My brother Scott and nephew Grant joined us. We arrived early, and the Staples Center was still turning over from the Lakers game. We watched as the vendors switched out the souvenir merchandise and cleaned the whole arena. They even had to switch the floors, since each team has its own customized version, which I thought was pretty cool.
Eventually, we were lead down to the court. They gave Mark a giant Clippers shirt and instructions on how to be a professional ball boy -- essentially, he was to stand at the end of the court and throw back any stray shots.
He was pretty stoked about it. The Clippers missed a whole lotta shots, and kept him busy for a while. He was then switched over to the other side of the court so he could play with the New York Knicks. They did not miss as many shots. Mark soon found himself out of a job, and I realized the game was going to be fairly one-sided.
Mark did manage to catch a bunch of basketballs though. Yep, that was my kid, playing basketball with professional players on the Staples Center court!
He had some competition from another ball boy, but Mark is about as competitive as they come. He wasn't going to blow this opportunity, and got in there every chance he could.
Grant also dug it. He liked watching Mark toss the ball, and he couldn't get over how tall the players were. He even got to throw in a ball that bounced over the seats. But his favorite activity came when the game began -- flirting with the cheerleaders.
Mark was out on the court for about 40 minutes. When it was time to end, he got a chance in a lifetime -- to shoot a free throw on the court! He was nervous, and he wasn't playing with his usual favorite ball -- a blue and yellow volleyball. (He's surprisingly accurate with it!) He missed the first couple times, scooted in closer, and eventually made a one-handed basket. It was awesome!
He also won a coupon for a free McDonald's meal, which thrilled him almost as much as being a ball boy. Sometimes I have to remember that he's a kid, and not to shoot so high when it comes to entertaining him!
The game was petty exciting. The only other basketball game we've ever been to was the Harlem Globetrotters, which were fun in a more comedic way. But the Clippers were fun, too, even if we cheered for the wrong team on many occasions.
We stayed until the beginning of the third quarter. Grant finished flirting with the cheerleaders, and we bailed.
I was glad the boys all had such a great time. But I was even more glad Mark actually embraced work, and didn't whine about having to chase the balls at practice. I did threaten him beforehand, and reminded him this was a privilege, not a punishment. I also threatened to come onto the court at the Staples Center and pinch his little head off in front of the entire arena if he so much as whined a peep about it. Luckily, it was a threat I didn't have to follow through on.
No comments:
Post a Comment