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Dan Gilbert: Douche

2010-07-14T09:42:00.003-05:00

If you're reading this, then you probably have already read Dan Gilbert's ridiculous open letter to Cleveland fans. Apparentl Cleveland fans love it. Let me be the first to welcome you fans into my, Circle of Gullibility". Dan Gilbert is playing you. And good for your stupid self. You don't deserve to have a player of Lebron's abilities.

Gilbert knows full well that Lebron did not have to stay in Cleveland. He fulfilled his contract and played his heart out for the team. Lebron didn't owe him anything. Gilbert already got a lot from having Lebron on his team. He made him a lot of money. Both as a member of his team and he helped him move lots of Fatheads at $99.99. Not cheap. I have to say this again: Owners and GM's do not give players the benefit of speaking to them ahead of time when they're deciding to trade them or cut them. And now if owners get their way, at the end of this season they will be pushing for non-guaranteed contracts for players. I hate that so many are trying to pretend that they knew that Lebron made his mind up to leave weeks, months or even years ago. They don't know that. And neither do you or I. Do I think he made up his mind the morning of his hour long show? Probably not. But I don't know if it was a couple of days before that. Even if Lebron did know, they still wouldn't have been able to get Amar'e, Bosh or Wade anyway. Plus, there's no way that the Cavs would have gone after Boozer after the way he left them years ago. So the Cavs would not have benefitted from finding out a week before the show. Besides, you know that Gilbert would have leaked it out the info out of spite. If you didn't know before the letter, you damn well know for sure after reading his letter that he would have been spiteful and spread the news before Lebrons televised event. You can decide to not like Lebrons decision to have that show, but if he wanted to keep it a secret, he could NOT let Gilbert know.

So yeah, back to those gullible Clevelanders - and the rest - who believe Dan Gilbert. He was being strategic. He needs to keep your fannies in the seats. In 7 years the best he could do by Lebron was get him an old Antawn Jamison. That was the best he could do. It's HIS fault you lost out on Lebron. I do believe Lebron when he said that he didn't want to be 31 with bad knees and no ring. I also believe that he took Kevin Garnett's words to heart when speaking about loyalty to a franchise when he said,

"Loyalty is something that hurts you at times because you can't get youth back. I can honestly say that if I can go back and do my situation over, knowing what I know now with this organization, I'd of done it a little sooner."

And by "it", he means ask for a trade out of Minnesota. I can't pretend to know what it is to be a Lebron or Garnett and play your heart out for an organization, but I do know what it is to leave a job for greener pastures. He's happier in Miami. I may question how competitive he is and how much "heart" he has, but I can't say he's wrong for trying to be happy. I mean, we all know Jordan wouldn't have made this decision, but Lebron is Lebron and Jordan is Jordan. They're different people. Lebron may be incredibly talented, but he doesn't have Jordans heart. You know what? 99% of the worlds population doesn't have MJ's heart. That's not a knock on Lebron, its a testament to the competitor that MJ was. BTW, that competitive streak also made him a compulsive gambler. Let's not forget the bad that comes with the good.

So to sum up: Gilbert = Douche.

The Hangover: Part Deux

2010-07-09T09:53:00.005-05:00

This is horrible. As a Knick fan, I literally had a hangover this morning. Lots of rum and coke will do that to you. So there is some egg on my face since my prediction was wrong. The crystal ball was a little cloudy. Feces happens. What can I say?

What just happened?

First off, I like the sign and trade that the Knicks pulled off with Golden State for David Lee. Anthony Randolph is a really good athlete with some good passing skills. He's a great shot blocker and finisher. Something we really haven't had since the Big Fella (Patrick Ewing). Kelenna Azubuike is a strong guard with a very good mid-range game, has a good post game and can shoot the 3. I think Knick fans will be happy with him. He's a personal favorite player of mine. The only drawback to him is that he isn't a good passer. And then there's Ronny Turiaf who I don't like. He's a very good shot blocker with a mean streak, which I like. The drawback to him is that he doesn't have much of a back-to-the-basket game and he gets hurt a lot. He's pretty cheap though, so if we can get 15 productive minutes out of him (6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game) i'll be very happy.

Honestly, I wasn't a very big fan of David Lee. While I think he was a complete steal because of where they drafted him, he was never going to be a great player. He can't play defense, and while he is a very good athlete, he lacks lateral quickness. We will miss his rebounding and improved shooting. No doubt. But if a team decided to shut him down, he was done. He was not a go-to player down the stretch. Is Amare? I'm not sure. He's an incredible athlete who can finish as good as anyone in the NBA, but he's not a good shot creator. He's limited. The only guys that aren't limited are Lebron and Wade. They're in Miami. Forget about them. No we have to get a team that can beat them.

I don't hate Lebron for going somewhere to be happy. He went to win some rings and - from what i've read - play with his friends. I can't begrudge someone that. I couldn't bare to watch the rest of his show last night so I didn't hear if he said why he chose to make this announcement 14 effing miles away from the Knicks practice facility. A friend of mine thinks it was to start the rivalry again. He and his boys may just be THAT oblivious. Okay, that was a shot at him. I repeat: I ain't mad at ya, Lebron. But you could have had it all here. I already outlined why the team would have been perfect for him. What's past is past.

What now?

After the sign and trade that the Knicks pulled off, the Knicks are still about $10M under the salary cap. We should overpay for Luke Ridnour for one year and save the cap room for next year when Carmelo and CP3 become free agents. There is word that Carmelo - stop me if you've heard this before - wants to come to NYC. Plus, he's getting married tomorrow here in New York to Lala of Black Entertainment Television. So every Knick fan should hope that this marriage stays together. At least for about a year and a half. Personally i'd prefer Chris Paul. NYC needs a great PG again, and he would fit the bill perfectly.

We will have a pretty athletic team next year. Amar'e is a beast and Randolph I already told you about. I hope people haven't forgotten how athletic Bill Walker is. And he was coming off knee surgery last year. He's going to be in even better shape last year. Wilson Chandler was coming off ankle surgery last year and didn't start hitting his stride until after the all-star break. His shot selection suffered last year since he was called upon to score more, but with Amar'e into the fold now, he won't have to take those bad shots anymore. Next year - sigh, again - will be about building towards becoming an elite team. The young guys on the squad get more seasoning and learn to play with Amar'e and get ready to bring in another max-type free agent in CP3 or 'Melo. This team will have more depth than Miami, they just won't have guys that no weaknesses like Wade and LBJ. But we will have some guys that will be able to make some athletic plays, including playing defense and blocking some shots. Plus, don't forget Gallinari and Toney Douglas who I predict will make some big strides next year. I know my predictions don't hold much weight right now, but here it goes: 44 wins and the 7th seed in the playoffs. Tell me different.

You heard it here first: Lebron will be a NY Knickerbocker. Now here's why....

2010-07-06T21:36:00.007-05:00

You are about to look eerily into the future. Courtesy of me.

Lebron is NOT staying in Cleveland. Just stop it.

Okay. So make believe you are Tom Izzo. Head coach of the men's basketball team at Michigan State University. You are in discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers to take their vacant head coaching job. Except for one tiny detail: Is Lebron staying in Cleveland? Let's be real. Without Lebron on that Cavs team, they're a lottery pick waiting to happen. I know what a lottery team looks like too: I'm a Knick fan. I've seen lottery teams up close. 82 disgusting games at a time. For the better part of a decade. Anyway, you're Izzo. Wouldn't you move heaven and earth to find out if Lebron is staying in Cleveland? Better yet, if you're Lebron, would you want to put your hometown team through the gut-wreching process of wondering if they can retain your services for the next 6 or so years? Right. If you're Izzo you wait to find out if Lebron is staying and if he's not, you suddenly pull your name out of consideration for the job. Done. LBJ, not a Cav this coming year.

The Knicks signed Amare Stoudemire days after speaking to LBJ

So let me get this straight: The Knicks decide to throw $100 million dollars at Amare after meeting with Lebron? Doesn't the inverse of the prior paragraph about Izzo hold true? Do you think that after calculatingly disassembling the Knicks roster the last couple of years to get the chance to sign LBJ and another max-type free agent, that you would take the chance of blowing the whole thing just to sign Amare? I like Amare and all, but he's not the type of player you build a franchise around.

The Knicks have money coming off the books NEXT year too...

So I recently read something that I didn't know: LBJ's best friend in the NBA is none other than Chris Paul. Eddy "Mmm is that bacon?" Curry's contract comes off the books next year. So let's recap quickly: The Knicks sign a potentially gimpy Amare after meeting with LBJ and his people for the second time in two days, and they're the only team of the big 4 (NYC, Miami, NJ, and the Bulls) to have salary cap space NEXT year when Carmelo Anthony and CP3 are free agents. CP3 happens to be LBJ's best friend in the NBA and was seen with Lebron at the Nike skills camp yesterday. Or, the same day that Amare gets signed. Okay, I hear what you're saying: Lu, you're stupid. That's not enough. Okay. Let's keep going...

Lebron, Wade and Bosh understand how big their decision is for the NBA..

Unlike Joey from Ronkonkoma, I know that LBJ and Wade are savvy enough to understand that this decision will shape the future of the NBA. They know that if Wade and Bosh go to Chicago (And yes, they are both going there) and LBJ, Amare and maybe CP3 go to NYC, there will be young superstars in 2 out of the top 3 markets in the NBA. The rekindling of the rivalry between the Knicks and Bulls will happen again. LBJ even said as much to a reporter. He alluded to the fact that they (meaning LBJ, Wade and Bosh) will be shaping the face of the NBA for years to come with their forthcoming decisions. Wade and Bosh already sat in on the same pitch meeting from the Bulls. Amare came to NYC, and I bet that Joe Johnson may have been a part of this too. Except NOBODY thought that Atlanta would be stupid enough to offer him a max contract. Did you?

Eddy Curry again.

Lebron, who has the same agent as Curry, reached out to that fat bag of excrement to work out with him. Lebron, if you haven't noticed, is in impeccable shape. Curry? Not so much. LBJ doesn't like, hang with Curry. He's not going to get any nutrition tips from him or learn how to do a better push up because of him. Could this also be a means of getting his new team mate in better shape for when he joins him this season? I'm betting yes.

Lebron wants to run..

He has said it numerous times. He wants to run. He's been shackled by the stagnant Cleveland offense which apparently only has the old Allan Houston play: give Lebron the ball at the top of the key (or 3pt. line), everybody clear out and let him do his thing. With D'antoni, as much of a douchebag as he may be, coaching he'll never have to worry about not being able to outcoach the other team on offense. Supposedly he and D'antoni sat and talked X's and O's for about an hour and a half. Then, after D'antoni sold him how he can make the Knicks run with Lebron, they go out and sign the best running big man in the NBA to a contract. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Plus, the Knicks right now have a bunch of shooters in Gallinari (who in basically his first year of play led the league in 3's), Toney Douglas ( who will be a very good player) and just drafted two more guys who do nothing but shoot the 3. There are reports that the Knicks need to sign a real good PG right now, or trade for one to run the pick and roll. Perhaps Tony Parker even. They won't need it. If LBJ comes to the Knicks, they will have one of the best pick and roll combos EVER. Who's going to stop the 6'9", 260lb. forward throwing it up to the 6'10" athletic big man? No one. You thought Stockton to Malone was good? Just wait till you see LBJ to Amare. And if that gets bottled up for a second, they'll kick it across court to Gallinari who won't have a guy on him when he shoots his 3 now. This combination could rule the NBA for years. And I think D'antoni sold him on it.

James Dolan is a good owner. Yeah I said it.

Basically the guy will spend the money to make sure the team wins and he doesn't interfere with the front office. That sounds like a good owner to me. He'll let Walsh build a team around Lebron that will continue to win. Period. As long as he drafts better than missing on Brandon Jennings.

Lebron loves NYC.

He proved when he went to Yankee Stadium and wore a Yankee hat when they played the Indians in the playoffs a couple of years ago despite knowing that there would be negative press. That's ballsy love for the Yankees. And most importantly, he knows that if he wins here, it'll mean more than if he won anywhere else in the world. Mark Messier found that out when he won ONE championship here in NYC. Part of the problem was he was playing Hockey. He won like, 6(?) rings in Canadia and no one cared. He wins one in NYC? He's bangin' Madonna. Not real old, body builder Madonna either. The kind of a MILF Madonna.

