Kobe's Heart, Trouble In Boston And The Birdman's Claim

Friday, May 11, 2012 SICK AND TIRED "Absolute identity with one's cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership." --Woodrow Wilson For any teammates not previously buying everything they've heard about his single-minded focus on winning another championship, Kobe Bryant may have sold them on Thursday. Chasing a sixth title to match Michael Jordan's career total and to put even more distance between himself and Shaq, the 33-year-old battled an intestinal bug as well as the Denver Nuggets. Bryant missed the Lakers' morning shootaround before Game 6 due to his symptoms, later telling reporters that his hotel room resembled a scene from "The Exorcist." Despite whatever projectile vomiting and head-spinning horrors were happening back at the team hotel during the day, Bryant still managed to put up 31 points over a game-high 37 minutes. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the Lakers performed as if they were feeling chills en route to being blown out, 113-96. While Bryant's performance may have represented what Wilson described as the "first and great condition" of leadership, his example alone apparently didn't cut it. So, he went in another direction after the game. WATCH: Did Refs Blow Key Call? #ThingsBostonLikesMoreThanJoshBeckettRightNow Lawyer: 'Birdman' Is Extortion Target Q&A: Michael Phelps Prepares For London 2012 VIDEO: Guinness Recognizes Surfer's Epic Ride BLOG POSTS Evan Bleier: Sellout Streak Is Selling Out Red Sox Fans Once the Red Sox break the streak, and odds are they will if they continue to measure sellouts the way they currently do, it will just be one more piece of the franchise that their ownership company can merchandise and market. David Potter: The Money Games The London Olympics are unthinkable without their corporate sponsors, both for the site itself and for the teams that are going to compete. But what would a person connected with the ancient version of the Games think? Alan Thicke: Boomerology: BallBusters and MotherPutters: 'Why golfers are Lousy Lovers' Alas, it takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do.

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