CBS's cameras were pointed at the handshake lines on the sideline. There, among the victorious Wildcats, I caught a glimpse of The Greatest/Worstest Washington Bullet/Wizard of All Time: Rod Strickland!

He's a survivor. Last April, Strickland got popped for driving under the influence by cops in Lexington, Ky. He had just finished his first season as a Kentucky assistant coach.

Some Wildcat boosters called for Strickland's ouster from the Kentucky staff at the time.

But Strickland has more lives than the average 'Cat. The Lexington bust was at least Strickland's fourth DUI arrest. He'd been arrested on the same charge three times during his days in the NBA, along with jailings for various other assaults and disorderlies.

But, as I was improperly shocked to learn on Sunday, he's still counseling impressionable student athletes.

The Bullets/Wizards were but one of the nine franchises he Hot Rodded for in a 17-year playing career. But—lucky us!—all his DUI arrests as a player came around here.

He was charged in D.C. with a DUI and disorderly conduct in September 1997, with his lawyer saying he was only pulled over during a downtown cruise because jealous MPD members saw him "driving an expensive Mercedes Benz."

Then Strickland beat DUI and reckless-driving charges after getting nabbed in 1999 running red lights and speeding downtown. Strickland plead guilty to a DUI when cops caught him swerving on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in January 2001.

My favorite Strickland story, however, doesn't involve improper operation of an automobile.

On the night of Sept. 11, 2001, while most of the nation mourned, Strick and his posse, which included latter-day disco divo Chico DeBarge, were bustin' loose in the parking lot of a TGIF restaurant in Bowie.

According to witnesses, Strickland et al brawled with staffers from the adjacent rival fern bar, Applebee's.

Rod Strickland. Sept. 11. TGIF. Applebee's. Brawl. Chico DeBarge.

I can't type that stuff enough.

Hey, Frontline: Where's the "TGIF Massacre" documentary?

Go Wildcats!

Authorities recently filed court papers connected to a huge meth bust by Metropolitan Police Department officers. As City Desk already reported via police sources, the cops say a dealer, believed to be a member of Mexican drug cartel La Familia Michoacana, gave the officers pounds of meth "on consignment," and was eventually arrested along with eight others. Court records indicate the dealer wanted $105,000 for the borrowed haul, though; sources had told City Desk it was $103,0000. (But what's a couple grand among friends?)

Court records also suggest the sting didn't just involve undercover cops getting one drug dealer to trust them—they had to work their way up starting with Esteban Rodriguez, who allegedly set up a deal for them to buy a kilo of cocaine for $33,000($1,000 more than police sources told us). Court records also indicate the dramatic, high-stakes drug game ended up at Applebee's.
Hoping to convince Rodriguez's supplier to sell to them, the officers took a road trip with the middle man to  a destination somewhere in or near Winston-Salem, N.C., earlier this month. There, at a local Applebee's, they handed Rodriguez cash for the coke.  "A Hispanic male, who has now been identified as Alejandro Quintana Cardenas (“Cardenas”) and an unidentified Hispanic male were also at Applebee's and took possession of the money," court papers say.

Why gangsters would want to meet up at a place that supplies family fun and pomegranate margaritas, as opposed to a dark and seedy bar, is a bit of a mystery. Maybe the booths at Applebee's supply the necessary privacy to do a proper hand-off? Or maybe they just really like the greasy menu? In any event, the drop at what calls itself "the largest casual dining chain in the world" turned out well for the cops. Late that same night, court documents say, "undercover officers met with Rodriguez’s supplier, who then identified himself as 'Flaco,' and has now been identified as Alberto Garcia Calderon (“Calderon”) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where they spent a total of three to four hours talking about future  plans for narcotics distribution in the District of Columbia area."

During their long chat, Calderon negotiated the deal to sell the officers over $100,000 in meth. Pehaps giving a clue as to why drug dealers might end up at a wallet-friendly spot like Applebee's, he also bemoaned his lack of business success: Calderon said "he was the previous supplier in charge of distribution in the District of Columbia area but has since moved for lack of business."

Here's a copy of the indictment:

Photo by The-Lane-Team via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Washingtonians have any number of reasons to despise him. This is the player, remember, who Wes Unseld gave up Rasheed Wallace to get here. He's also the guy who mourned our nation on the night of September 11, 2001, by partying at the TGIFriday's in Bowie with Chico DeBarge and whupping ass on a waitress from the nearby Applebee's outlet in the parking lot. No, really. (Full disclosure: Washington City Paper is currently owned by the same folks who own another rival fern bar chain, Bennigan's. No, really.)

A while back in this space I expressed awe that Strickland, what with his reputation and police record, would even be allowed anywhere on a college campus, much less on the bench of a major program, where he was hailed as a mentor to impressionable youth. But that's what John Calipari had done at both Memphis and Kentucky.

And as I pointed out in a Slate.com podcast recorded during the NCAA tournament and during my just-ended paternity leave, Rod went on to get three more DUI arrests than playoff wins as a Washington Bullet. Days after that 'cast, Rod made me look like I knew from what I spoke by getting popped again for the same ol', same 'ol. Career stats, as of 1 p.m. today: DUI Arrests 4, Playoff Wins in DC 0. (Full disclosure: The Slate.com podcast was hosted by my friend and the future of sports journalism, Josh Levin.)

At the time, Strickland was being talked up as the potential next head coach of his alma mater, DePaul University. Instead, Strickland just got booted off Calipari's bench as payback for his latest drink n' drive.

But for all his shenanigans along the way from DePaul to DeBarge, Strickland still has his supporters: John Wall, for instance. The future top Wizards pick came out during the post-draft blitz and constantly credited Strickland with making him a player worthy of a lottery pick. Strickland had likewise mentored the last two NBA rookies of the year, Derek Rose and Tyreke Evans, both from Memphis during the Calipari/Strickland era.

So, if Wall lives up to his Can't Miss Kid status after he gets here, perhaps we'll have to take away some of the demerits Strickland earned in his years as a Bullets bad boy.

But MADD and the Applebee's wait staff can't be the only ones hoping Strick ain't the one charged with counseling Wall how to act off the court. Or what music to listen to.

Seriously: Chico DeBarge?

Valiente, who is not publicly listed, says in a statement through his D.C.-based lawyers (via the Kansas City Star): "If I had known the truth, I never would have eaten at Applebee's."

The giant vats of beer served in glass are, apparently, as advertised. Calls out to the lawyers. Will update with more shocking revelations.