Brother vs Brother

It is very rare that we get to see in the sporting world what we will see on Saturday in Bloomington: Brother vs Brother in a sporting environment. When Joe Crawford takes the court against his brother Jordan Crawford, Crawfords all over the world will have their loyalties split in a division that hasnt been seen in this part of the world since the Civil War. Brother battles like this are rare in major sports and when they do happen, usually one brother is much better than the other. Whether its Jose vs Ozzie Canseco, Peyton vs Eli Manning John vs Patrick McEnroe, or Bill vs Roger Clinton, usually one brother is the much more accomplished of the pair and the game becomes an embarassment for the fan of the "Fredo" brother in the contest. But things are different in the world of professional wrestling. Brother vs Brother happens and it happens often. Whether it is Rick vs Scott Steiner, Bret vs Owen Hart or Bubby Ray vs D-Von Dudley, wrestling has given us brother matches that have stood the test of time. However no two wrestling brothers entertained me more than the great Randy vs Leapin Lanny Poffo rivalry. Randy Poffo, like Joe, was much more famous and an "in your face" star. He had a signature line "OHHHH YEAHHH", a crazy beard, a hot wife (back before divas were all the rage in wrestling, a flying elbow drop and a Wrestlemania V victory in his back pocket whenever he came to a Poffo family reunion. But Leapin Lanny, like Jordan, had some things going for him. He was the more intellectual of the two, often called "The Genius" for his knowledge and intellectual acumen. In fact (this is true), Lanny wrote a book of wrestling poetry that still to this day is known as the signature poetic work of our fair sport. Like Jordan, he was younger and not as accomplished on the court, but you could see that deep inside his soul, if given the chance Lenny could become a star and move past a perpetual rivalry with Koko B Ware. This Saturday I expect Joe vs Jordan to be the Jonathan vs Jordan Knight of college basketball rivalries. Both are on teams with excellent tradition and both have tremendous skill. While Joey McEntyre (Eric Gordon) may be getting all the young accolades and Donnie Wahlberg (Ramel Bradley) may appeal to all the more rebellious fans, Joe and Jordan are the real story and they will be the heart of the game. I will be watching to see what happens when brothers go against each other in a setting other than the Royal Rumble, and I admit that I dont know what the results will be. My only hope is that the Crawfords will put up a performance that is more of a "Kennedy," than it is a "Baldwin."