^
The word "courage" is thrown around often in sports.
A hockey player who competes when injured is displaying courage.
A point guard who speaks out to demand excellence from his teammates is showing courage.
A wide receiver who blocks a defensive lineman is being courageous.
A batter who "takes one for the team" is showing courage.
Why, there are some who actually call golfers "courageous" for attempting difficult shots.
You want courageous? Jason Collins is courageous.
Collins, a 34-year-old, 12-year NBA veteran who was a backup center for the Wizards and Celtics last season, became the first male athlete in one of the four major North American sports to come out of the closet.
He told Sports Illustrated: "I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go."
I have said for years that one of the last bastions of permissible discrimination takes place in the locker rooms of major sports teams. There is so much homophobic behavior, so much ignorance and intolerance on this issue, it would take tremendous courage to tell the world you no longer want to pretend to be something you're not.
Congratulations to Jason Collins.
He is a free agent and wants to keep playing. He's never been the most talented offensive player but he used to be considered a tough defender who was at his best against stars such as Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal. He was good enough last season to start nine games.
It will be interesting to see if an NBA owner has the courage to sign him.
^
Showing posts with label Shaquille O'Neal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaquille O'Neal. Show all posts
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Thankfully, I avoided stepping on Shaq's toe
^
In what seems a lifetime ago, I covered the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City for AP. Looking back, two things stand out:
1. A few other sportswriters and I went out for lunch the day of the game. It started snowing lightly as we got out of the cab and entered the restaurant. About an hour later, there had to have been a foot and a half of snow on the ground. It was the biggest, fastest blizzard I ever had seen. And that's saying something, because I lived in Minnesota for almost 10 years.
2. My game assignment was to write about Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's rookie sensation. I can't remember what I wrote, but I do remember getting into the locker room as quickly as possible after the game and planting myself next to Shaq's locker. Even back then, he was a notorious quiet-talker, so I knew the microphone on my tape recorder wouldn't pick up a thing he said if I didn't stand thisclose. He came out of the shower and sat down on his chair, and his huge left foot literally was an inch from my right shoe. I was barely listening to what he said because all I kept thinking was, "Mike, you clod, don't step on one of this guy's toes!"
Shaq was neither the best center I ever covered (that would have been Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) nor the largest human I ever saw (the Jazz had a center named Mark Eaton, whose head was roughly the size of a Yugo). But he was close in both categories.
The super-athletic O'Neal was the fourth-best center in basketball history, behind only Kareem, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. I used to get a kick out of when his critics would say, "All he can do is dunk." To which I'd respond: "Yeah, 15 or 20 times a game."
His biggest failing was his horrific free-throw shooting. He used to claim he made them all the time in practice. That cracked me up, because it meant he was admitting he was a choker who couldn't handle game pressure. In reality, Shaq was a damn good big-game performer. Still, he needed a great facilitator -- Kobe Bryant in L.A., Dwyane Wade in Miami -- to win his titles.
One thing for sure: Shaq was a wonderful character who marketed himself brilliantly and turned himself into an international brand. Sure, his movies sucked. But he made seven more of them -- and got paid handsomely for seven more of them -- than you or I did.
Sports needs more characters not fewer. Shaquille O'Neal will be missed.
^
In what seems a lifetime ago, I covered the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City for AP. Looking back, two things stand out:
1. A few other sportswriters and I went out for lunch the day of the game. It started snowing lightly as we got out of the cab and entered the restaurant. About an hour later, there had to have been a foot and a half of snow on the ground. It was the biggest, fastest blizzard I ever had seen. And that's saying something, because I lived in Minnesota for almost 10 years.
2. My game assignment was to write about Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's rookie sensation. I can't remember what I wrote, but I do remember getting into the locker room as quickly as possible after the game and planting myself next to Shaq's locker. Even back then, he was a notorious quiet-talker, so I knew the microphone on my tape recorder wouldn't pick up a thing he said if I didn't stand thisclose. He came out of the shower and sat down on his chair, and his huge left foot literally was an inch from my right shoe. I was barely listening to what he said because all I kept thinking was, "Mike, you clod, don't step on one of this guy's toes!"
