Skier's big mouth an asset, liability

I have no problem with loudmouths, know-it-alls, loose-lips and the like. Where would the media be if everyone were like John Stockton?

Out of business, that's where.

Give me Charles Barkley any day.

That's why I'm inclined to allow American skier Bode Miller some space after he mouthed off on CBS's "60 Minutes," talking about skiing drunk and being "wasted" at the start of some races.

Not a great example for kids, I admit. At the same time, not everyone needs to be as boring as Tim Duncan. Talking to the San Antonio Spurs star is like talking to a mannequin.

The sports world needs people like Miller who will say what they're thinking.

Just one question: What exactly was he thinking?

Miller stirred controversy this week after going on national TV and saying, "If you ever tried to ski when you're wasted, it's not easy." He also told the online edition of Maxim that he sometimes arrives for competition so drunk from the previous night "I'm just sobering up by the first round."

Now that's a visual I could do without — a superstar racer with morning mouth and maybe some barf on his racing suit.

Asked by "60 Minutes" if acknowledging the risk of such behavior means he would never ski drunk again, he said, "No, I'm not saying that."

Thursday in Switzerland he held a press conference to apologize for his remarks.

Miller can be a pain for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. He travels on tour in his own RV. He has called for relaxed anti-doping rules, which automatically makes him, as U.S. coach Paul McNichol noted, "our one outspoken cowboy."

He also refused to take an equipment test to see if his ski boots met regulations.

He has reportedly complained about his sponsor, skipped media sessions and mused openly about missing the Olympics and/or racing independently.

"All I can say is that I wouldn't like to be his coach or trainer," said International

Ski Federation president Gian Franco Kasper, after Miller became the first American skier to win the World Cup overall title in 22 years.

Miller, of course, isn't the only skier to make news for rowdy behavior. Spider Sabich, Suzy Chaffee, Alberto Tomba and Bill Johnson, to name a few, were known party animals — but also media favorites.