Jason's First Blog (One last hoo-rah for hoops)

So I'm pretty new at this blog stuff.
I tried to write a couple not too long after I signed up on MySpace, but
it was such a pain to keep up with.
I mean, who in the heck is really that interested in taking time out of
their life to read about yours? I didn't think too many, so I quit
writing the things altogether.
But when the boss lady comes along and says "I think it would be a good
idea for us to have a sports blog," not only did I jump, I asked "How
high?" and "How long do you need me to stay up in the air?"
Which leads into my next little tidbit, or for those keeping count at
home, my first ever "Heart of Georgia Sports" blog.
I've got a soon-to-be three-month-old son (hyphens galore), and he has to
be the single best thing I've ever been a part of in my entire life.
So it was really cool when his Social Security card came in the mail,
validating among all things that, yes, I was somebody's father. Me and my
wife noticed the cards have been updated an awful lot since ours were
pressed 22 and 27 years ago, respectively. And heck, the thing even had a
USA mark at the bottom like a five dollar bill.
It's nice to know you're a member of something important, like our
country. And it's even nicer to know that the tax break that came with
having our little one toward the end of the year should offset his
medical bills (I told a friend the other day: When we first got our
medical bills, my son cost about as much as a bling-ed out Escalade
rolling on 26's with four seat-mounted screens, an 18" plasma and Persian
rug floor mats. Since haggling with the hospitals and doctors, he's
looking more like a 2003 Mercury Voyager program car; a little pricier
than a Ford, but not quite a Chrysler.)
At any rate being a part of something special, be it fathering your first
natural-born child or, for instance, a member of a championship caliber
team, is comparable to the destinations sitting on the other side of a
long road trip.
You drive and drive and drive. And 12 fast food stops, 18 bathroom stops
and 5 stops to ask directions later, you've reached your goal; Like
Disney World on steroids.
You can't compare the high that comes with becoming a dad for the first
time, or winning a championship, with any other thing you do in life.
Just ask now former Dublin coach Clinton Thomas.
He said "It's just a thrill to be able to do it. It's a high that you can
compare to drugs or anything else. It's the kind of high you want to
have."
Which made both Dublin and East Laurens' losses to eventual champion
Wesleyan even harder to swallow.
It's a natural high that serves as a major accomplishment and can be
listed as an even bigger achievement by everyone involved.
I know I'm proud. I sling my little boy in front of every single face
that walks by at the Wal-Mart, and my cell phone has at least 10
different pictures saved for those times when I don't have a hard copy to
show to someone when he's not there.
So the question you have to ask yourself is: Why would somebody
deliberately try to steal that moment away from someone?
I'm not necessarily talking about kidnapping babies, ala Raising Arizona,
but the Irish and Falcons have to feel a little cheated for losing to
what amounted to an AAU squad. (By the way Wesleyan fans, you can send
your hate mail to sports@courier-herald.com)
Folks down here in the Heart of Georgia have hashed and rehashed the
whole Private-Public situation with the GHSA, so I'm not going to spend
forever even trying to begin an old debate.
I just think it stinks.
I'm not calling our area innocent, because Lord knows there's a rule in
the White bible (GHSA rules book: it's white, hence the name) that is
named after a former West Laurens grad. And of course the Falcons had a
pair transfer from Dublin during East Laurens' first two trips to the
Finals.
But neither Dublin, East, nor West was getting kids from famed Oak Hill
Academy to transfer back into their system. And once more, how proud
should anyone feel for doing what you're supposed to do? (Just ask
Chris Rock)
Wesleyan was supposed to win their first title with that kind of
talent.
When the Bulls fielded an All-Star basketball team in the 1990's, they
were supposed to win championships. If Jordan didn't win two or
three rings with guys like Pippen, Bill Cartwright, Rodman and Toni
Kukoc, he would have just been a taller, skinnier and richer Charles
Barkley.
Or the Lakers of the '80s.
Or the Celtics of the '50s and '60s.
Let's see if my math holds out right:
Magic+Kareem+Worthy=Title
Frank Ramsey+Tom Heinsohn+Bill Russell+Bill Sharman+Bob Cousy=Beating
Wilt in the 63' Finals.
Doing what you're capable of doing, and doing what you're supposed
to do are two different things.
I'm supposed to be a good dad. It's what you're supposed to do.
By allowing schools, be they private or public, to abuse the system's
policies at the expense of kids like Rashard Smith, Jimmy Williams and
Ken Taylor, the GHSA has failed to let these kids do what they're capable
of: compete on a level playing field.
I can't imagine how proud I would be if either of my two boys got the
chance to be a part of something as special as winning a high school
state title.
Too bad for Jimmy Williams Sr., he'll never get the chance. And he only
has the GHSA to blame.