Let’s Talk Jeremy Lin

Another totally unexpected sports success story catapults into the media spotlight. Jeremy Lin joins Victor Cruz on the “where the hell did he come from podium?”

That podium is right across from the “I told you he wasn’t any good” podium where a smiling Alex Smith and Tim Tebow stand waving across at Jeremy and Victor.

Granted, being in New York often makes a story bigger than it is, but in this case, as incredible as it sounds, the story may be bigger than the hype.

It makes you wonder how many super stars we’ve lost out on simply because the so-called experts couldn’t recognize talent when they saw it.

Just before the Laker game I was watching ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption (PTI) with two of those “experts.” They were discussing the interview with Kobe Bryant where Kobe claimed he didn’t know much about Jeremy Lin. The key point was they both assumed that Kobe was going to torch Lin at the Garden that night. In fact, Lin torched Kobe! Bryant knows who Lin is now and will most likely be ready for him next time but wow!

I’m not sure Lin or Cruz or Smith or Tebow can sustain their performance. Lin took teams by surprise the first time around. Cruz couldn’t possibly have another year like the one that just passed because, again, teams know he’s there now. Some of Smith’s potential vulnerabilities were highlighted during the NFC Championship game against the Giants and what Tebow accomplished was just ridiculous.

Still, you never know. Youngsters could do a lot worse than having role models like Lin, Smith, Cruz and Tebow to look up to and emulate.