No Ring For the King

Is it hot in here? For the Heat and LeBron James in particular, the answer to that question is a resounding yes, because LeBron is now officially in Hell. When he took his talents to South Beach in a way that made most of America sick, King James put a target on his back the size of Rosie O'Donnell's ass. His prediction of 7 or 8 championships before this Heat team had even practiced together only increased the hype, and Scottie Pippen didn't do him any favors by putting him in a category above Michael Jordan.

When the bar is set that high, the only way to shut down the critics and avoid becoming a punch line is to dominate while delivering a title. Had Miami beaten Dallas in the NBA Finals, LeBron's 4th quarter disappearing act would have still made him an easy target. As I've said before, he looked like a combination of the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz in crunch time...No heart, and No courage. But at the very least, he would've captured a ring. Now he doesn't even get the pay off of a championship while riding Dwayne Wade's coat tails.

What makes things worse for LeBron is the Heat lost to a Mavericks team led by a lone superstar in Dirk Nowitzki. Isn't that why James decided it was time to leave Cleveland? He was never comfortable as a solo act, and didn't think the Cavaliers surrounded him with enough talent. But maybe the problem wasn't just the supporting cast, it was LeBron himself. Had he and Dirk reversed roles, I don't think there's any chance he would have been able to lead Dallas to a title. That kind of leadership isn't part of LeBron's DNA.

To top it all off, his comments following their game-6 defeat were an exhibition in the wrong thing to say at the wrong time. Instead of eating a little humble pie, he went in a different, but considering it's LeBron, almost predictable direction, "All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before. They have the same personal problems they had today."

He added, "They can get a few days or months or whatever the case may be on being happy that not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they'll have to get back to the real world at some point." I live in the real world and the reality is this...When I woke up this morning, I still had the same amount of titles as LeBron James, and nearly as many 4th quarter points.

Welcome To The Land Of Mr. Stay Puft

I don't know the year, month, day, hour or minute it exactly happened, but it's clear to me now as a sports society, we've gone soft. In the last 8-months alone, we've had fundamental rule changes that take the teeth out of tackling in the NFL. We've had athletes tweet what are considered strong or controversial opinions, only to backtrack faster than Chris Johnson's 40-time. And we've had more than a few suggestions that MLB should eliminate the runner's ability to run over the catcher on plays at the plate.

When did everyone get so politically correct? One Buster Posey season ending injury means the game of baseball has gotten too dangerous? Now I guess the catcher must be covered in bubble wrap, and any physical contact by a runner warrants an automatic ejection. Had Scott Cousins not wiped out Posey to score the game winning run, you know what he would've been labeled as? SOFT!

You can't have it both ways. We all want these athletes to play 100% all the time, but then ask them in the heat of the moment to instantaneously think of what might physically happen when they do. Posey knew what he was getting into when he strapped on that catching gear. Just like NFL players are well aware of what they're signing up for when they put on a helmet and shoulder pads. I find it amusing that the same league preaching to these guys about brutal hits, wants them to play two more regular season games.

As for expressing an unpopular opinion, forget it. I and many others ripped Scott Pippen for his tweet claiming that Michael Jordan was the greatest scorer of all-time, but LeBron James is the best all around player. That doesn't mean Pippen had to run for cover. I hadn't seen him that scared since he was being guarded by Xavier McDaniel. I'd have far more respect for Pippen, or the Steelers Rashard Mendenhall for that matter, if they'd had the stones to actually stand by their comments.

In the end, I believe the knee jerk reactions, emphasis on being PC, and lack of backbone comes down to money. The Giants and MLB to a lesser extent view Posey as not just an up and coming player, but an investment. The reason the NFL has gone into over protection mode, especially with quarterbacks, is that's the glamour position. They don't care about Ray Lewis nearly as much as they do about Tom Brady. And even a guy like Pippen goes into damage control, because Jordan can always be a meal ticket. So maybe I don't know when all of this started, but I know where it started...Didn't you hear? Cash is king.