Since the '07 playoffs, Kobe Bryant is 0-for-7 on game-tying or go-ahead FG in the final 10 seconds of 4th quarter & overtime. However, the real story is father time is finally catching up to the Mamba.

As easy and lazy as could be to go the ESPN remedial route and talk about Kobe Bryant’s clutchness, the real story after the Lakers game 2 meltdown vs the Thunder is that reality is setting in for one of the game’s greatest players. The Lake Show had firm control of game that would have given them homecourt advantage in this marquee series, but they gagged away a 7 point lead with 2 minutes remaining in the 4th. Or as Kobe likes to call it, the time when he morphs into Mariano Rivera. Instead, the Black Mamba basically handed the Thunder the game as if he had money on it.

I’m on record thinking that Kobe is the 3rd greatest guard of all-time behind MJ & Magic, but his play down the stretch Wednesday night made you cringe. Unless, of course, you’re a Laker hater or love to bust Kobe’s balls. If that’s the case, you’re in basketball heaven today. This is how he finished game 2…

He let James Harden fly by him for a layup, threw a lazy pass that Kevin Durant picked off and took in for a dunk, forced a fadeaway jumper that Harden blocked, didn’t get down court on defense (an ode to D Wade perhaps?) to prevent another Harden layup & then bricked a 3 with 6 seconds remaining on the shot clock. I’m not mentioning the fact that he didn’t get the ball on the Lakers’ final possession because he wasn’t open and a cross court in-bounds pass would have probably been picked off.

A 9-0 run virtually ended the Lakers season, and leaves one of the game’s greatest players to ponder what’s next?

You can excuse Kobe from having this kind of game because he’s delivered time and time again throughout his career. Hell, even MJ had two bad turnovers in a crushing game 1 loss to the Magic in Jordan’s ’95 comeback season. It happens to the best of them and Kobe isn’t immune despite the claims of those that hang on his nuts 24/7.

The simple fact is that age, attrition, injuries & 1,378 games (including playoffs) and counting have stripped Kobe of his all world athleticism and lift. Shots are more contested than they used to be. He can’t finish above the rim with ease like he once did, which leads to fewer free throws and more forced jumpers to get his points. But most of all, he is so consumed by matching MJ’s 6 titles that he has this maniacal attitude that hinders his game.

You can call it hero ball if you’d like, but the forced 3 with time left on the shot clock was just atrocious. In the past, Kobe would have the confidence in his knees to know he could get to the rim (and free throw line) no matter who was guarding him. The length of Durant bothers him, the hustle of Harden wears him down & the annoyance of Thabo Sefolosha brings out his one on one mentality (who is this bum trying to check me?!).

Father time gets everybody and Kobe is no different. He looked better this year and wasn’t dragging his knee up and down the court thanks to his Germany trip, but the young, spry & ridiculously athletic Thunder have made Bryant look more like Wizards MJ than Bulls MJ. There’s no amount of Kobe System that can prevent this kind of decay. It’s like seeing a girl from high school or college that’s aged with the grace of a hard partying coke head.

It’s sad to see because I remain a fan of Kobe’s. He can still play at a high level, but the days of him dominating legitimate playoff teams are a thing of the past. You only have so many jumps in your knees, and unfortunately, there’s only a few left in one of the ten best players of all-time.

I’d much rather remember this Kobe Bryant…

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Instead of appreciating LeBron James for being one of the most dominant players in NBA history, we're often left laughing when he shrivels up in money time...

It shouldn’t be like this. We shouldn’t be “witnesses” to a comedy show when it involves the most dominant player in the association & one of the greatest players of our lifetime. When I first saw LeBron James play in high school, the thought was, “how many championships is this guy going to win?” That thought continued when he had a billboard in downtown Chicago in ’03 that had him sitting on a throne pimping his first signature Nike shoe. I was convinced that he was a once in a generational talent, as well as being a genuine and marketable star. It wasn’t would he win a title, it was when he would start rattling them off at a Jordan like pace?

But somewhere between his first couple of seasons and the ’08 Olympics, everything changed for the king of nothing. He became an egotistical-entitled candy ass who felt compelled to act like a jerk-off despite never winning anything of any importance (sorry, but an Olympic gold medal on an NBA all-star team doesn’t do it for me).

James has always wanted the celebrity and adulation that comes from winning without actually having to sacrifice and give every ounce of determination & effort that he has.

