The Dunce Cap Award: James Dolan

On Monday, I wrote about how Dolan, demonstrating a total lack of understanding of NBA rules & regulations, had hired former Knicks Coach-President Isiah Thomas as a "consultant". The NBA was ready to shoot that idea down, as I had suspected they would, and on Wednesday, Thomas opted to rescind his new deal, the better to protect Dolan & the Knicks from any possible penalties that NBA Commissioner David Stern might've wanted to impose. While Thomas, wisely, chose to take the high road, Dolan insisted on going in the opposite direction, publicly stating that he'd still call on Thomas for advice on an unofficial basis. All that says to me is that Dolan, constantly ripped by NYC sports writers as the worst of the city's sports owners, just doesn't care about the league's by-laws. It's all about what he wants for his team, putting himself ahead of the interests of the team and its fanbase. In that regard, Dolan falls into line with WWE Chairman-CEO Vince McMahon, who also doesn't have clue one about putting the best interests of the company and its fans ahead of his own selfish interests. Dolan clearly deserves a dunce cap, not just for now, but perhaps permanently, given his rap sheet.

Running a close second would be Dina Lohan, mother of actress-singer Lindsay Lohan. Appearing Friday on NBC's Today, Dina seemed to "misremember" the number of times her eldest daughter has been in rehab (currently on her 4th stint), and told Matt Lauer it'd been twice. Given all of Lindsay's legal troubles over the last few years, you'd think that Mama would get off the high horse, send the media away, and let Lindsay settle her issues in private. But, no. She had to bring a camera crew from Entertainment Tonight to one rehab center, feeding the beast, if you will, knowing that there are millions of people with some remote interest in her daughter's well-being. Problem is, going into rehab is supposed to mean being away from the public eye. Instead, Dina is the prototypical, stereotypical stage parent, living vicariously through her famous offspring and, in her case, sharing the spotlight to the point of obsession, but at the same time oblivious to the daunting prospect of killing Lindsay's career for good.

Back in the day on Match Game, Gene Rayburn would have questions about "Dumb Dora" or "Dumb Donald". Today, "Dumb Dina" sounds more appropriate, don't you think?