He is the first and foremost, he is the alpha and the omega, ladies and gentleman, he is: Shawn Kemp. The most explosive dunker of our lifetime, six-time NBA All-Star and FIBA gold medalist, Shawn Kemp is the Rain(aka Reign) Man. He made it rain on the NBA hardwood for 14 seasons, but he made rain off the court from the hardwood at least nine times with seven different mommies, making him one of the most prolific scorers off the court in the modern era.

Shawn, we salute you, and here at Kemp's corner, we seek to identify and honor those brave young heroes who seek to honor your hallowed tradition.

Today we recognize Antonio Cromartie, starting cornerback for the San Diego Chargers. Antonio is widely recognized as one of the league's most talented young corners, but suffered an off year during the 2008 season. Why? Well apparently, Antonio had other things on the brain, as he was just a little distracted:

"Last year my head wasn't in there," Cromartie said. "I was dealing with my kids and their moms. It had my mind somewhere else." Cromartie has been named in at least five paternity suits in the past two years. He acknowledged it hasn't always been so, but he is trying to take care of them financially. "It took me awhile to man up and say, 'I gotta do what I'm supposed to do,'and accept my responsibilities," said Cromartie, who is not married or engaged to any of the mothers. "I can't point a finger at anybody else. I made a lot of bad decisions my first and second year in the league. I point a finger at myself." There are a lot of directions to be pulled when you have seven kids living in five states.

This could explain why Antonio played the entire 2008 season with a broken hip, despite warnings from his agent, and even against the advice of Deion Sanders, his idol and mentor. Cuz love comes and goes, but those child support payments? Child support don't go NOwhere.

We salute you Mr. Cromartie, you are this month's Rain Man. So whip out that stack and make it rain on them baby mommas Mr. Cromartie, and go earn like you've never earned before.