When he does finish games and finish teams off like he did to the Celtics and Bulls last season, it’s expected. When he morphs into a role player and/or quitter like he did in game 5 vs the Celtics in 2010 and in games 4-6 in last year’s finals, he gets blasted as if he murdered somebody. And guess what? We can’t get enough.

There is no in between with LeBron, and that’s what’s so comical. He brought this entire shit show on himself by proclaiming to be king without conquering anyone. He is the most polarizing figure in sports and he has only himself to blame. You’d almost feel sorry for him for losing Chris Bosh if he didn’t let you know in MVP press conferences how great he was. It’s amazing how Bron Bron gets to games on time, considering he probably can’t peel himself away from the mirror.

If James was petrified of failure & reluctant to take big shots and free throws to close out inferior opponents, then he shouldn’t have talked about free agency two years in advance, sadistically plotted to join Dwyane Wade’s team, quit on his home town in a home playoff game, had 6 teams come to him to recruit him & bow to his ring-less hand and partaken in a championship celebration upon signing a free agent contract.

The vitriol he faces from the non LeBron realists is all on him. It didn’t have to be this way, but we can’t get enough of seeing him get his shot beat to the rafters. We giggle like stoned college kids when he treats the ball like it has herpes on it and passes to Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade on one possession without as much looking at the rim. We high-five anyone within an arm’s length when he chokes two free throws. We also roll our eyes when one of his suckhole apologists (and there are an infinite amount) like Steve Kerr blames fatigue on those missed free throws. And even if the final shot was designed for Mario Chalmers, we’re convinced James didn’t have the balls to demand the play be run for him during the timeout. And how could we possibly be wrong in having those feelings when he happily sits in the corner as a decoy while Chalmers bricks a 3?

The Heat’s loss to the Pacers in game 2 proves just how much pressure is on his highness. Nobody seemingly cares that James had 10 points, 6 boards & 3 steals in the 4th quarter of game two. Not enough people are ripping Dwyane Wade for gagging on a layup late, shot 8-22, again bitched to the refs for 48 minutes & again refused to get back on defense and help his atrocious Bosh-less supporting cast.

If James didn’t demand all of the attention (and blame), you could instead laugh at Wade shooting an abysmal 12-49 on jumpers in the playoffs. But the Teflon Don Whiner is never faced with the scrutiny that James is. The entire Heat thing is a circus regardless of how this playoff run turns out. LeBron can’t win even if he holds up the big gold ball and finals MVP trophy in late June. It will have been expected, and will be met with “well, it’s about damn time” cynicism. And if he again falls short of the only accomplishment he hasn’t earned, he’ll get roasted worse than Pam Anderson, Flavor Flav or Bob Saget ever was. Of all of the pitiful “comedies” on television these days, nothing compares to spring season of the LeBron Show.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Alshon Jeffery was an All American at South Carolina in 2010, but more importantly...

...His impressive and intimidating 6'3 frame will give the Bears two legitimate big bodied-big play receivers for the first in forever.

It didn’t take new Bears GM Phil Emery long to watch tape of the Bears offense and projectile vomit all over the place. I’m embellishing some, but he had to at least become nauseous watching the kick returners and bums (Roy Williams) that lined up at receiver the last three years ever since the Jay Cutler trade. In trading for Brandon Marshall and selecting Alshon Jeffery with the 45th pick in April’s draft, Emery has FINALLY given Cutler the necessary weapons to compete with the Packers, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Lions & 49ers in a loaded NFC.

It’s been the absolute worst watching Cutler throw to Johnny Knox (who I don’t anticipate seeing this season if ever) and Devin Hester (who can have a productive season if Bates & Tice use him in spurts and in specific packages that take advantage of his skills) knowing that they are unable to go up and snag a ball out of the air and away from a defender. That is, of course, when they aren’t falling down mid route at the Park District. It’s going to be refreshing to see Marshall and Jeffery go up and get the football on a 9 route when it’s 3rd and 8 and you’re desperate for a 1st down.

The days of Cutler having to be Brady like accurate are over. Knowing he has the ability to fit balls into a tight window is great, but not having to be perfect with every throw has to be a relief for #6. Also gone will be the 8-9 yard loss on a 2nd down 7 step drop that inevitably leads to a 3rd and 19… That’s immediately followed by a meaningless 16 yard deep in route.

