January 5th 2008
In the love of all things corny! Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors F/C, put together a video to get people to vote for him to goto the All Star game. It is pretty lame but I don’t think it is as bad as my boy singing Chocolate Rain (I guess this has been around forever but I’m just finding out about it). America you decide…
-or-
December 23rd 2007
This is an interesting question and an interesting story that goes along with that question. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, Odell Thurman, has been suspended by the league for a second consecutive year for substance abuse violations. The only problem is that he hasn’t failed a test in over a year, served all the original stipulations of his first suspension, but yet was still suspended for a second consecutive year by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Adam Pacman Jones (one year suspension), Mike Vick (indefinite suspension), and Tank Johnson (8 game suspension) have all been in the news, and rightfully suspended by Goodell, but many have questioned the broad-ranging power that Goodell has and his one person committee of discipline. Sentencing the previously mentioned three is easy because they all had problems with the law that either resulted in a plea deal or prison time but when your talking about alcohol and substance abuse then everything hasn’t been as consistant or equal.
So you have Odell, who has received the harshest sentence to date, next to Vick, over his problems with alcohol abuse and because of this went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the NFL. His stance is that the NFL is punishing an employee for a disease even though he has complied with all the leagues policies in regards to his problem.
Thurman, 24, is at the center of an unusual case that could challenge the sweeping powers the league has to discipline players with substance-abuse problems.
He has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, asserting that the N.F.L. declined to reinstate him because officials believe he is an alcoholic. That, his complaint says, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which categorizes people as disabled if they have a record of alcoholism and have received treatment.
“The crux of the complaint is that they have a disability and they are not being reinstated because of that disability,” said Paul M. Secunda, a labor and employment law expert who edits the Workplace Prof Blog. “What we’re talking about is the disability of the player and the rights of the employer to run the N.F.L. as they see fit. It’s, where does the D.U.I. fit it? Does the league have the right to take further action beyond what the criminal court system does?”
This is a big deal because it can set a precedent for not only the NFL but for everyone. What if I had a couple of DUI’s and my job suspended me for 2 years because of it?
Article link
December 11th 2007
I don’t know let’s see…
1. I sign up for the Atlanta Falcons season ticket list about 2 years ago. The tickets were a hot item at that time and it was fun going to the games at the Georgia Dome. Truth is I’m not even a Falcons fan but I went to school in Atlanta and love NFL football. I finally get through this season and I purchase my Atlanta Falcons season tickets about 3 days before the entire Vick dogfighting case drops. At this time I’m not really worried about it because I could never imagine that 6 months later he would actually be facing 23 months in prison.
2. Last night, Mr Home Depot himself, aka Arthur Blank, goes on Monday Night Football (were a primetime game would have went for double or triple face value last year and I sold mine for half price) and says that Mike Vick has a chance to play if he doesn’t get out of shape eating..as he likes to say “Fried Chicken and French Fries“. You know, the staple of all brothers. I’m not saying anything about his comments but in a metropolis of 5 million people, and about 40% of them black, I bet someone will not like that comment.
3. Today, Bobby Petrino, head coach of the Falcons who took the job in 2007, tells Mr Home Depot..”Peace up, A down” and resigns for the University of Arkansas job.
I think that this entire Mike Vick drama has been the biggest waste of talent, resources, prestige, money, and personal freedom ever. I love the saying that “the truth is somewhere in the middle”. Vick probably gave his cousin the money for the house and went to a couple of dog fights. But, when you have 5 people (including a family member) ready to testify against you there is nothing to do but settle this case out of court. So, I don’t fully believe he did everything he pled guilty to but he is probably guilty of a good portion of the charges.
The real travistry in this is that Mike Vick can not stop making bad decisions. Why would you buy a house for your cousin if he deals in drugs? This case started as a drug sting but they stumbled (please feel free to stumble this post..no pun intended) upon the dogs. Mike Vick became the prize to the feds and were willing to drop all the more serious drug charges on everyone if they would rat on him in the dogfighting case. But, he should never have been in this situation because the house should never have been in his name.
That is just one of the dumb decisions he has made. Then, he goes and gets caught with weed in his system while awaiting sentencing. It is just like last year when he was caught at an airport with some “unknown” substance in a water bottle. The time he flipped off the Atlanta crowd for booing him. The time stood up Airtran airlines for a commercial shoot. Vick had a pattern of making bad choices that easily could have not been made.
