Applauding Mutombo

I never thought I'd see the day when Dikembe Mutomobo was honored during a president's State of the Union address.

For those of you not familiar with the story of one of the premier shot-blockers of our time, Mutombo is a basketball player known for his ferocious defense; he played college ball at Georgetown and with a series of NBA team, and is currently undergoing a late-career renaissance filling in for the injured Yao Ming in Houston (maybe Bush will honor Yao next year?)

Mutomobo is also one of the premier humanitarians among professional athletes--he's built out of his own pocket a number of hospitals in his native Congo; based on a 60 Minutes interview I saw I conclude he's actually politically-savvy and not just a blowhard (unlike most athletes who pontificate on matters not related to their sport), and my guess is he'll run for president of Congo when he's done with basketball.

He's also got some interesting quirks; he used to be known for wagging his freakishly-long index finger at opponents after one of his prodigious blocks, and while in college supposedly would go to parties and bellow in his deep voice, "Who wants to sex Mutombo?"

Although I'm not sure I believe that--it seems like something people too easily believe about a big foreign black guy, not knowing he got degrees at Georgetown in linguistics (he speaks more than 6 languages) and diplomacy.

At any rate, here's what President Bush said of Mt. Mutombo:

When America serves others in this way, we show the strength and generosity of our country. These deeds reflect the character of our people. The greatest strength we have is the heroic kindness, courage, and self-sacrifice of the American people. You see this spirit often if you know where to look -- and tonight we need only look above to the gallery.

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine -- but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. (Laughter.) Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his blessings with others. He built a brand new hospital in his old hometown. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: "Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things." And we are proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United States of America. (Applause.)

Here's a list of some other athletes deserving of presidential recognition:

-Family Values Award: To Portland Traiblazers cagers Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods, whose self-described Hoop Family activities consists mainly of beating people down at strip clubs, fighting dogs to the death, and in one case combining the two when Randolph yelled 'Get him, dog. Get him' at Woods as he beat on a guy at a strip club.

-Philantrophy Award: To wide receiver Terrell Owens, whose nutty, selfish, team-hating behavior has kept sports journalists and radio talk show hosts gainfully employed in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and (at the moment), Dallas. Close runner-up is Mike Tyson.

-Just Say No Award: To all of Major League Baseball--not just for steroid usage, but for amphetamines use, which is so commonplace that they're called 'greenies' and until very recently were kept in big jars in dugouts; former player Ken Caminiti, among others, told Sports Illustrated: I would say there are only a couple of guys on a team that don't take greenies before a game. One or two guys. That's called going out there naked. And you hear it all the time from teammates, 'You're not going to play naked, are you?'

-Community Service Award: Cincinnati Bengals; out of a total roster of 53 players, 9 players have been arrested in 9 months (I guess this should be community service/jail award). ESPN has even created a game where you have to match players with their crime (which ranges from Spousal battery to Unlawful transaction with a minor to a bunchof alcohol/drug charges.

-Dogged Digging Award: To investigative reporter Carl Monday and a mustachioed Ohio State University fan, for teaming up to star in one of the funniest and most jaw-dropping news reports I have ever seen. It's worth watching all the way to the end; and the comments on sports blog Deadspin are just classic.

Uncredited photo of Mutombo and his hospital's sign found online.