Thursday Grab Bag: A National Perspective

I just got back to my Aztec apartment, greeted by single-digit temperatures. My '95 Mustang named Mable has a distaste for such conditions.

I witnessed Shiprock's girls basketball team for the first time earlier this evening.

There was little doubt as to which team played at The Pit. I could've gotten bashed over the head with a tub full of fried bread, woken up dazed and figured out the team in a few seconds. That's how uptempo the team played.

They slowed a bit late in the game with a running clock and a 40-plus point lead. As soon as the Lady Chieftains crossed halfcourt, one fan screamed, 'Shoot!'

You sure don't appreciate slow basketball out in Shiprock, do you?

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Polls: The basketball rankings remain the same. The coaches will not put out another poll for a little while now.

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No privacy for Woods: There's enough being written about Tiger the man and his actions.

That includes this zinger from Jesper Parnevik, who claims responsibility for setting him up with Elin Nordegren.

However, I'm sick of hearing former athletes and others with a public forum call for people to respect Woods' privacy.

Criticize our society's appetite for drama if you'd like. But Woods is the richest athlete in the history of the world.

He didn't get all that money on the sole basis of his athletic endeavors, even if he's on his way to becoming the best golfer ever. He's managed to reach Michael Jordan status as an icon, yet reel in more money than Jordan because of it.

Don't you think the general public, which turned Woods into a billionaire along with the corporations paying him eight-figure or nine-figure contracts, deserve to know so they can make decisions on whether or not to keep lining the man's coffers?

I'm not suggesting he give us every tiny detail about his tryst(s?). Just that, as media, it's not wrong to ask questions, to look into the story and to hound Tiger a bit about what's happened. After all, it's some of the same writers that have lavished praise on the man, reinforcing his net worth.

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LeBron more political: We criticize our athletes for being close-minded, apolitical and too scared to say anything honest, particularly those with as much power and income as LeBron James.

James has listened, at least when it comes to the forum of the NBA.

First, he spoke out on Jordan's No. 23, saying he'd switch jerseys and encouraging a few handfuls of other players to switch as well.

Next, King James spoke out against the Cleveland Cavaliers and coach Mike Brown when he didn't play Zydrunas Ilgauskas last Monday in what would've given Big Z the franchise record for games played.

Maybe James has been a bit presumptuous, but I am not going to criticize an athlete for being candid, forthcoming or for using his popularity to stand up for what he or she thinks is right, even if it is trivial.

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Artest debacle: Speaking of the NBA, how about Ron Artest's timing?

He says he drank booze during halftime while with the Chicago Bulls. Only, he mentioned it during the height of the Tiger Woods story.

How long did Mr. Artest hang on to that one, waiting for a media blitz/scandal that would distract attention?

And why come out with that, Andre Agassi style? I know, I know -- he said he wanted to help people who have a drinking problem. Sounds like an effort to clear his conscience.

I've heard of this sort of thing before -- think Maurice Clarett with the Denver Broncos -- and I've heard a rumor of one high school athlete that had a bit of booze during halftime of a football game.

But in an NBA locker room? There's a dozen or so guys there. Wouldn't someone notice?

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Links of the Week: I resorted to looking up Nacho Libre quotes earlier this week. What I found was The Movie Mark. I'm not sure how much breadth their site includes -- I haven't searched through it -- but their analysis of the Jack Black comedy displays a subtle ability to recognize intricacies and make ultraspecific observations.

I had a cool Q&A with the creators of Mythbusters from the Discovery Channel, but I can't find it and the story seems to have vanished. Bummer.

Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher