All Star Review

Or is that revue?

Some random thoughts while watching some festivities from NBA All-Star Weekend.

• Licensing stuff is just getting silly. Changing H-O-R-S-E to G-E-I-C-O is S-T-U-P-I-D. Unfortunately I'm not really that surprised. So every year will this event have a different name?

• The NBA is somehow extremely more marketable than any of the other three major sports. Why is that? Is it the personalities of the athletes that are more interesting/flashy? It's probably got something to do with that and the game itself. Baseball is a slower, grinding type of sport, and the players don't tend to be as flashy. Those that are - say Ken Griffey, Jr. circa the early 90's - do become bigger stars, more like NBA players are. Football is probably the most team-oriented game of the four, so individuals don't stand out as much. Aside from big time QBs (Manning, Brady), players are hidden beneath those helmets and tend to disappear. And, let's face it, too many people don't really know or care about hockey, despite the best efforts of these guys.
  

• Even though I'd consider myself a baseball purist, I think I've decided that the Dunk Contest is better than the Home Run Derby. The variety and aforementioned personalities make the event much more exciting. Also, props to Nate Robinson and the Kryptonite theme and hopping over Superman. Opposite of props to Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller, who were quick to criticize many of the dunks. It's a dunk contest, not Game 7 of the Finals. Relax.
  

• Listening to Shaq talk to Craig Sager on the bench during the 4th quarter of the game about it possibly being his last All-Star Game made me realize that he's one of the only athletes that really broke into the league when I was old enough to start really caring about sports (1992, I was 7 years old) and is still around. As far as my life when it comes to being interested in sports, the Big Aristotle has been a constant. How could you not miss this guy?