Here's a hot new trend that will really help develop those young kids out there who want to learn to play basketball like the pros -- whining for calls. What's not hot appears to be some sort of civil acceptance of the fact that, unbelievable as it seems, you missed that layup because you aimed wrong, not because the ref jobbed you.
And that's what is on display every time Vlade Divac contorts his face and flops backward, or looks astonished every time the ref makes a call on him. (Did anyone else catch the replay where Vlade seemed to grab Samaki Walker's arm and pull it back into his face? Before getting the call, of course.) Or every time Antoine Walker howls and hurtles himself to the floor. (Did any non-Celtics fans appreciate Walker's fourth-quarter tech for complaining in Game 5?)
You know who Vlade and 'Toine are? The guys at your local Y or outdoor court who call a foul every time they shoot. Taking a jumper? Foul. Driving to the rack? Foul. Breathing on them? Foul. Abusing the unwritten code to "respect the call" of the shooter, even when the player seemingly has no self-respect. Ironically, this is going on at the same time World Cup refs are promising to put the clamps on soccer's greatest divers, floppers and actors.
OK, enough. Now take a look at the rest of what's hot and what's not this week. Feel free to share with your co-workers, buddies and significant others – they will really appreciate you for it:
What's Hot, What's Not this week
|
Category |
Hot |
Not |
MLB "outing" controversy |
Pharmaceutical preference |
Sexual preference |
Unsolvable defense |
The 2-3 zone |
Straight man-to-man |
Press-conference fashion |
Sunglasses |
Hats |
On-court celebration |
Signaling to hostile crowd |
Signaling to family |
NBA draft hype |
Dan Dickau |
Yao Ming |
Hairdo |
Rick Fox |
Hedo Turkoglu |
NBA controversy |
Preps practicing with pros |
End-of-game instant replay |
Eddie Griffin vehicle |
"Undercover Brother" |
"The New Guy" |
Laker-killing move |
Bibby J around a pick |
Bobby J around the rack |
Bench-warming cheerleader |
Mateen Cleaves |
Mark Madsen |
Home run-hitting audience draw |
Shawn Green |
Barry Bonds |
NHL goalie factory |
Latvia |
Canada |
Clutch goal-scorer |
Martin Gelinas |
Luc Robitaille |
Movie blockbuster |
"The Sum of All Fears" |
"Insomnia" |
French Open star |
Serena Williams |
Anna Kournikova |
Pressure situation |
Spelling-bee finals ... F-I-N-A-L-S ... finals. |
Last-minute free-throws |
A very special What's Hot, What's Not List supplement
World Cup 2002 -- "Love It Live ... even if that means 3:30 a.m.!"
Look for special World Cup items all month long, developed with an assist from Page 2 editor Jim Wilkie.
What's Hot, What's Not at the World Cup
|
Category |
Hot |
Not |
Current bandwagon team |
Portugal |
Cameroon |
Spectator tip |
Set the alarm for 5 a.m. to watch TV broadcast |
Book that flight for S. Korea |
U.S. name to know |
Clint Mathis (it-guy flashy striker) |
Tony Meola (has-been back-back-up goalie) |
Group |
"Group of Death" (Group F -- England, Argentina, Sweden, Nigeria) |
"Group of Dearth" (Group H -- Belgium, Japan, Russia, Tunisia) |
Scourge |
Flopping (The NBA has taken a lesson! See above.) |
Extreme nationalism |
Unwanted fan |
Diego Maradona |
Sepp Blatter |
Interesting effect to watch |
Will Argentina's success bolster country's economy? |
Will Italy succumb to The Curse of Roberto Baggio? |
Hairstyle |
The Beckham |
ZZ's top (Zinedine Zidane) |
Bonehead |
Roy Keane |
David Beckham |
Kit |
Cameroon (Sleeveless) |
Poland |
Underdog |
South Korea |
China |
Goalkeeper |
Oliver Kahn (Germany) |
Fabien Barthez (France) |
Superstar |
Luis Figo (Portugal) |
Ronaldo (Brazil) |
Phenom |
Owen Hargreaves (England) |
Landon Donovan (USA) |
Advantage |
Sex (on recommendation of Ecuador coach Hernan Dario Gomez) |
Continental |
Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com.