As much as the second coming of Larry Bird would help the NBA right now, a Caucasian superstar would not solve the league’s problems. In spite of what happened in Colorado, fans have had no issue embracing, or at least watching, Kobe Bryant. Whether a viewer likes Kobe or not, Kobe is compelling enough with his personality and style of play to draw significant interest. The problem is that not every player is a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade. The question becomes: What happens after the top-tier superstars?

            The answer actually begins in the 1980’s. During the 1980’s, the NBA had its top-tier stars shining bright: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. After these three men, the drop-off in talent was nowhere near as great as it is now. Following Bird, Magic, and Michael, the league had an abundance of players who would have astronomic statistics if they played today: Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Alex English, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Bernard King, Moses Malone etc. In today’s NBA, once a fan gets past the top five or ten stars, the lowering of talent is much more dramatic. Think there’s any chance of Richard Hamilton being an NBA starter in the 1980’s?

         The 80’s ended with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird passing the torch to Michael Jordan to carry as a solo artist. The reduction in quality of American basketball today stems from this part of Michael Jordan’s career coinciding with the rise of the Street Ball generation. The Allen Iversons and Kenny Andersons saw Michael carrying the Bulls to a dynasty. The media built up the run by painting the picture of Michael Jordan carrying the team with no help whatsoever. The Street Ball kids followed suit by trying to mimic what they were told Jordan did: dribble endlessly to either shoot the jumper or get to the rim for a spectacular finish. This led to the eroding of two crucial aspects of basketball: the jumpshot and the mid-range game. Look at the high percentage of American players whose jumpers look plain pathetic and do not work! At this point and time, European players are considered so much more refined than American players because they are so fundamentally sound and so many of them are decent to very good shooters. In simpler English, THEY PRACTICE THE FUNDAMENTALS MORE AND DON’T DO THE STREET BALL ACT!

         Despite the European influx of the last fifteen years, the NBA is still primarily an American league. As a result of American basketball practices of the last fifteen years, so many players in the NBA lack fundamentals and the level of understanding required to play a brand of basketball reminiscent of the 1980’s or even college basketball. This has nothing to do with race. Black and white players alike have been subject to this while growing up in America. The pick-and-roll is almost non-existent and the 18-foot jumpshot has vanished. Let’s not even get into the lack of passing in offenses across the league.

         Lack of fan interest in the NBA in recent years has less to do with race than with the influx of unrefined players into the league leading to a less than stellar quality of play. Once the fans look past the top tier stars, the second tier stars are just not entertaining and not loaded with superstar potential. As a result, those teams lacking a LeBron or Kobe need to play an entertaining brand of team basketball and have no clue as to how.

           Remember when your parents would feel compelled to stress the point that important events occurred long before you were born? They would sit you down and explain how certain people had to be born and do important actions that would eventually lead to your birth. Obviously, LeBron James was never given that speech!

            After the Cavaliers beat the Heat in Miami, LeBron came out with his opinion that Michael Jordan’s number 23 should be retired by the entire NBA. This statement has no collateral damage when it is taken out of context from what King James said in his next paragraph. James followed with this: "I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon. There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, and no Dwyane Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first. He can't get the logo, and if he can't, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it." Before I begin piece-by-piece scrutiny of LeBron’s proclamation, the vast disrespect to NBA legends pre-1984 in those words is baffling. Craig Sager asked the follow-up question to LeBron of what his new uniform number would be. His answer was 6.

            LeBron, what is going through your head when you make that statement? You honor one legend by directly slighting two others! Giving up number 23 to honor Michael Jordan is fine, but didn’t two other NBA legends wear number 6? One guy won eleven titles in the face of racism and bigotry, and the other kept the NBA from vanishing in the 1970’s despite the league appearing clinically dead. Do you remember those guys named Russell and Julius? Russell defined winning in team sports and Dr. J changed the game while keeping the NBA from kicking the bucket. Don’t forget the other legends that played against them and helped elevate the NBA: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and on and on.

            Supposedly, the King is a historian of basketball and the NBA. Well, he flunked NBA history in about twenty seconds. I realize this generation of individuals in their mid-20’s is regarded as severely short-sighted, but LeBron should have been smarter than this! First of all, Michael Jordan’s contributions to basketball have been recognized. He was just placed in the Hall of Fame! Second, other great players, who are more deserving of having their jersey universally retired, came before MJ and had more important effects on the NBA. Wilt and Russell put the league on the map. Oscar Robertson invented the Triple Double. Kareem scored the most points in league history and changed the college game before that. The NCAA outlawed dunking because of him, and his UCLA teams went 88-2 over his three varsity seasons. The NBA changed the rules to make Jordan’s job easier! Elgin Baylor invented the small forward position. Without Baylor, there is no Connie Hawkins. Without Connie Hawkins, there is no Dr. J. Without Dr. J, there is no Michael Jordan.

