The Chat House with Michael Wilbon

Welcome to another edition of The Chat House, where Post columnist Michael Wilbon was online Tuesday, April 21 at 1:15 p.m. ET to take your questions your questions about the NBA playoffs, Tiger Woods and all the rest of the latest sports news.

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washingtonpost.com: We're waiting for Michael to arrive. Please stand by.

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Washington, D.C.: Wilbon -- The Redskins aren't really stupid enough to trade up for Sanchez, right? Don't you have to give Campbell at least another year with Zorn?

Michael Wilbon: We'll start in 7 minutes...if I don't bring a sandwich back to my desk I'm going to pass out! back ASAP to chat for an hour...And we'll jump right on the Redskins and the NFL draft!

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D.C.: The NatinAls are becoming the Lions of the MLB (if they are not already there). I have never heard of a team misspelling their own name on a jersey. How does this even happen? Is it a one in a million mistake, or indicative of how the team is run?

Michael Wilbon: Hi everybody...back with my sandwich and ready to roll...And we'll start, actually, with the Natinals...How pathetic is this franchise? It's one thing to lose, lose, lose. It's another thing to become a loser, which the Nationals seem to be now. Misspelling the name of the team on the jersey seems like a small thing, but it's symbolic of something much larger...You've got the Bowden fiasco, players being shuttled back and forth to the minors...They're just awful, and it doesn't seem like they're on the verge of getting better...

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Anonymous: "And we'll jump right on the Redskins and the NFL draft!"

Are you being sarcastic? You really want to talk about the Skins and the draft? How much is there to talk about? They never have any draft picks.

Michael Wilbon: They're going to try and get Mark Sanchez of Southern Cal; what are you talking about? Dan Snyder seems obsessed with getting this kid, who might be a good quarterback one day, but might not. He's not any different from Jason Campbell in that regard. Big, strong, big arm, works hard...Okay, the Redskins have that already. So why would you give up multiple draft picks and or players to get what you already have? Because Snyder covets. That's what he does. He's always surveying the room to see who's a bigger star. Sanchez is the star of the moment...Question is, can the Redskins trade up to as high as No. 4 (where Seattle picks) to get Sanchez? perhaps not, but it's part of the drama of Draft Day.

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D.C.: Why is there so little news about Danny Ainge's heart attack? I'm shocked. Not only is he relatively young, but he's an athlete. I find this very disturbing.

Michael Wilbon: I'm fascinated by Ainge's heart attack because we're the same age and I've been down this path already...I e-mailed Danny last night to wish him well in his recovery. I'm certain if you want to read more on his condition and what happened, you can go to the Boston Glove or Boston Herald. No matter how fit you've been or are, family history plays a HUGE part in how likely you are to suffer from heart disease. Diet is a big part of it...stress. I hope Danny recovers completely and I look forward to talking about his experience...Hopefully, it's just a wake-up call, like it is for so many of us.

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Washington, D.C.: Mike, is there anything left they could do to kill baseball in this city? First the Expos were looted of all their talent in their limbo in Montreal. Then we couldn't even see the Nats games on TV locally the first two seasons (even if you paid for the Extra Innings package!). And the last three years the team has been eliminated from the race in the first two weeks of a six month season. I went to the game on Saturday. Great day, nice stadium. But the place was dead. They had even sucked the life out of the people willing to pay to show up. How much longer until this gets really dire?

Michael Wilbon: Good question. Probably quite a few years. There is a new stadium sitting there, remember. I think it's fair to wonder and put some pressure on ownership to do a better job and not be so absent publicly. BE VISIBLE. Where are the Lerners? You can't just sit there by the microphone the day somebody signs a new contract. Nope. Not good enough. But it could get dire. I wonder about that, too. There's no compelling reason to go. In these economically challenged times, you have to give people a reason to spend their money, and to spend 3-4 hours of their time. And so far, the Natinals are doing neither.

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Fairfax, Va.: Asked this yesterday, so I'm not sure if it's still in the queue, but what do you think of the deal for Ryan Zimmerman? I know, he's supposed to be the franchise player, but he's regressed offensively since his rookie season, and although his defense is close to gold glove caliber, he has injury issues with his shoulder. I fear this could turn into a situation similar to the one the A's have with Eric Chavez.

