LeBron James, MVP and potential NBA Champion. How might these achievements complicate his life as a free agent next summer? I wondered aloud (or something like that) on Sportscenter's Twitter page Monday afternoon and the response reminded me how polarizing James' decision will be. He cannot please everyone, that much is clear. Monday, when James received his award at St. Mary's / St. Vincent's in Akron, he was asked how his successful season might affect his decision. Do these awards make it easier for him to move on with a feeling of accomplishment and no regret. Or will these good times be too good to let go? Will this season convince him that the grass is not greener? James didn't directly address the topic. Instead, he spoke about his mission and team in Cleveland. His mission, in his words, is to be a better person, role model and father. LeBron received his hardware surrounded by awestruck high school students in his hometown. I saw his team and his mission right there. James needs to look no further. Under the Larry Bird Rule, the Cavaliers can offer him top dollar. That is understood. The stardom of New York City and its marketing opportunities remain the big unknown for James. I know this much. A loyal LeBron who stays in Ohio is a far more appealing spokesman and salesman. In these economic times, old fashioned values like family, faith and tradition are priceless. If James leaves, he will be throwing away an image that no company could re-create.

As we wait for an answer from the Galaxy and AC Milan today, my column concerning David Beckham's generated conversation and responses, including this one from my fellow ESPN anchor Georgie Bingham. On behalf of Mr Beckham. Dear Chris, Firstly I would like to point out that I am not a massive Beckham fan. You make many good points and I am NOT here to defend his honor. I would simply like to add to your debate. I would like to start with a few disclaimers. I CANNOT and WILL NOT defend his wife, the TomKat circus or the Beckham Bandwagon Publicity Machine (forthwith called the BBPM). Good points Chris, no defense, can't even try. I think fundamentally this is about perception. What America and the press here was sold by the MLS (and the BBPM) was a man who would change soccer in this country. A superhero, a talent that would single-handedly bring down opposition teams with the simple touch of a ball. (This happened once before when one of the THE greatest footballers of all time - Pele - arrived in the USA in 1975 to play for the New York Cosmos - but soccer being a minority sport and Pele not having a 1970's version of the BBPM means you guys have forgotten about that). Beckham's prowess is where I feel, the misconception lies. In what sport does one man make a team?? Could Ben Roethlisberger have won the Superbowl without his Steelers team? We all know that Big Papi couldn't win a game for the Red Sox without the Jacoby Ellsbury's of this world to steal bases and the Jonathan Papelbon’s to close out the opposition - Soccer is no different. Secondly, sports fans were sold 'the greatest footballer in the world.' I think this was a hoofer too. What the rest of the world understands, which America does not, is that David Beckham is NOT the most talented footballer. There is no doubt that David Beckham works hard, has a gift, is a superb ball placer, and is also a winner and a leader. But, he is NOT the greatest footballer. He is the greatest ICON the game has ever seen. Big difference. Beckham's mission as an icon was to make the world notice the MLS (for good or bad) and to make help the stature of the American game grown within it's own country. Good or bad - he has actually accomplished that. The proof? Here we are talking about him. He is a talking point whether its to love or hate him with what we say. I don't find it hard to believe that you find Beckham insincere. He has come over here, with his BBPM and gushed and grinned and made love to us all. Less then 2 years later, after 1 and a half disastrous seasons with the Galaxy he has admitted he is desperate to leave. He hasn't said he hates it here, but he hasn't said he loves it either so, go figure. His actions amount to a massive rejection which I think has got to hurt soccer fans here in the States, and even annoys sports fans into a childish "Well we never like you anyway" kind of mentality. The only thing I DO believe is that pre his time here Beckham DID have a genuine desire to make soccer bigger and what better market to try in then the biggest sports market in the world? It hasn't worked but I do still believe his ideal for that growth brought him here and that was a sincere move on his part. Chris, you are not alone in your sentiment of wanting Beckham off American soil, but I believe this sentiment is mutual. Brits and Europeans are/will be delighted to see Beckham come back on their radar in Europe, in a football sense anyway. He is still a top class footballer and is playing some great football at AC Milan. But it's not win win all round! Not quite. There is one loser in this scenario; I think Beckham's exit does damage to the MLS. Beckham's desertion to a top class team in Italy proves what many critics believe about the standard of the game in the States. This Beckham experience hasn't worked. And Beckham's current form in Italy suggests it is not because he can't play anymore. This Beckham move was a chance for MLS to showcase itself to the world, to prove doubters of the standard of soccer stateside that they were wrong. I can't put my hand on my heart and say that the opposite hasn't happened. One more thing. If we're taking back Beckham and entourage - can we do a swap? We will gladly take Victoria and her 5 inch Louboutins for Paris Hilton and her search for a 'best friend'... I also think the Brits are closing ranks behind good guy Guy Richie and would be happy to return your material girl.... Georgie Bingham

