5. A Nuggets Fan Meets George Karl

Last week I had the chance to talk to Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld and his wife for a few minutes. And while it was a totally casual and forgettable experience, one thing stood out for me. These people have been involved with basketball for their whole lives. Ernie’s a crusty old guy because, well, wouldn’t you be if you’d been roaming NBA locker rooms since the 70s? And it’s odd to meet him and introduce myself as a blogger; because while we on the internet may see ourselves as integral parts of the game’s evolution from the fan perspective, we’ve got about a quarter century to go before we approach the level of investment from someone like Ernie Grunfeld or George Karl.

And as for Karl, our Nuggets blogger Andrew Feinstein caught up with him a few weeks ago, and actually got a pretty good interview out of it. What’s more, he sat down with Karl’s family for what I’m sure was a highly entertaining dinner—George introduced him as "the guy who created firegeorgekarl.com." And that last part is interesting. While bloggers these days can casually cast out stones at someone like George Karl, Feinstein’s anecdote and my experience provide reminders: basketball is LIFE for these people, and that’s not just some empty rhetoric.