So to sum up: Lebron will be playing in NYC this coming season and Wade and Bosh will be playing in Chicago reigniting their rivalry. And you can take that....to the bank.

******** UPDATE ********

ESPN has announced that the Lebron broadcast of his free agency decision will be broadcast from Greenwhich, Connecticut. Now, this doesn't guarantee that LBJ is coming to NYC, but gosh darnit, it's pretty close. Why would you broadcast this from Greenwhich if you're going to stay in Cleveland? Plus, why do this just to announce you're staying in Cleveland?

Obviously, I was wrong about Chicago. I thought Wade was going to go for Chicago since his kids will probably be there. This just means he doesn't love his kids. Now i'm glad the Knicks didn't get him.

It's LBJ this year and CP3 next year people. Knick fans rejoice!

(Is) My mind playin' tricks on me?

2010-03-05T08:44:00.005-05:00

I know that in the past, I have been known to give weight to some conspiracy theories. Yes, I know that the possibility remains that when I get older my daughter may be coming to visit me in the mental ward of a, hopefully, respected institution because of these beliefs. However, i'm wondering about another perceived slight: Tim Tebow. Yeah, Tim Tebow.

Now, I know that Tim Tebow has had a great collegiate career. He is a beloved figure in Florida and won the Heisman Trophy. Great. Seriously. No sarcasm there. I'm happy for him. No problem with fans loving him. He scrambles for important yards, is really "fiery", threw for a lot of yards (exclusively from the shotgun formation), and won a lot of games. There are varying opinions on him, as there usually are this time of year around draft-eligible quaterbacks. Except the difference is that this draft has Tim Tebow, a (lets not ignore it) White quarterback. Like I detailwed earlier, it is a common practice to dissect a QB's throwing motion this time of year. The knock on him is three-fold: He has a long throwing motion (and yes, he really does) which will make it difficult for him to get rid of the ball quickly, his accuracy is erratic and finally, he threw exclusively from the shotgun formation which will not be happening in the NFL.

These are 3 things that really hurt a QB's stock in the draft. If you're drafted in the top 10 of the draft as a QB, this means that a team is saying that it thinks that you are a franchise-changing QB. You sir, are a franchise QB. Said QB will become a millionaire many times over with the signing of their rookie contract. This is a huge thing. If a team messes up a top 10 pick on a QB, its serious business. It can set a franchise back years in its pursuit for a championship. Ask the Chargers about Ryan Leaf, the Bengals about Akili Smith and, well, the list is very long.

The difference in this is that Tebow is having some heavy hitters really go to bat for him. Sam Wyche says that the kid will be a great QB. He even has Dick Vitale. Yes, that Dick Vitale. Dick "My head will explode if there's one more dunk BABY!!" Vitale. All of a sudden he's an expert too. He thinks that Tebow will be a franchise changing QB. If Tebow ever becomes a franchise QB, Vitale will become so excited he will literally become energy. Kind of like when Obi-Wan let Vader think he killed him, when he just became more powerful and turned into energy. At least thats what the geek in me says. And no, I am not a virgin.

One of the reasons given for his predicted success in the NFL is his intelligence. He's a creationist. How smart do you think he could possibly be? I'd really be interested to see how he does on the wonderlic test. Although, the Wonderlic test is pretty darned easy. Click on this link to see how well you do: http://walterfootball.com/draftwonderlic.php

I know i'm going to come off as intolerant of peoples religious beliefs, but, c'mon. I've seen cartoon drawings that these people have prepared to teach their children Creationism. They have cavemen, or cavepeople, riding dinosaurs.

Its similar to White privilage. Its not that I think that Vitale is some sort of White supremisist. A little off? Maybe. I can't imagine having a beer with the guy. 10 minuces into it I think I would slowly be backing out of the room. But its just that someone like Vince Young wasn't having sports celebrities vouch for him. Which is what Vitale is. He's not a football expert. He's a college basketball personality. That's it. Better example: Charlie Ward. He didn't have Charles Barkley telling everybody how Ward would be a franchise QB. He knew better than to be screaming from teh rooftops that Ward would be great. No one would have taken him seriously. Ward, as some you already know, went on to have a better than average career in the NBA playing for my beloved NY Knicks. According to reports, Ward was not going to be drafted before the third round. He told teams that if wasn't going to be drafted in the first round: don't bother drafting him. People want to talk about what kind of an athlete Tim Tebow is? Ward was twice drafted to play baseball! In 1993 he was drafted by the Brewers and by the Yankees in 1994 to be a pitcher. He decided to go to the NBA when the Knicks drafted him at the end of the first round. He was the career leader in steals at Florida State. He was no slouch in basketball either as evidenced by his going on to have a decent career in pro basketball.

I'll be interested to see how this kid does in the pro's. I'm not rooting against him, i'm just not cheering wildly for him. There is a difference. I don't hate him or hate on him. I'm just sayin'...

Wow. Just heard something about Hockey

2010-02-25T10:19:00.008-05:00

So I'm listening to a little sports radio right now. WFAN to be specific (I'll be sure to hit them up for advertising money). I heard something that almost made me spit my coffee out. These two guys are talking about Olympics hockey and commenting on what a high level of intensity (as is always part of the lexicon concerning Hockey) is being displayed during each game. And then I heard something that I've only heard about the NBA: "Too bad that if/when the casual fan tunes into regular season hockey, once the Olympics is over, they will be disappointed because the intensity level isn't like that during the regular season. During the playoffs its intense, but not the regular season."

Whaaaat? I thought that only the NBA was guilty of this? Only those millionaire hooligans with the tattoos didn't play with all-out intensity during the regular season. Why is this the only time I've heard this about Hockey? Maybe because whenever I've listened to sports radio and Hockey is brought up, I switch stations quickly and look for some Nas or Jay-Z. If I'm being totally honest, I'll leave Cyndi Lauper on if it'll mean getting me away from Hockey.

I guess the point I'm bringing up though is that this rarely is brought up, if ever. When I do listen to people talk about Hockey, its always in this tone that all should revere Hockey as it is the last bastion of true, competitive sport. There aren't spoiled millionaires with entourages and they get all the super models too to boot (for anyone speaking Canadian, I wrote "boot", not "aboot", or about).

I've never considered Hockey to be a real "sport". Besides the athletic aspect of a competition being a sport, in my book, there should also be an element of, um, no sanctioned fighting. And yes, I know there is a penalty box when you hit someone with a weapon (hockey stick). But its still allowed basically, as is fighting.

Maybe Hockey gets a pass because its on ice? Like, "Grease on Ice", or, "Cats on Ice", etc. It makes everything cuter and cuddlier I guess. So fighting doesn't seem so bad if guys are slipping a little while trying to incapacitate someone by pulling their jersey over their head so their defenseless and THEN punching them in the face (because ordinarily, that's a fair fight?). Maybe that's it? Because I can't even imagine the uproar that would take place if America, or the heartland of America, seeing Lebron pulling Kobe's jersey over his head so that he couldn't defend himself and then punching him in the face. That ultra-human known as Lebron would be in jail for murder because he might decapitate someone in that situation. Does that guy with that very business-like mullet on ESPN ever say anything semi-negative about the NHL? I don't know.

I can't quite place my finger on why there is this disparate difference in the coverage of the two sports? Can anyone help me?

Tiger. What else?

2010-02-23T08:58:00.004-05:00

Tiger Woods. The name. The brand. It used to be associated with golf, big money, advertising, Chrysler, etc. Now? Well, just google his name now in case you've been buried in a closet somewhere.

He had his first press conference a couple of days ago (way to be on top of things, huh?) and its had some mixed reviews. He was stiff up there. I'm not sure if he meant what he said, but at least he said it. I'm not going to pretend that I know what he was thinking, which is what a lot of members in the media have been trying to say. I'm not sure because he's always been stiff. He's never seemed particularly effusive when at a podium. He's a boring guy. Oh wait, he plays golf. Right.

The only time he shows a lot of emotion - according to reports - is when he doesn't hit a shot as perfectly as he would like. I, personally, don't care. Golf is a boring game - even the announcers whisper their commentary during telecasts - and if he's there cursing up a storm after not hitting the perfect 50ft. putt, people say it's "disrespectful" to the game. Honestly, I think it would be entertaining. John Daly gets a pass because I guess he doesn't curse at holes. I'm assuming he doesn't because no one has ever mentioned it. Even though he's a bit of a cult hero because he's a drunk, I guess he gets a pass because he "respects" the game. But man, it sure seems like they've been dying to go at Tiger.

All guns a blazin'

Over the last couple of months, I've been hearing members of the sports media saying some pretty ludicrous things: "how dare he", "he owes us an apology", etc. Really, are these guys serious? Tiger owes his family (wife, children, in-laws) an apology. But a sportscaster? Dude, you got a degree in sports journalism and you have what pretty much amounts to a dream job. You get to talk and write about sports. When did you become a holy roller? This is the sports world. Are these guys naive enough to think that Tiger is the only athlete to cheat on his wife? I'm married with child and I wouldn't do it, but for these guys to get indignant is ridiculous. Sports writers have looked the other way for years when it comes to athletes infidelities. So he was wrong because his wife caught him cheating on her? It has the feel to me that the media has just been counting the days when they could jump him. Literally, the other day I heard a sports talk show host yelling about how Tiger owes him an apology. Dude, you talk about sports: That's all you do. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Politicians are the one's that run on these Family Morals platforms. THEY are the ones that are the hypocrites. Tiger just sold you a car and did it based on his ability to hit a golf ball. He didn't say, "Buy this car, because I won't play my wife dirty". Just buy the damn car already.

What do you guys think? Is this another case of the media just thinking that they are more important than they really are? I'm tired of these people - yeah I said it, these people - thinking that athletes have to bow down to them. KRS-One should make a song about this.

What's up? Who wants to talk about sprots?

2009-06-03T10:26:00.005-05:00

"Hey party people. Its about that time" - Black Moon

I've been away, doing the daddy thing, along with other stuff, which I will be writing about in the future. But anyway, I just had to quickly write about my experience as a father: It's the most unbelievable thing that I've done in my life. I never thought that I would be part of creating such a beautiful creature. She is the reason I put up with crap in the world nowadays. I would even watch hockey for my daughter. That being said...the game did markedly better ratings-wise than it has in the past where it seemed that the NHL literally had to pay people to watch the damn games.

Of course, this doesn't change anything in the grand scheme of the popularity of sports. It will never overtake MLB, the NBA or (lol) the NFL. Nothing beats the NFL. Its one of the 11 Commandments. The NHL has rabid, committed fans who wear mullets and make no bones about their favorite sport or hairstyle. Its about the best thing it has going for it.

"You're a jerk. Go to a game. Its the best". I have. Unfortunately. I went to see a Devils game a few years ago. I thought I stepped into a time machine with all those mullets (not a joke) and hairspray and makeup that the women were wearing was not attractive. I even saw acid wash. Sure it was the late 90's (I believe '99), but it was still not being worn at the time. I honestly sat there mouth agape staring at these people. I don't even remember what the score of the game was. The intermission is too damn long too. Its great if you're drinking a lot of beer and you have a wee little kidney and bladder combo, but if you just want to watch the game to its conclusion, its not too appealing. There are hits, yes. Without a doubt. So that is exciting. To me though, if the game ends in a tie after having to sit through loud Mark Knopfler songs, acid wash (yes, its a noun) and the smell of spilled Budweiser and Aquanet to get to a 1-1 tie. Its just too much for me to experience in one month. Let alone a 3 hour period. Wow, wouldn't life be great if periods were only 3 hours? Anyhoo...

