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It was just another day at the office for Mamba 24 as he casually tossed in a spectacular two-handed reverse layup with the greatest of ease and hint of nonchalance; something like, “Yeah, I’m damn good and things like this? Too easy.” In the off chance that his acrobatic layup didn’t drive the point home, Bryant also scored a ho-hum 40 points as the Lakers ended their two-game losing streak against the Pistons.

It was Bryant’s 100th career 40-point game, the third most in NBA history, trailing only Michael Jordan (173) and Wilt Chamberlain (271).

What we have here is the basketball court from the Scottrade Center, which hosted the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase doubleheader. While the games weren’t all they were cracked up to be (an underhanded Arkansas got ran by Louisville, while Kansas and Memphis showed us why the season probably starts a little too early), because of its sheer ugliness, the basketball court wound up being more of a story than the games themselves.

I’m not the only one who feels this way, either.

In fact, the court was so bad, I couldn’t stop commenting on it over at Storming the Floor’s marathon chat session. At one point, I threw out a new rule, saying, if your team doesn’t have orange in its uniform or its school colors, the color orange should be banned from adorning college basketball courts. Not only was the color scheme, well, bad, it looked like the advertisements/logos on the court seemed to be screaming “NOTICE ME!!!” All in all, I’m sure it contributed to the overall poor play that was on display. In fact, the only team that thrived in the Scottrade Center was Louisville. The three other teams looked like they had no business playing organized basketball at this point in the season.

Don’t get me wrong, Memphis/Kansas was fun simply because it was a close game. However, if you ask either coach, I doubt very seriously either one of them would be pleased with the way their team played, especially on offense. Two teams as talented as Kansas and Memphis should be scoring more than 57 and 55 respectively. If it was me, I’d blame the court and its Halloween-inspired color scheme.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young award, and apparently, the Kansas City Star was so excited by the news, they ran two announcements — one saying Greinke won and the other saying Greinke did not. Bonus: both announcements were/are in the same article.

Because they will undoubtedly change their error, we have a screenshot for your enjoyment. The announcement(s) read as follows:

The Royals’ Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke, who finished 2009 with a 16-8 record, became the third Royal to win the award, determined by a vote of the national media.

And

In the end, Zach Greinke’s league leading ERA wasn’t enough. The standout Royals picther [sic] finished second in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award, given to the outstanding pitcher of the year as determined by the national media.

So yeah, in their exuberance, the editors obviously overlooked the double-printing, not to mention the ugly misspelling in the second paragraph. Apparently, the folks at the Star are having quite the party to celebrate Greinke’s award, which also represents the lone bright spot of yet another horrific Royals season.

As for the Cy Young award, Greinke had all but three first place votes.

There’s nothing like a Stanley Robinson putback dunk to start your day. Besides offering even more proof that the college basketball season is alive and kicking, it goes a long way in confirming my hypothesis: Robinson is the best putback dunker in the amateur ranks, and his domination might extend throughout the basketball universe. That’s a heady statement, I know, especially when folks like Greg Oden and Patrick Patterson exist (Patterson had a nasty putback of his own last night), but Robinson’s timing, coupled with the springs-in-the-legs-like jumping ability, makes him one of the best at taking a missed shot and converting it for two in the most emphatic of fashions.

I’ve already spoken about Robinson’s ability at STF, and last night’s finish simply furthers his legend. Oh, and by the way, UConn won, beating Colgate 77-63.

H/t to The Dagger for the video find.

The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to signed oft-maligned running back Larry Johnson, something I’m incredibly ecstatic about. Just read the comments of the linked article for further proof. Anyway, the biggest contributor to Larry Johnson being released by the Kansas City Chiefs was his childish, homophobic meltdown, courtesy of everybody’s favorite social media site, Twitter. Not only did he accost fans, Johnson also called out his coaches — although, I suspect Jason Whitlock quietly supports LJ’s criticism of first-year coach, Todd Haley. Obviously, Johnson has already shown his abilities as a master social media marketer, something he obviously thought the Bengals would enjoy as well.

What else explains his Facebook status update, found courtesy of Kent Babb’s Twitter? I know — Johnson is simply another fine example of the live and don’t learn motto. Seriously, it’s OK to keep making the same kinds of mistakes that got you cut in the first place, so please, don’t stop know.

Granted, I have no doubt Johnson wants to run over every Chief he sees when they play on December 27, but does he really need to run to Facebook and let the world know, especially now that the folks in KC are watching his every move? Perhaps Johnson should take some lessons from the Bengals’ resident social media expert, Chad Ochocinco.

Sure, Chad engages with fans and opposing players, but there doesn’t seem to be undercurrent of anger Johnson displays in his communications.

Instead of putting potential performance escalators in Johnson’s contract — I’m not even sure if they are apart of his Bengals offer — perhaps Marvin Lewis should simply restrict Johnson from using social media. If he can’t use it correctly, the toy should be taken away. It’s either that, or he can get cut. Again.

H/t to Arrowhead Pride for the Twitter find.

No, it wasn’t the prettiest win in Kentucky’s storied history, but it still goes down in the books as a “W,” thanks, in large part to John Wall hitting his first game-winner of his collegiate career. Simply put, Wall has the goods, or he is the real deal, or he lives up the hype, or Wall-elujah — whatever description you’d like to use because they’re all apt. The freshman sensation finished his first game for the Wildcats with 19 points and five assists. Showing that he is indeed a freshman, Wall also finished with five turnovers.

What, if anything, should Kentucky take from their unexpected close game with RedHawks (correct spelling, thank you)? First of all, they are going to need to work on their zone offense. Every coach in America has watched Morehead State and now Miami of Ohio stymie the Wildcats’ athleticism with a pack-it-in zone defense that works to negate Kentucky’s size advantage, as well as their ability to drive the ball. These zones also forces Kentucky to depend on their outside shooting, one of the question marks surrounding the team. In their first two games, the Wildcats have put up 35 three-pointers, making 10.

Granted, against the RedHawks, Kentucky shot 6-11 from behind the arc, but Miami shot 15-26 (8-10 for Nick Winbush, a record for opposing players playing in Rupp Arena). Not only does Kentucky need consistent outside shooting, they also need to improve their three-point defense.

Of course, thanks to John Wall’s impressive debut, all of those troubles will be temporarily forgotten.