Although I was quite aware that Jamie McCourt is delusional and living in a fantasy world, I had no idea that she was this mindless. Seriously. Calling herself the “face of the Dodgers” was bad enough and indicative of the breadth of her knowledge, but the remarks she got off on Monday take it to a whole new level of despicability. Here’s what Jamie McCourt said at a Women’s Voices Luncheon, referring to her pending divorce from Frank McCourt:

“I do keep saying, ‘I’m Jewish. I can be bought,’” she jokingly said to a reception of laughter and applause. “But he likes litigation. We’ll see what happens.”

I’m not quite sure what Jamie is, but whatever she is I don’t want to be included in the same category. I do know that Jamie speaks for herself and that her comments make her look like a money-hungry, utter fool. Check that — we already knew from Jamie’s million-dollar-a-month spousal support demands that she was all about the money — this remark only confirms it. What’s worse is that Jamie wasn’t content letting her pathetic views on life speak for herself; she had to speak for the rest of the Jewish people instead. Let me just say that putting a price tag on dignity is an individual choice and has nothing to do with culture or religion. It has everything to do with character. Quite obviously Jamie has little of that. Ditto the people in attendance who found her remark to be humorous. I’m quite surprised her marriage to Frank didn’t last; they seemed like a perfect fit.

Sources:
Jamie McCourt doesn’t hold back [OC Register]

In yet another example of how the world has turned into a bizarro universe, Texas A&M Commerce football coach Guy Morriss actually had positive words for his players following their alleged theft of newspapers on campus. Part of the reason why he backed his guys is because he feels like the charges are bullcrap. The other?

Morris, who admitted to his team members’ involvement in the theft and said he supported their actions.

“I am proud of my players for doing that,” Morris said. “This was the best team building exercise we have ever done.”

Amen to that. The alleged crime is so petty that Morriss should stick up for his guys. The East Texan is a student newspaper that claims its first issue is free but every one afterward costs 25 cents. I have an easy solution: have the players pay back the five bucks or whatever it is that they owe and let Morriss go back to turning Commerce into a loser just like Baylor. If you’re wondering why they organized efforts to take all the papers, it’s probably because the headline was a story on two players being arrested as part of a drug bust.

Via Texas A&M student newspaper The Battalion which could use some editors to correct a constant misspelling of Morriss’ name. That’s two “S’s” in Morriss — the extra one reminds you how badly his teams suck.

I realize that the lines of sports and politics will be somewhat blurred by the following post but I was so enraged by the comments I heard I felt the need to respond. A Butler County jury in Iowa found Mark Becker guilty for notoriously murdering former Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach, Ed Thomas. That Becker opened fire on Thomas in the school’s weight room isn’t in question; what was in question was Becker’s sanity. That shouldn’t even result in a debate — if you’re crazy enough to murder someone just like that, you should be locked away for life. Period. No insanity pleas. Beyond that, it was the words of Becker’s mother that bothered me the most:

“Ed Thomas was a victim of a victim. Although Mark and we as his parents attempted to go through all the proper channels to get Mark the mental health treatment he desperately needed, the system failed miserably.”

Maybe Becker never should have been excused from the mental ward after his high-speed chase before he went out to kill Thomas, but to call him a victim? Please. The victim is six feet under and the remaining victims are his family and players who are now fatherless and coachless. Way to take responsibility for your kid’s actions, Mom. I guess in your society it is the village that raises the child. Disgusting. Back to your regularly scheduled sports programming.

Not more than two years ago, we asked the question here at LBS: Would you let Lenny Dykstra give you stock tips? Turns out the best answer would have been “no,” considering Nails filed for bankruptcy a few months ago, citing $50,000 in assets and several millions in liabilities. Dykstra’s house was put up for sale, and I’m guessing the bank seized most of his possessions. This reality was officially confirmed for me when I found myself at the car wash formerly owned by Lenny Dykstra. There was a big sign confirming the new ownership and title of “Simi Auto Spa,” but the remnants of Nails were plentiful. Check out some of the pics:

It may only be Simi Auto Spa now, but you can still order a single, double, triple, or home run car wash package, and you can receive “All-Star” status as a customer. Inside of the car wash, they still have baseball memorabilia including Dykstra jerseys hanging on the walls. Yes, you have things right: the new owners are profiting off Dykstra’s name and legacy while promoting their “new ownership.” Didn’t seem that way to me. As for a review, it was a little pricey for my taste but had an upscale feel and appeal.

When the news came down last week that the League was investigating Gilbert Arenas for bringing a gun to team facilities, I joked that he needed it for protection from teammate Caron Butler. Even though I was only joking in my post, it turns out it wasn’t too far from the truth. Yahoo! Sports reported that Gilbert was being investigated for pulling the gun on a teammate while the New York Post takes things a step further saying it was over a gambling debt:

“I’m not your punk!” Crittenton shouted at Arenas, according to a league source close to the Wizards. That prompted Arenas to draw on Crittenton, who then also grabbed for a gun, league security sources said.

A playground pal of Crittenton’s from Atlanta, Kendrick “Bookie Ball” Long, confirmed the locker-room standoff and said he learned of it directly from the third-year player out of Georgia Tech. “He [Arenas] was f- – -ing with him; he [Crittenton] was just defending himself!” declared Long, who said the dispute was over money but would not elaborate.

I wonder how much money is at stake here if the dudes are brandishing firearms considering Gilbert has made over $100 million in his career. I’m guessing it’s more over principle than a lofty dollar figure given Gilbert’s wealth. This story sounds much more like the truth and renders Gilbert’s tale laughable — Arenas said he wanted to get rid of the guns after his daughter was born. If that were the case, why didn’t he take them directly to the police without passing Go and without letting Crittenton try to collect $500? This makes me wonder what the NBA will do to try and curb gambling amongst teammates; some of the stories about high stakes card games on team planes are legendary and it’s clear things are getting out of hand in DC. I’m also guessing DC police will want to know more about this story too.

For the second time in his career, Gilbert Arenas is the target of a weapons possession probe by the NBA. Five years ago he was charged with criminal weapons possession and wound up suspended for a game as punishment. This time around, the penalty will probably be worse. While players are allowed to have firearms, they can’t carry them on league property or while conducting league business. Maybe Gilbert wasn’t aware of the rule because he brought his glock into the Verizon Center. Arenas explained his story to the Washington Times:

“It happened like December 10th. Right after my daughter was born. I decided I didn’t want the guns in my house and around the kids anymore, so i took them to my lock box at Verizon Center. Then like a week later, I turned them over to team security and told them to hand them over to the police, because I don’t want them anymore. I wouldn’t have brought them to D.C. had I known the rules. After my daughter was born, I was just like, I don’t need these anymore.”

Arenas’ story will garner sympathy from the suckers who will defend his good intentions. I’ll use this story as another example and reminder that ignorance is no excuse for breaking rules. While Arenas won’t come anywhere near Plaxico’s possession punishment (Gilbert’s not even being criminally charged), he has to know that bringing a gun into the arena is plenty stupid. If he was not sure where to put them, why not take them directly to the police to begin with? Was he afraid Caron Butler was going to jump him because Gilbert doesn’t pass to him enough?