3 Things That Baffled Me Last Week

I'm going to start doing a weekly thing every Monday/Tuesday where I focus on 3 things that blew my mind from the previous week. We'll see how long I actually keep up with it.

NCAA rules changes – The NCAA sure knows how to take the fun out of college sports, huh? Starting in 2011, the NCAA will ban eye black with messages on them (now that the savior, Tim Tebow, is gone), and it will also implement a taunting penalty that will allow referees to take points off the board. If a player is flagged for taunting on the way to the end zone – high-stepping, pointing the football at an opponent, etc. – a 15 yard penalty will be marked off from the spot of the foul, thus taking points off the board. Is this really necessary? Let the kids have a little fun. A little high-step never hurt anyone.

In other college news, the NCAA is considering making a drastic change to one of its most popular sports. Wait, they’re finally going to get rid of the BCS, you ask? No, stupid. Let’s change the one thing the NCAA actually does well: Let’s expand the NCAA basketball tournament to 96 teams, water down the talent, force the fans to watch more shitty teams, and eliminate the importance of the regular season. That sounds like a good idea, right? Leave the BCS, which everyone hates, and change March Madness, which everyone loves. Genius. Unfortunately the NCAA decided that the proper cliché here is “it’s all about the money,” rather than “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s a damn shame.

Phil Jackson’s comments on Kevin Durant – Before the Lakers-Thunder series got under way, Lakers coach and all-around douche bag Phil Jackson commented that Kevin Durant gets “superstar calls,” or preferential treatment, from the refs. “Yeah, by the calls he gets, he really gets to the line a lot, I'll tell ya," Jackson said. Sure, this may be true (Kevin Garnett certainly agrees), but these comments are coming from the man who coaches Kobe Bryant! Really Phil? You’re gonna complain about superstar calls, when you have Kobe fucking Bryant on your team? Kobe gets to the line if someone looks at him funny. And let’s not forget that Phil Jackson also coached Michael Jordan, who legally invented the superstar call. Jackson is infamous for doing this. He makes comments to try to swing the refs in his favor and maybe steal a few calls. The sad thing is, it has worked in the past, which is why NBA officiating is a complete joke, but that’s another story. Thankfully, Jackson was fined $35,000 by the league for his comments. Hopefully, his little plan didn’t work.

Joe Lunardi already predicting the 2011 NCAA tournament – Lunardi is ESPN.com’s NCAA “bracketology expert.” He lives for March Madness. But this is a little ridiculous. He is already trying to predict the 2011 NCAA tournament. He seeded all 64 teams, and put them in the region he thinks they will be placed in… 11 months in advance. He even made an alternate bracket, just in case the NCAA stupidly expands the tournament into a 96-team field. This just seems ridiculous to me. I mean, what’s the point? There’s a solid chance he gets 0 predictions right. There are still star recruits who haven’t committed yet, as well as players that may or may not go into the NBA draft. This just seems like a waste of time, and it is really just an attempt by Lunardi to extend his relevance.

LeBron to Switch Numbers, Needs a History Lesson

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James fans, get ready to make some room in your closet for No. 6 jerseys. James told The Plain Dealer on Monday that he's filed the paperwork with the NBA office to switch his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6 next season. He had to make the decision this week, the deadline to make the request to the NBA is Wednesday.

"I've done it," James said. "I already sent it in. I'm going to be No. 6."

**I could completely see David Stern pulling the strings behind the scenes here. The NBA is going to lose $400 million this season, and new jersey sales will help bring in some much needed revenue. It worked with Kobe, why not LeBron? But can’t you see Stern whispering in Kobe’s ear, “Hey Kobe, you know who else changed numbers? Michael Jordan. Maybe you should consider it.” And then, “Hey LeBron, Kobe changed his number. Don’t you want to be like Kobe?” This is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Kobe and LeBron are two of the most image-conscious, history-chasing players in the NBA.**

LeBron James on changing numbers (Nov. 2009): "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, no Dwayne Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first.”

LeBron James has always claimed to be a student of the game, but these comments show that he is just an ignorant clown. If he wants to change his number from 23 to honor his hero, Michael Jordan, that's fine. But to pick number 6 is ludicrous, not to mention insulting to the history of the game. Why, you might ask? Because Bill Russell wore number 6.

For those of you who, like LeBron, need an NBA history lesson, here are the basics on Bill Russell. As a player, Russell won 11 championships with the Boston Celtics (and as a result the NBA Finals MVP trophy is now named after him). Russell was a pioneer for African Americans in the sport of basketball and was the first bona fide black superstar in the NBA. He also has the distinction of being the first black head coach in NBA history. Throughout his career, Russell was victim to abundant racism and hatred, which he overcame to become the greatest winner in the history of sports. Bill Russell paved the way for black basketball players. Michael Jordan just followed in his footsteps.

So Lebron, let me correct you. Without Bill Russell there would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwayne Wade, and no Michael Jordan. Get your facts straight, Mr. Student-of-the-Game. And just for the record, Bill Russell has more rings than Michael Jordan, Kobe, and you combined. So King James, I say to you… Get a ring or be quiet.