Heroes

I read a story last week bemoaning the way we tend to make heroes out of sports stars. And it's true. Just because a guy can hit a ball a long way or throw a ball a long way or swim better than anyone else in the world doesn't make him a hero. It just makes him rich.



Same goes for entertainers. Just because somebody can dance or act or sing doesn't mean he's above hitting a woman (James Brown, Chris Brown ... I can get cross-generational), or serves as a role model.



But the story I read last week pretty much said that no athletes should be revered as heroes, and that's simply not true. The problem is, the stories about heroes -- true heroes who are building their communities from the grassroots up or making huge differences in average lives and don't have a publicist shouting their every deed from the rooftops -- these stories usually don't get told.



Thankfully, sometimes they do. Like this one about the DeKalb, Ill., high school basketball team. Its players and coach are heroes and athletes and inspiration for all of us.

Attitude

I'm sure people sometimes wonder (although they don't really ask) about my attitude.

I've got one. I admit it. It comes across differently to different people -- and yeah, there are some who might call it "bad." But not to my face. I think most people who think they know me call it tough.

Basically, it's just attitude. I tell you what I think, when I think it. Occasionally, and unfortunately, my next thought is "I really should keep that to myself."

Hence, the attitude.

For those who wonder where it comes from though, it's in my Michigan roots and this sums it up perfectly: Apparently, WDIV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit that broadcast the Super Bowl, ran a disclaimer across the bottom of the screen EVERY TIME "analyst" Matt Millen appeared on-screen.

And it read thusly: "Matt Millen was president of the Lions for the worst eight-year run in the history of the NFL. Knowing his history with the team, is there a credibility issue as he now serves as an analyst for NBC Sports?"

I have to say that I was a bit, er, taken aback when I saw Millen giving viewers his thoughts during football's biggest game. It's kind of like if George Bush were to be hired by NBC as a stock analyst.

I'm not saying that just because Millen had absolutely no judgment when it came to staffing a football team and selecting talent that he couldn't effectively tell viewers what was happening on the field.

I am saying that you don't reward the guy that drives the bus off the cliff. I am saying that there were at least a handful of former coaches/execs out there that would have been a better, more respectable choice. And I'm saying I turned the volume off whenever Millen's mug showed up on the screen.

Way to go WDIV. Attitude? You betcha. Got a problem with that?