A Very Good Day

Yesterday was a good day in the Dome; Cuse drew a record NIT crowd of almost 27,000 fans. After getting snubbed by the NCAA selection committee; after a disappointing up and down season; after losing too many close games to teams they should have dominated. After all that, in a city of only 150,000, on a miserable wintry March Monday, fans filled the dome to say goodbye to this year’s seniors, who, with the exception of D-Nic, never lived up to their expectations, and never really stepped up to lead the team as seniors.

Mid-season, Coach had criticized the fans one night for booing. I had been in the dome that evening and recalled grumbling, not booing, and also felt that grumbling, even booing had been justified by the selfish play of an unnamed point guard, who had turned the ball over repeatedly, without ever passing to a teammate. But all was forgotten last night, or at least forgiven, as the fans turned out in droves, and as the coach and the seniors acknowledged the support evident in this huge turnout. Now it’s a tough road game in South Carolina. The last two losses have been on the road, and Clemson will not be a walk-over. Even though the ACC is having an off year, with only Carolina making the sweet sixteen, but eighth bid from the ACC matches up closely with seventh bid from the Big East, and the geniuses who seeded these tourneys, despite my unhappiness with being uninvited to the NCAAs, have been very accurate this year with their seeds.

It was also a good day for Coach B as he picked up his 750^th win. He had been given more airtime than any of the other coaches left out on selection Sunday. And the two nice wins, both on ESPN, have in part vindicated him, and given his complaints some credibility. It would be better yet if he’s still giving press conferences next week.

Earlier in the day, it had been a very good day for me professionally. A client had been charged with felony insurance fraud when his car ended up stolen because his friend had lent it to some gangsters in return for goods. I felt under enormous pressure in the case, not only because he was truly innocent of the charges, but because this was someone I’ve known for almost fifteen years, someone who’s become more of a friend, not just a client. I had the client polygraphed; he passed the polygraph, but the DA still didn’t care. I had terrific character witnesses, one of whom knows our DA personally, but who could not persuade them to back off. So we had to try this case, and at the end of the prosecution proof, our Judge dismissed all the charges. What’s known as a Trial Order of Dismissal. This sounds corny, but this is exactly why I love being a lawyer. It’s enormously gratifying to be able to make a difference in another person’s life. Especially when everyone and everything is lined up against the client; when it seems as though it’s me and the client against the world. There are sacrifices involved; Mike had been home for the weekend, and instead of spending Sunday with him, watching hoops, and cooking dinner, I was at the office all day, into the evening. It will be several months until we have another chance to hang out. Plus the trial schedule had kept me from getting tickets for the final game of the year in the Dome. The record-setting NIT send-off. Still, when the Judge dismissed all counts, when that enormous weight was lifted from my shoulders, when it dawned on my client that this nightmare was finally over – there is no feeling quite like that.

My client loves food, so we celebrated by going to Max’s – eating and drinking until we were both ready to resume enjoying life. What a novel idea.