From the News Leader’s Chris Lassiter.

For the price of one pair of Jordan XXI, a person could purchase 12 pairs of the Starbury Ones, or 18 pairs of the Starbury Crossovers, Starbury Cyclones or Starbury SXM.

Howard Schacter, the chief partnership officer at Steve & Barry’s, is the co-manager for the Starbury brand. Schacter said the response to the inexpensive Starbury line has been phenomenal.

“We ordered the whole initial (one-month) allotment for a national chain very optimistically,” Schacter said. “That sold out in all stores in three days.”

The shoe has sold well at the local Steve & Barry’s chain, too. Only a handful of boxes remain in the section designated to the Starbury brand.

Weeks after the Aug. 17 release date, Schacter says the company is still seeing lines of up to 300 people waiting to purchase Starburys. The Starbury co-manager also said hundreds of e-mails pour in every day.

More than numbers, Schacter loves hearing the personal stories.

His personal favorite is the story of a 10-year-old boy who came to the store on the initial release date with exactly $14.98. As employees led the boy to the shoes, his aunt broke down crying.

“I’ve heard, ‘Now I can really spend my grocery money on groceries,’ and ‘I don’t have to be teased on the playground anymore,'” Schacter said.

Well, not until everyone reads the paper and finds out your shoes cost $15.

But seriously, folks, Marbubry repeated the tale this week of a kid being slain for his $250 T-Wolves jersey (presumably not a vintage Starbury model) and we can all agree that’s tragic stuff. And considering how often the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick has railed against Michael Jordan, Spike Lee and Phil Knight, is there any particular reason why News Corp.’s resident conscience of all-things sporting hasn’t nominated Marbury for Man Of The Year?