            Jackie Robinson’s impact on baseball and integrating the major leagues are far beyond anything Michael Jordan did for the NBA or basketball. Michael is the greatest player and greatest competitor in the NBA’s history, but he cannot compare his impact to Jackie Robinson. Wayne Gretzky’s 99 jersey is retired by the entire NHL, but his dominance of hockey was at a level above Jordan’s rule on basketball. Gretzky has more ASSISTS than anyone else has total points. Michael didn’t have the most points or assists or steals or rebounds or blocked shots in NBA history.

            The issue is not LeBron asking for Jordan’s number to be universally retired, but how he justified it. He showed total ignorance of what constitutes having a number retired by an entire league and total disrespect to those great players who led up to Michael Jordan. We are all witnesses to King James' the Clown.

In case any of my three readers got scared, I've been on hiatus due to relocating and trying to get paid. That's another blog by itself. Anyway, two weeks into the NFL season and there is a plethora of topics to kick around. Here are the intriguing ones I've seen rattled off as I think of them:

1) Tony Romo isn't the Cowboys biggest problem, but he's getting close!

After watching the Sunday Football Matinee, Dallas' most concerning issue is that their secondary still can't cover a blanket. Romo did his best to make Eli's job as easy as possible with his three picks, (There were no Cowboys around any of them!) but when your head coach is the defensive coordinator by default and Wade Phillips, the quarterbacks job becomes just a little more difficult. As for Romo, he's one more multi-interception game from receiving the label of "Cowboys' Biggest Issue". (Check TO's twitter feed about Romo. Ouch!)

2) Baltimore Finally Has an Offense! Only Took Fifteen Years!

Even though Ray Lewis gave the Chargers a lesson in "4th Down Plays that Don't Work", the Ravens defense has given up much more yardage than a defense should feel comfortable with. Despite that, Joe Flacco looks like the real deal as far as the long-term Ravens quarterback. (I don't think they've ever had a short-term quarterback!) The three-headed running attack of Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and LeRon McClain has been a force so far, and the receivers have shown some big-play ability. If they can avoid the injuries and wear and tear the Steelers are dealing with, the AFC North is theirs for the taking. (Yeah, Cleveland and Cincy are in the division too, but come on!)

3) Jim Zorn is Holding Jason Campbell Back

Since my relocation is in the DC area, I'm witnessing this first hand. Zorn drafted bigger and athletic receivers to ease the pressure on Jason Campbell, and all he wants to do is run Clinton Portis. He's trying to play Steeler smash football when he's brought in pieces to open up the passing game. His red-zone playcalling has been horrendous. He's not utilizing four and five receiver sets to give Campbell and his receivers chances to make impact plays. I'm not saying Zorn is holding Jason back from being the next Drew Brees, but when the coach doesn't put his best players in situations where they can succeed, the whole team is hindered. Plus, when your job's on the line, shouldn't you take some shots downfield?

4) Ladainian Tomlinson is Finished

Ever since LT's MVP year of 2006, he hasn't been the same. He's hit that proverbial wall that all running backs run into. He can't shake the injury bug, and Darren Sproles is more productive right now. Plain and simple. Chargers GM AJ Smith has shown he's willing to move players when they become too much about off-the-field antics or they drop-off in production, and LT didn't look too happy that the Chargers drove down the field late and won in Oakland without him. You make the conclusion.

5) The AFC East is in a State of Flux

The Jets backed up their smack talk and beat the Patriots in Giants Stadium for the first time in nine years. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense looks out of sync, and Brady seems to be favoring his repaired knee, but their offense can put up fifty at any time. Miami won the division last year, but their thirteen total turnovers and wildcat surprise won't be duplicated this year. Miami will not win this division this year, but they could play spoiler in any game. Buffalo is one boneheaded kickoff away from being 2-0. Yes, the Bills have issues on the offensive line, but plenty of time remains for offensive lines to develop chemistry, and the team has very good position players. Trent Edwards is still a question mark, but he has shown great poise so far. This is not the AFC East that the Patriots have owned in recent seasons. The division could come down to the final week again this year.

6) Aaron Rodgers will have a better year than Brett Favre, but the Vikings will finish ahead of Green Bay

Rodgers has the better receiving corps, but Favre has better everything else. Adrian Peterson has made these first two games very easy for Favre. Ryan Grant is a capable player, but he's not Adrian Peterson. The Vikings offensive and defensive lines are both superior to Green Bay. Green Bay gave up 151 yards rushing to Cincinnati and three touchdown passes to Carson Palmer. Favre can play the role of John Stockton and facilitate the offense. Rodgers will have to carry the Packers all year. Rodgers is a good quarterback, but he doesn't have enough around him for the Packers to be contenders this year.