Shaq was neither the best center I ever covered (that would have been Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) nor the largest human I ever saw (the Jazz had a center named Mark Eaton, whose head was roughly the size of a Yugo). But he was close in both categories.
The super-athletic O'Neal was the fourth-best center in basketball history, behind only Kareem, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. I used to get a kick out of when his critics would say, "All he can do is dunk." To which I'd respond: "Yeah, 15 or 20 times a game."
His biggest failing was his horrific free-throw shooting. He used to claim he made them all the time in practice. That cracked me up, because it meant he was admitting he was a choker who couldn't handle game pressure. In reality, Shaq was a damn good big-game performer. Still, he needed a great facilitator -- Kobe Bryant in L.A., Dwyane Wade in Miami -- to win his titles.
One thing for sure: Shaq was a wonderful character who marketed himself brilliantly and turned himself into an international brand. Sure, his movies sucked. But he made seven more of them -- and got paid handsomely for seven more of them -- than you or I did.
Sports needs more characters not fewer. Shaquille O'Neal will be missed.
^
Friday, November 5, 2010
Sparky knew how to treat special jocks specially
^
The players would each remember Sparky Anderson's spring training speech a little bit differently in later years, but everyone recalled his main point. He announced that the Machine was made up of two kinds of players. First, there were the superstars. To be more specific, Sparky said, there were four superstars -- Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. Those four made their own rules. Those four had no curfew. Those four had special privileges. If Johnny wanted to go golfing every so often during spring training, he could go. If Pete wanted to blow off some steam at the dog track, well, Sparky might give him a few extra bucks. If Joe needed to come in late so he could attend college classes, that was all right by Sparky. If Tony needed a little rest, then Sparky would fluff the pillow. Those four were royalty. "The rest of you," Sparky said, "are turds."
Hello! Wake up, people. Special athletes get special treatment. Always have, always will. Sparky, like every intelligent manager or coach in the history of sports, knew the score.
Bill Russell and Babe Ruth and Mario Lemieux and Terry Bradshaw got special treatment because their status merited it. If any teammate didn't like the Astros letting Roger Clemens skip certain road trips when he wasn't scheduled to pitch, all they had to do was say: "I'll tell you what; as soon as you win 350 games, you can skip road trips, too."
Phil Jackson treated Michael differently than he treated every other Bull. Then, he did the same for Shaq in L.A. Now, it's Kobe's turn. Phil Jackson wins championships.
The system works. In fact, it's probably the only system that can work.
And were Sparky still alive, he'd tell all of us turds the exact same thing.
^
The players would each remember Sparky Anderson's spring training speech a little bit differently in later years, but everyone recalled his main point. He announced that the Machine was made up of two kinds of players. First, there were the superstars. To be more specific, Sparky said, there were four superstars -- Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. Those four made their own rules. Those four had no curfew. Those four had special privileges. If Johnny wanted to go golfing every so often during spring training, he could go. If Pete wanted to blow off some steam at the dog track, well, Sparky might give him a few extra bucks. If Joe needed to come in late so he could attend college classes, that was all right by Sparky. If Tony needed a little rest, then Sparky would fluff the pillow. Those four were royalty. "The rest of you," Sparky said, "are turds."
Many fans get their undies in a bundle because the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Brett Favre, Alex Ovechkin and Steve Nash get "special treatment."
Hello! Wake up, people. Special athletes get special treatment. Always have, always will. Sparky, like every intelligent manager or coach in the history of sports, knew the score.
Bill Russell and Babe Ruth and Mario Lemieux and Terry Bradshaw got special treatment because their status merited it. If any teammate didn't like the Astros letting Roger Clemens skip certain road trips when he wasn't scheduled to pitch, all they had to do was say: "I'll tell you what; as soon as you win 350 games, you can skip road trips, too."
Phil Jackson treated Michael differently than he treated every other Bull. Then, he did the same for Shaq in L.A. Now, it's Kobe's turn. Phil Jackson wins championships.
The system works. In fact, it's probably the only system that can work.
And were Sparky still alive, he'd tell all of us turds the exact same thing.
^
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Icons R Us: From Favre to Kobe to Phil Ivey
^
The Bald Truth
Frankly, I didn't pay attention to a single thing Brett Favre said as he talked about getting ready to play his first game in Green Bay since becoming America's most famous vagabond since Jack Kerouac.
