The Sound of the Suburbs

So much that is written -- published or online -- focuses on the negative, in sports as well as politics, entertainment and business.

Let's take a moment to recognize all the good guys and gals in sport, regardless of their flaws, of which we all share commonality.

Jeannie Buss
Jerry's kid, Action Jackson's beloved and a shrewd executive who never gets her due. She is the unsung cog in the Laker Machine, making sure the trains run on time and with more influence than anyone imagines. A class act all the way.

Theo Epstein
He does what it takes to put a winning team on the field. Obviously he has considerable financial backing but his impressive machinations this off-season will keep Red Sox Nation engaged for years to come.

LeBron James
Vilified by Cleveland fans who mistakenly feel America is not based on free enterprise, James has not said a bad word about his critics and instead focused on his job, a rarity in these times.

Derek Jeter
Still the epitome of class despite the fact his skills are eroding. Despite Yankee management pissing on him in the media, he kept a stiff upper lip and stayed where he belongs. Naysayers will opine that

he's Over, but he is and always will be emblematic of why Pinstripes matter.

Brett Favre
Say what you will about him, but his recently-ended playing streak will stand long if not forever in the most brutal game there is. And tell me one NFL player who has delivered more thrills in his career. There isn't one.

Drew Brees
SI Sportsman of The Year for a reason. His contributions in the community, not to mention on the field, have helped revive the spirit of a great American city.

Kobe Bryant
In a league with more great athletes than ever before, he remains the benchmark. Despite a sometimes prickly personality, he is as good as anyone who has ever played the game, and those who watch him on a regular basis can testify to his greatness, equal to Magic, Russell or The Big O.

Tom Brady/Bill Belichick
The yin and yang of the most successful NFL franchise of the last decade. As long as they are together New England will always be a contender, if not a champion.

The Williams Sisters
What would women's tennis be without them? Nothing. 'Nuff said.

Mike Krzyzewski
The peerless and preeminent coach in college sports, not to mention his Olympic success managing pro basketball players. There's a reason why Duke remains on top year in and out: Coach K. The Red Auerbach of college hoops.

Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer
The two men who have elevated men's tennis to a new high. Class acts who respect the game, one another and the history of the sport. As with the Williams sisters, imagine the game without them. Crickets ...

Charlie Manuel
I don't know why this guy hasn't gotten his due, and with his new killer rotation he never will. Still, the most engaging, refreshing and winning (literally and figuratively) baseball manager in the league. And what a strategist.

Joe Buck
Simply the best sportscaster working. As great as his Dad was, Joe is better. When you hear his voice you know you're in good hands, and then some.

Ernie, Kenny The Jet and CB
Even if it's a crap regular-season game, you know you'll be entertained by this TNT trio. Funny, incisive and quotable, they deliver the goods night in and out, and have helped drive ratings; not an easy thing. Too bad they don't cover The NBA Finals.

The NHL
I don't know enough to single out anyone, but hockey is still a great game, especially in person. No cacophonous rap music playing during breaks in the action, no millionaires going through the motions, just blood, guts and slapshots.

OK, so I just started a new job and the sports page hasn't always been top o' mind, and I pick up the LA Daily News in my office the other day after lunch to the news that Matt Barnes is a LAKER????!!

JFC, how did this happen. Theo Ratliff as icing -- always loved him back to when Sixers drafted him, great shot blocker and teammate and a distinct upgrade from Mbenga; whatever.

Anyhow, exactly who is minding the store in Orlando? You just gave away a guy who can't stop but can guard and occasionally frustrate the likes of Kobe and LeBron, and you let him walk?! Asinine move. If they don't ship Nelson, Lewis and Gortat to New Orleans for Chris Paul asap, they are DONE. Cuz they got one superstar in Howard, and an incomplete one at that (forget Vince Carter, sorry) and they need another to have a chance to beat Miami or Boston when the money's on the line. Again, Holy Stupidity, Batman.

Matt Barnes is an in-your-face defender, a 48-minute-plus gamer, great competitor, hits the open shot ... what the heck were they thinking? And now LA just made its bench better in one fell swoop.

Let's look at their roster:

Frontcourt: Gasol/Odom/Bad News Bowie Bynum/Artest.

Backcourt: Kobe/Fish/Blake (another great get: it was only two years ago when dumbass Laker fans were calling for Kupchak's ass and hasn't he showed them ALL!?) and Barnes. They'll resign Shannon Brown and possibly the European Peon Sasha Vujacic who can hit the occasional three but is known essentially for his comment following a whipping at the hands of CP ("He call me bitch! He call me bitch!). Guess what, Sasha, you ARE Chris Paul's beyotch now and forever. Get used to it. And he dumps Katie Cassidy on top of it. Can you spell M-O-R-O-N?

Who cares about the rest of the team? They will beat Miami and anybody else in their way as long as Phil is in town and KB is healthy.

Speaking of big steals let me tell you my own personal greatest.

Summer 1978. Working at the Philly airport in a warehouse lugging huge boxes, driving a forklift and sweating in the deep freezer. Four-day work week. Day off a Sunday and walkin' down the block west of the 30th Street Station just off the Penn Campus. Strolling along minding my own business, as it were.

Two chicks in a Caddy with the top down pull up next to me and say, "Do you know the way to Veterans Stadium?" Did I ever, on top of the fact I knew The Rolling Stones were headlining that day and I couldn't get a ticket. The "Some Girls" tour and "Miss You" was blaring from every boombox and storefront on Market Street the past six weeks.

"Yes!" I answered, dumbfounded (not a first btw).

"Well, we got an extra Stones ticket and just need to get there."

So -- and this is all true, my own private fear and loathing moment -- I hop in the back, unfazed by the empty MAGNUM of champagne I see in the front seat between these gals, and get us on to the Schuykill Expressway (pothole hell) and to the Vet.

So we pull in to the parking lot and the chick at the wheel literally plows over a couple sawhorses in the LOT FULL zone and stops right in front of Gate Whatever. Security is headed our way and your humble narrator, not being a complete dumbass, hopes outta the back like Starsky and Hutch, ducat in hand to find myself entering the Stadium just as Mick, Keef, Charlie, Woodie and Company rip in to "All Down The Line."

First time I ever saw The Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band in the world. Astonishing.

And then 48 hours later I'm in Smokey Joe's watching The Bronx Bombers beat Boston on Monday Night Baseball as they began the Herculean task of overcoming a 14.5 deficit to beat the hated BoSox, win the Bucky Dent playoff game and Go All The Way.

