It was the worst mistake I have ever made in my entire life. Last Wednesday, I flew to a friend's house in Southern California to watch a game on television. I learned later that the game was about to be played by the Los Angeles Lakers. I hadn't yet seen the game, but I had seen it in Oklahoma City.
I was standing outside the locker room and staring at the Lakers.
When I saw the Lakers' players, I noticed that one was a tall, dark-haired, rugged man in an orange-and-black striped shirt with a white stripe down the front. The other was a shorter, lighter-haired man in a gray suit, with a gray mustache and long, dark hair.
"What do you want?" I asked the man.
"I want to see you play," he said to me.
"You're going to be famous!" I said.
"You know what they say about the man who can't play at home?" he said. "He can't play at home if he plays for the Lakers."
"Exactly," I said. "I want to play for the Lakers."
"You'll have to promise me you won't tell anyone," he said. "I don't want to be the one to make you promise."
"I'll tell them," I promised. "In the normal course of things, I shall try to play for the Lakers."
"Good," he said. "Let's go."