Most people think I write just to get noticed.
I don't see another reason beyond getting paid, and that has to rankle some people — that I get paid to be me.
I know there's probably a higher calling, like informing the masses for the public good. That's fine, so long as the public is good about noticing who is informing them.
But beyond that, if you write it makes sense to get noticed or you won't be writing any more. Or worst, you might be assigned to cover horse racing or boxing.
The easiest way to get noticed, of course, is to begin every story with "Lakers. Lakers. Lakers."
Nothing gets noticed like the Lakers.
But we have others writing about the Lakers this weekend because they don't want to end up covering boxing or horse racing.
So that doesn't leave me with much, especially on a day when one of the top trending stories online is "Kardashian's cat dies."
Unless Donald Sterling is the one who killed the kitty, I don't like my chances of any Clippers story drawing more attention than the demise of Mercy the Kitten.
By the way, Mercy belonged to Kim, but she was allergic to cats so she gave her away. The little critter is now finding a permanent home wherever little kitties go when no longer purring.
The only thing that would make that story draw even more attention would be if Kobe or Dwight had a comment.
And I believe Dwight would.
That's why I'm going to Cleveland, New York, Washington and Philadelphia next week to write about the Lakers every day. I'm going to write down whatever they have to say because it has to be more interesting than anything Jim Mora might say.
I also called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's office to set up an interview with my old buddy Rog, because I was surprised to learn the NFL's top guy can't take the heat when thrust into the spotlight.
A league spokesman says Goodell is done with stories about himself after it was revealed in a Time magazine profile he was willing to rat out his high school buddies if he saw them drinking.
It's not like his high school buddies don't already know he's a rat. So what difference is it going to make if I point it out again?
The league spokesman also wanted it to be known Goodell did not pose recently for the Time cover photo that has him appearing so arrogant. He made it clear that was an old photo. Goodell apparently was arrogant much sooner than most realized.
My thanks to the league spokesman for pointing that out.
But I'll have to ask Kobe or Dwight, who know a thing or two about having stories written about them, what they think about an NFL commissioner who is now curled into a ball because he couldn't handle what someone wrote about him.
