My World

Lockout: Who are you Kidding?

The worst thing you can do, public-relations wise, is not play the game.

And that's what the NBA seems intent on doing as we head close to what is supposed to be the season's beginning. The clock is ticking fast.

Let the National Babies' Association stay out.

Who are they kidding? The only losers in a scenario where there is a strike are the fans. In fact the fans are the victims, period. The average fan can't even go to a game these days -- because it costs an arm and a leg.

The players and owners don't seem to care that high ticket prices are the result of their greed.

It's hard to feel sympathy for immature, spoiled athletes who make ridiculous amounts of money per year that 99 percent of this country's population will never see in their lifetimes.

And even that wouldn't be so bad if they would stop whining, cut down the cosmetic "entertainment" crap and play for the love of the game. Just like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did back in the '80s.

This sport is so full of mercenaries, it's ridiculous. No matter how much money you pay these guys, they'll never have true loyalty and a team concept, like Johnson and Bird did about a decade ago.

However, since the greedy owners who want instant gratification -- winning -- are stupid enough to blindly dole it out to them without a second thought, I hold them just as culpable.

These prima donnas who aren't even willing to break a sweat while playing need to realize that if not blessed with their talent, they'd be stuck out here making a living like the rest of us.

I'm not too excited about this upcoming season, if there happens to be one. Why should I be? This situation is so disorganized, it's unbelievable.

Let's take a look at the wretched local franchise, the Sacramento Things -- oops, I mean Kings.

For years, the Kings tried to crane people's necks by shouting about turning it around. Year after year, they suckered fans into believing that they would become winners.

They are still losers. They are no longer a given sellout at home, because they have continually put trash in the lineup. This is due to the brainless idea that a fly-by-night, clueless rinky-dink operation could somehow compete with the big boys.

It doesn't matter who the new coach is, or what new talent they may have garnered this year, because nothing can change the fact that they are still losers.

It's one thing to be talent-challenged in a small market, but it's a whole different story when management doesn't appear to be trying to reshape their image.

You need to win, and you need to have the right people in the organization that know something about doing that. The Kings have had neither, and so around the league they get no respect.

Everyone -- even the other sorry franchises -- know they can get well on the Kings when they play them, so they all snicker while this city gets stuck with a joke.

Henceforth, they have been relegated to the Things. As in, "who are those nameless things?."

Just like we may be better off not having this season at all, Sacramento may be better off not having the Things, period.