1999-06-26
城市狂欢，宛如1999年的总冠军
忘掉千禧年的庆祝吧！
1999年6月25日星期五晚上10点50分，圣安东尼奥迎来了狂欢。圣安东尼奥马刺队在麦迪逊广场花园以78-77战胜纽约尼克斯队，以4比1的总比分赢得NBA总冠军。
当最终的比赛结束哨声响起时，欣喜若狂的马刺球迷们纷纷走出家门，涌上街头，为他们的篮球英雄欢呼。
这是一个酝酿了26年的庆祝活动。
汽车停在高速公路上，狂热的欢庆者从车里跳出来庆祝，交通陷入瘫痪。
“我认为我们真的赢了一次，这太棒了，”阿尔·罗德里格斯(Al Rodriguez)说，他是在科默斯街(Commerce Street)上成千上万鸣笛庆祝的人群中的一员。
圣安东尼奥警察局警官J.A.米尔斯(J.A. Mills)估计，在几分钟内就有15,000人涌入市中心街道。
市中心街道挤满了鸣笛庆祝的球迷，午夜时分，美国281号公路从头到尾都是试图进城的人。
在河滨步道上，麦克·法里亚斯(Mike Farias)，一位来自麦卡伦的成人日托中心老板，和一群朋友一起跳了起来，这些朋友从科珀斯克里斯蒂和乌瓦尔德等地赶到河滨步道。在河滨中心购物中心(Rivercenter mall)的冠军酒吧(Champions)里，超过300人的人群爆发出一阵欢呼。
“德克萨斯拥有斯坦利杯和NBA冠军，”里维拉(Rivera)说，指的是达拉斯星队最近获得的国家冰球联盟冠军。
杰里(Jerry)和乔安娜·里维拉(Joanna Rivera)紧紧地抱在一起，深情地亲吻着。
“因为我们赢了，”杰里·里维拉说，他是一名酒店经理。“我是马刺队的球迷，已经很多年了，我一直期待着这一刻。”
欢乐的气氛蔓延到全城。
当球员们在1500英里外拥抱金色的冠军奖杯时，雷·阿吉拉尔(Ray Aguilar)紧紧地握着脖子上的金十字架，亲吻着它。
“我等了太久，”阿吉拉尔说，他在比赛最后几秒钟跪在班德拉(Bandera)的Fatso’s Sports Garden。“我为这座城市，为我的男孩们，为大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)哭泣。”
当全国的聚光灯照射在城市上时，在胜利后的头几个小时里，狂欢者们仍然守法。
除了巡逻车上的警察外，还有25名骑警巡逻队在监控着市中心的群众。
在克罗克特街(Crockett Street)的硬石餐厅(Hard Rock Cafe)外，球迷们在警察的注视下，唱着“我们是冠军”，摇摆着身体。
“他们只是在玩得开心，”骑警巡逻队中士鲍勃·哈德曼(Bob Hardeman)说。
当一位年轻女子兴奋地摇晃着附近的一棵树时，他笑了。
“如果她能把那棵橡树摇下来，我甚至不想和她较劲，”哈德曼说。
这就像午夜的除夕夜一样，发生在塔克酒吧(Tucker’s)里，这是一个在阿拉莫圆顶体育馆(Alamodome)附近几个街区，已经经营了49年的东区酒吧。
“我的心跳得很快，我头疼，这太棒了！”雷纳·奥尔德里奇(Rena Aldrige)说，她是一名终生的马刺球迷，当她意识到比赛结束时，她拥抱并亲吻了球迷。
奥尔德里奇立即拿出手机，开始给全国各地的朋友打电话。
珍妮特·弗劳尔斯(Janet Flowers)也挤在人满为患的塔克酒吧里，兴奋得难以置信。
“他们是世界冠军，这是一场比赛，一个冠军，没有人能从我们手中夺走！”珍妮特·弗劳尔斯说。
老板露丝·塔克(Ruth Tucker)说，马刺队做的不仅仅是促进生意。
“他们是我们的社区的一部分，我们这座城市的一部分，”塔克说。
大约600人在扎扎莫拉街(Zarzamora Street)的阿图罗体育酒吧(Arturo’s Sports Bar)里挤得满满当当，在最后一投之前很久就开始庆祝了。
40岁的伊莎贝尔·西加拉(Isabel Sigala)穿着一条手工制作的银色流苏裙，摇着啦啦队道具，吹着喇叭，不停地欢呼，充分体现了这种氛围。
29岁的安东尼·萨利纳斯(Anthony Salinas)在阿拉莫圆顶体育馆观看了前两场比赛，其余的比赛都在阿图罗酒吧观看，这是他最喜欢的周五晚上去的地方。他说他计划在整个晚上继续庆祝。
“我可能会失声，我可能会失去衬衫，但没关系，因为一切都值得，”萨利纳斯说，他是一家窗帘公司的一名装卸工人。
“没错，宝贝，没错！”这是在沉没花园剧院(Sunken Garden Theater)发出的胜利欢呼声，摇滚歌手萨米·哈加尔(Sammy Hagar)在约2500人的观众面前表演。
超过500人在节目中围着一个大屏幕电视。喇叭声、飞舞的啤酒杯和数百个击掌是人群的即时反应。许多人比关注这位红头发摇滚歌手和范海伦(Van Halen)的前主唱更关注篮球比赛。
“萨米为马刺队的第一个冠军提供背景音乐，真是太好了，”球迷保罗·庞格(Paul Pung)说。
在市中心以外，球迷们也大多表现良好。Fatso’s的总经理鲍勃·凯里(Bob Carey)估计他的班德拉路(Bandera Road)体育酒吧里有1000名球迷。
“这可能是我们这里有史以来规模最大的人群之一。考虑到所有因素，这是一个相当守规矩、喜欢玩乐的群体，”他说。
运动服饰店在比赛结束后的几分钟内就开门营业，销售印有NBA世界冠军标志的T恤、帽子和其他装备。
就连员工们也很兴奋。
在东市场街(East Market Street)的马刺商店(Spurs Shop)，20名员工在比赛结束时欢呼雀跃，互相击掌，互相拥抱，尖叫着：“终于！”
他们在比赛结束时，在一台收视效果很差的小电视上观看比赛，同时摆放着马刺队的冠军商品。
41岁的罗兰·梅纳(Roland Mena)是第一个顾客。他在商店的窗户边观看了比赛的最后时刻，然后走进去买了两顶帽子和一件T恤，总共花了75美元。
