Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player of all time, will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame today, along with several other hoop greats. Joining him will be David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer among the Class of 2009. Robinson helped San Antonio win two NBA titles and the United States win two Olympic gold medals; Stockton is the NBA’s career leader in assists and steals and won Olympic gold in 1992 and 1996; Sloan, Stockton’s longtime coach, won more than 1,000 games in Utah; and Stringer is the first women’s coach to lead three schools to the Final Four. But, naturally, the real attention is on Jordan, the six-time NBA champion, five-time MVP and 10-time scoring champion. “I think you have to be realistic,” said former NBA super star Charles Barkley. “Michael Jordan to me is the best basketball player ever.” John Doleva, the Hall’s president and CEO, said that Jordan’s induction is so popular that the ceremony had to be moved from the Hall of Fame to Springfield’s Symphony Hall, which holds twice as many people, 2,600. “Every class is special; there’s no question about that, but this one seems to rise a bit above the normal class and obviously it’s because of who’s in the class,” Doleva said, “not only Michael Jordan, but others that are joining him in this class. But he does bring a lot of notoriety and a lot of interest and obviously has a very broad fan base around the world, so I would say this is the biggest enshrinement we’ve had.”

Former NBA all-star Charles Barkley should be getting out of an Arizona jail tomorrow, following his three-day stint for drunken driving in Scottsdale on New Year’s Eve. He’s been serving his term in Arizona’s notorious Tent City, where Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America” rules with an iron fist. “I’m an equal incarcerator,” Arpaio said of Barkley, who spent the past couple days in one of the tents. “We don’t discriminate.” Arpaio is known for issuing inmates cartoonish, black-and-white-striped jailbird suits, linking them together on chain gangs and forcing them to sleep in tents. Barkley was spared the stripes and the chain gang, given a blue and red sweatsuit instead. Reporters who showed up at a brief but wide-ranging news conference on Saturday tried to reconcile Arpaio’s “don’t discriminate” comment with the fact that Barkley was afforded much hipper attire than the average inmate. “None of the work-release people do that,” Barkley snapped. “But if y’all really, really want to put me as low as I can go, I can do that and make you feel better. I know when [someone is] famous, you like to see people humiliated.” The 45-year-old Barkley acknowledged, however, that he had “screwed up” and was getting what he deserved. “I don’t blame anybody but myself,” he said. He actually was supposed to serve 10 days, but the term was reduced because he attended an alcohol program. When Arpaio released a book some years ago, Barkley endorsed it on the back. “This man, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is a role model for all Americans,” Barkley wrote in the blurb.

Michael Vick’s Mansion Is Made More Marketable

Ex-NFL star’s home up for auction. Boasting eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 20,000 square feet, the ATL home of imprisoned football player Michael Vick goes to auction next week. Bidding on the house begins at $3.2 million and profits will go toward paying the ex-NFL quarterback’s mega-debts. Vick has fallen into financial ruin since he was convicted of sponsoring an illegal dog-fighting ring in Virginia. He lost lucrative endorsement deals and was suspended from the NFL indefinitely when the scandal and charges against him surfaced. Vick later pleaded guilty. A pool room, movie theater and indoor golf range are among the Georgia mansion’s features.

Charles Barkley Jail Time Is Reduced

TV sports commentator and ex-NBA All-Star Charles Barkley reports to an Arizona jail on March 21. But he won’t serve the original 10-day sentence he was given for drunk driving. Instead, Dwyane Wade’s Fave Five friend will do only three days. For some reason, the city prosecutor recommended a sentence reduction to the already-lenient punishment. Barkley will serve his time at the same jail where an entertainment star he once joked about is completing a 90-day sentence. Cracking on Earl “DMX” Simmons, Barkley teased that nicknames were necessary because X could never call himself “Earl the Rapper.”

Barkley’s Facing Jail Time
Charles Barkley will do some jail time in connection with his drunken driving arrest in Arizona on New Year’s Eve. The former NBA star and TV analyst, who pleaded guilty Monday to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, will begin a five-day jail sentence on March 21. He must also pay more than $2,000 in fines and attend an alcohol treatment program. The 45-year-old outspoken ex-athlete was arrested after failing a field sobriety test shortly after leaving a Scottsdale nightclub. Arizona also requires him to install an ignition interlock device on his vehicles.

Ex-Dodgers’ Skipper Shocked About A-Rod
Longtime Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda lost a bit of respect for slugging star Alex Rodriguez following the third baseman’s acknowledgement three weeks ago that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. “I never thought about him ever taking steroids,” Lasorda said of A-Rod. “So when it did, that just shocked me. Shocked me. I didn’t think he would do that. …Sure, it changes my perception of him as a person and what he did, absolutely … and I feel so bad about that. The guy, he was always somebody special. We established that relationship. … I just had so much respect, so much really good feeling about him. I never thought that he would have done it.” Last month, Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez was among a list of 104 players who tested positive during an anonymous drug survey conducted by Major League Baseball in 2003.

