The Artest of Time (11/23/04) --

I'm like almost everybody in the United States right now... I'm not too fond of the National Basketball Association.

The star power is there. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaq but that's not all that is in the NBA nowadays. There's loose cannons. Okay, there is a loose cannon.

Ron Artest.

Yes, the Ron Artest that jumped into the stands and started swinging like crazy at at fans

So that raises the question: Did he fight because of the cup of beer that hit him from ten rows? Most of the people that saw the fight say "yes," but I don't.

I think the "The Artest of Time" is the reason Ron went into the stands on Friday.

After many comments earlier this month about how he thought about sitting out the entire season to focus on his rap career, that I'm sure will result in multi-platinum status and multiple Grammy Awards, (It's tough to sense sarcasm in print, but it is there, trust me.), that this is just a way to sit out the season and get his name out in the news.

Oh....hell....yes

Like the old saying goes... no publicity is bad publicity, and Ron has taken that to heart.

But now that Ron doesn't have to worry about the Pacers writing out his checks, he's going to have to have the fans of the music scene pay for his lifestyle, which might actually happen. One catchy hook, he's going platinum. One phat beat and some smooth lyrics, he's got a Grammy in his back pocket. That's the way the music industry works.

Unfortunately for Ron, if history repeats itself, its not looking good. Remember Shaq's hit record in the mid-90's. No? Didn't think so. What about Allen Iverson's hardcore rap record from the early-00's? Swing and another miss. The count is 0-2 and the third pitch is on the way.

"The Artest of Time" will more than likely be the third strike, and hopefully the last time an NBA athlete tries to cross a bridge that will lead to people laughing hysterically at them three, five, ten, even twenty years down the road. Don't get me wrong, for the right price, I'll buy "The Artest of Time". It'll go nicely next to my Shaq and Allen Iverson CDs.

Unfortunately, all three of them combined have nothing on the musical mastermind Randy "The Macho Man" Savage.

Sheepdawg