June 6, 2008 - Laker Flags

The dedicated staffer who sneered at Ed wrote today's Edhat article all by herself.

First, I'd like to say, Santa Barbara, I'm proud of you. Sometimes we have our problems, but today, I'm happy to know ya. Why, you ask? Well, it's because of the flags. Not those cool flags that are found lining State Street. No, I'm talking about those darn Lakers flags. You know, the ones that people put on their cars? You know, the ones that flew rampant in 2004, the last time the Lakers were in the NBA finals?

I don't know why I dislike them so much. You can see them a mile away, flitting in the breeze of the moving car like the ribbons on a little girl's pigtails, or the pom-poms of the cheerleaders at the high school football game. They are perky and bright and happy and they look like they're foreign ambassadors or the president or a parade. So, I should like them, right? Well I don't. In fact I started whining about them from the moment Kobe made that first fabulous basket in the first playoff game. Oh no, I groaned, now we're gonna start seeing those stupid flags. The town will be filled with them again. With every win, there will be more and more and more. My distaste began to build. I didn't know if I could take it. In fact, I started looking for them just so I could malign the very sight of one. But alas, I was wrong.

Yesterday, the dedicated staff of edhat.com spent a half hour, perched on a stone wall on the corner of Carrillo and Chapala counting cars with Lakers flags. And in a display of his usual ironic humor, Ed assigned this particular dedicated staffer the job of counting. He claims it is because I can spot the flags so efficiently. I see them because I hate them, I sneered at Ed. No one sneers at Ed.

In a half hour period between 1:30 and 2:00 in the afternoon, we only counted four vehicles sporting the silly little flags. And that's why I'm proud of you, Santa Barbara. This time around, you showed dignity and self-respect. You left your Lakers flags in the garage where they belong.

For the contest, lotsofveg, JSDUCKY85, Jolinda, ez2, Music Man, hotheidik, and Dr. Jimbo each guessed the correct answer. After watching the Lakers lose Game One, the Edhat Dog was presented with seven pieces of identically sized cheese, each piece assigned to one of the winners. The Dog drove, pulled-up, sunk a three-pointer, and ate all the cheese. LotsOfVeg's cheese was the first eaten. Veg wins a $25 gift certificate to State & A.