Celebrating one year of freedom

Well, I'm going to make my first real post under the new name mean something, that's for sure. About a year ago at this time, I was sitting watching a baseball game with a good buddy of mine, playing some caps, loving life. Across town, my girlfriend of 8 months was two timing me. With some dude who took 6 years to graduate college, is a hippie, and plays guitar, no less (doesn't it always happen that way?).

There are the people in question, now dating. To the left Lum Si, the right Ami Fa. Names have been shortened for the sake of relative anonymity, but not completely omitted so it shows up in search engines. Needless to say, when I heard of this the relationship got ugly and was ruined, not unlike Ami (seriously, GOCM, didn't she put on at least 20 pounds?)

Now almost one year, countless bad decisions, and even more countless amounts of alcohol later, I celebrate the greatest betrayal I've ever experienced by looking back on the top 5 greatest sports betrayals in recent memory.

5. Kobe throwing Shaq under the bus.

As I've touched on before, it was Kobe that needed Shaq to win his titles. Then, at the height of their legacy, Kobe decides it's time to force Jerry Buss's hand and demand that either Shaq or Kobe go. Shaq however got the better of the deal, getting shipped to the Miami Heat and winning an NBA Championship with Dwayne Wade, a better team player than Kobe could ever dream to be.

4. Jason Giambi joins the evil empire.

While there was more of a fiasco surrounding the Yankees' acquisition of A-Rod, the tattooed, goateed, anti-establishment Giambi went from chastising the practices of the Yankees one year, to using a Mach 3 Turbo every day the next. Jason has exactly zero wins and one grand jury investigation to show for his efforts.

3. Isiah Thomas and the CBA

Promising to turn around a struggling Canadian Basketball Association, Isiah Thomas makes bad decision after bad decision, until he eventually leads the league into bankruptcy, and then bolts to coach the Indiana Pacers. Thomas hasn't done much since, except lead a really talented Pacer team to nowhere, then effectively ruining one of the proudest sports franchises that exists, the New York Knicks.

2. Carlos Boozer swindles a blind man

In an effort to sign what was thought to be a long-term asset, the Cleveland Cavaliers and blind owner Gordon Gund allowed thrid year player Carlos Boozer to opt out of the final year of his 6 digit contract, in order to sign a more lucrative, long term deal to keep him in Cleveland to play with LeBron James for the forseeable future. The result? Boozer bolts to utah for more money, leaving Cleveland in the dust. He misse dout on the first Finals appearance in Cavs history.

1. TO throws the whole city of Philly under the bus.

After complaining about a lack of talent in San Fransisco and Baltimore, the Philadelphia Eagles bailed out Terrell Owens when they surrounded him with emmense talent in the city of brotherly love. What Owens proceeded to do was a little less than brotherly. Criticising primarily Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid, Owens quickly wore out his welcome in Philly, and then proceeded to have a breakdown of suicidal proportions in Big D.

Of course, the message is betrayal doesn't pay, but moving on to bigger and better things does. Well, maybe not bigger ( not kidding, at least 20-40 pounds).