When LeBron James ripped off his jersey in the tunnel after Game 6 against Boston and threw it on the floor of the locker room I knew he would be leaving.   

I just didn't think he would ever decide to "take his talents to South Beach." 

Why in the hell would LeBron want to share the spotlight with Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley in Miami?  For the past few weeks it was my belief that the self-proclaimed King James would wind up in New Jersey, New York or possibly Chicago.  

However, once it was reported that James would be announcing his decision in a live one hour telecast on ESPN I thought there was a distinct possibility of a return to the Mistake On The Lake.  Could James really rip the hearts out of Cleveland sports fans on national television?  Could he be so cruel and diabolical?
 
Well, as it turns out, the answer is a resounding yes.  In a nutshell, James told all Cleveland residents and Cavs fans to go fuck themselves so he could party on South Beach. 

As you could probably imagine, everyone in Cleveland took the news very well...particularly team owner Dan Gilbert.  In a venomous (albeit hilarious) open letter released within an hour of the telecast's conclusion, a scorned and jilted Gilbert eviscerated the player he and his organization enabled for the past seven years.  Here is a link to the letter if you haven't seen it yet.  You simply must read it...if only for Gilbert's delightful font choice.

Although Tiger Woods' fall from grace was more precipitous, there is no doubt James is now public enemy number one in the sports world.  Once Tiger starts winning tournaments again, almost everyone will forget about his peccadilloes.  This will not be the case for LeBron. 

The way James went about making the decision transformed him into a villain in almost everyone's eyes but Miami residents and Heat fans.  The public spectacle could have been avoided.  A simple "I'm going to Miami" would have sufficed.  If James thinks things are ugly now, just wait.  I have a feeling we have only scratched the surface and things are going to get a lot uglier.