Any women reading this? well i hope not, you know that thing they say (and never live by) about men growing up at 35, well it's true. At 35 many of us are better equipped to deal with being unselfish and unfortunately the people who tend to benefit from this maturity are the second wives and second set of children. We figure out whats important and we aren't so quick to make the same mistakes we made in our first marriage, no wonder your first set of children hate the younger brood-they get the best version of you. Theres also a fear factor as well because you don't want to be a two time loser or end up alone so in some ways Men reform because they HAVE TO. The same can be said for Athletes, ever notice how some Athletes are more humble and contrite as they get up in age? Diva Receivers with hat in hand cant be a surprise, they've been forced by time to take it down a notch. In my sport Floyd Mayweather is in that mortality waiting room and soon he wont be the ASS he is now,because Father Time is beyond 43-0. Which brings me to Kobe "Bean" Bryant, you know the old guy who deflected and deferred to "the young fella's" during this Summers London Games. Dwight Howard will be waiting for him when he gets back to L.A. and damnit if he wont be a better man than he was the first go round with Goliath. Last year was humbling for Bryant, not just watching Westbrook and Durant zoom by him with legs reminiscent of the ones he used to chase Shaq out of town but the "full spectrum" display by Lebron must have been illuminating. Not only is Lebron clearly the best player but probably the best guy to play "with" which is why Dwight Howard was reluctant to join KB24 in Basketball Camelot. Bryant revelled in that Jordanesque "jackass model" for years and he had the "Chips" to back up that method until Lebron shattered the mold. With two years of quality ball left and a Miami/OKC Monopoly on the rise Bryant like most old men is forced to ditch the "win like MJ" blueprint he envisioned when he banished the "Big Chamberneezy". Kobe is a genius in his own right and genius requires knowing your limitations, knowing when parody is setting in; when the young lions are snickering behind your back. In the second Marriage men give up the checkbook, agree to "Date Night" and try to listen a little more-they're no longer God's Gift to women but theres still a chance of being a decent guy. Dwight Howard wont allow himself to be fooled and he'll have a whole year to see how genuinely comfortable Kobe is with turning over the reigns and he'll have what an aging Shaq didn't-the support of the Front Office. Karma is alive and well in Pro Sports because the years men are active cover the most pivotal years of a dudes life, from invincible to vulnerable with no exceptions. Those who cant make that adjustment age horribly before our eyes, those who figure it out just in time and adjust go out with more than a shred of dignity. I have a feeling Kobe will go out like that older cat often seen around L.A., real smooth, aware that he's not a kid anymore but cooler than you and your crew, at peace with his past and focused on the present. He's too grown to be threatened by the likes of Dwight Howard, and in some ways he'll enjoy using the next two years to reconcile with all that he loved about Shaquille O' Neal.
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