It sounds ridiculous to say before the pre-season, but this Bears offense has a chance to be lethal. Marshall, Earl Bennett & Jeffery outside are going to pose matchup problems for teams all season (especially Bennett in the slot), Matt Forte will have openings that he’s never seen & Cutler is poised to have his best season yet. The offensive line is still a concern (J’Marcus Webb ), but Bears fans are going to see an offense that is going to be diversified, explosive and multi-dimensional (don’t sleep on Evan Rodriguez either). And a big reason is going to be because of this guy’s talents…

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Nas is one of the greatest and most influential rappers in history. MTV voted him as the 5th greatest rapper of all-time .

There’s a reason that Nas is one thought of as one of rap’s greatest and most influential talents of all-time. He possesses the ability to deliver outstanding lyrics as well as the insane ability to send a message unlike so many rappers who can’t wait to tell you about their cars and bitches. Nas is charismatic and has a flow that makes him easy to understand and listen to. He has long been a personal favorite of mine, and not just because of his beef with Jay-Z. When “The Message” popped up on Pandora the other day, I knew who would be the throwback artist of the week. For me, he is right there with Tupac & Biggie in terms of talent and desire to tell a story. So sit back and chill to some of Nas’ best work…

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Carlos Boozer's comments after the Bulls season ending game 6 loss were more baffling than his continued playoff collapses. His play in the real season is almost as embarrassing as...

...The fact that he's the highest paid cheerleader in the association. Jack Haley would be proud, C Booz.

I wanted to leave it alone, I really did. The hope was to quickly get over a Bulls postseason that was as miserable as going the distance with Floyd Mayweather with your hands tied behind your back. I lost all emotional connection to this team after the D Rose injury, but there was a rage that came over me after C.J. Watson passed to a career 48% free throw shooter with the game on the line in game 6.

The annoyance came in the form of the $75 million Spike Lee like towel waver, Carlos Boozer. If a 1-11 3 point performance in a season ending game wasn’t horrendous enough, C Booz the Bum had the audacity to say this when summing up this Bulls season…

“I thought I played well, especially with the kind of season it was,” Boozer said, when asked to assess his second season in Chicago. “We had the best record again in basketball, won our division again, had the top seed again, that’s all that matters, yo.”

That’s. All. That. Matters. Yo.

Yeah, totally.

Tell me, Carlos, what did you do well besides avoid contact and injury this season? Oh yeah, you perfected the art of shriveling into a 6’8 260 pound jump shooter that’s afraid of the painted area. Awesome.

The problem with Boozer’s quote that will define his tenure with the Bulls (at least to the fans who are only in this for championships) is that he is genuinely indifferent about winning a ring. He can talk about wanting the team to remain intact, having a legitimate chance to beat the Heat if healthy & winning a title, but this is more proof that he is nothing but a glory seeking mouthpiece. He’s like a soundboard– just press a different Boozer saying, and he spits out one of his infinite cliches.

Boozer loves to play the media for fools, but anyone with a sense of just how fake he is can see right through his bullshit. I am completely appalled at him admitting that a great regular season, division title & top seed is “all that matters, yo.”

Great regular seasons are apparently the Bulls’ M.O. Despite my efforts in a 1,700 word piece last week… http://chicitysportsfan.com/wp/2012/05/numerous-questions-await/, the Bulls won’t use the get out of NBA hell free card known as the amnesty clause.

Why would they, right? Why wouldn’t you want to cut ties with a guy that fits on a hard working dedicated team like a he’s a member of Al Qaeda joining Seal Team 6? It’s a travesty that GarPax isn’t seriously considering admitting a colossal mistake and moving forward. You see, GarPax is too proud to ever admit failure, so it’s simply not an option. Plus, Reinsdorf would rather be dropped in a pool of acid than eat the remaining $47 million on one of the worst contracts in Chicago sports history.

And that’s all you need to know about the Bulls. They are money first, titles second (they’ll never win a title with Boozer on this roster, by the way). So when you hear them talk about being determined to hang a 7th banner at the U.C., just know it’s all verbal diarrhea to feed season ticket holders to ensure that you again send them checks for season tickets on the false hope that a title is on the horizon. For a team that pisses money, the Bulls can’t wait to take all of those suckers’ cash.

But thanks for that moment of clarity, Booz. You, again, pissed off a fan base that already despises you. So enjoy your off-season of laziness, ignorance, defiance & working on your soft touched missed layups. It looks good on you. And when you return for camp, I’m sure you’ll have a fresh batch of cliches to spew as you sleep walk through another title-less season.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

I don't care if she's on the career arc of Whitney Houston, Rihanna is a bad ass chick for living her life her way.

