Charles Barkley v. Dick Bavetta footrace

[nikeball]

ANYONE KNOW WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN? SATURDAY? SUNDAY? WHAT TIME?


more info:
http://www.truehoop.com/leaguewide-i...k-bavetta.html

Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta

Posted by Kelly Dwyer

Apparently this Dick Bavetta vs. Charles Barkley race is a go, and I have to admit, I think we’re all going to be disappointed a little bit. I’m the first guy that’s probably come out with this, but, Charles is probably going to win.

For those who aren’t up on this, during a Kings/Lakers snooze-fest from a few weeks ago (it was a close game, but both teams combined to shoot, I think, 14-trillion free throws), Barkley provided the color analysis for TNT. Subbing for an injured Steve Kerr, Barkley took advantage of one of many breaks in the action to ridicule referee Dick Bavetta’s age (67), bragging that he could the beat well-regarded Brooklyn native in a foot race. Most laughed at Chuck’s claim, and for good reason: he’s out of shape (though not as much as he was three years ago), and could be seen huffing and puffing while trying to negotiate the steps of the New Orleans Superdome during a telecast last December.

After Bavetta got wind of the boast and offered a five thousand dollar bounty to a charity of Chuck’s choice for a wager, Barkley apparently agreed to a race on the weekend of the NBA All-Star game, which is on February 18th. Now, by “disappointed,” I don’t mean that the bulk of tuning-in viewers (including myself) are waiting for a chance to see Chuck get his come-uppance. Far from it. He’s a good dude who says some silly things, sometimes. I just don’t think we’ll get to see the sort of race that we thought possible upon hearing Barkley’s boast on January 4th.

With a month to prepare, Charles will train. He’ll get into shape. He’ll hit the treadmill and cut back on the appletinis and get his act together in time to make a show of it on the All-Star break. That isn’t much of a sacrifice (appletinis are gross), and Charles has shown a renewed enthusiasm towards staying in shape over the last year or so. If the race would have taken on place on, say, January 4th, then Bavetta would have swept the floor with Chuck. That probably won’t be the case on February 17th (or whenever they host it).

Topping that, anyone can win a sprint. If Charles and Dick raced from one baseline to another, Charles would have a chance to out-sprint Bavetta before crumbling into a heap. If the race was from baseline to baseline, and back – then we’d see a truer representation of who the better athlete is. I felt that back on January 4th, but all anyone has ever talked about is a 94-foot sprint. Let’s make this worth watching. Let them race to the other end of the court, and back, and let America be the real winner.