ESPN 30 for 30: The Fab Five ~ Watch it

Where were you when Chris Webber called time out?  I know exactly where I was.  I was on Spring Break, in Hawaii, watching the game with my dad.  When Webber called time out, I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was surreal.  I was stunned.  I can't even image how he felt and feels today about it.  I was only a fan, but he was a part of the team.

Tonight I watched the ESPN 30 for 30: The Fab Five.  When I heard that the Fab 5 would be featured in the 30 for 30 series, I couldn't wait to see it.  I wasn't going to wait for the replay.  I was going to see it on its first run.

I'm not going to fake like Michigan was my favorite team.  I am from Ohio, but I will admit to not being a fan of North Carolina.  I've always been a Duke fan.  Growing up my neighbor, Betty, was an old lady and her dog was named "Duke".  I watched Duke play, and I just grew up rooting for Duke.  ****  Let's be clear, first and foremost I was a Georgetown Hoyas fan.  However, Michigan's hold on the basketball universe wasn't until Ewing was already a Knick so I was open to rooting for new teams.  In the 90s I'd pick Michigan over any team (i.e. except The Ohio State Buckeyes and Duke).

If you cared at all about college basketball in the early 90s, you need to watch this documentary.  Narrated by Taye Diggs with commentary from Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Jalen Rose the story comes to life.  You hear from Coach Fisher, media and a few other people who lend their voice to provide insight as to the style and culture of the times (i.e. Ice Cube).  One voice is so absent that it's probably the most obvious and that's the voice of Chris Webber.

We all know what happened.  In the 1993 NCAA Championship game against UNC, Chris Webber called time out when he was forced into the corner, over by the Michigan bench.  In the documentary you can see that one of the players was signaling for Webber to call timeout.  Webber was in the corner thanks to the Tarheel trap and called timeout.  ****  Ugh, I can't even imagine...  Michigan was assessed the technical foul, UNC made both their free throws to win the game, and peoples' lives were never the same. 

I tried to embed the following video, but embedding is disabled.  If you want to watch the highlights and lowlights of that championship game, here's a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn-_URq7K04.

The story told in this ESPN 30 for 30 documentary is about more than the timeout.  The story is a reflection of the culture in Detroit and the sign of the times.  Hip hop and rap music were/are a part of the culture in Detroit.  Wolverines no longer wore short shorts.  Things as simple as black socks were being copied. 

People are afraid of change and unfortunately racism exists.  It was shocking for me to see the old letters, clippings, and pictures that were sent to the school, coaches, and players.  I'll never understand that degree of hate.  To be honest, it saddens me.

Of course, it wouldn't be a great story without tremendous up and downs, and I believe the story was told fairly.  Sure there was an NCAA scandal.  Yes, there was an investigation.  I don't want to minimize any of that.  Yes, the banners came down.  Of course that's all part of the story and it's told in an interesting manner.

Watch the documentary.  Remember the early 90s.  Sit in disbelief that Juwan Howard is still in the league and looks better than ever.  Jalen Rose's voice is heard on ABC and ESPN, but his personality shines in this documentary.  ****  If you're not familiar with Jalen's history, read the ESPN The Magazine article (i.e. written by my friend, Jerry Bembry), "The legacy of Jimmy Walker and Jalen Rose".  The link is here: http://es.pn/esSIVq for your convenience so you can copy-paste it into a new window.

A couple of my favorite quotes come from Jalen.  Here are two quotes.  One that made me laugh and another one that struck me.

• "Who wants to go to Europe? It's not Detroit."
• "Tell me who was the starting line up for the Carolina team that beat us."

Jimmy King and Ray Jackson lend their voices to tell their own story, and Coach Fisher has his current success at San Diego State University to focus on as March Madness starts this week.  We all know Chris Webber still has that mega-watt smile.  His basketball IQ and personality shine on TV for TNT and NBA TV.  I just wish I would've heard his voice tonight in the documentary.  I'm sure if and when Webber decides he's ready to speak, he'll have an eager audience.

UPDATE (3/16/2011):  We have yet to hear from Chris Webber, but we have Grant Hill's response to the comments made about Duke University and himself.  Here is a link to the piece that he wrote for the New YorkTimes:  http://nyti.ms/hqxfYE.   I'd paraphrase his words for you, but I think it's best you read it yourself.  Further, according to his Twitter account, "Due to space consideration the NY Times had to edited my response. The full response will be posted on my website www.granthill.com soon".


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Sports and girl talk = Fun, fun, fun!

I went out with my friend, Teri, this weekend.  She and I are huge sports fans (i.e. primarily basketball).  We actually care about the game.  We're also girls, so girl talk is a large part of our night when we get together.  As we watched the Knicks defeat the Wizards and the Lakers battle the Bulls, I started to get a little bored. 

Ever heard of the game, FMK?  Well, depending on how old/hip you are you may have no idea what I'm talking about and that's just fine with me.

As we rooted for the Lakers, we spent time coming up with different combinations of 3 and laughing.  ****  It's all pretend, people.  Let's face it, we're probably never going to FMK any of the people suggested.  It's just a game, but it's funny just how different peoples tastes can be.  As we spent the night laughing about rumors we've heard, providing our reasoning, and trading stories, the night picked up.  ****  Actual discussions and decisions aren't important and will not be shared, so if you're looking to find the outcomes in this blog, you're going to be disappointed.

Here's one discussion that I found interesting, and that I couldn't believe.  We disagreed on Rick Fox.  She couldn't understand the appeal.  Seriously?!?!  Evidently my friend is blind.  Rick Fox is gorgeous.  I actually watched Vanessa Williams on Biography channel last week, because I knew at some point they'd have to show Rick.  In the show Vanessa talked about how she met Rick during the NBA Lockout in 1998.  ****  Ironically, that's the same year and same lockout that facilitated my relationship with my NBA-ex.  But I digress, and this isn't about him so let's keep it moving.

As my friend and I talked some more, I tried to explain to her that the appeal for Rick Fox is probably his strong face and that mega-watt smile.  Fox's mega-watt smile could probably only be rivaled by Chris Webber.  That's my opinion.  Agree to disagree.  Believe it or not, I think my explanations fell on deaf ears, and that's just fine with me.

Chris Webber.  I remember I was out with my friend earlier this year, and she was talking to Chris Webber.  Do you know how hard it was for me to NOT go over there and interject myself into the conversation?!?!  I'm sure I looked like a complete idiot just standing there watching them chat.  ****  Man, I hope I wasn't staring with my mouth open.  LOL.  When I relayed the story to her, she said she had no idea and that I should've just joined in the conversation.  Umm, yeah.  Too little too late.  But, now that I know ~ maybe next time! 
Girl talk and sports...  Good times!

Speaking of Girl Talk, here's a TLC present for you...



**** One last thing, if you liked this post or were amused at all, please click the "Vote for me icon" to the right of this post. I'm just a girl from Ohio, a one-person operation, trying to survive in a "man's world". I'd appreciate it! Voting ends 12/31 at midnight.



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