Zo and Wilbon

[HoyaDestroya]

Good article in the Miami Herald about Zo stepping it up last night for the Heat… “Mourning, playing across town from where he first rose to basketball fame at Georgetown University, a place he said he spent '’four of the best years of my life,'’ looked a lot like that young baby-faced player who used to run the floor with abandon for coach John Thompson's Hoyas.”<br>
www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/11634799.htm

I sat behind the press section at Zards-Heat game last night. Had a chance to ask Wilbon what he thought about the Hoyas – he respond “Are you living in a time warp?”<br>

[hoyahoyasaxa]

Wilbon hates to talk about teams that are out of season.

[Cambridge]

I've never liked Wilbon...not after all the trash talking and pot shots he took at Iverson early on...

[JohnJacquesLayup]

CambridgeHoya said:

I've never liked Wilbon...not after all the trash talking and pot shots he took at Iverson early on...

From Big M-Dub this season:

"John Thompson III may have gotten everything he can get out of this group, which shouldn't be seen as damning the Hoyas with faint praise. Who, at the beginning of the season outside the Georgetown basketball family, would have given a nickel for the team's chances to win 16 games with a new coach installing a radically different system that would have to be run by freshmen and walk-ons in a conference featuring the last two NCAA champs?

Thompson's first Georgetown team has earned not just the respect, but the admiration, of his peers. Yesterday's loss to Villanova put on display most if not all of Georgetown's strengths and weaknesses. The Hoyas pass the ball beautifully and rarely take bad shots. They space the floor, move efficiently, and much more often than not know exactly what to do at the right time."

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/03/23/AR2005032303699.html

[Cambridge]

That's nice that he's giving us praise these days...but I still hold him accountable for being one of the most vocal critics of Iverson...calling him a thug and perpetuating the media stereotype.

[HoyaNCCT]

M-Dub is an interesting character. He goes to the gym that my office uses. He rolls in there and works out - I know, you'd never guess it - for about a half an hour most mornings. A lot of people where t-shirts from their school, work, whatever.

So Does Wilbon. He rocks a grey PTI shirt with the logo emblazoned across the entirety of his chest. What a character...

The first time I saw him I was like "Is that Mike Wilbon...i think so." Luckily, he had his shirt on for clarification that he was the guy from ESPN.

[the_way]

CambridgeHoya said:

That's nice that he's giving us praise these days...but I still hold him accountable for being one of the most vocal critics of Iverson...calling him a thug and perpetuating the media stereotype.

Wilbon is a company-line guy. To me he is not that great of a writer. What he does quite ofen is echo the sentiments of what the national public are thinking. Rarely does he give form his own opinion on things. I like Kornheiser better. I don't always agree with everything he says, but he offers more of his own opinion on matters and has his own voice. That to me is a great writer. Wilbon's answer about the time-warp thing of GU is typical of Wilbon. He only knows about the obvious and whats popular at the moment. If he was asked about the Terps, he would gave a five-minute tirade about why John Gilcrist should stay another year.

Wilbon is a rolodex guy. Everytime he writes an article he quotes all these big-time players or executives about the particular matter, and then he repeats what they say. He knows a lot of people and has formed relationships with them which sometimes it affects his writing. For example, its no secret that he and Michael Jordan are very close. George Michael from channel 4 always jokes about Wilbon being the "president of the Michael Jordan fan club". So you will never hear a critical assessment of Michael Jordan from Wilbon. Particularly when it is warranted, i.e., the way Jordan mishandled the Wizards as GM.

[JohnJacquesLayup]

the_way said:

Wilbon is a company-line guy. To me he is not that great of a writer. What he does quite ofen is echo the sentiments of what the national public are thinking. Rarely does he give form his own opinion on things. I like Kornheiser better. I don't always agree with everything he says, but he offers more of his own opinion on matters and has his own voice. That to me is a great writer. Wilbon's answer about the time-warp thing of GU is typical of Wilbon. He only knows about the obvious and whats popular at the moment. If he was asked about the Terps, he would gave a five-minute tirade about why John Gilcrist should stay another year.