This all gets me so mad because he brought it all on himself. I can’t cry racism, I can’t say it is the system trying to bring him down because he gave them all the ammo they needed. So, now I have to explain to my son why Vick (who he has 2 #7 jerseys) is not playing anymore. Men not being men and making bad decisions, that is the problem with the black community. It is why we have a generation of no fathers because of jail and fear of responsibility. It is why we have so many single mothers. Let me just quit there because I can go on about this forever….AHHHHH!!!! (whew, I feel a little better now)
(I added this 12/17) I think my words are a little strong there and let me rephrase a little. I think we have an issue with some black men between 18-30. I don’t know if enough of us are not maturing or what but we have young black men killing young black men. We are losing our young men to crimes that are petty and unnecessary. So many from this age group are leaving their kids behind to let Grandma, Grandpa, and Mom raise them.
Don’t get me wrong, racism and the effect of slavery still has long lasting issues but black men need to take the lead, and the responsibility to see that we overcome. But, when you have a large portion of the men not wanting to do what they have to until later in life the kids and the community suffer. My friend made me feel like I was beating on black men…that isn’t the case or I’m not trying to. I’m critical because I fall into this group (18-30 black male). We are letting everyone else be that father figure, which can be good or bad, when that positive, successful man should first be seen at home. And when I say success it has nothing to do with money or position but a success by being the leader and provider that is expected.
November 28th 2007
Yesterday, NFL free-safety, Sean Taylor, passed from the massive blood loss to a major artery stemming from a gun shot to the leg. The body has two major arteries in each leg around the groin area. If one of those arteries were severed or punctured (like a gun shot wound would do) you can lose all of your blood within 5 minutes. It is a shame that this happened to him. He was a father, a very young man, and an outstanding player.
Jason Whitlock, a Kansas City journalist, is a contributor for foxsports and espn. He wrote an article that is just on point dealing with what just happened. The Black KKK, as he calls it, is just the ignorance of the black on black violence that black men are inflicting upon themselves. I usually don’t post an entire article but I feel this is a must read…
There’s a reason I call them the Black KKK. The pain, the fear and the destruction are all the same.
Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you’re a black man living in America, you’ve been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death.
The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.
No, we don’t know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor’s death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it’s no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You’d assume a heart attack, and you’d know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.
Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there’s every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That’s not some negative, unfair stereotype. It’s a reality we’ve been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.
When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.
Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How’s that working?
About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an alleged injustice the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.
Within hours of his death, there was a story circulating that members of the black press were complaining that news outlets were disrespecting Taylor’s victimhood by reporting on his troubled past
No disrespect to Taylor, but he controlled the way he would be remembered by the way he lived. His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run-ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you’ve been murdered.
Marcellus Wiley, a former NFL player, made the radio circuit Wednesday, singing the tune that athletes are targets. That was his explanation for the murders of Taylor and Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams and the armed robberies of NBA players Antoine Walker and Eddy Curry.
Really?
Let’s cut through the bull(manure) and deal with reality. Black men are targets of black men. Period. Go check the coroner’s office and talk with a police detective. These bullets aren’t checking W-2s.
Rather than whine about white folks’ insensitivity or reserve a special place of sorrow for rich athletes, we’d be better served mustering the kind of outrage and courage it took in the 1950s and 1960s to stop the white KKK from hanging black men from trees.
But we don’t want to deal with ourselves. We take great joy in prescribing medicine to cure the hate in other people’s hearts. Meanwhile, our self-hatred, on full display for the world to see, remains untreated, undiagnosed and unrepentant.
Our self-hatred has been set to music and reinforced by a pervasive culture that promotes a crab-in-barrel mentality.
You’re damn straight I blame hip hop for playing a role in the genocide of American black men. When your leading causes of death and dysfunction are murder, ignorance and incarceration, there’s no reason to give a free pass to a culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration.
Of course there are other catalysts, but until we recapture the minds of black youth, convince them that it’s not OK to “super man dat ho” and end any and every dispute by “cocking on your bitch,” nothing will change.
Does a Soulja Boy want an education?