For Michael Phelps, timing is everything. One hundredths of a second are the difference between medal winning Olympian and global icon. According to his marketing agent, Phelps could earn upwards of one hundred million over his lifetime. Yet, in mere seconds Phelps nearly undid it all. For the second time in his career, Phelps did not take an extra second to think about his actions. In 2004, an underage Phelps was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Now a picture has surfaced reportedly showing Phelps inhaling from a marijuana pipe. Phelps again issued an apology. The IOC has accepted it. His biggest sponsors are staying with him too. Apparently, Phelps is part fish and part Teflon. Nothing sticks to this hero. But I hope there's a three strike policy. Phelps is not an average 23 year old. In his apology he expressed that he is still young. Yes, that is true but it's not a solid defense. The average young 23 year old is a year out of college and facing a grim economy. The average 23 year old is hoping to land a job and hold on to it. Phelps is a multi-millionaire and, by comparison, has not a care in the world. Phelps cannot enjoy the spoils that come with being exceptional without accepting the responsibility also. *Hurry Up and Wait* It's the business I'm in and it makes me crazy. Hurry up and wait for the news as two of the most gifted puppeteers are working the strings. What will happen first? Brett Favre retires or Tiger Woods returns? As one season ends and another tees-off, I wonder. I'd like to see Favre retire at this point. He's physically breaking down and wearing down those around him, namely his teammates. It's time to go. As for Woods, golf breaks down without him. It falls from the front page to buried pages reserved for tennis, F1, horse racing. Through his web site this week, Woods announced that he is practicing full bore and has no restrictions. Now imagine the story if Woods returns to the Tour for the Masters? He hasn't been seen on a course since June 16th. He's had reconstructive knee surgery since then. Yet, he's already the odds on favorite to win the Masters. Might I suggest that Favre retire the week Tiger returns. It would allow him to sneak away with little noise. Or Favre could retire during his visit to Disney World for ESPN The Weekend. Doesn't every player want to say I'm going to Disney World and walk off into the sunset? ( Sorry, championship not included in the gift bag.)

Shaq can't beat them, so he'll praise them. After the Lakers beat the Suns on Thursday night, Shaq said, 'They're the best team.' 'They're 9-1. They're playing good. Kobe's playing team ball, keeping everybody involved. He's got a lot of shooters around him. They're a very dangerous team.' O'Neal had 15 points. It would strike me as gracious if it didn't stink of insincerity. Shaq's wants everyone to think he's the bigger man. We know better. At their worst, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were no better than brats in a sandbox. O'Neal called Bryant a ball hog and Bryant responded by calling O'Neal fat and out of shape. With half a decade now to reflect on their pairing, O'Neal calls it creative differences that Phil Jackson wisely used to motivate the team to victory. Revisionist history according to Shaq. ' Phil never called us into the office and said, `Both of you, shut the (heck) up.' Never did that in four years. He knew that when I read something, I was going to get upset. And he knew Kobe was going to always come out and play hard. So I think it was all done by design.' Really? What was by design was Jerry Buss's decision to keep a younger Bryant and ship an older Shaq out of town. It was the right move. And one Shaq cannot let go of, clearly. As Shaq's career reaches its twilight and the spotlight shifts off of him, he drags Kobe and Phil into conversation and gets our attention if not theirs. Then their paths cross and he apologies, denies, expresses his unending love and respect. How desperate. How boring. *Sign of the times* Another thought on this week's news and sports. As I wrote on Sportscenter Friday at noon... Automakers are in trouble. You don't need to understand sales and stocks to know it. You just need to appreciate sports and tradition. Since 2001 despite terrible records, the Lions sold out every game. That streak ended on October 26th of this year. This Sunday will mark the third straight time they've failed to sell out a home game. The team is 0-10 and will not be seen in local markets. The game against the Bucs is blacked-out. While the Lions record is partially to blame, consider this. The Red Wings have seen empty seats over the past two post seasons. Here's my take...Taking the family to a professional sporting event is a luxury. Plain and simple. But Detroit area fans always found a way to do it. When an area's source of joy and pride becomes too expensive...it's a bad sign.

