Old School My favorite behind-the-scenes sports moment of 2004 is Kevin Millar's contested revelation that the BoSox rode Jack Daniels to their first World Series victory since 1918. Millar explained that the arctic conditions of Yankee Stadium compelled the entire roster to take a shot of JD prior to game six of the American League Championship Series. The results were positive. Playing a traditional game, albeit in quite untraditional fashion, the Red Sox players continued their pre-game ritual through game four of the World Series.

New School My least favorite outside-the-lines sports story of 2004 involves MC Artest, who in his spare time plays shooting guard for the Indiana Pacers. Ron Artest asked out of a month of the NBA season in order to pursue musical opportunities, particularly those involving his non-existent rap career. Coach Rick Carlisle obliged, in a sense, benching Artest for two games for his ridiculous demand. While the NBA has dispensed with rules against travelling and carrying, it has yet to replace overtime with a battle-rap. Until it does, I'll view Ron Artest as one of the biggest fools in sports.

Dan:

Thank you for your thoughts on Ron Artest He is
representative of the long line of self-centered
athletes who were never given the proper type of
discipline growing up. The world begins with them
and ends with them. The sun rises and sets because they are here on earth. Automatic doors were created because of their existence. There is no I in the word team but there is a me. The best way to describe people like this is narcissism and solipsism.

By the way, I believe that you are the same Daniel Flynn who grew up in Arlington, Ma. and went to Arlington High with my son Jonathan Gorman. He has looked into your sight and is
very happy that you are a conservative like him and we both are going to get your books and read them. I also worked in the Post Office with your mother. I am on the same football board of
referees that Ryan and Dennis are on. You also did some umpiring for my oldest son David who now
lives in Knoxville, Tn. He is a teacher at a high school down there and one of the assistant
basketball coaches at a nearby college (Carson-Newman). We are very happy to hear of your progress and success as a writer and an apologist
of the conservative cause.

Sincerely,

Don Gorman and family

I'm the same Dan, Mr. Gorman. Thanks for coming to the site. I was just in Tennessee--not so far from Knoxville--to speak at Lee University. It's beautiful down there, so it sounds like David picked a nice place to live. Glad to hear that Jonathan is interested in a lot of the same ideas that I'm interested in, and that you're still involved in refereeing. I hope you guys make FlynnFiles a regular stop for you on the web. There around 1,000 or so people who do so, a small chunk of them are Arlington/Greater Boston people.

Perhaps Professional Bowlers need to beat our wives and shoot the mothers of our unborn children so that the world will respect us as athletes.

Sorry Dan...quite cynical today.

Be well all of you,

Sponge

This is why nobody much cares about the NBA. Who can relate? Unless you’re a self-centered man/child athlete who grew up in the inner city and has been told your whole life how great you are.

Sports Ill. had a good Reilly this last issue where he wrote about Latrell Spreewell and his antics. The basis were ‘Sprees’ comments about how he needs to maintain his $14.6 salary ‘cause he needs to feed his family. When asked what he needs to do to help the ‘Wolves get to he Championship, he says….nothing. That he needs to take care of himself.

This bum has choked his coach from a previous team; threatened a team mate with a 2X4 and then with a gun; allowed his 4 your old daughter to be mauled by his pet pit bull and then refused to put the dog away.

These thugs and wannabe rappers are killing the game.

R.I.P. pro-basketball.

That is why I am a fan of college basketball. The kids who stay in college are so much more fun to watch, and play as teams. That is a rare exception (like Detroit last year) in the NBA these days.

Go Georgia Tech!