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SALT LAKE CITY — Former University of Utah basketball star Andrew Bogut puts together a shower curtain at dismal Olympic housing, Michael Jordan says he wouldn’t pick LeBron James as the star of “Space Jam 2,” and Joey Votto gets mad at a fan, then makes up for it. More fun stories from the world of sports in this week’s From Left Field.
1. Michael Jordan wouldn’t have chosen LeBron James to star in ‘Space Jam 2’
We all know Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. On Tuesday, MJ may have purposely thrown a bit of shade at another NBA great.
During a Q & A session at Jordan’s basketball camp, someone asked him who should have been the star of “Space Jam 2,” which is set to star LeBron James.
Jordan, who starred in the first “Space Jam,” seemed a bit bothered by the question. He thought about it for a bit, then answered the question — and his answer was not LeBron.
LeBron James as the star of "Space Jam 2"? MJ has other ideas 🤔 (via lashmiller/Instagram)https://t.co/Ub4Cuo4P6w — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2016
“I would’ve probably picked Blake Griffin,” Jordan said.
Is MJ once again throwing shade at LBJ? You decide. It’s obvious why Jordan chose Griffin, as Blake is one of Jordan Brand’s athletes.
If that is Michael Jordan’s honest opinion, then who are we to say he’s hating on James? But if this is a case of Jordan throwing shade at LeBron James for no reason at all, then maybe MJ’s ego is on par with Donald Trump’s — and that’s not a good thing.
2. Reds' Joey Votto upset with fan interfering with foul ball, makes amends by giving fan an autographed ball
The odds of catching a foul ball at a Major League Baseball game are about one in 570, according to MLB.com. Catching a foul ball can be one of the highlights of your sports fandom life.
But if you interfere with a home team player on said foul ball, you may not want to stay at said game for too long.
During the top of the seventh inning in Tuesday night's Cincinnati Reds home game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cards' Steven Piscotty hit the ball high toward first base foul territory. The Reds' Joey Votto went to grab it for the out, but a fan didn't see Votto closing in and interfered with Joey's attempted catch.
And Votto wasn't pleased to say the least.
Joey Votto reminding a fan who he roots for: https://t.co/X0eLQCO21h — Yoni Mernick (@OriginalYoni) August 3, 2016
Votto's shirt grab, pointing to the Reds' logo on the shirt may have been a bit too much. Plus, Votto should've been able to make the catch anyway.
Realizing the heat of the moment got the best of him, Votto decided to make amends. During a pitching change, Votto grabbed a baseball, wrote a note on it and gave it to the fan. The note said:
"Thanks for being so understanding when I acted out of character."
Votto signed the ball and gave it to the fan — even taking a photo with him.
It all comes full circle. 😀 https://t.co/TJeikMBH96 — MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2016
Joey Votto making amends is one example how athletes show humility and kindness after a moment of poor judgment during a game. Nice job, Joey! The Reds won the game 7-5 on a 3-run walk-off home run, so everyone went home happy!
3. Former U of U basketball star Andrew Bogut: Shower curtain expert
The Olympics are upon us, and let’s be honest: Rio is not ready to host them. From facilities not being ready, to Zika concerns, to experts saying athletes should not put their heads underwater, the Summer Olympics is looking like trouble.
Former University of Utah basketball star and Australian national team player Andrew Bogut went on social media to display the lack of quality accommodations at Olympic housing.
#IOCLuxuryLodging. Putting together a shower curtain so we can shower and not flood the place. pic.twitter.com/omaBJ7Dlje — Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) August 2, 2016
[Last week](http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/17142060/australia-oks-move-olympic-village-delay), the Australian delegation refused to check in at the athletes village, complaining of water leaks, gas leaks, electrical issues and filthiness. Australian athletes' laptops were [stolen](http://www.businessinsider.com/australia-fire-rio-summer-olympic-village-2016-8) during a fire at Olympic Village last week as well.
Come on, Rio. You’re telling us you can’t get the showers right? Did you just build the drain on the floor and not think to build some sort of surrounding on it? Not to mention even spend money for shower curtains, at least?
Bogut and the rest of the athletes are not asking for much. But I guess for Rio Olympic organizers, accommodating the stars of the show is a bit too much to do … or too expensive.