“这是一件千载难逢的事情。我已经等了26年了，”梅纳说，然后在市场街(Market Street)上奔跑，向鸣笛的球迷展示他的帽子。
迈克尔·坎波斯(Michael Campos)是位于西北环路410号125号的奥施曼超级运动用品公司(Oshman’s SuperSports USA)商店排队的第一批顾客之一。晚上11:30时，他已经有300个同伴。
“感觉很棒，”坎波斯说。“我今年31岁，我一生都住在这里，我一直都是马刺队的球迷。”
比赛结束大约半小时后，日落车站(Sunset Station)的交通处于停滞状态。
亚历克斯·佩纳(Alex Pena)和雷妮·冈萨雷斯(Renee Gonzales)在河滨步道上的冠军酒吧(Champions)观看了比赛，比赛结束后前往日落车站。
“马刺队的一件好事是他们不是个人主义者，他们像一个团队一样比赛，”冈萨雷斯说。“他们没有一个明星，他们都是明星。”
佩纳在美国281号公路在科默斯街(Commerce)的出口处挥舞着一面马刺队的旗帜，帮助组织庆祝活动，人们开车经过，鸣笛，欢呼，在皮卡车的车厢里跳舞。
“我试图让他们叫得更响亮一些，”他说。
“我们控制不住自己，伙计，”理查德·戈麦斯(Richard Gomez)说，他是凯利空军基地(Kelly AFB)的一名工程师，他在塞车的I-37号公路上下了车，参加庆祝活动。
“我们必须参加游行，而不是观看游行，”他的搭档伦·胡亚雷斯(Len Juarez)说。
撰稿人西格·克里斯滕森(Sig Christenson)、艾米·多赛特(Amy Dorsett)、艾莉森·格雷戈尔(Alison Gregor)、约翰·古铁雷斯-米尔(John Gutierrez-Mier)、露西·胡德(Lucy Hood)、斯科特·哈德尔森(Scott Huddleston)、斯泰西·朗斯福德(Stacy Lunsford)、凯特·洪格(Kate Hunger)、伊霍斯瓦尼·罗德里格斯(Ihosvani Rodriguez)、丽莎·桑德伯格(Lisa Sandberg)、戴恩·希勒(Dane Schiller)和丹尼尔·瓦加斯(Daniel Vargas)为本报道做出了贡献。
点击查看原文：City parties like it's championship 1999
City parties like it’s championship 1999
Forget the celebration for the millennium.
It arrived in San Antonio at 10:50 p.m. Friday, June 25, 1999, after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 78-77 to win the NBA crown 4 games to 1.
As the final buzzer sounded in Madison Square Garden, deliriously happy Spurs fans left their homes and took to the streets across the city to cheer their basketball heroes.
It was a celebration 26 years in the making.
Cars stopped on interstate highways and frenzied revelers got out of their vehicles to celebrate as traffic ground to a halt.
“I think it’s great that we actually won one,” said Al Rodriguez, who was among the thousands giving his horn a good workout on Commerce Street.
San Antonio Police Officer J.A. Mills estimated 15,000 people filled downtown streets within minutes.
Downtown streets were jammed with honking cars filled with celebrating fans, and by midnight, U.S. 281 was bumper to bumper with people trying to get downtown.
On the River Walk, Mike Farias, a McAllen adult day-care center owner, jumped into the air along with a group of friends who had come to the River Walk from as far as Corpus Christi and Uvalde. A roar erupted from a crowd of more than 300 at Champions in Rivercenter mall.
“Texas has the Stanley Cup and also the NBA title,” said Rivera, referring to the Dallas Stars recent capture of the National Hockey League championship.
