I was waiting for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to apologize. But to CBS 11 camerman Bill Ellis, not Kenyon Martin's mom. He issued an "I'm sorry" to her?
For what exactly?!
As you probably know by now, I detest peer-pressure, politically correct apologies. I'm not suggesting Cuban's cyber-sorry to Lydia Moore isn't genuine. I am saying it isn't necessary. At all.
Look, Mrs. Moore may be a sweet lady. But if she expects to show up at American Airlines Center during a ferocious and combative series wearing a No. 4 Nuggets jersey with "Martin's Mom" on the back and not get any negative feedback, she's also a dumb lady.
Ask any Cowboys fan who's dared to wear a jersey into an NFC East rival's stadium and they'll tell you: Advertise, and expect to get results. Of course, hurling obscenities is one thing. Throwing a beer is another.
Any fan efforting to injure another fan should be ejected, no question. But a couple of biting insults tossed the way of an opposing fan cocksure enough to boast her allegiance via blinking neon sign? That's what I call fair game.
And that's why I'm calling on Cuban to rescind - or perhaps re-direct - his apology.
Check out the video.
Moore's not the mild-mannered, meek little lady you likely envisioned. After Saturday's controversial Game 3, she positioned herself - exploiting tickets upgraded by the Mavericks, mind you - just to the right of the AAC tunnel leading to Cuban's suite.
That's her, in the shit-eating grin.
As he stormed toward the exit, Moore is smiling - almost laughing - at Cuban's expense. Then, and only then, does Cuban turn and punctuate his finger-pointing retort with "that includes your son!", a reference to another fan calling the Nuggets punks and/or thugs.
While he wasn't busy producing six fouls and two points in Monday's loss, Martin was vowing to "take care of it" and issuing profanity-laced threats to Mavs' fans who were exchanging - yes, there was give and take - words with Moore. Afterward, he was yelling in Cuban's general direction as he left the court and later he continued the verbal assaults as he passed Mavs fans in the Old No. 7 club.
So Cuban - through Martin's mom - calls Martin a thug and the player responds by threatening everyone in the building with "I'll fuck you up!" A tad ironic methinks.
And then this from TNT dumbass Chris Webber, "Don't talk about my momma."
See, Cuban didn't insult Moore. He insulted Martin through Moore. Big difference. Bottom line: He didn't say a word about Martin's momma, other than the insuation that she has - ta-da! - raised a thug.
Well, hasn't she?
If you object, I direct you to Game 1 of this series when Martin - tired of getting torched by Dirk Nowitzki - blatantly and viciously followed a hard foul with a chicken-shit shove to the back. Technical foul. Flagrant foul. Thug.
When in doubt, I always go back to the bit about sticks and stones and flagrant fouls breaking my bones, but words and insults and hard truths never hurting me.
Cuban hardly ever apologizes for anything. This time he doesn't need to.