Baseball

Baseball in New York is back, for the most part. The Mets and Yankees were in first place at the same time not too long ago. Since then however, the Mets are in the middle of an almost funny string of injuries. Not Carl Pavano funny (he pulled his butt), but they now think that Carlito Beltran could possibly have the Swine Flu ("La gripe de cerdo" for any Spanish-speaking readers). Despite the run of injuries, and this bodes very well for them, they're still sitting in 2nd place in the East with a record of 28 and 23 just 2.5 games behind of the Phils and +21 run differential. Maybe even worse than the injuries is that Livan Hernandez is your number 5 starter. You know what's worse though? That means that Tim Redding is your number FOUR starter. To be in second place right now is GREAT. Not sarcasm. That's saying something. The thing with their recent history though is that everyone has to hold their breath till the end of the season.

As for the Yankees, they're playing great right now. Yesterday Posada ended their, now all-time record of consecutive games without an error at 18. Now honestly, I don't think the record in and of itself THAT big a deal. Like, if I see someone with a t-shirt that speaks to this record i'll laugh at them and send them back to Jersey (pronounced, "Joisey"). What it does speak to is their defense overall has become significantly better. Has it been that long since the Yanks had a really good fielding 1st baseman? Man, I didn't realize we missed you so much Tino, and really, Donnie Baseball.

Basketball

Wow, im disappointed that Lebron didn' get to the Finals. He's the best player in the world right now. The worst part? This gives those that hate on LBJ (Ed?) ammo to say that Kobe is the best player in the NBA.

This should be an interesting Finals. While I still think that the Lakers will take it because of their advantage in OVERALL talent over the ENTIRE NBA, Orlando has some interesting talent. Or rather, their athletes are hard to defend. They have 2 players on the wing that are about 6'10" that can handle the rock and shoot the 3. If Gasol, Odom and Bynum are forced to play out on the perimeter leaving Dwight in the paint alone with WHOMEVER the Lakers leave on him, hes going to destroy them on the boards and on the scoreboard. It should be interesting.

Top Ten Albums Of "2007"

2007-12-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

WASSUP! Let me be the first to wish Lucy, Catalina, Chloe, and Elian (all the new babies in our extended fam) a very happy first holiday season. I hope all the various holiday celebrations are safe and exciting for babies and parents alike.

As 2007 is quickly coming to a close, and I'm in the "Slower, Lower" (that's what the local folks call Delaware) with a little time on my hands, I wanted to drop a little gem on the posse and get your thoughts about the albums that made an impact on you this year. So I'd like us to compile a list of the Top Ten Albums of 2007, but with a twist. This list does not have to be albums that were released in 2007. I'm thinking more of albums that you just happened to find yourself indulging in during the course of the year. So, for example, if you just couldn't seem to stop listening to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", then by all means, drop it on the list. Odds are the majority of the albums will be from 2007 or near, but hey, why limit ourselves to such trivial confines. So without further ado, I will begin (in no particular order):

If you guys haven't copped this one yet, you need to. Perhaps one of the best efforts by the Wu in a long time. "8 Diagrams" boasts some of the tightest production quality Rza has ever achieved. With guests appearances by Erykah Badu, George Clinton and John Frusiante (guitarist from the Chili Peppers), the Wu add a lot of depth to their original Kung Fu formula. The whole clan is at their best (though, now that I think about it, Inspecta Deck is MIA) and there are numerous odes and tributes to their fallen comrade ODB. This is by far one of the best hip hop albums to drop this year (the others will be on the list). I can listen to it over and over and barely skip a song.

After 15 years in "The Game", it seems Common has taken a liking to the big screen. With roles in "Smoking Aces" and "American Gangster", he was good enough to land roles in the much anticipated 2008 release "Wanted" along side Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, as well as a confirmed role as The Green Lantern in the the upcoming "Justice League of America". Its amazing he still has time to make an album. Yet this workaholic put forth not only one of the best hip hop albums of 2007, but arguably one of the best records of the year. An instant classic, "Finding Forever" solidifies Common as the resident conscience of today's crumbling morals of hip hop. Keep fighting the good fight, Common Sense.

For those that don't know, K-os has been around for a while. He has a style that is hard to confine to one specific genre, dancing around a solid hip hop foundation into rock, reggae, soul and funk influenced brilliance. And "Atlantis" keeps his proverbial ball rolling. From the Purple Rain-era crooning of "The Rain", to the Studio 54 style disco of "Black Ice" K-os (stands for Knowledge Of Self), shows he's just as comfortable freestyling lyrically as he is flexing his vocal range. One of the freshest, most original new artists to hit the music scene. Period.

Say what you want about this 50 pound throwback, the girl can blow (or is she just doing too much blow?). Though her album, "Back to Black" dropped in late 2006, her voice, as well as her album, has served as a virtual soundtrack for 2007. And considering all the celebs hitting the "Rehab" this year, its quite fitting. Check out her previous album "Frank" to really get a glimpse of her sense of humor and songwriting abilities, with jams like "Fuck Me Pumps" and "Stronger Than Me".

I'm still waiting for someone to drop a "Rock Music is Dead" album ala Nas, but perhaps it got shelved after someone heard the Chili Peppers latest double shot to the dome. Mixing the perfect blend of early Peppers hard funk with their more recent melodic charm, Flea and the boys show why they paved the way for the Linkin Parks and Incubus' of today's rock, but still set the bar. A two album set, "Stadium Arcadium" takes you on a sonic voyage through the raunchy romance that the Chili Peppers have created for two generations of fans.

There is not much to get excited about in the world of Pop Music, but JT shows why he's carrying the torch for some of the old greats of the genre. With his first effort, Justified, he did his best to channel our favorite train wreck Michael Jackson. With "Futuresex" he revels in the influence of His Purpleness himself, with a slew of sexually-charged bubblegum bangers. One of the best duos to hit the pop scene since Jackson and Jones (Quincy, if you're nasty), Timberland and Timberlake have once again combined to produce a fine, albeit candy-coated, pop music masterpiece. Perhaps next album, he'll get a bit more creative with the cover art.

Thom Yorke has been in hiatus for the last few years. Apparently he's been busy. Radiohead's newest album, "In Rainbows" is the band's best record, in my opinion. With haunting rhythms and fresh new melodies, Thom and his cronies craft a mystic blend of electronica and expression. But perhaps the most groundbreaking thing about this album is their marketing scheme. The band released the album exclusively on their website, for the price of, well, whatever you want. Fans only had to donate whatever they wanted to download the album, hopefully proving once and for all that free internet downloading is NOT the reason for poor album sales. Perhaps artists these days are just dropping a bunch of crap.

This lyrical monarch has been burning tracks since the early nineties with his group Organized Konfusion. And after a few solo releases that never quite blew up, "Desire" has finally raised Monch up from the subterranean backpack scene. By far my favorite performer at this summer's hiphopapalloza "Rock the Bells", Pharoahe Monch has constructed a complicated labyrinth of storytelling, bravado and ear-blazing tracks that challenge the hip hop norms while staying true to his brain-teasing lyrical tongue lashings. With probably one of the first hip hop epics, his nearly 10 minute "Trilogy" shows R. Kelly that he needs to keep his Cradle Robbing ass in the closet.

Originally released in 2003, then getting re-released in 2006 in the US, "Colour The Small One" is enjoying its rebirth. After getting lucky enough to have her song "Breathe Me" serve as the show "Six Feet Under"'s swan song, Sia has shown that she is more than just a one-hit wonder. Her soft brand of sugary sweetness is causing diabetic shock throughout the music industry. She has been hailed by some as neck and neck with Amy Winehouse as the next big thing. Picture Bjork, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos having a threesome... huh? Sorry...uh... where was I... Oh, yeah, the girl can sing. And she can write as well. Intricately woven lyrics mixed with her unique vocal patterns, the Australian cutie keeps you grooving with a brand of upbeat, jazz influenced loveliness.

Now, you KNOW I couldn't have a top ten album list without throwing my boys into the mix. Another 2006 release, I've been running this album, one of their most ambitious efforts so far. "Game Theory" treats us to tracks like the skateboard indie-like "Livin' In the New World", or the soulful "Baby" and show why the "one and only hip hop band" have transcended hip hop and remain a trailblazing super-group. FYI, last Saturday I had the privilege of hanging out with the guitarist "Capt'n" Kirk Douglas, after bumping into him at a party, and he told me that their next release, slated for an early 2008 jump-off, will be the band's most experimental effort to date. Hard to believe given their track record. I'll be waiting.

So there it goes. I hope to see everyone else's list whenever you get the chance to list them. Until then, happy new year, and let's hope 2008 raises the bar in the music industry and gives us more to debate about. Peace.

Your Resident Music Slut,

Dre.

A Step up from Monkeys

2007-10-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

This is one of the most painful problems facing Blacks around the world. The sad thing is I bet others of intellect and prominences feel this way but choose not to express it. I don't care about Don Imus, David Duke, John Wayne rednecks who barely live above the poverty line themselves. This I care about. I hate how a few white people justify their world dominance by demeaning our humanity, and make no mistake: to demean our intelligence is to demean our humanity.

Fury at DNA pioneer's theory: Africans are less intelligent than Westerners
Celebrated scientist attacked for race comments: "All our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really"
By Cahal Milmo
Published: 17 October 2007

One of the world's most eminent scientists was embroiled in an extraordinary row last night after he claimed that black people were less intelligent than white people and the idea that "equal powers of reason" were shared across racial groups was a delusion.

James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his part in the unravelling of DNA who now runs one of America's leading scientific research institutions, drew widespread condemnation for comments he made ahead of his arrival in Britain today for a speaking tour at venues including the Science Museum in London.

The 79-year-old geneticist reopened the explosive debate about race and science in a newspaper interview in which he said Western policies towards African countries were wrongly based on an assumption that black people were as clever as their white counterparts when "testing" suggested the contrary. He claimed genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be found within a decade.

The newly formed Equality and Human Rights Commission, successor to the Commission for Racial Equality, said it was studying Dr Watson's remarks " in full". Dr Watson told The Sunday Times that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really". He said there was a natural desire that all human beings should be equal but "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true".

His views are also reflected in a book published next week, in which he writes: "There is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so."

The furore echoes the controversy created in the 1990s by The Bell Curve, a book co-authored by the American political scientist Charles Murray, which suggested differences in IQ were genetic and discussed the implications of a racial divide in intelligence. The work was heavily criticised across the world, in particular by leading scientists who described it as a work of " scientific racism".

Dr Watson arrives in Britain today for a speaking tour to publicise his latest book, Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science. Among his first engagements is a speech to an audience at the Science Museum organised by the Dana Centre, which held a discussion last night on the history of scientific racism.

Critics of Dr Watson said there should be a robust response to his views across the spheres of politics and science. Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: "It is sad to see a scientist of such achievement making such baseless, unscientific and extremely offensive comments. I am sure the scientific community will roundly reject what appear to be Dr Watson's personal prejudices.

"These comments serve as a reminder of the attitudes which can still exists at the highest professional levels."

The American scientist earned a place in the history of great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century when he worked at the University of Cambridge in the 1950s and 1960s and formed part of the team which discovered the structure of DNA. He shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for medicine with his British colleague Francis Crick and New Zealand-born Maurice Wilkins.

But despite serving for 50 years as a director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, considered a world leader in research into cancer and genetics, Dr Watson has frequently courted controversy with some of his views on politics, sexuality and race. The respected journal Science wrote in 1990: "To many in the scientific community, Watson has long been something of a wild man, and his colleagues tend to hold their collective breath whenever he veers from the script."

In 1997, he told a British newspaper that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual. He later insisted he was talking about a "hypothetical" choice which could never be applied. He has also suggested a link between skin colour and sex drive, positing the theory that black people have higher libidos, and argued in favour of genetic screening and engineering on the basis that " stupidity" could one day be cured. He has claimed that beauty could be genetically manufactured, saying: "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would great."

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said yesterday that Dr Watson could not be contacted to comment on his remarks.

Steven Rose, a professor of biological sciences at the Open University and a founder member of the Society for Social Responsibility in Science, said: " This is Watson at his most scandalous. He has said similar things about women before but I have never heard him get into this racist terrain. If he knew the literature in the subject he would know he was out of his depth scientifically, quite apart from socially and politically."

Anti-racism campaigners called for Dr Watson's remarks to be looked at in the context of racial hatred laws. A spokesman for the 1990 Trust, a black human rights group, said: "It is astonishing that a man of such distinction should make comments that seem to perpetuate racism in this way. It amounts to fuelling bigotry and we would like it to be looked at for grounds of legal complaint."

