Hump Day Heroes & Villains: Pat Haden Fires and Michael Jordan Fires Shots
By Matt Miller
Sep 29, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California athletic director Pat Haden talks to the media during the press conference at John McKay Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
If Hump Day was one of the movies in the ever expanding list of Lord of the Rings movies, it would be The Hobbit. Please please, just get through it as quickly as possible, and don’t let me get captured by that giant goblin with the ball sack for a neck. But then again, some people are heroes of both Middle Earth and the middle of the week.
HUMP DAY HEROES
In a sliding scale of heroes and villains, USC Athletic Director Pat Haden was closer to being a villain all offseason and early in the season for backing up Lane Kiffin. In a video posted on the Pac 12 website he anticipated that people would ask him at media day if Lane Kiffin was on the ‘hot seat.’ He said
"I anticipate the media will ask me if our football coach is on the hot seat this year. Here is my answer and will be my answer whenever I’m asked: He is not. I’m behind Lane Kiffin 100 percent. I have great confidence in him."
He probably never had to backtrack on that statement since Pat Haden didn’t have to answer whether Lane Kiffin was on the ‘hot seat’ after the Trojans 63-32 loss to ASU. Rather he announced he fired him.
Haden came riding in on a white horse with Tommy Trojan onto the LAX runway to be that hero. He rescued USC from the mediocrity and the withheld injury reports to the media when he pulled Kiffin off the team bus and fired him at 3AM PST.
Ed Oregeron is the interim coach tasked with occupying Lane Kiffin’s seat, which for the record was still never hot.
HUMP DAY VILLAINS
Michael Jordan can’t seem to get in the news for being an outstanding owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, so the presumptive best player in the history of the sport of basketball weighed in on the en vogue debate in NBA circles–who is the best?
To be only a little fair, Michael did not call a press conference on Brett Favre‘s worn out front lawn to make this announcement. It was in a promotional video for NBA 2k14 when he said he could have beaten the freak physical specimen that is Lebron James in a game of 1-on-1.
On the proposed matchup to Lebron James, Michael said
"I don’t think I would lose, other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves."
Shots fired!
Michael takes Lebron down a peg, but his compliment of Kobe Bryant is extremely short lived. The compliment lasts only two words (“because he”) before it becomes a back handed compliment. Critics of Kobe have never doubted his drive and determination to be everything that is Michael Jordan, and if it’s possible a little bit more.
Michael Jordan knows a thing or two about image and promotion. So NBA 2k14’s mission is accomplished. And he proved once and for all at his Hall of Fame induction that he doesn’t forget nor hold any punches. But at LA Sports Hub, we’ll watch the recovering Kobe’s back and make Michael Jordan our Hump Day villain.