Random Ramblings About Random Things

While another mega-sports star does irreparable damage to his image, here are a few thoughts going through my little brain…

At least Tiger got laid before f**king things up.

–I’m sorry to do this to you but I just have to talk about LeBron. So with that, goodbye, loyal reader. I hardly knew ye!

Growing up, I was a huge basketball fan. If hockey was #1, basketball was #1a. I loved playing the sport, I loved following the sport. Most of my friends felt the same (some minus the playing part if they sucked at it!).

Then something happened.

During the 2002/03 season, I started to lose most of my interest in the NBA. It’s probably no coincidence that that timeline corresponds with the emergence of today’s new news culture and the rise of the even more selfish, self-absorbed athlete. For me, it became hard to get behind players like Shaq or Vince Carter, whom I saw as giant jackasses. These sorts of “personalities” were all over the league. The culture around basketball made the NBA the biggest victim of this “me first” trend.

Many of the players in the Jordan era had huge egos. Jordan himself had a massive ego. But you know what? The public’s access to a player’s “personality” at that time was more controlled and nothing like it is now. Jordan’s ego was never this exposed.

Last night’s LeBron show was a climax of this trend which showcases athletes seeking fame and attention over respect for the sport. I never cared much for LeBron but I can see how he became a victim of the times. On the other hand, he’s a narcissistic clown so whatever.

But you know what? I watched last night. And I’ll probably watch more NBA games next season than I did last. So who gets the last laugh?

Hopefully, we all will when the Heat get knocked out of the playoffs next year. Haa haa!

And also when LeBron’s jersey and sneaker sales fall through the floor. Haa haa!

And also when Bosh demands a trade in two years because he got jealous that Wade and James went out to dinner without him. Haa haa!

In the end, I’m just glad hockey players are who they are. We just need to make sure that we keep our kids away from the influence of Patrick Kane.

–Kovalchuk still hasn’t signed. The Kings are rumored to be back into the mix and then rumored to be out of the mix and then rumored to be in the mix. It’s quite crazy, actually.

I’d like to see him sign in Los Angeles. It’s a good fit on a team that’s already fun to watch.  It’ll be interesting to see how, if he does sign in LA, it will affect the team a couple years down the road. Especially if guys like Schenn, Bernier, Teubert and Hickey also turn out to be better than average NHLers. Though, I’m sure Dean Lombardi will figure it out since he comes across smarter than 95% of GMs in the league.

–Matt Reitz wrote a great piece analyzing Stan Bowman’s work in Chicago. Give it a read.

It’s sad to see that team broken apart because they all seemed to genuinely like each other and they all fit great together. However, let’s not fool ourselves, none of the pieces they let go are irreplaceable. The players Bowman has brought in, like Matt wrote, have the potential to be solid replacement cogs for the departed ones.

That said, there’s something about Stan that just rubs me the wrong way. I can’t articulate it but let’s just say that I wouldn’t trust him around my wife. Ha.

Look at the emotion!

–The Canucks have announced that they are going to retire Markus Naslund’s number #19 to the rafters. Keep in mind that Gillis was Naslund’s former agent, so there’s another conspiracy brewin’ in Vancouver.

Does Naslund deserve it? Meh. He wasn’t a very captivating figure and didn’t lead the Canucks to any playoff success. But he did score 40 goals three times so he ranks right up there with the Zigmund Palffys of the world. Yay, Ziggy!

On the other hand, he’ll always be linked in a way to the franchise’s most famous moment: The Bertuzzi. So he’s got that going for him.

Anyways, to me, Pavel Bure — no matter the falling out at the end — deserves a jersey in the rafters of Mr. Rogers Arena (I refuse to give any publicity to the  media company!) more than Naslund. Bure put Vancouver on the hockey map. Sure, he may have been a bit of a diva at the end but on the bright side, he never held a 1-hour special when he split town.

–With Germany out of the World Cup, I no longer have to cheer for them after losing a bet to BoF reader Rouven. Speaking of which, he hasn’t been around this week so hopefully the loss didn’t cause him to go into a self-induced schweinebraten and wiener schnitzel coma.

–As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter, a place where I have lots of fun with LeBron’s and Bosh’s twitter accounts: