duncan228
12-28-2008, 08:48 PM
There's more to the article, I just posted the Manu piece. Hit the link for the rest. :)
Oliver's Twist: Manu continues to be No. 1 story (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Olivers_Twist_Manu_continues_to_be_No_1_story.html )
Richard Oliver - Express-News
It was, as we reviewed in Sunday's Express-News, a compelling and oft-spectacular year in San Antonio sports.
From Mario Chalmers' miracle hurl at the Alamodome to the eye-popping success of the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon, the months came and went with the kind of boldface headlines usually reserved for Manhattan tabloids.
Yet, in looking back over a 2008 timeline of victorious thrills and agonizing defeats, it's difficult to determine when exactly the most significant moment for San Antonio sports fans took place.
But it isn't all that tough to figure out what it was.
When Manu Ginobili's left ankle broke down last spring, taking away his springs and whirling-dervish athleticism, it left not just a franchise floundering in frustration, but a city.
From this vantage point, that compact collection of ligament, sinew and bone represented the biggest story of the year for the local fandom. And, arguably, remains so today.
San Antonio knew the potential of the 2007-08 Spurs, and to see that opportunity undercut by Manu's ailing joint was a posterior impingement that was a pain in our posteriors.
When Ginobili, listening to his heart instead of his head, tugged on his high tops to play at the Beijing Olympics for Argentina, even the most optimistic Spurs fan felt an impingement in his or her psyche. When the guard went down and under the knife, it was an I-told-you-so moment ranking right up there with sunshine in August.
Ginobili's ankle is no less of a story today. His post-operation rehabilitation allowed free-agent import Roger Mason Jr. and rookie sensation George Hill to see valuable minutes. The Spurs, labeled by one columnist not long ago as “preparing to ride off into the sunset,” are stubborn contenders.
Manu, for his part, seems healthy enough, an impact player again. But on occasion, such as late in a game last week, he'll reach down to massage that ankle, feeling a twinge of discomfort that courses straight from his leg into San Antonio living rooms.
Fear remains, and that may make Ginobili something familiar.
The top story of early 2009, as well.
Oliver's Twist: Manu continues to be No. 1 story (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Olivers_Twist_Manu_continues_to_be_No_1_story.html )
Richard Oliver - Express-News
It was, as we reviewed in Sunday's Express-News, a compelling and oft-spectacular year in San Antonio sports.
From Mario Chalmers' miracle hurl at the Alamodome to the eye-popping success of the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon, the months came and went with the kind of boldface headlines usually reserved for Manhattan tabloids.
Yet, in looking back over a 2008 timeline of victorious thrills and agonizing defeats, it's difficult to determine when exactly the most significant moment for San Antonio sports fans took place.
But it isn't all that tough to figure out what it was.
When Manu Ginobili's left ankle broke down last spring, taking away his springs and whirling-dervish athleticism, it left not just a franchise floundering in frustration, but a city.
From this vantage point, that compact collection of ligament, sinew and bone represented the biggest story of the year for the local fandom. And, arguably, remains so today.
San Antonio knew the potential of the 2007-08 Spurs, and to see that opportunity undercut by Manu's ailing joint was a posterior impingement that was a pain in our posteriors.
When Ginobili, listening to his heart instead of his head, tugged on his high tops to play at the Beijing Olympics for Argentina, even the most optimistic Spurs fan felt an impingement in his or her psyche. When the guard went down and under the knife, it was an I-told-you-so moment ranking right up there with sunshine in August.
Ginobili's ankle is no less of a story today. His post-operation rehabilitation allowed free-agent import Roger Mason Jr. and rookie sensation George Hill to see valuable minutes. The Spurs, labeled by one columnist not long ago as “preparing to ride off into the sunset,” are stubborn contenders.
Manu, for his part, seems healthy enough, an impact player again. But on occasion, such as late in a game last week, he'll reach down to massage that ankle, feeling a twinge of discomfort that courses straight from his leg into San Antonio living rooms.
Fear remains, and that may make Ginobili something familiar.
The top story of early 2009, as well.