By Brian A. Lester

Jerry Krause has done it again. He has taken another important part of the Chicago Bulls and tossed it out to the curb like a sack of garbage.

But this time it has nothing to do with breaking up one of the greatest team's in NBA history. This time, Krause has decided to release Ray Clay, arguably the best public address announcer in the league.

Clay is no longer employed by the Bulls because he said some things in January before the Wizards came to town to play Chicago that did not sit well with team management.

You see, Clay talked to a Chicago sports columnist Jay Mariotti about how he wanted to introduce Michael Jordan just as he did back when MJ wore a Bulls uniform, and the Darth Vader of team management (Krause) wasn't too pleased with that idea.

He wanted Jordan to be introduced like every other visiting player, never mind that Jordan brought six championships and overwhelming popularity to the Bulls franchise. All Clay wanted to do was show respect for a player who gave the fans so many memories, and that bothered Krause.

So like the spoiled brat who always gets what he wants, Krause removed Clay last week, and that's shame because as much as I enjoyed watching the Bulls rip apart an opponent, I enjoyed hearing Clay's voice just as much.

I can't even begin to count the number of times I would turn the volume on the television up as high as it would go -- much to the chagrin of my parents of course -- and cheer wildly during the most electrifying introduction in sports. It was as if I had a courtside seat at Chicago Stadium or the United Center and the thrill of watching that starting lineup never got old because of Clay.

The thrill began the moments the light went down and the spotlight splashed across the Bulls logo in the middle of the court. It didn't end until Clay revved up his booming voice to introduce a certain guard from North Carolina, which instantly whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Chicago's introduction was top-notch because of Clay, and now, thanks to another stroke of brilliance by Krause, the introduction of the Bulls' starting lineup has lost its luster.

Even during the past four years in which the Bulls have taken up residence in the basement of the NBA standings, Chicago's introduction was still always worth watching because I could count on Clay.

Sure, hearing the likes of Tyson Chandler and Fred Hoiberg hardly carries the same dose of excitement as Clay introducing Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but the introduction was still much more enjoyable than the games themselves.

Some might say Clay is just an announcer, that Homer Simpson could do his job and no one would really care. But to me, and I'm sure to other Bulls fans out there, Clay was much more than that.

He was the last remaining link to a time in Bulls history when winning was the norm and losing happened about as often snow shovels are sold in Miami. Whenever is voice was heard introducing the Bulls, one could think about the good old days in Chicago instead of the shoddy product on the floor now that passes for an NBA team.

The Bulls might be a good team again down the road, but the introduction of the Bulls will never have the same feel as it once did. It's impossible for that happen because Clay was the reason the introduction of the starting lineup was something special in the first place.

Brian Lester is a sports writer in Ohio and can be reached via e-mail at BAL4@hotmail.com.