A few theories on where we go from here

I know it is only the beginning of February, but barring a #16 seed winning the NCAA tourney or the Pittsburgh Pirates winning the World Series (with Lyle Overbay as the obvious regular and postseason MVP winner) we have already witnessed the biggest surprise of the year and it has nothing to do with the 6th seeded Packers making it to the Super Bowl. It has taken me almost a week to comprehend what I saw last Thursday on "Jersey Shore" when Jenni "JWOW" Farley buried the hatchet with her enemy and opponent in two fights that could have easily been HBO fight of the year candiates, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola. You expect a lot from your favorites on "Jersey Shore"; outrageous outfits (JWOW), head shaking quotes (Snooki), relationship dysfunction (Sammi/Ronnie), instigation (Situation), comic relief (Pauly and Vinny), crying (Ronnie), and a laugh out loud lack of self awareness (entire cast). Who would have ever guessed that we would get a cease fire and actual steps toward forgiveness? After seeing JWOW and Sammi ordering drinks and apologizing to each other maybe special envoy to Middle Eastern peace George Mitchell should bring the leaders of Israel and Palenstine to a table at "Karma" as opposed to Camp David. The big question after this reconciliation is where does it go from here? After a week of thinking about this I have come up with four comparisons, three from the world of sports and one from the world of MTV reality TV that can hopefully shed light on this event and help us predict the future.





The first and most logical comparison is to the Lauren (LC) and Heidi feud that also began with a relationship. In that "Hills" feud Spencer (the most hated reality villian, since joined by Camille Grammar), boyfriend/finance of Heidi made disparaging comments about LC and the possibility of her making a sex tape for publicity (which worked for Paris Hilton, but no so much for Screech). Heidi stood by Spencer and in turn chose her realtionship over her best-friend. Heidi was left trying to apologize for Spencer and her decision led to a split that was only resloved when LC spoke with Heidi prior to attending her wedding as she left the public spotlight. The major difference between these MTV reality show feuds aside from the Hills' lack of physical confrontation was LC, she was the one who was wronged and was willing to talk to Heidi while not forgiving Spencer. She took the high road on her way out of the spotlight which was no surprise to anyone who had watched her since "Laguna Beach". The JWOW/Sammi feud, though started by Sammi's allegiance to her relationship/Ronnie never had the person who was wronged aspect that the Hills had. Clearly Sammi should have responded better to her friends' letter about Ronnie's antics, and JWOW, if a true friend should have gone to her personally and not hide behind an anonymous letter. Without a person who was wronged and an LC like person willing to take the high road, the JWOW/Sammi fued will not end like the Hills. Maybe the biggest reason for this is I can't see either of these two leaving the cash cow that is Jersey Shore and moving on to anything else. Just as Randy "The Ram" Robinson knew that the only thing he had was wrestling, you have to figure this crew knows the same thing.





The second comparison that immediately came to me was the Shaq/Kobe feud and their subsequent burying of the hatchet. Shaq and Kobe co-existed for 3 titles with the Lakers while both wanted to be the unquestioned star of the team. Not until Kobe sold Shaq out to investigators after his rape arrest in Colorado during the summer of '03 did the feud become unbearable for everyone involved. The '04 season was the last season Kobe and Shaq played together and it is no surprise that even a team with 4 future Hall of Famers was easily beaten in the Finals by a Detroit Pistons team that lacked even one Hall of Famer. After the season Shaq was traded to the other side of the country and and Kobe became the unquestioned king of LA. They continued to make their dislike for each other known publicly for a couple of years, until they both stated that their feud had been buried thanks to the intervention of NBA legends, notably Magic Johnson and Bill Russell. After this resolution they were publicly friendly and complimentary, but behind closed doors the feud continued to simmer under the surface with Shaq's rap bad mouthing Kobe and Kobe's comment in the locker room after last year's title that he now has one more than Shaq. This simmering feud continues as Shaq chose to join the Celtics this year, who happen to be the Lakers' biggest championship rival. I can see the JWOW/Sammi feud continuing at this same pace, in the place of NBA legends, Pauly and Vinny brokered this public resolution between the two women who both think they are the biggest stars of the show, and though they are now "friends" publicly, can't you see them continuing to needle each other through the other roomates for the rest of their public lives? Just as Kobe loves to proclaim how he can win titles without Shaq, JWOW will continue to tell Snooki what a mistake Sammi is making by putting up with Ronni's antics. Just as Shaq continues to chase titles and drama, I get the feeling Sammi loves playing the betrayed girlfriend and will continue the threats to leave the Shore after every fight with Ronnie.



The third comparison that I can see the JWOW/Sammi feud playing out like is the Ali/Frazier trilogy. Ali/Frazier 1 in Madison Square Garden was dubbed at the time as the "Fight of the Century" as both men were evenly matched and more than willing to trade punches and the rematch was generally regarded as underwhelming. This parallels the first two JWOW/Sammi fights, as the first in Miami was great while the second fight in Seaside didn't live up to the hype. As Ali and Frazier braced for their third fight, Frazier felt slighted by Ali and took his trash talk as personal attacks. It became personal and much more than two athletes displaying their skills at the highest level. Just as Frazier went to bat for Ali during commissions and hearings while Ali was suspended for not going to Vietnam and felt Ali not only never recognized this but then insulted him and his family personally, JWOW felt Sammi never acknowledged that she went out of her way with a letter detailing Ronnie's behavoir in Miami and it has become personal since. The third Ali/Frazier fight is recognized as one of the best if not best fight ever as the action mirrored their first fight and it took place out of the country in the Philippines. Incidentally season 4 of "Jersey Shore" is headed out of the country to Italy and a third fight could be in the cards. The bad blood between Frazier and Ali is still alive today even though it has been over 30 years since their last fight and a third fight in Itlay between these two could lead to the same hard feelings.

The final comparison is on a little bit of a lighter note (that is right the previous 1200 words were all as serious as a Sammi right cross); both the late George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin had big personalities and more than a little fire to say the least. They exchanged a few blows, some in public, like most brothers have done and fought and reconciled as much as Sammi and Ron. Things got personal and words were often publicly exchanged; Martin called George out for being a convicted liar and George once said Billy knew so little about baseball he was unqualified to rake the field. George hired and fired Martin 5 times, in 3 instances they didn't even last the entire season, but to be fair you can sail around the world in a sailboat in less time than a baseball season lasts. Martin was also assembling his coaching staff for his 6th stint as Yankee manager when he died. Some people are so alike that they are the best of friends and enemies on the same day, and I wouldnt' be surprised if this is the first of many apologies that lead to fights and more apologies in the JWOW/Sammi saga.