My partner in crime (aka Bosslady, aka wife) was out of town on business, so I went to the Coliseum with some cousins (Iwy, Kev, and Matt), Kev's friends (Elvis and Gabby), and Iwy's co-worker and fellow sneaker connoisseur (DC).
My day started with me falling asleep at Midnight, only to wake up at 3:30am. I picked up the crew and we headed out to the LBC. We decided to take the Blue Line into Downtown just in case there were any uproars. We arrive in front of Gate 28 at around 6:00 am. Unfortunately, the gates did not open till 9:30 am.
These college kids these days can't keep up with me. All they do is sleep. All Day Long!!!
Once inside, we managed to get some seats in Section 25. We stayed a little higher up to get a good view of the stage and one of the big screens.
Not too shabby, eh.
By now, it is only about 10:30am. The parade isn't scheduled to start till 11:30am from Staples Center. They aren't planned to enter the Coliseum till about noon.
It was pretty cool how they brought over the court from Staples to use as the stage.
So again, the college kids fall asleep.
Just after 11:00am, you could see the buses being loaded with the players and entourage.
The Laker Girls arrived first and you can see who's on his way over from the big screen. The Laker Girls do about 2-3 routines. If you ask me, one is good enough. Let's get this show on the road.
At about 12:30, they show the Lakers finally arriving in front of the Coliseum.
They all make their way down the steps with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in tow.
Each player is introduced to the crowd of nearly 100,000. Jordan Farmar showed that he still represents LA.
This guy has really made a name for himself... Trevor A-three-za.
Of course, everyone's favorite Spaniard was in the house.
Can't forget Mister 0.4 seconds. The same guy who put an end to the Magic.
And of course, Mr. Finals MVP (the MVP that matters most)... Kobe Bean Bryant. He didn't have the puppet, but had a puppet hand with four rings on his shirt.
Then they introduced the coaching staff which includes the Zen Master. I can't believe he's still wearing that hat. It's gotta smell pretty bad by now. Wasn't it covered in champagne?
After the introductions, a few players were asked to speak in a mini-interview format by Joel Myers and Stu Lantz.
They started with Luuuuuke Walton. He blatantly said that the biggest difference between his ring and his dad's ring is that Luke's comes from a better franchise (in other words... Boston Sucks). He better hope he never ends up there.
Jordan Farmar was up next.
Pau Gasol addressed the crowd in English and Spanish. He said that this team is young and still very hungry.
Derek Fisher took the mic and asked the crowd if we wanted to do this again next year. Everyone screamed "Yes", and he said "that's all I'm saying". That was the gist of his segment anyway.
Finally they talked to the Black Mamba. They asked him if he was staying with the team (no pressure). He can opt out in a few days. He said that he has no where else to go. So, he'll stay with the purple and gold.
Kobe brought in the team and they did one more "1,2,3... Ring!!!" chant. That's pretty much how it ended. No one really did any Mark Madsen-ish dances. No one had any humorous "Can you dig it-ish" lines. Kobe has a little too serious of a personality to be addressing crowds in these types of situations. It's times like these it would be nice if we still had someone like Shaq to take the mic and entertain the crowd.
I attempted to take some videos. But it was tough switching back and forth from still photos to video. In any case, I just lumped all the clips together.
It was a long day, but well worth it.
By the way, there were no riots!!!
Bonus Pic: LA Live giving some love as well.
As Chick would say:
Let's do this again next June.
Peace Out Kids.
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