20 questions with...Charlie Smithy?!

[Charlie Smithy!]

Like the pot of oatmeal currently sitting in my fridge that just won’t go away, I found myself (selfishly) missing the 20 Questions threads ; I really loved getting to know you guys (Supe, Laz, INF, ShelC, Shabazz, Indy, Ring, Carey, Robot, Mori, and Bobster!).

As we’re in a rather slow news period, I thought I’d pick up the slack and finish something that never quite got started, and continue something that I personally was really never finished with. While writing the questions for you guys, I often found myself wondering how I would respond to similar questions, especially those of a more personal nature. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wonder too long; our beloved host nominated me and I proceeded to wait with bated breath for what he had in store.

After appeals both in public and private…I’m still waiting.

Haha! Really, it’s all good. As John Lennon (I think?) once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Mori/Marty is truly an awesome person, a god in the pantheon of computer science who more than made it up to me by giving me the ability to set up the .net radio show that I *still* hope to get off the ground. I mean, seriously, with the current future of our Suns, I fear we’re really gonna need to pull together to survive…although I do hope I’m wrong on that, haha!

At any rate, I’ve decided to take it upon myself (or selves, in this case?) to answer 20 questions that I want to believe were/would be written by Mori. As narcissistic as I know this is, it isn’t so much about me going on about myself as it is me wanting these *threads* to go on.

Who knows? All things do come to an end, but I wanna believe that there are still .netters out there that *yearn* to know more about the other people who make up this incredibly awesome community.

And, on that note, Imma do my best Mori impersonation and try to give back at least a little something of what you guys have given me over the years –not just in these threads, but through your friendship as well.

1. So, Charles...how ever did you find the .net community back in the day?

Whelp, I remember being almost eighteen and perhaps a little overly excited for my first personal foray into the land of broadband internet. For all my Suns-related news, I was wholly reliant upon boxscores and whatever scraps I could find on ESPN and TNT/TBS.

I had been frequenting a message board at the time (an online RPG for a farming simulation…I don’t have to explain this one, do I? Haha!), and was checking my yahoo email one day when I stumbled across the Yahoo Groups section of Yahoo’s main site. Further in, there was a subsection devoted to, you guessed it, the Phoenix Suns!

Among the first posts that I saw there was a message containing words along the lines of:

“Hey, you guys know all the Suns fans are at www.phxsuns.net right?”

…and the rest was fortunately (and sometimes unfortunately) history for me.


2. So you found the .net , but what led you to your Suns fandom…perhaps some bandwagon hopping in 1993?

Actually, Mori, I have a very vague memory of a Suns team with Jeff Hornacek and starting Andrew Lang at center. My mother was a fan of the former (really odd, as she generally had a distaste for most sports), and her liking anything sports-related was enough to resonate with me on some level.
Of course, I was rather crushed when Hornacek was traded (switching my player-fandom to one Kevin Johnson), but wow, what a steal that trade would turn out to be.
…if only Charles Barkley’s attempted midcourt steal in the closing seconds of game 6 of the 1993 finals was as successful…..OHMYGODWHYWHYWHY?!?!?

3. *ahem*Charles, are you trying to tell me that you were even somewhat agitated by Charles (Barkley, that is) on some level?

HELLS YEAH, MARTAY! I distinctly remember my dad having a pavlovian reflex of the phrase “damn it!” to *any* three point shot attempted by our sirrest Charles. You’d think having a percentage of around thirty would dissuade the league’s MVP from hoisting so many threes! But his overall field goal percentage for that year was something like .520, so it probably didn’t hurt us that much in the end…right?

4. Is there anything else from the 1993 season that is memorable to you?
You bet your ass!!

Honestly though, I remember trying to complete a Suns trading card poster from Circle K while saying to myself…”who’s Tim Kempton?”
Aside from the Finals, seeing Reggie Lewis collapse on the court versus Charlotte in the playoffs will forever be burned in my memory. I mean, how does a guy with a diagnosed (and supposedly treated) cardiac arrhythmia die in the offseason while shooting baskets in an almost empty gym? Argh. I have very similar thoughts in regards to Hank Gathers. If you ever wanna get your creep on, there’s a youtube video literally showing Gathers’s passing. Why they waited so long to defibrillate him…another story for another day.

Sadly though, Reggie wasn’t the only one to leave us in the offseason; Drazen Petrovic’s girlfriend (one Klara Szalantzy) made the fatal mistake of speeding on a rain-slicked German autobahn, ultimately crashing into a tractor-trailer. Drazen’s girlfiend (and another woman, a talented basketball player by the name of Hilal Edebal) survived the crash with varying degrees of injury. Drazen, not wearing a seatbelt, died instantly. For further info on these three people (and especially Drazen) I recommend this article by the NY Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baske ... e-1.948653

Also, there is an awesome biography on Drazen (recent as of this last March) that can be found on Amazon, simply titled “Drazen.”

5. Moving on then! Were the proceeding seasons any better for you as a fan (I mean, hey, Jordan retired!)?

Ugh. While the 1994 and 1995 seasons didn’t have that moment of death feeling, if you will (Paxon’s shot), the following playoff meetings with the Rockets felt like more of a slow drain. As a nine and ten year old, I just couldn’t comprehend how we could blow 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the playoffs. Obviously, I probably wasn’t paying enough attention in 1993 when the Magic Johnson-less Lakers took us to the brink.

1996 was mainly memorable for me because of one game, a TNT broadcast of a Suns-Bulls game (those 72-win Bulls!) that I distinctly remember being- tied at 50-50 at the half. Even still today, I’m still proud of that one (regular season) game as a fan.

6. …and the Jason Kidd era?

…what era? Lol, honestly I was probably way too attached to Michael Finley as a kid, and didn’t really appreciate (or couldn’t) the all-around game that Ason brought to the table. Part of me still wonders to this day what coulda been if ol Nashy had had Kidd’s defensive and rebounding prowess, but that’s neither here nor there. The Kidd era is mainly forgotten for me –for whatever reason.

7. Dat Stephon Marbury doe and dat stinkay Cheeeeeeese faaaaaaaaace?!

Haha! You know, I still believe that our 2003 Suns in Amare’s rookie year gave the Spurs their best challenge. Granted we had more than our fair share of luck along the way, but I’ll never forget Bo Outlaw’s defense in the series…dude was everywhere. As an aside, I remember our own DesertCoast composing a song in Bo’s behalf (“when the shot clock gets low, give it to bo!”) when Mr. Outlaw sank an unlikely buzzer-beater in a regular season game. Anyway, I do think that Steph’s career peaked as a Phoenix Sun, and I’ll say this: he left a better taste with me as a fan than Jason Kidd.

8. Steve Nash…need I say more?

I’ll be the first to tell you, Mori (and everyone else here), that I did not enjoy the Nash era as much as I should have. I’ve always wanted a two-way Suns team (so much easier said than done), and the fact that we never got to the Finals (extenuating circumstances notwithstanding), still puts a damper on that era for me. Granted, I did not have league pass was dependent on the .net for info (man, you guys were especially awesome those years – those daily news threads were chockfull of information that saved my bacon as a fan who relied on the occasional national broadcast).
I’m guessing that if I had had the opportunity to see the regular season(s), especially in 2005, I woulda truly enjoyed the journey more and would not have been so let down by the final destination… that often being the San Antonio Spurs.

9. ...did you maybe start to come around a little at the tail end of the Nash era, say…2010?

Oh, fer shure! Obviously the sweep of the Spurs had me seeing stars in my eyes, and my God, I knew when that was done that there was *nothing* that would keep us from finally getting out of the West. I won’t say what we all already know about the result of that season, but I will say that I freaking enjoyed it. Sure, we didn’t win the last game we played, but I enjoyed it. Here’s to you, Nodack. *clink*

10. Sorry, Charlie, but you know I gotta get *at least* as personal with you as you have with the rest of us. Can you, in any way, sum up the whole of your time with the .net?

I can, but man, I reeeeeeeeeeeeally don’t wanna!
Haha...ugh, so yeah.

Simply put (or maybe not so simply), you guys had the opportunity to see a kid *hopefully* grow up during his time on an internet message board.

