While I was in the shower this morning, I got 2 very exciting emails. First, from the artistic director of my dance company, who verified that we do NOT have rehearsal on Wednesday, which means I can take that hot pair of tickets off of my friend N's hands (thank you N!!)...and second, from a Lakers fan who wanted to congratulate me on the Kings stunning 3-0 series. He said:
For the past 3 Kings' games, the Lakers and Dodgers have also played (and won) as well on the same day. I don't want to promise anything, but on Wednesday the Dodgers (they are currently 9-1) play Milwaukee and the Lakers play the Warriors (who suck...22-37).
I told him that for that reason alone I might root for the Lakers this coming Wednesday.
His emails reminded me about something very important- superstition. Last season when the Kings could not win a playoff game at home to save their lives, I changed up my routine every game because I was convinced- CONVINCED- that my actions had some impact on the game's outcome. Foolish? Possibly. But it's better not to take any chances.
Accordingly, I made a list of what needs to happen in order for the Kings to win Game 4 at home. Some things we can't control (like the Lakers play in Oakland instead of LA on Wednesday, and their game starts 30 minutes after the Kings game). But in an ideal world, this would happen for us to win:
(1) I will need to stay home from work. [Likelihood: 0 out of 10]
(2) My sister will need to watch the game. [Likelihood: 9 out of 10]
(3) I will need to go for a run. [Likelihood: 9 out of 10. I will wake up early to make this happen.]
(4) I will need to wear my I <3 JQ shirt from The Royal Half. [Likelihood: 10 out of 10. I'll wear it under my jersey.]
(5) The Red Wings will need to lose 3-2. [Likelihood: 0 out of 10, as they don't even play on Wednesday]
(6) The Penguins will have to suffer a total "meltdown of character" (as one of their biggest fans put it) and lose spectacularly to the Flyers. [Likelihood: unfortunately pretty high, as they are playing at 4:30 PST on Wednesday, in Philadelphia.]
I say "unfortunately" because I really am rooting for the Pens to win the round, though that became considerably harder during the last game. I could devote an entire entry to how my love and adoration of Sidney Crosby slowly but surely turned to embarrassment and disgust over the course of the last game- a bit like falling in love with a boy and then realizing that he litters- a total dealbreaker for me. My friend B, a Sidney Crosby hater, missed the game live because he was feeding his hangover at brunch, so I helped by texting him updates on the fights, the goals, and each thing that Crosby did that progressively made me hate him. Eventually our correspondence devolved into texts like "WHY ARE YOU NOT WATCHING?!?!?" and "FIND A FUCKING TV" and "There are like 1000 penalty minutes." [Yes, these are all actual texts from me.]
Anyway, my point is this: we can't exactly re-create Sunday. But we can all try. So PLEASE, Kings fans, if you wore something to the game on Sunday- wear it again on Wednesday. If you ate something specific, or drove to the game a certain route, or arrived a certain amount of time before the game- do those things again, in the exact same order. In fact, if you did anything notably different last Wednesday or Friday, throw those things in too, because I'd really like to win by a more comfortable margin. If you brought a broom (wince...so scared to jinx them) to Sunday's game, bring it again. Print out those Canucks Diving Team signs if you waved one on Sunday. What color underwear did you wear yesterday? Find it, wash it, and wear it again on Wednesday.
I do know this. If the Kings win on Wednesday, I might just start believing in a higher power. I'm so thankful for the last 3 wins and so proud of them. GO KINGS GO.
Seriously this might be the first time I've rooted for the Lakers ever! Whatever it takes for a Kings win.
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