It Was Supposed to Be a Minneapolis Night

It was about time that the Los Angeles Lakers acknowledged the presence of their trail blazing counterparts from Minneapolis, but the April 11 ceremony itself was almost as pathetic as Halle Berry’s Oscar speech.

Public address announcer Lawrence Tanter’s timing was atrocious; Carrot Top could have done better. I know he was probably only reading off the cards, but he announced the Minnesota legends names in such a fashion that allowed the crowd to cheer more (a lot more) for the presenting icons: Sharman, Kupchak, West, Worthy and Baylor, rather than the forerunners themselves.

Even if it was unintended, and poorly organized, it was almost as if the Laker brass were saying: “Yes, we are family, but while you Minneapolis guys were OK, and paved the way for us, our L.A. guys really outshined you.”

Rick Cipes

Los Angeles