Another big steal.

But back to Barnes. This makes the Lakers better than they've been the past two years. And with Utah and Phoenix weakened with the departures of Boozer and Stoudemire, respectively, and the aging Spurs so desperate they RE-SIGN weak slasher Richard Jefferson, the only competish LA has are the Rolling Thunder of OKC.

Memo to Magic GM Otis Smith: You're toast.

Yeah, I saw the dark lump yesterday and ignored it; dove in a couple times for that matter ... avoiding the inevitable.

Just fished the poor bastard out. It's a drag being a rodent. On the plus side one of the greatest elpees ever made, Rattus Norvegicus (Stranglers) was named after a species of these feared but ultimately lovable mugs.

Met Dave Greenfield a few months back, keyboard maestro of the aforementioned Stranglers, who regaled me with tales of rats as pets, something I had never considered (and, uh, sorry Dave, probably wouldn't ever ... )

What a humble good guy, the man whose electronic keyboard prowess ranks right up there with Vladimir Horowitz in my book.

The point being, what, Harry?

The point being different strokes for different folks, raising rats or raising cain.

Which brings us to the NBA.

Pat Riley, the man who never sleeps, not only lured LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami but now has added Mike Miller, The Big Z and perhaps most importantly, Udonis Haslem. Riley is building a supporting cast to his superstar nucleus and, flanked by Mario Chalmers, the Kansas stud who will only get better, is paying attention to detail.

You have got to hand it to the Gordon Gekko of the NBA. He pulled off the greatest recruiting coup in history but didn't stop there, adding integral pieces with little coin to expend. And here's to the Boston Celtics, who re-signed Paul Pierce, added Jermaine O'Neal in the Sheed spot -- an upgrade if he can make noise on the block and average 8 and 8. Many already consider Miami a title lock but don't count me among them.

Yes, the Heat has a holy triumvirate of exceptional talent. Yes, it is adding complementary pieces. But Boston is Boston, a regal franchise who will not roll over despite its ageism. Any team with KG, PP, Ray Allen, Big Baby, Perkins, the emerging monster that is Rondo, O'Neal and Nate Robinson, is not to be trifled with. The key for them, as with any elder team, is being healthy when the playoffs start. And with Doc Rivers still on board and a bitter Game 7 final defeat in their psyche, don't count them out.

And then there's Chicago. Rose and Noah will only get better. Boozer is the banger the Bulls needed. Deng and Hinrich are gamers. Losing Brad Miller to Houston hurts (did we all write Yao Ming off too early? Time will tell). And the Bucks will make noise and claim the four spot in the East if all goes according to plan.

Nonetheless I am already salivating over the prospect of a Boston or Chicago v. Miami series (hopefully both in succession).

All the heat (sic) is on Miami. Vegas will make the Heat close faves along with the real champs: LA.

The man who has done it all, five times, Kobe "Jellybean" Bryant, has found new motivation, which is what makes his world go 'round. Steve Blake is an upgrade from Farmar/Brown. And somebody else will come out of nowhere to make them better. That's the way it works when you're champs.

And the core of KB/Gasol/Odom/Bynum will only get better.

OKenough about the NBA, which remains months away.

Bring on Football. And I ain't talking Espagne.

This just in ... Lady Bird Johnson has flown the coop. Yeah, this ranks right up there with Lyndon Johnson going rogue, abandoning the Democratic party for greener pastures. A lesser version of Joe Lieberman's story.

Well, this IS exciting.

James/Bosh/Wade (JBW sounds good, better than BJW for example; close your dirty minds) have gathered like the Confederate Army to vanquish the evil Laker Empire.

As much as I hate Kobe Bryant, I feel strange empathy for him on this night. Because he and the rest of Laker Nation have Conquered All. And now they have a fresh challenge that will push KB, Pau, Action Jackson and the Buss family to another level. Jerry Buss is a riverboat gambler and expect him to double down and go get a three-point shooter (Redd? Redick?) who can fill it up and replace the now obsolete Farmar/Brown backup SG spot.

This is great for hoopsters far and wide.

Orlando gets an immediate chip on its shoulder.

Boston makes another run if they re-sign Perkins and pick up some ammo to replace the Sheed loss and then some. And they won't let Ray Allen go if they want to remain In The Hunt.

Cleveland ... ah, good luck Lord Byron. Varejao needs to go to South Beach to do the dirty work.

The Knicks? Good luck. And you let David Lee go??? Are you HIGH? Amare will be tabloid toast by the All-Star break.

The Nets? Nada. But their owner will build slowly despite signing Whozeewhatzit Outlaw for $35M (really???).

Kobe's WC competish has quickly been reduced to the youth of OKC.

And if THEY somehow manage to best LA in the Western playoffs, they will fail in four to Miami next season.

Miami is the new New York.

South Beach is the new Hollywood.

Congrats to US Magazine for breaking the story.

Now we can all sit back and watch Don Corleone, er, Pat Riley, assemble a bunch of bruisers and role players who will flock to Strip Club Central to play with The Big Three.

Three words of caution for those ready to take it to the bank:

Wilt
West
Baylor

The great Knick team of Clyde/DeBusschere/Bradley/Reed/Barnett/Riordan/Jackson et al proved There Is Only ONE BALL.

We shall see.

So we're less than 48 hours out from what we all hope will be the most memorable seven-game series of the 21st Century. As I've said before, it'll have to be a monster to top the 2005 Spurs-Pistons series, but we've got bigger markets, bigger names and bigger history for a start.

Who will guard Rondo? If it's Bryant, he's run ragged all over the floor and has to find that secret energy reserve (which he always has) to get it up on the offensive end. This leaves Fisher on Allen, which the RaynMan should dominate. But don't underestimate Fish and his multiple rings. And Brown and Farmar will have to step up, as well as contend with the reborn Nate Robinson, who will come out firing.

On the side we get the mainman match: Pierce v. Artest. The modern-day Rodman, Ron Ron could conceiveably give P Squared fits, but then again Pierce could make Q1 interesting by drawing early fouls and forcing Artest to the bench. Then we get Odom v. Pierce. Odom shows up at least every other game and with his Kardashian bride on the sidelines expect him to Bob Beamon his way through the finals.

In the paint, I'd put KG on Bynum. KG is old and dinged. Bynum is young and dinged. Draw. That leaves Perkins and Sheed to shadow Gasol, another key to the outcome.

