Putting the moves on, off season: "Another sell-out!"  

"Take a hike!" A message that might be issued by the coach or another "don't kill the messenger" rep from the "front office" which otherwise is known to us in the non-sports world as getting pink slipped, laid off, or, in the case of a major leaguer, "traded" -- the terms of which differ somewhat from sport to sport, in, off season...lots of "dead" lines to meet. Which, when told to "hike to the farm" means staying with the same Org. but making some "Minor" adjustments (corrective actions😢)...And, in the case of many of our loyal fans in our hometown, who gave their "bottom dollar" to go west just to see our season come to a close, may see them finally arriving locally after hitch-hiking all the way back (it will be interesting to ask how many transfers they, themselves made on the way west, east-wards) --Talk about a "red eye"😪😡...

"Go, change..." Another way of delivering what will require at least one change of clothes, as in team uniform...which could, depending on the higher-archy of the Org. get delivered by the equipment manager, who simply hands the one to be shown the door, to the Transfer Portal..."here's what you'll need at the next stop, after they off-loaded your contract" -- some of which may even involve what are referred to these daze in professional sports as "free agents" -- a curious name for players whose salaries are far from it...💲!😕...

Public, Private Address: As in changes of addresses for the traded players, some of whose "agents" pay big bucks to keep things "hush-hush" as this could be part of a three-way exchange, a revolving door type of  deal that has the one(s) they are repping not sure whether they're comin' or goin'..."just in case, keep a bag packed and try to go, before going to the ball-park, just in case..." As for us fans, who have been kept in the dark...until the lights go on in the arena, soon after which the PA announcer..."there's been a few changes since you were last in this building..."😕😕

A brand new home: As compared with one that is "slightly used but updated" Which now switches the perspective to yet another focus group...the owner-ship...the ones that own the teams, pay for the players' contracts, negotiate those TV contracts (complete with "time -outs" -- experienced by us as commercial breaks, during which a lot of consumption and action takes place, off the field of play). Many owners of which have resulted to looking elsewhere, as in another "venue" -- one which might include more willing tax-payers, to kick in to build "the kind of home this team deserves"...which might be "just up the road a bit" such as the players and followers who charged up, into the smog of L.A. from sunnier southern CA...as well as those who jumped several zip codes and landed in a whole other state (too many to list). Whereas closer to home, we have seen two sports fan-chises who shared space, then finally granted a room of their own, after too much in-fighting, I would guess -- you'd think that Tigers and Lions, both being from the cat family...And, in the case of yet another team who, despite proudly boasting the name on their shirts (without sleeves) blew out of town, attracted by a more Palatial setting, lured back (or did they wear out their welcome, after stinking up the Palace?) by, curiously, an arena that Julius, as in "Beware the ides of March" saw better days...mid-March being the time we around here might see the Pistons notch their next "W"... 

Name change: "What's in a name anyway...it's just a name..." Oh yeah? Tell that to all those bird brains that thought the players would want to boast about being a "Pelican" after surrendering their "cool" -- as in Jazzier jerseys...a double dribble type of deal that saw the Jazz move to Utah (whoever went west to Utah in search of jazz clubs?) and left the Saintly city without a team for a bit...only fair that they are still allowed to play in the "Smoothie" arena...  

"The more things change": While They, the historians throughout history tell us that change is inevitable, try telling us homies, from our hometown, as well as "All's well that..." The first few words from the title from one of Shakespeare's comedic works. One that us fans around here might marry with "If we didn't laugh, we'd..." Given that the rumors of forming up a team that might actually compete for an NBA title is now almost...'all-gore-ical'...where fiction and history fuse...a state of affairs that even Mr. Gores could not have imagined (buyer's regret?), and that even Al G. could not have made up... Just a few blocks over, in the very same city, we have also been witness to the field where one of the originals, cautioned against such practice, where the family he passed this down to, has seen fit to make tickets almost un-a-Ford-able...

"They must be dreaming!" A shout out from us fans...as the owners reassure each other..."If we build it...a new field...field a whole new team, a clean slate, they will come...it will be yet another sell-out!" 

FOMO? Want to get in on the action? Well...as the saying goes..."Suggest you get a move on!" After all, it's a tradition around these parts, what us fans around here do, to keep warm in the off-season, when we are left standing, out in the cold...

"Takes some getting used to" Need I say more?