Keller @ Large: KG Injury A Painful Reminder
BOSTON (CBS) - I was on the job in the newsroom last night, working hard, mind you.
But I'm a good multi-tasker, so I was also keeping an eye on the Celtics game when I saw something that made my blood run cold -- Kevin Garnett, coming up lame in an eerie replay of the knee-injury incident two years ago that cost him the rest of his season and cost the Celtics a second straight title.
From the tidal wave of angst that came roaring out of my Twitter feed, I knew that other Celtics fans around the world were also having a panic attack.
The last word I heard was that it wasn't a fracture and it wasn't that surgically-repaired knee, so perhaps this will prove to be just a passing scare.
But the incident is not without its lessons. It was a reminder of the fragility of the athletes we invest so much hope in; they seem so tough and invulnerable, but then they turn awkwardly and blow out a knee, like Garnett did two years ago, or an ACL like Wes Welker did last year.
It also evoked the innermost fear of every sports fan -- that the time and energy you invest in cheering on your team and everything they accomplish can be rendered void in an instant with a bad injury to a key player.
And Garnett's injury also serves as a reminder, to me at least, of why he's quickly become one of the all-time favorite Celtics.
The man brings such intensity and pride to what he does every night, by contrast with the indifference of some of his peers on other teams.
I also admire how he maintains a quiet private life, free of public scandal, while still living up to his star billing.
No, we can't afford to lose Kevin Garnett, for lots of reasons. That's why only now is my pulse rate starting to return to normal.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
