Malone being a big baby

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers8dec08,1,4059777.column?coll=la-he
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You can now add Karl Malone's name to the list of big babies.

What a ridiculous story. I'm so tired of the whining and the crying of
millionaires who feel disrespected.

Now we have Malone, throwing a tantrum because he heard Kobe Bryant had said
something unsettling about him, the great Karl Malone, and so now Malone is
going to take his old, run-down body somewhere else, anywhere else besides
the Lakers, and so take that.

In fact, now we're hearing from Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, that Malone
is 100% healthy, digging the knife deeper so everyone can feel the pain of
losing Malone now that Bryant has disrespected him.

Malone is going to take his sneakers elsewhere, as we're being told, because
Karl "is furious," his agent also telling Fred Roggin on KMPC (1540) radio
that for Kobe "to say Karl is a distraction is not appropriate."

I read Bryant's comments from his interview on KXTA (1150) Sports in the
newspaper, and Bryant never used the word "distraction," which would have
been accurate, though, in describing Malone's appearances this season at
Staples Center.

The Lakers are a work in progress, and Malone has attended several Laker
games, sitting at courtside directly across from the Laker bench ... the
great savior waving to his former teammates. How distracting.

Listen to any coach or player talk about a teammate who has been injured or
lost for a time, and as the old sports cliche goes, "We can only play with
the guys we have and do the best we can."

In so many words, Bryant said the same thing, although he did give us
another ego overdose when he said, "[The players] are here giving me 110%."

PHIL JACKSON whined in a book. Shaquille O'Neal, the Big Pout, continues to
carry on like a child sent to his (Miami) room without a pat on the back.
Bryant remains immature and aloof in dealing with people. Gary Payton needed
a binky, and with the nursery so full, I guess no one noticed Malone was no
different.

For the most part everyone paid Malone homage, the proud superstar taking
the pay cut for the noble pursuit of a ring, the one who also became the
locker room peacemaker. A little too much peace-making grandstanding for me.

Now we learn - unless his agent has not represented him accurately - that
Malone is irate because the Lakers aren't counting the hours until he
returns. Boo-hoo.

And like a child who has been hurt and wants to strike back, his agent is
making sure everyone knows it's Bryant's fault Malone won't be back.

"This is a pretty emotional, traumatic thing," Manley said, and I can just
picture that big power forward who took no prisoners on the court, dabbing
at his eyes because Bryant said the team must play on without looking over
its shoulder.

Come on, the big baby is 41 years old, last seen hobbling on his last leg,
and not much help, as far as I'm concerned, for a rebuilding Laker team.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn later he used Bryant's remarks as a way of
getting out of L.A., the proud warrior taking his game to San Antonio or
Minnesota. So there. He sat at courtside in Staples, and had to know after
watching a few games that there was no ring to be won in L.A. with the
little time he has left.

That aside, it's obvious now the piling on Bryant is going to continue. His
considerable ego, of course, is a magnet for such criticism, and his aloof
attitude certainly makes him a tough athlete to embrace.

But the facts suggest that O'Neal requested a trade. He stays here, and
maybe Bryant is gone, but O'Neal demanded to leave. Jackson priced himself
out of the market, his way of leaving town, and then blamed his inability to
take four future Hall of Famers and win another title on Bryant's
immaturity.

Payton self-destructed, and now we get Malone's bruised ego. Malone's final
departure will be one more slap at Bryant, which will be welcomed by many,
because Bryant is the last man standing on a team that is no longer a
powerhouse. A lot of people are upset by that, and Bryant is the easy
target.

But you know what? They're all just a big bunch of babies.