HBO did a fascinating documentary on Little Rock Central High School, the Arkansas school that required the National Guard so that nine black kids could attend in the 1950s. Fifty years later, the school is one of the nation’s best in terms of funding and educational opportunities. It’s 60 percent black and located in a poor black community.
Watch the documentary and ask yourself why nine poor kids in the ’50s risked their lives to get a good education and a thousand poor black kids today ignore the opportunity that is served to them on a platter.
Blame drugs, blame Ronald Reagan, blame George Bush, blame it on the rain or whatever. There’s only one group of people who can change the rotten, anti-education, pro-violence culture our kids have adopted. We have to do it.
According to reports, Sean Taylor had difficulty breaking free from the unsavory characters he associated with during his youth.
The “keepin’ it real” mantra of hip hop is in direct defiance to evolution. There’s always someone ready to tell you you’re selling out if you move away from the immature and dangerous activities you used to do, you’re selling out if you speak proper English, embrace education, dress like a grown man, do anything mainstream
The Black KKK is enforcing the same crippling standards as its parent organization. It wants to keep black men in their place — uneducated, outside the mainstream and six feet deep.
In all likelihood, the Black Klan and its mentality buried Sean Taylor, and any black man or boy reading this could be next.
October 26th 2007
David Stern is a hypocrite! What am I talking about? Lets take a stroll down memory lane. It’s 2006 and Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals. The Spurs and Suns are in epic battle for the right, no, the privilege to represent the West in the Finals. With eighteen seconds left in game, Robert Horry who ironically known for his late game shots, takes a shot of a different nature, he gives a Steve Nash “cheap shot”, sending him into the courtside tables. Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudamire clear the bench. As a result of a arcane NBA rule that states, “all the players who are seated on the bench must remain in that immediate vicinity. If the rule is violated, the Basketball Operations Department is notified and each guilty individual is subject to a suspension of a minimum of one game and fine up to $50,000. The head coach and/or assistant coaches may assist in acting as peacemakers.”
As a consequence, Boris and Amare are suspended for one game. Although, no one threw a punch or was directly involved any brawl. Commissioner Stern instantly drew fire for the suspensions. During a contentious interview with Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio, Stern said Stoudemire and Diaw should have known that there is no room for interpretation in the leaving-the-bench rule, which players are reminded of before the season and again before the playoffs. “The players knew the rule…” So, Stern believes that a rule is a rule, right? Apparently not!
Fast forward to today’s news conference regarding NBA officials and gambling. An internal review discovered more than half of the league’s 56 returning referees technically violated the N.B.A.’s prohibition on nearly all forms of gambling, Stern said at a news conference after meeting with the league’s board of governors. “Our ban is absolute,” Stern said. “It’s my view it’s too absolute, too harsh, and not particularly well enforced over the years. After some careful deliberation, I have decided that I will not be taking punitive action against the referees that violated this rule.””I determined going into a casino isn’t a capital offense” Capital offense?( I guess wearing urban wear is a capital offense) Furthermore, he states, “I am not going to punish individuals for violating a rule that I am going to change anyway.” Huh? what happened to a rule is a rule? David, the referees knew the rule, there is no room for interpretation! I am sure Phoenix fans that the aforementioned rule was “too absolute, too harsh.” Tisk, Tisk! David, fine these dudes and or suspend them. You can’t flip flop, a rule is a rule! As the commissioner of the NBA, the owners and players have to view you as civil minded and even keeled.
Ok, Ok, I know that some of my fellow web2freedom bloggers, will say, who gives a damn if a referee wants to play the slots or online poker as long as it’s in the off-season and has nothing to do with basketball. I believe that allowing referees to gamble in any format is a mistake. Gambling is an addiction. These new rules will serve a gateway for someone to get into debt and owing large sums of money is nothing more that incubator for point shaving. David Stern, your out of bounds!
