Sports commentary

By Kevin Eckleberry

So, who came out worse in the LeBron James fiasco, the player himself, or his petulant owner who embarrassed himself so badly?

It’s hard to find anything positive about what James did.

Leaving Cleveland was bad enough, but to take the knife and twist it in by holding that ridiculous, self-absorbed special on ESPN just made it worse.

It was, at best, a poor decision by James. At worst, it was the height of narcissism, holding a fan base that has been so loyal to you hostage.

He didn’t even have the good grace to let the Cavs know what his decision was going to be until moments before he let the world know Thursday night.

As bad as James looked, though, Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert topped him in the “no-class” category.

In a letter he penned to Cleveland fans, he accused James of being guilty of just about every transgression he could come up with.

The harshest criticism was that James “quit” in a playoff game, which is the most heinous charge you can levy against a player.

Gilbert did fall short of accusing James of being responsible for the Gulf oil spill.

Gilbert, and all of Cleveland, has been abandoned, no doubt about it.

But that’s life.

Sports heroes come, and sports heroes go.

Should Gilbert have been angry?

Perhaps.

But to act like a child whose parents won’t let him have another 10 minutes on the playground was embarrassing.

As an Atlanta sports fan, it’s hard to come up with a similar occurrence.

Tom Glavine leaving the Braves to go to the Mets was tough.

Here was a guy who, in many ways, was the face of the Braves.

He was there during the bad times, and he was there when the Braves became baseball’s winningest team, and of course he was on the mound for the biggest win in the history of Atlanta sports.

In the sixth and decisive game of the 1995 World Series, Glavine threw eight brilliant innings in a 1-0 victory over, you guessed it, Cleveland.

Glavine went to the Mets as a free agent in 2003, and that was when the lefty was still on top of his game.

The year before, Glavine won 18 games and had an ERA below three.

Braves’ fans were hurt to be sure to see a man who’d spent 15 seasons in Atlanta not only leave, but go to the team’s biggest rival.

But I don’t recall Glavine jerseys being burned in the streets, and I certainly don’t remember any Braves’ executives ripping off childish letters to the fans.

You can almost picture Gilbert pounding on the floor, screaming over and over again, “it’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair.”

The big winner, naturally, is Miami.

Somehow that team has managed to net three of the top players in the NBA, and whatever you may think of James, he has won the two MVP awards, and he’s only 25-years-old.

Still, James, in essence, has admitted he’s not gifted enough to carry a team to a title.

He was surrounded by some awfully good players in Cleveland (the team had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons), and James was unable toget it done.

If he wins a title now, will it mean as much?

He can never be Kobe Bryant or  Michael Jordan, guys who were the unquestioned leaders of their championship teams.

Maybe James is OK with that, and I suppose in a way it’s an admirable trait that he only cares about winning, not about creating a legacy for himself.

There’s no doubt James’ popularity is going to take a nose dive, though, and he’ll be right down there with BP on the public relations-meter.

I hope it’s worth it, LeBron.

n WHAT A SEASON: With two games to go before the All-Star break, it’s hard to find much to quibble about with the Atlanta Braves.

A season that started so dismally (remember that nine-game losing streak) has blossomed into something special.

A team that in April and much of May seemed destined for the cellar entered Friday’s game against the Mets with the best record in the National League.

They’ve done it with a starting pitching staff that may be baseball’s best, a closer in Billy Wagner who has re-discovered the magic of his youth, and a lineup reminiscent of those great Yankee teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.

These guys work the count, they make contact, they take walks, and they provide what the situation calls for, whether it’s putting down a bunt, delivering a fly ball, or putting the ball in play to the right side.

The Yankees won four world championships in five years playing that kind of smart , heady baseball.

Most impressively, this team is at its best when the pressure’s the greatest.

How many games have they won in the ninth inning?

This is one team where it never pays to leave the ballpark early.

There is a long way to go, obviously, and the Braves have a lot of work to do if they’re going to return to the playoffs after a four-year absence.

But it’s been a heck of a ride so far, and here’s hoping the good times continue.

n LOOK AHEAD: If you’re like me, you start to get that itch this time of year.

Football season is still nearly two months away, but it’s close enough that you can feel it beckoning.

Here’s a quick peak at what to look out for on the local football scene.

Practice, of the official variety anyway, can begin on Aug. 1.

The following week, teams will put the pads on and players will begin whaling away on each other, and on Aug. 27, it’s go time, and what a first night it’ll be.

Troup and Callaway will resume their budding rivalry that night at Callaway Stadium, and LaGrange will venture over to Newnan as those two traditional powers lock horns.

It’s always special when LaGrange and Newnan meet, and you know Drake Stadium will be rockin’ and rollin’ that night.

The local teams will have some new additions to their schedules this year because of the region re-alignment.

For Callaway, the most noteworthy addition is Carver, which has ruled Region 2-AAA the past three years.

Callaway, of course, has been the top dog in Region 5-AA for the past two years.

They’re both in Region 5-AA now, so something will have to give.

LaGrange and Troup, meanwhile, have switched from Region 2-AAA to Region 6-AAA, and they’ll each be playing a slew of new teams.

LaGrange, Troup, Columbus and Shaw have made the move from 2-AAA to 6-AAA, and they’ll be joined by Haralson County, Central-Carrollton, and Carrollton.

One rivalry will not go by the wayside, even though the teams have gone into different classifications.

LaGrange and Carver, who combined for four state titles in the now departed decade, will meet on Sept. 16 at Callaway Stadium.

Schedules for all of the teams in the state can be found by going to www.ghsa.net and following the football link.