The Celtic bench rules on paper, but I'll go out on a limb and predict either Brown or Farmar wins one game with an out-of-nowhere offensive thrust.

The crowd and the coaches: Dead even. Lunatic fans on each coast, and Glenn Rivers will match every move Action Jackson makes.

Inevitably it will come down to Kobe v. Boston. As everybody not living under a rock knows, Bryant is the best baller on Planet Earth. Yet Boston has the better TEAM.

I have no idea who will win, nor does anybody else. The fact that SI's "experts" pick Boston four to two, just as they almost unanimously picked Cleveland to win it all at the start of this craziness, makes me think Kobe and Co. will win.

Of most concern to me is Games 1, 4 and 7 are slated for Thursday nights, MY sacred hoop night. What was wrong with Weds/Fri/Sunday, Herr Stern?

Must be about ad dollars.

Bring on the action, cuz when it's over we'll be left with MLB until football kicks in.

So interesting and I suppose, revealing, that six of the greatest seven players to ever play pro ball were/are guards:

Bryant. Jordan. Johnson. Robertson. West. Frazier.

And Bill Russell.

Sorry, Wilt. It's still a team game.

As much as I loathe KB he showed Saturday night, especially in the last five minutes (as did the aforementioned players), true TRUE greatness. Phoenix never had a chance.

And while I sat here and blogged Friday night about Celtic prowess, it's hard to imagine Boston overcoming Bryant's sheer talent and angry will to win.

Like a schmuck I taped the game and stumbled upon the end live, 95-90 LA, and knew intuitively I had better things to do with two hours than watch the preamble.

Kobe Bryant ... what can you say? He is a basketball god. He doesn't have to be a nice guy, doesn't have to be a media darling, because he is simply The Best on the planet, particularly when the game is on the line.

Sure, he got bailed out by Artest in Game 5, but hell, he would have won it in overtime anyway, so who cares?

Jerry West, as great as he was as a player, did his most magical feat as a GM, dealing Vlade Divac and change for Bryant. Russell, Frazier, Johnson and Jordan were all draft picks by the teams they spent their career with. Bryant is the lone exception, picked by Charlotte and dealt by the all-time moron in hoop history, George Shinn. And the rest is history.

I'll be rooting for Boston but the Celtics are a workmanlike unit, proficient and professional, but not blessed with the fluid genius that is KB. And with a supporting cast of Gasol/Artest/Odom/Bynum/Fisher, Bryant will be hard to deny.

I live in LA but am beginning to surrender to the inevitable: The Lakers are unbeatable.

The Finals matchups on paper:

Gasol/Perkins
Bynum/Garnett
Fisher/Rondo
Bryant/Allen
Artest/Pierce
Odom/Wallace


Nobody else will matter, although as I wrote Friday night Nate Robinson could make it interesting.

For Those About To Rock I Salute You ... and let's hope it goes the distance and gives us a Final for the ages.

But no matter how you slice it close games will be in the hands of The Black Mamba, The Nikita of hoop Assassins, and you just can't bet against Kobe.

Bring it on anyway, but Boston can only hope a) Perkins controls his temper, b) Wallace shows up (and controls HIS temper), c) Rondo and Davis show no signs of the beatdown they experienced v. Orlando and, most importantly, d) Bryant misses a few at crunch time.

I'll be rooting for Boston but I can smell another parade on Figueroa.

I had a long work week and, to be honest, haven't begun watching Game 3 Boston-Orlando but I checked, know it is a blowout (no surprize Steven Tyler) and it's a big yawn till we get to the rubber match of two outta three between Boston and LA off the last two years and how f-ing great is that.

Not that I have a real rooting interest but living in LA and experiencing the insufferable vibe that is LA Sports Talk Radio (Vic The Brick, etc) I can't help but root for Boston.

Cuz this is gonna be the best NBA Finals since my Pistons were barely shaded by San Antonio in a memorable seven-game set that nobody ever talks about cuz the participants weren't, er, Boston and LA.

The series will "hinge" on Andrew Bynum's meniscus tear (an injury I know too well) but let's save that for next time.

Tonight I warmed up for Game 3 by watching the greatest movie ever made, The Godfather.

Remarkably, the whole conference finals offer an unmistakable character analogy between Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece and playoff basketball.

Let's break it down:

Phil Jackson as Don Corleone.
The aging Godfather along for one last shot. Never bet against The Don.

Kobe or Pierce as Michael Corleone.
The series will tell the tale but it will come down to a battle of wills between these two cats. Pierce got the crap knocked out of him by Dwight Howard in Game 2, a Flagrant 4 that would have resulted in Monsieur Gortat's dismissal if he were the culprit, but DH is Superman and too big a star to get tossed in the first half of a pivotal game. And Kobe, well, he IS the greatest but his humanity lacks a certain savoir faire that we Americans call A SENSE OF HUMOUR. In other words, we're never gonna see him yukking it up with EJ, The Jet and CB. Chris Webber fits in cuz he's funny! Heck, he guest-starred on the CW's sitcom "The Game" once, where word has it the episode director yelled "Time Out!" instead of "Cut!" during filming.

Dwight Howard as Sonny.
Just a kid when the smoke clears. Not ready for prime time. Back to the drawing board, Patrick Ewing. Note to Magic management: Hire The Dream to mold Dwight (he ain't no Superman) into a footwork maven.

Pau Gasol or Rajon Rondo as Tom Hagen.
Who will it be? The winner wears the ring.

Matt Barnes as Luca Brazi.
The enforcer who disappears early.

Kendrick Perkins as Clemenza.
'Nuff said.

Stan Van Gundy as Mo Green.
Do the math.

Robert Sarver as Tartaglia.
Because the political move to go Los Suns flies in the face of what 70 percent of American citizens think of the Arizona immigration law i.e. TOTAL SUPPORT. You moron. Walking On The Beaches Looking At The Peaches.

Rashard Lewis as Fredo.
Yeah, that's right, Mr. Worst Free Agent Contract in NBA History; Tweet how you can still win the series after your pathetic no-show in Games 1 and 2. Hedo T made you!

Vince Carter as Johnny Fontaine.
Crying like a woman like VC does after every non-call. Unfortunately for Vince, there's nobody to put a horse head in Doc Rivers' bed. Adios, Invincible (sic).

Amare Stoudemire as Captain McCluskey.
Shot in the head early.

