Buffalo Solider of South Beach

An open letter to LeBron from the father of a US Marine serving in Afghanistan:

Dear LeBron, 

Just wanted to let you know: You are not at war. You are not a soldier.  What was said on your KingJames Twitter post?

“20+ games left in phase 2. I’m ReFOCUSED! No prisoners, I have no friends when at WAR besides my Soldiers.”

You can tweet it all you want. But what you do and who you are is not even close to what they do and who they are. 

You are probably a nice guy. And you are not the first athlete to compare sports to war; athletes to warriors; games to battle. I don’t mean to single you out. But it is time to stop those comparisons. 

War. Games. Not even close.  We are at war. Remember?

People die in wars. They rarely die playing the games you play. If they do, it is not because they are attacked or shot at or booby trapped by an enemy.  People lose limbs in war. Their bodies are torn apart by IEDs. Their legs and arms are ripped through by bullets and rockets.

You play in arenas in front of adoring fans. You don’t walk streets in villages not knowing who the enemy is or what might be lurking on a roadside, around a corner or behind a door. 

Athletes get concussions, serious business for sure. But soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen get post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. They lose their sight and their hearing in bomb blasts.

You travel to your games in the comfort of a chartered plane. You go home to an opulent mansion. You have little danger of coming home in a flag-draped box.

You carry a basketball, not a 50-pound backpack and a rifle. You wear sneakers, not boots. You wear a jersey, not a Kevlar vest.

In Afghanistan right now, soldiers and Marines are sleeping in bedrolls outside in the cold. They cook over an open flame. Think of that the next time you load up at the clubhouse buffet.

[Joseph Swerdt / Sun Sentinel.com]

Amen.

Also, the Heat the lost at home to the Bulls by 1.  Both Wade and James missed in the last 10 seconds, adding to Miami's remarkable 1-for-16 shooting this season on shots to tie the game or take the lead during that final ten ticks.  El Heat have lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6.