Criminal Pays Homage To Larry Bird

Eric James Torpy, convicted of shooting with an intent to kill and robbery, gives new meaning to the term fanatic.

Torpy's lawyers reached a plea agreement for a 30-year term, but the foolish criminal wanted his prison term to match Larry Bird's jersey number "33". The prosecutors were more than willing to comply with his unusual request and extended his sentence by three years.

Couldn't he have paid homage to the Celtics great by requesting that his prison number end in "33"?

It's a good thing that Torpy wasn't a fan of Wilt Chamberlain who claimed he had slept with over 20,000 women -- he could have been sentenced to thousands of years behind bars.

This Associated Press blurb illustrates the folly of putting athletes on a pedestal, treating a sports star like a god makes you look like a fool or a criminal.

I admire Roger Clemens the baseball player, but I'm not going to tattoo his number on my arm, nor am going to name my firstborn after him.

Athletes deserves praise for their athletic ability, but their achievements should be put in perspective.

Performing great exploits in the gridiron and baseball diamond is one thing, accomplishing great deeds in laboratories, classrooms and hospitals is another.