Cats aren’t this man’s best friend
Professional athletes are the biggest and baddest in our society, and they often are ashamed to show weakness.
They are still human, however. They have problems and fears just like everyone else. And phobias.
The past several months have brought publicity to some big, bad athletes who are scared of some fairly innocuous seeming things.
Zach Randolph is the latest to admit to his fear. The bruising 260-pound power forward admitted to ESPN that he is terrified of cats.
The Memphis Grizzlies star loves his dogs and even appeared on an episode of "Pit Bulls and Parolees" on Animal Planet, where he helped rescue a pit bull that was trapped in a drain pipe.
That softer side doesn't extend to felines.
"You can't be both a dog lover and a cat lover," Randolph says. "I've got a crazy phobia about cats. For some reason, I'm always thinking they're going to scratch me. If a cat walks up, I'm going, 'Oh, no, this dude about to scratch me - I know it!' Cats scare the hell out of me. I love animals, but I'm no cat lover. Guys usually aren't."
Portland Trail Blazers rookie Damian Lillard's phobia isn't even of living things.
He's terrified of statues.
Lillard visited Washington, D.C., in November, and it may have been a haunted house. He took to Twitter to tell his followers he fears statues of historic figures and that his phobia stems from what he called a "bad experience" at a wax museum he visited while attending Weber State.
"The last room was Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln - all these big-time historic people, and it looked just like them. Same size," he told USA Today Sports at the time. "They had music playing in the room to set the mood, and it just threw me off.
"Ever since then, I'm done. Even at Lake Oswego (near Portland), I drive past the cemetery, and there's a statue of Jesus with his hands up. That even scared me. I don't mess with statues no more. It's the idea that they're from so far back and so big in our history. Just to see something that looks so close to them, it's weird. It freaks me out."
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is terrified of horses, including "Warpaint," the team mascot who circles the field after touchdowns. Search it out on YouTube for a good laugh.
This just goes to show even big, bad athletes can suffer from anxiety and phobias.
Just look at all the players on the Buffalo Bills who have time and time again exhibited a fear of winning.
■ GREAT TASTE - The on-court altercation between New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett that almost turned into a street fight when Anthony waited for Garnett by the team bus has blown up on the Internet.
It really gained traction in the blogosphere when it was revealed that Anthony was set off by Garnett's comment that Anthony's wife "tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios."
Anthony's wife doesn't seem too offended.
La La Anthony, best known for her time on MTV, tweeted a joke about the whole situation.
"Not for nothing, but we ALL deserve a check or some free cereal 4all the publicity we've given Honey Nut Cheerios! LOL," she posted.
COMPILED BY ADAM HILL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
