Good Call, Bad Call: In the News

Author's Note: My condolences go out to the family of Patriots DE Marquise Hall, the former LSU player who died on Sunday in a tragic jet ski accident in Louisiana. Hall truly loved to play the game, and his presence will be missed both in Baton Rouge and in Foxboro.

Before we get started, someone please tell Stephen A. Smith to shut up. No seriously. Someone tell him to shut up—and that Quite Frankly is just a poor man's version of of Jim Rome is Burning.

Giving Stephen A. his own airtime? That's a bad call. Here are some good call, and some more bad ones, from around the world of sports. 

Utah blew Game Four of the Western Conference Finals in the fourth quarter.

Who was to blame? The Jazz? The refs? Manu Ginobili? Hard to say, but here's what matters—the Spurs are one win away from yet another trip to the NBA Finals. The only way Utah has a chance in this series is if they put pressure on the big boys of San Antone.

The Jazz losing their cool against the refs: Bad Call. The Spurs keeping theirs during the fourth quarter—and playing their game: Good Call.

Kobe Calls Out the Lakers

Kobe Bryant was quoted saying he wants Jerry West back with the Lakers or he wants out of SoCal.

Is it trueOnly Kobe knows. In a way, he made his own bed here—there's still speculation that he forced the Lakers to choose between him and Shaq four years ago.

The juiciest rumor, from ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning radio show, had Bryant heading to Chicago in a trade for Ben Wallace. Don't see that happening, but the next few months should be interesting.

Kobe calling out the Lakers: Good Call. Kobe putting himself in the spotlight again: Bad Call.

Iceman Gets Iced by Rampage

Is boxing on the way out?

One minute and 53 seconds into the first round, Chuck "Iceman" Liddell was picking his teeth off the ground after getting knocked out by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 71.

The hype surrounding Ultimate Fighting has some sports purists crying foul. One analyst called UFC "human cockfighting." Boxers are upset because Liddell-Jackson got more attention than Floyd Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya. But whose fault is that? If the boxers want to be the top draw, they should step up and make boxing interesting again.

UFC living up to the hype: Good Call. Boxers whining and not one-upping them: Bad Call.

Vick vs. the NFL in a Dogfight

So Michael Vick allegedly ran dogfights at his home in Virginia.

My problem: What makes dogfighting so different from boxing, kickboxing, or Ultimate Fighting? Another point: The charges stem from Vick's time at Virginia Tech. Does the NFL have a right to punish Vick because of his past?

Maybe, but that means they'd have to punish Randy Moss for what happened before he transferred to Marshall. As far as I'm concerned, what Vick did in college shouldn't affect him now.

Vick running dogfights: Bad Call. Someone outing Vick without having the guts to show his face: Worse Call. Vick not hiding behind his name and defending himself: Good Call.

Duke Lacrosse Earns Respect

After recovering from last year's scandal, the Duke Blue Devils have nothing to be ashamed of.

Duke may not have won the national lacrosse title, but they had a storybook season nonetheless. I applaud them for being able to buckle down amidst the controversy. The Dookies didn't get the result they wanted—but when you've got fellow laxers giving you a standing ovation at the end of the game, that is truly a Good Call.

Bonds Puts Ego Ahead of Hall

Barry Bonds has always been Barry Bonds.

After all the garbage he's been through, can you blame him for not wanting to turn any souvenirs over to the Hall of Fame when he breaks Hank Aaron's record? Still, he should at least give Cooperstown, say, the laces from his cleats. It's not the Hall's fault Major League Baseball is on a witch-hunt.

Bonds snubbing the Hall: Bad Call. Bonds snubbing the Hall because of baseball's witch-hunt: Good Call.

 

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