Game takes a backseat at Las Vegas All-Star weekend

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LAS VEGAS -- The All-Stars were warming up, all 24 of them squeezed within a court that looked smaller than ever. They were surrounded on their outskirts by TV cameramen in uniform black shirts, league executives and announcers in dark suits and mascots in silly furry animal costumes. ``After so much sweating and drinking,'' observed a journalist visiting from a foreign country, pointing to the world's most talented giants, ``isn't it time for one of those guys to throw up on the court? These guys haven't been sleeping for two days.''

He might also have been talking about the black shirts, dark suits and mascots -- though in the latter case the damage would have been self-contained within their large furry animal heads.

The same journalist revealed he had been dancing at Tony Parker's All-Star party. ``I turn around and there in front of me is Cameron Diaz,'' he said. ``So now I am dancing with Cameron Diaz.''

``How was her complexion?'' asked an American sportswriter.

``I could not tell you. It was too dark,'' said the journalist, referring not to her complexion but to the lighting in the club.

Three things strike me in the recitation of this story. One, it would not have occurred to me to ask about Diaz's complexion, which is my shortcoming. Two: Americans are referred to as `sportswriters' while foreigners are esteemed as `journalists,' which is a credit to the foreigners and a disservice to the rest of us. Do I have to go work in another country to become a `journalist?'

Three, this was the best All-Star Weekend of recent years. In other places the event overwhelmed its host city, which made the NBA stars appear bigger than they really are. But this time they were absorbed into the larger Las Vegas landscape. Cameron Diaz was dancing at Tony Parker's party. Steve Carell, Harold Ramis and Barry Bonds were watching the warmups from the sideline. Oscar Goodman, the former mob lawyer who is now the Las Vegas mayor, was posing for photographers at midcourt with two showgirls in full-feathered headdress and push-up bras alongside the NBA's three referees, who more and more are being put in uncomfortable situations that seem meant to test their stoicism and absence of personality. The thankless job of refereeing today is like serving as one of those English guards in the high furry hats outside the Queen's castles who are supposed to remain unmoved even as the tourists taunt and molest them.