Arrgh, me hardies! I be proposin’ a mutiny on the Clipper Ship!

With the dread dog days nearin’, ‘tis time, I say, to relieve Captain Steve o’ his duties, and take this vessel into waters uncharted!

“This is but a pipedream!” ye says, and aye, ye might be right! But hear me out, ‘fore ye be castin’ me carcass o’er the rail!

Let us go on an exploring expedition, seeking not gold and jools, but the treasure of understandin’.

Let us explore, together mates, the nature of loyalty and duty in professional sports.

Many who fly the purple and gold pennants are upset when they see the red, white and blue of our crew, claiming to represent the same city. Sure, they both claim the name ‘Los Angeles,’ but does that mean citizens of LA are bound to give their love and support to the crews? And what do the crews owe to Los Angeles, and its citizens, and their fans? And if, say, the Clippers sailed to Anaheim, but kept the name, “Los Angeles” painted on the stern, should it affect anybody’s love, or hate, for our tricolor?

Owes the ship’s master the fans a winning team now, or in the future? Or be entertainment more important? How might an owner define a prosperous voyage – by record, by championship, by revenues, by profits, by return-on-investment,  by increased value of assets? And, should ye believe he should look to benefit anybody but himself, why hold ye so? And be that very perspective one of the reasons ye’ll ne'er be in the position to own a professional sports franchise?

What does the owner owe to players? They are paid handsomely, have lavish amenities, and are often idolized by fans. Are they owed a competitive team? A happy team? A famous team? Do they owe their utmost effort to make that happen? If that includes sacrificing some money to enhance their crew, should they do that? Or are they to be neither more, nor less, profit-oriented than the owner?

What do players owe to fans? Their utmost effort? Candor in interviews? Sacrifice for the team good? Charity works that aren’t primarily photo-ops? Being part of the community, year-round? Autographs at any time?

And fans, mates, what do you owe to the owner, the players, the team (they being separate, or so I'm thinkin'). Loyalty, no matter what? And what do they owe you? Should your season tickets appreciate every year? Should your memorabilia increase in value, too? Should they all work together to make wearing the Clipper tricolor a reason for (vicarious) pride, as opposed to mockery, or grudging respect for being stalwart?

Other questions might arise as we sail these shoals and reefs. Should we prosper in this expedition, Captain Steve can take all the reflectin’ and ruminatin’ and make it the core of his Thesis, maybe even serialize it to SI.

So, there ye be, maties. Are ye with me, or agin’ me?

Should you elect to sign on, ye’ll not be obliged to carry on with seaman’s talk.

I believe Ensign Spellcheck just abandoned ship.

How do you guys think this will work out? NBA teams are 'capped out,' and strange for Americans, the European clubs are able to outbid the NBA for the talents of medium-level players.

But there's more. The Euro game is shorter, by 2 minutes a quarter, and easier on the body it seems. Besides that, here's a quote from Milt Palacio, hardly a star here, but in Europe? Well, read this:

"I have never been around fans like this before in my life, and I dont know if I ever will again.But this time, I mean to tell you, I had goosebumps when we ran out of the tunnel and onto the floor. Goosebumps. I was like: wow! The whole gym was packed and cheering for our layup line. I walked over to Mike Batiste from Panathinaikos. He said: Have you ever seen anything like this? We are going to have fun tonight!The next day I was hoarse, and that never happened before in my life. I was telling my brother later that it was impossible to describe. You cant compare it to Duke or the NBA playoffs or anything else in America." - Milt Palacio, Partizan play-maker about atmosphere on Partizan - PAO match(source: euroleague.net)

Better money, apparently lower taxes (higher agent fees -- 10% vs. 4%), easier schedule -- if you're comfortable with foreign cultures, why not go? If the alternative is sitting at the end of the bench for a minimum contract, what's the draw of the NBA?

How do you guys think the NBA and NCAA might react? More integration of the leagues, more flexibility or restriction for players, three separate career paths, a trapezoid key, rule changes -- or will the US bury its head in the sand?

Just learned that my favorite Clipper Spirit, Taylor, did not make the team!

Besides her loyalty to a club even as it falterered and flailed, she had excellent, sharp moves, and a wonderful smile.

She also showed up at Fan Viewing Nights, and showed up at Clipper Steve's season-ending shindig at Yankee Doodles.

This just ain't right!

Taylor, I'm sure I speak for many members of Clippers Nation when I ask you to continue to show up at Fan Viewing Parties. I don't want to have to go to Centinela Hospital for radiological work to see you.

Sterling owned the Clips for well over a decade, happily printing money, but he decided he wanted respectability, too.

Players complained about the Sports Arena, so he moved to Staples Center.

Players complained that no free-agents were ever signed, so he overpaid for Mobley.

Players complained that the Clips didn't have a big-name coach, so he brought in Mike Dunleavy.

Players complained that there was too much turnover at coach, so he signed MD to a long contract.

Players complained about lack of a practice facility, so he sunk money into one, opening soon.

Players complained about the lack of a 1st rate point guard, so he drafted Shaun Livingston, traded for Sam Cassell, extended Sam, and then signed free agent Baron Davis.

Players complained about the Clippers being all about money, and Sterling went to the wall for Odom, Maggette, and Brand.

And now he finds out it's a business, after all.

Pippen's talking about a return; and, can 'retired' vets help the younger players who may be too fragile for a full NBA season?

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I don't think our problem as fans is from heightened expectations.

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Baron Davis is gone for awhile now, too. Are the Warriors playing ping-pong too?

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A quick glance at our roster this morning (1/20) shows fourteen players.

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The Clips have been poor beyond the arc since, I don't know, Terry DeHere or something. So why hasn't anything been done?

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Many, many words have been written to analyze what's going on with our Clippers. I'm going to stand up right now, right here, and say ,"I've got no idea."

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