Charles Barkley won’t be seen in T-mobile ads. The T-mobile cell company has announced that it won’t be airing those entertaining Charles Barkley-Dwyane Wade commercials, at least for the time being. Barkley, who was also suspended from his NBA commentating job for the TNT network, is still suffering backlash from his New Year’s Eve drunk-driving arrest in Arizona. T-mobile says the Barkley ads will be replaced by general company promo until further notice. After his arrest, the former NBA great told police he ran a stop sign while hurrying to get oral sex from a woman passenger.

Baseball Hero Passes at 78                                                                               

 A man known for both his talent as an athlete and his crowd-entertaining antics has died. “Prince” Joe Henry, a former Negro League baseball player, was buried this week after his recent passing. Among squads where Henry played were the Memphis Red Sox, Indianapolis Clowns and Detroit Stars. He was 78.

 Charles Barkley Apologizes

TNT cable network exec says NBA commentator and former star player Charles Barkley apologized for his high-profile Arizona drunk-driving arrest. Barkley was arrested New Year’s Eve on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He later told police he ran a stop sign while hurrying to get oral sex from a woman. “I have spoken with Charles Barkley regarding the incident…and I understand he has hired a lawyer to represent him regarding this matter,” says David Levy, president of TNT Sports. “When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was obvious he understands the significance of the situation. This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him.” Meanwhile, Barkley won’t be in the broadcast booth offering his witty take on games for TNT until further notice.
 

Barkley blasts his alma mater on race. Former NBA star Charles Barkley, never one to mince words, is blasting his alma mater for hiring a new football coach he says was based on race and not athletic credentials. Auburn University, had a chance to hire Buffalo University’s Turner Gill, a Black man who led a losing team to its first championship, but opted for Iowa State’s Gene Chizik, a White man who eked out a 5-19 record in two seasons with the Cyclones. Granted, Chizik was the defensive coordinator at Auburn four years ago when the Tigers finished with a 13-0 record and ranked No. 2 in the country, but Barkley’s not satisfied. “I think race was the No. 1 factor,” said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. “You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume.” Chizik replaces Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville, who won 85 games over the past decade but was forced to resign earlier this month. Gill, a former Nebraska quarterback, took over one of the country’s worst programs at Buffalo three years ago. He guided the Bulls to an 8-5 record and their first MAC championship this season, upsetting previously unbeaten Ball State 42-24 in the Dec. 5 conference championship game. Barkley has suggested that Gill’s White wife might have been a factor in Auburn’s decision to pass on the former quarterback.

Kings fire Theus. The Sacramento Kings have fired head coach Reggie Theus, the second Black head coach to lose his job in less than a week and the third of six since the season began. The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that Theus will be replaced, at least temporarily, by Kings assistant Kenny Natt. Kings also have fired assistant Chuck Person, according to ESPN. Under Theus, the Kings have stumbled to a 6-18 record this season. Last year, Theus left New Mexico State University, and led Sacramento to a surprising 39-43 record. That’s a far cry from their current position, last place in the Pacific Division. Theus is the sixth NBA coach to lose his job this season, joining Maurice Cheeks (Philadelphia), Randy Wittman (Minnesota), Sam Mitchell (Toronto), Eddie Jordan (Washington) and P.J. Carlesimo (Oklahoma City).

 ”He’s stupid. That’s all I’ve got to say about that,” LeBron James said Friday night about Charles Barkley before he hit the court in a game against Golden State. On TNT’s NBA studio Barkley said, “If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up. I’m a big LeBron fan. He’s a stud. You gotta give him his props. I’m getting so annoyed he’s talking about what he’s going to do in two years. I think it’s disrespectful to the game. I think it’s disrespectful to the Cavaliers.” James, who has been slammed recently with questions about his future, has been hinting at leaving Cleveland for one of the bigger NBA teams come 2009.”I think July 1, 2010, is a very big day,” James said when the Cavaliers were in New York. “It’s probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the NBA. So a lot of teams are gearing up to try to prepare themselves to be able to put themselves in position to get one of the big free-agent market guys.”

Charles Barkley jokes about his old NBA opponent’s incident.

Though he has insisted that a medical emergency at his home last week involved his daughter, Isiah Thomas appears to be the person referenced in a 911 call about a man unconscious at his home. Suburban New York cops report that they gave Thomas oxygen until he was lifted into an ambulance and hospitalized after the ex-NBA star took numerous prescription pills. Harrison, N.Y. Police Chief David Hall spoke of the accidental overdose for a second time this week after Thomas denied receiving treatment in a news article. “As parents, you try to protect your kids,” Hall said Tuesday. “You don’t say they did something when it was you who did it.”  Meanwhile, Thomas’ former NBA colleague Charles Barkley made a joke of questionable taste about the Knicks team that Thomas previously led: “I think they have a better coach this year. This coach probably won’t try to kill himself.”