I searched my past blogs. I knew I had to write something about this day in Chicago Bulls history. It’s the anniversary of one of my favorite, if not favorite, Bulls game of all time. Yeah, it’s pretty well known too. 21 years ago today was the famous Flu Game. So I haven’t written a specific blog about it… at least not on this day. I figured now is as good a time as any to do so.
Playing sick. We’ve all done it right? Maybe we haven’t all played with a broken hand like LeBum… wink wink, but there have been instances when we “played” sick. Whether it was going to work, toughening it out in some other duty, or in an athletic event, we’ve all done it. I remember a day that I did.
It was back in little league baseball. I had asthma growing up. It wasn’t so bad. Yeah, I was taken to the hospital a couple times when I was young, but as I got older it got less and less; I didn’t even have to carry an inhaler around. But once in a while, it would flare up. This time, it was on the day of a big playoff game against our rival, the Pirates. There was no way I was missing this game. So, I got my uniform on and headed to the park, with my inhaler.
My first at bat came with another kid on base. I smoked the ball over the left fielder’s head, and it rolled and rolled, all the way to the hill. I trucked around the bases…a home run. As I got back to the dugout, I reached through the fence and grabbed the inhaler from my Mom. What a start.
I would be front and center in this game, as I took the ball on the mound too. I was mowing them down. We were winning as the game reached the 5th inning, but it started getting too dark to play. Yeah, we didn’t have the lights that some other parks may have had. The game was called, to be continued the next day.
We were winning and I was feeling pretty pumped up. Unfortunately, the completion of the game the next day didn’t end like the famous Flu Game. My arm was rubber the next day, as I took the mound looking to hold them off. I didn’t, and we ended up losing. I remember getting home and heading to the basement to take off my dusty uniform. My dad held the water sprayer over my head in the big basin sink as I cried and cried. Everything can’t have a happy ending.
Therefore, only one or two treatment methods or medicines can samples of viagra not control and relieve it effectively. So you can buy check out over here india online viagra, use it and what are those medical conditions during which you should avoid taking this medicine? Men with heart disease, low blood pressure, kidney problem, high blood sugar level and psychological causes like stress, depression, cardiac issues, hypertension etc. Libido is the term used for sexual desire. cialis online On the other hand, as per a lately carried out investigation, it is now obvious that these can in addition be a cause after despair, a lot of situations of despair (in accutane users) approach from those who do cialis online order not have a narration of despair and additional psychiatric turmoil.
But that night in Utah did. There was no faking that sickness. Watching MJ play hundreds of games, I never really saw him sweat the way he did that night; I never saw him fight through it like he did that night. Yeah, there were many regular season games, when the pre game report came out and MJ was feeling under the weather. I think that was all for Papa Vegas. Jordan would come out on most of these nights and drop 50; so much for being sick.
But to do it on the highest level…under the most dire of conditions… There’s a reason why so many people get riled up when people start to make GOAT arguments. There is only one.
So when I saw the tshirt, I had to get it. It captured the lasting image of that game, where Pippen helped carry Jordan off the court. As Pippen was asked about it recently, he was glad to carry him, considering MJ had carried Pip for 11 years; truth.
I’m almost getting the itch to watch this game again. Besides Game 3 of the 1991 Finals, which I recently rewatched, the other game I could watch over and over is this one: Game 5 of the 1997 Finals. The good old days…
MK
Playing sick. The flu game. GOAT.
The Bulls needed that game, and MJ wasnt going to let some sickness get in the way. He looked drained and out of it, but his will and want to win overcame all, especially when it mattered most. All this talk of kd being an assassin, please. MJ was the ultimate assassin. He would rip your heart out and did to many fan bases over the years.
Being sick sucks. All of us have played through sickness in some form or another but never on such a big stage. I remember fighting through arm issues as a pitcher in high school. Those were some of my best games just because I had to concentrate so much more on pitching instead of just throwing. I miss those pitching days…so much fun. I can only hope to live through my kids now as they grow up and play sports. Playing while sick or through pain is bound to happen for them, too. Maybe it will be on a bigger stage than me…one can only hope!
The 90s Bulls were definitely the good old days and watching those games makes me appreciate them and MJ’s amazingness even more.