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Earlier this week the Indianapolis Star did a nice little feature about Josh McRoberts adapting to life with the Blazers. It was nothing too out of the ordinary—just your standard rosy profile of a local kid—but there was one quote from McRoberts I found to be particularly interesting.

“People have hated me my whole life,” said McRoberts, who’s far more reserved, even shy, off the court. “It’s never bothered me; it’s something I kind of thrive on.

That’s a pretty telling quote, especially considering that McRoberts has only been in the public eye for three or four years. That question is what did he do that was so hateworthy before he committed to Duke?

Perhaps he was just the kid in kindergarten who refused to share. Or the kid in 3rd grade who smelled bad. Or the kid in 6th grade who never passed the ball the anyone. Maybe in 8th grade he tattled on the kids who were drinking in the school parking lot, and in 10th grade said weird and creepy things when trying to flirt with girls. Perhaps committing to Duke was just the culmination of a childhood full of despicable acts.

Personally, if people hated me my entire life I might try to, you know, make some lifestyle or personality changes because that’s not a normal thing for a 20 year-old. But who am I to criticize McRoberts. If he thrives on being hated by others then good for him.

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In what is surely one of the most ridiculous lawsuits in the history of the American legal system, Rutgers basketball player Kia Vaughn is suing Don Imus for slander and defamation of character. Vaughn alleges that Imus’ sexist and racist comments about the Rutgers basketball team damaged her reputation. There’s really only one problem with the lawsuit—Vaughn’s claims are 100% wrong.

After Imus made the remarks he was vilified by the media. As part of that the Rutgers women did the talk show circuit and had numerous articles written about them. Those appearances and stories were 100% positive—a litany of glowing, adoring, puff pieces. The message was that each and every one of them was an angel, even if the laws of probability say that’s usually not the case with an entire team of college athletes. If anything, Imus’ comments improved the reputation of the Rutgers basketball players more than anything else they could have imagined. This lawsuit is ridiculous.

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ESPN can buy Jimmy Kimmel and LeBron James, but their dirty “Who’s Now” money cannot buy the WAC. Last week the conference turned down the the WWL’s contract extension and it could become a “free agent” when its current 6 year, $6 million deal expires in 2010.

The WAC is banking on the fact that the buzz from Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl victory will allow it to get a more lucrative deal. ESPN’s offer was for about $3 million a year, but the WAC is likely seeking a contract similar to the 7 year, $38 million deal the Mountain West Conference recently signed with CSTV.

Could the WAC’s subtle “we don’t need ESPN” statement be a sign of things to come? Is it evidence of a crack in the ESPN monopoly that could soon cause it to come crashing to the ground like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust? Probably not, but like Mary Swanson, I’m telling you there’s a chance.

On another note, you really have to feel bad for Gary Bettman. Every week he’s probably mailing some new flashy NHL pamphlet to the ESPN headquarters hoping it will wow them enough to give the league a TV contract. Meanwhile the WAC—a conference featuring schools such as Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State—is turning down an ESPN TV deal. At least Bettman is still part of the Versus family.

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Iowa parents, lock up your daughters. On Saturday former Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy is returning to campus to coach in a celebrity all-star game. Eustachy had been of the school’s most successful basketball coaches, but he famously resigned after pictures surfaced of him drinking and kissing female students at parties after games at Missouri and Kansas State.

In the all-star game Eustachy will coach a team featuring former Cyclone stars Jeff Hornacek, Jaamal Tinsley, and Fred Hoiberg. Iowa State coeds better hope they win—both of the previous Eustachy incidents occurred after Cyclone losses.

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(Sometimes the rules and strategy involved in a game can prevent us from seeing an athlete’s true skills in action. For example, the presence of teammates can prevent repeated one-on-one confrontations, and the flow of a game can prevent an athlete from repeatedly attempting a difficult challenge. My question is, if there were no rules, no games, no standings, no teammates, and no trophies to worry about, what kind of things would an athlete be able to do. In no particular order, here are 10 things in sports I’d like to see.)

#3–A college basketball game with no three point line

Ever since that fateful day in 1986 when NCAA adopted the three point line, the trey has transformed college basketball. In recent years, the proximity of the line has caused three point shooting to become the focal point of nearly every single game. Last season Pac-10 teams averaged 17.3 three point attempts per game, and that was the smallest number out of all the BCS conferences. The SEC led the way with 21.2 attempts per game.

Well, I’m tired of all the three point shooting clinics. Just once, I want to see is a high level college basketball game with no three point line.