For those who don’t know, I hate Chris Brown. So any chance there is to bust the balls of that walking piece of garbage, sign this guy up. I despise him (and all men that hit women) for being fake tough cowards. Brown’s act would fit perfectly in the NBA where fake tough wannabe gangsters can’t wait to show opponents and the world just how street they really are. Some think he’s talented, but those must be the ones that are legally deaf, blind or lack the musical taste of a generation that is growing up having their ears polluted by auto tuned bullshit.

Seriously, what talent does Brown possess other than collecting a legion of woman followers on Twitter that beg him to beat them up? Stay classy, whore bags. Why is our country so fucked up these days? Well, one of the reasons is sitting at the @ mentions on that woman beating waste of sperm’s Twitter page. The amount of “women” that want this ass-bag to beat them up (and who knows what else) induces nausea. What is wrong with people?

That’s why I can’t blame Rihanna for partying, smoking weed & ripping lines of coke Whitney Houston style. Do it up, Riri. Oh, you want to swing by a club in Queens at 2 a.m. and throw money at strippers? Awesome, have at it. And don’t feel the need to act and put on a face to please people. Anyone who looks at athletes and entertainers as role models has their priorities more fucked up than someone who buys a pimped out car, but somehow can’t afford to pay their mortgage. Plus, putting up with that no talent coward is enough to drive anyone to booze and illicit street drugs.

Go fuck yourself, Chris Brown. I loathe & detest you for hitting women just because of the sense of entitlement your worthless self has. Oh, you dance, wear awful clothing & lip sync? Where do I get tickets?! How demented is this world when we lose a musical genius in MCA, but you’re still around poisoning people’s ears and helping kill the music industry? The fact that I would rather have ice picks shoved in my balls than listen to your music is as irrelevant as you soon will be. You’re the scum of the earth and I’m anxiously awaiting the day I get to read a story where some woman whoops your ass like Chyna used to do to the men in the WWF. And when you do slither into oblivion, make sure to take all of “Team Breezy” with you. Because judging by those cretins, the world is better off without them too.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

The Blackhawks core players remain under contract, but the conflict between Stan Bowman and...

...Coach Q could lead to one or both being fired after next season.

Winning a championship in any professional sport gives you clout. It also gives you stability within an organization–at least a three year pass to do no wrong, more money, free dinners & if you’re a coach with a mustache in Chicago…It gives you legendary status. Just ask that money making advertising whore, Mike Ditka. To this day, that money hungry candy ass is still profiting off a Super Bowl title he won 26 years ago.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is on a hall of fame path as a head coach in the NHL. The title he helped bring this city in 2010 proved his ability as a coach, and showed the Hawks were right in shoving Denis Savard into a Scottie Pippen role four games into the ’08-’09 season. Quenneville guided the Hawks to it’s first Stanley Cup since 1961, and it was assumed with a young core of talented players in tact that he would be safe in his job as long as he didn’t shit the bed and miss the playoffs.

But with Scotty Bowman’s massive ego overshadowing all things Hawks, and Stan Bowman eager to prove his worth and step out of his father’s shadow, dysfunction and ego are turning the Hawks into a reality show with “Mob Wives” style drama.

According to ESPN Chicago, the Hawks drama is turning into Quenneville’s side vs Bowman’s side. This is their version of Krause vs Jackson, Ozzie vs Kenny & Ditka vs McCaskey.

Marc Bergevin (a Quenneville guy) left for Montreal and assistant Mike Haviland (a Bowman guy) was fired by the coach as a way to show that his coaching staff will be determined by him, not the hockey Gods (Bowman’s). This move is Quenneville’s power play, which should eliminate any chance that a guy like Barry Smith (director of player development) will be sent to help coach the special teams that were so abysmal in the playoff loss to Phoenix.

Smith was essentially the mouthpiece for the Bowman’s. He might as well have had a notepad jotting down anything he perceived as negative to report to his superiors.

How amateur hour is this? This is a franchise that is determined to be the NHL’s standard when it comes to professionalism and winning, and here they are arguing over who gets the biggest room in the new house. It’s quite nauseating, and a problem that needs to be rectified if this team ever wants to hoist a cup again.

Is Patrick Kane a center? Not if you ask Quenneville, or other coaches around the league. But the boy wonder (Bowman) seems to think he is, and it’s creating a divide that is crippling Kaner’s game. Bowman believes having Kane at center is a better option than any 2nd line center that’s available via trade or free agency.

