COLUMN: LA-Bron not for me

   The debate on who is better, LeBron James or Michael Jordan, will linger on forever, or until we all forget about both of them some day in the distant future.

     But I’ll weigh in with my two cents’ worth of knowledge. Jordan hands down is the better of the two.

     Jordan was able to put his team on his shoulders so many times and lead his team to victory. James possesses the same type of skills, but I really think more often than not Jordan excelled at this.

     But what makes Jordan special in my mind is how he played out his career for one team, the Chicago Bulls. Of course, basketball times have changed since the Jordan years when guys like Magic, Bird and Duncan played for one team.

     LeBron will soon be playing for his third different team when he joins the Lakers. I thought when he came back to Cleveland for his second time that he had made a wise decision. Now it seems he is more about the Benjamins!

     World Cup soccer. Not interested and haven’t even seen a highlight. I’m not even following the results. Maybe if Team USA would have qualified I would have been more interested. Probably not.

     Baseball injuries in todays game. I consider myself old school when it comes to playing the game of baseball. Spikes up when sliding, breaking up double plays and barreling into home.

     The rules have changed and really go out of their way to protect the players. It has changed the way the game is played and that’s not a bad thing. I think it comes down to today’s salaries and the investment that teams now have in their stars.

     But one thing I have noticed happening, and mostly with the Cubs, is that managers are not taking any chances with their stars if they even have the slightest discomfort.

     For instance, yesterday Cubs SS Addison Russell collided with his 3B making a catch in foul territory. The collision seemed harmless but the staff pulled Russell out of the game for what appeared to be a minor wrist injury. As of press time I couldn’t find out if it was any more serious than that.

     A few days ago Cubs 3B Kris Bryant went on the DL with a sore non-throwing shoulder injury. Not many years ago players played though the bumps and bruises. Not anymore. Again, go back to pitch counts today versus years ago. Nolan Ryan once threw 235 pitches in a 13-inning game, striking out 13 batters. Today’s starters average about 6-7 innings of work and that’s only if their team is winning. Give me old school baby!