It was his tone of voice - almost catatonic, as if he had been awakened from a deep slumber just in time for his midweek press conference - that told me all I needed to know.
He is working so hard to seem low-key, it's obvious he's not. The man is as nervous and anxious as a teenage boy going to his first high-school dance.
Which is perfectly normal. Favre doesn't want to show up for the dance, trip over his own two feet and land face-down in the onion dip. Pretty hard to impress the ladies, the peers and the onlookers that way.
I'm guessing Favre will be received quite well by the folks who spent more than a decade and a half naming their kids Brett.
And he should be. Favre created wonderful memories for those Cheeseheads. He won them a championship. He restored pride in all things Packer. He played hard and with the enthusiasm of a rookie, even when he was old and gray. He never missed an opening coin toss, no matter how crappy he might have felt on a given day. He gave his life and blood for that organization.
Yeah, it ended weirdly. Yeah, in recent years he's been more wishy-washy than John Kerry on a bad day. Yeah, it sucks for Packerland to see Favre in freakin' purple.
But it's all worked out pretty well for the Packers, too. There certainly aren't many QBs better than Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, Favre is approaching Sunday's return with great anticipation. I'm really looking forward to the game, too - and I'm not a Packers fan, not a Vikings fan and, last I looked, not scheduled to play in it.
The Balder Truth
The NBA season has begun, so I'm just a little tardy with my predictions:
The Lakers will beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Kobe will repeat as MVP.
The Spurs will take the Lakers to 7 games in the Western Conference finals.
The Cavaliers will win fewer games with Shaq than they did without him.
LeBron will start shopping for real estate in New York.
The Bulls will increase their win total from 41 to 43 and again will lose in the first round of the playoffs.
Will that convince John Paxson and Jerry Reinsdorf to extend Vinny Del Negro's contract? Only if they are fools.
THE BALDEST TRUTH
Imagine Phil Mickelson turning in a Masters scorecard with the wrong score marked down at No. 12. Or Kevin Garnett shooting at the wrong end and scoring an important basket for the opponent in the NBA Finals. Or Peyton Manning looking right at a wide-open receiver in the end zone and, instead of throwing the ball, taking a knee in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. Or Derek Jeter forgetting how many outs there were in Game 5 of the World Series and throwing the ball into the stands to allow a run to score.
Hello, Phil Ivey.
ESPN The Magazine's latest cover boy as "The Best Poker Player On Earth," Ivey had what should have been a winning flush on Day 8 of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. Instead, he simply threw it away.
I'm not saying he folded because he wasn't sure he could beat his opponent. I'm saying the betting already had ended for the hand and his opponent already had shown his two-pair when Ivey, without taking another look at his two face-down cards, mucked his ace-high spade flush into the discard pile.
Incredible. The best poker player on the planet, playing on the game's biggest stage, simply forgot what he had in his hand.
The mistake cost Ivey more than 2 million chips and was a huge part of his free-fall from near the chip lead to the brink of elimination.
This all took place shortly after a pre-recorded interview in which Ivey spoke of his heightened concentration level and his determination to finally reach the Main Event final table - a destination that has eluded him forever.
It's a tribute to Phil's skill that he was able to recover and qualify for the final table. And it's a lesson - a rather refreshing one, too - that even the masters screw up royally.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Chillin' with the missus, rippin' LeBron The Loser and diggin' Dwight
^
The Bald Truth
Hopefully, a few readers noticed that I hadn't posted for a few days.
For those who are worried sick about me, no need. I didn't accidentally watch 5 seconds of Around the Horn, lose my mind and get hauled away to the funny farm.
No, it's just that my wife is taking a little vacation time and we've been chillin' together.
Really, though ... instead of taking time off from the one job she has, shouldn't she be working a second job so she can support my golf habit?
Jeesh, some people are so selfish.
Anyway, after I'm done with this post, I will be back in a day or three, so keep checking. As always, I appreciate everyone's loyalty.
The Quote
"It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that." - LeBron James, a day after refusing to shake hands with Dwight Howard and the rest of the Orlando Magic.
Well yes, Bron-Bron, it is being a poor sport.
