John Buren

Ok, it's only been about two months since former Naval Academy hoop star David Robinson finished off his Hall of Fame NBA career, and dag gone if I don't miss him already. Understand, I don't spend a lot of time missing pro jocks. For the most part, I don't even like pro jocks (something about runaway arrogance and self-absorption), but here I am reading the daily Kobe updates and missing Dave The Rave.

In a world where, as Andre Agassi once put it, "Image is everything," Dave was that rarest of sports commodities: a product that actually out-delivered the hype. As squeaky clean as his image was, Dave was cleaner. For every good deed that you heard about Dave making, he made ten that you didn't hear about. You want a guy who supports local charities with a little bit more than an occassional photo op with some downtrodden or disadvantaged soul? Try this: during his years in San Antonio, Dave took over $10 million out of his own pocket and gave it to people who needed it more than he did. He holds the all-time NBA record for most career visits to children's hospitals, retirement homes and fundraisers. And if you're wondering what all this has to do with Kobe Bryant, here's the payoff:

Kobe was the sizzle. Dave was the steak.

Kobe talked the talk. Dave walked the walk.

David Robinson

As good a guy as Kobe and his PR machine wanted you to believe he was, Dave was that good and then some. And if you're about to jump out of your chair right now and scream, "Damn it, Buren, Kobe hasn't been convicted of anything!" you are dead-center correct. All we know for sure is that he has admitted to having an extramarital "interaction" with some sweet young thing in Colorado, and the sad part is that nowadays most people hear about that and say, "No big." But now, let me tell you about Dave Robinson.

I once mentioned to Dave how attractive I thought the Spurs' cheerleaders were. He responded with a look that said, "I have no idea what you're talking about." So I said, "Dave, your cheerleaders are flat out immoral. I've got to assume that somewhere along the line you've noticed that." No, he said, he hadn't noticed, at least not lately. He told me that the first night the cheerleaders performed he saw them run on the court, but that was the last time he'd seen them. The reason, he explained, was that he thought they were all very attractive and that they were dressed in clearly provocative outfits, and that to look at them would be inappropriate for a married man like him.

Let me run that by you one more time. He wouldn't allow himself to even LOOK at the cheerleaders. He wouldn't look because he thought it was wrong. Not illegal. Not against league rules. Just wrong.

Now how good is that?

John Buren

You can contact John Buren at johnburen13@hotmail.com.