Where Are They Now? January 2010 Edition

Where Are They Now? January 2010 Edition
M.D. Wright
1.29.10


***EDITOR'S NOTE: A new feature (borrowed from a friend of mine) in my column will be random musings about celebrities and professional athletes who seemed to have faded into oblivion -- not to be heard from for years (and some, never again). Some days it may be a Top 5, some days there may be a Top 10. For the sake of starting out, today's will be a Top 5.


TOP 5: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?


1. WILLIE "FLIPPER" ANDERSON.
You have no idea how much I hated this guy for doing this:
http://www.inhistoric.com/2010/1/7/1238552/1-07-1990-flippers-td-kills-the

But that was 20 years ago. Other than a couple of decent seasons with the Rams before they moved to St. Louis, he faded into NFL oblivion and then completely fell off the face of the sports scene altogether. That game still makes me sick to think about it, because other than the eventual Super Bowl XXIII matchup for the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals (WHO SHOULD'VE WON THAT GAME, BTW) the Giants were the only team that could have beaten SF that year. And we lost on a fluky play, set up by a bogus pass interference call.


Sounds like the 2010 NFC Championship game, doesn't it.


MOVING ON.


2. LISA BONET.
What on earth happened? After "A Different World" went off the air in 1993, I don't think I've seen her 5 times publicly since.

3. CHARLES D. SMITH
Yeah, THAT Charles Smith. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRFKhpMKX0E What a bum he turned out to be. When he was at Pitt, he was a bona fide stud. The Clippers sure thought they were getting THAT player when they drafted him -- and the Knicks certainly thought enough of him to give up young Mark Jackson to acquire Smith and aging Doc Rivers -- which undoubtedly cost us in the 1994 NBA Finals, as Mark had synergy with Pat and Oak. Doc ended up not making a difference and Derek Harper was our main point guard.


But I digress. From missing three "GIMME" layups literally underneath the basket (standing 6'10"), to basically out of the NBA and not a hide or hair of him since.

4. RICK BARRY.

Everyone says Barry is a douche, that he's self-indulgent and a narcissist. The rumors swirled for years as to why he was booted off CBS Sports' NBA playoffs broadcasts for seemingly no reason in the early 80s, when he was doing very well at it. He came back later to do games, but outside of San Francisco, who has seen or heard Rick Barry lately? He was a darn good player. One of my Top 5 Small Forwards EVER in the NBA. THAT GOOD.

5. MONA LISA (Singer)

Mona Lisa Centofanti, of "Can't Be Wasting My Time" fame -- I used to be crazy about her. She was my age and that jam was the joint back in 10th grade! Hell, I had to go play it on iTunes just now. But save for a cameo appearance on Cam'ron's "Purple Haze" album in 2004, where has she been for the greater part of the last 10 years?

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Add others, DISCUSS>>>