Jameer Nelson as Apollonia.
Blown in vain, shot down in flames. Bon Scott would have made a better point guard at crunch time. It's Only The Children Of The F-Ing Wealthy Who Tend To Be Good Looking! Jean-Jacques Burnel is GOD.

And that leaves us with The Godfather's atmospheric extras to finish the equation:

Sheed/Big Baby/Tony Allen V. Farmar/Odom/Fish.

I have no idea who will win but the fact none of the beat writers gave Kobe a single MVP vote means he will be the pistol packing mama of The Finals so I'll say LA in 7.

And this Angeleno will have to suffer through another parade.

I'll See You In The Sewer, Darling.

Bottom line ECF: Boys V. Men.

Don't always know what I'm talkin' about
Feels like I'm livin' in the middle of doubt

Phoenix's own Vincent Furnier aka Alice Cooper said it best when it comes to this year's NBA Playoffs.

Because who the F knows where it's going? Even Glen Buxton, rest his Dwight Frye soul, would be at a loss.

Three sweeps outta four in the conference semis! When's the last time THAT happened? And what do we project for the next round?!

Good ball, that's what.

Los Suns stun San Antonio despite their misguided, imbecilic political statement. Read the bill and don't mix sports with politics Senor Sarver.

LA restores order in the house by putting Utah and its scumbag racist fans away for good. Shame on you a-holes for deriding D Fish, a MAN who gave his all for Utah before making a Family Guy decision to move back to LA to take care of his child.

I've loved Jerry Sloan since he paired with Norm Van Lier in the Bulls' backcourt, but even HE had to be ashamed of the home crowd in Utah.

My advice to Williams and Boozer: Get outta town asap if you want a ring. Bad Karma will plague those loser fans forever. Christ, it got so bad I HAD to root for the Lakers.

So now we wait three months for Suns-Lakers to begin. I confess I haven't seen Phoenix play a full game this year but I'll bet the house on LA to prevail and return to The Promised Land. Goran Dragic (rhymes with Magic) torched SAS in Game 3 but he's still a year or two away from becoming the next Ginobili (who, btw, screwed up by signing an extension when he could have gone to NY to join LBJ and David Lee on a Knick team that will resurrect Willis/Clyde/Bradley/DeBusschere/Barnett greatness within two years).

Orlando, the unhyped contender, remains unbeaten in the post, a healthy Jameer Nelson, the third

wheel flanking Superman and InVincible with a dose of Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus (how can you NOT love him?!) and enforcer Matt Barnes who has the fearlessness to be licking his chops at guarding Bryant in the Finals.

Not that Orlando will easily trump Cleveland, but I expect the Magic to, probably in six. Everybody's talking about it so I'll pile on: Cleveland rolls with James. Jamison/Shaq/Williams still don't equal Pippen and that's why the Cavs will fall to Orlando. And if Dwight H can shoot 60 percent from the line it'll be over in five.

But enough of my aimless prognostication. Let's take a quick look back at The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the 2010 playoffs to date:

The Good: OKC, a punk team with a median age of 16 (sic) giving LA all it could handle. Good thing Los Lakers beat them now because next year Durant, Westbrook and my new fave R-n-R baller Serge Ibaka will be back, with James Harden riding shotgun.

Rajon Rondo ... 19 boards in Game 4?! NINETEEN BOARDS!!!! JFC, this kid is a stud. Who'd a thunk he would so quickly become the main stem on such a loaded veteran team.

Nash/Stoudemire: An old twosome who are making the run of their lives and, should they miraculously prevail over LA, will win it all. But they won't.

Kobe/Gasol: Aarching their games at crunch time like Mr. Buxton's Unfinished Sweet James Bond guitar opus ... they remain the kings of the NBA Castle until somebody knocks them off. Anybody

who can beat them four outta seven is a team for the ages.

The Bad: Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks. The single most devaluing free agent perf in recent playoff history. And he'll take Mike Woodson with him. The Hawks, who didn't draw Boston as hoped--their regular-season beyotch--are back to square one. Paging Lou Hudson. And btw whatever happened to Mike Bibby? Aside to Josh Smith: Grow Up.

Utah Jazz. I don't want to beat a dead horse but then again why not. I don't recall but I bet Alice Cooper never played Salt Lake City. 'Nuff Said. Do the math.

Dallas. Dirk is a goner. Not to mention Rick Carlisle. Again, Square One.

The Ugly: Rasheed Wallace. Yeah, the series is tied at two but 'Sheed has showed his typical quitter stripes after his momentary outburst in Game 2. Even a blind squirrel ... Keep in mind this loser was the key F-Up in the infamous Laker-Portland Game 7 where Shaq and Kobe overcame a huge fourth-quarter lead to beat the Blazers while Wallace disappeared, his NBA epitaph. Never made a clutch shot in the post in his career.

San Antonio. I still don't know how it happened and I love this team but youth, once again, triumphed. Come to think of it OKC probably could have beaten them. And next year they will if given the chance. Sorry, Timmy D, Tony P Longoria and Uber Stud Manu; it's OVER. Bottom line: Richard Jefferson, the free agent bust of the year, wasn't expected to replace Bruce Bowen on the defensive end, but he WAS expected to provide offense. Problem was, he's a slasher not a jump shooter, and when the smoke cleared he did neither successfully. My heart goes out to fading warrior Antonio McDyess, who would have been a bigger contributor off the Piston scrap heap to Boston than Wallace has been. Wallace, has-been.

Which leaves us with one remaining playoff enigma: LeBron James. As great as he is he will have to steal Howard's Superman cape and Kobe's white-on-white photo shoot (?!) bravado to Go All The Way.

Again, it's a TEAM game. Jamison is solid, Varejao does the dirty work, Shaq a still vaguely formidable obstacle but Cleveland's near term future depends on the backcourt of West/Parker/Williams. WPW.

Good luck with that.

"Wow, all I can say is WOW!" says Steve Martin's character when he walks into the French Rivieria palace of fellow DRS Michael Caine in one of the funniest comedies ever filmed, especially due to the "switch" scene.

If you haven't seen it, get it immediately: It is right up there with Pink Panther/Marx Bros/Laurel and Hardy for comedic genius.

Anyway, the reason this occurs to me is I just finished watching Game 4 of Lakers-Thunder, and WOW, All I Can Say is Wow!

This reminds me of Micheal Ray Richardson and the Nets beating Dr. J and the reigning champ Sixers in the best of five in 1984. Now, of course, we're looking at a best of seven. But after Saturday

night, Laker Nation is petrified.