Michael Wilbon: Eric Chavez was a great player, but only for awhile. Boy, I hope Zimmerman has more in him, even though you can't argue about his regression offensively. I wonder how much that has to do with playing for such a bad team and what seems to be a bad organization. Does it drag players down, even one as talented as Zimmerman?

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Dana Point, Calif.: What's the latest on the Boldin trade? Seems like the Ravens are out, and no other teams are even discussing it. If 1st and 3rd round picks aren't out there, what are the chances the Cardinals keep him for the last year of his contract and then make him a bigger offer next year?

Michael Wilbon: Let's see what happens on draft day. This seems to be tailor made for a draft-day trade. If I was the Cardinals I wouldn't TOUCH Anquan Boldin. I'd put him out there every Sunday with Kurt Warner and Larry Jr. and Steve Breston and I'd create mismatches EVERY SINGLE WEEK with the best receiver trio in football. But money plays a big part in this. I just know, from having talked to guys in that locker room, that they absolutely love Boldin and want him on the team. I doubt the Cardinals can draft anybody, even Michael Crabtree, who can do what Boldin does, who's as touch, as dependable.

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Washington, D.C.: Mike,

How do you like the Caps chances of getting back in this series with the Rangers?

Thanks.

Michael Wilbon: If the Caps can make it 2-2 tomorrow night, I like them winning the series. But I don't like them coming back from down 3-1.

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Columbia, Md.: I know you said you have DirectTV so the Comcast/NFL Network feud does not affect you, but do you still have thoughts on the issue? It sounds like a lot of us Comcast subscribers are going to get hosed over this deal and have to either switch providers or go to our local bars on Thursday nights this fall to catch the NFL Network NFL games.

Michael Wilbon: No, I don't really have thoughts on the issue because it seems like something out of the 1970s to me, being a DirectTV subscriber. I don't want to take for granted people's personal finances, but since my DirecTV bill isn't much more than my cable bill would be, I don't understand why people don't have a dish, if all things are relatively equal. Okay, you can't if you're in an apartment...But you can in most townhouse/condo/house situations. Going to a bar to watch a game? Not me. I don't understand that, in the least. I would never even let cable in my house, literally.

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Boston, Mass.: With Dwight Howard getting his eyes examined after they were accidentally scratched, how much is Stan van Gundy going to panic now?

Michael Wilbon: Ha! Hey, Shaq called him "The Master of Panic" a month ago, and Shaq is looking more insightful every day, what with the Magic stinking out the end of the regular season and losing home-court in the first game vs. Philly. I hope Dwight is okay. Injuries are already playing too big a roll in the playoffs.

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Washington, D.C. : I know this is apropos of nothing, but how do feel about sports teams representing states rather than cities? I find it rather annoying. Do the people of Vermont really think the Patriots represent them in the NFL? Why do you have the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rockies playing in the same city with different representation? And don't people in Tampa resent the Marlins claim to represent all of Florida?

Michael Wilbon: Why does this matter to you, even a little bit? It's marketing. Who cares?

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Somerville, Mass.: Michael...what's your take on the Celtics' handling of the Kevin Garnett injury? It looks like KG is finally breaking down after years of wear and tear, but why were they trying to frame it as a spontaneous injury that he could quickly bounce back from?

Michael Wilbon: You can't ever KNOW for certain whether what ails a guy in the moment is an isolated injury or wear-and-tear. Kobe's been playing just about as long as KG and he's not suffering any obvious wear-and-tear effects that we can see. How would you KNOW that. Point it, he's ailing. I suspect, like you, he's starting to break down after 14 years of NBA pounding. Magic's entire career was 13 years. I think Larry Bird played 13. Michael Jordan played 13, not counting those last two with the Wizards. Just because KG is younger after 13 years of play doesn't mean his legs feel any younger. I bet they don't.

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Reston, Va.: Lance Armstrong has said he's likely to be banned from the Tour de France over drug testing issues. How big of a deal is this going to be?