And a jerk.
And a clown.
And a sore loser.
And a self-serving douchebag.
And I could go on ... but do I really need to?
I just wonder what LeBron would have said had Howard done the same to him.
The Balder Truth
Loved that the NHL played Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on consecutive nights in Detroit. It's a reminder of the good old days when every league didn't feel compelled to drag out every postseason series for weeks on end.
Not sure the Penguins were as happy about it, though I'm guessing the Red Wings would be up 2-0 even if the league had waited until September for Game 2.
The Question
Is it just me or has David Ortiz gone from age 33 to age 48 in the span of two months?
THE BALDEST TRUTH
Some media mopes actually are criticizing Dwight Howard for only being able to dunk on the offensive end.
These are probably the same idiots who said as much about Shaq 15 years and four NBA championships ago.
Look, if Howard is "only" able to dunk 10, 15, 20 times in a game, that's a good thing. Besides, he does help the Magic on offense even if he's not dunking. To name three ways: He's a great offensive rebounder; he helps Orlando's many fine outside shooters by drawing the defense to him; and he gets the opposing center in foul trouble.
It would be cool to see Howard win the NBA title because he has the right attitude: Play as hard as he can and as well as he can every minute he's on the court but otherwise realize that it is just a game. I can't remember any recent pro basketball player enjoying the game more. Such perspective is sorely lacking (see: James, LeBron).
Even though Howard and a few of other Magicals will create matchup problems for the Lakers, however, I can't pick Orlando to win this series.
The Lakers have too much experience, too much good coaching, too much talent, too much skill coming off the bench and, especially, too much Kobe Bryant.
Way, way, way too much Jack Nicholson, as well, but I won't hold that against them.
Lakers in 6.
The Bald Truth
Hopefully, a few readers noticed that I hadn't posted for a few days.
For those who are worried sick about me, no need. I didn't accidentally watch 5 seconds of Around the Horn, lose my mind and get hauled away to the funny farm.
No, it's just that my wife is taking a little vacation time and we've been chillin' together.
Really, though ... instead of taking time off from the one job she has, shouldn't she be working a second job so she can support my golf habit?
Jeesh, some people are so selfish.
Anyway, after I'm done with this post, I will be back in a day or three, so keep checking. As always, I appreciate everyone's loyalty.
The Quote
"It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that." - LeBron James, a day after refusing to shake hands with Dwight Howard and the rest of the Orlando Magic.
Well yes, Bron-Bron, it is being a poor sport.
And a jerk.
And a clown.
And a sore loser.
And a self-serving douchebag.
And I could go on ... but do I really need to?
I just wonder what LeBron would have said had Howard done the same to him.
The Balder Truth
Loved that the NHL played Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on consecutive nights in Detroit. It's a reminder of the good old days when every league didn't feel compelled to drag out every postseason series for weeks on end.
Not sure the Penguins were as happy about it, though I'm guessing the Red Wings would be up 2-0 even if the league had waited until September for Game 2.
The Question
Is it just me or has David Ortiz gone from age 33 to age 48 in the span of two months?
THE BALDEST TRUTH
Some media mopes actually are criticizing Dwight Howard for only being able to dunk on the offensive end.
These are probably the same idiots who said as much about Shaq 15 years and four NBA championships ago.
Look, if Howard is "only" able to dunk 10, 15, 20 times in a game, that's a good thing. Besides, he does help the Magic on offense even if he's not dunking. To name three ways: He's a great offensive rebounder; he helps Orlando's many fine outside shooters by drawing the defense to him; and he gets the opposing center in foul trouble.
It would be cool to see Howard win the NBA title because he has the right attitude: Play as hard as he can and as well as he can every minute he's on the court but otherwise realize that it is just a game. I can't remember any recent pro basketball player enjoying the game more. Such perspective is sorely lacking (see: James, LeBron).
Even though Howard and a few of other Magicals will create matchup problems for the Lakers, however, I can't pick Orlando to win this series.
The Lakers have too much experience, too much good coaching, too much talent, too much skill coming off the bench and, especially, too much Kobe Bryant.
Way, way, way too much Jack Nicholson, as well, but I won't hold that against them.
Lakers in 6.
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