The Prozac Peninsula

There’s a good deal of unhappiness in the South Florida sportscape. With only three weeks of mercy killings left for the Dolphins, all eyes are on the Miami Heat. Are our local basketballers unhappy? Pat Riley is usually unhappy, for one reason or another. This time last year, he was so unhappy he took a leave of absence. D. Wade has to be unhappy about his string of injuries since his victorious stroll down Biscayne. Smush Parker got unhappy with a valet a few weeks ago. But not everyone is nose-deep in a self-help book. Shaq doesn’t appear unhappy, suggesting that rapidly aging superheroes are still superheroes. Chris Quinn has to be happy, if only because he’s a six-foot-one white guy on an NBA roster.

When the Heat welcome the Indiana Pacers to the American Airlines Arena tonight at 7:30, they face an opponent in Jermaine O’Neal, who may just be the unhappiest man in the league, owing to the Pacers’ failure to surround him with talent. The Heat might not be the happiest team in the league, but at least they still have hope, and hope is a good thing.
Sat., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m., 2007