Simmons

I can't believe I forgot to post this. My friend Tom and I were able to meet ESPN's Bill Simmons last month at Sport Bar & Grill downtown. Simmons wrote a tome/love letter/700+ page book on the history of the NBA. I was surprised at how many people showed up in support of "The Book of Basketball." There were easily 400+ bball fans there and the line wrapped around Fisher Plaza a couple of times. Maybe it was enough to convince the hoops gods that Seattle needs a team again. The best part was what Simmons wrote in my book. In the 30 seconds we had we talked UT Jazz and what he wrote made my heart smile (heard that one on the Bachelor). "To Ben, MJ shoved Russell. Bill Simmons." It was refreshing to hear someone who still worships Michael Jordan admit that he did indeed shove Russell during that last shot in '98 (but I'm not bitter).

From a footnote on page 611:

"Here's how great Jordan was: for his single greatest moment, he blatantly cheated... and nobody gave a s--t. If anything, we applauded him for his ingenuity. Imagine if Kobe won the NBA title with a shove like that. We'd be b----ing about it all summer."