Standing O’s & Heck No’s: Last week’s best and worst in sports

The weekend might be over, but that means it’s time for the best and worst in sports last week. Per usual, we’ll be highlighting our favorites in the “Standing O” section, and the things that made us shake our heads under “Heck No.” If we missed anything you loved or hated, let us know in the comments below or tweet us at @ShesGameSports.

Standing O

• Jason Collins deserves a big round of applause this week for his courage in coming out via a Sports Illustrated article last Monday. Collins became the first openly gay male athlete in any major professional league in the country, and has seriously become a trailblazer. He has ties to Boston, playing for the Celtics this season before he was traded to the Wizards, but we’d love him even if he was never a Celtic.
• The Bruins organization and Jeff Bauman made our hearts melt Saturday night. I don’t know about you, but it got really dusty in my living room when I saw Bauman, who lost both of his legs on Marathon Monday in the bombings, raise a “Boston Strong” flag on the TD Garden ice before an absolutely rocking black and gold crowd. It was an amazing moment we won’t soon forget, even if we’re trying hard to erase the eventual 4-2 Bruins loss to Toronto that followed. Regardless, we’re all rooting for Jeff.
• Dallas Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten showed some serious loyalty when he defended the work ethic of his quarterback, Tony Romo. Team owner Jerry Jones made some public comments insinuating Romo needs to improve his effort. Spending more time at work was part of Romo’s new contract, but Witten told ESPN the quarterback has always been very involved in the preparation process. Regardless of whether Romo needs to step it up, it’s always good to see teammates backing each other up, even if they are on the Cowboys.

Heck No

• Oh, Don Cherry. He really should have quit after his first comments regarding female reporters in the locker room…but he didn’t. Wednesday night, during Coach’s Corner, Cherry continued the charade, saying he’s seen things go on in the locker room with women present that are disgusting. “You would not want your daughter or sister in there, believe me,” he said. I think, somewhere deep down, he means well. And while we appreciate the concern for our fragile and sensitive dispositions, Don, I think I’d like to decide whether or not locker room antics are too much for me to handle. Spoiler alert: they aren’t. 
• Justin Blackmon, wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, nabbed his second substance abuse infraction and will be suspended for the first four games of the 2013 NFL season. Blackmon has been arrested for DUI more than once, and this substance abuse violation marks his third issue involving the police or facing discipline from the NFL. He was placed in the league’s substance abuse program, but clearly that wasn’t successful. Blackmon apologized via a statement, but we all know actions speak louder than words. Let’s see if Blackmon can stay out of trouble this summer.
• I love Twitter as much as the next guy, but there is such a thing as TMI. Apparently, no one ever taught Kobe Bryant that lesson. The Laker is currently involved in a legal battle involving an auction house that got Bryant memorabilia from his mother, apparently without his knowledge. TMZ says all the drama started with the fact that Bryant’s family thinks he’s doing more for his wife Vanessa’s family than his own, and Stiletto Jill pointed out that it seems like Bryant is vaguely tweeting about the matter over on her site. If Kobe really is taking to Twitter to whine about his family problems, it’s certainly not a good look.
  

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