What do you guys think about this article?

2007-10-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

Guys,

This is courtesy of Ed. He didn't give me his opinion of it yet, i'm glad he's saving it, so what is yours?

NFL truth: Hip-hop culture hurting NFL
Jason Whitlock / FOXSports.com
Posted: 1 hour ago

You get one NFL Truth today. Watching Chad Johnson and Larry Johnson undermine their respective head coaches, Marvin Lewis and Herm Edwards, on Sunday gave me a singular focus, forced me to contemplate an uncomfortable truth.
African-American football players caught up in the rebellion and buffoonery of hip hop culture have given NFL owners and coaches a justifiable reason to whiten their rosters. That will be the legacy left by Chad, Larry and Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick and all the other football bojanglers.
In terms of opportunity for American-born black athletes, they're going to leave the game in far worse shape than they found it.

It's already starting to happen. A little-publicized fact is that the Colts and the Patriots — the league's model franchises — are two of the whitest teams in the NFL. If you count rookie receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts opened the season with an NFL-high 24 white players on their 53-man roster. Toss in linebacker Naivote Taulawakeiaho "Freddie" Keiaho and 47 percent of Tony Dungy's defending Super Bowl-champion roster is non-African-American. Bill Belichick's Patriots are nearly as white, boasting a 23-man non-African-American roster, counting linebacker Tiaina "Junior" Seau and backup quarterback Matt Gutierrez.

For some reason, these facts are being ignored by the mainstream media. Could you imagine what would be written and discussed by the media if the Yankees and the Red Sox were chasing World Series titles with 11 African-Americans on their 25-man rosters (45 percent)?

We would be inundated with information and analysis on the social significance. Well, trust me, what is happening with the roster of the Patriots and the Colts and with Roger Goodell's disciplinary crackdown are all socially significant.

Hip hop athletes are being rejected because they're not good for business and, most important, because they don't contribute to a consistent winning environment. Herm Edwards said it best: You play to win the game.

I'm sure when we look up 10 years from now and 50 percent — rather than 70 percent — of NFL rosters are African-American, some Al Sharpton wannabe is going to blame the decline on a white-racist plot.

That bogus charge will ignore our role in our football demise. We are in the process of mishandling the opportunity and freedom earned for us by Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Doug Williams, Mike Singletary, Gale Sayers, Willie Lanier and countless others. And those of us in the media who have rationalized, minimized and racialized every misstep by Vick, Pacman and T.O. have played an equal role in blowing it.

By failing to confront and annihilate the abhorrent cultural norms we have allowed to grab our youth, we have in the grand American scheme sentenced many of them to hell on earth (incarceration), and in the sports/entertainment world we've left them to define us as unreliable, selfish and buffoonish.

I take you to Arrowhead Stadium this past Sunday when two competent and respected black head coaches led the Chiefs and the Bengals in battle, and their efforts were periodically sabotaged by Chad and Larry Johnson, the two players Lewis and Edwards have defended the most.

Football fans are aware of Lewis' love affair with Chad Johnson, the Flavor Flav of the gridiron. Johnson's insistence on conducting a minstrel show during games has long been reluctantly tolerated by Lewis. Johnson, I guess, is just too talented, productive and well-compensated for Lewis to discipline. So Lewis has chosen to enable, going as far as making excuses when Johnson's selfish behavior extended to an alleged locker-room shoving match with coaches (including a swing at Lewis) at halftime of the Bengals' Jan. 8, 2006 playoff loss to the Steelers.

Coming off an 11-5 regular season and having been crowned the toast of Cincinnati, Lewis responded to that Johnson meltdown by vowing to cut the player who leaked the fight information to the media.

Since then, the Bengals have been one of the league's biggest disappointments, finishing 8-8 last season and starting 1-4 this season. Injuries have played a significant role in Cincy's troubles, but so has a lack of on- and off-field discipline and focus. Lewis' coddling of Chad Johnson has destroyed the chemistry that made the Bengals a playoff team in 2005.

On Sunday, with the Bengals trying to rally out of a two-score deficit, Johnson failed to finish a pass route, which contributed to Carson Palmer throwing an interception.

Not to be outdone, Larry Johnson continued his season-long pattern of immature behavior, spiking the football in frustration with 4 minutes to play and the Chiefs attempting to run out the clock. The Bengals were out of timeouts and the spike stopped the clock, giving Cincy one last chance to make a comeback.

Johnson, despite receiving a new $45-million contract, has brooded, pouted and complained all season. He spent the off-season promising to be a leader and has spent the first six weeks of the season spreading locker-room cancer. Edwards-coached teams have traditionally been the least-penalized squads in the NFL. This year's Chiefs are one of the most-penalized squads. Nickel back Benny Sapp drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Sunday, had to be dragged off the field by Donnie Edwards, and was spotted on the sideline arguing with players and coaches.

Race is not the determining factor when it comes to having a good or bad attitude. Culture is.

Hip hop is the dominant culture for black youth. In general, music, especially hip hop music, is rebellious for no good reason other than to make money. Rappers and rockers are not trying to fix problems. They create problems for attention.

That philosophy, attitude and behavior go against everything football coaches stand for. They're in a constant battle to squash rebellion, dissent and second opinions from their players.

You know why Muhammad Ali is/was an icon? Because he rebelled against something meaningful and because he excelled in an individual sport. His rebellion didn't interfere with winning. Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc. rebelled with dignity and purpose.

What we're witnessing today are purposeless, selfish acts of buffoonery. Sensible people have grown tired of it. Football people are recognizing it doesn't contribute to a winning environment.

Whether calculated or not, the Patriots and the Colts have created settings in which Brady and Manning can lead and feel comfortable. I remember back in the 1980s when some black sports fans accused the Celtics of being racist for having a predominantly-white roster when Larry Bird was the star. No one remembered that Red Auerbach occasionally fielded an all-black starting lineup during Bill Russell's heyday.

My point is that it makes sense to cater to your stars. And it makes even more sense to fill your roster with players who don't mind being led, even if you sacrifice a little 40-yard dash speed.

If things don't change quickly, we're going to learn this lesson the hard way.

What the hell happened Yankees?

2007-10-05T07:21:00.000-05:00

So I was about to jump off the roof when...

Ok, it wasn't that bad. Ok, it WAS that bad. Game 1 went about as bad as it could go. Wang got bombed and the offense let Sabathia off the hook last night when they had him in trouble in the first. Pettite is going tonight and I would bet money (Zac?) that he will pitch very well tonight and the Yankees will tie it up at one game a piece.

The thing that upset me is that Wang threw too many breaking pitches. It's like Ed has said so many times, you don't want to change what got you there. There being the playoffs and winning 19 games. The guy throws 94 mph sinkers and makes you hit it into the ground. Why change that? Supposedly the Indians are a good fastball hitting team. So what? It seemed like every hard hit ball off Wang - and yes there were plenty - were off breaking balls last night. That's not his strength. Bad gameplan. As for Sabathia, the guy is throwing harder than ever. He looked good when he wasn't missing the strike zone.

The big worries for me are Clemens going in game 3 now. The guy hasn't pitched in 3 weeks. I'm very worried. I wouldn't have been as worried had Wang won. You could almost experiment with Clemens going in Game 3, but now? I would rather see Hughes or Ian Kennedy. 5 Game series' are tough. Since the Indians are such a good fastball hitting team we're definitely going to win Mussina's start. The guy hasn't thrown a fastball in 2 years.

The Mets: Where do they go from here?

2007-10-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

Met fans, I am truly sorry for the way the season ended for you. Honestly. I did not take any delight in your sorrow this weekend, which I know must be considerable. As a Yankee fan, I know about collapses. I heard a lot about it from you all after the Yanks were beaten by the Sawx taking four straight from the Yanks after being down 3-0. That being said, the Mets are fixable. They have the resources to do it. This season may end up being kind of good for the Mets. I stated last season that this team hadn't faced adversity which was why I wasn't sure about them reachign the Series last year. This year, they finally faced adversity, and while they didn't pass this test, at least now they faced it. They can learn from this. I don't think that this is the way they're doomed to face adversity their whole careers. I do think it was troubling the way that Reyes played over the last 6 weeks of the season, but I don't think it's something we should come to expect from him on a year-in, year-out basis.

I stated from the beginning of the year that it was short-sighted and irresponsible of the Mets to have such old players at key positions when you have aspirations of winning it all. If they weren't expected to make a serious run at the World Series, then going into the season depending on: El Duque (41 and injury prone), Glavine(41), Jose Valentin(37, coming off a career year), Moises Alou (41 and injury prone)and Shawn Green(34 and injury prone). Maybe the thought process was that with 2 injury prone, older, corner outfielders that Lastings Milledge would get the opportunity to play, but thats asking for too much to go right if you have championship aspirations. Then there is the case of Paul LoDuca. I like him for the most part. He is good defensively and calls a relatively good game. He was another Met that had a career year last year that could not be called on to perform as well as he did. He will be 35 next year and as long as his contract is not too large, he should be re-signed as a stop gap until another catcher comes along. Word is that the Mets will be making a big play for Posada this off season. Getting Posada would be huge for the Mets, but they would probably have to overpay for him to come to Shea.

I'm not sure what outfielders are going to be free agents this coming off season, but the time is probably now for them to trade Lastings Milledge to acquire a young starter. Maybe the Mets should start talks with Billy Beane who seems to love Milledge and get Danny Haren who may obtainable now that Haren is - I think - arbitration eligible. Beane is notorious for trading guys away at this stage in their careers. It is easier and cheaper to get corner outfileders with some power than it is to get starting pitching. If you pick up a decent - not injury prone - outfielder this off-season, give Endy Chavez/Ramon Castro about 300-400 AB's next year for his speed and defense, I think they'll be all right.

What I find troubling is that Wagner is trying to blame Randolph and Rick Peterson for how bad they pitched over the last month or 2. Were they overworked? Sure. But that had more to do with the fact that their starters couldn't go longer in games. They really missed one of Izzy's favorites in Darren Oliver. He could go - as Iz pointed out - up to 4 innings by himself. They really missed him for his ability to eat innings in the middle of games. Plus, they still haven't found a replacement for Duaner Sanchez. He's starting to become the Mets' version of Carl Pavano. Getting Sanchez back should be a huge boost for the Mets next season. I don't think that the Mets' bullpen will need an overhaul. If they are able to obtain a couple of innings eaters, they should be fine. Unfortunately, thats easier said than done. Maybe they can go for Dontrelle Willis. They'll most likely be able to get him on the cheap and if Willis gets to a team with a chance to win, maybe he'll pitch better. The only other question with him is his weird delivery which may put a lot of stress on his elbow which should worry you if you want him for the long haul.

What do you guys think? Any ideas on what went wrong and how to fix it?

Great article. Sorry, more about Vick, but it's good stuff. Promise.

2007-09-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

It's getting harder for me to write as much from home as before, so in the spirit of Slackertown USA, I'm posting this article by Howard Bryant of ESPN.com Again, its on Vick, but It's a great piece that I thought most of you would enjoy. I'm also including the link to the piece so ESPN can get some more hits, not that they need anymore.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=bryant_howard&id=3035358

Vick case has us confounded by the race issue again
Bryant

By Howard Bryant
ESPN.com
(Archive)

The letters sit heavy for weeks. They do not yellow, for in the paperless society people do not write the way they once did. They use e-mail, and it is now impossible not to be aware of the exact number of people who want to talk to you about him: from 255, when the federal government closed in on Michael Vick, to 974 later when it became clear he would plead guilty, to 2,208 on Sept. 20. That many from his first comments 'til today, 11 weeks of fresh air left before his Dec. 10 sentencing.

Michael Vick

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Michael Vick's case has come to represent more to America than a simple dogfighting arrest.
The letters are overwhelmingly from Americans, your countrymen and women, and you theirs, all of us blanketed in a word -- American -- that should say something more about us than merely location. A word that should provide a crucial, binding commonality, especially at a time when two wars are being fought.