Kobe, the best baller on the planet, took, what, three shots in the first half? Bynum and Gasol got the ball inside but the presence of Serge Ibaka shadowed them. Lamar made a couple of shots but he is a loser fair and square. Fish knocked down a few but he is aging, and neither Farmar nor Brown can fill the void (calling Michael Redd, Mitch K), and blondie freak Artest is just a bust, a clear downgrade from Trevor Ariza, although I doubt he would have made much a diff against this exciting, electric, youthful OKC Squad.

This is why we watch sports.

This is why the NBA is one of the best games in town.

It's down to a two-outta-three, and LA will be heavily favored, but the planets are aligning in Thunder favor.

They are athletic, healthy young and fearless. LA is dinged up, weathered and needs to reach deep down to dispatch this new gang who are like The Clash taking London by storm. And even if the Lakers prevail, they are looking at SAS in the next round, with a healthy triumvirate of Duncan/Parker/Manu (does this guy care about a broken nose? NO) and Dice, Jefferson, Hill, Blair to boot.

LA will not repeat.

I am rooting for OKC to go all the way and shock the world. Such an event would remind us why sports is physical genius; unpredictable, exotic, exciting.

Serge Ibaka is God in the new paradigm. Take it to the rock and slam LA out of business.

And woe is Kobe. He is the ultimate warrior, but he is dinged up. I could feel more compassion for him if he wasn't such a ... dick.

Last add: ESPN hoop analyst Doris Burke is not only the best female analyst ever but is as good as any man calling NBA ball on TV. She makes Jeff Van Gundy look like, uh, Jeff Van Gundy. She is a rock star: cogent, dispassionate, opinionated, provocative, loose. You go, Doris, GO!

Well, Kobe carried his team to an essential win Tuesday night, but did you SEE that OKC team? Did they block a million shots!? Did they challenge every shot?! Wow, put Andre Miller on this team and you're looking at The Finals.

Yeah, LA won and they're up 2-0 and will win the series but yet ... the aptly named Thunder are just that: Smokestack Robert Johnson Lightning contesting every shot, making every foul shot, scaring the crap out of Laker Nation.

With a median age of about 15, the Thunder are an unchained beast of youth, flying around the court but yet with fundamental restraint that makes Scott Brooks The Coach Du Jour.

Durant and Jeff Green for Ray Allen was the rare mutually beneficial draft day deal: Ray got his title but The Thunder extracted their pound of flesh.

I can't recall such an exciting young team who play with such discipline and athleticism. They're sure to make this series interesting because they're riding the bus right now to LAX chafing at letting this one get away, and look for them to win one if not two at home and make this REAL interesting.

There's zero pressure on them: No one thinks they'll win the series ... which is what makes them dangerous.

And the Lakers ... seriously dinged up and in shock at what they're facing.

Kobe pulled it out, but this team is hurting and with a long road to go anybody putting money down on them at this point is truly rolling the dice. Gasol will have to assert himself just for them to win THIS series and good luck v. Denver or Dallas let alone Cleveland/Orlando.

Sports, and particularly basketball, is a young man's game. This Thunder team may get swept (doubtful) but it has already made an impression and will be back next year with a vengeance.

I mean, my God, when's the last time you have seen a team like this simply contest every shot with sheer athleticism let alone willpower? They're only going to get better so watch out, NBA. Anybody who thinks LBJ will do an MJ six-title run is an idiot. In fact the only way that happens is if he JOINS these cats, who are the most impressive young team in decades.

I've never even HEARD of half these guys, but that's what makes sports great.

Oklahoma City, a city known nationally as the site of a tragic terrorist attack, has something to cheer for. I hope this team stays together and isn't inevitably splintered by greed and free agency, because they are the first ABA team in the NBA since the merger.

Big, athletic, wild yet disciplined enough to make their foul shots unlike so many NBA losers, the Thunder swagger without conceit, run without rap, execute without boredom.

I am on their bandwagon win or lose, because they are fresh, disciplined, exemplary.

A Laker takedown is 50-1, but the future looks bright in national market number 68 (?) so GO THUNDER!

Well it's still February and a long way till the playoffs, but Celtics' fans are in a state of shock.

Even sans Paul Pierce, Thursday night was a beatdown of significant proportion by the Cavaliers. Mike Brown wishes the playoffs started now because it would be down to Cleveland v. Orlando unless Atlanta makes it interesting.

Boston is in major trouble. Not even the news that Steven Tyler has predictably rejoined Aerosmith is enough to make Beantown smile.

Cleveland just looks scary. This game was magnified by one simple play in the first half when LeBron took KG one on one from the left wing, flashed step-back footwork and drained a 22-footer. This man cannot be stopped by anyone in the league, including Ron Artest, who will draw the short straw willingly in June.

And thanks to the awful NBA non-rule, Z will soon rejoin Cleveland to spell Shaq down the stretch, and O'Neal looks reborn since the All-Star break. Antawn Jamison will take time to fit in, JJ Hickson must still get his minutes and will, and despite the fact his weird curly helmet continues to annoy me Anderson Varejao is Rodman Jr. for this team, and that's not even talking about the capable backcourt of Williams, Parker and West, with Gibson in reserve.

They're on a mission to Staples, and David Stern and Co. must be licking their chops at an all-time ratings series final a la the Super Bowl. It won't be 106M but it will be good enough no matter who prevails cuz it'll surely go six or seven.

Cleveland was superb a week ago, and the acquisition of Jamison just makes them better. The Cavs will win the East handily unless LBJ goes down.

Meanwhile in the West the Lakers remain the team to beat. Despite losing to Dallas on the back to back, they came close to a sweep and beating them four times will prove impossible for anyone in the West, and difficult for the Cavs as well.

San Antonio is dead meat unless it discovers the fountain of youth by May, and it sure ain't Richard Jefferson. OK City will spring a first-round upset if not more, Portland is trouble but it will all be fodder when LA asserts itself and wallops whomever is in its way.

When the smoke clears, it will be a headline battle of massive proportion: Kobe v. LeBron, no puppets involved. Both supporting casts are equally matched, and in a way the X factor could prove to be Shaq, who, if he can one-up Bynum, could make the difference. But then again, who guards Gasol?

