These Two Have Been Our Lions in Winter

Something very unfunny could be happening at the Forum.

Something could be happening to the tenants there that could rip the hearts and souls right out our teams.

We could lose A.C. Green.

And . . .

Marty McSorley, too.

Oh, woe is us. What did we ever do to deserve such a thing?

The two spiritual leaders of the Lakers and Kings, leaving town? The two L.A. fan favorites, telling L.A. to take a hike?

I feel like yelling at them to “come back, come back,” the way the kid did to Shane in that old cowboy movie.

Except they haven’t left yet.

So, I’m saving it.

Last I heard, Green’s agent was saying that the Lakers were not being “aggressive” in their attempt to keep A.C., that it was looking more and more like he was outta here.

Outta here to where? Maybe Phoenix. Maybe Portland.

That’s right--A.C. Green is not only considering playing for another team, he’s considering playing for the Lakers’ toughest division rivals.

A.C. Green, the Laker lifeblood.

Imagine A.C. out there wearing purple or black, actually trying to beat the Lakers out of a championship.

There’s a scary thought.

And then there’s McSorley, our hockey squad’s top cop. Our most popular King, as voted by a poll of fans.

McSorley and his agent received an offer sheet Friday from the St. Louis Blues, reportedly in the neighborhood of $10 million over five years.

In St. Louis, that’s some neighborhood. Ten million dollars could buy you downtown St. Louis.

The Kings have seven days to match the offer so they may keep their outstanding defenseman/mugger.

I sure hope they do, for more than one reason. First and foremost, I believe McSorley was the best player on the ice during last season’s playoff run, a real turn-on for the whole town at a time L.A. really needed one.

Don’t hand me any of that bull about McSorley’s illegal stick costing the Kings the championship. He’s the reason they got that far in the first place.

Marty, unlike A.C., is not a lifelong L.A. pro. He came with Wayne Gretzky in the Edmonton Oilers’ famous August of 1988 white sale.

But fans here have come to think of McSorley as one of their own.

Why? Well, partly because he’s the perfect Gretzky counterpoint. For anyone who prefers the ferocity of hockey as opposed to the finesse, Marty’s your man.

Why else? Because, same as A.C. Green, away from the game you will never meet a more pleasant guy in your life. Off the ice, the King who led the NHL in penalty minutes is a prince.

So, I would hate to see him go.

And I would hate it more if it also costs this team the services of Gretzky, who very much appreciates having McSorley on his side. This is not some guy Wayne wants checking him in a St. Louis uniform.

I’m not sure why one minute the Blues can’t afford to keep Adam Oates and the next minute they have millions to hurl at McSorley. I gather they figured out that Brett Hull needs a bodyguard out there, same way Gretzky does.

There was a published report last season that Gretzky had given the Kings a “wish list” of some kind--others referred to it as “demands”--insisting that they hang onto, specifically, McSorley, Warren Rychel and assistant coach Cap Raeder.

So far, they’ve kept Raeder.

I am not going to be one of those people who pleads with our teams to shell out more and more money. The same people who complain about the Lakers and Kings not spending a fortune will be the ones who complain about their tickets costing a fortune.

But I will say that you don’t lose individuals like these every day.

If the Raiders don’t sign Rocket Ismail, it won’t be as though they already know what the man can do for this team.

Same thing with the Dodgers and their top draft choice, Darren Dreifort.

I can’t miss people until they show up.

But we already know what Green and McSorley mean to our boys of winter. I can’t stand the idea of A.C. Green, Phoenix Sun, or Marty McSorley, St. Louis Blue.

No one’s pushing them out the door. If they leave, it will be of their own volition.

But winter sure would be cold here without them.