We've been all over Arenas's opt-out this week, in part because our fearless leader's mental health depends on Gil staying put. After much hustle and bustle, we've concluded that Arenas is playing it smart: Getting his market worth while sending a message to the front office. As far as free agency moves go, there's very little to hate on here.
Except for one tiny problem. See, at some point, Arenas committed the cardinal sin of mentioning his kids. As in, you know, "I want money for my kids." Not so fast, says Tom Knott of The Washington Times:
Just leave the children out of it. Whenever you hear adults discussing how it is all about the children, you know it is time to secure your wallet. It is rarely about the children. It is usually about the adults saying it is about the children.Knott invokes Sprewell, who got mocked for years after saying his kids had to eat. Earth to columnists . . . did it ever dawn on you that this might be a figure of speech? An idiom? A metaphor? A kind of a slang? As in: Gilbert Arenas says this in passing without meaning much by it. Maybe even . . . gasp. . . a cultural thing?
What's funny is that Knott goes on to question more about Arenas, like why he can't carry a team to the Finals like LeBron. At least there's a real discussion there, I guess. But by leading with this whole "give the working man a break" spiel, he's making himself look out-of-touch and frankly, desperate to meet a deadline.
Previously on FanHouse:
Agent Zero: It's Only Business, I'm Not Leaving
Don't Worry About Gil Leaving D.C.
Tears in Washington: Arenas to Test Free Agent Market in 2008
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-15-2007 @ 11:25AM
ron g. said...
It seemed like Gil was distracted this year by his "Takeover" especially in the second half of the season when the world finally took notice of him. Hopefully, next year he plays with that chip on his shoulder that made him such a force to be reckoned with. I love Gil and the Wiz but it seemed like his birthday party, his proclamations about dropping 50 and all the other stuff that the blogosphere ate up were taking away from his game. I just wish he finds more of a balance in the upcoming year.
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6-15-2007 @ 12:00PM
Dizzo said...
Another problem with his poorly written column is the comparison to LeBron. Arenas is good, but he's not LeBron good. Because LeBron is freakishly talented naturally, and everyone has known that since high school. Again, a pretty lazy, deadline approaching set of comments.
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6-15-2007 @ 12:10PM
carl said...
Pot meet kettle..kettle say hello to pot
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6-15-2007 @ 12:13PM
Odie said...
It is ridiculous to discuss, but I don't blame the blue collar worker who can barely afford a ticket to watch his/her favorite team who might be tired of hearing the money woes of multi-million dollar athletes. As a fan I've gotten past it, but I'm not going to pick on the guy who makes 25k a year who has trouble relating to Gilbert's financial issues.
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6-15-2007 @ 12:35PM
shoals said...
carl, are you still upset that i called lebron "leaping?"
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6-15-2007 @ 1:44PM
Bernard said...
There are some athletes we can legitimately be jealous of for making the millions that they make. In Gil's case, though, he deserves as much as he can get and I hope he gets it. He makes sure that others have when he has, and he donates to so many great causes, that I feel that the more money he gets, the better a whole lot of lives are going to be. Just my take.
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