The Fab Five

Great, great documentary last night on Michigan's "Fab Five" from the early 1990's. One of the best 30 for 30's to date. Personally I'd rank it in my top 4 along with the Marcus Dupree one, "The U", and, of course, the 2004 Red Sox.

Last night's was perfect in that it examined not only the sporting aspect, but also delved deep into the off-the-court drama they all went through. Just well done all around.

Some thoughts on last night:

-I lost a lot of respect for Chris Webber (aka C-Webb, if you saw those court documents near the end). Disappointing he didn't partake in the making of the film, first of all, but his press conference from September 2002 in regards to the Ed Martin booster scandal was especially troubling. To throw Martin under the bus like that, to say that he "preyed" on the Michigan stars, seemed like a way for Webber to save face amidst the legal troubles. Whether what Martin did was right or wrong, Webber was just plain wrong.

-On the other hand, Jalen Rose went way up in my book. I've always been lukewarm on Rose as an analyst, but to say he was the most well-spoken and up front of everyone interviewed is an understatement. Very interesting to see the changes in his relationship with Webber in the aftermath of the perjury trial. Apparently they didn't speak to each other for several years.

-Rose also made a great point at the end, that while the Fab Five never actually won a championship, how many people can name the Fab Five lineup, and then how many can name North Carolina's starting 5 from the 1993 Championship Game? The only player I'd ever heard of was George Lynch, whom for whatever reason I remember for being on the 18-64 New Orleans Hornets in 2004-2005. Blame NBA Live.

-Mitch Albom also offered great perspective on Webber. I've long been a fan of Albom's work on ESPN, namely from his performances on The Sports Reporters. And for Hingham people, if that name sounds familiar, you might remember this summer reading book from way back when.

-Total NBA Championships won by the Fab Five: 0. Only Jalen Rose appeared in a Finals, with the Pacers in 2000, where he was their leading scorer, but Indiana was trounced by the first Shaq/Kobe Championship Lakers squad.

-How the heck is Juwan Howard still playing in the NBA?

-Gotta feel for Jimmy King, being the only one of them to never make it to the Association. But hey, at least he won the CBA rookie of the year honors in 1995-96.

-The coach of the 2-seed San Diego State Aztecs in this edition of March Madness? Steve Fisher, who coached up the Fab Five back in the day. Who knew.