NBA commissioner caught cheating

One of the mysteries of the ages may have been solved by AM 570 sports talk show host Joe McDonnell.

Why did NBA Commissioner David Stern suddenly and for no known reason decide to replace the leather game ball with a microfiber composite ball?

The players, who were not consulted, were extremely unhappy about the change, telling sportswriters and anyone else who would listen that the synthetic ball handled differently and not as well.

On Monday, the players' union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The commissioner's decision to change the basketball without notice to the union violated the league's collective bargaining agreement, they said.

On Tuesday, David Stern sounded like a man who was about to fold. He told the New York Times that the NBA should have sought more input from the players. While still insisting that the new ball is an improvement, he conceded that the players' unhappiness will have to be addressed. He said he'll talk to Spalding, the ball manufacturer, to see what can be done.

Now, throw out your New York Times and listen to Los Angeles radio host Joe McDonnell, who is reporting that David Stern mandated the use of a synthetic game ball after his wife was lobbied by her good friend, animal-rights supporter Nanci Alexander, who happens to be married to Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander. The Alexanders are major donors to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, those paint-throwing fur haters who also have a thing about leather.

If Joe McDonnell is right and David Stern allowed his wife to make a decision affecting the quality of play in the National Basketball Association, it can only mean:

She caught him cheating on her.

She's got enough jewelry.

Half of everything he's got is more than he was willing to pay.

The commissioner really should have gone to the players and explained his predicament. They might have been more sympathetic than he expected.


Copyright 2006


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