Ostensibly, the letters are about Vick, about what he did and what he did not do. But they are really about us. Go beyond Vick. He doesn't matter anymore. They are about the intractability of race. They reveal the faces behind the American mask, the black and the white at stubborn impasse. Vick has provided us an unwelcome mirror, shown us who we are when we're held up close to the light, what we are really thinking when we walk past each other every day, each wearing the same uniform that says "America" across the chest. The uniform is the same, but clearly, after he exposed the raw nerves of race and class and privilege, Vick has shown us we are not all playing on the same team. We've always known this. But maybe we thought that by living better than our parents, at a greater distance from the bloody collisions that pockmarked their lives, we had made progress.

Vick shattered that illusion, telling us that despite undeniable progress in rights and opportunities, we don't understand each other at all.

The letters are there, so you tell yourself to go ahead, click on them, all of them, which have landed here over the past month. You don't flinch. You tell yourself to put them out there, as Malcolm X once said, "In a language we can all understand."

And then you deal with it.

Commonality

"Just maybe people will stop crying 'race' and understand right and wrong for a change -- when the ref fixed games the white people didn't say 'please understand where he came from or it's the culture.' It was wrong, black or white! I'm so sick that African-Americans can't separate right and wrong -- blame the white man or use their 'culture' as excuse -- like having babies and leaving (70%), not wanting to do well in school for that's 'being white,' not wanting to speak proper English, just wanting to be known for being dancers and athletes, and for calling women 'bad' names and using such foul language in their common talk. We're not animals and people know right from wrong."
-- A reader's e-mail

The Michael Vick Divide

At 6 p.m., ET, on Tuesday, ESPN will air a SportsCenter Town Hall Meeting Special in Atlanta to discuss the role of race in the Michael Vick case. Called "The Michael Vick Divide," the special features a panel that includes Terance Mathis, a former Atlanta Falcon and teammate of Vick; Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist Terence Moore; former Falcon Chuck Smith; and New York Times sports columnist Selena Roberts, among others.

The Town Hall Meeting will be moderated by ESPN's Bob Ley.
Perhaps we don't care to go this deep, into the real space of communication, preferring instead surprise every time an O.J. Simpson moment tells us more about ourselves than it ever could about something as simple as a double murder. We expected, as a people, to be universal in our outrage that two people were killed. We were wrong; and when race took a hand, it all unraveled and we ended up here, running in place. Maybe it is the words, words like "justice" and "equality," that get in the way. They are clumsy words designed to fool us into thinking we live under the same umbrella. We don't. We are not the same. We are not equals. We do not begin at the same starting line. We accept this fact in virtually every other facet of our lives.

Michael Vick

Robin Snyder/Scoopt/Getty Images

Middle ground on the Vick case appears to be non-existent.
It's been hammered into our skulls that life isn't fair. Your little brother is taller than you. The boss' son has an edge on you. You went to a state school, and you're competing against kids who went to Harvard. Life isn't fair. We all understand, except when it comes to race. Only with race do we demand the myth that the scales are equaled, that everything we've done, everything we've been, has now become wonderfully balanced. When the myth of equality is disturbed, we recoil and then uncoil. Even when simple, obvious observations about life being unfair are raised -- black quarterbacks are judged differently than white ones -- intelligence immediately takes a holiday.

"Are African-Americans ever at fault for anything? Repression is over, debts for slavery is over. I cannot believe that people pay you for your racist BS. Vick did wrong, and he has to pay the penalty, just like anyone else would and should pay. Who cares what color he is? Don't play the race card because he … cannot make the correct decisions."
-- A reader's e-mail

Try to see what black people see. Stand on the platform at 59th Street in Manhattan and wait for the D train to the Bronx. Look at the Asian teenager, the one with the ubiquitous white iPod earbuds, clutching a bag of McDonald's in one hand and a hot coffee in the other. Look at the white father and son, probably heading to the Yankees game. Look at the black kids bunched near the stairwell, wearing their Yankees caps, and at three Latinas banging out too-fast-for-my-level Spanish as the A train -- the wrong train if you're going to Yankee Stadium -- approaches. That is New York City on Sunday morning, Sept. 23, 2007.

Then turn on television and watch "Friends," one of the highest-rated shows in TV history, and look at the New York being beamed out to the world from your country. It is a New York you've never seen, one so carefully devoid of the color that gives New York its special vibrancy, makes it unlike any city on Earth, and ask yourself how this is possible. Scrubbing New York so clean of its diversity, of its authenticity, does not feel like an accident. Ask yourself who made the decision to make your New York, the one you lived in and breathed, look like this? Yes, it's just a television show, but it's also a fact: The people being wiped out of the picture look just like you.

O.J. Simpson

Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

O.J. Simpson's double-murder trial brought race to a boiling point in American consciousness, and his recent arrest stoked those fires again.
Think about language, the term "the race card," and feel the sting of being slapped right in the face. The sum of another person's life experience can be reduced by your countrymen to nothing more than a tactic needed to win a game, the strategic equivalent of calling a fake punt when the time is right. To them, the life you've lived is nothing but a cheap gimmick, the desperation play in times of emergency.

Go back to a 1997 Vanity Fair essay on race by Fran Leibowitz:

"The way to approach it, I think, is not to ask, 'What would it be like to be black?' but to seriously consider what it is like to be white. That's something white people almost never think about. And what it is like to be white is not to say, 'We have to level the playing field,' but to acknowledge that not only do white people own the playing field, but they have so designated this plot of land as a playing field to begin with. White people are the playing field. The advantage of being white is so extreme, so overwhelming, so immense that to use the word 'advantage' at all is misleading since it implies a kind of parity that doesn't exist."

That's not a cop-out. It is not playing "victim" or the dreaded "race card." It is simply a fact. And we all have to live, and love and thrive in spite of it. And so many of us do.

"I was confounded to hear your apologist take on Vick on National Public Radio Aug. 25, confounded until I saw your picture on the ESPN Web site. Clearly, your blackness makes you unable to understand the deep pain this monster has caused people, such as myself, who consider their pet dogs a member of the family.

"This entire incident has caused me to question my lifelong pursuit to stamp out the latent racism taught to me by parents. Your comments make me sick, and caused me to view you as less than human.

"I suspect your blood runs as cold as his."
-- A reader's e-mail

Walk into Borders at Columbus Circle in Manhattan and think for a second about Cuba. People told me when I visited Havana that racial divisions there are as pronounced as they are here. They say light-skinned Cubans have more money and more political clout -- dark people dominate the island, but the light ones run the government.

But in Cuba, the music -- the son, the guajira -- brings people together. There is a national music that white and black Cubans play together. It is their bond.

Now go into the bookstore's music sections and see the many ways we are divided. Divided for ease, yes, but also divided for profit. In America, there is no simple commonality. Just ask the black kids who listened to rock or alternative or any other type of "white music." They paid a price, just as clearly as the whites who idolized hip-hop culture did when their peers -- at least where I grew up in Massachusetts -- would ask them why they listened to "jungle music." Their peers, black and white, made sure everyone stayed in their lanes.

Now go back to the television section, where there are white comedies and black comedies, with only the cash register in the middle. It is there, in the checkout line, not in the church or at the dinner table, where we all finally meet.

Michael Vick

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Is race an element in the reaction to Vick's court case? Of course it is.
You look at your country like this and you see that the reaction to Vick is a continuation of the divisions America has mastered. It makes sense, then, that something so seemingly simple as being offended that a person electrocuted an animal could become so complicated.

Malcolm X, another divider who learned to heal -- tragically, too late -- once said, "Show me a capitalist and I'll show you a racist." His reasoning: Eventually, at some level for all people, and corporations especially, the pursuit of revenue will ultimately collide with what's good for the whole. Ask Michael Jordan, the shoe king of the third world, or Phil Knight at Nike. They got rich together.

Justice

"If Vick was white, nothing would be done. What happened to Wayne Gretzky and his wife gambling and betting on hockey games? Go and get some information about that. So when you come to work tomorrow you wouldn't even have a job. You're not permitted to talk trash about the white people, but you can about Mr. Vick."
-- A reader's e-mail

Forget, if you can, the idea of equality. Like objectivity in journalism, it doesn't exist. The world is too big, individual experiences too sharp and unique, for common experience to belong to everyone. We didn't all have the same starting points, but we want to believe in that far-away ideal -- and justice for all -- because it is all we have. But accepting that ideal for what it is -- a goal, and not a standard -- might make it easier to talk.

Think about what it means to look the part, and you realize how hard it is to turn off the impulse. Barry Bonds needs to go away, for good. He is reprehensible, yes. But he is no more suspicious than Troy Glaus or Rick Ankiel, and you cannot compare the recent coverage of their stories to Bonds by reducing the issue to a discussion of Bonds' outsized stature against their relatively small celebrity. Ankiel looks his part, the feel-good part, and Bonds his.

In 1991, I exited a New Jersey transit bus in the suburban hamlet of Gibbstown in broad daylight, wearing a Temple University sweatshirt and sporting a yellow Sony Sports Walkman. Two police officers, hands on their weapons, appeared and ordered me to the ground.

"Where are you going?" they asked.

"To my aunt's house. She lives down the street."

"Where did you come from?"

"I just got off the bus. I'm a student at Temple."

"Well, we saw the bus go by, but didn't see you get off of it. We're looking for a guy who looks just like you. Armed robbery."

The police act like this. I know, because it happened to me. I looked the part. There is no equality, unless you, too, have been the guy with his cheekbone in the asphalt with a gun on you.

But once, you were, because that's what people on top do to people on the bottom. "Irish Need Not Apply." Grab a history book and read about how the immigrant Irish and Italians were treated by the police. Why do you think they call them "Paddy wagons"?

Maybe we have more in common than we think.

We said we wanted to hear from Vick. We demanded contrition. He had to feel horrible about what he did. The only human thing to do was show remorse. And then one August day, he spoke. The analysts talked about the victory for the justice department, the guilty plea gained so swiftly, so efficiently. It was a great day for justice.

Alberto Gonzales

Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Why is it that the public hasn't demanded an apology from Alberto Gonzales, as it did from Vick?
On that same day, with all eyes on Vick, the country's No. 1 law enforcement official quietly resigned in disgrace without nearly the demand for contrition. Alberto Gonzales, the U.S. attorney general, abruptly stepped away from his office while at the center of a congressional investigation.

At once, race stared us down again. The black face, forced to say he was sorry for what he did; Gonzales, allowed to disappear behind kind words about his dedication from the president, who called him a victim. The highest law in the land -- the federal justice system -- was being investigated by the body that makes the laws, and nobody seemed to care or question a justice department's being corrupted at the highest level. Maybe this is why black people believed with so much force that Vick was being held to a higher, unfair standard.

They saw race. What they didn't see quite as clearly was class. Gonzales could have been Mexican-American, white or Clarence Thomas. What mattered wasn't his race, but his class. Gonzales was part of the power, the people who have more ability to corrupt the umbrella ideal of justice than a thousand Michael Vicks -- who clearly transcended class financially, but never socially -- ever will. These are the people who make the rules. They have the power. And they never, ever, have to say they're sorry.

Revelation

"Uncle Howard has to sell bro Michael Vick in his article of betrayal; because the pea brain bigots at ESPN would have it no other way. Every one of their moronic media people has to compete to see who is best at the good ole American pastime, Black lynching. Nothing like a good old fashion Black lynching."
-- A reader's e-mail

Don't be depressed by the predictability of it all. Take it in, a deep corrosive drag off a smoke. In 2004, a black male sold $50 worth of crack cocaine to an undercover Boston police officer within 1,000 feet of a school. At his trial, I was made jury foreman. He was guilty, and I read the verdict.

My uncle was upset.

"I would have never convicted him," he said. "Why? Because of all the times they put us away for nothing. I'd never convict another black man. Never. Let him go. Leave it to someone else."

Vick belongs in prison for what he admitted to doing. The details, if you feel anything at all, do not need repeating. You look for commonality, and this was supposed to be an easy one. You break the law, you pay.

Michael Vick

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Have we learned anything yet from the Vick case? And if we have, can we apply it to the next incident?
And yet, the majority of African-Americans who wrote say Vick has been unfairly targeted, and also believe that African-Americans offended by his actions have lost the meaning of being black. They've just been co-opted by whites.

