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EXCLUSIVE: Lakers Victory Rally 2009!
Topics: Nick Belardes, L.A. Lakers, los angeles, Coliseum, 2009, World Champions, LAPD, Random Obsessions, Cleis Press, Bakotopia, Citizen Journalism
Posted by thenovelist Wed Jun 17, 2009 21:12:25 PDT
Viewed 818 times
0 responses 4 comments Location: 3911 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Lakers Victory Rally 2009!
NL & Bakotopia take a road trip to celebrate with rabid fans & friends at the Coliseum on 6/17!

<SEE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO & PIX AT LEFT!

By NL Belardes, Bakotopia.com contributor

The 2009 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers came out for a parade and party in downtown L.A. on Wednesday while many in attendance had to carefully elude police to enjoy the event.

After parking about a mile away on a resident's lawn we walked in excitement toward the Los Angeles Coliseum. Sadly, not long after the gates were opened, thousands were turned away, with the Los Angeles Police Department blasting over vehicle loudspeakers that the stadium was full.



Myself (author of Random Obsessions), Bakotopia Editor & Product Manager Matt Munoz, and friends marched on anyways, right past the police, hopeful to enter the stadium.



The gates we first saw were closed. Police stood nearby at the ready. Some put on riot gear. Others waited in the shade. At times it looked near chaos on the streets as some people ran and others walked confusedly around the Coliseum. Most everyone was dressed in Lakers colors.



Suddenly Matt saw that one gate was still open. We made a mad rush and got inside. That was our second victory of the day after struggling to find parking.



Lines were jammed at every refreshment stand. People walked with hot dogs like they just found them and were lost. Others in giant golden trophy hats and jerseys posed for snapshots. The crowd inside the stadium was electric, simply overjoyed.



According to the LA Times the floor from the Staples Center had been reconstructed in the football field. It looked ready for some serious tap dancing and slam dunks.



We made our way to try and find seats in the over-capacity stadium. Overhead  eight helicopters and a blimp hovered, while four airplanes circled the stadium.



The LAPD blocked empty seats at the edge of the stuffed-in crowd, which left us wandering part of the time. We made our way through tunnels where police generally were on the defensive, possibly because of the riotous atmosphere after the Lakers NBA championship.



We eluded them and hung out in the tunnels and peered out to the crowd. Matt pumped his fist into the air more than once like an excited boy.



After ducking through tunnel entrances and getting rerouted by police more than once, officials finally opened more seating. I grumbled at some cops who said, "Move along in the tunnels. You're a fire hazard." The tunnels were mostly empty at this time where we were. Is this what the LAPD would say to people at concession stands were they open where we stood? Preposterous! L.A.'s finest for sure.



Didn't matter. We made our way around the entire stadium to the overflow seating just in time to watch the Lakers enter with their trophy in hand. By then we forgot about the LAPD. It was about good times.



Was it worth the trip from Bakersfield? While we likely heard riot police blast people with bean bag guns right before exiting the stadium (The LA Times said police blasted a few people who knocked over a barricade, and we could hear a loud "ratatatat"), it was still generally a polite crowd and we were just happy to have gotten inside the stadium and to check the event off our bucket list.



"I have to go see a home game now," Matt said afterwards on the long march back to our car. Nearby as cars zoomed down the street a man stood on a hood, waving and chanting. I wondered if the cops would catch him in his crazy act and whether Matt would make it to a home game next season.

"To be continued," I said. - MATT'S STORY AND PIX ARE UP NEXT!

Nick Belardes Twitters During Festivities:

- Police in riot gear. Police won't let crowd in overflow seats. Ugly in tunnels.

- Standing in tunnel. Can see field. Cool breeze. Got away from logjam.

- Headed back down tunnel. Overflow seating? Tons more riot police in tunnels.

- LAPD booted us out of tunnel citing fire hazard. Where? Huh?

- Just overheard LAPD officer criticize Coliseum handling of event.

- The Laker pride here in the Coliseum is electrifying. Players about to come out. Gladiators.

- The fans are going berserk as the players are announced. They want Kobe...

- So the mystery continues. Coach Phil Jackson didn't quit or stay.

- Madness. Laker fans flood the streets in a sea of overheated exuberance...

- Please, bless us starving Lakers fans with a Bynum burger, Kobe cole and Farmar fries

Also printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 57, 6-25-09

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NICK BELARDES turned TV/online journalist after blogging his way to success. His articles and essays have since appeared on the homepage of CNN.com and other news sites across America. His book "Random Obsessions: Trivia You Need To Know" is due to hit stores in August 2009. His Twitter novel, “Small Places” is the first original literary novel on Twitter and has been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, Mashable.com, Metroactive.com, Bohemian.com, NPR and more. He has also written "Lords" about the Bakersfield urban myth Lords of Bakersfield. His new homepage at nickbelardes.com offers weird true stories and more.

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Comment From: matt

Hell yeah man! You da' man! Lakers forever! Mwahahaaa! Same time next year man! Comment From: thenovelist

Good times, crazy times, world champ times. I should have been a bit more ballsy with my video of L.A.'s finest. Still good though. And when I heard the gun blasts, I should have gone and filmed arrests... Next time. Was creepy being on Normandie afterward. What was that guy's name again? Reginald Denny? Comment From: biggertom

Looks like fun, and a great crowd! If you think about it, that was a hell of a lot of people who didn't have toi go to work today. Hmmmm. LOL! Thanks for sharing the experience.I enjoyed it emmensley. Comment From: josephd32

Damn, I wish I could've been there. Maybe next year? heh...