One of the best writers in sports, Bill Simmons aka The Sports Guy, has a thoroughly entertaining and insightful podcast. On the 12/10/08 podcast, Bill Simmons talked with David Stern as he celebrates his 25th Anniversary as Commissioner of the NBA. Bill discussed several topics during the near hour long conversation and asked a variety of questions, but one of the more intriguing was asking Stern who some of his favorite owners over his 25 years in the NBA and why he would cite them as a favorite or model owner. Sure enough Abe Pollin of the Washington Wizards made Stern's top three favorite owners. He was an owner before Stern even became commissioner The BS Report.
Who would have thought that Abe, aka "where's the cake", the man that crossed words with Michael Jordan during a labor agreement dispute, the owner that hired and fired Michael Jordan, and the owner that won a title in the late 1970s and is still waiting for his next championship would make such distinctive and honorable list? Abe is a great humanitarian. His kindness and generosity are well known and documented. He also chose to move the team back to the city at a personal cost of his own pocket for the betterment of the community to revitalize the area. Abe is in poor health and may not see another title, but his generosity and goodwill will live on in the community. It's good to see Abe is revered and held in such high esteem by Stern.
On a side note it's well worth listening to The BS Report to listen to Bill's conversations with Gus about Rocky III & IV and Jack-O about Yankees signings. After all who else can describe what questions were unanswered in the Rocky series or what other items in the later movies pulled you out of your suspension of disbelief and make it so funny? For Bill it was Rocky taking the fight for no money on Christmas vs. Drago (Rocky IV) and for Gus it was the $10 cheap pair of boots that Rocky supposedly climbed a mountain in and in a single afternoon.
They also ponder the possibilities of Clubber Lang and Drago after their bouts with Rocky. One believed Clubber Lang would fall into the 1980s drug craze while the other thought he'd fall into the MMA field. It's all par for the course on a podcast that can pull you from talking with a former GM in the NFL and why he'd never sign a cornerback that played in a dome to discussing Rocky movies or Yankees signings with friends. It's as much delightfully entertaining as it is informative.
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