EPTHowever, I was a huge fan of Sean Taylor, and I was quite stunned and bewildered when he died.
It's a weird way of putting it, but he was "one of my boys," a player that I followed coming out of college into the pros, vested emotionally in him (I was really hyped about him, and when he lived up to it I was proud he was doing what we all thought he could do). I guess it's, in a way, a lot like how people are fans of Riggins, fans of Michael Jordan, etc. I also think that in a way it's more difficult to have this sort of thing happen in this day and age, where you can follow pretty much any player you want from their high school days. Maybe it's just me though.
Gilbert Arenas was, and is, another one of those guys. I remember us all being so excited about him signing with the Wizards, back when we were in high school. We (the whole D.C. area) embraced him, and he embraced us back. Whenever we'd see stories in the paper or the net about him throwing shirts into the stands, his charity work, all that sort of stuff, we swelled with pride. See, we didn't care if other people around the country thought he sucked (because of his lack of defense), we didn't care if other people didn't think we could win with him. He'd become one of us.
It's also why most other people couldn't understand how most D.C. Wizards fans still had his back after all those knee injuries, after that gun fiasco. We didn't forget all the smiles and kindness and fun stories he'd brought us all those years. He'd become much more than an NBA player. In a way, a lot of us wanted to win, but we wanted to win with him on our team. He'd brought the Wizards back, and he'd become Mr. Wizard. He'd become the Face of Washington D.C.
That's why it hurt when his image was torn off the Verizon Center.
It's also why it was bittersweet when we replaced him with John Wall.
It's also why it really, really sucks now that he's been traded.
I know a lot of people say "the Wizards needed to get rid of him," and a lot of people, probably Arenas himself, will contend that both sides needed a fresh start. It's most likely true, and I wish him well, and I think myself and many others will actually root for the Magic (except when against the Wizards) for as long as Gilbert's there.
But I also feel like the Washington Wizards just traded The Washington Wizard to the Magic. Maybe John Wall will step in and make us forget. He's got time. But he's also walking into a situation much less dire than Gilbert, and he doesn't seem to be even remotely as charismatic. He's got time. But that time isn't now, not yet anyways. And so the pain of bidding Gilbert Arenas farewell remains.
Yes, I know people will say "but y'all have Alex Ovechkin!" Sure, and Ovie is certainly a character in his own right, but I feel like, we all know where Ovie's heart lies (in Russia) and I don't think anyone faults him. He's a cool guy, and we've got his back when the rest of the nation hates him (not as much as Crybaby!) but, he just doesn't have "it." He's not the face of D.C. like Gilbert Arenas was.
And time will tell if anyone can and will actually replace that hole.
In the meantime, good luck, Gil. It won't be with the Wizards, but if you ever win an NBA Championship I'll be genuinely happy for you. Thanks for all the memories you've left us, and thanks for bringing the Wizards out of dumps and back into the minds of the 2000's generation of Washingtonians.
