Yes, we need a parade!

Kobe Bryant is a polarizing personality in LA sports history. He is loved more than hated but either emotion breathes fire and presence in the bearer. His basketball brilliance is at times overshadowed by his relationship with Shaq and a certain concierge in Eagle Colorado. Kobe Haters are as a rabid as his local supporters. Many of those haters are former Laker Fans who will never forget the aftermath of the debacle in Detroit. The Yard is a fan of his basketball brilliance and has a different perspective on the Shaq era. Regardless, Sunday night was a championship for the Lakers, history for Phil Jackson, vindication for Kobe and a reason to celebrate in LA.

In the past twelve months, Bryant has played in two NBA finals and the Olympic Games. His team lost to the hated Celtics last June and he wanted to face them this June. Kobe will be back to the Finals but the Celtics might not again during his era. Before time could heal the defeat by the hated, the Beijing Olympics called a new Dream Team. Basketball USA needed the US back to get back to the top against a formidable world. On a Saturday night last August, Kobe buried Pau Gasol and his Spanish team mates on the way to the gold medal. This past Sunday night, Kobe and Pau partnered to win the NBA gold medal. For many, that is great career. For Kobe, it was a great year. Yard speak suggests he is not done on the career thing.

While news pundits across the basin debate the merits of hosting a championship parade during this economic downturn, may we focus on the host and not the merit. The merit was earned in Orlando against an opponent that was dispatched with purpose and resolve. The city needs a champion and a rally and a damn parade…make it happen.

Jack, Leonardo, Dustin, and the rest of the celebrity fans that root for the Lakers while navigating the best camera angles, step up. Is it better to be photographed in soup kitchens or Darfur or to pony up some dough to Tony V and the team downtown to host this event? Probably not but LA needs a reason to celebrate that does not have a voter interest. Jerry Buss already committed $1 million from the Lakers to subsidize costs. If the city gets close, call Jeannie not Jerry for the last hundie. Dr. B is half asleep most of the time and Jeannie looks like a good time waiting to be financed.

You can argue that such frivolity is out of line with these dire economic times. Shall we wallow in despair and fret or embrace a heroic effort by a much maligned team in a beleaguered city that delivered in prime time to the nation? See the merit, find the hosts.