Article about an amazingly hardcore fan

 
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CrookedRain
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 2:30 pm    Post subject: Article about an amazingly hardcore fan

Whether you like the Clippers or not, this guy has to be one of the most hardcore fans of any team and it's a good read.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clipfan12may12,1,2284503.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

Clipper Fan Along for Ride of His Life
Carl Cook is homeless, but the longtime supporter spends a third of his income on tickets to every home game and rides his bicycle to get there.
By Jerry Crowe, Times Staff Writer
May 12, 2006

Carl Cook is not a typical Clipper season-ticket holder.

For one thing, he's homeless.

For another, he owns no car.

Nor is he licensed to drive.

But Cook, 46, nevertheless is unflagging in his support of the Clippers, who return to Staples Center tonight for Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Phoenix Suns. Putting mettle to pedal, he rides a bicycle to the arena from his home base in Marina del Rey, if not farther, game after game after game.

While other season-seat subscribers might sip vintage wine, knock back imported beer or nosh crudites before games, Cook chokes down exhaust.

Atop a blue-and-white, one-speed Trek Classic beach cruiser, a wire basket in front crammed with Clipper gear, he navigates traffic-clogged Mid-City streets as he makes his way downtown during rush hour, then retraces his tire tracks back to the marina late at night.

Round trip, depending on where he starts: 28 to 36 miles.

No wonder Sterling Dortch, a Clipper account executive who deals most directly with Cook, described him as "probably our most unique fan."

Certainly he is among the few who spend about one-third of their incomes on tickets to basketball games. Cook, who bunks down most nights on a friend's sailboat or in a nearby laundromat, said he makes $30 to $40 a job detailing cars near Los Angeles International Airport and $10 an hour as an attendant at a Manhattan Beach carwash.

His annual income, he said, is probably less than $10,000.

And yet he spent about $3,300 on tickets this season, sitting floor level near the tunnel where the Clippers make their entrance.

"He just eats, sleeps, lives Clippers," said the middle of his three sisters, Jody Cook of Oceanside. "Every time he comes to visit, he's always in a T-shirt or a sweatshirt, something Clipper-related. And whenever I talk to him, during the season or not, he talks about the Clippers.

"I've never seen anything like him, especially to hang in there with that team, because they've not been a very successful team. …

"It's odd, but it's his life."

Said Cook: "They bring me happiness."



It was nearly midnight, a little more than an hour after the Clippers had wrapped up a series-clinching, history-making playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets, when Cook pedaled across Lincoln Boulevard in Venice.

A Clipper beanie pulled low over his head to ward off the late-night chill, he wore a white Corey Maggette jersey, blue Clipper sweats and basketball shoes.

A motorist rolled down his window and shouted, "Go, Clippers!"

Said Cook, laughing: "They're jumping on the bandwagon."

Cook was on board years ago, dating back to the late 1980s.

"You couldn't pick an ultimate Clipper fan, other than him," said Pat Sullivan, a former employer and longtime friend who lets Cook stay in his laundromat some nights. "He lives and breathes them, wears their clothes, knows their stats."

Cycling to games, Sullivan said, "shows you his devotion."

A few seasons ago, that devotion nearly cost him his life.

Crossing the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Normandie Avenue while riding home from a game one night, Cook was struck by a motorist and sent sprawling, the hit-and-run driver speeding from the scene.

Cook regained consciousness a week later but couldn't remember the incident. He suffered a concussion and had minor scrapes and bruises, he said. But what concerned him most was that his Lamar Odom jersey had been torn and ruined.

"And it was a game-worn jersey," he said. "They're like gold."

Over protests by family and friends, Cook soon resumed making the one-hour rides to and from games, new gear on his back but no protection on his head. He won't wear a helmet, even though the Clippers offered to buy him one.

"He's pretty stubborn about that," said Sullivan. "I don't think he should be riding a bike to the games anyway. You're taking your life in your hands when you're out there on the street."

But Cook said he has run into few problems, other than a flat tire last Thanksgiving eve and a homeless man throwing things at him.

A Laker fan?

"Probably a bum I kicked out of the laundromat," Cook said.

A recovering alcoholic who said he has been sober since July 1989, Cook has never had a driver's license. He took a bus to games at the Sports Arena when the Clippers played there, he said, but now he'd rather ride his bicycle, rain or shine.

"He's pretty much just a free spirit," his sister Jody said.

As much as he enjoys the games and pulling for the Clippers, Cook said getting there and back is half the fun:

"Oh, yeah. It's a little bit of an adventure."



There is a childlike quality to the gentle, guileless Cook.

In his dreams, he does not shape the Clipper roster a la General Manager Elgin Baylor, nor make strategic adjustments like Coach Mike Dunleavy. He does not block shots in the manner of Elton Brand, nor blow past defenders like Maggette.

He dreams of schlepping towels, washing uniforms and hauling gear alongside Pete Serrano, the Clippers' longtime equipment manager.

"They wouldn't even have to pay me," he said. "I would just do it."

