Sports

NBA in no position to offer insight on Collins’ sexuality

Lookalikes, from Keith Saxe of Manhattan: (
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Let’s give David Stern the benefit of his clout. This week, when he and Commissioner-in-waiting Adam Silver, in a released statement, provided Jason Collins their support and approval as an “exemplary member of the NBA family,” they might have come at it through a different door.

They might have instead released the following:

“You’re kidding, right? How could we possibly have the audacity to pass judgment on Collins’ decision to reveal that he’s gay — to offer our official position and blessings on his lifestyle — when the league indulges, suffers and excuses just about every act in The Big Book of Bad?

“You name it, we’ve got it. Domestic violence perps by the dozens, drug users and movers, speeders nailed for DWIs on suspended licenses, players with babies here, there and everywhere. Among NBAers, ‘consensual sex’ can be a matter of opinion (or a 2-1 vote).

“We’ve got those who carry illegally concealed illegal weapons — even into NBA arenas — and those still aligned with murderous street gangs. We regularly open our hearts, doors and checkbooks to players in and out of jail.

“How many of our heterosexual guys behave like gentlemen at ‘Gentlemen’s Clubs’ — at 3 in the morning? For crying out loud, we called an ad hoc summit of bad boys from all sports and entertainment by awarding our All-Star Game to Las Vegas! We don’t have a franchise in Vegas? No kidding.

“Ron Artest/Metta World Peace received multiple suspensions before and after we presented him with a citizenship award, yet we have to lend specific and public support to Jason Collins upon revealing that he’s gay?

“Heck, when we say, ‘Who are we, the NBA, to judge?’ we mean, ‘Who are we to judge!?”

Same for a media that panders to and even celebrates the most antisocial creeps in every sport. TV hires the latest most dubious available as analysts — as opinion-givers, opinion-shapers — and we’re supposed to care whether they provide Collins their blessings?

The NBA and its networks have been throwing vulgar, hateful, homophobic, boastful, violent, racist, threatening, women-trashing, drug-embracing, assault weapon-loving, crotch-grabbing, N-wording rappers into the NBA marketing mix, and now we’re to await their judgments on Collins?

As “alternative lifestyles” go, an alternative to what?

Perhaps Jay Z, 50 Cent, Pit Bull or Nas has a version of “Harper Valley PTA” — one to perform during the NBA’s fabulous All-Star weekend on TNT!

Films ‘based on true story’ often miss easy truths

The problem with excusing factual flaws in fact-based movies is that those flaws can stick — and hurt.

In “Cinderella Man,” about 1935 heavyweight champ James Braddock, his opponent, Max Baer, was portrayed as a rotten guy in order to juice the good vs. evil plot.

But those who knew Baer, or knew about him — including Max Baer Jr. (Jethro on the “Beverly Hillbillies”) — angrily complained that he was a very decent man.

Too bad, and too late. As viewers of “Cinderella Man,” now the property of Turner TV for multiple re-airings, now “know,” Baer was a very bad guy.

“42” is loaded with factual errors, big and small, but things easy to get right — if one wanted to get right. The daughter of Pirates’ pitcher Fritz Ostermueller, portrayed in the movie as a hate-filled racist who threw at Jackie Robinson’s head then shouted, “You don’t belong here!” claims, 1) that never happened, 2) her father was not a racist.

“I was not raised in that type of home,” she told TMZ. “The producers of ‘42’ certainly owe my father an apology. If they were going to portray him falsely, they should have used a fictional name.”

Too bad, too late.

* Shame on new Jets’ general manager John Idzik for not hanging up on Mike Francesa on Tuesday, after Francesa began his bully-boy routine.

Francesa, who doesn’t know Idzik and rarely, if ever, knows a damned thing about what and who he is screaming about — was allowed by Idzik to abuse him, to attack his intellect, question his integrity and make him feel small in feeling the wrath of Francesa the First and Only, Potentate of his imaginary feudal kingdom.

And Idzik took it! As if Francesa might be half the big shot he pretends to be, Idzik took it!

Perhaps Idzik did not yet know that to have politely slam-dunked the phone on Francesa would have been the wisest decision made by a Jets exec in the Woody Johnson era.

If nothing else, Idzik would have become an instant cult hero. He would have given Jets fans the comfort of knowing that there’s someone with a title to root for.

* How many times do you suppose Phillies slugger Ryan Howard has stood near home, admiring his “home runs” until they smack off a wall? Twenty-five, 35, 40?

Sunday, against the Mets, he did it again. Thus, instead of even running at a moderate pace the whole way, he had to sprint to make second. And when you get a self-imposed late start on an extra-base hit, you often risk injury by having to slide.

But that’s how the game, at its highest level, is now played, TV-blessed style supplanting both sense and winning baseball. I know, it’s crazy.

On-air Nets team a winner

Better late than never, people are starting to realize the Nets’ radio team, Chris Carrino and Tim Capstraw, is strong. Their sustained energy and impartiality during Saturday’s triple overtime loss in Chicago was special, appreciated.

Capstraw has such a good, concise grip. Monday, after a timeout in Game 5, he advised that the Bulls, under coach Tom Thibodeau, are “really good after timeouts.” Not only was he correct, that’s the kind of watch/listen-for-it analysis that can be applied in all games.

Michael Kay chooses to remain a bad-guess artist. Monday during Astros-Yankees on YES, the Braves’ Justin Upton was mentioned as leading the majors with 12 homers. Kay knowingly added, “and his brother’s doing well.” At the time, his brother, B.J., also with the Braves, was hitting .146.

* Sure, Bobby Parnell got a blown save and the Mets lost in 15 innings Monday. But it was worth it. The four Mets pitchers before Parnell all earned “holds.”

* Can’t recall any crimes Tim Tebow committed here. Not even an offensive or crude tweet. Apparently, though, he was pure evil.

Quickest, reliable source of Jets player moves is the team’s merchandise sales section on its website. Heck, Monday morning, even before ESPN had the chance to credit itself for the story that Tebow had been cut, the cost of Jets’ Tebow jerseys had been slashed.

* Jimmy Dolan couldn’t have been too upset that J.R. Smith’s suspension may have helped get him an extra home playoff game at jacked up ticket prices. Well, not at first.

From reader Gene Sittenfeld: “Now that Bobby Knight’s a nice guy eating at Applebee’s (while joking about chair-throwing, hah-hah, hah), any chance Mike Tyson might drop by for a bite?