Ode To David Stern

I thought David Stern was partially to blame for the Suns being robbed in the 2005 playoffs by the Spurs (the villains). Stern refused to be reasonable about a silly rule that punished players from stepping foot onto the court during a fight. Stoudemire was suspended and the rest is history. Bad history. I thought the suspension was contrary to the spirit of the rule. I hated Stern.

My thoughts about Stern have changed. He gives insightful, and well reasoned responses to questions during interviews. I appreciate how he crafts answers in a way that masks his motives, yet candidly address difficult subjects unlike his commissioner contemporaries. He has some Bob Costas in him. His insights are always enjoyable, whether I agree with them or not. Speaking of Costas, he is on MLBTV now and was as good as ever when the A-Rod story broke.

I've come to appreciate his impact on the game. Save for the weird basketball and the WNBA, all his ideas have been really good. Ditching the Sideline Retro Jersey. Expanding in Europe and Asia through online presence and pre-season tours. Establishing a minor league in the D-League . This has a lot of promise, especially when the elite high-schoolers stop going to college all together. Making the All-Star weekend "cool." And, lastly, keeping the players union in check.
The challenge on the horizon are the ongoing negotiations to re-up a collective bargaining agreement. Let's hope that goes well.

If he'd only go retro...