Quenneville doesn’t think the Hawks can win another cup with Kane in the middle. Bowman does. I don’t know about you, but I’ll side with the coach who has a cup in his trophy case and 624 regular season wins and 70+ playoff wins on his resume. But that’s just me.

To sustain success in pro sports, you need the front office and the coach to be on the same page. When they aren’t, agendas & egos become as important as winning games. Bowman vs Quenneville isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s likely to overshadow any moves the team makes this summer. Once a toxic situation like this becomes public, all people will talk about is who will be the fall guy? There’s only one way to squash this reality TV silliness and that’s to win another Stanley Cup. Can it happen? It’s hard to imagine when two massive egos can’t agree on where to play one of the team’s core players. When you win a title, the disease of more can slowly take over and create egotistical monsters. Sadly, we’re starting to see that disease decay the foundation of a team that is still in it’s championship window.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Fake ass jabroni's like Will-i-am are a staple at Lakers games, but nothing is worse than being forced to deal with smarmy ass-bags on a daily basis.

Is there anything worse than fake people? I don’t mean the ones that create parody accounts on Twitter to show off their amateur comedic skills, although some of them are smartly planned and well done.  I am also not talking about the petrified ass clowns who create random fake accounts on the social media giant or fake email addresses for the sole purpose to talk shit and act like Floyd Mayweather behind their Macbook Pro’s laptops. You almost feel sorry for those gutless suckholes, because they probably haven’t been laid by anything other than a hooker for the better part of a decade.

Nor is the target here Lakers fans, but the “look at me and my new kicks” fashion douche juices that fill the Staples Center this time of year always deserve to be called out. You know the type… the ones that care more about being shown on TNT or ABC’s “Jack” montage than they do about Andrew Bynum’s often indifferent and questionable effort in playoff games. Yes, those same fans that abandoned the team when the Bulls were running them out of the Forum in game 5 of the ’91 finals, vanished into thin air when Magic retired, said “Lakers who?” when Shaq got traded & will become Clippers fans once Kobe retires.

Laker “fans” will have their day in this space, but the absolute worst form of people are the grin fucking fakers that you deal with on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter the setting, everyone is faced with the cold reality of seeing people they despise, and/or equally detest them right back.

You’ve been there– you had to put on a face to say hello to someone who,undoubtedly, can’t wait to leave the conversation so they can talk shit behind your back. They often come with a smile and an atrocious “Hey! How are you?!” Whether it’s work, a social setting or the unfortunate timing of running into someone at the grocery store, you know you’re getting bullshitted when you get the head tilt with the “Oh my god, how have you been?!” “You look good, what’s new?” Oh, and don’t forget about the types that always have “a guy” for whatever project you might be looking to have done around the house. I’m sure you’ll get the guy’s name and number to me after I call you six times.

Get out of my life.

And who hasn’t been cornered by someone at a party, bar, wake or anywhere in between and had to have the “I haven’t seen you since high school, tell me about EVERYTHING in the next five minutes so I can go annoy the shit out of some else” chat? It happens far too often, and it forces you to morph into robot mode where you only give short answers before pretending to take a really important call from work, or asking where the bathroom is. Don’t bother asking how life has been since high school. There’s a reason that we haven’t spoken since then…It’s because there’s no desire or reason to. Unless you’re hot and drunk, move along because I’d rather be shot in the face then hear about your tennis win at your health club or your new promotion at work.

And who can forget the ones who shake your hand, never make eye contact and ask you “Hey, how ya doin, buddy?!” Really? Don’t approach people and big time them like you’re a God damn movie star. We were perfectly happy chillin’ at the bar before you decided to swag over and tell us about your new car and how smoking hot your girlfriend is. And if you happen to engage in a conversation with them, they’ll likely mock something you have to say because they’re a penis like that, or give you a look in utter disgust when you speak truth on them. “Are you sure? I don’t know about that…” Sweet. Then why the fuck did you ask me in the first place, cocksucker?

Dealing with fakers is a miserable occurrence that is unavoidable unless you live in a cave. And don’t forget about the people in college who you didn’t really care for in the first place trying to relive how hammered we used to get and the girls we unsuccessfully tried to sleep with. Fakers are all over the place, and can’t wait to grin fuck you to show how good of a person they are. Don’t fall for it, because if they cared that much how you were doing, they wouldn’t need to ask in the first place.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

How do you celebrate a first round playoff exit? Like this if you're Patrick Kane. Doesn't Madison have hotter girls? And no, Kaner, two 5's don't make a 10.

