From Peter Vescey in Tuesday’s NY Post :

Was Malone out of line? Depends on what they’ve been able to say to each other before. Depends on whether he was really hitting on her. We’ve all seen it before: If she took it the wrong way he could apologize; done deal. If she took it another step, hey, let’s not make believe this stuff doesn’t go on every day in real life . . . and the clever offer is compliments of a sensuous superstar.

Vanessa Bryant expressed no indignation. She did that after the game to her husband. By all accounts, Malone was shocked when Kobe called him in the car, repeatedly telling him he was going to “[mess] him up” if he ever went near his wife again.

Again, unless you’re convinced Malone is guilty, why wouldn’t he be shocked? I mean we’re not talking about just another player/Laker walking up to Vanessa Bryant and taking his best, crude shot. We’re talking about people who’ve dined, partied and hung out together.

Surely they’ve said some things to each other privately that outsiders couldn’t get away with. Don’t tell me no risqué lines were ever crossed or breached. I don’t believe anybody ever got upset when double entendres were passed back and forth.

Maybe the problem here is we’re trying to figure this out logically. Instead this nonsense is probably everything that’s wrong with everything in pro sports ” rich young people, Southern California, and anything else you care to throw into the smelly hamper.

It’s insane, it’s stupid and it’s getting messier by the moment.

Succeeding phone calls by Bryant to the Malone home were both menacing and malicious. According to hand-me-down sources (Kaye called Shaquille O’Neal’s wife and Gary Payton’s wife and the word spread from there) Kobe ratted out Karl, saying he fools around on the road all time; shades of snitching on Shaq when the Eagle, Colo., police picked him up.

You know, of course, what’s next: Karl will expose Kobe’s theoretical dalliances all over the planet.

This just in: Kobe insists the Lakers re-sign A.C. Green.