2009 NBA MVP Race

This years NBA MVP award has become the hot topic, and most folks are giving the honors to Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James - well before the season is over.

But one of the aforementioned three superstars deserves to, and will win. Each seems to out-perform the next with spectacular play, night after night. 51 here, 61 there...

Wade, back with a vengeance, drives at will, hits absurd game-winners, and dazzles on the hardwood. But his Heat, despite a late push, don't have a spectacular record like the Lakers or Cavs.

Kobe seemingly wills the Lakers to win, takes control in the fourth quarter, hits ridiculous shots from long range, and has now become universally regarded as a team player WMHTB (who makes his team-mates better), a tired-ass sport cliche, but applicable.

And then there's Bron-Bron. Man, I thought James blossomed last year. WRONG. This guy is sick. And keps getting better. And he's funny, charming, polite, charismatic, and can dance! He's the best personality to come along in the NBA since Magic.

The pre-game camera ritual James executes with fellow Cavalier players is freaking hilarious. Most superstars begin the game with a scowel. James starts off with a creative, team-involved gimmick that is family entertainment. A thing of beauty.



The Cavs were a respectable playoff team last year, and James wasn't exactly surrounded by Hall of Famers. And despite additions like Mo Williams, this year's squad is no dream team either.

So wait until Cleveland gets their Gasol. Or their Garnett, when a GM blinks like Kevin McHale did. Cleveland will be frightening.

This year, no-one did more with less than LeBron. Wade and Bryant have been nothing less than spectacular, but hand the hardware to King James.

Mirror Mirror on the wall

The newest salacious story sweeping the tabloids regards Alex Rodriguez' alleged relationship with a former New York madame.

Kristin Davis, notorious for connecting Elliot Spitzer with "New York's finest", apparently dated A-Rod herself.

Davis also alleges that Rodriguez had sex with several of her call girls, proving that when it really counts, A-Rod actually is capable of getting to third base.



These accusations follow a 2007 photo of A-Rod in Toronto with stripper Jocelyn Morse, and a 2004 allegation by another stripper who also claims that she and Rodriguez played 'long ball'.

What on earth is everyone so upset about? With contracts and salary endorsements totalling close to a billion dollars, A-Rod's call girl expenses alone could jump-start the American economy.

Needless to say, women are attracted to Rodriguez' sizable stimulus package. And when it comes to spreading the wealth among the women in his portfolio, it's clear that A-Rod knows how to, uh, diversify.

So hats off to one of the only entities feeding money back into the bloodstream of the American economy - Alex Rodriguez.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the richest of them all? A-Rod. Baseball's bailout boy.

Shea Hey

I grew up in Brooklyn and the first baseball game I ever saw was at Shea Stadium in 1971. My dad took me to the ballpark and I became a Mets fan. For awhile.

Back then Rusty Staub, Bud Harrelson, Tom Seaver and Tug McGraw were the Mets stars. In '69 and '73 the Mets made other teams collapse rather than doing so themselves. Games were broadcast by Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy.

Nelson's plaid red blazers were so intense they caused your eyes to see a ghost pattern of the jacket if you looked away. Another twist I could never understand was how Murphy also did double-duties as host of 'Bowling for Dollars'.

Watching little Bud Harrelson stand up to Pete Rose - plays like that forced you to give the scrappy Mets your respect. They had a fun, working-class fan-base, unlike the button-down Yanks.

And Shea was home to the hilarious 'Sign Man' (pictured) who passed away last year. His attire - that hat, the mock turtlenecks and tapered pants - always made me think he'd be perfectly suited as an extra on the original 'Batman'.

The Sign Man was smart. He knew that celebrating had its time and place. But today's Met teams break out into a frenzied merengue over a third-inning single. Jose Reyes has more dance moves than Usher on a case of Red Bull.

Show some restraint, Metropolitans! Rather than talking smack to the Phillies, its time for the 'New' Mets to actually accomplish something. Their attractive new ballpark, and newly-signed Francisco Rodriguez may help accomplish that.

A recent ESPN article suggested that if that Bernie Madoff hadn't bankrupted Mets owner Fred Wilpon, the Mets would have had the flexibility this winter to go after Manny and additional troops.

Poor Wilpon. Maybe he can appeal to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for some bailout funds. If the Fed can dole out billions to Citi Bank, they can dole more out to Citi Field! Hell, why not.

Just promise me one thing. No outlandish bonuses to Willie Randolph or Scott Schoenweis.