BELLEVILLE, Ill. • It hurt, watching this.

Yet I wish more were here to see it.

If only attendance could have been mandatory for every talented kid who will ever make a dime playing sports. What a lesson this could be for those gifted enough to enter a profession where the money comes so fast it seems like it will never stop, then disappears more rapidly than it arrived.

The assignment would be simple. Show up at Belle-Clair Fairgrounds on Wednesday night. Then put yourself in Darius Miles’ size-18 shoes.

Watch complete strangers try on your hats. See them bid on your high-powered guns while others wonder aloud why a basketball player would need such firepower. Hear them question the authenticity of the autographed jerseys and sneakers given to you by your friends. Listen to them laugh at your expense.

“I could ski in most of these shoes.”

“Why would someone need so many movies?”

“That’s from Darius Miles? Give it here. He owes me money.”

And to think some here hoped Miles would make an appearance.