Babies!

Awww!

I love seeing athletes play the role of Daddy. Big, strong men with babies, in general, is one of the most endearing sights but it's that much sweeter when they're with their own. Two examples here are Dwyane Wade with son Zaire and Tracy McGrady with son Laymen. How cute is baby T-Mac??? And Z. Wade is growing up fast. Here's the last picture I saw of him. Dwyane brought Zaire with him to an appearance at Cottage Grove Middle School in Ford Heights, Illinois and Tracy brought Laymen to his charity softball tournament in Houston.

Also, I watched The Run: Steve Nash on NBA TV the other day and Steve has the cutest little twin girls, Lola and Bella. They were prancing around the locker room in little fairy outfits while Steve was asking for a "besito." Too cute.

Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images

Fashion Flash

One of the reasons why I loved David Lee's shirt was that it was so unassuming. That's a trait I love about Dwyane Wade as well, which is evidenced here, here, and here.

Even though be was a burgeoning superstar, he never seemed to buy into his own hype.

However, at the BET Awards on June 26th, Dwyane wore a white blazer emblazoned with a flash, his Shaq-given moniker.

Now I don't know whether that was a one time hey-wouldn't-it-be-cool thing, but hopefully, it's not the start of something similar to Shaq stamping the Superman logo on anything and everything he owns. Don't get me wrong, I love Shaq, but Shaq is so uniquely his own charmingly constructed persona that to attempt to duplicate it just doesn't work.

That being said, I can't wait to see Dwyane at the ESPYs. And hopefully, he still doesn't have an entourage.

Cool Dad #2: Mr. Flash

DWade with his son, Zaire, who's already mastered Daddy's staredown.

Lakers vs Heat, Part II

Who says Brian Grant doesn't earn his $13,233,434 salary. Look at him coming off the bench and sticking his nose right in the middle of the action.

As entertaining as it was watching grown men analyze a handshake the way Carson Kressley analyzes a pink blouse, the highlight of the night - pretty much all the highlights of the night - came from D. Wade. The way he called out La Prima Donna and the refs before he headed in the locker room at halftime, but more importantly, the way he stepped up his game during the second half, shooting a hell of a lot better than 1 for 11. D.Wade even has LA writers' panties in a twist.

Mark Heisler of the LA Times writes:
"What time machine did this guy step out of? Here's what Miami's Dwyane Wade doesn't do after he dunks: scream; swing on the rim; pound his chest; pull back his jersey to show his heart; glare at anyone who dared to come near him while he was doing it; or point at the sky. This is a 23-year-old second-year player who gets to the basket at will, dunks over whoever's there and then runs back the other way. As he says, 'I want to act like I did it before.'"

You can't blame Mark Heisler or anyone else in LA for being excited. After years of having to endure Kobe, I can't describe how gratifying it is to see him get his comeuppance - and get SPANKED along the way! Sorry if my posts lately have been a D.Wade parade, but what can I say, he's hot. And I'd rather not mention the Oakland massacre, or Kings vs. Warriors. Jesus H. Christ.

The Big Aristotle Strikes Again

Two things you can count on Miami games for:

1. Randy Moss sightings (How cute does he look in his braces?? Okay, yeah, we'll discuss how I'm always attracted to the wrong guy in another post.)

2. The most "quotatious" quotes in the league.

This one comes from Shaq Daddy and shows he's evolved into a thinker of Maureen Dowd-ian proportions. Asked about the difference between Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade in the New York Post:
"The difference between those three is in 'The Godfather' trilogy. One is Fredo, who's never ready for me to hand it over to him. One is Sonny, who will do whatever it takes to be the man. And one is Michael, who, if you watch the trilogy, the Godfather hands it over to Michael. So I have no problem handing it to Dwyane."

Lebron James may have Nike, Sprite, SI, and Bubblicious, but Dwyane Wade's getting the biggest endorsement of all AND a trip to the Finals. Plus comparing him to Michael Corleone, aka Al Pacino, aka Scarface = INSTA street cred (something the Golden Boy formerly known as Kobe Bryant exponentially lacked). I mean have you seen an episode of Cribs??? Who doesn't have Tony Montana on his wall? (Answer: white people.)

Flash Corleone, the keys to the kingdom are yours for the taking. Now don't go around rapin' nobody. Allegedly.

NYC Flash'd

"Life's not measured by the number of breaths one takes, but by the moments that take your breath away."
-Pat Riley on watching Dwyane Wade play

Still the standard of coaching elegance and eloquence after all these years (though Pop's giving him a run for his money).

But my favorite quote from Miami's brain trust comes from the much less refined but equally irrepressible Stan Van Gundy. After the famous Van Gundy temper exploded following a Shandon Anderson turnover in a game against San Antonio, assistant Erik Spoelstra (the young one) wrote SVG a note saying, "You were an absolute lunatic last night."

SVG's response: "I'm like 40 pounds overweight. I have high cholesterol. I could check out at any time, and he's throwing away an outlet pass."

Oh Stan. He's gaining on his brother for my 3rd favorite coach spot.