BREAKING: MOOSE IN SLAM!!!

Hello everybody, and I'm walking on air.

I sent the story that I wrote, "An Open Letter To The NBA" to Ben Osborne, SLAM editor. He said that I'd have to crack the 2,200 word essay down to about 700 words, so here's what I plan to do if all goes well and Mr. Osborne is OK with it. As you see, I'm trying to get Hibachi in there, if it's all right. Here's what I plan on. If anybody wants to bring to the table a certain paragraph that they would like to see in there or one that should be cut out, please say so.

I am a 13 year old who has hopes of becoming a sports journalist when I get older, and, hopefully to be found in this magazine in the future. I recently wrote a piece for my blog entitled, "An Open Letter To The NBA" and I'd love to share this excerpt from the essay (it can be found in it's entirety here: http://hibachi20.blogspot.com/2009/01/open-letter-to-nba.html).

To the storied National Basketball Association,

I have been an avid basketball and NBA fan since before I could remember, and I have supported the league and it's players during the good days and the bad ones. You could undoubtedly call me a diehard fan, and I have followed and will follow this fabled Association for years to come.

And for the joy in competition and loyalty that I have gotten out of the National Basketball Association, I would like to say thank you.

Thank you for Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a player who was never short on excitement in his 5-championship career. At 6'9", Magic had the skill to play every position on the basketball court, as he showed in his rookie season of 1980 in the NBA Finals: When teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was down with an injury, Magic stood in his place at center--and throughout the match, he played every position--posting 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. I hope, among many, that Johnson's HIV experience will not further.

Thank you for Larry Joe Bird, the greatest shooter to ever put on an NBA uniform. Bird could shoot the lights out from every place on the court, living proof that if you practiced enough, you'd be able to play better than every other man on the floor, even if you couldn't jump higher than them, run faster than them or move quicker than them. As his three championships say for themselves, his Celtics, led by him along with mainstays Robert Parish and Kevin Mchale, were a constant force during the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 80's.

Thank you for Michael Jordan, the greatest player of all time in the National Basketball Association. The hardest working player in the league during the late 80's and 90's dominated early, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1985 for the struggling Chicago Bulls. His Airness was named aptly; the smooth slam dunks that were delivered in-game and in dunk contests were constant acts of wonder to fans (although 'Nique should've won in '88). The six championships explain Money's legacy, with such a great player as Scottie Pippen to act as sidekick, 'chips rained in like his turnaround J.

Thank you for Kevin Garnett, a madman in the sense that everything he does is competitive, and he WILL win. Garnett brings an air to the game that there's somebody who needs a victory on that court, and he will show it--by way of scream, chest-thump or taunt.

Thank you for Allen Iverson, a man who, whether you like it or not, brought the street basketball culture to the before slightly sheltered Association along with a devastating game. Iverson brought freezers full of ice to the press conferences, but his game overshadowed the frowned-upon culture that was imminent in this popular establishment.

Thank you for players like Nate Robinson and Spudd Webb, men at least five inches shorter than the next who will dunk on (or block) any 7 foot plus big men. Thank you for players like Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace, men who run their mouths without care, leaving us puzzled, laughing or crying. Often all at the same time.

Thank you for players like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, three point assassins who you can't figure out how to stop once they get hot. Thank you for players like Rodney Stuckey and Leon Powe, scrappy men who give it their all every time they step on the court, earning minutes and respect. Thank you for players like Kwame Brown and Sam Bowie, hyped-up guys who are drafted high and don't live up to it. And, especially, thank you for the ones who do.

Thank you for the thrilling past years and for the presumably great ones to come.


So that's what you'll be seeing in the magazine from me, most likely.


--Moose