Quick thoughts following the NLCS: As one game and season ended another began in Los Angeles. Dodger GM Ned Coletti left the Stadium Wednesday night and fans were chanting "Bring Back Manny" at Coletti. Fans have reason to love Manny's output. He just set postseason records for batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and carried the Dodgers to the NLCS. After the game, Manny thanked the fans, and called his trade from Boston a great one. He was grinning when he said quote I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I. He then referred all questions of exact price to his agent, Scott Boras. Boras was the man in the peach colored sweater and holding court front row...behind home plate during the game. Love Manny's play. Question his loyalty. And to all owners involved...this duo fooled you once. Shame on them. Fool you again. Shame on you. The NLCS MVP, Cole Hamels, wasn't even alive the last time the Philadelphia area celebrated a championship. He's just 24. On the flip side, Jamie Moyer not only was alive but in high school in 1980, the last time the Phillies won a championship. Moyer grew up about an hour away from downtown Philly. He cut school to celebrate that Phillies win. He went to the parade on Broad Street. Moyer is the oldest player in major league baseball. He is the only player on the Phillies who has ties to the Philadelphia area. Can you imagine a better ending to his story? Or a more interesting element in the clubhouse? This is a guy who must deceive batters on the mound. If he just tells it straight to his teammates in the clubhouse...teary eyed and all... they will be fired up and ready to go. Despite the Cubs quick collapse, a 100 season title drought is almost over. May 31, 2008 marked the 25th anniversary of Philadelphia's last pro sports title, the 76ers. Four major pro teams, 25 years. Do the math. It's been 100 MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL seasons with no titles. And finally...even a Phillie, himself, is a front-runner. Hamels was raised about two hours south of Los Angeles. He cheered for the Dodgers as a kid and not the nearby Padres. Padres stunk and he admitted he was a bit of a front-runner. Remember this past August when Jimmy Rollins called Phillies fans "Frontrunners"? I can only imagine Hamels asking himself during one of Rollins rant, "What's wrong with being a frontrunner?" Absolutely nothing today.

Last summer my mom and I were shopping at a local farmer's market in Southern Connecticut. We were standing in line for tomatoes when we heard the voice. 'How many are we having tonight?' 'I am at the Market.' My mom and I tried not to look but mouthed OMG to one another. His voice was unmistakable. I turned, slyly....(doubt it)....to check. There he stood. His phone was pressed to his ear. He was loud like most 80 something year olds tend to be on a cell phone. But he was sporting the best pair of sun glasses. Not the big 'bug-eyed' celebrity type. The cool aviator type. There he stood. Mr. Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke, supporting the local farmers. He passed away last Friday at the age of 83. He was of the famed 'Greatest Generation'. Newman was a World War Two veteran, 10 time Academy Award nominee, race care driver, and activist. Newman's philanthropy is as legendary as his acting career. His Newman's Own brand of salad dressings and sauces support his charity, The Hole in The Wall Gang, and many others to the tune of 250 million dollars. One man's fortune is another's donation. Imagine that? It got me thinking. Athletes are the new movie stars. Athletes are better know, better rewarded and have more access to power and influence than the majority of today's actors. Professional athletes and their famous multi-millionaire if not billionaire owners, are forever throwing around the names of their foundations. But how good are these groups and who are they helping? After all, Angelina, Brad and Bono can't do it all themselves. If you're curious like I was, here are a couple links that can help. The links research and rate charities on a variety of criteria including how much money actually goes to those the charity professes to help. "GuideStar":http://www.guidestar.org/ "Charity Navigator":http://www.charitynavigator.org/?gclid=CLSSzfaIhJYCFQVfFQodBCEiEA In difficult financial times, charitable foundations will need to do more with less. One of the coolest Americans ever died a week ago. Let's hope what ultimately made him so great lives on. Do you think an athlete might take a lead role?

An anniversary passed on September 20th. The date was barely acknowledged let alone celebrated. It might remind you of a wedding anniversary somewhere in the 12-13 year range. Not a milestone. Rather the kind that receives a quick reflection before moving on with day to day life. Only the anniversary that passed on the 20th IS significant. The Battle of the Sexes happened 35 years ago. September 20th, 1973. Thirty thousand attended the match. Fifty million watched it on TV. It's star was the media savvy, socially aware, enormously respected Billie Jean King. Please indulge me as I bring back a column I wrote for ESPN.com's Page Two in 2002. I had just met King for the first time. She was on ESPN's campus and was ready to take on the World Wide Leader. King was the guest speaker at an 'off the record' gathering. Only, she asked that everything go 'on the record'. She explained that 'off the record' is a luxury saved for those who will have an audience over and over again. She usually had but one shot to get her message across. And she went for the winner every time. I tried my best to explain why she is, to this day, among the best the world can offer. "Click here to read my original story":http://espn.go.com/page2/s/mckendry/020430.html Significant change comes one generation at a time. I believe that and my opportunities throughout life compared to King's serve as proof. Comparisons as they say are inevitable. And they are everywhere. Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan. LeBron James to Kobe Bryant. Kevin Garnett to Bill Russell. But the player to whom all will now be compared debuted in the WNBA this season. Candace Parker. She scored 34 points, the most ever in a WNBA debut, and came up two assists short of a triple double. The only NBA player to record a triple double in his debut was Oscar Robertson 48 years ago. Last spring, Parker was wrapping up her second straight national championship at Tennessee. Playing ball on a daily basis since last October, you never heard any talk of her hitting the NBA's Rookie Wall. She also played in the Olympics. She dunks, she fights, she's a beautiful marketer and a team player. Parker will be compared to others and she likely brush it off with a million dollar grin and modesty. Truth is comparisons are irrelevant. Welcome, Ms. Parker. We've been waiting for you.

