Kamala Harris has learned that Magic Johnson’s number was 32, and that this coincided with the number of days to the election. “In prehistoric times,” Scott notes, “Johnson was a star on a Michigan State team that won a national championship.” His professional team is another story.
The Minneapolis Lakers won five NBA championships and made the move to Los Angeles in 1960. Beginning in 1961 their broadcaster was Francis Dayle Hearn, better known as “Chick,” famous for “simulcasts” on television and radio. With the Lakers far ahead, Hearn would say “This game’s in the refrigerator. The door’s closed. The light’s out. The butter’s getting hard. The eggs are cooling. And the jello’s jiggling,” and so on. He embellished his team’s great plays, but he could also be hard on the Laker’s biggest stars.
“Magic THROWS A HORRIBLE PASS!” Hearn would say, or “he BLOOOOWS the layup!” Fans might think that the Lakers star blew it with his endorsement of Kamala Harris, and Scott wonders “do voters with jobs on the line buy Johnson’s puffing?” Despite endorsements by athletes, this election is not yet in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, from November 21, 1965 to December 16, 2001, Chick Hearn amassed a streak of 3,338 consecutive Laker games. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, with Laker great Jerry West doing the honors. The Olympic champion and hall of famer passed away in June at the age of 86.