He remained loyal to the Clippers through decades of disappointment, even buying a membership at the El Segundo health club where they practice.

At the Sports Arena, the Clippers often gave him tickets to their sparsely attended games. That changed when they moved to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season and fan interest grew. Cook, undeterred, said he sold his most valuable possession, a $6,400 sailboat, to help pay for season tickets.

The new owner still lets him sleep on the boat most nights and Cook takes jobs here and there, scraping together what money he can to fuel his passion.

Said Sullivan, his former employer: "He leads a simple life, by his choosing, but he's always done whatever he's needed to do to afford his Clipper seats."

When the Clippers clinched over the Nuggets — the team's only playoff series victory since it moved here in 1984 — his eyes welled with joy.

"They're like a family to me," he said. "They've always brought me something. It's like, I'll be walking down the street and somebody will say, 'I saw you at a Clippers game.' It makes me proud. I can hold my head up. Even if they lose, I get a lot of enjoyment out of going to the games.

"It's worth the ride."
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 2:31 pm    Post subject:

No one cares
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LakerLegend
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 2:48 pm    Post subject:

I just finished reading this article. I can't imagine the pain that this guy has suffered over the years, being a fan of the Clippers. On top of all of that pain, he has the real pain of being homeless.
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CrookedRain
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 2:54 pm    Post subject:

I can't believe he actually rides a bike to all the games coming from the Marina. Insane.
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magic_bryant
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 3:16 pm    Post subject:



I'm now rooting for the Clippers. I want them to win the title for that guy to see his Clippers finally win one.

Ok, I'm lying. I simply can NOT root for the Clippers. I just can't.
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prisma8slg
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 4:20 pm    Post subject:

wow. great read. he truly loves his team.
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 4:58 pm    Post subject:

Good read.

So the Clippers only offered to buy him a bicycle helmet? You'd think they'd help him more than that! Guess not, lol.
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DuncanIdaho
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 4:59 pm    Post subject:

Imagine the great PR Sterling would get if they hired this guy to do some menial team job? Nahhhh, it'll never happen.
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 9:04 pm    Post subject:

Good read ....... I bet his legs are in pretty good shape.
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Michlake
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2006 9:36 pm    Post subject:

that is hardcore
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carlosLisboa
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PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2006 3:31 am    Post subject:

This guy is an example of pain supporting and Faith

Donald, at least buy him a hot dog!
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eniq 0x00
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PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2006 11:36 am    Post subject:

He spent 3k on tickets? Is he dense? What frivolous expenditure of money. You don't spend 3k on tickets, when you only make < 10k. Talk about not helping yourself.

"At the Sports Arena, the Clippers often gave him tickets to their sparsely attended games. That changed when they moved to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season and fan interest grew. Cook, undeterred, said he sold his most valuable possession, a $6,400 sailboat, to help pay for season tickets."

What a (bleep) nutcase. This is truly a sad case, when a person values a recreation over helping himself.
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PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2006 3:13 pm    Post subject:

eniq 0x00 wrote:
He spent 3k on tickets? Is he dense? What frivolous expenditure of money. You don't spend 3k on tickets, when you only make < 10k. Talk about not helping yourself.

"At the Sports Arena, the Clippers often gave him tickets to their sparsely attended games. That changed when they moved to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season and fan interest grew. Cook, undeterred, said he sold his most valuable possession, a $6,400 sailboat, to help pay for season tickets."

What a (bleep) nutcase. This is truly a sad case, when a person values a recreation over helping himself.


If you are only making 10K per year, you are pretty much screwed whether you spend 30% of it on tickets or not. At least the guy has something that gives him reason to get up in the morning.

Until this season, watching the Clippers probably made homelessness not seem so bad...

The guy is probably missing a few screws, so if this keeps him busy and out of trouble, more power to him.
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galtarafalcon
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PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2006 6:43 pm    Post subject:

i once thought i was pretty hardcore.
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PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:43 pm    Post subject:

^then you realized you were softcore?


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lakersdynasty999
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PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2006 3:03 pm    Post subject:

thanks for the read...amazing story..
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carlosLisboa
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PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2006 3:31 am    Post subject:

many lowlifes who support Benfica Soccer team in Portugal are capable of eating rocks and life badly just so they can have season ticktets (plus jerseys and beer on game days).
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PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2006 6:25 am    Post subject:

TooCool wrote:
Good read.

So the Clippers only offered to buy him a bicycle helmet? You'd think they'd help him more than that! Guess not, lol.



WOW!!!!
Donald Sterling offered to pay for a 12.99 bicycle helmet!

oh ya the clipper fan guy is pretty cool too.
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PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2006 4:09 pm    Post subject:

KTLA just reported on him a few days ago. He seems liked a cool dude.
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PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2006 6:02 pm    Post subject:

....................amazing

I'm like a bandwagon fan compared to him
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PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:06 am    Post subject:

How long does it take to bike from Marina to Staples?

Clipper fan or not, you have to support his heart for something he loves. Just like how you and I love the Lakers, it's something we should all relate to.
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