Gary Parrish

Here's Thursday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: I just wanted to thank you so much for including me in your column! It was really awesome to see my name in a CBSSports.com column about LeBron. I just wanted to tell you that when he was leaving he DID autograph my T-shirt. That definitely made mashing my face up against the window all night well worth it!

-- Kelly

For those unfamiliar, Kelly is the young woman I found with her face mashed against a window as she peeked into the Student Recreation Center at the University of Akron the other night in an attempt to watch LeBron James and Chris Paul play an impromptu pick-up game against the college stars at the LeBron James Skills Academy. While LeBron was on the ground being stretched -- he is stretched more than any human I've ever seen, by the way -- Kelly held a piece of paper against the window that read simply:

Can I Have Your Autograph?

LeBron's answer, apparently, was "Yes."

And though I know he's not perfect, he sure does seem to handle himself pretty well most times. I mean, he could've just ignored the girl and the other Akron students around, had security brush them aside or exited through a side door. But LeBron took a second to give a person a memory, and I'm not sure why other elite athletes don't act similarly, though I can assure you not all of them do.

With that in mind, here's a story: I was at Madison Square Garden a few years back when Memphis was playing Pittsburgh or somebody. I really don't remember the game. But afterwards Darius Washington was talking to Vince Carter in the hall outside the locker room, and there were these two teenage girls standing off to the side, clearly waiting for Vince's autograph. They were huge VC fans and noticeably excited, and they stood right there for a good five minutes, just waiting for Vince to finish talking before ever approaching him. They were respectful. So when Vince and Darius hugged goodbye, the girls approached Vince and said "Mr. Carter, can we have your autograph?"

He looked right at them, said "No" and walked away.

The girls were crushed.

It was pathetic.

It would've taken Vince 10 seconds to be a swell guy. Instead, he was a total ass, and that is the one memory I'll forever have of VC. The guy could cure cancer tomorrow, and I'll still remember him for the time he needlessly disappointed two of his fans. So that's why I thought it was nice to relay this note from Kelly, because it was a chance to prove -- perhaps just to myself -- that it really isn't that difficult for athletes to be decent, if they want to be.

AKRON, Ohio -- Here's Wednesday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: GREAT column about LeBron and CP3. I'm sure they gave 100 percent playing these kids. Yes, they went all out. They are terrible together. Why do you have a job?

-- Tim

I have a job because my wife does not.

That's the simplest answer I can give you.

As for LeBron James and Chris Paul, all I can tell you is that I was in the gym watching, and they were absolutely going as hard as they could go in these pick-up games against the college players attending the LeBron James Skills Academy. In fairness, they only played to six by ones. So a couple of missed shots can cost you a win. But there's not a person who was in the gym who would tell you James and Paul weren't playing hard, and it got so competitive at one point that James was actually yelling at an official, totally pissed about how things were going.

I know Michael Jordan's competive fire is legendary.

And I'm not sure how it compares to LeBron's.

But with my own eyes I have never seen anybody so hyped for a pick-up game as LeBron seems to be everytime I see him i