The pendulum has swung west for the majority, as we will all join in the hue and cry when at least three better than .500 West teams don't make the post while a bunch of East losers (Heat, etc.) get in under the wire. We have reached the tipping point where the teams with the 16 best records should make it in because a team like Utah could give Atlanta or even Boston all they could handle in round one.

As a pathetic Detroit fan rooting for them to win the lottery by losing every game the rest of the way (good job, Rip, missing three free throws in a row at crunch time the other night v. the Paper Clips, showing why Orlando did not deal Gortat for you at trade deadline) I continue to shake my head at Joe Dumars' failure to draft DeJuan Blair, who would have had better stats than the combined frontline of Wallace, Prince and Jerebko if only Detroit didn't have brain-dead scouts and GM.

Austin Daye? Yeah, that was a great pick, Joe. Tom Wilson's exit and Mrs. Davidson's move to sell the team is a year late but still a good move. And watching the great GREAT Chauncey Billups night in and night out (wasn't he magnificent in Cleveland last week?) makes me ask again and again why Dumars thought dealing him for Allen (Who?) Iverson was a good idea.

Oh boy you got Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva with the money! Genius -- not. CV is a twit, Gordon is a perennial no-D bench player and Vinnie Johnson is shaking his head somewhere.

But who cares about the Pistons beside me>

Cleveland has the right mindset: California Here We Come. Look out.

The mistake most sports writers make is postulating that the game is purely based on physical superiority.

On an everyday/everyweek basis this is true. And this is what Vegas and gamblers everywhere bet. But sports, like life, is a complex business. The best team does not always win. We shall see what happens in Miami with the herd expecting Indy to win handily. In that case I happen to agree, Colts 34 Saints 14.

But as we saw Saturday in Portland sports is a mind game.

The Lakers went into the Rose Garden having lost nine straight there and coming off a home defeat to Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets, who shot around sixty percent from the field AND beyond the stripe, a rarity in league play. Nobody could have beaten Denver last night. The Nets, Knicks, Clippers or Pistons (has there ever been an NBA season with more bad teams?) by fifty.

So what happens the next night?

Kobe Bryant isn't even in the building and they blow out their longtime road nemesis Portland and decisively at that.

This is fascinating sports psychology because Gasol, Odom, Fish, Brown, Farmar, Walton, Bynum and most of all Artest rose up and played the game without their ace just like the Willis Reed-less Knicks overachieved decades ago in the pivotal game of the NBA Finals.

When Ron Ron hit a three just inside halfcourt at the end of the first half, you just knew the Lakers were gonna win. And win they did, convincingly at that, an upside the head beatdown just when they needed it most.

Despite their losing regular-season record against the top teams in the league, the Lakers showed why they are head and shoulders above everyone else playing the game.

Kobe's supporting cast have been subconsciously waiting for a chance to show the world what they're made of, and they did it in style against Portland.

Everyone stepped up and put pedal to metal, and for a change the boxscore will actually tell the real story.

LA simply dominated and this win will resonate with this team all the way to the end of the regular season. Scolding Papa Kobe wasn't even there but for certain he was watching somewhere rubbing his hands together with glee as this is Just What The Doctor Ordered, and Ted Nugent would heartily approve.

A team dependent on such a singular leader as Bryant needs a good dose of individual approbation every once in a while and tonight the Lakers threw down the gauntlet. Led by three guys -- Gasol, Bynum and Artest -- who would be The Man on most other teams but are subliminally undercut playing with one of the five greatest players ever to play the game in Bryant, the Lakers showed why they are not just the reigning champs but the team to beat come playoff time.

It does indeed take a village in the corporate nee sports world and LA showed how that matters. Playing without your top gun is a test of fortitude, talent and guts, and Phil Jackson knows it. I don't know if he forced KB to rest or not, but either way he gets credit and continues to solidify his position as the best manager of million dollar talent in sports.

Even without its stud Brandon Roy, Portland always finds a way to beat LA but this time it was overwhelmed by a group of athletes with powerful motivation -- showing their true boss KB that they can and will get it done without him.

Every sports squad around the globe can learn from this contest, learn that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that's why they call it a team game.

Laker Nation can now sit back and know their team is ready for anything, know they traded up for Ariza with Artest, know Gasol can be the main stem whenever he has to be.

A chilling prospect for the rest of the league, including the aging Celtics, the one-man Cavs and the creaky Spurs.

Phil Jackson never gets consideration for Coach of the Year honors, but it's a game like this that should remind voters why The Zen Master is in the same class as Red Auerbach, Vince Lombardi and Joe Torre.

Look out, NBA. The Lakers may be the incumbent champs, but they're still Hungry For That Good Thing, baby.

Boston sports teams have hit the wall. They've got one thing going for them: Scott Brown. And who's to say the hardcore even wanted HIM to win.

The Celtics just had their worst four-day stretch in years. First, blowing a big first-half lead on the road in Orlando to a team that will no doubt face off with Cleveland in this year's ECF. Then losing to Atlanta, capping a four-zip season sweep for the Hawks. Joe Johnson and Co. have Boston's number. Fortunately for the Celts they won't face Atlanta in the EC Semis (if they get there). No, the Magic will be waiting and will prevail at this rate.

Yeah, many of us thought Boston reloaded with Sheed and Marquis Daniels and would challenge LA in June, but that's looking grim. The NBA, unlike MLB and the NFL, is purely a young man's game, and suddenly Boston looks old. Very old.

KG ain't the same after major knee surgery -- anyone who's gone under that knife can attest it ain't easy -- and Pierce and Allen have lost half a step, Wallace has been going downhill since LBJ decimated the Pistons in ECF Game 6 a few years ago, and Rajon Rondo, as great as he is -- and great he is --cannot do it all.

Boston isn't in the Amare Stoudemire derby and that probably wouldn't solve the problem anyway, not to mention the fact they'd have to give up Kendrick Perkins or Glen Davis to get him, the two of whom are Boston's best inside players.

LA and Herr Kobe beat them Sunday with another great finish -- Bryant is simply, along with James, the best there is, and you just knew the Lakers were going to pull it out. LA will only get better with studs Gasol and Artest just warming up and Andrew Bynum ... did you SEE that catch and tomahawk jam off the great entry pass from Kobe in the third quarter? The sky's the limit with this kid.

I remember vividly LA talk radio when Kupchak drafted Bynum ... the outcry, the backlash, the hue and cry ... what morons these spoiled Laker fans are. Big men don't grow on trees as the saying goes, and now the Lakers have not one but the two best bigs in the West, not to mention the entire league, as only Howard is in the same class. Add to that Odom, Farmar, a still capable Fish, Shannon Brown and Bryant ... good luck NBA.

