Cisco Sighting

Berkeley, California. Not the kind of place you expect to see NBA players rolling up in blingy cars for a night on the town. Yet here was Francisco Elson, walking right by my table at a sort-of swanky, sort-of laid-back Chinese place. I was dumbstruck. What the hell was Cisco doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be in Seattle? And why was his lady companion carrying his San Antonio Spurs jersey? Sure, the Sonics are terrible, but his career in San Antonio wasn't exactly stellar.

In any case, I was star-struck. My companions, my wife and her parents, blew it off. Not huge NBA fans, these guys. I tried to get them interested: Here's an NBA player from the Netherlands who plays in Seattle carrying his San Antonio jersey to a restaurant in Berkeley. What the hey?! They shrugged. A waiter went over to the table and chatted with him and his two companions. When he came by, I grabbed his attention.

Who is that? I said, knowing full well who it was.

Franciso Elson, he said. He played at Cal.

Ok, mystery explained. But the rest of dinner I had to fight the urge to invite him to the local YMCA for some pick up ball. After all, I have guarded a 7'0 NBA big man. Once. But the Vanilla Thunder vs. Bryant Big Country Reeves will have to wait for another time.