7) The QB Situation in Philly Gets More Interesting By the Snap

Andy Reid brings in Michael Vick in August, and I'm on record saying that Vick will eventually replace McNabb. (I don't want that, but that's what will eventually happen.) Reid drafted Kevin Kolb two years ago, and we Eagles fans have barely seen him do anything. Then, week 1 comes along and McNabb breaks a rib on a late (YES LATE!) hit in the endzone. Kolb plays yesterday and does okay, but the defense lets him down all day. The calls for Michael Vick are coming because he is eligible to play this week against Kansas City. Did I mention that the team released AJ Feeley then signed Jeff Garcia? When McNabb gets healthy, he will go back to being the quarterback. Just be ready for the Vick and Garcia factions to get very noisy very soon.

8) Jay Cutler Isn't a Jerk, He's Just Crazy

Enough Said.

               Gladiators fought to the death for the amusement of the Roman people and the emperor. They provided the entertainment for the masses. Three weeks ago, a man was beaten to death by a trio of gladiator impersonators in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. In the first place, this was a sad and disgraceful event. With all the other problems happening in America, someone being pummeled to death over a spilled beer at a sporting event is ridiculous. In the second place, the crime took place in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love has been striving for some fair treatment in the national press, and manslaughter at a Phillies game does not help the cause. This is not to diminish the loss of life which occurred. The intention is to halt the barrage of negative publicity towards the Philadelphia fan base when it is uncalled for and unfairly singles out the city and its fans.

                Anti-Philadelphians would make the logical and emotional argument that needless manslaughter over a brew is indefensible. Correct! It is indefensible. It is as needless as the fan that was killed in a fight at Angels Stadium when the baseball season opened in Anaheim. Oh, you didn't hear about that? Well, that's fine because it was a horrible transgression happening somewhere other than Philadelphia, so the National Media stays away from the story. The same can be said for the lack of backlash against Dodger fans when the Crips and the Bloods had a stabbing contest at Dodgers Stadium during the 2008 MLB playoffs. The average American hears positive remarks about Anaheim and Los Angeles. Those are places people are programmed to want to visit. Philadelphia and its citizens are portrayed in the exact opposite light. Philadelphia is passionate, blue collar, and dense. These classifications personify the northeastern section of America as far as the sports markets are concerned. Yet, only Philadelphia is looked on as the primordial sludge of sports cities that needs to clean up its act.

                Part of the issue is being raised as a sports fan in the northeast. Professional sports are important to your weekly, even daily, routine. Emotional involvement becomes inevitable. Toughness is preached as a requirement for entrance into all the stadiums. If an opposing fan challenges your fanhood by saying, "Why don't you come down here and say that?!" you are supposed to oblige. Macho attitudes and actions are fine for action movie stars and athletes, but this sort of mentality doesn't work out in real life. It gets those involved locked up. The perpetrators forget that Roadhouse was just a movie, not a means of teaching ruffianism as dogma for sports fans. This unfortunate temporary amnesia most recently hit in Philadelphia, but a different temporary amnesia affects the reporting of other similar actions in other fan markets across the country. Why does this selective dementia recur time and again? Stated bluntly, any media not in Philadelphia hates Philadelphia. Philly exists in its own universe, is not friendly to outside and uninformed criticism, and refuses to get in bed with other markets just for some friendly print in the paper.

                All sports media members know disreputable actions appear in every area of the United States. In 2008, a Yankees fan said "Please excuse me, sir" to a Red Sox fan outside of Fenway by running him over with his car. Anyone remember New York fans being labeled as the crumbs of the Earth for that? It didn't happen outside of Boston, but Joe Maddon's granddaughter gets hit with a kernel of Pez Candy, and Philadelphia gets sent to the gallows. Any level-headed person knows those two acts aren't equitable. Philadelphia gets the Donovan McNabb treatment while New York and other markets like them get the Brett Favre treatment. What are the Donovan McNabb and Brett Favre treatments? McNabb treatment: Receiving large amounts of disrespect because you fall just short of your goals without the proper tools to succeed despite constant high levels of work. Favre treatment: Everything you do is blown up to mythical proportion when a huge percentage of the result is luck, and you milk the one big achievement of your career for over a decade despite numerous screw-up's that were your own fault.

