[0] I know Chattanooga isn't exactly a hot bed for the NBA, but I've been a fan for far too long and I couldn't help but chuckle a little to see that the Diesel has landed in Cleveland alongside LBJ/MVP (complete with the T-shirt to prove it). Being a Lakers fan since before the arrival of Magic (which clearly shows my age), I've followed the Shaq-Kobe circus, and since Laker fans have had to pick a side ever since ESPN started perpetrating the myth (one of many for the Endless Self Promotion Network) of Kobe running Shaq out of L.A., I've been on Kobe's side from the start.
Shaq of course has since proven himself to be the Big Locker Room Cancer in Miami and Phoenix, and will no doubt do the same in Cleveland, where he will have to fight for stats with LBJ/MVP. Add to that the rumors that the Cavs are apparently in the market for Rasheed Wallace, that's got all the makings of a dump truck rolling through a nitrogylcerin plant.
[0] Which brings me to Kobe, who may be the most hated athlete for no reason in the history of sports. What other athlete has Boston sychophant Bill Simmons watching Laker celebration tapes to pick out the telling grimace or lackluster high five that proves how much Kobe's teammates hate him. Or ESPN talking heads writing column after column surmising that Kobe spent the better part of the playoffs in the mirror practicing "game faces" to mug for the camera during games. Or the same talking heads that believed Kobe to be selfish because he talked too much in Spike Lee's documentary....about him!
I don't have a problem with those people who hold the Colorado incident against him, even though the evidence was so overhwelming that the case never even went to trial. And no matter what he has done to repair his marriage since, he still committed adultery, which he should be held accountable of the actions he took in that situation. Those that hold that type of grudge against adulterers probably don't watch much sports, because they wouldn't have many athletes left to cheer for, including Michael Jordan, who I find strange that most Kobe haters worship, since they are almost the same person from a personality and work ethic point of view.
I remember back in the day, when the no-nonsense-first-to-practice last-to-leave player, who inspired his teammates and willed them to win was celebrated over the lazy jokester who torched locker room chemistry everywhere he landed. But the days of ESPN have put an end to that. Kobe does have his flaws, he does have his fits of me ball that can be frustrating to watch if he's not on. But much like Jordan, that comes from the best player on the court and his will to win, I think, more than some selfish need for people to "Check His Stats". In that way, Kobe and Jordan are mirror images of each other, and both should be appreciated as two of the greatest to pick up a basketball. Kobe's fatal flaw, perhaps, is in this ESPN age, he isn't considered media friendly enough, he doesn't smile enough, he isn't ready with a quip or a pre-orchestrated team entrance.
That's the biggest reason ESPN and Co. are so eager to pass the torch on to LeBron. He's a great player and no doubt will end his career as one of the 10 best players of all-time. He falls into that category of players or teams I want to like but ESPN won't let me. I mean, would Kobe have gotten a pass if he walked off the court against the Celtics last year without shaking hands? And then told the press that he was a competitor and shouldn't be expected to play nice with the team that just beat him. Or spent the whole off-season spotted wearing T-shirts hyping how great he was. I mean I'm fully expecting us to all be witnesses to King James borrowing T.O.'s "I love me some me" T-shirt. So from now on, about a little less Kobe hate and a little more appreciation.
[0] Just about everyone was disappointed to learn last week that Manny Ramirez would not be coming to play for the Lookouts during his minor league rehab stint. It easily would have been the biggest media circus since Michael Jordan took his swings at Engel Stadium back in the mid-90s. The biggest loser may have been Lookouts owner Frank Burke. I can only imagine some of the promotions that were swirling around the Scenic City Showman's head for a Manny visit. I think the free Manny dreadlock wigs were already a given. Maybe an Austin Powers-esque "Mini-Manny" to follow him around much like the new Blooie to the already famous Looie. I think "estrogen night" at AT&T Field might be a little far fetched or a local couple winning free service at a fertility clinic. And I can only shudder to think what a "Manny being Manny" night might entail. Too bad it looks like we'll never get to see what the Frank Burke mind could have done with a week's worth of Manny.
[0] [0] And if Tim Tebow mania weren't running rampant enough, the Superman of the SEC, the Hero of the Heisman, the Captain of Circumcision, has also spawned a line of....wait for it......women's underwear. Ok, they've been out for a while now, but just in time for the summer dead period, you can get your sweetie a pair of Teebows. They are thong panties in Gator colors, featuring a Superman-esque T with a bow (get it??). Now before Lane Kiffin starts crying NCAA violation, the panties are not endorsed by Tim Tebow himself. Lucky for us, because the NCAA may end up staving off a possible line of Ed Orgeron speedos. Have no fear, Tennessee fans, you can still catch Kiffin and Company doing the "shirtless wild boyz" on a You Tube near you....
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