"Hey Howard, go back to your white girlfriend and your white neighborhood with your white bosses and all be white together. We don't need you. Black people don't care about this. They're just dogs. You care about them because your white bosses tell you to care."
-- A reader's e-mail

The baseline of common decency -- that people simply are not supposed to behave this way and there are basic concepts of behavior we can all agree upon -- has disintegrated. Or maybe it hasn't even arrived. The letters tell you this is so. The exchanges between you and the black people who say you have contributed to the destruction of another black male grow heated and depressing. The question about how someone who murdered an animal could become so much more about black-and-white is being answered right here, right now. And you think about money, that everyone with enough talent in the right discipline can earn $1 million.

But as with the ubiquitous Simpson, we cannot reach the human layer of commonality, because we believe it doesn't exist. Not while race first defines who has value and who does not, who receives sympathy and who does not, and who goes to jail and who does not.

Maybe, you suggest to the readers, that the reverse is true. Maybe it is Michael Vick who let everyone down. Get past the clumsy words. We know that things are harder for us, you say, so you ask why Vick put himself in this position. He was the winner of the Great American Lottery, in which his talent trumped the intractable racial and class divisions. You tell them about what he did and what his crimes mean to you as a person. You tell them that believing Vick should pay for his crime doesn't mean you believe Tim Donaghy shouldn't pay for his.

You think you are making progress, and then they respond. They tell you that you are nothing more than a tool for your white bosses.

"I am a 53-year-old black man who grew up during the '60s civil rights era, the Black Panthers, and the Nation of Islam here in Oakland, Calif. My friends have called me an 'Uncle Tom' because I don't have any sympathy for Vick. This case is NOT about race. It's about right or wrong. Period. I never thought that in a million years that I would make this statement."
-- A reader's e-mail

You think about your older sister, the one so acutely attuned to even the faintest scent of racism or sexism. She's the political one, the radical; and yet, she is also horrified by Vick, and more by the blind loyalty toward Vick in the black community.

"Why are black people spending so much time protecting him?" she asks one evening. "And all these [people] want to say he's a victim. A victim of what? And what about all the black people who believe this is wrong but don't want to get beat down by their own? And what about the black people who didn't mess up their lives and need help? Who speaks for them?"

Rules
When it happens again, when the next story hits us like a flash flood and we're asking, dumbfounded, how race again became so prominent, remember that Vick has already provided the answer: It always was. Go back to W.E.B. Du Bois and read the first paragraph: "The problem of the 20th Century is the problem of the color line, no longer in opportunities, perhaps, but certainly in thought."

Take the umbrella words -- equality, reality, justice -- and throw them in the trash. Umbrellas are useless, because here, it always rains sideways. One day, maybe we'll believe in truths that aren't our own. Start from a new place. Maybe then we'll have a fighting chance next time.

Howard Bryant is a Senior Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine. He is the author of "Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston" and "Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball." He can be reached at Howard.Bryant@espn3.com.

Baseball, baseball, baseball....

2007-09-19T11:46:00.001-05:00

This has been, and will be, the most competitive season in baseball for quite some time. The argument couold be made that its the most competitive in history. Since the innovation of the wild card in baseball, there have never been this many teams competing for this many slots to play in the post-season. This has been a great - unless you are a fan of teams whose leads are disappearing like the Sawx, Mets, Milwaukee and Arizona - season if you like races that come down to the wire.

The Diamondbacks season looks like its on the verge of blowing up. They had a decent lead on the Padres for a while, but have since seen that lead dissapate. Chris Young has not been pitched the same over the last month and a half. He was a Cy Young candidate until then.

Milwaukee looked like they were the strongest team in the NL. They definitely have the best, young, slugging one-two punch in baseball in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. If Milwaukee ends up winning their division, I would have to give him the NL MVP. His numbers are just staggering (.291, 46HR and 111RBI).

Which brings me to the Mets. I originally thought that David Wright should win the MVP, but between Fielders numbers still growing, and Wrights' team losing the lead with much better talent around him than Fielder, it just may go to Fielder. Wright has had a great second half, but the Mets look dead the way they looked earlier in the season when it was just dismissed as they had the division in the bag and were coasting. It's time to stop coasting. A couple of numbers;

10 errors in two days.
John Maine ERA: Pre All-Star = 2.71 Post All-Star= 6.16
Reyes: Pre All-Star = .307AVG , Post All-Star = .261 with an OBP of .327

And surprise, surprise, Alou is injured again. More problems with his quads. On top of that, their money pitcher, El Duque, is injured and doesn't know when he'll be able to pitch again. They seemed to defeat one of their old demons in the Braves, but now have Phillies to haunt them every night. The lead is down to 1.5 games. This is not indicative of a world champion. The NL isn't the cake walk it was last year. We'll have to wait and see what happens because right now the question isn't whether they win the division or not, you have to be concerned if they will make the playoffs or not. They currently have identical records with the Padres who are in second place behind the Diamondbacks and, as stated earlier, are only 1.5 games up on the Phils.

The Red Sox still have the best record in baseball. But man there are a bunch of New Englanders waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had a 14 plus game lead on the Yanks and its now been whittled down to 2.5. After losing 7 of their top 9 starting pitchers, they have the best record in baseball for the last few months. The Sawx have done their part though, in that same span, the Sawx have the second best record in baseball. Despite this, the Yankees are only 2 behind the Sox in the loss column for the best record in baseball.

Any predictions? Real predictions Ernesto.

Is this article for real?

2007-09-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

Is this article for real? If so, wouldn't this article reflect badly on Bloomberg? Since you are supposed to keep track of your employees and what they put "out there" for all to see? Since this is an editorial piece, there is one below it by, Dre.

Commentary by Michael Lewis

Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- So right after the Bear Stearns
funds blew up, I had a thought: This is what happens when you lend money to poor people.

Don't get me wrong: I have nothing personally against the poor. To my knowledge, I have nothing personally to do with the poor at all. It's not personal when a guy cuts your grass: that's business. He does what you say, you pay him. But you don't pay him in advance: That would be finance. And finance is one thing you should never engage in with the poor. (By poor, I mean anyone who the SEC wouldn't allow to invest in my hedge fund.)

That's the biggest lesson I've learned from the subprime crisis. Along the way, as these people have torpedoed my portfolio, I had some other thoughts about the poor. I'll share them with you.

1) They're masters of public relations.

I had no idea how my open-handedness could be made to look, after the fact. At the time I bought the subprime portfolio I thought: This is sort of like my way of giving something back. I didn't expect a profile in Philanthropy Today or anything like that. I mean, I bought at a discount. But I thought people would admire the Wall Street big shot who found a way to help the little guy. Sort of like a money doctor helping a sick person. Then the little guy wheels around and gives me this financial enema. And I'm the one who gets crap in the papers! Everyone feels sorry for the poor, and no one feels sorry for me. Even though it's my money! No good deed goes unpunished.

2) Poor people don't respect other people's money in the way money deserves to be respected.

Call me a romantic: I want everyone to have a shot at the American dream. Even people who haven't earned it. I did everything I could so that these schlubs could at least own their own place. The media is now making my generosity out to be some kind of scandal. Teaser rates weren't a scandal. Teaser rates were a sign of misplaced trust: I trusted these people to get their teams of lawyers to vet anything before they signed it. Turns out, if you're poor, you don't need to pay lawyers. You don't like the deal you just wave your hands in the air and moan about how poor you are. Then you default.

3) I've grown out of touch with ``poor culture.''

Hard to say when this happened; it might have been when I stopped flying commercial. Or maybe it was when I gave up the bleacher seats and got the suite. But the first rule in this business is to know the people you're in business with, and I broke it. People complain about the rich getting richer and the poor being left behind. Is it any wonder? Look at them! Did it ever occur to even one of them that they might pay me back by WORKING HARDER? I don't think so.

But as I say, it was my fault, for not studying the poor more closely before I lent them the money. When the only time you've ever seen a lion is in his cage in the zoo, you start
thinking of him as a pet cat. You forget that he wants to eat you.

4) Our society is really, really hostile to success. At the same time it's shockingly indulgent of poor people.

A Republican president now wants to bail them out! I have a different solution. Debtors' prison is obviously a little too retro, and besides that it would just use more taxpayers' money.
But the poor could work off their debts. All over Greenwich I see lawns to be mowed, houses to be painted, sports cars to be tuned up. Some of these poor people must have skills. The ones that don't could be trained to do some of the less skilled labor -- say, working as clowns at rich kids' birthday parties. They could even have an act: put them in clown suits and see how many can be stuffed into a Maybach. It'd be like the circus, only better.

Transporting entire neighborhoods of poor people to upper Manhattan and lower Connecticut might seem impractical. It's not: Mexico does this sort of thing routinely. And in the long run it might be for the good of poor people. If the consequences were more serious, maybe they ouldn't stay poor.

5) I think it's time we all become more realistic about letting the poor anywhere near Wall Street.

Lending money to poor countries was a bad idea: Does it make any more sense to lend money to poor people? They don't even have mineral rights!

There's a reason the rich aren't getting richer as fast as they should: they keep getting tangled up with the poor. It's unrealistic to say that Wall Street should cut itself off entirely from poor -- or, if you will, ``mainstream'' -- culture. As I say, I'll still do business with the masses. But I'll only engage in their finances if they can clump themselves together into a semblance of a rich person. I'll still accept pension fund money, for example. (Nothing under $50 million, please.) And I'm willing to finance the purchase of entire companies staffed basically with poor people. I did deals with Milken, before they broke him. I own some Blackstone. (Hang tough, Steve!)

But never again will I go one-on-one again with poor people. They're sharks.

(Michael Lewis is the author, most recently of ``The Blind
Side,'' and is a columnist for Bloomberg News. The views he
expresses are his own.)

Editorial reply:

Michael Lewis where do I start you inconsiderate piece of sh@#. I will refrain from cursing at you and your editor for the following article.

Did it ever occur to you that in these past five years you made so much money you have a golden toilet to shit in, yeah it was too good to be true, exactly, I love your sob story about how you lose a piece of your fortune excuse me those that defaulted are living in the street or did you let them keep the houses they defaulted on, just wondering.

Those teaser rates, were not just teaser rates they were totally inappropriate products for those people to engage in. Interest only five year arms with a variable rate tied at the end, when fixed rates were at 40 year lows, remember you purchased those loans from brokers and banks. Did it occur to you that quite possibly the middle men you made very wealthy in the past five years did some of the screwing, maybe they should go and cut your lawn, wash or fix your car. Remember you all still have a home not these poor people who sometimes had a language barrier and the broker used his own lawyer to cut the deal and sign papers.

I would suggest if you are so rich and smart that you may have done some due diligence like take a look at the portfolio you were buying and realize why someone is paying 7% when rates were at 5% and you were making anywhere between 400-500 basis point spread on these poor people. Wow let me stick it to the poor even more with no vaseline and a baseball bat.

Did it occur to you that on many of these loan products especially the adjustable interest only arms with a variable rate that the product is designed for developers and contractors for financing and that using it as at temporary means for the poor would blow up at the end. Again this is all while interest rates are at 40 year lows. I see how you can still be whining about the poor people, maybe all you really want is for them to also give you a BJ while your counting the excess cash you made on them for the past couple of years.

Please do not write about subject matter you do not understand and are obviously very ignorant about. There are so many reasons why this happened the ones to blame are not the poor, the funny thing is if you went to college and remember cash flow analysis it says you analyze whether a borrower can pay a loan, in many instances this analysis was obsolete or was made up just to provide funding on the loan and remember the poor do not process these applications or submit it to your multi-million dollar hedge fund D#$K.

Dre

A bystander and observer of the many ill practices that were occurring in the past couple of years with banks and brokers (Your BEST Friends).

Sam Bowie...Where Are Thou? (And some other stuff)

2007-09-14T08:59:00.001-05:00

Does this bite for Blazer fans or what? It appears that they may be snake-bitten when they select a big Center prospect high in the draft.

