So... you hate players who chase big paychecks?

It bugs you when people like Jim Thome bolts to the Philadephia Phillies for a huge contract, and steam comes out of your ears when you think of Manny Ramirez walking away from the Cleveland Indians for millions in Beantown?

Well there is a breath of fresh air out there for you.

It's the Miami Heat.

Don't choke on your Cheerios. That's right - the team America loves to hate is all of a sudden the team America loves and doesn't know it. It's the team full of players who left big paydays on the table to take less money in order to win championships.

First the Heat got Ray Allen to walk away from bigger money with the Celtics to sign a lesser, 3-year, $9-million deal in South Beach.

Then on Wednesday, Rashard Lewis signed a veteran minimum deal of one-year, $1.35-million contract to join the defending NBA champions. Granted, Lewis is still going to be paid millions from the Hornets, who recently bought him out, but that's New Orleans' problem.

So there are two more big-name, low-money guys who are going to Miami in search of a championship and not huge contracts.

This comes two years after both LeBron James and Chris Bosh left millions on the table in Cleveland and Toronto so as to join Dwyane Wade in Miami and make a run at numerous titles.

Allen and Lewis won't be the last to take less money for a chance to win a championship with the Miami Heat. There are plenty of players out there who would gladly take less money for the opportunity to hoist a championship trophy and get a ring.

It's tough to swallow, but LeBron and Bosh got the ball rolling. They each took less money to put themselves in a special situation. Now, others are following suit.

For years, America has hated players who chased bit paydays. But it's hard to hate players with as much passion when they're taking less money to chase a dream.

Isn't that the premise that made America great in the first place?

Let the hypocrites chew on THAT for a while.

- John Kampf