MAGICIANS

Last night I was treated to two magicians. I took the boys (after dance practice for Joey and finishing reading Call of the Wild with Chimo) to see the local magician John Tudor at the Columbia Children's Theater. I would say he is an entertaining, though average, magician, but what he is really good at is developing rapport with the kids (and the adults enjoyed it too). The seventy-plus crowd was receptive and appreciative, and he put on a pretty nice show. He blends silly puns and a bit of storytelling with his sleight of hand, and overall I had a nice time, as did my boys (which is what it is all about for me).

Then I watched a real magician, Devon Downey, of the Carolina Gamecocks, as on the hardwood they defeated a #1 team for the first time in their history, the previously undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. Even had the Cocks lost, I would have been proud of them, because they played hard for the entire game. Yes, we got a few lucky bounces (you simply need a few of those to counter some things), but I have to applaud his teammates as well, who stepped up when they needed to, on defense and in providing a little point support. Downey made about four or five shots that were nothing short of amazing, and I am glad that he got to showcase his talents to a national audience. The crowd was wonderful, and I don't think they stopped jumping on their feet for practically the whole game. The win was especially shocking when you factor the loss of two first-string big men we have lost for the year. I hope one or two big-time prospects saw the game and consider coming here to play.