Bronx Bullpen, NY – “Hey kid, we need ya. Give it all ya got.” That was me poetic waxing from Short Matt needing me to fill in for M.I.A. Cam James or Lori Levine. So, I grabbed my glove ran out there and took the ball… Sorry if I am not as easy on the eyes as the latter, but my momma says I am handsome – so that is all that counts.
The key was I was needed. My number was called… and I answered. Unlike the modern day prima donna known as King (Queen) James, I answered. For those of us not in the know, LeBron James sat out the finally minute plus of game 4 of the NBA finals cause he was dehydrated and suffering from cramps. Cramps!! What is this women’s softball? You know what? I take that back because every girlfriend that was foolish enough to date me, went to work despite cramps. I give Cookie flack but she did a triathlon and aqua-biked through cramps!! Would Jordan or Kobe leave with a minute plus left due to cramps?? Come off it LeBron! You are as soft as Ice Cream on a hot NYC day (you can pick today or yesterday cause it is hotter than hell right now), which got me thinking of some of the real tough guy moments in sports; the direct opposite which LeBron has become:
Baseball: Kirk Gibson vs. Chuck Knoblauch – One guy hits a game-winning, series-changing home run on one leg as a pitch hitter. The other gets the yips when he tries to throw from 2nd base to 1st.
Football: Kellen Winslow Sr vs Albert Haynesworth – The former needs to be carried off the field by teammates as he played dehydrated and way into overtime for the victory. The latter rather be suspended and not play because he doesn’t like the system or want to play different
Basketball: Willis Reed vs Scottie Pippen – With a broken leg, Reed comes out in Game 7 and plays for 2 minutes, just enough to fire up his troops to victory. Meanwhile Pippen on the Jordan-less Bulls (Mike was serving his gambling ban, I mean trying to play baseball 😉 ), didn’t like that the game winning shot wasn’t designed for him, so he sat for the final play. Bulls still won.
Hockey: Move along. Only real men play here!!
Soccer: Franz Beckenbauer vs Carlos Tevez – As soccer is played with your feet and Beckenbauer had a dislocated shoulder, there was one thing to do. He had the arm in a sling and taped to his body and went out and played the World Cup final. Tevez, in a European League match, was upset that he had not been getting playing time, so when the coach called for him to sub in, he refused to move.
Rugby: See Hockey…
So where does LeBron’s pansiness rank on the meter? Pretty high if you ask me. Finish strong, is what all coaches teach to their players. Lebron is moving up the unlikable sports personality with great speed. He is closing in on A-rod and just overtook Terrell Owens! Will he climb higher or come to his senses? Only time will tell. In the interim, here is some unLebron like advice:
Stay low and keep pumping those legs. Cookies Corner, tomorrow.
