This Friday evening, I'll be taking my two nephews to see the Harlem Globetrotters. (It's a surprise, so don't tell them. wink )

I remember as a kid watching the Globetrotters on ABC Sports on Saturday afternoons, back in the day when Meadowlark Lemon and Marcus Haynes were on the team. I thought they were a real hoot, what with the ball on a string trick, the exploding and deflated balls, the buckets of confetti and water, "pants-ing" the ref, etc. My brother and I would then go out to the backyard and try (unsuccessfully) to duplicate some of those amazing dribbling and shooting tricks we just saw. It was remarkable what those guys could do with a basketball!

Have any of you guys seen them lately? Do they have any new routines we should be looking out for? We'll have courtside seats, so should I wear a raincoat? Oh yeah, and I hope the Globetrotters win the game for a change!

I loved the Trotters as a kid (he says giving away his age). Hope that kids seeing them nowadays are aware that they started because Blacks were excluded from the pro game at the time.

I'm glad that they're still around.

And I wont tell your nephews about the surprise if you wont tell my neices about my plans to invite them this Spring or Summer, since I don't know if I'll be able to afford it yet.

We used to see the Globetrotters when they'd come to the LA Sports Arena (pre-Fabulous Forum, which is pre-Staples Center...) and I enjoyed their games against the Generals. It's amazing how a number of their "tricks" have become part of an average NBA game. Those high-flying, over-the-rim, monster dunks originated with the Globetrotters and are now common features in NBA games.

Have fun with the nephews & enjoy the confetti!

~Adam

Yeah, I used to watch the Globetrotters on TV back in the day, too. Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal, Geese Ausbie.

Lately, I've been into the And 1 Mix Tape Tour. The ESPN series Streetball is shown on The Score in Canada. Very entertaining. I wish I had seen them on the last tour.