Michael Wilbon: Close to none. That story had run its course, anyway. Seven Tour victories is quite an accomplishment. I think we've had our fill of that, and of the drama between Lance and the French authorities who would love to ruin him. It's just drama now, until somebody offers up credible evidence to the contrary.

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Cabin John, Md.: Did you just refer to the "drama of draft day?"

I thought the draft was a bunch of hyped up craziness that you can read the results of in the morning and see how it really worked out in 3 to 4 years?

Michael Wilbon: Oh, I love you! This is what I've been saying about the NFL draft for 10 years...I used "drama of draft day" mostly tongue-in-cheek. Thanks.

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Anonymous: "what are you talking about?"

I just got the impression you'd rather iron your eye balls than discuss Redksins and the draft.

Michael Wilbon: Well, you're right. I do get tired of the draft. But I'm a little fired up for this Redskins-Sanchez thing...It seems to incredibly stupid to me that they might select him.

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Chantilly, Va: As bad as things are for the Nationals, how much worse would it be if DC weren't so focused on the NHL playoffs right now?

Michael Wilbon: Let's not get too carried away. Not ALL of D.C. is focused on the Capitals. I am. You are. But 20 times more people care about the Redskins and the stupid draft than the NHL. I'm not guessing at this; it's fact. All you have to do is check the TV ratings numbers. It's not close to being close.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I'm telling you, it's that awful, curly W. It's cursed them -- the logo of a losing franchise that abandoned this city. Let's ignore the fact that it looks awful and is in no way representative of the regal/federal image of Washington -- this Natinals team will be going down the same path as their losing, moving forebears.

Michael Wilbon: ouch...you make a strong point.

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Bethesda, Md.: How smart does Boudreau look now that he put in Varlamov (rookie though with Pro-Russia experience) and he has only let in 1 goal with a .5 goals against average in two games?

Looks like the end of the rope for Jose Theodore...

Michael Wilbon: Boudreau looks pretty darned smart indeed.

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Washington, D.C.: Right now who's better Kobe or Lebron?

Michael Wilbon: Better? That's hard. I might give a slight edge to LeBron...I voted for him for MVP...Kobe is a better finisher. I'd rather have Kobe with the ball in the final 10 seconds of a game, down one, than anybody since Michael Jordan...I guess I'm hedging. If I had to start a team right now, since LeBron is six years younger, I'd go with LeBron...

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Washington, D.C.: Hey Mike,

Did you watch Ivan Carter's debut last night on Washington Post Live? What did you think? Any pointers for him from a sports television veteran such as yourself?

Michael Wilbon: All the best to my colleague and friend, Ivan Carter. I'll NEVER see him because I'm on TV at the same time...So that just won't happen, and I don't watch sports stuff on TiVo...But I believe Ivan will do a darned good job.

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D.C.: Hey Mike.. I'm new to the area and the weather is perfect for golf. What are your favorite public courses to play when you're in town?

Michael Wilbon: Whiskey Creek ou in Ijamsville, Md. Worthington Manor, which is also out I-270. Those are my two faves.

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Re: Lebron v. Kobe: I understand the argument that since Lebron is six years younger than Kobe you would start a franchise with him, but pound for pound, wouldn't you consider Kobe a "better" player? Kobe doesn't have the distinct advantage of being 6'9'' and 275 -- he's the same size if not smaller than anyone else on the court and yet still dominates every game.

Michael Wilbon: What, size shouldn't be considered in basketball? Are you nuts? I don't care about pound-for-pound. What makes Kobe better than LeBron? I'll tell you this: there are a ton of players, current and former, who believe that if LeBron was on the Lakers they'd have won 70-plus games this season. Now, I'm never going to argue AGAINST Kobe...but they're the two best...I'm just saying, if I'm going to start a team, hard not to start with LeBron.

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Hanover, Pa.: How did the bowling go a few weeks ago? More like Earl Anthony, or Earl Schieb?

Michael Wilbon: Ha! Well, well, well...you can go to ESPN.com and find out. AND, it's going to be on Deuce, starting tonight, then again next Wednesday...I'll tell you this: it's actually worth watching. It really is.

