These are words I never thought I would type: I miss Shaq.
No, now don't get all worked up. Sure, the Lakers have not won a championship since he left, and he has gone of to Miami and gotten himself another ring. But that's not why I miss the "Big Ego". I miss him because of his media presence. I remember getting excited to wait for the 11 o'clock nightly news to come on back home in California. I could always count on Fred Rogin or Rob Fukazaki to relay some stupid quote that Shaq had said during practice or in an interview that was made after the game.
Now with Kobe trying to show the public what a stand up guy he is, I very rarely see any moments as entertaining as this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU8tDAzpuNw
Monday, February 26, 2007
These are words I never thought I would type: I miss Shaq.
No, now don't get all worked up. Sure, the Lakers have not won a championship since he left, and he has gone of to Miami and gotten himself another ring. But that's not why I miss the "Big Ego". I miss him because of his media presence. I remember getting excited to wait for the 11 o'clock nightly news to come on back home in California. I could always count on Fred Rogin or Rob Fukazaki to relay some stupid quote that Shaq had said during practice or in an interview that was made after the game.
Now with Kobe trying to show the public what a stand up guy he is, I very rarely see any moments as entertaining as this:
No, now don't get all worked up. Sure, the Lakers have not won a championship since he left, and he has gone of to Miami and gotten himself another ring. But that's not why I miss the "Big Ego". I miss him because of his media presence. I remember getting excited to wait for the 11 o'clock nightly news to come on back home in California. I could always count on Fred Rogin or Rob Fukazaki to relay some stupid quote that Shaq had said during practice or in an interview that was made after the game.
Now with Kobe trying to show the public what a stand up guy he is, I very rarely see any moments as entertaining as this:
Monday, February 12, 2007
A Long Way From Eagle, CO...
I was out with a friend this weekend, when the new Nike ad with Kobe Bryant popped onto the television screen. It triggered a memory of a conversation I had with another friend a couple of years ago when the rape allegations against Kobe first arose.
What a difference a couple of years make! It was just a few summers ago that Kobe Bryant was facing rape charges; that's when my friend and I had a conversation in which he told me that he didn't see how Kobe's image would ever fully recover.
Fast forward to the present...Now, nearly four years removed from the accusations, Kobe seems to be just as popular as he ever was. The NBA announced that Kobe's #24 jersey was the top selling jersey in the league. Staples Center crowds have been chanting "MVP" during his trips to the charity stripe for the last two seasons. Nike has him front and center in their "AF25: Second Coming" ads. Sony placed him on the cover of their NBA video game... the list goes on.
I remember when it was big news when Nutella (yeah, the chocolate hazelnut spread company) dropped Kobe as his sponsor; now I see his face everywhere. It might just be that the public is a lot more forgiving then a lot of people predicted it would be. After all, no one ever hears mentions of Marv Albert's sex scandal. He's back to commentating on nationally televised basketball games.
I must admit that I often forget about the rape charges. Is it because we are able to separate moral values from sports heroes? I mean come on; the guy can drop 81 in a game, has the face of male model, and is able to make moves on the court that just shouldn't be legal. Plus, he now regularly mentions the love he has for his daughter, wife and God in his interviews. Isn't that enough to forgive small indiscretions like rape and adultery?
What a difference a couple of years make! It was just a few summers ago that Kobe Bryant was facing rape charges; that's when my friend and I had a conversation in which he told me that he didn't see how Kobe's image would ever fully recover.
Fast forward to the present...Now, nearly four years removed from the accusations, Kobe seems to be just as popular as he ever was. The NBA announced that Kobe's #24 jersey was the top selling jersey in the league. Staples Center crowds have been chanting "MVP" during his trips to the charity stripe for the last two seasons. Nike has him front and center in their "AF25: Second Coming" ads. Sony placed him on the cover of their NBA video game... the list goes on.
I remember when it was big news when Nutella (yeah, the chocolate hazelnut spread company) dropped Kobe as his sponsor; now I see his face everywhere. It might just be that the public is a lot more forgiving then a lot of people predicted it would be. After all, no one ever hears mentions of Marv Albert's sex scandal. He's back to commentating on nationally televised basketball games.
I must admit that I often forget about the rape charges. Is it because we are able to separate moral values from sports heroes? I mean come on; the guy can drop 81 in a game, has the face of male model, and is able to make moves on the court that just shouldn't be legal. Plus, he now regularly mentions the love he has for his daughter, wife and God in his interviews. Isn't that enough to forgive small indiscretions like rape and adultery?
Friday, February 9, 2007
Hello World
I have been a life long Laker fan and it has been hard being away from home during the school year (aka the NBA's regular season). Living in the dorms with its awful cable package, has made it hard to keep up with my favorite team.
This blog is just an excuse to allow myself to keep updated on how the team is doing and discuss what's going on with Lakers; because honestly, that's hard to do in a town that hasn't seen a championship since the 1970's... and come on, who wants to talk basketball in a city that the Knicks call home?
This blog is just an excuse to allow myself to keep updated on how the team is doing and discuss what's going on with Lakers; because honestly, that's hard to do in a town that hasn't seen a championship since the 1970's... and come on, who wants to talk basketball in a city that the Knicks call home?
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