MacGregor on Birdman

[Songbird]

AP Photo

Call me Freebird.

Jeff's the riddlingest riddler in all of sports riddlerville. He inks and paints and colors and describes and describes and colors and paints and inks and WHEW! Back and forth, up and down, northwest to southeast, southwest to northeast, and 360 degrees is a circle, square, rectangle, too.

Chris "Birdman" Andersen is the subject and the stage is the Miami Heat Family Festival.

And this piece -- a literary tattoo artist's deeply layered tattoo representing one man's parchment of life -- tests your patience because it's so descriptive, and fragmented, and proper. Jeff provides background and context into the heart, mind and soul of Chris Andersen, whose per-36 numbers prove he's one of the most valuable players in the NBA.

Troubled? Flawed? Free as a bird? All of the above?

Interesting that this piece and KVV's piece on Muema ran days apart.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10960892/miami-heat-chris-andersen-illustrated-man

 

[playthrough]

I thought the last line was cheesy. Even if it's true (Birdman has an entire calf that's not inked??), it wrapped up the story far too neatly for me.

 

[JayFarrar]

Oh, I was hoping he wrote about Harvey Birdman, attorney-at-law. Great show.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

I was hoping to read something about sports, for a change.
I see that was a fool's errand once again.

 

[Mark2010]

He is exhibit A of why NBA uniforms should have long sleeves.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Dude looks like a Peter Max poster.

 

[Starman]

Latest example in a line dating back to Rodman (going through Artest in between) in which analysts attempt to prove that crazy screw-loose players are hugely underrated and are in fact amazingly effective.

It's usually bull****. The space cases are usually effective because they're on the same roster as demi-gods such as Jordan or LeBron who can make up for the fruitcake's deficiencies.

 

[Versatile]

I liked the column, but holy **** was that OP overwrought.

 

[Boom_70]

Latest example in a line dating back to Rodman (going through Artest in between) in which analysts attempt to prove that crazy screw-loose players are hugely underrated and are in fact amazingly effective.

It's usually bull****. The space cases are usually effective because they're on the same roster as demi-gods such as Jordan or LeBron who can make up for the fruitcake's deficiencies.

Thought it was a fantastic column. Wish MacGregor would write more. Always comes
from a different angle.

And Starman -the original screwball line starts with Phil Jackson

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Versatile:
He can't help but overwrite. Purple in his blood.

 

[Songbird]

But why, 3OF? It's one thing to say what you said. Show us 2-3 example of Jeff's purple.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

He lost me. I don't read his stuff anymore.
He overwrites. It isn't necessarily a denigration to say so.
It's a sports column, man. Not the Journal of Psychiatry.

 

[Songbird]

True, but whenever I catch a Heat game and he's on the floor I can' help but wonder, WTF Chris? Why? What possibly could have happened that you have to hide beneath 10,000 layers of ink?

 

[Boom_70]

Versatile:
He can't help but overwrite. Purple in his blood.

Don't think that it was overwritten at all. MacGregor has a unique style that truly makes
him ESPN's poet laureate.

 

[Versatile]

Reread my post.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Versatile:
He can't help but overwrite. Purple in his blood.

Don't think that it was overwritten at all. MacGregor has a unique style that truly makes
him ESPN's poet laureate.

Not everything needs to be a thought experiment.

 

[Football_Bat]

The only thing Birdman won't ink is his weiner. He's saving that for when he runs out of veins.

 

[Starman]

Latest example in a line dating back to Rodman (going through Artest in between) in which analysts attempt to prove that crazy screw-loose players are hugely underrated and are in fact amazingly effective.

It's usually bull****. The space cases are usually effective because they're on the same roster as demi-gods such as Jordan or LeBron who can make up for the fruitcake's deficiencies.

Thought it was a fantastic column. Wish MacGregor would write more. Always comes
from a different angle.

And Starman -the original screwball line starts with Phil Jackson

There were screwballs back in the 50s supposedly. Clyde Lovellette was supposedly a little whacky.