Jerry and Joanna Rivera clutched each other in a long kiss.
“Because we won,” said Jerry Rivera, a hotel manager. “I’ve been a Spurs fan for years, and I’ve been waiting for this.”
The merriment spread throughout the city.
While players hugged the gold championship trophy 1,500 miles away, Ray Aguilar clutched and kissed the gold crucifix around his neck.
“I waited too long for this,” said Aguilar, who knelt during the final seconds of the game at Fatso’s Sports Garden on Bandera. “I’m crying for the city, for my boys and for David Robinson.”
As the national spotlight shined on the city, revelers remained law- abiding in the first heady hours following the victory.
In addition to police in squad cars, 25 bike patrol officers monitored the downtown crowd.
Fans sang and swayed to “We are the Champions” outside the Hard Rock Cafe on Crockett Street as officers watched nearby.
“They’re just having fun,” bike patrol Sgt. Bob Hardeman said.
As a young woman shook a nearby tree in excitement, he chuckled.
“If she can shake that oak tree down, I don’t even want to mess with her,” Hardeman said.
It was like midnight New Year’s Eve at Tucker’s, a 49-year-old East Side bar that’s a few blocks from the Alamodome.
“My heart is racing; I’ve got a headache. This is great!” said Rena Aldrige, a lifelong Spurs fan who hugged and kissed fans when she realized the game was over.
Aldrige immediately pulled out her cell phone and started calling friends across the country.
Janet Flowers, also at the packed Tucker’s, was excited beyond belief.
“This is the world champions; a game and a title nobody can take away from us!” Janet Flowers said.
Owner Ruth Tucker said the Spurs do more than boost business.
“They’re part of our community; part of our city,” Tucker said.
Some 600 people jammed Arturo’s Sports Bar on Zarzamora Street and began celebrating long before the final shot.
Forty-year-old Isabel Sigala exemplified the atmosphere, wearing a handmade silver-stranded skirt, shaking pompoms, blowing a horn and cheering nonstop.
Anthony Salinas, 29, watched the first two games at the Alamodome and the rest at Arturo’s, his favorite Friday night hangout. He said he planned to continue the celebration throughout the night.
“I’ll probably lose my voice and I’ll probably lose my shirt, but that’s all right because it’ll all be worth it,” said Salinas, a shipping and receiving clerk for a curtain company.
“Yeah baby yeah!” was the victory cheer at Sunken Garden Theater, where rocker Sammy Hagar performed before a crowd of about 2,500.
More than 500 people gathered around a big-screen TV at the show. Honking horns, flying beer cups and hundreds of high-fives were the instant reaction from the crowd. Many paid more attention to the basketball game than to the Red Rocker and former lead singer for Van Halen.
“It was nice of Sammy to provide the background music for the Spurs first championship,” fan Paul Pung said.
Outside downtown, fans also were for the most part well-behaved. Fatso’s general manager Bob Carey estimated he had 1,000 fans in his Bandera Road sports bar.
“This is probably one of the biggest crowds ever. All things considered, it’s a pretty well-behaved, fun-loving crowd,” he said.
Sporting apparel stores opened their doors within minutes of the game’s end to sell T-shirts, caps and other gear bearing the NBA World Championship claim.
Even the employees were eager.
At the Spurs Shop on East Market Street, the 20 employees inside erupted in cheers and slapped each other with high fives as the game ended, hugging each other and screaming: “Finally!”
They had been setting up Spurs championship merchandise while watching the game on a small television with poor reception.
Roland Mena, 41, was the first customer. He watched the end of the game through the shop’s window, then went inside to buy two hats and a T-shirt totaling $75.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I’ve been waiting for this for 26 years,” Mena said before running down Market Street showing off his hat to horn-honking fans.
Michael Campos was one of the first in line at Oshman’s SuperSports USA store at 125 N.W. Loop 410. By 11:30 p,m, he had the company of 300 others.
“It’s a great feeling,” Campos said. “I’m 31 years old and I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve always been a Spurs fan.”
Traffic was at a standstill at Sunset Station about a half-hour after the game.
Alex Pena and Renee Gonzales watched the game at Champions on the River Walk and headed for Sunset Station after the game.
“One good thing about the Spurs is that they’re not individualists; they play as a team,” Gonzales said. “They didn’t have one star; they were all stars.”
Pena was waving a Spurs flag at the U.S. 281 exit at Commerce, helping to orchestrate the celebration as people drove by honking horns, shouting and dancing in pickup beds.
“I was trying to get them to howl louder,” he said.
“We couldn’t contain ourselves, man,” said Richard Gomez, an engineer at Kelly AFB, who got out his car on a jammed I-37 to celebrate.
“We had to in the parade, not watch the parade,” said his sidekick, Len Juarez.
Staff Writers Sig Christenson, Amy Dorsett, Alison Gregor, John Gutierrez-Mier, Lucy Hood, Scott Huddleston, Stacy Lunsford, Kate Hunger, Ihosvani Rodriguez, Lisa Sandberg, Dane Schiller and Daniel Vargas contributed to this report.