Wilbon is a rolodex guy. Everytime he writes an article he quotes all these big-time players or executives about the particular matter, and then he repeats what they say. He knows a lot of people and has formed relationships with them which sometimes it affects his writing. For example, its no secret that he and Michael Jordan are very close. George Michael from channel 4 always jokes about Wilbon being the "president of the Michael Jordan fan club". So you will never hear a critical assessment of Michael Jordan from Wilbon. Particularly when it is warranted, i.e., the way Jordan mishandled the Wizards as GM.

Come on, let's cut him some slack. He does happen to be my uncle, by the way.


No, Not really.

But I'm surprised to see the general feelings about Wilbon on this board. I like any writer who spends half an hour a day telling Kornheiser how stupid he is.

[the_way]

JohnJacquesLayup said:

Come on, let's cut him some slack. He does happen to be my uncle, by the way.


No, Not really.

But I'm surprised to see the general feelings about Wilbon on this board. I like any writer who spends half an hour a day telling Kornheiser how stupid he is.

Hey, I got nothing against your uncle, ehem, I mean Mr. Wilbon. I'm just saying he plays favorites when it comes to reporting. They all play favorites, but his personal relationships with players and GM's are evident when it comes to his bias reporting.

[Cambridge]

JohnJacquesLayup said:

But I'm surprised to see the general feelings about Wilbon on this board. I like any writer who spends half an hour a day telling Kornheiser how stupid he is.

Amen to that...I just think they are overrated as sports writers in general. It's laughable they have a show...but I guess these days ESPN is putting on even less credible commentators, so what do I know.

In DC, give me Boswell over either of those two clowns any day of the week. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are always just behind the wave, riding public opinion and play to the crowd.

Boswell always seems just ahead of the curve and provides real incite while letting you know how he feels.

[the_way]

CambridgeHoya said:

Amen to that...I just think they are overrated as sports writers in general. It's laughable they have a show...but I guess these days ESPN is putting on even less credible commentators, so what do I know.

In DC, give me Boswell over either of those two clowns any day of the week. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are always just behind the wave, riding public opinion and play to the crowd.

Boswell always seems just ahead of the curve and provides real incite while letting you know how he feels.

Yes, Bos is the best. Whether its baseball,football, or basketball, Bos does give you that insight.

[hoyahoyasaxa]

I like Wilbon. I think his time-warp comment was because the Hoyas are out-of-season right now. I wouldn't be surprised if he said the same thing if someone asked about the Terps.

On his WP chats, anytime someone asks about the Redskins, he basically says, "Are you joking? We have the Wizards in the playoffs, the Nats doing well, etc. I'll talk about the Redskins during football season." That's what I meant about him hating to talk about teams out-of-season.

I agree Bos is the best in the area, hands-down.

[JohnJacquesLayup]

CambridgeHoya said:

Amen to that...I just think they are overrated as sports writers in general. It's laughable they have a show...but I guess these days ESPN is putting on even less credible commentators, so what do I know.

Very true. Exibit A: Around the Horn.

NEXT TOPIC!!!

Note: For those of you that don't know (I rarely get home in time to watch Around the Horn either) the "Next Topic" is a reference to the show. I'm not trying to end this thread.

[Cambridge]

Uggg, that show is so painful.

[HoyaDestroya]

More on Zo and a little Gtown flashback in the daily dime... sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/dailydime

[AvantGuardHoya]

ALL those Post guys run hot and cold with me. But remember, Wilbon (and Kornheiser, for that matter) is a columnist, not a reporter. All he's really sharing is his opinion. I know I'm dating myself, but the last Post sports columnist I truly appreciated was Shirley Povich.

And while I'm on the subject of columnists, do any of y'all want to join my tar and feather crew to take out the Washington Times' Tom Knott? If he isn't the most mean spirited sports columnist in print today, I'd certainly like to know who is. The man regularly makes my blood boil. And to think his daughter played for the Hoyas. If it weren't for Barker Davis' outstanding Hoya coverage, I'd NEVER look at that fascistic, Moonie rag!

[GUHoya07]

Alonzo Mourning walked out of the visitors locker room at MCI Center in one of his impeccable suits after the Heat's Game 3 triumph over the Wizards when a small television monitor caught his eye. On it were highlights of him in a Georgetown uniform swatting away shot after shot. He paused, transfixed on the screen. His now-grizzled face wore a sentimental grin.

