Any series invoking the words “wide,” “of” and “sports” in the title that is worth its salt must, as surely as the world is round, touch on those clown princes of basketball.
Long a staple of ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” program, the Harlem Globetrotters remain as one of the most popular professional-basketball franchises on the planet. Since their first road game in Hinckley, Ill., on Jan. 7, 1927, the Globetrotters have entertained more than 100 million fans in more than 100 countries with a blend of on-court skill and courtside antics.
This weekend, the Globetrotters swing into Colorado. As part of their 2006 “Unstoppable” North American Tour that marks their 80th consecutive season, the Globetrotters hold court tonight in Denver at Pepsi Center, tomorrow in Loveland at the Budweiser Events Center and Sunday in Colorado Springs at World Arena.
For those of you who can’t whistle “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the Globetrotters are known as much for a display of goodwill as good hoops.
There’s an actual game of basketball, of course. With a roster of former college players, the Globetrotters compete in exhibitions against the New York Nationals, who in the mid-1990s replaced those venerable losers, the Washington Generals. The game is then heavily seasoned with ball-handling displays, acrobatic dunks and comedy routines.
It’s essentially a circus without the malodor. And the kids love it.
I recall taking in a Globetrotters spectacle as a wee lad many moons ago. By far my favorite stunt, which never failed to bring down the house, required a simple prop: the anachronistic water bucket.
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HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
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Following a “disagreement” between players, a certain Globetrotter gives chase menacingly wielding the bucket. When the prey seeks refuge in the crowd, the incensed Globetrotter fails to relent. He throws the bucket anyhow, dousing the offender and his immediate company entirely with … confetti.
Hackneyed? Perhaps. Yet when you consider what NBA players are throwing in the stands nowadays — i.e., haymakers — perhaps not.
Returning “meet and greet” to a more traditional sense, the Globetrotters wrap up each show with a 30-minute session for autograph seekers and fan interaction. The Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal of my salad days have long been retired, but the game and aim remain the same among a new generation of stewards for a uniquely American tradition.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
“Talk about livin’ large. One day after his boys allowed one earned run in 11 innings at Coors Canaveral, Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca had a hole-in-one Tuesday on the 12th hole at Castle Pines. … Eat your hearts out, weekend warriors. The ace was the fourth for Apodaca, who also has bowled two 300 games.”
From the mailbags
“I think Sakic will definitely be back. He’s had another good year, and has made it plain he wants to finish his career in Denver. I just don’t think Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix would let the face of the franchise go.”
From the message boards
“Boykins — Should be interesting to see how the nuggs finish season w/o him. I think we would’ve been better off trading him and keeping watson, but what do I know? i think this year boykins read too much of his own press and started to think he was star talent player.” — isaiah60
From the online exclusives
The Colorado Rockies treated a sellout crowd at Coors Field on Monday to a 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Denver Post photographers captured the sights and sounds of opening day at the yard and put together this online slideshow, which includes a video montage.
A look back
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In this photo shot in 1959, Wilt Chamberlain dons the uniform of the Harlem Globetrotters. Chamberlain’s No. 13 was the first jersey ever retired by the Globetrotters. |