October 20th 2007
I had a decent run last week going 3-2. So, I’m 14-16 this college season…which is ok against the spread. If I was actually betting I wouldn’t have won anything but I have had 2 standout weeks. I went 4-1 week 5 and then followed that up with an 0-5 week. Anyway, I feel good about my picks today and these are all games I’m going to try and watch…
1. Tennessee (-1.5) @ Alabama
I have had to hear about this game all week since I live in SEC country. Tennessee can score at will and Alabama has been shaky on D (especially against the run). This will be close just because it is a rivalry game but I think the Vols have better overall talent and that will push them over the top in this game…Tennessee -1.5
2. Texas Tech @ Missouri (-3.5)
When I had a chance to check out Missouri I was really impressed. They have a lot of offensive talent and Chase Daniel is going to be big time (averaging 345 yards passing/game). They came up short last week against Oklahoma but they were competitive. I think they will run the table and win the Big 12 North and get OU in a rematch during the Big 12 championship…Missouri -3.5
3. Mississippi St. @ West Virginia (-25)
WV has kinda flown under the radar after starting the year with some closer than expected wins and the road loss to South Florida. But, they are still in the BCS mix and ranked in the top 10. MSU comes to Morgantown with a solid Defense but shaky Offense. WV while not stellar on D has been decent and they have one of the most dynamic offenses in the country when everyone is healthy. I like this game because you have one of the top tier Big East programs vs. a lower level SEC program. All week I have heard how MSU was going to keep it close and give WV problems because they are battle tested against the stronger SEC…no sir. WV is going to blow this team out of the water and continue to show the world how average the SEC is when they go on the road, out of conference….WV -25
4. Michigan (-1) @ Illinois
This game seems very similar to the 2 losses Michigan has this year. A team who runs the spread offense, with a mobile QB, beats a slow Michigan defense. Same script for App St…for Oregon..and now for Illinois. They run Michigan off the field and how can you not like a team with a QB named Juice Williams. I’m all over Fighting Illini…Illinois +1
5. Auburn @ LSU (-10.5)
When USF lost Thursday it broke my heart because I want the BCS to explode. If they could have run the table it would have been perfect because Auburn is going to win out also. They have the best Defense in the South and they are dominate on the road in the SEC..well the last road game they lost is to LSU and the Tigers have won 17 straight at home. If Auburn can win this game then I think they finish the year with only the 2 losses. This is going to be a good one…Auburn + 10.5
Honorable Mention - USC @ Notre Dame
I think people are forgetting about USC after their loss to Stanford and Notre Dame is the worst team in college football. Who would have thought that this game is just going to be an afterthought for the weekend. But, watch USC and how they perform in the hardest part of their schedule. I could see a one loss LSU, OU, and USC at the end of the year. It will be the same as 2003 with the Trojans sitting on the outside and OU/LSU in the BCS championship.
October 15th 2007
I was listening to the Jim Rome radio show a few days ago at lunch and he had Tony Dungy on for an interview. I have never been a “fan” of the Bucs or Colts but I do like him. Dungy has always been a coach that preached high character, both from himself and of his players, and he has always seemed like the kind of coach that you wanted to play for or your kids to play for.
But he touched on many different topics such as the Colts (of course), his relationship with current and former players, his book…a very basic interview. Then Rome asked him about Dononvan McNabb’s comments during an HBO interview about black quarterbacks being scrutinized harder than white quarterbacks (McNabb’s comments taken from Bloomberg article):
“There are not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra,’…
(About white Quarterbacks Payton Manning and Carson Palmer)“Let me start by saying, I love those guys. But they don’t get criticized as much as we do. They don’t,”
I have had mixed emotions about those comments because all NFL players are heavily scrutinized (except Brett Favre for some reason) and it is a win only mentality from fans, owners, and the media. Also, there are so many black QB’s that it isn’t as big a deal as say 25 or 30 years ago. Tony Dungy’s comments in the interview seemed to make the same connection that everyone in the league is under tremendous amounts of pressure and similar scrutiny.
But, without being asked by Jim Rome, he brought up Ty Willingham and how Notre Dame got rid of him after 3 seasons and now you have Charlie Weis, in his third year, having the worst season in Notre Dame history at 1-6. Willingham was fired after seasons of 10-3, 5-7, and 6-6…which besides his first year is nothing great. The problem was that he was fired after only 3 years. This is almost unheard of in college football.
If we went back in the time machine to 2004/2005, actually just google ‘Ty Willingham Notre Dame Fired’ and you can see a bunch of articles, you would read articles talking about how he was fired for being a bad coach and blowout losses. “It has noting to do with him being black it is about him as a coach”…”He is taking ND in the wrong direction”. So were is the outcry for Charlie Weis’ head?
