They're Playing Basketball!

After two week when I'm convinced Nebraska was trying to ruin my life its easy to feel like all is lost. And then I remember basketball season starts this week and I get to glomb back onto my beloved Lakers.

It reminds me of a paper I did in college about the terror management theory, dealing with mortality salience and preference for teams. Basically, if I reminded of death I'll want to be closely associated with a winning team. Thus, when Nebraska lost to Tech I wanted to kill myself, but that also drove me to foster a closer bond with the Lakers because they're successful. They're like my disfunctional security blanket.

The Lake Show begins the season with a game against the crosstown Clippers tonite and the Lakers offseason acquaisition Ron Artest (above) will play his first regular season game as a Laker. Earlier this season SI.com wanted to do an interview with him so he set up his own photo shoot and hired his own model, despite the fact that SI asked him to do neither. I love me some Artest.


But he may have some competition in the form of coolest Laker from a dark horse candidate. That's right - Adam Morrison. I was surprised to read that he's very well aware the moustache looks ridiculous and he's not a complete tool.

Here's an excerpt from his interview with NBA.com's Mike Trudell.

MT: Fair enough. Solely in terms of facial hair, which athletes did you look up to as a kid?
Morrison: I remember Black Jack McDowell*, the pitcher that flipped off the crowd and had the ‘stache going. Larry Bird had a little ‘stache growing too, but I just grew mine because I could. I’m proud of myself.

*The former right-handed pitcher played for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career and is now a musician with the rock band “Stickfigure.”

MT: Tell us more…
Morrison: Well, one of my teammates in college dared me to play with a mustache all year when we were joking back and forth, and it kind of grew an identity of its own.

MT: Do you see yourself as a role model to youngsters out there looking to grow their own facial hair?
Morrison: No. I want little kids to aspire to go above and beyond my facial hair capabilities.

I'm in love already. I love L.A.!