the championship cheers of june will finally ring out, just as yesterday's agony is washed away. with time, old wounds have healed and new dreams have taken hold. for every player, the next shot will be the first shot. and the weeks and months to come, fresh faces will emerge while anxious veterans will reignite their passion. mighty cities of concrete and steel, normally identified by signature structures, statues and skyscrapers will once again be known for their most imposing and dynamic figures. arenas across the land will be aglow in anticipation of the game, and its ever gifted practitioners. how will the journey end? impossible to say. the only certainty is that those truest to the game will be granted its highest tribute.