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I’ve often been jealous of the Michigan fans that can make it to the home games for the Detroit Shock to watch them play at the Palace. Friday, August 7 I had the honor and pleasure of going to the Verizon Center in DC to watch the Detroit Shock play the Washington Mystics with the Daniely family who had 20 hours of flight time on their trip from Israel. It was very humbling to watch the game with Noa, who gets up at 3:00 AM to watch the Shock or the Pistons play live via her computer. It made me realize just how lucky I am. It was a pleasure to meet them in person. Noa, a die-hard Piston and Shock fan has “chatted” with me for the past year via facebook. When I learned of the family plans to visit the United States on vacation and realized they would be in DC when the Shock were there I made a phone call, ordered tickets and waited for the day to arrive.
We met for dinner at a side-walk café in DC and talked about United States and Israel, and somehow the conversations would always come back to basketball. It was great to talk with them about Will Bynum as they had watched him play in Israel. Finally the time came to go to the game. We arrived early to ensure time for autographs. The ladies from the Shock were awesome. They were gracious to give autographs and allow pictures. The smile on Noa’s face more than expressed she was enjoying the night. I must admit this grandma got a bit nervous and giddy when Asst. Coach Cureton came by and said hi and allowed me to have my picture taken with him. (I am a die-hard Piston and Shock fan, but my Pennsylvania blood also remembers that Earl Cureton played for the 76ers when they won a championship! That was pretty special for me!)
I must give props to the Mystics fans and the folks of the Verizon Center. The fans are loud and really support their team. The turnout for a WNBA game was very good. I was having my usual fun being the fan for the visiting team and there was a little smack-talk going on during the game, but it was all good. The folks from the Verizon Center were so kind to put a special welcome to the Daniely family on the screen and everyone was welcoming them.
The game was close. The Shock led most of the first half. Second half Mystics took an 11 point lead and the Shock worked their way back to make it a close game. But --- the game ended with a 70 – 66 Mystic victory. As the game ended and the Mystic fans cheered – I made my peace with the Mystics fans and told them it was a good game and reminded them the Shock would be back in DC in a few days --- and they better be ready.
It was a great evening. I said good-night to my new friends from Israel and started the ride back home. I couldn’t help but think on the trip home, how the love of basketball had actually made it possible for this grandma living in south-central “small-town” Pennsylvania to enjoy watching a game with a family from Israel. It truly is a small world ----and basketball truly is an awesome game.
Special thanks to the Shock for making the night special. You made a young WNBA fan from Israel very happy with your kindness. Sorry you did not win the game, but sometimes the scoreboard does not tell the entire story. The Detroit Shock are and always will be my champions!
