Clippers and religion?

by yaggiefresh on Feb 27, 2010 1:23 PM PST

Editor's note: I somehow had missed citizen yaggiefresh's excellent FanPost on this article before I created a FanShot of it last night. His commentary and expertise are significantly deeper than mine on the subject, so it deserves the spotlight. Read it after the jump.

First of all, Clips Nation AND Clipper Blog got a shout out in the article! Steve and KA's respective works are lauded as "the antithesis of the bandwagon." Thanks for not only providing info on everything Clipper related but also as a platform for counseling, comfort, and pick-me-ups in the era of Clipper basketball.

Now, as a STH and a Hindu (a writer on religion, at that), I found this article to be refreshing (how often will the Clippers get a plug on Huffington Post that doesn't have to do with DTS?). It doesn't take a Hindu to realize that the team's success has been stagnant compared to that of other teams and that the looming "monkey on our back" is pretty evident from year-to-year. He does do a good job at talking about the basics of the religion and relating it to basketball terms (not that everyone doesn't know what karma means).

One thing Soni didn't mention is the term "moksha." In Hinduism the present life-form goal is to attain "moksha," or, absolute salvation where one is freed from the tyranny of suffering. The way you attain salvation is through living a live of austerity and being at peace with yourself. In order to attain such level one must conquer the art of suffering and be comfortable with such sensations before moving to greener pastures. Now, here's my take on the whole thing -- whether it the optimistic side in me or my blinded love for the Clippers, but I feel as though the suffering is coming close to an end. The absolute suffering of 25 years (give or take 5 years) has reached its pinnacle and the better moments are to come. Griffin is coming back (true, we haven't seen him play but still comes in with high expectations) along with a core of talented players going into the most heralded free agency class ever. Dunleavy is no longer the coach and the team, for a change, looks to be playing with synergy and passion.

Absolute salvation, or the promise land, would be a ring. And while there may still be a few bumps in the road along the way for many of us the suffering of the past almost appears behind us. Religion or not.

(I didn't know whether to put this as a FanPost or FanShot but here you go anyways)

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FYI

should be a fanshot. Not to be the blog police or anything but I would say fanshot in this instance is best because you are directly referencing the link in your post, and until I read the link I can’t completely follow your fanpost.

by Michael White on Feb 25, 2010 3:38 PM PST reply actions

ah, thanks for the heads up

Definitely noted for the next go-around!

by yaggiefresh on Feb 25, 2010 3:40 PM PST up reply actions

Actually I disagree

now I’m not an expert, and I don’t write at Dodger’s blog, but if I read correctly, yaggiefresh provided his own link as well as his own opinion. The thing about a fanpost is that they state the fans opinions, especially if they are as lengthly as yaggie’s.

Then fanshots… their.. well very short and concise. Most of it is copy and paste and certain quote or a certain sports move that happened. Also, pictures, videos, and links.

by JackduhSun on Feb 25, 2010 6:38 PM PST up reply actions

ClipsNation and ClipperBlog getting shout outs on The Huffington Post.

That’s pretty cool.

"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.

by Gordon for President on Feb 25, 2010 4:47 PM PST reply actions

On the FanShot vs. FanPost debate...

Given the amount of original commentary that yaggie put on his post, this one would be fine in either place.

The key element to a FanShot is that the focal point is an external link – a picture, an article (as here), whatever.

The key element to a FanPost is the original writing of the fan.

Since this one has both, it could live comfortably in either place. We haven’t been as diligent as some other sites about the proper use of each. Maybe we’ll get there soon.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Feb 27, 2010 1:22 PM PST reply actions

Another point on FanShot and FanPost

I realize that I almost always make something like this a FanShot for a very specific reason – the ‘Share on SBNation’ button. If you haven’t dragged it onto your browser’s toolbar, you should. Then, when you find an interesting post like this one, you just click Share on SBNation and it makes the FanShot automatically. It’s just a lot easier, which is why I do it. Go to the FanShots page, and drag the ‘Share on SBNation’ button to your toolbar – do it now.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Feb 27, 2010 1:32 PM PST up reply actions

I'm worried about yaggiefresh...

Actually I’m worried about all us Clipper fans.
" …but I feel as though the suffering is coming close to an end. The absolute suffering of 25 years (give or take 5 years) has reached its pinnacle and the better moments are to come."
That’s how I feel at the end of every season, and on occasion, in the beginning or the middle of the season too. Even this year when MDSr. threw in the towel, we all stood around, nodding, saying, “it must be done, there is no other choice, ultimately it will be better, it’s a rebuilding year, you have to crawl, etc., etc., etc.” Yeccchh! Isn’t it all just rationalization?!
I’m a Clipper optimist… I suffer quietly, I recognize the flashes of redemption that Varun Soni made reference to… but, but….
Is it Hinduism that has a concept of reincarnation… wherein we just keep living our temporal lives over and over and over again until finally, somehow, hopefully we are released by achieving nirvana? Nirvana is heaven, I guess, and it’s there that we finally slough off all this wandering and achieve enlightenment? So, if we embrace the metaphor, as Clipper fans are we just spinning around reincarnating ourselves, suffering endlessly?
I think it was Saint Theresa who said, “The road to heaven is heaven.”
So is this heaven? Or are we on the wrong road? Are those little flashes of redemption enough? Are they? Is that all there is? And, should the Clippers actually ever do anything like win a championship, will it be less than what we have now?

by John Raffo on Feb 27, 2010 3:27 PM PST reply actions