David Stern is looking forward to the LeBron-Kobe June Final, and he'll get it. I still don't think Cleveland can beat LA four times despite its regular-season sweep. Cleveland still lives off a one-on-five attack when it matters, and James can only make so many three-pointers.

On the other hand if Cleveland lands Stoudemire, baggage and all, the Cavs could get it done. A core rotation of James, Williams, Shaq, Varejao, Amare, Hickson, West and Gibson could take LA to seven, and then who knows.

But back to Beantown. The Pats' reign is over. The league has caught up. Randy Moss will continue to cause problems, and the defense is riddled with holes even Hoodie Belichick can't fill. They had their run; now it's time to reload, which will take time.

Then there's The Red Sox. If they were smart they'd bring Johnny Damon back, because Adrian Beltre has had one good year (as a Dodger) in his career and he is incapable of replacing Mike Lowell's big bat, RBI prowess and clubhouse gravitas despite his shotgun arm. Kind of like replacing Graig Nettles with Aurelio Rodriguez, and that's overselling Beltre's arm.

The Bosox made a good move signing Lackey, and their rotation is the best in baseball, not to mention the pen remains strong and Pap will bounce back, but where is The Big Stick? No Bay, no Manny, and unless Big Papi has an offseason rendezvous with The Fountain of Youth he is done.

The Yankees, meanwhile, reload, cutting Damon, Cabrera and Nady, while picking up Curtis Granderson and Randy Winn, more than a good deal. Sports' greatest franchise thrives on bringing role players in for the trip of a lifetime, but Brian Cashman monitors their expiration date and always trades up or sideways when he has the chance.

The ultimate determining bidding war of the next five MLB years will be Boston and the Yankees pursuing Joe Mauer, as with both teams in need of new blood at catcher, Mauer can write his own ticket. I personally hope he stays in Minnesota, but I'm old fashioned and he will follow the money, probably to The Bronx.

When that happens look out. Joba will replace Rivera; Sabathia/Burnett/Hughes/ will form a drop-dead triumvirate for years to come, and Boston will be dying for a wildcard spot that won't come easy.

Boston, my hometown, a wonderfully provincial escape, has had a tremendous run of titles but it's OVER, just like hometown rockers Aerosmith.

The only advice: Follow the lead of Joe Perry, A-Smith axeman. Hit the road on your own, return to your punk roots, reenergize and regroup and reclaim greatness over time.

Let The Music Do The Talking.

Well it's that time of year, when blogger idiots like me throw out scattershot crystal ball opinions about What Lies Ahead ... Let's get right to it.

NFL
San Diego over Dallas in Super Bowl Whatever.

The Chargers have paid their dues, knocked on the door and gone away empty, but this is the year all that ends. Philip Rivers is surrounded by his penultimate offense, and the defense is good enough to prevail in any number of shootouts, which is what the NFL is about in The Age of Parity.

LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles will get it done on the ground, and Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates et. al. will complement them and grab the brass (?) ring as the Chargers finally do what antecedents Don Coryell and Dan Fouts could not do: Win The Big One. Norv Turner gets the monkey off his back at long last, and there's a boat parade in San Diego. No one drowns.

The Cowboys make a brilliant run through the NFC and while not prevailing in Miami, save Wade Phillips' job. Tony Romo proves he is a great quarterback regardless of whom he's dating.

Indy and New Orleans go home bitter, but Drew Brees leads the Saints to a 2011 Super Bowl triumph while Jim Caldwell is haunted by pulling his starters and allowing the pathetic Jets into the playoffs in 2010. Rex Ryan weeps openly when the Jets are trounced by Baltimore.

NBA
Boston over LA in a classic seven-game duel. Kobe Bryant is unstoppable but Andrew Bynum fails to outdo Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace, and Rajon Rondo is the X factor. Jordan Farmar makes

a big mistake at crunch time and LA media second-guesses him to death. Ron Artest falls down the stairs after the loss and blames it on the Tooth Fairy.

Stan Van Gundy is fired after an ECF blowup with Dwight Howard, who finally realizes he needs to work on his post game in the offseason so he can become the next Hakeem Olajuwon.

Denver and San Antonio have a holy war of a semifinal that the Spurs win before falling to the Lakers in six. Nuggets players vote to remove all their tattoos, which benches them until 2015.

Tracy McGrady joins the Harlem Globetrotters for a Washington General to be named later.

Barack Obama welcomes the Celtics to the White House and challenges Brian Scalabrine to a game of one on one, wins and is reelected in a landslide. Rahm Emanuel replaces Stan Van Gundy in a government bailout.

MLB
The reloaded Yankees run away with the AL East but it is the hated Red Sox who dominate the playoffs, vanquishing their hated enemies in six before falling to Philadelphia in seven in the World Series, which will be played in February thanks to global freezing delays.

Kevin Youkilis is World Series MVP as the three-armed beast of Beckett/Lester/Lackey dominates red October and all is well in the sports capital of America, Boston.

MLS/NHL
Who cares?

Vancouver Winter Olympics
Black speedskater Shani Davis carries the USA flag into the opening ceremonies before dominating his sport with a handful of gold medals. A bewildered Madison Avenue sees the next Tiger Woods and floods him with lucrative endorsement offers.

Golf
Tiger rebounds with unqualified excellence, putting his personal problems behind him by winning the U.S. Open and Masters, while an Asian under the age of 25 wins the British Open as Tokyo celebrates.

Tennis
Brit Andy Murray finally breaks through and wins Wimbledon, while Rafi Nadal takes the U.S and French Opens. Roger Federer consoles himself with another Aussie title. The Williams sisters continue to dominate the femme field, without body-cavity threats to unsuspecting linesmen/women.

March Madness
Cincinnati runs the table and stuns perennial ACC favorites with a Final Four triumph.

UCLA coach Ben Howland is fired after an early exit.

Bill Walton takes over.

College Football
Utah astounds national onlookers with a BCS triumph over Alabama. The entire team celebrates by going on a two-year mission to try and get Mitt Romney the Republican nomination in 2012, which fails.

You read it here first ...

The term role model gets thrown around every day in sports media.

What does it mean? Tiger Woods was considered a god six weeks ago but now he is anathema to sponsors, tabloid fodder and a late night punchline.

