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SALT LAKE CITY — With great power comes great responsibility.
Jeremy Lin, also known as Linsanity, and Kryie Irving, nickname pending, went into the city of superheroes, New York and put on shows over the weekend.
Lin's origin story comes from the Knicks where he was the Robin to Carmello Anthony's Batman. It was one of the spinoff stories where Robin had to take the lead and he did it well, but ultimately Anthony returned and there was no need for Lin.
Linsanity returned to the city that created the phenomenon. He had been struggling, but when the Rockets needed him the most he pulled out a 22-point 8-assist game that showed the city who the real superhero was.
But is he greater than the Black Mask, the Lone Cavalier, or whatever other name Irving will go by. He broke a bone in his face, but came back stronger than ever. This time Irving came back wearing a black mask to guard his identity, or maybe to protect his face.
Irving hasn't played a lot this season, but in a 103-102 loss to the Knicks he put up a career-high 41 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Only time will tell how long Irving will wear the mask, but if he can get more games like this the Black Mask might become a permanent fixture.
But in the words of Alfred Pennyworth from "Batman Begins," "In the meantime, sir, may I suggest you try to avoid landing on your head."
The Stubborn Pigeon:
The stubborn pigeon is not a children's book, a Disney cartoon or a metaphor for life. It is in fact a very stubborn pigeon in the middle of an NFL game that wouldn't get off the field.
The Raiders and Chiefs were playing in Oakland late in a season that normally would have some significance. In this case they both are awful. The Raiders playing for some respect and the Chiefs are not playing to get the first pick. Between them it makes for a 15-0 game that produced one highlight involving a pigeon.
The pigeon showed up as one fan started recording and was on the field for more than 7 minutes after he started recording. Players ran around the pigeon, never trying to avoid him, but they never hit it either.
The Raiders drove down the field around the pigeon as it deftly avoided players until halftime when some employees took the pigeon off the field. Not sure if it was planned or a pleasant turn of events, but as they were chasing the pigeon down the stadium was playing "Free Bird."
And yes, this was the most interesting part of the game, also this video shows that Matt Leinart apparently still has a job with the Raiders.
What to do during a lockout:
Everyone who has played some sports has had the thought of playing against a professional player to really see how they stack up against the best.
Well, with a lockout in the NHL a group of Pittsburgh indoor 26-and-over indoor league found out what it felt like to play with one of the top players in hockey.
Sidney Crosby strapped on some goalie pads and played a Dek hockey game, which is on foot instead of skates, for the "Flyers Suck" and won the game 4-0.
In and interview with the Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh Crosby said, ""My buddy plays in the league there. I talked to him about playing. I played a lot of goalie in street hockey growing up and stuff. Just asked if he needed a goalie. He said sure and I came out. It was cool."
The opposing team had no idea that Sid the Kid was between the pipes until after the game and they were all pretty surprised, but they had stories to tell their kids.
Chris Johnson's sweet feet tribute:
Sometimes a tribute goes a little better than planned. Chris Johnson had that happen as he gave tribute to Sandy Hook elementary by writing all the names of the victims on his shoes then providing a highlight of the night.
There is nothing that will overshadow the tragedy that happened, but it was what he could do at the time to show respect.
"It's something to try to give back and show tribute to those families," Johnson said. "I know how much they hurt. I felt like it was a good deed."
He then provided the biggest highlight of the night by breaking a 94-yard run for a touchdown in the Titans victory over the Jets. It is the longest run in franchise history and his sixth 80-plus yard run of his career which is an NFL record.
It isn't a big thing that he did, but he was able to honor them in his own way, "just thinking about those kids all week and the whole game," he said. "Just how fortunate it is for us to come out every Sunday and Monday and play on this field."
