Have a Seat, Shaq

I love basketball. I grew up during the glory days of the NBA. I watched Bird and Magic and Jordan become larger than life. Miami Heat all-world center Shaquille O'Neal wants to be included in the list of NBA greats. Hold on, big fella. All of the greats have had one thing in common. They could ALL be counted on during the last two minutes of a game. The last two minutes are usually the most crucial. The game is on the line, and if you need a score, you give it to your superstar. Shaq is not dependable in those circumstances.

Shaquille O'Neal is a lot of things. Great free throw shooter is not one of them. Modest isn't one of them either. He claims to be the 'most dominant ever' or MDE for short. True. But, basketball games are 48 minutes long. Shaq is dominant for 46 of those and then sinks into the shadows because of his horrid free throw shooting. It's painful to watch. And puzzling. Shaq has been in the league for 14 seasons, and has not mastered the art of the free throw. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Big Aristotle went 1-for-9 from the stripe. I don't get it. You're the self-proclaimed leader of your team. Why are you sitting next to Pat Riley at the end of a game? Foul trouble? Nope. Injured? Not a chance. Shaq can't shoot free throws to save his life.

What we have here is a quandary. Shaq has put up the numbers and the highlight reel and the soundbytes to ensure that he will go into the annals of NBA lore as one of the best to ever suit up. That's where I get off of the tram. I can't put him into the class of the all-time greats because you HAVE to be dependable down the stretch. Robert Horry has a better track record than Shaq. I'm sure if you asked Pat Riley right now who he'd rather have at the line with no time left on the clock, one down, two free throws, Game 7 of the Finals, his answer would not be Shaquille O'Neal. Cut to Riley being left with one choice and looking past Shaq and asking if one of the ball boys is available.

Tags:

• shaq
• o'neal
• free throws
• nba finals

Top Marine Expresses 'Concern'

Gen. Michael Hagee expressed concern over allegations that some of his Marines shot and killed more than 20 people in Haditha last November. My first thought as I read some of the news reports about Gen. Hagee's press conference today was 'why is this the first time we are hearing from this guy?' Today is June 7, 2006. The alleged slayings took place eight months ago. At a time when skepticism towards our government is at an all-time high, this doesn't sit well with me. I'm pretty fed up with our leaders taking time to get stories straight and making sure they have been briefed and rebriefed and triple-briefed by high-profile mouthpieces so that nothing incriminating or politically damaging reaches the media, and subsequently, the American people.

Even more frustrating is the fact that this doesn't seem to scare anyone but me. Are we to assume that after eight months, no steps have been taken to cover up all wrong-doing? Are we to assume that the NCIS folks won't review their findings with the 'appropriate' people in the White House before making them public? Are we naive enough to think that any negative items will be labeled 'classified' and never come to light? A lot of conservatives are asking the American people to be patient and to let the investigation run it's course before jumping to conclusions. What else are we to do after eight months?

Here's what we have been told: Last November, a bomb goes off and kills a Marine. Several other Marines begin entering houses and allegedly shoot unarmed Iraqi citizens at close range. The initial statement from the govt. is that the bomb killed 15 people. We now know that this is not true. But, until today, we haven't heard from any of the higher-ups in the Marines about the incident. Again, we're eight months removed from the incident.

The Hannitys and Savages feel that the accused soldiers, or 'heroes' as they refer to them, should be given the benefit of the doubt. I disagree. Perhaps if they hadn't lied at the very beginning, I'd be willing to entertain the thought. But for now, all I have to go on are gruesome photographs, a HUGE lie, and a tardy press conference about grave concerns.

Tags:

• haditha
• iraq
• marines
• hagee