I’m going to lede into this story in a way I don’t think I ever have before: by explaining the headline.
That probably means it’s a bad headline. A good headline doesn’t need explained. But I like it just the same.
It’s a somewhat obscure reference to Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. And Albee’s title is a pun on the tune Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, from Disney’s version of Three Little Pigs. Perhaps “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Mook” would be an easier reference to pick up, but that comes with its own cons, such as using a bit player on a bad team’s nickname, even Pistons fans might not be aware of it.