Gabba Gabba Hey Gilbert

My last post was titled "Whither Gilbert?" Well, I did some exploring last night and found several pieces that enlighten but can't begin to explain a guy who has to be one of the strangest people on the planet. Minnesota Timberwolves executive Kevin McHale once described Kevin Garnett by saying, "He's a freak of nature. The great ones always are." I don't know much about KG off the court, but he would have to make Dennis Rodman look like Caspar Milquetoast to approach Gilbert Arenas' level of oddity. Sometimes in sports, athletes say they like to get inside an opponent's head. This is not something I would recommend when playing against Arenas because he possesses the "Hotel California" of brains. And I am not being critical; the details of his past and present make him even more likeable and inspiring in my book. Since he came to the Wizards three years ago, he has become known as flaky and quirky, but his ascendance to NBA stardom has brought some more probing media attention. Check out the recent articles by Mike Wise in the Washington Post, Tom Chiarella in Esquire and some video that I can't seem to link but it's easy to find on the Washington Post website, and make your own conclusions. And take a look at the t-shirt worn by the guy walking next to Arenas at the end of the video (I think the it's former Wizard and Maryland star Laron Profit). You may have to pause and zoom, but the image on the shirt is unmistakeable; it's the iconic photo of Len Bias in his suit and Celtics hat, right after the 1986 draft.