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Richmond, Va.: Last week, I asked a question regarding how you (and reporters generally) stay "objective." You said you'd get to that question this week. Maybe "objective" was the wrong word, but how do you (by "you" I mean journalists generally) stay suitably detached from those you cover such that you don't become an appendage of athletes and coaches who are your friends?

Michael Wilbon: Objectivity is something we all spend too much time on in journalism school. I say that because we all have our biases, and need to stop acting as if we don't. I think the most important thing is to be fair...to be as balanced as is humanly possible. That is something a reporter can achieve, often with the help of an editor or producer. Objectivity cannot be achieved, regardless of one's relationship with a news source. My viewpoint is colored by being an African-American, by being a kid from the Midwest, by being a child of the 1960s and 1970s, by growing up with two working parents, by being educated in certain schools...Hopefully, you get where I'm going here. I'm friends with Charles Barkley. But I can also be critical of him when he's charged with DUI. Now, I'm not going to be AS critical as others might. But also, there are times when I just say to my editors, "I shouldn't write that column...I'm too close to X." This happened for me with Eddie Tapscott...a very, very good friend for 25 years. Sometimes, you know you're too close and just have to say, "I'm out...too conflicted." Sometimes, you can bore right through it. The longer you stay in an industry, the more the relationships are all tangled. People who weren't even working in the industry you cover suddenly change careers and boom! they're running a team's finances or some such. It's not easy. But you have to be able to look at things critically.

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Tucson, Ariz.: Speaking of drafts, do you think the curse of Kwame Brown can be reversed and the Wizards actually get the #1 pick with a clear superstar in Blake Griffin??

Thanks

Michael Wilbon: Wouldn't that be great? I guess Griffin would be the choice. He'd be mine. Others are thinking Ricky Rubio, the Spanish point guard phenom, should be the choice and in the backcourt with Gil, taking Arenas off the ball...I don't' know. I'd take Griffin, but every scout I've talked to about Rubio (and some U.S. Olympians) say he's flat-out a great prospect. This gives the Wiz some wiggle room...If they finish where they are now, which is second, they'd have a shot at Rubio or Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 UCONN.

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Sofia, Bulgaria: I used to be a big baseball, basketball and football fan with a casual interest in many other sports. But, for the past 10- 15 years, inflated salaries, taxpayer funded stadiums, outrageous ticket prices, overwhelming marketing and whiney athletes have completely turned me off of sports. I've tried to get back into my former favorite sports and teams again, but there's just really no draw. Anything I'm really missing but almost totally tuning out? (Lance Armstrong's Tour de France wins and some of Tiger Woods's victories seem to be rare exceptions.)

Michael Wilbon: Sorry, I'm not as cynical as you are, thank God.

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LA, CA: Tarik said in his Caps chat that the Post doesn't allow him to vote on player awards. Is that because he covers one team? Is it different for each columnist on whether they get to vote on the end of season awards? Just curious.

Michael Wilbon: No, it was the same for me. But I also work for ABC/ESPN and they want me to vote on the NBA awards, so I do.

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Alexandria, Va.: All this talk about Stafford being a better NFL fit than Sanchez? I seem to recall Brady being a 6th round pick. It's not like he was playing against Crump Tech in the PAC Ten.

Michael Wilbon: Ha! Thanksf or that. It's why I laugh at the NFL draft and all the "experts" how declaring "winners" and "losers" after one day.

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D.C.: What will it take to get more hockey coverage on PTI and Sports Center?

Michael Wilbon: Five million people watching a game and not 700,000.

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Miami, Fla.: Michael, who's your pick for the Pacquiao-Hatton fight?

Michael Wilbon: Pacquiao, no question. In a knockout. He's spectacular. Hatton's nice, and obviously tough, but he's going down.

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Washington, D.C.: In regards to "objectivity", when you are writing critically about someone you are friends with, do you call them beforehand to warn them? And is this common practice among columnists?

Michael Wilbon: Not "warn" specifically. But you tell them in the course of conversation, "Listen, I gotta tell you that I disagree with you on this...I gotta pop you on this issue..." Something along those lines. You even let that person have his say...I like to have that back-and-forth disagreement in columns...I did one of those with my friend Jay Bilas during the NCAA Tournament, where we differed on some issue...makes for a better column, I think.

