CALL ME SNAKE

We were innocent once. And young. And giddy. We spoke of the Celtics as a “legitimate Number 3 team in the East” and of Antoine Walker as a legitimate MVP candidate. We spoke of the 7-game winning streak and of my recording-shattering, 11-day “wrong” streak. Now, after the Celtics lost by 25 points to the middling Knicks–and Walker shot 5 of 20 from the field (a performance that used to be called “Walkeresque” by cynical Globe columnists)–it seems that talk was premature. I’m still “wrong,” as I have been for 12 consecutive days, but in a different way than before: I should not have been swept up by Peter May’s enthusiasm and mentioned that MVP thing, which was a mistake on my part–a trap at a minimum, perhaps even a jinx, and possibly a hex. I should not have let my irrepressibly optimistic nature (I always try to see the best in people, rather than their hideous warts, unsightly boils, overpowering stench, or stomach-wrenching halitosis) get the better of me. A few days ago–although now it seems like years ago–in a heralded piece called “Daily Affirmation” (March 20, 2005), I proclaimed that “all doubts have now been vanquished.” That was then. But now I find those old doubts, despite my valliant efforts to suppress them, rising once again to the fore.