Zac and Nat, please don't think the worst just yet. Oden is young enough that he should be able to pull through this just fine. Look at Stoudemire. Amare has come back pretty well from his own micro-fracture surgery and hes the best example of how someone that young can come through this.

The question does always remain - especially given the way the last two years have gone for Oden - is Oden injury prone? I brought it up to Nat before the draft. He was injured in HS for one year too. This could all be a fluke, but injuries just seem to happen to some guys. Or, sometimes its just that one freak injury that starts the beginning of the end. Remember Bo Jackson? The guy seemed indestructible before he was dragged down from behind, which began the sad ending to a career that seemed to be going places that no one had ever imagined humanly possible. For the sake of Oden, Portland fans and the NBA in general, let's hope this is not the case.

Billy-Gate

I KNEW that was the only reason that the Pats were beating the Jets! I'm kidding of course. We all know that they have great players and people who have seen Bellicheck in action knows the guy knows what hes doing as a coach, but this HAS to take some of the luster off his reputation, no?

The league had apparently warned every team and specifically the Pats to not do this type of stuff. But, ever arrogant Bellicheck, decided to do it anyway with a guy pointing a camera on a tripod aimed directly at Jet coaches where a former Patriot coach just happens to now be the head coach. Doesn't that also have to take away some of Bellichecks "genius" rep too? It doesn't take an Einstein sort of fellow to say to himself, "You know, maybe I won't do it against the one guy who knows I do this". Again, arrogance is a hell of a drug.

Apparently the league will conduct a full-scale investigation into the Patriots tactics now that this has come to light. For the last couple of years, teams have been going into Foxboro with hard wired headsets - obviously not the QB's helmets - because for "some reason" their communications would cut out during crucial downs (i.e. 3rd and 7, 4th and 1, etc.). Teams have alleged that the Patriots are using some sort of short-wave device to disrupt communications. Furthermore, the league will also investigate to see if Patriot defensive linemen had audio recording devices installed in their helmets to record audibles from opposing QB's so that the team could later decipher them AND catalog them for the next time they play against one another. It sounds like pretty serious stuff. So serious in fact, I think the league should have fined them even more. I'm imagining that if the league finds that more of this stuff is true, the penalty could become more severe than the already hefty penalty of:

Bellicheck: $500,000
The Patriots: $250,000 and a 1st round draft pick, should they make the playoffs OR 2nd and 3rd round picks if they don't make the playoffs.

Does anyone else think that this is comparable to Bonds and steroids? And if so, do you think that the Pats in general and Bellicheck in particular will catch any real flak? Steroids is cheating. This is cheating. I've said all along that steroids is just cheating. Not the end of the world Anti-Christ sort of stuff that they have you believe. Just like spit-balling, corking bats, etc. If all the allegations prove true, I'm curious to see what happens since the Pats have been THE most successful franchise in football for the last decade just as Bonds was the best player in baseball and going for the biggest record in baseball.

Yankees vs. Red Sox

Yankee haters gather around, this could be a weekend for you all to crow about, or just stay silent for a little while longer. The Yankees lost last night despite a great pitching performance by, yet another rookie, Ian Kennedy, ending their winning streak at 7. The Red Sox are coming off a couple of rousing come from behind wins. The series is at Fenway and the Yankees swept them the last time they played AND since June the Yankees have the best record in baseball and the Sawx have the second best record. Good series. Beer anyone?

Any wagers on the series Zac?

Former Reagan Official Warns of Threat to Constitutional Democracy.

2007-09-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

I know some of you think that I may be a little paranoid, but I thought that this article is scary if you think about it. If a former Reagan official is speaking out about this, its gotta be bad. What do you people think of this? And yes, I do believe that the Keennedy assasination was a conspiracy and i'm still not sold that we landed on the moon. I'm kidding about the moon thing.

This was brought to you by way of Josh's dad, Matt.

Impeach Now
Or Face the End of Constitutional Democracy

By Paul Craig Roberts

counterpunch- July 16, 2007
Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a
year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state
at war with Iran.

Bush has put in place all the necessary measures for
dictatorship in the form of "executive orders" that are
triggered whenever Bush declares a national emergency.
Recent statements by Homeland Security Chief Michael
Chertoff, former Republican senator Rick Santorum and
others suggest that Americans might expect a series of
staged, or false flag, "terrorist" events in the near
future.

Many attentive people believe that the reason the Bush
administration will not bow to expert advice and public
opinion and begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq is
that the administration intends to rescue its unpopular
position with false flag operations that can be used to
expand the war to Iran.

Too much is going wrong for the Bush administration: the
failure of its Middle East wars, Republican senators
jumping ship, Turkish troops massed on northern Iraq's
border poised for an invasion to deal with Kurds, and a
majority of Americans favoring the impeachment of Cheney
and a near-majority favoring Bush's impeachment. The
Bush administration desperately needs dramatic events to
scare the American people and the Congress back in line
with the militarist-police state that Bush and Cheney
have fostered.

William Norman Grigg recently wrote that the GOP is
"praying for a terrorist strike" to save the party from
electoral wipeout in 2008. Chertoff, Cheney, the neocon
nazis, and Mossad would have no qualms about saving the
bacon for the Republicans, who have enabled Bush to
start two unjustified wars, with Iran waiting in the
wings to be attacked in a third war.

The Bush administration has tried unsuccessfully to
resurrect the terrorist fear factor by infiltrating some
blowhard groups and encouraging them to talk about
staging "terrorist" events. The talk, encouraged by
federal agents, resulted in "terrorist" arrests hyped by
the media, but even the captive media was unable to
scare people with such transparent sting operations.

If the Bush administration wants to continue its wars in
the Middle East and to entrench the "unitary executive"
at home, it will have to conduct some false flag
operations that will both frighten and anger the
American people and make them accept Bush's declaration
of "national emergency" and the return of the draft.
Alternatively, the administration could simply allow any
real terrorist plot to proceed without hindrance.

A series of staged or permitted attacks would be spun by
the captive media as a vindication of the
neoconsevatives' Islamophobic policy, the intention of
which is to destroy all Middle Eastern governments that
are not American puppet states. Success would give the
US control over oil, but the main purpose is to
eliminate any resistance to Israel's complete absorption
of Palestine into Greater Israel.

Think about it. If another 9/11-type "security failure"
were not in the works, why would Homeland Security czar
Chertoff go to the trouble of convincing the Chicago
Tribune that Americans have become complacent about
terrorist threats and that he has "a gut feeling" that
America will soon be hit hard?

Why would Republican warmonger Rick Santorum say on the
Hugh Hewitt radio show that "between now and November, a
lot of things are going to happen, and I believe that by
this time next year, the American public's (sic) going
to have a very different view of this war."

Throughout its existence the US government has staged
incidents that the government then used in behalf of
purposes that it could not otherwise have pursued.
According to a number of writers, false flag operations
have been routinely used by the Israeli state. During
the Czarist era in Russia, the secret police would set
off bombs in order to arrest those the secret police
regarded as troublesome. Hitler was a dramatic
orchestrator of false flag operations. False flag
operations are a commonplace tool of governments.

Ask yourself: Would a government that has lied us into
two wars and is working to lie us into an attack on Iran
shrink from staging "terrorist" attacks in order to
remove opposition to its agenda?

Only a diehard minority believes in the honesty and
integrity of the Bush-Cheney administration and in the
truthfulness of the corporate media.

Hitler, who never achieved majority support in a German
election, used the Reichstag fire to fan hysteria and
push through the Enabling Act, which made him dictator.
Determined tyrants never require majority support in
order to overthrow constitutional orders.

The American constitutional system is near to being
overthrown. Are coming "terrorist" events of which
Chertoff warns and Santorum promises the means for
overthrowing our constitutional democracy?

[Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate
Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and
Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor
of The Tyranny of Good Intentions. He can be reached at:
PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com ]

The Top 10 (For Now) Debut Hip-Hop Albums of All-Time...

2007-09-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

First off, I would like to give a big shout out to Big Is. Today, September 7th is his birthday and if you know Is, you know that the brother loves his hip-hop. So I could think of no better day than today to kick off this list.

Lets see if we can move on to something that we can joyously agree on (VERY sarcastic there): Music. Specifically, another Top 10 list, but after doing more research, we may bend the rules and make this a Top 15 list. I enjoy them, or at least, I enjoy the process of hammering out these types of lists, especially now with the new poll feature that this program features. I would like to start out today with the Top Debut Hip-Hop Albums of All-Time. This list is tricky. You may LOVE a particular artist, but their debut albums may not have been that good, like Public Enemy. I'm a huge fan of Chuck D. and Public Enemy, but "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" was not that great. In some instances, like Mobb Deep, the artist in question may not approach creating an album as good as their debut was ever again. Remember, next to this piece will be a poll on the side so please vote on the albums of your choice so we can see where we end up in terms of number of votes. After this is over, I would like to start building towards the Top Hip Hop Albums of All-Time.

The albums below, other than Paid In Full and Illmatic, are in no particular order. They're listed as I thought of them, except for these first two albums. I think there is no doubt that these are the 2 best debut albums of all time. Please don't bring me some noise about Lil' Wayne or Too Short even coming close to the caliber of Full and Matic. Nas and Ra are at the top of their games on these albums. Paid in Full was so dope and so far ahead of its time you could throw this on NOW and it would be the best album out. Fiddy would be squashed like nobody's business.

Speaking of 50 Cent... The guy is mediocre. Middle of the road. His first album, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", was the most succesful debut hip-hop album of all time. Does that mean he put out one of the best debut albums of all time? In my opinion, no. The Spice Girls outsold anything that John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters ever sold. Does that mean that their albums were better works of art? Personally I don't think so and if you were to state otherwise I would have to seriously question your opinion in this matter.

Some of the albums I listed will have something written about them if I was moved to do so at the time, or if time allowed. I have a newborn, I don't have as much free time as before.

Eric B. and Rakim - Paid In Full

Nas - Illmatic

Kanye West – The College Dropout: Great debut album. He stopped producing tracks for other people, stepped behind the mic and hasn't looked back since.

Biggie Smalls – Ready To Die: Do I really have write anything about this guy?

Wu-Tang - Enter the Wu-Tang: The 36 Chambers – East Coast Hip hop made a return with this album. West coast rap at the time dominated mainstream hip hop. Gangster rap and the melodious, G-Funk, was leading the way back then. The Wu kind of made the rest of the country to pay more attention to East Coast rap again. Their use of "dirty" samples began a new style of production that was more gritty and raw and people in the mainstream took to it inspite of their raw sound.

KRS-One – Criminal Minded: The Professor schooled everybody and was and still is, one of the smartest brothers out there. He's still droppin' science to this day, even if tons of people aren't buying it.

De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising: Unique brothers who really spit tight, tight, rhymes over original hot trakcs. With socially conscious lyrics to boot. I miss the days when it was cool to be smart in hip-hop.

A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm:
Dr. Dre – The Chronic : Yes I am including guys who go solo after appearing in a group. This album was so dope, you wondered if Dre had any great music left for other artists.

Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill: This was all you heard going into some parties when this album dropped. Unique sounding MC (A la Tip), dope, gritty production and phat beats makes this album a classic.

Snoop Dogg – Doggy Style: Is this a classic or what? Its SO mysoginistic, i'm embarrassed to say I loved this album. When I was rocking this cassette on my Walkman, I always turned down the volume on some songs. It was awful. But great. "It ain't no fu-uh-uh-uh-uh-uhn, if my homies can't ha-a-a-a-ave non".

Jungle Brothers – Straight out the Jungle: The creators (at least in the mainstream) of hip-house. Much to the joy of all the flexible short guys in the club back in the days. In spite of that, these Native Tongue members' first album was awesome.

Black Star – Black Star: We're still waiting for the damn sequel. But I guess this is better than Ocean's 12.

Mos Def – Black on Both Sides: Even though Mos is basically on this list twice, I couldn't leave this album off this list. Such a great album.

The Roots - Things fall Apart: I didn't want Dre to have a heart attack so I included this album, even though 120 people heard it, but I would be a bit of a hypocrite for going on my rant about sales not being reflective of good an album is.

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of...: I'm not sure if this qualifies for the list, but again, happy birthday Is. This was an Is special. You guys get to vote on it.

