LEFTOVERS: Cuban now giving NBA fashion tips
It’s safe to say that the sleeved jerseys worn by the 10 NBA teams that played on Christmas Day will not go down in fashion history as a winner.
Count Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban among the detractors. At the risk of getting fined one last time before commissioner David Stern retires Feb. 1, Cuban said the skin-tight unis made players look like high school or college wrestlers.
“I could have thought of better ways to sell and a lot of different ways by having them in a casual-wear situation,” Cuban told reporters Thursday before the Mavs hosted San Antonio, which was one of the 10 teams that wore the ill-fitting garb. “We would have been better off, if we want people to wear them casually, to get the trainers and everybody else to wear them to show them in a realistic setting.”
Cuban understood why the NBA did what it did, but said most fans aren’t going to like the look on themselves.
“I don’t think schools are going to be happy if 16-year-old boys come in wearing skin-tight gym wrestling gear,” he said. “My opinion, they’ll sell, but we could have sold more.
“You live and learn. That’s just my opinion. Maybe I’ll be wrong. Maybe they’ll sell like gangbusters in China.”
■ PORTUGUESE PRANKSTER — What is it with these soccer fans in Portugal? If it’s not grandmothers running onto the field, it’s parents messing with their kids’ heads.
A 4-year-old girl who roots for Benfica asked for a team jersey for Christmas. Reasonable enough, right? So imagine her horror Christmas morning when she opened her present to find not a red Benfica shirt but a blue Porto jersey. In Portuguese soccer, Porto is Benfica’s main rival, much like the Dodgers are the Giants’ chief rival in baseball.
Understandably, the kid started crying and was pretty upset. But it turned out to be a prank. Moments later, her father handed her another package, this one containing a red Benfica jersey.
It’s tough for a 4-year-old to get revenge, but her parents should be forewarned — the day is coming when that girl will be older and will get even. And when she does, look out!
■ CHIP OFF THE OL’ BLOCKHEAD — Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy has a bit of a temper. Just ask Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, who almost came to blows with Roy on opening night.
Apparently, Roy’s son Frederick also has a short fuse.
Frederick Roy, who plays for Rochester of the American Hockey League, went ballistic at the end of a 5-0 loss to Geneva-Servette in the Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland. Roy tried to pick a fight and was issued a game misconduct. As Roy left the ice screaming profanities, he broke his stick, destroyed a coffee machine and yelled at a videographer who was filming the tantrum.
As you can imagine, Roy’s hissy fit became an instant hit on YouTube. But give the guy a break. He only has three goals this season, so how often does he get to be happy?
Perhaps there’s father-son anger management help available for the Roys. If not, coffee pots throughout hockey remain in grave danger.
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