There is nothing more popular with sports fans than the champion reclaiming the throne. Players on the losing side of a well fought battle receive our appreciation when not our pity. Somehow, Roger Federer has been cast to play this character. He has been battling for months now. He has been graceful, tearful and gutsy. Fans have taken notice. Can you remember a time when Federer was more popular than he is right now? Federer will face a qualifier today in the quarterfinals of the US Open. Usually, the crowd goes for the underdog. Well, in a strange twist to his stellar career, suddenly Federer is an underdog. Expect the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to pull for Federer in the hopes of a Federer and Rafael Nadal Final. Imagine another epic battle similar to the one at Wimbledon. Federer needed five sets to win his fourth round match Tuesday. Fighting fatigue (how much only he knows for sure) following a bout with mononucleosis earlier this year, Federer is showing why he's such a great champion...maybe even more so this year than in years previous. He's adjusting his game. He is shortening points and playing more serve and volley than ever before. In Tuesday's five setter he came to the net 84 times. He won a gold medal in doubles in Beijing, mind you. He can serve and volley. Think of Tiger Woods adjusting his swing or adding shots to his game once other big hitters emerged. Federer is fighting and winning over everyone if no longer every match. An interesting side story to everyone's overwhelming desire to see another Federer / Nadal final is Andy Roddick's tournament. What will fans do about him? They cannot cheer against an American let alone the most well known and popular American male player in the world. But three players cannot reach the final. Stay tuned. Tennis has exactly what is has been lacking...a rivalry, characters and emotion.

Tonight in San Diego, 87 years of age and 46 seasons will be on the mound when Jamie Moyer counters fellow starter Greg Maddux. Here's an interesting little something or other from Tonight in San Diego, 87 years of age and 46 seasons will be on the mound when Jamie Moyer counters fellow starter Greg Maddux. Here's an interesting little something or other from Kevin my SportsCenter Researcher... Greg Maddux made his MLB debut in 1986 with the Cubs.. he entered as a relief pitcher for a game started by none other than Jamie Moyer who was making his 12th big league appearance. Maddux comes into tonight's game just a win shy of tying Roger Clemens for 8th on the all time list with 354 wins. Consider this...Maddux, Clemens and Warren Spahn are the only ones in the top 10 among all-time winners to have played the past 78 years. Maddux has pitched for 22 seasons. Not a single pitcher won more games in the 1990's. Clemens won with brute strength, Maddux won with control. Now, with 20/20 hindsight, we are forced to consider all the accusations surrounding the hulking Clemens and performance enhancers. We are forced to re-consider his resume and legacy. And while this season hasn't been his best, the pitcher who resembles Clark Kent, Maddux, looks more and more like the real Superman of his era after all.

Have you ever held the same job for 12 years and yet people want to congratulate you on a debut? Yup. Yesterday was a weird one. My 12n - 3p ET SportsCenter debuted, I did not. Although this show is different. I teetered between feeling like I had been there before and not knowing what the #@?*& was coming next. SportsCenter raw. You will hear and see things that might seem off. Who has time to be perfect...there are blogs to catch. But the beauty of debuting 12 years post arrival, Is that I am not doing it alone. I have friends. Greeny complimented my strappy sandals. I don't make this up. And, funny, neither does he. Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine answered when I called to talk Kobe and LeBron and the possibility of $50 million to play in Europe. I am so intrigued by this new global market and Broussard has been all over it. The new SportsCenter allows for interviews and follow up questions. It gave me time to talk to Chris about Jordan's $30 million per year a decade ago and Kobe's max of $20 million a year from now. My opinion on the whole matter... When commissioner David Stern spoke about globalization, did he mean of basketball or of the NBA? Only one is happening at warp speed. I can imagine what Mr. Stern has on his bedside table...likely not the Vanity Fair or InStyle that is on mine, but I have read Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat." It's not an easy read. He repeats themes over and over until you want to scream: I am not an idiot. But good summer reading for the NBA. Thanks friends...and please continue to answer the call. I might be in my debut season...but nothing new here...I am going nowhere without you.