But is that fair?

Shouldn't an athlete be judged by what he does in his field? Trust the art not the artist and all that?

My take is what we see, hear and crave as sports fans is excellence in endeavor. You think Ty Cobb was a nice guy? You think Wilt Chamberlain didn't spawn a thousand illegitimate children? You think Joe Namath was an angel?

Who cares, in my book. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone as The Bible says. Public figures are just that, people devoid of personal privacy whose business off the field is theirs and theirs alone. This media microscopic age magnifies all missteps, all blemishes, and we should all be grateful as sports fans that the same probing light is not shined on our own mundane existences. Because none of us would stand up to the glare either.

Star athletes make big money, receive constant accolades and adoration, but, like actors, politicians and corporate barons, deserve their own personal lives.

Role models are those who stretch their physical, mental and spiritual abilities and gifts to extraordinary levels, and their human foibles away from sports are irrelevant in my book.

With that said, I give you my Top Ten Athlete/Role Models of The Decade:

10) Dustin Pedroia/Kevin Youkilis
Both men symbolize the spirit and tenacity that has defined the Bosox this decade. Neither was a coveted draftee, an overnight success. To the contrary they both overachieved to embrace greatness. Like every man on this list they always hustle, always do their best, fueled by their outlier tendencies (with a big reference to Malcolm Gladwell's theory) and tenacious drive. Youk and Pedroia always give Red Sox faithful their money's worth. Neither was blessed with supreme talent and each serve as an example to young athletes everywhere with the key E word: EFFORT.

9) Michael Phelps
I could give a rat's ass if he smokes weed. I mean, REALLY. If we just legalize it, we'd kill the insidious Mexican druglord trade which, unchecked, will bring massive carnage across our border in the coming decade. But that's another story.

Phelps' success is purely based on drive. He's a big, rangy kid, an obvious natural in the pool, but he has shattered records set by mankind from across the globe and across the ages. He is a great physical specimen, of course, but swimming is work, and swimming fast is REALLY work, and nobody has ever done it better. And I'll take a guy with a bong over a guy with steroids anytime. Because smoking doesn't exactly help the lungs, ya think? He is The Aquatic God.

8) Tiger Woods
Like I said above, I don't care about his personal problems. He doesn't care about mine. We're even.

He probably should be ranked higher because his prowess on the fairways, roughs, traps and greens of the world is unparalleled. His work effort, like all on this list, is key. And he, a black man, ironically, has singlehandedly reinvented and reinvigorated an old white man's game with his genius. I see zero problem with him being named AP Male Athlete of The Decade.

7) Phil Jackson.
Knick fans like me remember the gangly, awkward Action Jackson. Read Bill Bradley's "Life on the Run" or Dave DeBusschere's "The Open Man" and you will see the real Phil.

And that guy is just good: Warm, fun, an average guy who elbowed his way to a solid career as a ballplayer before becoming one of the greatest coaches in hoop history. The Zen Master, The Montana Wildhack coach, who was the first ever to let his team chill during a timeout instead of haranguing them insistently (listen up, Van Gundys), he has rolled with the punches and ages to become the Red Auerbach of our lifetime. The modern athlete must be treated like a Stradivarius, and nobody does it better than Phil.

6) Bill Belichick/Pete Carroll.
While we're on the subject, let's include the two greatest football coaches of the past ten years, pro and college.

These guys have redefined Al Davis' Commitment to Excellence mantra. Forget about Bill's oft-criticized bedside manner; he just gets it done. Few teams without genuine superstars have maintained consistent glory and that's because the real superstar in the organization is the guy in the hoodie.

Carroll has brought college football's greatest franchise (sorry, Irish) back to glory. Go ahead, whine about the allegations of players accepting favors; you think college athletes don't get a free ride? Wake up. They should be paid. And Carroll has always been a class act -- just take a look at the inner-city work he has done from the crappy neighborhood that is USC. And don't tell me about throwing the bomb against UCLA the other day; Neuheisel is a punk and any competitor would have done the same thing.

Both these guys play in a cutthroat sandbox and do what it takes to win, and I'd bet my mortgage they've saved more souls than they've lost.

5) Kevin Garnett.
I've never seen a ballplayer sweat like this guy. That's because he leaves it on the floor every night and every practice. He slaved away for years in freezing Minneapolis and never dogged it, as so many others would have. Since joining Boston he has showed Russell-like fortitude. Now for his next act, if he can make Rasheed Wallace play hard and not implode in the playoffs, he will add the nickname Houdini to his resume.

4) Mariano Rivera.
Simply the greatest reliever in baseball history, a specialist whose surgical skills have carved the bats off numerous greats.

This religious, Panamanian import has been the dominant figure in his game since joining the Yankees. Yeah, he failed a couple of times against Arizona and Boston, but those hits merely renewed

his quest for perfection.

We will never see the likes of him again. Whatever Steinbrenner scout signed him deserves a luxury tax for life of his own.

3) Peyton Manning.
What can you say? Only Joe Montana is in the same sentence, and he had a better defense. Peyton is not only an offensive evisceration machine, he's hilarious on television (without doubt the best perf by an athlete in the history of SNL -- at least until we see Charles Barkley again in January) and an all-around good guy whose multi-talented brother Eli stands in the shadows despite himself being one of the greats of the decade.

2) Kobe.
I personally dislike The Black Mamba, but who cares? When I read that he had spent the offseason working on footwork with Hakeem Olajuwon, I could only shake my head. Didn't the same idea occur to Dwight Howard? No.

Regardless, this is a man driven to win like few others, and he never stops working. My admiration may be begrudging, but he works harder than any guy in hoop history with his God-given abilities, and the parades have only begun on Figueroa for the Lakers.

1) Derek Jeter.
Anybody who gets more hits than any Yankee in history is exceptional, but I won't remember him for his clutch hits and bat prowess. I, like you, will remember him for putting his body on the line going into the third base stands for a foul ball, emerging bloody and unbowed. I will remember him for his mental acuity, with his flip to the plate to get an astonished Oakland runner. I will remember him for running out every ball, always giving his absolute all, always honoring the game with unflagging effort and bravado.

Because that's what a role model is. Someone who embraces work. Someone who never gives up. Someone who cannot regret defeat because he has given every ounce of blood, sweat and tears he has to help his team, or himself if it's an individual sport.

Every man on this list personifies that American spirit, to be the best, to lift others and to be free.

That's what a role model means to me.