FARAI CHIDEYA, host:
I'm Farai Chideya, and this is News & Notes. It is time now for sports with our very own Tony Cox. Hey, Tony.
TONY COX: Hey, Farai.
CHIDEYA: So I think Shaq has a man crush on Kobe. He can't stop talking about him.
COX: You got that right. That's one way of looking at it, certainly. And here is his way of expressing that man crush.
(Soundbite of Shaquille O'Neal rapping)
Mr. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL (Basketball Player): (Rapping) Check it. You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn't do without me.
(Soundbite of crowd cheering)
Mr. O'NEAL: (Rapping) You know how I be. Last week Kobe couldn't do without me.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: He's wild. Shaq and Kobe, it's an old story with a new rap twist. But it's just one of the topics this week for us. And here to talk more about that and other sports news is New York Times sports columnist Bill Rhoden. Hey, Bill.
Mr. BILL RHODEN (Sports Columnist, New York Times): The great Tony Cox. How are you doing?
COX: I'm doing great, man. Listen, we're going to talk about Kobe and Shaq and Don Imus and Pacman Jones in a minute. But first, defending Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is doing her talking with her racket. She struggled today but won, and now goes on to the third round. Sister Serena's also doing her thing. Now Venus has won four times at Wimbledon. Serena twice. And by the way, they were both picked to the U.S. Olympic team heading to China. But here's my question, Bill. With all the Sharapovas and Ivanovices that are emerging in women's tennis, how many more big tournament wins are in the cards for the sisters?
Mr. RHODEN: Well, you know, the Tennis Association is hoping as many as possible, because they still - the Williams sisters are still the face of women's tennis. And when they're doing well, women's tennis is doing great. And the good news for them is that Sharapova got knocked out, was upset by a fellow Russian. So she was sort of victimized by her own countrywoman. But Venus is looking very strong and focused. The thing with her sister, of course, is always fitness. I think when Serena is fit and focused, she's very, very difficult to beat. Unfortunately, whenever she plays somebody, Sharapova, she dislikes Sharapova so much, she'll just beat her on will and Sharapova's not there anymore.
COX: So she won't have that to deal with.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: All right, let's move on to another topic for today. Tonight, the NBA draft. And the top two names are Memphis guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State forward Michael Beasely. Chicago picking first, of course, barring some last-minute deal. Who's it going to be?
Mr. RHODEN: You know what? It's going to be O.J. Mayo.
COX: Really?
Mr. RHODEN: Oh man. Mayo, I think, may be the best guard in the draft. I think Rose may still go first to Chicago for a lot of reasons. I mean, Rose is obviously just an excellent player. But I think Mayo was really special. I've seen him play a little, I've spent some time with him in New York, and this is a very - he's got a very interesting perspective on things, and he's just a - I just think his ceiling is really, really, really high. I think he's really going to be a special player. Beasely, I think Miami - the more they saw, the more they began to like Mayo. I'm just hoping he's going to end up in New York.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: I'm sure that you are. Well, you know, mentioning Mayo, I was going to ask you about him and UCLA forward center Kevin Love. Because they got all that ink last year, they had good seasons. Mayo's wasn't great necessarily, and I was going to ask you which you thought would have a larger impact in the NBA, which you've already answered. What about Russell Westbrook who's also up there, isn't he? Or not in the same category as these other guys?
Mr. RHODEN: He's up there, but unfortunately not in size
COX: I've got you. Got you, got you.
Mr. RHODEN: And so I think a lot of times when - you know, we've been doing this for a long time, you know. You've been watching this stuff for a long time. And you kind of project guys, who's got the body, who's got the toughness. That's why I keep going back to a guy like Mayo, who's just a really tough, focused person. Derrick Rose is just an incredible athlete and a real, real, real point guard. Love, I think, has got a good NBA body.
COX: Slow.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: Come on, he's slow. All right, listen.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: We'll wait and find out what happens and we'll talk about that next week.
Mr. RHODEN: Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
(Soundbite of laughter)
COX: I want to finish up on this topic, because it has to do with who's got the bigger mouth, Shaq or Don Imus. Now we heard the Shaq comments at the top of the segment, comments which cost him a couple of his law enforcement privileges in Arizona and in Virginia and a lot of bad press. And of course there's now the infamous Don Imus, spouting what some see as another racist rant, this time involving remarks centering around NFL bad boy Adam "Pacman" Jones. If you hadn't heard it, Imus was on the air talking with Warner Wolf about Jones and all of his troubles and Imus asked Wolf what color is he, Wolf said he's African-American and Imus replied, well there you go. So well, there you go.
Mr. RHODEN: Well, you know, I think in this case, I mean - I think that what was he was saying, I kind of see it. And by the way, we're talking about Adam "Pacman" Jones.
COX: Well that's true.
Mr. RHODEN: You know. But I think what he was saying when he said well there you go, he was saying of oh course, he's a black guy. Of course they're going to arrest him 25 times.
COX: So that was what his argument was. So what's Shaq's argument for going after this Kobe stuff way, way after the fact?
Mr. RHODEN: Farai I think hit it. (Unintelligible). You know, Shaq, just stop man. I think Shaq really diminished himself by doing this. I think before this, I think the weight of public opinion was kind of on his side, but I think now by doing this and just going overboard, what's the point? I think Shaq really begins to diminish himself. And by the way, he was sitting on the sidelines too.
COX: Actually that's true, they went out earlier. But maybe he was trying - and I'm not defending him at all.
Mr. RHODEN: Yes you are.
COX: No I'm not, I'm just trying to look at it from a couple of different angles. Maybe he was trying to be funny, which he has been known to do unsuccessfully on many occasions?
Mr. RHODEN: Right. I heard it and I think coming from Shaq, yeah, you could see it as a joke. But, I mean, that's an old joke.
COX: Yeah, a bad joke. All right here's the last thing for you, we've got to get out of here. You know that I'm a college professor so here' a surprise quiz for you. What is taking place this weekend in sports that people do not seem to be talking very much about?
Mr. RHODEN: Hockey?
COX: You give up?
Mr. RHODEN Yes.
COX: The U.S. Olympic trials.
Mr. RHODEN: Oh.
COX: Do Americans even care about the Olympics this time around do you think? Got to do it fast. Got to answer fast
Mr. RHODEN: I think the answer is they will, they will. They will when it hits. But right now, because of the steroids, the drugs, I think that we've kind of cooled.
COX: All right, we got to go. Listen, do your home work. Quiz next week. Thank you, Bill.
Mr. RHODEN: Thanks Tony, take care.
CHIDEYA: All right, gentleman. That was NPR's Tony Cox talking with New York Times sports columnist William C Rhoden. Mr. Rhoden is also the author of "Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Black Athlete," and he joined us at the NPR studios in New York City.
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