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Monday, June 20, 2005

Spurs' Appoggiatura

Oh Pop.

When the Spurs arrived in San Antone early this morning - to a
throng of screaming Texans no less - they were each wearing black shirts with the word "appoggiatura" printed on them.

Appoggiatura was the winning word of this year's Spelling Bee and it is "an embellishing note, usually one step above or below the note it precedes and indicated by a small note or special sign."

Gregg Popovich, in a move of either sheer clairvoyance or humor, had had the shirts printed up for his team. How he could have known that Game 5 with the thrilling overtime victory capped by another Robert Horry game winner would be an appoggiatura to Game 6 and possibly the championship is beyond me. Of course, the simpler explanation is that he had the shirts made to lighten the mood. Before Game 1, he asked his team if anyone knew what the winning word of the Spelling Bee was and, according to the New York Times, Manu's response was, "Spelling bees? Where are the bees?" And there you have your potential Finals MVP.

Either way, clairvoyant or not, Pop is indisputably sports' reigning mad genius.

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