Hey, didn't you used to be the Rockets' main engine?

Sporting News, The, August 13, 2001

* Fly's never quite sure what to make of hoopsters who still eat sloppy joes off Styrofoam trays during fifth period, but the Spies're sayin' the nation's best prep player is Akron's LeBron James, who will be only a junior this year. After watching James drop 24 on top senior Lenny Cooke in a summer game, one veteran scout whispered, "That's the best high school player I ever saw"

* Fly was not so sure at first about that Brown-Rice dish Lil' Boy Gru will be serving at the Rrr-aider WR spot--to Fly, mixing H-O-Fers with E-G-Os comes out G-O-O-F-H-E. But Fly hears Tim-n-Jerry're confounding critics by--gasp--gettin' along. Brown's even doffed his prof's cap and is givin' lessons in Oak's Gru-eling offense to the new guy, who says he knows his place. "Tim's the man here" Jerry's words, not Fly's.

* Pardon Fly's shock at seein' the Bruins treatin' nickels like manhole covers when it comes to the Jason Allison talks. The sides're a mere $2 mil apart, which means one of two things: Allison the Islander or Allison the Holdout Couch Potato. Something about being in the same room as B's general miser Mike O'Connell always makes Fly double-check for the wallet.

* Fresh from the Rumorama (where clairvoyants like Miss Cleo are deities, not defendants) ... when it comes to playing a role, Bill Romanowski acts the lunatic linebacker better than Burbage did Hamlet. But some fellow Bronc-uh-ohs are sayin' they've had it up ... to ... here with Romo's training camp cheap shots. Yo, Romo, if anyone knows about chemistry, it's you, an' big hits in August aren't good for morale.

* Oohhh, more rantings and sour grapes from Fly's fave whinery--Junior Griffey. This one's vintage Ken: He's not happy with the direction his team's headin' (that'd be south, waaay south) and it's got him thinkin' he might call it a career. Uh, Griff ... where exactly did you think the dReds were headin' when you bullied the M's into sending you to Cincy?

* Fly's antennae were a-twitchin' at news of the resignation of Bill "Lee Harvey" Simpson, seat belt maker and handy NASCAR scapegoat. Simpson's made 2 million belts without a break in 43 years, but the Helton gang has not stopped blamin' him for the death of Dale Earnhardt. "I'm not taking it anymore" Simpson whispers.

* Fly knows there weren't many big guns out there in hardball's annual deadline arms race, but Fly was astounded by Astros acquirin' Astacio. Petey's got wanderin' mind, which killed him in Coors and'll kill him in Enron, too.

Fly's at the top of the heap every day at www.sportingnews.com.