I was watching the Lakers victory parade yesterday, and was VERY pleased when first-year Laker Mark "I Can't Dance, but I can Speak Castellano" Madsen (Stanford) got up to speak his blurb. He first said a few words in English, then switched to an undeniable CASTELLANO as he promised those Spanish-speaking fans another championship next year. Madsen is no stranger to Spain, having served a two-year mission to Spain for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After months of Galavision and Telemundo, I'll take my castellano puro from wherever I can get it!!! I'm sure the mostly Central and South American-heritaged latino crowd were left scratching their collective cabezas as this "white boy" spoke to them. Mark...I know the feeling!

When I speak my castellano to my Puerto Rican/ South American friends they make fun of me and tell me I should get my lisp taken care of!!! Whenever I hear a Spaniard speak, my ears perk up and I just HAVE to go talk to them, where ever I may be!

I've toned down my rhetoric in the last decade, but even so, the castellano accent (Valladolid, Burgos, etc.) to me has the ring of an angel's voice. I LOVE IT. Don't looth your lithsp!!!

Since I'm from Mark's hometown (Danville, CA where he played high school basketball), I feel qualified to say that he didn't learn "that" Spanish up here! (But then I remembered that he did his mission in Spain.)It made me realize that I'd better brush up on castellano before visiting Madrid in September.

P.S. Unfortunately, he may have picked up that (horrendous) dancing here in Danville!

[ 06-24-2001: Message edited by: Carole Chiaro ]