That was the chant that echoed through the TD Garden when fans wanted a taste of "the human victory cigar." Brian Scalabrine's years in Boston were fun ones. He made it no secret that he loved playing here and that he fed off the crowd. Now, Chicago is Scal's "home", and the fans there are just as frenzied.
Last night, during a blowout win over the Pistons, Scal checked-in with about 2:40 left in the game. And just like they used to in Boston, the crowd chanted; "Scal-a-brin-e!" And of course they went berzerk anytime he touched the ball, begging him to shoot it. And when he did, and it went in, total chaos ensued. I personally had grown tired of the Scal chants towards the end of his tenure in the Hub. It became more of a mockery in my eyes. I thought Scal deserved a little more respect for the hard-work and dedication he showed while here in Boston. But that's just me.
CelticsBlog recently did an interesting and thought-provoking piece on players like Scal and the Celtics' newest fan-fave Greg Stiemsma. Henry Abbot of ESPN.com quoted the piece and included a racial implication about Boston fans by saying that we only "go nuts" for white players. So then I guess Chicago fans must-be racist too, right? I've lived in Boston for 30 years now, and some of my favorite "Scalabrine-type" players were M.L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell and Dennis Rodman (even before he became a rebounding monster). I personally feel that it doesn't matter why fans like a particular player. If that player helps bring energy into the arena, and gets the home-crowd fired-up, then who cares what color or race he is?
h/t to JE Skeets for the video
*Editor's Note: Kendrick Perkins anyone? How many Celtics fans can't let go of his departure. Why do people keep clamoring for Leon Powe? It's about effort, not skin color.
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