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I played Mozart's "Funeral March," that sad processional, all day Sunday in honor, gratitude, respect and abject sorrow for the poor souls of the Columbia. For Ben Wallace's mom, too.
Our world became a much shallower place upon hearing the news that people posted space shuttle debris items on Ebay for personal gain. Thank goodness compassion and civility prevailed as those items were quickly yanked.
Spanish Lady comes to me, she lays on me this rose
Last Friday night's Laker game was ultimately meaningless for the Kings, unless you went to Vlade Divac's new restaurant opening which was an unbelievable scene. Do you spell bacchanal with one or two Cs? Tunnel 21 is THE place to be in Sacramento. After witnessing Vlade's performance against Shaquille O'Neal, was I the only one thinking that Vlade might have started the celebration BEFORE the game?
|  | | Peja Stojakovic's Kings have played like commoners lately. |
Is Chris Webber underpaid at $125 million?
Everyone is so concerned that the Lakers are NOT going to make the playoffs. The Kings have lost six of eight. What if THEY don't get in?
It rainbow spirals round and round, it trembles and explodes
I wonder if LeBron James has capitalized on the obscene tax write off that is available for the purchase of his Hummer. The level of devious duplicity has crossed the threshold of outrageous and unconscionable.
Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Johnnie Cochran must be preoccupied with Shaq and can't quite get to LeBron right now.
It left a smoking crater of my mind -- I like to blow it away
Don't get to read books much these days what with my new job and all. But I did get to START Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season." If the rest is anything like the beginning, I'm in for a real treat. This is about life's greatest lessons.
Last weekend saw the reappearance of Rasheed Wallace and Jay Williams and confirmed the disappearance of Michael Olowokandi. Still, some queried, "How could you tell?"
The way Rasheed has played since returning from his suspension has prompted many Blazer fans to wish 'Sheed had gone after Tim Donaghy in the exhibition season.
Do you think that there would still be all this war fervor if we had an egalitarian military force in this country fed by a universal military draft?
The heat came round and busted me for smilin' on a cloudy day
Tom Tolbert -- like Steve Jones -- makes my job, not only enjoyable … but easy.
Comin', comin', comin' around---comin' around
If you missed Nelson Mandela's speech at the International Women's Forum in Johannesburg last weekend, go look it up. THAT was a powerfully moving oration for peace, humanity and normalcy instead of the war mongering drivel that we're being fed.
More proof that I have the coolest job on earth is that I got to sit next to Lionel Richie on the plane the other day. He was on HIS way to New York to celebrate the U.S. debut of his newest CD, "Encore." European sales have already hit 1.5 million units. He slipped me one. Yeah, baby, it's the real thing.
With affirmative action and Title IX under as much heat as Saddam Hussein, I, for one, feel that BOTH of those programs have made our society a much better place. I also think these programs should be expanded.
The UConn Lady Huskies make us all proud, 60 wins in a row and counting. But that win at Duke was more than a bit impressive. So ironic they would do this as others are trying to gut Title IX.
Escaping through lily fields, I came upon an empty space
Such sad news that the Grateful Dead are closing up shop, 7½ years after Jerry died. What a ride. What a long strange trip indeed. All good things in all good time. Thanks for your lives guys, thanks for ours.
It trembled and exploded, left a bus stop in its place
|  | | Kobe Bryant couldn't be stopped in Indiana. But Ron Artest would've been an intriguing immovable object. |
Lakers at Indiana would've been a lot more fun and interesting if Ron Artest had played, although defense against Kobe Bryant is basically irrelevant.
The Clippers, losers again Sunday (?) at Toronto, fell to 0-5 in their new road blue
Jerseys. A marketer's nightmare gone up in the smoking crater that is Michael Olowakandi's mind.
The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began
Why am I not surprised to see fights and violence erupt when the Indiana Pacers play? This can't be the legacy that the Hoosier state gleaned from John Wooden, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird. Thank goodness Lenny Wilkens -- the epitome of class -- was there at the last outburst to restore order in the basketball world and in Isiah Thomas. What happens if the entire Pacer squad gets suspended?
Do Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn expect residuals after Al Harrington's admission that the Pacers are now officially the Bad Boys?
With Isiah Thomas and two of his players in Atlanta this weekend, what are the chances of a fight breaking out during the All-Star Game? Has there EVER been a fight at an All-Star Weekend? On the court and in the game, I mean.
It was cowboy Neal at the wheel on a bus to never, ever land
Another wonderful weekend for the Celtics -- two losses by a combined 61 points. Probably most impressive was the three points in 33 minutes for Vin Baker. Celtic fans everywhere have never been so proud.
Comin', comin' comin' around
Who would have ever thought that the Memphis-Denver game on Sunday night would be a better game than the San Antonio-Miami game over the weekend. Spurs won 67-65. Sorry I missed THAT.
Weren't the new rules supposed to prevent offensive impotence? The Spurs and Heat combined for the ninth-fewest points since the invention of the shot clock! Danny Biasone, please forgive us.
Steve Kerr's astute analysis following the debacle summed it up best when he said the game reminded him of his daughter's YMCA games where the tallest girl gets all the rebounds. Steve wasn't referring to Tim Duncan's career-high 25 boards, was he?
Here is another incredible testament to the often overlooked phenomenon that is Michael Jordan's physical fitness level. The guy scores 45 points while his young confreres, Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes, have to sit it out because they can't keep the pace.
Comin' around
|  | | Unfortunately for Hawks fans, there's no guarantee Pete Babcock will make the right decision. |
I thought Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock was trying to save his job. The questionable waiving of Mike Wilks after he established himself as the team's best point guard during his two 10-day contract stints further illustrates that Lon Kruger was not the only problem. Wouldn't it help AOL's balance sheet if they just sold the team and saved everybody a big headache?
Is Milwaukee really in the fifth spot in the Eastern playoff ladder? Who has made a greater mockery of the first half of the regular season, the Bucks or the Lakers. This is fantastic!
Even though Toronto has won three of four since Vince Carter's return, I still can't figure out who is in greater need of a PR advisor: Vince or Michael Jackson who has yet another controversy on his hands as Sotheby's chases a $1.3 million payment for a couple of William Bougereau paintings that the Weird One purchased.
While Amare Stoudemire is in a dead heat with Yao Ming for Rookie of the Year honors, Phoenix Sun opponents are overlooking Casey Jacobsen at their peril.
The MVP race is wide open as we head into All-Star break. Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Shaq are all right there. It's hard to imagine anybody playing any better than Kobe right now, but then again he has all the advantages that come with Shaq and the championships, particularly the most exposure.
Karl Malone was left off the All-Star team for the first time in 15 years. Since then, he's racked up 29, 21, 26, 26, 18 and 31. Props to Karl as he played his 1,400th NBA game on Monday against Dallas -- an appropriate opponent for the Jazz since it was in the 1985 draft that Dallas ignored Karl's dreams about becoming a Mav so that Dallas could select Detlef Schrempf.
The all-time list for games played reads Parish, Kareem, Stockton, Moses, then Karl Malone.
John Stockton against Steve Nash is as much fun to watch as anything I can dream of.
Is anybody else looking at a Lakers-Pacers Final come June? Is it too early to make hotel reservations?
My life comes full circle once again. I had the most honorable privilege of dining with Ralph Lawler in New York City on Monday. Just following Ralph on RalphLawler.com is not nearly enough.
Comin', comin', comin' around -- comin' around
Bill Walton, who is an NBA analyst for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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