Damn you SI.com. Damn you.
This morning I made my daily perusal of the “Truth and Rumors” headlines of SI.com’s FanNation section. After checking out a quick blurb about the Browns being in the market for a running back, and then another blurb about whether Amar’e Stoudemire and Shaq could coexist in Cleveland after their checkered experience together in Phoenix, I read something that made me stop dead in my tracks.
And I bet it’s a headline that would make any sports fan stop dead in their tracks.
“James wants to be a Knick.”
Aside from “will Brett Favre actually retire?” there has been no more talked about or rumored about decision than “will LeBron James stay in Cleveland?”
And if it is true – or even rumored believably – that he really wants to be a Knick, that sound you’ll hear is the entire city of Cleveland grasping for air, desperate to avoid suffocating on their own disappointment.
So…does LeBron James really want to be a Knick?
Who the hell knows. But apparently Mike James does!
That’s right, the bastards who put together the “Truth and Rumors” section and write the headlines decided that it would be a nice thing to do (on a Sunday morning!) to cause momentary shock and awe for anyone perusing their page for interesting headlines.
I would wager every dollar I have (that’s right, all $10!), that not one person unrelated to Mike James would have looked at the headline in question and thought that it was about anyone other than LeBron.
And that’s just mean. Really mean.
Here is a screen shot of the page I am referring to. You can tell me if I was overreacting in immediately clicking through expecting some new nugget of (mis)information in the ongoing LeBron “will he or won’t he” saga.
There towards the bottom, nestled between two Cavs rumors, is the statement “James wants to be a Knick”. Again, I’ll ask, would anyone assume that headline is about anyone other than LeBron?
Well Cleveland, you can breathe easier, because no one knows what LeBron wants to or will do after this season is over, but we do know that point guard Mike James of the Washington Wizards wants to get out of D.C. and play for the Knicks.
Here is the page you are taken to after clicking on the “James wants to be a Knick” link:
So let me get this straight FanNation. With the trade deadline approaching, one of the seven most important “Truth and Rumors” headlines revolves around a nondescript point guard for the Wizards who wants to play for the Knicks? I think not. If Mike James’ last name were Smith or Morris, no way this even registers on the editor’s radar screen.
But he or she saw a way to create an intriguing headline and drive morning click-throughs from groggy Sunday web surfers like me and took it.
Well congrats, you crafty, cunning headline writer you. You got me. Now go to hell and don’t use “James” and “Knicks” in the same sentence again unless you have something legitimate to say about LeBron!
I mean, really, what kind of no-talent ass clown would take advantage of unsuspecting readers my using a misleading headline about LeBron and the Knicks to drive a few more click-throughs. Certainly no one on this blog. Ever. No chance.
Jackasses.
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* – LeBron James photo credit: MilkinTheClock.com
About Jerod Morris
