The Case Against Charles Barkley As Credible

↵Harvey Araton of the New York Times made me feel pretty dumb this morning. This isn’t new. I feel pretty dumb pretty often. But this particular column -- on the curious reality of the weight we give to Charles Barkley and his words -- hits noticeably hard.
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↵Barkley got nailed in Arizona this week on DUI charges, and the case took a turn for the absurd once The Smoking Gun got ahold of the police report. Yes, Barkley is hardly the only man blowing fumes into a Breathalyzer this week. But Araton digs deep to put the latest transgressions into perspective in building his case against the notion of a Barkley we should pay attention.↵↵⇥It is just time for responsible news media outlets to cast Barkley once and for all as a television clown, not as the conscience of basketball or future governor — another good one — of Alabama.
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↵⇥Barkley’s rationalizations of his publicized high-stakes gambling and losses have been rambling and at times ridiculous — what you would expect from a man in need of counseling much more than a microphone. His history and lifestyle should always be a sub-context when he rants about contemporary players — what you would expect if, say, Latrell Sprewell were in his seat.↵↵For a man with such a history, Barkley does cast aspersions on the NBA’s current pool awful quickly. And a nation of basketball fans -- myself included -- soak it up. On the one hand, sports analysis shouldn’t require sainthood. Michael Irvin, of all flawed athletes, gave a stunningly poignant riff on the presidential election. But it’s probably time to stop listening to Barkley because he’s Barkley. His history doesn’t justify blind acceptance of his opinions.↵