Ben Wallace: Fear the Fro

The Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers again last night, only this time it was much closer: 97-91. They resume play in Cleveland on Saturday. As usual, Big Ben Wallace turned out with a disciplined, tough performance both offensively and defensively, and even made two free throws, ending up with ten points.

The 6’8” (give or take an inch) Wallace (9/10/74) was born in White Hall, Alabama, completed two years at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Virginia Union University, a historically black school founded in Richmond right after the American Civil War.

Wallace began his pro basketball career in 1996 and was traded to the Pistons in 2000 partly in exchange for Grant Hill (the former Duke star -- I got to see him play at the Palace back in the late 90s). Wallace took to the Pistons and they to him. What good luck for all involved! Ben now co-captains the team with Chauncey Billups and it’s hard to imagine Detroit without him. He’s been named the NBA Defensive Player of the year four times, including this year.

What makes Ben Wallace so formidable? He's got an exceptional will to win and has worked relentlessly to perfect his mental and phsyical strengths and skills. Perhaps because he's the tenth of eleven children, he knows to scrap and live by his wits. And maybe he's lucky, too. He and his wife Chanda reportedly live in Virginia during the off-season.

Besides his tattoos, even people not too familiar with the Pistons may notice that sometimes Ben sports a gigantic afro that makes him look quite intimidating. Hence the expression Fear the Fro. He goes with the 'fro at the Palace but with more refined-looking cornrows at away games. Some ignorant people from far and anon try to mock Ben Wallace and the Detroit Pistons as ghetto. To hell with such hayseed nonsense! The Pistons rock and so does all of Detroit!

Ciao!