I know this is cop-out central, but I grew up in a home environment where things were taught to me in a very black-and-white fashion. Yeah, religion was definitely a part of the equation, but there was honestly more to it than just that. Basically, it boiled somewhat down to this:

“________ political party bad! _________ political party good!”
“________religion bad! ________religion good!”
“_________this type of person is good!”
…and you guys get the point.

11. Maybe I’m assuming too much, Charlie, but it sounds like you really weren’t your own person for a while…?

Ahh, who is at those ages right?! Lol, at least that’s what I kept telling myself I suppose. Had I been just a *little* bit ahead of the curve, I feel like I coulda saved myself (and everyone else I’ve ever met, including you guys) some grief, but it is what it is. I really wasn’t comfortable in my own skin till about the age of 28, life is weird, man.

12. Let’s get a little more specific here. In one of the few times that you publicly left the boards, you seemed to not understand why the N word was seen as worse as any of the other profanities that seem to have offend you…am I right?

HELLS YEAH I HATE PROFANITY!! Lol, I’m still a hypocrite on that one, as I’ve been definitely known to say a few when pushed to the brink via chronic pain (pain in general, really). The best thing I can really say for myself is that I don’t use profanity casually. Does that make me any better than anyone else? Nope, but it gives me peace of mind that I can control the impulses that often-times plagued my youth.

As far as the infamous word in question goes, I initially started using it as a substitute for other profanities. Fortunately (I guess?), I only said n***** in private, to myself. But it was just as unfortunate that I didn’t understand (or maybe even believe) that there really is no good context for certain words in our language.

And it was sadly ironic that as a kid, because I really had to be metaphorically colorblind, as I went to a high school with all races and ethnicity. I had friends in each group was even known to bust out the “nigga please!” (in what I thought was a humorous context) around some of my black friends. I was told by more than one of them that it was extremely funny (on more than one level) coming from a kid in a wheelchair. I can tell you that if there was fun had my expense for that, I more than certainly deserved it.

13. So…is it fair to say that you consider yourself a different person now?

Yeah. I had the opportunity to visit my father’s family (finally), where two male members used the words: spic, queer, and n***** with an alarmingly degree of regularity. At first, I thought it was funny in the haha sense, LOL THEM SOCIALLY-TABOO WORDS! I mean, those individuals in question didn’t mean anything by them…right? Ugh.

But, umm…the more I heard them, the more it twisted an invisible knife in the pit of my stomach. I began to appreciate my relationships with those outside my race even more. I mean, let’s be real here, someone with a lifetime of experience with disability should be able to empathize with others on a deeper level. I feel like I’ve arrived at that point, without going overboard in either direction, if that makes sense.

14. …I think it’s also fair to say that you have a good memory, Charlie!

Sigh…definitely a double-edged sword there. While it’s nice being able to have a (mostly accurate) semi-photographic memory for doing stuff like these interviews, it’s not without its downsides.
To explain, even the smallest metaphorical missteps that I’ve taken in my life can easily be recalled by me. Stuff that’s long gone and apologized for in the past still occasionally has me wondering at night, you know, whether or not I’ve really come to where I wanna be as a person.

So yeah, I’d rather not have the easily-accessible recall, but it’s also served as a nice checks-and-balances system for me throughout my life to make sure that I’m being the person that I wanna be…and for the right reasons, at that.

15. Holy crap…that is some deep stuff, Charlie. There’s no way you can TL;DR this stuff now! You mentioned a disability, both here and in the past on the site (probably most recently in Carey’s 20 Questions thread). There anything you really feel like adding or expounding on about it?

Lol, I really do try not to publicize my situation – it’s already that apparent to the general public in everyday of my life, you know? But I will say this. I can’t discount the positives that living life a little differently than the norm has taught me. I don’t know Carey as well as I would like to, but I’m almost certain that he would agree that in situations like ours, you really have to make the extra effort to be happy in your day-to-day life. I know it’s a cliché that happiness is a choice in life, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t some truth in there.

