Therein Lies the Rub

Well, it's not official yet, but it will be on Wednesday. That's when Rasheed Wallace will sign a two-year deal for the mid-level exception and become a member of the Boston Celtics.

I don't know what to do with myself.

Wallace is a guy who I have loved to hate his entire time in the NBA. As I have stated in previous posts -- I think he is a talented guy with good -- yet declining -- skills, and we know he has won before. We also know he is obnoxiously vocal, prone to inopportune technical fouls, and a whiner. He has had numerous run-ins with refs, and he -- IMO -- is not fun to watch play basketball.

I have, however, enjoyed watching him lose -- because it is fun to watch guys you don't like lose.

And therein lies the rub.

How do I prepare myself to cheer for a team -- a team I have supported and lived and died with since the late 70s -- with this guy now on the roster?

Oh, I will. My loyalty to the Celtics is without question. But I just haven't figured out how I am going to do it without feeling a bit like a hypocrite.

For those of you who don't know what I mean...picture Bill Laimbeer joining the Celtics, and then having to cheer for that blowhard.

Doesn't work for you? Picture Kobe, Kurt Rambis, Dennis Rodman, Ron Artest, etc...whatever works for you. Wallace was my guy.

The experts seem to love this signing. They say the Cs needed to do something like this. Cleveland got Shaq, Orlando got Vince Carter, the Lakers signed Ron Artest and the Cs needed to do something to get better. They say that it opens up the floor ever further for the new Big Three. Rasheed is chummy with KG, is reported to be a good teammate, and is a badly needed experienced big man for the Green.

But I still think he is an asshole.

Now, somehow, between now and the start of the season, I need to come to grips with this and figure out how I am going to look myself in the mirror some morning in November -- after I have spent the previous night cheering for the guy I have loved to hate ever since he entered the league.

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In Red Sox news, six Sox -- Jason Bay, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Paplebon, Bubba Youk and Tim Wakefield have been named to the AL All Star team. For the 42-year-old Wakefield -- who was picked along with Youk by AL Manager Joe Maddon -- the selection is his first in his long career. Bay and Pedroia were selected by fans, while Beckett and Paps were chosen by AL players.

I'll be back sometime this week, as I get ready for a good two-week break down the Cape starting next Saturday. Maybe some sun and some beers will make me feel better about Sheed.

Then again...I doubt it.