THE KOBE EQUATION: I'm working hard today, so not really at liberty to blog much. Still, when more than twenty of you hit the site on a Monday and are confonted with a whole great pile of NOTHING NEW to read, well, that makes me feel guilty.

What to write though? I can start with this: I think Kobe's probably innocent. Do I have any special info to back up that claim? Nope. Just my own life experiences to fall back on. Thing is, he's famous, has a stellar reputation, and has no history of violence, especially of a sexual nature. From the get-go, I was more than willing to believe the guy had sex with the young lady. C'mon, of course he did. Pro baller on the road, hotel room, traveling with his posse, etc. Old boy was playing ball on the bad side of town, and he was eventually gonna get into trouble. But instead of just getting busted for his infidelity, he ran into a nutter. That's my armchair analysis of this thing. We've already got the equation via the various news stories to date:

She wants fame. (Tried out unsuccessfully for AMERICAN IDOL.)

She's emotionally unstable. (Grieving over the end of a relationship and the death of a friend.)

She's been known to act out sexually. (Rumors of previous sexual escapades either as college coed or NBA groupie.)

She's not averse to big reckless acts. (Tried to kill herself.)

She was looking for it. (Went to his room near midnight of her own free will.)

This all adds up to INNOCENT, s'far as I'm concerned. It's a virtual recipe for reasonable doubt.

Is it fair to dismiss this young woman's claim out of hand? 'Course not. It remains possible that she went to his room seeking an autograph or a SCRABBLE partner. And all my above bullet points are speculation, rumor, and innuendo. They are not evidence.

But this whole affair quacks like a duck, smells like a duck, walks like a duck, and is wearing a very convincing duck costume, so I for one am calling it a duck until further notice.

What else to write about?

That'll do for now. Oh, and if you disagree with me or, by some strange coincidence, actually agree with me on all this Kobe stuff, well for goshsakes post a comment below. Y'all have been awfully quiet lately. Speak up. It's free!