Who gets this blacked out drunk? Kaner. That's who. Way to handle your booze, bro.

Can't you tell how hard Kaner's taking the Blackhawks playoff loss? You pick who the bigger douche in this picture is. And was this before or after Kaner choked a woman?

You know the Blackhawks are out of the NHL playoffs when the inevitable drunken Patrick Kane photos start popping up on Deadspin (well done again), camera phones & every other website that loves to vicariously live through the 23 year old. Kaner was in Madison, Wisconsin for Cinco de Mayo putting on what will be one of many drinking exhibitions this spring and summer. Seriously, is there anyone who hasn’t seen this cat drunk in a bar? Kaner isn’t on an island when it comes to annihilated NHL players, but he has to be one of the league’s top drinkers. I say good for him. He is what he is as a player (a supremely skilled playmaker that needs scorers alongside him), and his off-season drinking habits haven’t changed since he came into the league. I’ve given up hope that he matures into a Toews type of leader, so bottoms up, Kaner. Just know that if you come into camp out of shape, you won’t need a guy like me busting your balls. Why? Because you’ll likely be packing your bags after a trade that will hopefully net the Hawks a player or two that isn’t too eager to start his off-season this early every spring.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

Miguel Cotto gave Floyd Mayweather all he could handle on Saturday night, but...

..."Money" still emerged victorious and can now say that 43 have stepped up, and 43 have been sent down.

Anyone who follows the fight game knows that Floyd Mayweather’s business model and pay-per-view allure is to remain unbeaten so he can pimp that 0 in his loss column. It’s a brilliant strategy by an equally brilliant fighter. Mayweather (43-0 26 KO’s & picked up his 8th world title belt in 5 weight classes) made a boxing record of $32 million for his 12 round unanimous decision (which is how the fight was predicted in this space by the way) victory over the game Miguel Cotto (37-3 30 KO’s) Saturday night in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. Even though ‘Money” is headed to jail for an 87 day sentence on June 1, his marketing strategy will remain the same once he’s released.

Mayweather doesn’t only control the fights in the ring, he controls virtually every revenue stream outside of the actual fight. He controls foreign sales as well as closed circuit and site revenue. Floyd’s goal is simple…Stay undefeated and make as much money as possible before hanging up his gloves for good.

Floyd has become a mainstream superstar because of his dominance in the ring, as well as his appeal to urban kids everywhere. As much as many adults want to see him get his ass kicked by anyone, young kids are dreaming of growing up to live the high life that he can’t wait to show you. If you don’t think he has a crazy fan base, know that nearly 900,000 homes tuned into see TNT’s showing of the first Mayweather-Cotto 24/7 episode.

Floyd certainly has his detractors/haters, but he couldn’t care less. No matter how knowledgable you are about boxing, you probably have a strong feeling about him one way or another. He is the ultimate love/hate guy, and that’s exactly how he wants it. His haters tune into his fights, as much as his die hard “Money Team” fans do. To use a wrestling term, he has perfected the heel role better than any boxer of my lifetime. As nauseating as he can be, he is sadistically smart and savvy.

But Floyd needs that 0 in the loss column to appeal to fans because once that goes away, so does the need to see him fight. If he would have lost to dangerous Cotto (who pressed Floyd against the ropes and did damage that no other opponent has been able to) on Saturday, the excitement of a Pacquiao fight would have lost some sizzle. Floyd knows this, and it’s why the fight that can save the sport will likely never happen.

Floyd is more than content to pick and choose his next few opponents, make an insane amount of cash, stay undefeated & pimp off into the Vegas night. If Pacquiao agrees to a 60/40 split in Mayweather’s favor a year or two from now, Floyd will sign on only because he’ll know Pac-Man has slowed down. The drug testing issue has nothing to do with this, it’s all about preserving Floyd’s record and marketing strategy.

Floyd kept his edge on Saturday despite being challenged like never before from Miguel Cotto. And even though there is nobody else left for him to fight, the possibility of Mayweather-Pacquiao is dwindling by the second. He’ll never admit it, but Floyd couldn’t care less about how you view him for not fighting Manny. As long as that 0 is in his loss column, that’s all that matters to him.

@Louie_Ruffolo8