Wow, what a difference 8 months makes for a star athlete like Mr. Kobe 'Bean' Bryant. He's enjoying another All-Star season, a potential MVP of the league season, his team is arguably the best the NBA has to offer-as I write-and most importantly Kobe seems to be smiling and having fun while playing the game he grew up loving. That's great to see but it's a stark contrast to what Kobe was feeling and saying during the summer of '07, when he was crying and bitching about 'not wanting to be a Laker'

Nobody wants to hold Kobe accountable but I will

If Kobe would of just shut his mouth, kept things internal and played out the string of his contract then at least he would of shown more maturity and team leadership as oppose to going on every radio station in America crying the 'blues' about being misled and lied to by Laker mgt. I'm sure there was truth to some of what Kobe was saying but in my opinion if u feel as though your team is not following through on their promises then exercise the 'opt-out' clause that all Stars have specifically written into your contract (Players like Tim Duncan, with D. Wade and L. James next in line, have used that leverage wisely by letting his team know that 'yes' I'll sign a Max deal but I'm going to put my opt out at 3 or 4 years just in case u decide to NOT give me help in trying to win a championship )

Kobe will have the option to be a free agent after the '08-'09 season where he would be free to sign with any other team willing to pay him big bucks (and lets be honest there would of been plenty of teams reaching for her services) so last summer, during the heat of his frustration, all he had to do was keep cool, do what he's been doing, play out the last 2 years then opt out at the age of 31 and be done with the Laker organization. And you know who would of looked like the fools in the whole ordeal, the Lakers, not Kobe. But instead Kobe at this point and time is playing the 'Fair-Whether' player; happy and gleeful because the Lakers are winning but with that he's already proven he can pout, moan and refuse to shoot the ball for an entire 2nd half with the best of 'em when the team isn't doing what he thinks it should be doing

Super-star players are built with the strong mindset that they know they can endure the bad and good of an organization with extreme poise. Decision making is high on their list, that's what made Magic, Jordan, Russell and Bird great...On and Off the court. Fans are ready to anoint Kobe in that category but I'm not sure he should be, he hasn't earned it

p.s.

I really hope Kobe Bryant gets his much deserved MVP trophy this year because starting next year ('08-'09 season) Mr. Lebron 'King' James is going to start a string of MVP seasons that might not ever be matched (can u say 4 or 5 in a row). Lebron, is starting to show the skilled dominance that I predicted he would have once he mastered the superior focus on the defensive and offensive ends of the court. I'm not sure how many championship rings he's going to win but I know barring any major injury, starting next year Lebron will clearly be the best the NBA has to offer in terms of individual effort   

With deep sadness I, along with countless other Die-Hard Steeler fanz, say 'bye now' to a sports icon that I only got a chance to know though reading the varied Pittsburgh Newspapers online. Not growing up in the 'burgh and only visiting a few times in my voyeuristic life I was cheated out of one the biggest pleasures a native Steeler fan could hang his hard-hat on every Sunday: 'Myron Cope-ism's'

THAT RASPY VOICE AND DOUBLE YOI CATCH PHRASE ARE ONE OF THE BEST IN RADIO BROACAST HISTORY....you'll never hear anything like it again, so many of the present day and up and coming TV journalist go out of their way to say unique phrases because of pioneers like Myron, Harry Carey, and others of that era

Damn! I'm jealous and envious, I never had a chance to be in his presence, never heard a full Steeler cope-by-cope broadcast, didn't even meet a person who had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Cope or shake his hand; All I get of Myron are a few audio soundbites and numerous articles written in his behalf detailing his brilliance as a columnist and radio personality

Well that's what I get for being born somewhere instead of Western Pennsylvania, I guess some things in life aren't Free!

I find it interesting how over the last few years sports fans and some prominent journalist have justified cheating, specifically in relation to steroid use in baseball and most recently the NFL spy-gate situation with the Patriots, by stating "Well, everybody is doing it so what does it really matter!"

And my only response to that is, "Just because everybody or every other team is doing it, doesn't make it right....it's still cheating; and if u get caught you have to pay the consequences. You rolled the dice one too many times and now it's your turn to 'do the time' "

Like the old-school proverb states "If your friends jump off the bridge, are you going to jump off too?".......I hope not!