Jim
Kearney

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the
spectator

A COUPLE of decades ago New
York newspaperman and author
Jimmy Breslin wrote a wonderfully
hilarious book on that city’s low
life, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot
Straight.

It is now long out of print, so I had
planned to send out an appeal for perhaps a
dozen dog-eared copies, wherever they
might be, to be forwarded to the basketball
Vancouver Grizzlies as a Christmas pre-
sent.

Appropriate, I thought, because 35% as
a shooting average promised to keep their
losing streak going forever.

Then they double-crossed me. On the
verge of equalling the NBA secord of 20

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Wins at top of
Grizzlies’ list

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straight losses, they found a way to beat
Portland in overtime last Friday, thus
muffing their chance to make basketball
history.

Had they lost, and thus equalled the
record, they could have stood alone at 21
by losing their game the following night
against Golden State Warriors. Which
they did.

Had they reached 21, then it was my
intention to urge them to keep it going and
try for the magic figure of 27, That would
have broken the record for all major league
North American team sport — the 26
straight losses suffered by Tampa Bay
Buccaneers when they came into the NFL
in 1976.

By way of comparison, hockey is a non-
contender in the consecutive losses league.
The NHL record is 17, jointly held by the
1974-75 Washington Capitals and 1992-
93 San Jose Sharks.

At 19 straight, the Grizzlies at least have
set the record for consecutive losses by any
Vancouver team in any professional sport.

For instance, even in their raunchiest
years, the Canucks never managed to put
together a losing streak of more than nine.
But they've done it four times.

With Christmas nearly upon us, the time
has come to be charitable rather than face-
tious. So, to the struggling Grizz, the best
of the season and may they never approach
19 again. .

See Christmas page 37

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WHO TO CALL:

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Andrew McCredie

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NEWS photo Poul MeGreth
int 86,400 seconds ‘In the peint'
last weekend during a 24-hour free-throw shooting marathon to raise money
for thelr expected trip to next spring's provincial championships. The team,
coached by Jason Gigliotti, ralsed close to $2,000 (and sunk over 10,000 shots).

THE ARGYLE junior girls’ basketball team s

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