Owners and Players Both to Blame for NBA Fiasco

Go ahead, NBA. Skip the whole season. See if I care. Make my day.

I’m sick of the whole scene, the greedy owners, the greedy players — all of you are my common foe in this mess.

I didn’t major in labor law in college so I guess I can’t appreciate the fine points of billionaires and millionaires squabbling about who deserves a bigger piece of the arena-parking concession. Or whatever these folks are arguing about. I don’t care anymore. I’m done. I’m burnt out by this nonsense.

Here are 10 things I’ll do with my newly obtained spare time if the NBA wages a year-long strike — or lockout, or whatever the pedants want to call it:

1. Read that Nick Hornby novel I’ve had on my book shelf and been meaning to get to

2. Go to see “Moneyball,” which I’ve been putting off

3. Walk through Central Park, which is one of the most lovely places on earth in any season

4. Check out the latest issue of The New Yorker, cover to cover

5. Read news blogs before I look at ESPN.com, first thing in the morning

6. Skip SportsCenter altogether

7. Devote my full concentration on my book about Bob Dylan, which is due at the publisher in three months

8. Start writing my Great American Novel

9. Watch C-Span more closely

10. Think more about myself than about Carmelo Anthony’s jump shot.

It’s a wonderful life. The cavemen and the pioneers got by just fine without basketball on the tube. I’ll make it through, too. Besides, only a few more months until pitchers and catchers report for baseball’s spring training.

Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column.