Who could even predict what would happen? I picture something like that Will Ferrell “Morning Latte” SNL sketch where a malfunctioning teleprompter causes all hell to break lose because nobody knows what to say, leading to Ferrel murdering and eating the weatherman. Most likely it will just result in a poorly played basketball game with a slew of missed 20 footers and a bunch of players unsure where to go on the floor. Still, it would be very interesting to be reminded exactly how much the three point shot has changed the game.

Also see…

#10—Albert Pujols vs John Parrish…100 times
#9—1 on 1 NBA draft workouts
#8—LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Brian Urlacher
#7—Tiger Woods shooting for a hole in one
#6—A real test for Vladimir Guerrero’s arm
#5—NFL-style workouts by non-NFL athletes
#4—A real NBA shooting contest
#2—A 3 on 3 hockey game
#1—Albert Pujols vs. Johan Santana…100 times

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Josh McRoberts may have made the wrong decision in going to Duke. Last year he was poised to be a top 10 pick and sign a contract with at least $5 million in guaranteed money. Due at least in some small part to the advice of Mike Krzyzewski, he returned to Duke for his sophomore season. Now he’s the 37th overall pick with $0 in guaranteed money.

That’s some real good advice Coach K. I guess you can develop somebody as a player and person, but you can’t develop their wallet. The best part is that now McRoberts won’t even be able to afford an American Express card. Maybe as a token of apology Coach K will give him some of his reward miles.

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Reason #72 why the NBA draft is great—The Saluki Hoops Web Show discussing the draft prospects of Jamal Tatum.

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Darius Washington Jr. arrived at Memphis as one of the most highly touted freshman in the country. His freshman year he memorably broke down on the court after missing a free throw that would have sent the Tigers to the NCAA tournament, but he came back and had a solid sophomore year. Washington declared for the NBA draft after just two seasons at Memphis, but he was labeled as tweener who was too small to play shooting guard and too inexperienced to play point guard. He went undrafted and ended spending last season playing overseas.

This week Stephen Dowell of the Orlando Sentinel caught up with Washington. His goal is still to play in the NBA and he hopes playing a season at point guard and leading his team to a Czech League title will earn him another chance. Washington’s father says that a number of NBA teams are interested in his son, and to showcase his skills he will likely play in one of the NBA’s summer leagues.

When Washington missed that free throw his freshman year there was an enormous outpouring of support from Memphis fans. Given a second chance the following year, Washington led the Tigers to the Elite 8. Hopefully Washington will once again get another second chance, and will once again make the most of it.

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(Every week there are a number of stories slip through the cracks here at ShakedownSports. These are just a few of them.)

PacMan Jones is in trouble again. The Titans cornerback has been charged with a felony for his involvement in a strip club melee that preceded a triple shooting at the club. Jones surrendered earlier today and has been released on $20,000 bail. The felony charges aren’t the only recent bad news for Pacman. Because he met with Roger Goodell to discuss his suspension from the NFL, Pacman’s crime coach has fined him an undisclosed amount for spending too much time on football related activities.

A New York appeals court has dismissed Latrell Sprewell’s libel suit against the New York Post. Sprewell was suing the paper for what he claims was an inaccurate account of how he broke his finger in the fall of 2002. The suit’s dismissal means that for Sprewell’s children the only hope of eating this year is if Latrell wins his hot coffee lawsuit against McDonald’s.

A Chinese company that was attempting to sell bags of air from last summer’s World Cup will not be allowed to do so after the Bejing Administration for Industry and Commerce refused their application to “sell air from a special place.” The company planned to sell the bags of air for about $6.60, but there were a few exceptions. Because of a stale, uncreative, stinky feel, bags from the U.S.-Czech Republic game were to cost only 50 cents, while bags from any of the Netherlands’ games were priced at $25.

Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summit has been released from the hospital after fainting yesterday due to dehydration. Summit credits her quick recovery to men’s coach Bruce Pearl, who raised her spirits by showing up in her hospital room with “Feel Better Pat” painted on his chest.

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–Former Mariner Edgar Martinez will be inducted into the Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Martinez, who will join Dikembe Mutombo and Kyle Petty as this year’s inductees, is being honored for his work with muscular dystrophy.

–Jarvis Moss is not a member of the Bengals. In fact, he’s one of the good guys in the NFL.

–Here is an outstanding story from the New York Times about the long journey of heralded New Mexico State recruit Herb Pope. You can now add his coach leaving to the list of things he has to overcome.

–The scoop on Phil Mickelson’s magical healer.

–Santa Clara and San Francisco are beginning to duke it out over the 49ers.

–Woody Paige takes a look at what it would have been like if A-Rod had signed with the Rockies.

–Hat day is just one of many new things Mike Tomlin has brought to the Steelers

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