Thanks for the Memories: Our First Grizzlies Season Comes to an End

Yesterday was an incredibly sad day. Our beloved Memphis Grizzlies were eliminated from the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Our guys fought hard, erasing a 3-1 deficit to force a game 7 at home. In the end, the monumental game 1 collapse came back to haunt us.

Instead of wallowing in misery, I choose to remember the great things this season brought into our lives. The Grizzlies gave Crystel and I something to look forward to on Tuesday nights after a long day of work. It introduced us to the local sports media. Before this season, we really didn't know much about Gary Parrish, Geoff Caulkins, Chris Vernon, Eric Hassletine, Gary Darby and all the other interesting local personalities. Some of these guys could probably be entertaining talking about anything, but we'd have no idea if not for the Grizz.

I took great pleasure in watching Crystel (not a hip-hop fan at all) sing along with Future's "Go Harder" at the games, all because it was Tony Allen's favorite song and a rallying cry for our team. It was awesome to see that the people in charge of programming would incorporate things suggested on Twitter into the production. It was great to get a glimpse into some of our guys lives on Twitter (I was even retweeted by Dante Cunningham and Grizz).

I loved learning what an awesome person that booming PA voice is. We're lucky to have such a great guy in Rick Trotter as our announcer. If you haven't seen him sing the anthem, you're seriously missing out.

This season has really immersed us in the Memphis culture for the first time. We didn't go to the University of Memphis, so we don't get as excited as everyone else about the Tigers (although I do cheer for them generally, even if their fans don't reciprocate when it comes to Ole Miss). The Grizzlies gave us something great to enjoy and get excited about with our community. Grizz Nation really is a tight knit community. We've made several acquaintances on Twitter based on our shared love of the Grizzlies.

All in all, I'm really sad the season is over, but I still love all of our players. Before you criticize, think about how far we've come as an organization. With a few minor changes, and a little more luck, we can go much further. Maybe we could even pull off a miracle and bring a championship to this great city.

To all of Grizz Nation, thanks for the memories. See you next year!

P.S. Bring back Little (Lil'?) Grizz.




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