D-bloom is on D-Rose.

“Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;

Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;

Look at me, I can be Centerfield.”

It would be hard for me to say with a straight face that all professional athletes are model citizens on and off the court, ice or field. They are not, but neither are we at times.

If you are reading today’s “Snap. Shot.” and are sitting down, check this out. (If you are standing, check this out as well.)

In Chicago we have had some very good athletes over the years. Probably our most famous player, on a national level, would be Michael Jordan. That’s not to say he is the only great athlete, it’s just that MJ was plastered all over the world on TV, shoes, bottles and more. He was, and still is, a marketing machine.

So what’s going on here?

The hottest ticket in Chicago is for a seat at the Bulls game. It took years to rebuild but boy did they. It all started with good fortune when they Bulls got the first round draft pick in 2008. They selected Derrick Rose---a nineteen-year-old shooting guard. What we didn’t know about him was he is really reserved; not someone who puts you off in an arrogant way, but someone who needs his space, doesn’t show off when he is off the court, and if you saw him walking down the street (well no longer) he would seem like just another guy.

To quote from an upcoming article in GQ Magazine, here is how D-Rose spends his days off. (This is where I suggest sitting down because he is not going to Vegas, driving around town in his million-dollar car, or showing up at clubs at all hours.)  Rose, said…”Some friends may come over. I might get on the phone. That's it. It makes me super happy to have this whole day to myself, to be a little selfish, to eat whatever I want, to not have anyone asking me to do things.”

This is someone who grew up in Chicago, was sheltered by his brothers and mother from the gangs who wanted him. They said,  “No, you are not going to do it.” He didn’t. The rest is his-story.

Last season Rose won the MVP; this season he will not. He has been injured a lot, and whereas you know he is dying to play, he is the consummate professional; he cheers his team on, when he has been pulled out of games because someone else is playing better, and although he takes it to heart, he wants this team to win. I applaud that.

The photo above was taken in Milwaukee, WI. It was one of Rose’s first games back from an injury. To see him play you would never know he had been hurt. What I love about this photo is it represents not only Derrick Rose’s ability to fly---but at the end of the game he can come down to Earth and be one of us.

Thanks for stopping by.