Bob Lobel: Dennis Rodman, Prince of Peace

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Bob Lobel, GoLocalWorcester Sports Contributor

Prince of Peace, Dennis Rodman. Basketball Hall of Fame for his rebounding prowess, Ripley's Believe It or Not for all kinds of strange and interesting things. I guess if you checked the dictionary and looked up bizarre, his picture would be there.

What now? Does Obama bring Dennis to the White House for debriefing? Does the basketball-playing President challenge Our Dear Leader to a game of Horse? Or Pig? Or Nukes? What is in the cards for comrade Rodman? (That has a nice sound to it.)

I can see him addressing the United Nations. Hey, if that wacko from Iran does it, anyone qualifies in my book. No, there has to be more for Rodman. Nobel Peace Prize trumps NBA championship ring, don’t you think? Ok, Lobel Peace Prize as a backup.

At least since that story broke we all can sleep a little easier since North Korea is now under the spell of the freakazoid in the wedding dress. Maybe, just maybe, Dennis has promised his new-found friend a visit from Bill Laimbeer and hopefully Isaiah Thomas. Detroit may be bankrupt, but their basketball legends live on.

Time to move on to our other international sport. Remember the National Hockey League lockout? It seems to me that it was the best possible play for the regular season version of the NHL. Usually, the dreadful, basically meaningless regular season would plod on until the holy grail of NHL playoff hockey. Playoff hockey is generally recognized as the best of all the competitions in big boy sports. But now, because of the greedy and hockey-numb owners, things have changed.

I would have to say the owners bumbled and stumbled into something really good. Regular season hockey is alive and well. In fact, it's better than that. The shortened season has made every point important so there is a feel that every game is close to the intensity of playoff hockey. This is not a bad thing. A classic case of less is more. The sad part is that it seems to be a one-time deal, so enjoy it while you can.

And one more thing: I know I am not alone when I say the Bruins have become the hottest ticket in town. They are fun, tough, personable, and most importantly, recognizable. They have personality and they have a coach who we all wanted to fire. Three want a crackdown on their fellow cheats, so when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, there will at least be a level playing field. Strange times indeed.

The NFL wants to widen the playing field. Sounds okay to me. More room to commit career-ending and life-threatening injuries.

Seven Catholic universities are going to go into their own conference, pope or no pope. Why does this seem sketchy to me? Maybe because I'm not Catholic. It's just not reason enough to band together, unless there is some bias out there which forces these Catholic schools to circle the wagons. If there are impasses that need healing we have the guy. No longer, Dennis the Menace but Dennis, Prince of Peace. Hey, take it where and when you can get it.