Those who like Kobe Bryant defend his integrity. Those who don't assail his "dark side."
Those who like his accuser defend her honesty. Those who don't assail her "drama queen" persona.
Round and round it goes. The media and Internet orgy swirling about this sad saga has been an embarrassing reflection on society.
And one of the worst offenders has been ESPN's Jim Gray. Posing as an unbiased reporter, Gray repeatedly has waxed eloquent about the Bryant he knows so well, who would never do such a thing.
Gray, of course, has the right to form opinions and state them. But his perspective is inherently skewed. He knows Bryant only through the distorted journalist-pro athlete prism. They would never know each other otherwise.
Last month Bryant provided Gray with a huge scoop - a feather in Gray's professional cap - by telling Gray he will become a free agent after next season. Gray presented this as major breaking news during the NBA draft.
By this point Gray was long-since compromised from editorializing on Bryant. But after Bryant was accused, ESPN allowed Gray to "report," offering his biased, pro-Bryant takes.
The shameless Gray is a small aside to a large and serious matter. We can only hope the truth prevails and all involved get what they deserve, whatever that might be.
There's no hyperbole in describing cycling stars
Lance and Tyler, the new boys of summer.
Summer in France, that is.
The perpetually astonishing Lance Armstrong and ex-teammate Tyler Hamilton, both Americans, have turned the 2003 Tour de France into the most compelling in modern history. Even better than 1989, when 1986 champion Greg LeMond, returning from a two-year absence after surviving an accidental shotgun blast, erased a 50-second deficit in a final-day, 15.2-mile time trial to win by eight seconds.
Somehow, buddies Armstrong and Hamilton, with help from Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, et al, have set a standard.
Armstrong's breakneck, impromptu cyclo-cross to avoid the crashing Joseba Beloki, and his hellbent charge up Luz-Ardiden after a hard crash to win Monday's seminal stage were acts of pure greatness.
Hamilton also has displayed the stuff of legends. Considered a major threat to four-time champ Armstrong, he broke his collarbone in two places in a first-stage pileup. His Tour was over.
Or not. Hamilton kept riding and survived the vicious mountain stages despite the excruciating pain. Wednesday he etched a spot in Tour folklore with a three-hour solo breakaway to win the stage.
Words like "legend" and "greatness" are overused. Not here. Armstrong epitomizes such labels. And he can welcome Hamilton to the club.