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D.C.: Leon Powe tore his ACL last night and is out for the rest of the playoffs. Is this it for the C's?

Michael Wilbon: No. They're the champs and the pressure swings now to the Bulls to win in Chicago. But it's going to be tough for the Cs now...They have ZERO bench at this point...

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Norfolk, Va.: Hello Mr Wilbon, I read that Gilbert Arenas told the rest of the team it was time to stop joking and start being serious. Do you think his team will listen? And do you think Gilbert is finally becoming a leader?

Michael Wilbon: I think the rest of the team, most notably Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, are already serious. My question--and I bet theirs--is whether Gilbert can be serious and sacrifice some scoring and do what it takes to win...

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Anonymous: I'm just about to order lunch. What sandwich are you eating. I want to eat the lunch of champions.

Michael Wilbon: Turkey, ham, swiss, mayo on rye...That's me, baby.

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Charlotte, N.C.: Hey Mike, we are all down here in Charlotte hoping that Tiger commits to the Quail Hollow Championship (formerly the Wachovia Championship, of which he is a former champion). We are pretty sure/hopeful he will commit but I'm curious, what matters the most for the guys when they commit? Purse, the course, field, in that order?

Michael Wilbon: Actually, the purse is pretty constant...Tiger hinted at this yesterday in a conversation here at Congressional course is really important. Phil Mickelson hates extreme heat and humidity but he loves Congressional, so he tries to arrange his schedule to include any stop here. The course and the way the players are "taken care of" are huge.

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Baghdad, Iraq: Which young team would you take: Trailblazers or Bulls? Who's got more talent and promise?

Michael Wilbon: Look, I'm a Chicagoan but it's impossible to responsibly say you'd take the Bulls roster over Portland's. The Blazers have the best young roster in the league by a mile. My goodness, the TrailBlazers are loaded...twice.

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Annapolis, Md.: Who cares about Lebron or Kobe? They both take way too many shots and they both travel all the time. When is the NBA going to enforce the traveling call and can anybody play defense in the NBA?

Michael Wilbon: You can't be that insecure and blind, can you?

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Los Angeles, Calif.: I'm a regular viewer of PTI and noticed your strong defense of Ray Allen against Kornheiser's derisive comments ("Pow") last week regarding Allen elbowing Anderson Varejao in the groin during a recent game with the Cavaliers. You defended Allen vigorously saying he'd never do such a thing. However, the NBA didn't share your view of Allen as they suspended him for one game without pay ($167,000) for the offense. Slow motion replays of the incident showed Allen did more than merely lift himself quickly from the floor. Care to comment more now that the NBA has spoken or now do you agree with Kornheiser that is was a POW to the groin?

Michael Wilbon: I don't argue that Allen threw an elbow; he did. I just don't think Allen, given the position he was in, could even SEE Varejao's groin or any part of him, considering the Cavs forward was virtually straddling Allen. Sorry, I still disagree with the league's ruling.

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Boston, Mass.: Has Ben Gordon always been this good or is he stepping up to another level in the playoffs?

Also, please tell me the Bulls won't pull out the St. Paddy's Day green uniforms against the Celts again. That was one of the more confusing, disconcerting Celts games to watch on TV. Kept thinking it was some kind of Celts intrasquad scrimmage...

Michael Wilbon: The league should ban the Bulls from wearing those green uniforms. It was so, so hideous and stupid and yes, confusing. Anyway, Ben Gordon was just unreal last night. The duel between Gordon and Ray Allen was nearly as good as Dominique vs. Larry Bird on that floor 22 years ago. It was a treat to watch...The fool who earlier said that nobody in the NBA plays defense should look at the video of Jokim Noah, all 7 feet of him, in front of Allen as he caught and shot (all net) with 3 seconds left last night. He had to fire over a 7-footer and didn't touch the rim. What a performance.

Okay, gotta run and prepare for PTI...Chat with you guys next week, Monday as usual...Thanks and have a great week.

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