It's not like I go to Target every day. But one has occasion to stop in at least once in a while. I visit the store at 777 E. Colorado Blvd. (there's another at 3121 East Colorado). You'd think somewhere in five years of shopping one would notice hundreds of little hand prints on the sidewalk outside, and if not, one might at least be struck by the giant footprints beneath the signature "Abdul Jabbar" and the number 33.Not I. Until yesterday I managed to walk past these prints without seeing them. But yesterday I keenly observed them, took their picture and came home to search the web for clues to their origins. Not a trace. For now, I can only make an educated guess as to what they're about.
A plaque was dedicated there on March 13, 1994 for Target's grand opening. The plaque says "Lend us a hand." Well, it actually says "Lend us a" and there's a picture of a hand. Then there are hand prints all over the place, then Abdul-Jabbar's hand prints, then his foot prints, presumably for good measure, and all this is presumably for charity. And from this I deduce we're talking the Lakers' Kareem, because what other Abdul-Jabbar would one have hired for the dedication of one's store in 1994?
Heh. See? All you have to be is observant.
