As a middle and high schooler, I played until a bum knee and a love of music forced me to the sidelines for good. Even after that, I scouted other teams for my high school, diagramming plays and keeping stats just like I had at those other games.

Even in the beginning, I had an affinity for the pro game of basketball. There were times when I flirted with college ball: Phi Slamma Jamma and the year the Richmond Spiders upset Syracuse (I happened to be in Richmond, VA at the time) come immediately to mind. But, the minute I saw Calvin Murphy play, I was hooked on the pros.

I carried Murph's basketball card with me to school and I was so proud that his birthday (May 9) was only two days after my own. Rudy Tomjanovich, Mike Dunleavy, Mike Newlin, Robert Reid, Rodney McCray, Billy Paultz (yes, the Whopper!), John Lucas, Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson and, of course, the Dream were all my favorites. Dr. J also captured my imagination with his soaring through the ABA and then with the Sixers.

Since those times, it has been a rare occasion when I didn't follow the Rockets and the NBA. So, when the WNBA sprung up and the Comets got going, I was glad, but skeptical. Women's basketball didn't hold the appeal of the men's game for a number of typical reasons: the quality of the game wasn't the same, the athleticism, no dunks, etc.

It was difficult to picture myself following Cynthia Cooper like I followed Calvin Murphy let alone Lisa Leslie like I followed Dr. J.

I watched with a sort of odd curiosity that first year. Even when they won the championship, it didn’t seem the same as the Rockets. It was terrific, but not as special.

Well, I've kept up with the Comets off and on and I have friends who are big fans, but I still didn’t really get the appeal until just the other day when I went to my first game in person.

People had told me that Comets games could be raucous affairs. It started innocently enough. I was thrilled to have front row, center-court seats graciously provided to me by a Save Our Rockets supporter who couldn't use her season tickets that night (thanks again, Susan!). As a long-time Rockets fan, I knew the basic drill. All games are run pretty much the same, but when Debbie Gibson...ahem, sorry...Deborah Gibson came out to sing the national anthem, I knew something was up.

What struck me about the game wasn't the level of excitement generated on the floor but in the stands. The Comets were their usual selves, completely dominating their opponent on their way to a total blowout. Like I said, for them just another night at the office. But, the fans were having a party!

Four college-age white guys sat right in front of us in the last row of floor seats wearing either afro wigs or bad seventies wigs a la the Beastie Boys in the "Sabotage" video. One of the afro-wigged guys was wearing a shirt that said, "Satan is a Poo Poo Head" on the back and begged nearly everyone in the arena to kiss his stuffed chicken (LHutz, was that you?).

They kept this up all night chanting, "Air Ball!" at an opposing player over and over again after she looked straight at them and said something profane - ladies, please! They even managed to get Haley, the Comet mascot, and some weird dude in an orange jumpsuit calling himself "The Comet Guy" to kiss their chicken.

If that weren't enough, a guy in the row in front of them got taken onto the floor during a timeout in the second half for something they called "Fan Dance" where he danced with the Comets dance team. He got out there and began to do the funky chicken in homage to his stuffed compatriot stranded on the sideline which led to several Comet dancers emulating his moves. He was a rather large black man so I doubt anyone even thought of making fun!

Other things that come to mind include the cake-in-the-face gag performed by Haley on some unwitting victim, the amazing sea of red shirts in the crowd and the incredible diversity of fans.

It ran the gamut from women and little girls to die hard hoops fans to older people like the couple sitting next to me who were obviously in their late 60's or 70's and who cheered as loudly as the rest of us.

What probably blew me away the most was the amazing organized chants performed by the crowd. The classic "De-fense" was in full swing but the one that left my jaw gaping was the:

"We've got spirit, yes we do.
We've got spirit, how 'bout you?"

chant screamed back and forth from one side of the Laptop to the other. Either I was back in high school or I was watching "Hoosiers" because I knew I didn’t hear this at a pro basketball game.

My point is that, unlike the stoic-unless-it's-game-seven NBA fans, Comet fans were CRAZY! NBA live has a cool almost too-hip feel to it. Sure, the game is exciting and the players are great, but it takes real excitement on the floor to generate real intensity in the stands.

During this incredible blowout at the Comets game (the Comets led 41 to 13 at the half!), the fans NEVER STOPPED. It was a non-stop party and even I will admit that it may have been some of the most fun I’ve had at a basketball game. NBA and its fans could learn a thing or two from the WNBA and its fans.

Like minor league baseball, fans treat this like a labor of love. It also convinced me that saving the Comets will generate as much frenzied interest as the Rockets. If this relatively easy win is any indication of the level of excitement at a normal WNBA game, I can't imagine what it would be like in the playoffs.

Am I a converted Comets fan? Well, I still probably won’t follow them as closely as the Rockets. It takes time to build an affiliation as a fan. But, I will tell you this. That definitely will NOT be my last Comets game and I will always have a special spot in my heart for those nuts in the stands who made me feel like a real basketball fan again.

Do I have spirit? Yes, I do.