"Man, that takes me back," he said as his voice cracked. "Coach Thompson really taught me a lot."

His eyes started to gloss over, and then that grin blossomed into a full-blown smile.

"And I was pretty slim back then too. Man, look at me go."

Back in D.C., his adopted second home, Zo has had much to be sentimental about. Everywhere he's gone people stop him to talk G-Town, not playoffs.

"The four years I spent here were some of the best of my life," said Mourning. "We should have won it all in '89."

Thanks to Mourning's spirited play, the Heat took a 3-0 lead in the series and can close out Saturday. Late in the game, after a rejection of a Larry Hughes dunk, Mourning flexed his massive guns, drawing waves of boos from the fans that once cheered him. He knew it was nothing personal.

"The last thing you want to do is boo me," said Zo. "That just gets me going no matter where I'm playing."

He spent most of his career being the player you love to hate. Now he's the guy you gotta love. Just ask anyone in D.C.
-- Chris Palmer, from Washington's MCI Center

[MCIGuy]

AvantGuardHoya said:

And while I'm on the subject of columnists, do any of y'all want to join my tar and feather crew to take out the Washington Times' Tom Knott? If he isn't the most mean spirited sports columnist in print today, I'd certainly like to know who is. The man regularly makes my blood boil. And to think his daughter played for the Hoyas. If it weren't for Barker Davis' outstanding Hoya coverage, I'd NEVER look at that fascistic, Moonie rag!

Tom Knott used to love AI when he was at GU but made him his punching bag during his time with the Sixers (all the while praising his adopted son Kobe). Now Knott has divorced himself from Kobe but he still needles AI from time to time. At least Knott placed AI on second team NBA (although the last guy on the team). The WTimes' NBA writer jamison Brewer who did weekly rundowns of the league during the regular season not only has referred to Iverson as one of the most overrated players in the history of the game, he also left AI off his choices for all three All NBA teams. Meanwhile he placed Arenas on the second team and Larry Hughes on the third team. Knott also kisses the butts of Arenas and Hughes too.

[Cambridge]

MCIGuy said:

Tom Knott used to love AI when he was at GU but made him his punching bag during his time with the Sixers (all the while praising his adopted son Kobe). Now Knott has divorced himself from Kobe but he still needles AI from time to time. At least Knott placed AI on second team NBA (although the last guy on the team). The WTimes' NBA writer jamison Brewer who did weekly rundowns of the league during the regular season not only has referred to Iverson as one of the most overrated players in the history of the game, he also left AI off his choices for all three All NBA teams. Meanwhile he placed Arenas on the second team and Larry Hughes on the third team. Knott also kisses the butts of Arenas and Hughes too.

That is out of control. Overrated? Not on any All-NBA team? Chumps can't recognize greatness in front of them...they will one day regret their words the way long forgotten jokesters deemed Dr. J's game as too "playground" to every make an impact in the league...

[MCIGuy]

CambridgeHoya said:

That's nice that he's giving us praise these days...but I still hold him accountable for being one of the most vocal critics of Iverson...calling him a thug and perpetuating the media stereotype.

Don't recall him ever calling AI a thug. But he has been harder on AI than Kornheiser has. Wilbon wanted to stop "all the hype" about AI after Bubba Chuck's Kenner League debut. Even wrote a column BEFORE AI's freshmen year at GU which essentially warned people to not be fooled into thinking Iverson (which he had not seen) could live up to those expectations.

Wilbon soured on AI a bit during his rookie year with the Sixers when he and the media and exaggerated about Iverson's dissing Michael Jordan (which was baloney). AI had to live down talking trash on the court to Mike for years. Wilbon has written very positive columns about AI after that experience (I still have most of them) but he has never been too enthusiastic about giving AI his deserved props. He was always more eager to praise other guys (like Wade now) than AI.

Kornheiser though has always been in the tank for Iverson; he loves him. The players Kornheiser hated were Mutombo and especially Alonzo. TK won't ever get off Zo's back except to say that he thinks Alonzo has to be the greatest teammate one can have. Wilbon though has always loved Alonzo.