In most situations the truth is somewhere in the middle. Did Ty Willingham being fired have something to do with him being black? I don’t know, but it is hard to say no. Did it have to do with Urban Meyer? I think Notre Dame thought they would land the current Florida coach but he passed on the job. In fact many coaches passed on the ND gig. Charlie Weis came out of nowhere to get the job with about as much college head coaching experience as me…NONE! You have a coach that seems out of his league, had a really good season with another coaches players, and the program sure doesn’t look like it is going in the right direction.
I liked what Dungy said about this whole situation during the interview (and I am paraphrasing because I don’t have a transcript)…”Everyone is waiting to see how Notre Dame is going to handle this. Maybe they learned from Ty Williingham?”. I say maybe they are just showing their true colors and will treat coaches differently because it sure feels like they are handling it a lot different than before. Too bad that is not a good thing.
October 12th 2007
It is hard to get everything right just picking 5 games agaist the spread in college football. Equally hard to get everything wrong. Well I pulled off the impossible and went 0-5 last week after going 4-1 the week before. So, overall I’m 11-14 on the year. I’m going to take last week as a moral victory…the same kind of victories Charlie Weis is putting on his resume at Notre Dame. Hey, if he can get a big contract off of it maybe someone will drop one on me too.
1. Missouri @ Oklahoma (-10.5)
I was impressed when I got a chance to watch Missouri last week. One of their tightends, Martin Rucker, is looking like the next big one at that position and of course QB Chase Daniel really showed the world about himself against Nebraska. I don’t think they can beat Oklahoma but they will make it a game… Missouri + 10.5
2. Louisville @ Cincinnati (-10.0)
Now, who could have called this at the beginning of the year…Louisville rolls into Ohio a 10 point dog to Cincinnati. Just more fodder for why there should be a playoff system in college football. But, I am hoping that Louisville can bounce back somewhat because the offense is there… Louisivlle +10
3. Auburn @ Arkansas (-3.0)
I would have thought that Auburn would be favored in this game. I like their defense right now and the offense isn’t turning the ball over. If Brandon Cox would have played this way at the beginning of the year they would be undefeated. Auburn wins outright…
Auburn +3.0
4. Washington @ Arizona St. (-11.0)
Washington has been competitive in every one of their games (well…kinda against Ohio St.), going 1-2 against ranked opponents, and Arizona St has looked great but they haven’t beat a ranked team. I think Ty Willingham keeps his team close… Washington +11.0
5. UCF @ South Florida (-11.5)
After all South Florida has done this year this could be on upset alert this week. I think both defenses will be prepared because they run similar offenses. I see a close one in Tampa… UCF +11.5
October 8th 2007
Come here to get help? Hell no! Come here to be amoungst your people. New Blog coming to Web2Freedom! Should you trade him, cut him or start him? Get your answers from people who have WON numerous championships. Not from lames whose advice make you lose games.
October 7th 2007
They are really struggling at Playboy if their magazine is featuring the ex-mistress of Barry Bonds, who has no other talent except being his ex-mistress. Kim Bell is making her rounds with the different media outlets promoting her “spread” coming out and talking about Barry. But, she is not adding any new information. Everything she is saying on her little media blitz sounds exactly the same as the allegations she has made over the last few years. Bell already said she thinks Bonds used steriods, that Barry promised to buy her house, and that he was verbally abusive. I shouldn’t say everything is old news…she now says he has erectile dysfunction.
I don’t know if what she is saying is true or not but what I do know is true is that she has already written a book, claims he owes her $150k for a house he was paying the note on, and now is posing in Playboy. Ughh. No comment because I don’t want to waste anymore brainpower on this.
Throughout the interview Bell repeats that she is not a gold digger. “I had a great job,” she says. “I had my own stuff. I come from humble beginnings. I didn’t wear designer clothes. I wasn’t a dress-up kind of girl.”
The relationship ended acrimoniously with Kimberly claiming Bonds owed her $150,000 for a house she says he promised to purchase for her. In response, Bonds’ attorney says she should not be believed because she is extorting and blackmailing Bonds. Bell denies those allegations and says that in his battle with her, Bonds has even tried to deny knowing her even though she has proven otherwise.
