After my unconscionable behavior regarding Tuesday's failed arena referendum in my adopted hometown, Charlotte, I have decided to just eliminate the middleman and drop myself a hate e-mail. Here goes:

Dear Phlegm,

Well you did it this time. You big phony. You big hypocrite. Let me get this straight: On Monday you go on Primetime, a sports radio show on 610 WFNZ in Charlotte hosted by Mark Packer (Billy's son), and for five freakin' hours you and your Ross Perot voice publicly argued AGAINST the arena referendum.

Granted, you made some pretty darn good points. (Who knew what a big difference it makes in sports radio to have hosts who actually ... read!) Yes the city leaders' idea to bundle some other cultural projects into the referendum was dirty politics and, well, kinda came across like trying to hide an elephant behind a light pole. You were right when you said it was unfair of the inept city council to ask people to vote before the arena plans were in place, the land taken care of, or any commitments from the business community to buy luxury boxes.

And, boy, I gotta say, I was really moved by your statement that you didn't want to live in a town where the mayor would veto a living-wage bill for city workers, yet support publicly-funded corporate welfare for owners who don't even live in the city and have tried to hold fans hostage by flirting with Memphis. (But throwing in the argument that North Carolina is 48th in SAT scores and that we should concentrate on important things like education, crime and infrastructure instead of silly things like sports arenas, was, I thought, more than a little hokey.)

Then I wake up on Wednesday to discover that not only did the referendum fail miserably ... YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND AND VOTED YES!!!!!!

Well, &%!@ you and your big fat dog. What happened to your argument that not a single legitimate study exists to prove that sports arenas have a positive economic impact on cities? What happened to your integrity? What happened to your stand against corporate welfare? What happened, Flem, what happened?

I think I know.

You started daydreaming about Carolina blue skies and pulled-pork sandwiches and a new minor league baseball stadium downtown. You started thinking about concerts and NCAA regionals and HOCKEY, for cryin' out loud, and how good the Hornets are gonna be next year. You started thinking about how more funding for the arts means you could be less ashamed to say that you live in the South and, hey, it's gonna be paid for by a luxury tax, so what do I care?

Or is it worse, you horrible, wretched SportsCenter wannabe? Did you fall under the same spell you rip everyone else for all the time in your tiny, meaningless, insipid little column? YOU WERE SIMPLY BLINDED BY YOUR LOVE AND PASSION FOR SPORTS AND JUST CHUCKED ALL LOGIC OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE YOU ARE, IN FACT, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US LOST SOULS: YOU CAN'T RESIST THE SIREN SONG OF THE JUMBOTRON! You held your nose, ignored your conscience and pulled the YES lever. George Shinn thanks you for your support, by the way.

You know what? You are no better than the guy with his face painted who puts his boot through the TV screen after a missed field goal. You are no better than the guy who yells at the ump at Little League games. You are no better than the fantasy league commissioners and the sports message-board weenies.

You love sports.
Shame on you, Flem.
Shame on you.
You should be fired.
You should be run out of town.
Turn in your press pass.
Turn in your foam finger.

David Fleming, Who Helped You Log On?

David Fleming is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail flemfile@aol.com.