people based solely on how they hoop. Seriously. I know its weird, but I can't help it. Once I've seen a guy hoop, and have judged his game, from that moment on I see him through that prism ("He's a scrapper" "He's a banger" "He's a spaz"). For good or ill, that's how it goes. And there's nothing I can do to change it or erase the judgment. (Sometimes I don't even need to see the guy play for my prejudice to kick in. For instance, my brother has a friend whom I used to sort of respect. Over Easter my brother told me he played hoops with him and the guy spent the whole time being afraid of the ball. Now every time I think of him I can't help thinking "candy ass". I know its wrong. I know it.).

Until last night I had a fairly mixed opinion of the Democrat Barack Obama (I'm either apolitical or independent, but I follow politics in a sort of sporting way). Great speaker, no doubt. But he seemed like a black version of Adlai Stevenson. Way too far left and way too hoighty-toighty for my beer drinking taste. He seemed like the kind of guy who spent his weekends reading public policy papers and sipping wine.

Then I saw him hoop.

The dude can play. I shit you not. He's got this kind of Tayshaun Prince/Chris Mullin thing going on. He can handle, he can pass... I even saw him stamp some other dude's shot "Return to Sender"! A 46 year old ex-smoker politician! And he's got serious game. And it wasn't one of those "Hey the cameras are on, let Barack win". You can tell when you are being played like that. This was for real. Obama was manning the point and finding cutters.

And now suddenly all of my misgivings about the guy are gone. Isn't that insane? But its true. I'm a hoopist and I know it.