Young Manning Picked Bad Time for Power Play

Summing up the sporting weekend in a word: Boo!

Dodger fans went hoarse over Jeff Weaver, Milton Bradley and Barry Bonds, possibly the greatest baseball player ever.

God forbid Vin Scully ends a sentence with a preposition.

Lennox Lewis was introduced at the Klitschko fight at Staples Center and darn near had to dodge tomatoes. His crime: retiring as the most gracious, articulate and talented heavyweight champion of his era.

Yankee fans booed All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter after a forgettable weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

And then there was poor Eli Manning at the NFL draft, standing onstage with that fake, first-runner-up Miss America smile after the San Diego Chargers had drafted him with the first pick. This, after Manning made clear he did not want to play for the Chargers.

“Put on the hat!” fans jeered at a horrified Manning, flanked by his horrified parents.

The clowns allowed into Madison Square Garden for draft day let Manning have it. You would have thought Ted Bundy had been introduced by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, not one of the nicest kids to come out of college in years, a player who did not sue the NFL to get in the draft because, get this, he played four seasons at Mississippi.

But Saturday, he was Eli the ingrate because he did what capitalists are taught to do in business school: maximize their leverage.

In the reality show, Donald Trump walks up to Manning and says, “You’re hired.”

It used to be that Philadelphia set the standard for unruly, we-don’t-care-if-you-are-Santa Claus, don’t-mess-with-us, we’re-onto-your-act fan behavior.

Now, the disenchantment has mobilized and gone transcontinental.

What’s eating at us?

These are tough times. We’re at war. It now costs more to park your car at a baseball game than it used to cost for a box seat.

You need to take a second mortgage on your house to buy five hot dogs.

Frankly, competitors, last weekend was the wrong weekend to loaf down to first on a grounder to second. Or complain about your salary or your bench-time beef with Phil Jackson or any pitiful call made by a pitiful umpire.

It was not time to launch a media boycott because your newspaper quotes were somehow misconstrued.

Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan clearly galvanized a certain fed-up-with-it sentiment.

Here was a man who gave up a lucrative NFL career to join the Army Rangers, only to lose his life chasing down Osama bin Laden.

How could this remotely compare to Warren Sapp chasing down Brett Favre?

It was Eli Manning’s incredible public relations misfortune to have his football power play unfold only seconds after Tagliabue paid tribute to Tillman, the fallen comrade, as a raucous crowd chanted “USA! USA!”

Then, in one of the most uncomfortable transitions in recent memory, Tagliabue introduced sitting duck Eli Manning as a for-the-moment San Diego Charger.

Manning will get over his brush with the boo-birds. As a New York Giant, he will soon be rich and probably famous.

In 1983, John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and forced a trade with Denver, and that seemed to work out pretty well for him.

Still, Manning’s make-a-stand timing couldn’t have been worse.

In terms of the worldview and the present athletic context, “Show me some humility” needs to sub for “Show me the money.”

Well, at least for another week or two.

More second thoughts and parting shots:

* NFL draft, biggest impact player?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Some are calling her the best pure blocker on the board after Iowa tackle Robert Gallery.

The undersized Supreme Court justice doesn’t look like much in robes, and some Republican analysts say she can’t go to her right.

NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. reported that Ginsburg clocked only the sixth-fastest 40-yard dash time (out of nine justices) at the recent Supreme Court Combine in Indianapolis.

However, Ginsburg will get credit for two huge pancake blocks after refusing to lift a stay that made Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams ineligible for the weekend draft.

* NFL draft, biggest loser?

Mike Williams. The USC sophomore gambled and lost ... for now. He saw a chance to coattail on Clarett’s legal case, but it appeared the strategy backfired like a 1962 Corvair.

Clarett had no choice but fight the NFL’s early-entry rule because of legal and academic problems at Ohio State.

Williams was in good standing and would have been a top Heisman Trophy candidate next season.

After Clarett had won the first round of his case, though, Williams jumped out the window of opportunity in a high-risk game of chance.

Summation to date: Following Clarett down a legal path may end up more like a trip down a dark alley.

* Karl Malone scores 30 points and grabs 13 rebounds in Sunday’s overtime win over the Houston Rockets.

Now that was the Malone Laker fans hated all those years when he played for the Utah Jazz.

* Anna Kournikova is sued by her parents, who claim the tennis player has taken over the Miami Beach waterfront home the three jointly own.

Kournikova’s parents like their legal chances in this case, given their daughter has never scored a major court victory.

* Olympic Stadium may not be completed in time for the opening of the Summer Games.

ABC may have to bail Athens out with a special episode of “Extreme Makeover, the Greek Edition.”