Neil Diamond on the Sidelines

Disclaimer: Balcony Gal can not be held responsible for any songs that stick in your head after the reading of this post.

No, no, turns out it's not really Neil Diamond. For a long time I thought it was. I remember last year, when my balcony seat was even higher up than it is now, I could look down and see this man who I just knew was Neil Diamond. I figured because the Cs weren't getting a lot of press no one talked about his presence. And last year I didn't bring my camera to zoom in on him at games so I was able to perpetuate my own fantasy that not only was he AT! EVERY! GAME! but he'd be Forever In Blue (black) Jeans. Certainly I could continue to imagine that, while I was in the stands above him, pregnant and ready to burst, he'd turn around and belt out Girl You'll be a Woman Soon. What can I say? I'm a Believer. That and I never saw him turn around.

Clearly, he's a believer too because, as I've since discovered, he really is AT! EVERY! GAME! I don't think, even in the darkest of Celtics times, he ever felt Love On the Rocks.

I also discovered, as I was purposely photographing him for this post, that he's not Neil Diamond. What? Was that a sad sigh I heard? A gasp of surprise? A chuckle from the men in the back who knew better all this time? Are some of you pointing and laughing at me? Just for that I'm going to say Song Sung Blue. There, get THAT out of your head.

I must say that he sure has my admiration. Not because he can afford to sit on the court but because he has chosen to sit there through thick and thin. I've come to call him The Man.

Other things I've noticed about The Man:
- The Man always wears black
- everyone hugs The Man
- you can see The Man's smile from the balcony
- The Man jumps up and down and claps and cheers and I'm sure he yells but I can't hear him

So to The Man, who we all know now is not Neil Diamond, I hope you are having the time of your life. I know I am and I'm WAY UP HERE.

On a semi-related note: last year there were a lot of children who got to sit in those seats down on the court. At the beginning of this season there were children who got to sit in those seats down on the court. Now it seems no one who sits in those seats on the court brings their children.

Just another observation from the Balcony.