There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker

No “Heidi Bowl” repeat
Stop me if you’ve heard this one or witnessed it first hand. Apparently in several markets CBS cut into the Texas A&M-Kentucky basketball game with a little over a minute left in the first overtime. Viewers were treated to a re-run of the Andy Griffith Show. Someone at the network realized the error and returned to the game. Kentucky would overcome poor play and win the game 70-64 in the second overtime. In 1968 New York Jets fans were not quite as fortunate as this type of error prevented them from seeing the end of a Jets-Raiders game.

The Jets were leading the Raiders 32-29 NBC was committed to broadcast the children’s classic Heidi. At 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time the network left the game and begins showing Heidi. The problem---the Raiders scored two touchdowns in a minutes and eventually win the game the game 43-32. The match was a road game for New York fans who believed there time won the game.  Unfortunately that was not the case as fans later discovered their favorite team were losers.  This broadcast fiasco event would be nicknamed the Heidi Bowl for obvious reasons. Happily CBS was able to correct its broadcast fiasco thus not suffer the criticism that NBA dealt with in 1968.

Check back with me on this
This is heresy on my part but here goes, I read the Lakers are considering sitting down Kobe after the All-Star break. The team offered this explanation they want to save the wear and tear on his body in order for him to come back next season. Here goes, on the one hand you know my feelings on Kobe I had no issues with him playing this season. He’s not the 20-year old Kobe he’s not even the 30-year old version of himself but he still has skill. At this particular time he’s the Lakers offense shutting him down hints as tanking and you know my feelings on that subject. On the other hand the Lakers are building a team preparing for post A.K. (after Kobe). In conclusion I’m still not sure I feel about this should it occur, check back with me in April.

Think about this for a moment
Recently I wrote Bucks ownership is working with city leaders to build a new arena for Milwaukee. It was mentioned previously new arenas are in the works for the Warriors and Kings. These “Palaces” are expensive as an example Barclays Center had a reported price tag of $1 billion dollars. Doug Gottlieb CBS Sports made a comment the other day which prompts this story. He said; “While an arena can be expensive it can host more events on more dates than a football stadium.” If a metro area has an NBA franchise there are 42 dates between October and April when an arena might be in use. If the team manages to make the playoffs even more dates are in use.

College teams sometimes utilize the same arena on occasion. That arena might be in operation for NCAA Regional play as well. In between those dates, circus, concerts and other events manage to fill out the calendar. What uses are there for a football stadium besides football? Once upon a time I attended a rock concert in Arrowhead Stadium however that’s rare here, maybe in other portions of the nation’s football stadiums might be in use for those types of events. This certainly is not indicated to point to the fact that more dollars are generated from arenas over stadiums. Generally speaking that NFL stadium is “open” on Sunday and on occasion Saturday’s but that’s about it.

Where are they now?
Anybody remember Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson? Thanks to an ESPN report, my memory of him was jogged recently. Richardson had arrived in the NBA from the University of Montana a school that has produced few NBA players. He was the fourth pick in the first round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. Richardson was billed as the next Walt Frazier; he may have eclipsed Frazier if not for his drug dependency problems. At 6-5 and 190 pounds, Richardson was skilled enough to play both guard positions. The highlight of his NBA career may have been the 1984 NBA playoffs where he led his Nets to an upset win over the defending NBA Champion 76ers.

In 1986, the NBA banned Richardson for life having failed three drug tests.  He headed to Europe where he managed to play for a number of teams before ending his pro career in France playing for AC Golfe-Juan-Vallauris in 2002. Although he only had an 8-year NBA career he was an NBA All-Star 4 of those years, 2X NBA All Defensive First Team and NBA steals leader 3X. Richardson was the NBA assist leader in the 1980 season. His career numbers are modest (14.8 ppg, 7 assists and 2.6 steals) yet the numbers could have been much greater if drugs had not provided an exit from the NBA. Today apparently clean and sober he is coaching the game he loves. He departed the London Lighting of the National Basketball League of Canada after leading them to two championships.
I fell for it

Slow news day and I fell for this story
"Who is better: Shawn Kemp or Blake Griffin?”  I don’t know how many times I’ve argued it’s totally unfair to compare athletes who play in different eras. Changes in the ‘90’s game of Kemp versus the ‘00 of Griffin must certainly be taken into consideration. Kemp’s Sonics team played the Michael Jordan Bulls for the NBA Championship in 1996.

As for Blake his Clippers have never advanced past the Western Conference Finals.  Do we point the finger of blame at the supporting cast? Was point guard Gary Payton’s play superior to that of Chris Paul? What about the coaching, should we consider of George Karl over that of Doc Rivers? How about Kemp's Sonics versus Griffin's Clippers which bench or starters were/are better.  There is no acceptable method to factor in all the variables.  I said at the beginning of this account this must have been a slow news day and unfortunately I fell for this story.