                Disparities aside, concessions can be made for the sake of a fair trial. As a Philly fan, I will make some confessions in order to further the process. Yes, we booed Donovan McNabb on Draft Day in 1999. Yes, we booed Michael Irvin as he was laying injured on the Veterans Stadium Turf. Yes, we threw a battery (note: singular) at JD Drew. Now it's the turn of the self-righteous sports markets to ask for absolution of their sins. Cleveland, please apologize for throwing beer bottles at the Jaguars' players. Boston, please apologize for treating Bill Russell in a racist manner even though he brought you eleven titles. Dallas, please apologize for employing a team of drugees in the 1990's. Chicago, stop throwing beer at players during fly balls. I could go on. I'll wait for the return criticisms of Philadelphia because they will happen. I ask one favor: Don't bring up throwing snowballs at Santa. Anybody know what year that was? It was 1968, and the guy who was playing Santa was a washed up drunk.

            It's amazing how few events in sports and life become imprinted in your mind as "I remember exactly where I was!" moments. My own story: I was at a neighborhood pub eating dinner with friends when one of the servers proclaimed from across the bar, "The Eagles signed Michael Vick!" The initial reaction from all the patrons and bartenders was, "Pull the other leg. It has bells!" When it was confirmed through ESPN and the subsequent fifteen text messages, my phone hit the floor. Hands went numb. No Eagles fan would have predicted this. Jeffrey Lurie had previously released Damon Moore in 2001 for animal cruelty through negligence, and he has been outspoken as a proponent of animal rights. Andy Reid's family problems, and the fact he has a quarterback, supposedly dictated he would not be interested in signing Michael Vick. Add to the powder keg the fallout from PETA, fans who are unhappy with the signing, and Philadelphia and the result is a completely combustible situation in the short term.

                The short term has already seen numerous Eagles fans place their tickets on eBay and openly denounce their allegiance to the team. This is all folly and impetuous action by this faction of Philly fans jumping off the bandwagon. Once Vick scores his first touchdown in that midnight green and silver, all the deserters will get the urge to leap back on the wagon. A better example: Watch how fast those number seven jerseys sell out once they go on sale. If Mike Tyson can draw viewership and revenue after serving jail time for rape, Vick can do the same after a lesser offense. However, money aside, there are genuinely hurt and angry fans in Philadelphia, and the reasons for that are valid. Dog fighting and animal cruelty are heinous acts. Facebook had a group calling for Michael Vick to be thrown in prison as soon as this story became verified. (I know because I was a member!) Well, he was convicted, thrown in jail, and served his time. From a personal view, he's done everything reasonable to be given a second chance. (Not to mention he lost a boatload of money.) I have no sympathy for Vick because he put himself through all of that, but he took the heat and paid the price.

                Even though Vick has done everything required by the American Justice System, the anti-Michael groups feel he is getting a second chance because of his celebrity status as a professional athlete. Message to all those groups: You're right! Get over it! We've known celebrities and athletes get special treatment for years! The best argument from a reverse angle is the number of legal experts who have said on many radio and television talk shows that Michael Vick was given a more severe sentence because of his celebrity and as a means of setting a precedent about dog fighting. One of the individuals who appears to be in favor of the more severe punishment is Roger Goodell due to his imposition of a multi-game suspension after incarceration. The reality is Goodell wants to hand down the suspension, not because of the animal cruelty, but because Michael Vick lied to his face. Had Vick been forthright from the beginning, there would be no further suspension.

                The truth behind all of this politicking is the fan reaction to Michael Vick says more about the character of the fans than Vick. One faction of fans making blanket statements about the other shows the narrow mindedness of the mob mentality. If someone says, "Vick has been punished enough and deserves this opportunity," they're automatically against animal rights. If another person says, "Vick should never be allowed back in the NFL again," they're automatically thought to be more in favor of animal rights than human rights. (And if they're Caucasian, they're instantly racist on top of that!) Reasonable citizens recognize blanket statements cannot be taken as fact, much gray area exists with this matter, and America is the land of redemption.

                As for Michael Vick the football player, he hasn't played in a meaningful game since 2006. Playing quarterback in the NFL is not akin to riding a bike, especially in Andy Reid's version of the West Coast Offense. Reintegrating him as a passer will take some time. The Wildcat is the most likely use for Vick with the Eagles. It suits his talents and tendencies. Beyond 2009, it is conceivable that the Eagles' quarterback after McNabb will be Michael Vick. Kevin Kolb has not shown anything noteworthy up to this point. Brian Dawkins showed how the Birds' front office feels about players once they reach a certain age. Donovan McNabb will be thirty-three when the season ends. That's too much smoke for a fire to not be brewing. Whatever ends up transpiring, buckle up Eagles fans!