Thrilled

The adage sadly seems to hold true; death comes in threes. Entertainment icons of varying generations and impact left the world, though certainly the passing of one trumps the others.

Ed McMahon may have been a Trivial Pursuit answer for the under-40 crowd, but was a respected "second fiddle" for television legend Johnny Carson and the host of one of the first shows I have ever remembered, Star Search.

Farrah Fawcett was known more as a '70s sex symbol and an inspiration of fashion, but she made an impact on your television screens beyond the flowing blonde hair and illuminating smile.

Yet, this is the day that NO ONE saw coming and one that no one will ever forget as Michael Jackson's death has stunned, shocked and (outside of the NBA Draft coverage) stopped the world.

I certainly respected Michael Jackson's talents and enjoyed a good chunk of his music, even if I was not as big of a fan as (seemingly) every other person around me. He was a phenomenal entertainer, one whose movements on stage could be considered ever more graceful than Michael Jordan's hand-switching layup,  Lynn Swann's acrobatic catches or a open-field dribble-and-score from Pele... combined.

His controversies, while hard to forget (and forgive for many), could be considered ever more damaging than the post-Cus D'Amato life that sapped the power out of Mike Tyson, the continued fires that are fanned around Kobe Bryant or the phenomenal stupidity of O.J. Simpson... combined.

And so while tonight's original post was meant to be dealt with something related to tonight's NBA Draft, Jackson's passing is worth the additional words. MJ certainly thrilled as he tried to heal the world admist his own personal battles.

The true sports connections are here, below and found in a world of clips available for further viewing thanks to the power of YouTube.



A return to the current sports world before the end of the Draft.