How great is it to be excited about a rookie as a clipper fan? Don't answer. I guess it was a normality in our ancient years, in which every season's possibility of excitement hinged on what new young talent would come in to replace the developing veterans donald sterling in his infinite evil ushered out the door like the rotten pastrami gets thrown in the alley outside shady delicatessins across the 48 contiguous. these were the times before the high watermark of 2005, aka the year Noah looked down from his ark and lifted yon hand high to help the sloth ascend.

After the dark year when a russian plague dropped onto Mike Dunleavy's tainted consciousness (and ah the irony of that disastrous draft, in light of the gonzo good year on the court? almost reminiscent of a darko pistons moo goo gai pan) and el nacion was (antithesis of the term) blessed with yaroslav korolev (2005), and then the following year, due to our insanely good season (by clipper standards) prior, Elgin picked up nothing much worth noting (2006, highlighted by 2nd rounder Paul Davis, who might emerge this year, he's had his moments, and with EB on the sidelines, he's, he's a fresh bagel), tis a thing of beauty to see a fresh college face (and gasp a 4 year ncaa player, pshaw) who can jump out of the gym and plays hard nonstop suit up his first (and hopefully if things go well all) nba games with the clips.

Anyway, in reference Al Thornton, I’m giddy, Jerry, I’m busting. The Florida State man child (child man?) should have been gone at the 14 slot, but he wasn’t, there he sat, waiting for the LA bastard stepchildren organization of America to swoop him up unabashedly. And the clipper nation waited for Dunleavy to brainwash Elgin (or use those nude photos of him with Eartha Kitt, and not from the 60's, I'm talking just 5 years ago) and the organization you know and love to announce they'd discovered some prodigy of wisdom from the Andes, a Peruvian descent sheepherder who played basketball like he stroked the mandolin, a random heartbreak tragedy, but NO, that of beauty was performed, the greatest talent left was pencilled in for the 2nd class citizen wing of Staples Center.

Elsewhere (in my consciousness), you have to give the LA times a little credit. After virtually ignoring the clips almost the whole offseason (aside from reporting on brand’s injury and a few other minor tidbits), since training camp opened, they’ve had Jonathon Abraham filing daily reports. So, yeah, mainstream media is paying attention, kind of. Ok, more than kind of.

update: 10/17/07 - I played around with the 2nd & what was the 3rd paragraphs, morphed them, in order to make actual sentences, the grammar police, the ones in my brain, they make those minority report guys look like pikers, serially, gratzi, advance, arrears, etcetera acres beckons. aloha.