Sports

Commish’s fine of Spurs off the mark

Conditioned by years of arrogance, greed, neglect and shamelessness, the big bosses still don’t think you know any better. They still want you to think it’s all about you, when it’s all about — only about — the money.

And, as we also well know by now, when you follow the TV money — the continuing dissolution of the Big East — you can’t help but collide with the truth.

The NBA’s response to Thursday’s no-show of four regulars, including its three biggest stars, to play the Heat in Miami — a $250,000 fine, a public scolding and a reminder the Spurs had done a “disservice” to fans — stunk of populist grandstanding.

If the fans counted — really counted — the NBA wouldn’t have scheduled the Spurs to play four games, all of them on the road (Toronto, Washington, Orlando, Miami), in five nights!

If the fans really counted, NBA Finals games wouldn’t begin at 9:10 p.m.

If the fans really counted, the NBA wouldn’t have scheduled five games this season on Christmas Day.

All of the above — Thursday’s Spurs-Heat, the late-starting NBA Finals and the five-game Christmas schedule — were designed for national TV money. Spurs-Heat was on TNT, the rest on ABC/ESPN.

The unpardonable sin committed by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t against any fans — certainly not ticket-buying fans — but against one of the NBA’s TV partners.

The NBA, throughout the David Stern Era, has never sold basketball or basketball teams. It has sold basketball stars. And three of them were sent home to rest before Thursday’s nationally televised game.

Stern’s response in “service” to all fans, perhaps intentionally, ignored the core issue. A genuinely fan-caring response might have been this:

“Coach Popovich has illustrated a significant issue. Perhaps it’s time, for the sake of all of our fans and the continued good of our product, to reexamine our scheduling process to best ensure only the most competitive basketball is played for our customers, both at the games and watching on TV.”

As things were, the star-less Spurs, led by their fresher bench players, kept it close. As competitive basketball goes, it may have been better than the game that exhausted regulars could have produced.

Regardless, after paying for your ticket, how would you prefer your bus-drivers, ballplayers and baritones, fresh or fried?

But it doesn’t matter. TV money matters.

The Giants play tonight. Last week they played Sunday night. The Jets played Thanksgiving night. For decades, the most logical, customer-caring time to play NFL games was Sunday, 1 p.m.

Yet, like David Stern, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has declared, “It’s all about the fans” — especially those who can endow teams with PSLs. Still plenty available!

New doc on Campbell must-see

Whattya doing tomorrow at 11 p.m.? Wanna watch or record (or have someone record for you) some strong stuff?

NBC Sports Network will air “Still Standing,” a documentary produced by former HBO Sports boss Ross Greenburg and NFL Films, about Earl Campbell, the former University of Texas then Oilers’ running back, among the best ever.

It wasn’t that long ago. He was the first pick in the 1978 draft, quit in 1986.

He’s now 57, but looks at least 70. Tethered to a four-pronged cane, he walks as if he’s 90. But all things considered, that ain’t bad.

On the way to five spinal surgeries, two knee replacements and six years confinement to a wheelchair, Campbell became addicted to booze and pain pills. In time, the only thing he could do quickly was swallow distilled and prescription poison, and display radical mood swings.

Finally, his sons, Christian and Tyler, had enough. We’ll leave it there. Try to watch it.

* In a particularly twisted sports week, fired Auburn football coach Gene Chizik — two years after his Tigers, led by suspiciously recruited Cam Newton, won the national championship — said this:

“I’m extremely disappointed with the way this season turned out [3-9] and I apologize to the Auburn family and our team for what they have had to endure.”

For crying out loud, is he a football coach or a convicted murderer addressing his victim’s kin before sentencing?

Arizona State coach Darryl Rogers said it best 30 years ago: “They’ll fire you for losing before they’ll fire you for cheating.”

* And not even a homicide, followed by a suicide — turning a three-month-old into an orphan in just a few minutes — could prevent ESPN from pushing self-promoting news scoops that seemed as dishonest as they were disgusting.

The details in the Javon Belcher case were all over the Internet before ESPN outlets credited “NFL Insider” Adam Schefter with revealing them.

Fox graphics offensive … or are they defensive?

The Stupid never stops. Yesterday, at the top of Cardinals-Jets, Fox posted a large graphic claiming the Jets defense is 26th in the NFL, allowing 26 points per game (a total of 290).

But those stats included all points scored against the Jets, including the two TDs scored by the Pats last week on fumble returns!

And in the first Jets-Pats game this season, when the Pats scored a safety? Those two points also count against the Jets’ defense, even if, again, it wasn’t on the field!

* Value judgments: WFAN on Saturday cut from the close of Alabama-Georgia — a tight one for the SEC championship — for the Nets’ pregame show.

Still working out those replay rule kinks: Based on a third-quarter replay review stoppage during Cardinals-Jets, a challenge can determine whether the defensive team — the Jets — recovered a fumble well after the whistle had blown the play dead. That fascinating fact wasn’t noted by Fox voices Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick.

Nice jobs by Fox and CBS yesterday, getting us to the ends of wild endings to early games.

Yep, the Stanford Cardinal — that’s a color — played in black uniforms Friday on Fox. Funny, how teams that have always worn black haven’t switched to green, white, blue or yellow.

Don Reed, Cliffside Park, N.J., notes a wire service report that “USC assistant coach Monte Kiffin, whose son, Lane, is the head coach, will resign after the Trojans’ bowl game in order to pursue opportunities in the NFL.” In other words, writes Reed, “he’s resigning to spend less time with his family.”