16. While we’re on the subject of .net members, is there anyone else you’d care to give a shoutout to?

Yeah, this is an easy one. Mrs. Emoticon Extraordinaire. AKA KK Chub and MEE. As with most things in my life (and I’m hoping this is universal), I didn’t really appreciate her as much as I should have until she was gone. She tried (and more than succeeded) in reigning in various posters (like me) when we needed it; pretty much set the standard for us as a community.

Shortly after MEE’s passing, I had the opportunity to talk to her daughter at length. I learned that MEE more than proofread her posts; she poured over them and solicited feedback until they were just as she meant them.

Sure, I can remember this exchange because I have a good memory n all that, but it stuck out to me because MEE, in essence, remembered the human (and exuded her humanity) in all her interactions.
Fast forward seven years to a world steeped in social media and her example is even more profound and applicable. We might all be typing (or thumbing now, haha!) behind screens, but behind everyone is a fellow human who deserves the respect that MEE always, always gave.

17. Yeah, it’s kinda funny how an online community can have such an impact in our very real day-to-day lives and interactions.

No doubt. As I believe Supe once said when you launched this site, Mori, the .net really has become a lifestyle for a lot (if not most) of the people who frequent this board on a daily basis – and have for years.

For as much as I’ve met some very memorable people in person in my life, there’s more than a few screen names that I can point to that have taken on just as much personality for me as someone whom I have met physically “in the real world.”

18. Kinda getting close to the end of your novel here, Charlie, so let’s come back to the reason why most of us our here – the Suns. I guess my question would be something like this: what impact, besides the wins and losses of our team, has the Suns (and I guess sports in general) had on you?

Haha! Well, I don’t know if this is just sad or ironic (sadly ironic?), but despite being born with cerebral palsy, I was sure as hell determined to be a professional basketball player. For some reason, that did not happen! Lol, so you know, I lowered my standard (just a little bit!) from that to just wanting to walk on my own, you know? ….that also did not happen.

So yeah…how do the Suns/sports figure into all this? Well, I know for a fact now that if you lower your own personal standards enough, you’ll never be disappointed! Haha!

Seriously though, umm…yeah there’s definitely some wish fulfillment going on with my Suns/sports fandom, but at the same time I do believe it brings me something more than just an escape from the more negative aspects of my life (or all our lives, for that matter).

And again, I think it ties back to our community here. If I was completely isolated in following the Suns or any of my teams, I know that the experience wouldn’t be the same for me – regardless of wins or losses.

There’s something (in my mind) to be said for pooling together as individuals, caring about something, that while ultimately of trivial importance in our lives, still brings us together. Gotta love it.

19. So, Charlie, these trivial matters…will the Suns ever win a championship?

Lol, just as soon as my Braves make it outta the first round of the playoffs!

20. Well, I think you know what this next question concerns…who’s next?

If he’s willing and able, I would luuuuuurve to hear from TheOriginalOriginal.

Getting back to reality here, thanks (again) to each and every one of you over the years for your patience, generosity, and gift of friendship to me over the years. Although our medium of communication here may be less than personal, the friendships I’ve attained here always have been.

[Superbone]

Great read, Sir Charles! Is it getting deep in here or is it just me?

[Indy]

Loved it CS! Thanks for sharing.

[Charlie Smithy!]

Thanks guys (and for your props in the other thread, Indy)!

Either way this goes, it was definitely cathartic for me to write down.

...let us proceed?

[pickle]

i know i'm a little late to the game... but i'm shocked that this didn't get more replies. i loved the post and your positive outlook on life CS.

[Nodack]

Thanks for sharing Charles. I know I don't frequent this area enough anymore but we are all kind of family after this many years of posting together. It is slow here probably because it's the off season and last season ended so lamely that many are kind of frustrated and don't want to come here to be reminded of how lame it was.

Like always winning cures everything in sports.

[Indy]

Like always winning cures everything in sports.

Except herpes.

[Charlie Smithy!]

Pickle! Thanks for the thread bump man (and the kind words); I'd honestly pretty much forgotten about this thread, haha.

And thanks, Dack. There was a reason I gave you the shout out; I wish I had had your approach to the Suns' seasons back in the day. Ah well, live n learn. Everyday.

[Nodack]

It's entertainment, not life or death.