I couldn’t think of a more appropriate tune for a primadonna, attention whore like Kobe to receive upon being introduced in his first game of the season — boos. And loud ones at that. The man has played with fan emotions all summer long, and has in essence ripped our their hearts, leaving them no hope for the season. Not that I have sympathy for Faker fans, but they shouldn’t be at the mercy of a whimsical super star like Bryant.

But why, if you’re going express your collective displeasure with Kobe by booing him, do you change your tune only minutes later, once the man starts raining in points like he’s on the cover of NBA Jam? Why would you so capriciously change from boos to cheers, and worse yet, chants of MVP once he starts to play well? Get your story straight, Faker fans. Do you want him gone, or not? If you can’t even get your thoughts and feelings straight, then why should you expect your superstar and savior to do so?

(Photo courtesy Matt Sayles/AP)

The very day that his team held its World Series celebration parade in Boston, Curt Schilling decided to celebrate in the best way possible — by saying adios. The man dropped a phone call to the players union filing for free agency, and left a list of 12 teams on his blog he says he’s interested in joining:

The list of teams that our family has talked over, that we think would be a fit for next year, should we not come back, are pretty much teams in cities we agree would be ok for our last year, and teams I think have a legitimate shot at being in the post season and/or World Series.
…
Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A., S.D., Arizona, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Milwaukee

While every time he lists was a prominent contender in ‘07, he leaves one notable team out. You guessed it — the Yankees. Is it because they’re a team that’s in a complete state of disarray? Or is it because Curt Schilling, seeker of the spotlight, actually has a morsel of respect for Red Sox fans enough to stay away from their hated rivals? Sure seems that way — and I give Curt some credit for staying away from the Bronx. Maybe that’s just because I’d love to see him with the Halos next year. So sue me.

Remember Joe Cullen? He’s the former Lions defensive line coach who got busted for going through a fast food drive through naked. (I empathize with his plight; I enter the kitchen naked when food is on my mind). Anyway, Jon Kitna must have been smoking the same stuff that caused him to pick Detroit to win at least 10 games this year. Check out how he and his wife dressed up for teammate Mike Furrey’s charity Halloween event:

SPORTSbyBROOKS has another must-see version of the pic that shows a little more skin (yeah, you know you can’t get enough of Kitna). Drew Sharp in the Detroit Free Press takes issue with Kitna’s costume choice. I have no problem with it; it’s a creative, hilarious mock-job of an absolutely boneheaded move by a person with a job of great prestige. I give Kitna a 10 for originality and creativity.

I’m a big fan of Manny Ramirez. Something about a guy who averages about an RBI per game and stares at moonshot home runs he clubs while his team is trailing by like eighteen runs makes me laugh. But at times, as we all know, Manny can get somewhat ornery; he’ll shy away from the media, and he’ll asks for privacy from fans. Something weird must have happened with Manny, because all of a sudden, he got way friendly with the same fans he’s complained about in the past during Boston’s World Series parade Tuesday:

Manny Ramirez did his part by inviting an entire sidewalk of fans over to his house for a party before pointing to the retired numbers on the side of Fenway Park and saying he wanted his digits to be up next to them.

Say what? Did they all grill up a carne asada or something? They gotta be jerking my chain! No way I believe that Manny invited fans over to his place for a party. And for the record, last I heard, Manny was living in a hotel. He must’ve treated them to a complimentary mini-bar. Manny being Manny. Gotta love it.

In addition to river dancing in his spare time, Jonathan Papelbon also doubles as a proctologist. Hadn’t you heard? As for the Red Sox, though the Yankees have been more of a consistent winner in the decade, it is Boston, not the Yanks who have won the coveted World Series trophy. Two titles in four years makes the Red Sox the team of the decade. I posted all my thoughts on the World Series at FanHouse and will direct you to them. Oh yeah, I’ve also been waiting seven months for this, but I told you the Red Sox were going to win the World Series! Remember the baseball preview? I was also one of only two AOL Sports experts to pick the Red Sox to win it all before the playoffs began. If I had a third arm, it’d be patting myself on the back right now.

Anyway, here were some of my thoughts on the World Series:

• Red Sox are the team of the decade
• Papelbon should have been World Series MVP
• Eight day layoff did hurt the Rockies

I’d also like to give props to commenter and contributer Alan for winning our bet on the Diamondbacks, and for his shrewd 25:1 bet on the Indians to win the World Series before the year started, and ditto for the D-Backs at 60:1. Though I told him all along not to get his hopes up since the Red Sox would win it all, he proved he knew what he was doing.

(and credit Christian Petersen who had the pleasure of snapping that photo for Getty Images)

I’m not sure if you caught this over the weekend, but it’s certainly one of those plays you will never forget. Check out the finish to the DIII match up between Trinity (TX) and Millsaps on Saturday:

I’m seriously still wondering how NOBODY made the tackle. Follow the ball — can’t be too hard. Nevertheless, quite exciting.

(video via Ballhype)