Someone at the WNBA finally realized that we’re never going to take them seriously as professional athletes until they start acting like it. So it’s quite the PR coup for the league to have one of their top stars arrested for DUI.
(”Who wants another round?”)
Star guard Diana Taurasi must have wanted to celebrate being the leading vote-getter for the all-star team. Or maybe she just wanted to drink away the realization that she’s trapped in the WNBA, and trapped in Phoenix. Either way, we’re going to break down her arrest and add or subtract “Barkley Points” where needed to gauge the appropriateness of her actions to a professional athlete. Read more…
(”Okay, Kobe, on the inbounds pass, you… you’re not listening, are you? Fine. You go to the arcade and punch a hobo. I’ll get some lobsters and attach them to my nipples. Escalator hedgehog banana. Good talk. I want to quit.”)
One note tucked into the article, though, was something that most NBA fans had probably begun to suspect as the “Kobe Bryant pretends to be the coach” scenes became more prevalent over the course of the playoffs (though ‘Zo broke it first): Phil Jackson’s just on cruise control. To that, Barkley says Phil’s very, very, very gone… maybe:
One of the time-honored traditions in most forms of sports broadcasting is the shout-out to/thanking of the production staff at the end of games. It’s a nice little gesture to let audiences know that it takes much more than a couple of talking heads to put on a sportscasts; none of the blowhards on camera could do their thing without the producers, directors, cameramen, and other hard-working people behind the scenes. TNT’s INSIDE THE NBA, however, ain’t “most forms” of broadcasting, and loudmouth Charles Barkley ain’t “most broadcasters.”
(Turrible.)
After last night’s game, a 103-90 Orlando Magic beatdown of the Cavs that sent the Magic to the NBA Finals and signaled the end of the season’s TNT NBA broadcasts, the INSIDE THE NBA crew assembled to thank their production staff. Everything went fine until Sir Charles let loose, calling executive producer Tim Kiely … well, a “cat”, in a manner of speaking. Video impropriety, including an unprovoked potshot at Kenny Smith’s family jewels, after the jump.
Mike Polk is making a name for himself among convention & visitors bureau circles, thanks to his hilarious hastily-madeCleveland tourism videos. And now Mr. Polk is working his musical magic for the “Inside The NBA” crew, as he takes aim at Ernie, Kenny, Reggie & Chuck:
Taking a break from his “Inside The NBA” duties, Charles Barkley decided to hit the links Thursday - the golf links, although I’m sure Chuck would have preferred the sausage kind. Barkley took part in the Regions Charity Classic, which makes some sense, since Sir Charles’ infamous swing could use all the charity it can get.
(Just your average Charles Barkley tee shot)
Even though he’s been working on his game with famed golf instructor Hank Haney (check local listings), it’s evident that the Round Mound of Rebound could use a couple more TV seasons to sharpen his skills.
Barkley’s bad golf can certainly be amusing to those watching, but it can also be very dangerous to anyone in Charles’ immediate vicinity. Unless you head out to the course hoping you’ll be hit in the neck.
After hearing countless sports figures giving pat, meaningless answers to every question they are asked, fans love people who give honest answers. Which is one big reason why Charles Barkley has remained popular as he transitioned from loudmouth player to opinionated analyst. It’s like he’s an early convert to Radical Honesty, or that it would physically pain him to reign himself in when answering any question.
But that same honesty can also make for some spectacularly uncomfortable moments, like during an interview yesterday with Howard Eskin on WIP-AM in Philadelphia (available on their Web site). During the interview, Barkley was asked his recent DUI arrest and conviction, and he responded that it was a “great thing” for him because he had learned some valuable lessons. Then the fun started:
Folks, much like the end of the Vietnam War, our long national nightmare is finally over. I’m talking about the news in BROADCASTING & CABLE that TBS has canceled Frank TV. Finally, we can now watch baseball playoff games free from the fear of being bombarded with a barrage of advertisements so unrelenting that even Frank Caliendo felt bad about it. You can expect a ticker tape parade down Broadway for the TBS programmer who made the decision to axe the show.
But war is hell, and not all the news is good. The same article also has the news that Caliendo has signed a new two-year deal to continue being not funny on Fox NFL Sunday. Fortunately, you know that he’s always going to be on during the last segment of that show, making it possible to find something else to do in the five minutes before your regional coverage of San Francisco at Seattle begins.
Pennsylvania residents Trammel Bledsoe and Phillip Sainsbury are not exactly model citizens. In fact, they’re bank robbers (though they aren’t related to Deidra Lane) who are currently in prison after getting busted by the cops. They also happen to be sports fans, and have found a fun new way to use sports knowledge to help commit crimes.
While Bledsoe is in prison he knows his telephone calls are being recorded. So when he called his friend Joshua Burton to give him instructions on where to find the gun he ditched and the $3,500 he stole from the bank, he had to come up with some kind of code to let Burton know where to find the loot. So he used athletes and their jersey numbers to give locations.