Ice Cube - Amerikka's Most Wanted

Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx

Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane: I was a huge fan of Kane. Still am. Love his flow.

Slick Rick - Great Adventures of Slick Rick: An old skool classic.

Mobb Deep - The Infamous: I don't think they've been this good since.

EPMD - Strictly Business: Hard core beats and tight rhymes made me rue the day these guys split up. I always loved what they dropped on each album.

Dead Prez - Let's Get Free: I almost forgot to include these guys. Dope rhymes, socially conscious verses make them dope. "It's bigger than hip-hop, hip-hop..."

Big Pun - Capital Punishment: People forget how great this guy was. When you put on a Pun song you knew those first 16 bars were going to be some the fiercest, hardcore rhyming around. He put his all into that first verse, not to say that the rest of it he slacked, but he was spittin' fiyah, as the kids like to say.

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin': I am reluctantly including this album since Is submitted it. It was abundantly clear how mediocre I think the guy is. While Dre is not a GREAT lyricist either, I like his flow better than this guy and I think Dre should get a few extra cool points since he produced most of it himself.

Lil Kim - Hardcore: So far, only this and Lauryn Hill (still dont think she should be on this list) are the only females on this list. I wanted to include Latifah or MC Lyte, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Kim's critically acclaimed debut was also a big selling album.

Capone & Noreaga - The War Report: I'm going to listen to this album this week again. Is thinks this should be on for how hardcore it was and their lyrics. Interesting thing: despite being very hardcore, very few curses.

Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacfunkymusic: They put real hip-hop on the map in the dirrrty dirrrty.

LL Cool J - Radio: I forgot how good this album. Is reminded me. I went back and looked at the album again and i'm gonna be listening to it some more.

Run DMC - Run DMC
NWA - Straight Outta Compton: Not my style. Har hitting, raw lyrics speaking to the state of things in the 'hood. But I could never get with their flows. My faves from the group were Cube and Ren. Dre definitely grew as an MC since this album first dropped.

Brand Nubian - One For All: Another party album with tight rhymes. Grand Puba was a great MC. I know that this list is East Coast dominated, but even Drew said that Nubian was big in Mississippi.

The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde: Who can forget how trippy their music sounded at times. Great production, an original sound and some creative lyrics made this album dope.

Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt: Thank you Is. This album was on my original list. Problem with the cutting and pasting (its so technical). Great album. His best. I've been listening to it these last 2 days as research and have been lovin' it.

Now, really think about these albums before you vote. Really think about the lyrics that these MC's spit. The word play and the their flow. If anything, the music and beats should be the last or second to last thing you consider when you are voting. If you feel that there is an album that we should include (i'm talking to you Nat), please submit it and I will include it on the list. Nat is a fellow huge lover of hip-hop and always reminds us that we haven't heard enough from the Left Coast.

Please vote with your head and not your heart. One last thing, please limit your voting to 10 albums only.

Lets get back to a little sports (or yes, sprots)

2007-09-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Lets get back to a little less controversial topic so that all of our relationships with one another last just a little longer...

Baseball...

The Mets looked like they were really in trouble there for a sec after getting swept by the Phillies. I still wouldn't say that they are out of the woods yet even though they are 5 games up on the Phils. Although they did get some good news today with El Duque (Who the Yankees should have never let him go) coming through his throwing session pain-free. Carlos Delgado's hip is hurting him which will sideline him for about 10 days, which is particularly bad news since his bat was already slow before the injury and this may rob him of what little bat speed he has left, or at least, his power stroke.

The Yankees wasted a valuable opportunity to make up more ground on the Sawx when they lost 2 of 3 to Tampa. However, they were able to take 2 of 3 from the Mariners to push their lead in the Wild Card race to 3 games. Even though Mike Mussina is big inning on wheels, they should be able to hold off the Mariners for the rest of the season with the awful schedule that the Mariners have the rest of the season. I, personally, am more worried about Detroit making a run at the Yanks the rest of the way than the Mariners. Another one of the Yankee farmhands starts tonight. Ian Kennedy goes to the mound after an impressive first outing (7 innings, 3 runs allowed, 6 strikeouts). The Yankee farm system is legit. And, while noone was watching, they have the best record in NYC (78-62 to 78-61). Not by much, but by all the crap i've had to hear from Mets fans, you'd think they won something.

Football...

Yay! Football is almost here. Giant fans. This season may stink to high heaven for y'all. If they universally loved Eli then I would give them some more hope, but they don't truly believe in him where they can circle the wagons and fight for their leader. He's not a leader. He's a nice kid from down South. He probably makes a mean pulled pork sandwhich (easy Drew), but he's not a leader. Who knows? This may transform him into a leader because he actually showed a little fight after getting son'd....again.

The Jets are a hard team to call this year. Mangini did a great job of coaching the team last year and they made a HUGE pickup in Thomas Jones. It was a robbery. Swapping 2nd round picks to pick up a 1,200 yard rusher? Win for the Jets. However, I really think that the trading of Pete Kendall will really hurt the Jets unless they catch lightning in a bottle with Jacob Bender starting at G. The early reports on Bender have not been glowing though.

Basketball...

Allan Houston. He would actually be a great fit with this Knick team since they need an outside shooter and he was one of the best in the league when he was healthy. Just like his game on the court though, he doesn't know when to pull the trigger off the court (remember when he would disappear during a game for long stretches even though he was the most talented guy on the court?). He's still saying that he's 90%-95% certain that he's coming back? What the hell does that mean? Is he trying to guage the interest in him by saying that in the papers?

Hockey...

Just kidding. If you noticed, the above are all SPORTS. Hockey isn't a real, professional sport. We've established this already. All you Ruff-Buff people find that type of stuff elsewhere.

That's it for now.

Last Piece on Vick (I think. At least for a while?)

2007-08-31T16:43:00.000-05:00

I believe that part of the reason this story received so much coverage, is that this case of a superstar gone crazy really hit America in the gut. It hit America in the gut the same way child molestation, mass murders, deaths via natural catastrophes hit--low and with a considerable amount of force.

Originally, I wasn't sure how to approach the Michael Vick saga in this post--as I stated in an earlier post I thought he would pay someone off to take most of the blame, he would cop to something minor (i.e. a character flaw, not an illegal act; e.g. "I trust my friends too much") and head to training camp. I underestimated the evidence and the coercive abilities of the Feds in that regard-they got the others to roll and House of Vick came tumbling down.

There were several issues that were addressed in this post so I'll try to give my take for each the best I can because as much as I thought this was over with in my head, your insights brought some things to light (thank you all again for taking me out of the mundane and helping/forcing me to think about myself):

Michael Vick is an evil bastard and/or an idiot.

A young Black man from the projects uses what God gave him and through hard work, a strong spirit and probably great support from the adults around him, makes it to the big time-and then he fucks it up. He's not the first and won't be the last but, knowing that doesn't take the pain away. Every time this happens I can hear a racist saying "You see: you can't give them folk money." I said it before and I'll say it again-more has to be done at the college level to prepare student athletes for the responsibilities and challenges they will encounter in the world of professional sports. I'm sure they have mentoring programs in place and I'm sure there are athletes who will not pay any attention to those programs but I believe more can and should be done.

Ultimately, however, we must blame the man himself. He never had a need to do this-even if he had been doing this for years he could have (should have) stopped. There is a certain degree of arrogance that is necessary to be a professional athlete-the idea you can get the 3 pointer at the buzzer, the kick from 60 yards out, or the home-run in the bottom of the 9th-it is what makes players champions. That arrogance has been getting celebrity athletes in trouble for years and it certainly did here. This is a classic case of it’s only wrong if I get caught. You are a sucker if you believe his apology. You don’t go from drowning and electrocuting dogs to “I found God” in a couple of weeks unless your lawyer tells you to. Do I want to believe he’s sincere? Yes, absolutely. Do I? Hell no. Let this man serve the time for the crime he committed before we talk about his comeback and redemption. When he gets out he can show me he how much he changed and then I’ll see if I will consider watching a game he’s in. It hurts to see a talented Black man and alleged role model go down like this but we can’t let reprehensible acts go unpunished. If he is sick ( i.e was abused himself) and has psychological issues they should be dealt with somehow. Unfortunately, all I see here is a dude bankrolling his homies’ mistreatment of animals.

Hunting/Dog fighting

I want to address this quickly. It should be needless to say: Hunting is not dog fighting. Dog fighting is not hunting. There is no comparison. There are similarities but comparing them is futile. In my opinion, neither is a sport, nor should it be. Sports are governed by a common set of rules for all competing parties. I have never seen an animal arguing rules. Do other sports use animals? Yes. Are horse racing, dog racing, other equestrian events, considered sports: yes. Should they be, no-- not unless the animals agree in writing. Dre, I agree with most of what you say and caution you not to fall into Lou’s traps. Half the stuff he says is just to irk you, I hope. Lou, I do agree however, hunting with anything but your teeth is unfair- that’s why I go to the supermarket instead, it’s easier.

Immoral vs. Illegal

As Mikha mentioned, there is definitely intense outrage over this which originates in our sense of responsibility over other living creatures, especially those we deem as unable to care for themselves. This sense of responsibility was introduced in the Bible when God put us in charge (he should have thought twice about that one, although Noah did do a good job). The idea has evolved into several philosophical strings each tied somewhere down the line to notions of human/animal rights. Peter Singer has several fascinating theories about morality and the equal consideration of interests and Richard Ryder first coined the term Speciesism in the early 70s in an attempt give animals an “ism” with which to fight back with. So far non-human animals have not organized an “Animal Pride” parade down 5th Ave but many groups are out there fighting for animal rights. That’s why they have pets, right, huh?

Anyway…America loves pets. Even broke ass people have pets in this country. They dress them too. Broke ass people dress their pets in this country. Ain’t that a bitch. Literally, sometimes. She’s wasn’t broke but Leona Helmsley’s bitch just got 12 million in the will-the NY Post’s headline: Rich Bitch. These are the type of people asking for Vick’s castration-the fact they were mostly White and did it in front of a Confederate Flag (the State keeps there) makes it seem racist in light of the coverage but I doubt most people who put together a group to fight for animal rights think about race implications in that context. Their focus was to bring attention to the suffering of the animals. They succeeded. Besides Bill Maher likes throwing race into everything just to see what happens. He is also an extreme animal rights activist and probably just wanted to send the message to more folk.

In any case, I too felt the outrage associated with Vick’s no-longer “alleged” actions. But I caution folk to parallel our own morals and with his. He should be punished because we understand what he did is illegal and his socio-economic status put him in a position to stop what he was doing. He also should have been counseled (maybe he was) to move his acquaintances away from their activities through the resources he has at his disposal. However, the immorality of the activity, in and of itself, should be viewed with more careful eyes. We all engage in activities that others may deem morally reprehensible and are sometimes illegal.

Every time you have oral or anal sex you piss off half the nation and Jesus cries. Every time a person lights a spliff, views a Pay Per View program without paying, or buys a DVD player, computer or Plasma TV from the back of a truck there is an implicit cooperation with the originator of the crime. And this is usually where people mention victimless crimes. Most crimes are not victimless, maybe jaywalking, but most are not. In fact, we have all seen enough episodes of The Wire, The Sopranos and seen enough in our own experience that we know the activities that many of these convenience crimes originate from are rooted in much more reprehensible acts than are visible from our living rooms (i.e. murder, extortion, etc.). In addition, every time we enjoy a burger or veal or chicken we don’t assume it died of old age. We KNOW it was killed so you can enjoy it. This is not to say that we are all without morals and that you shouldn’t bitch about dog fighting unless you are vegan. My point is basically that different morals apply in different situations and that universal morals should be applied with great caution. Had Vick not been Vick the superstar we would have less expectations of his moral standing. We expected Vick to be an upstanding citizen, he simply wasn’t. He disappointed us. For instance, would we be as angry at Vick if he was bashing pigs over the head with sledgehammers so he could make Bad Newz Bacon? Are we simply angry because dogs have personality? Do you remember the following dialogue from Pulp Fiction:

[VINCENT]: You want some bacon?

[JULES]: No, man, I don't eat pork.

[VINCENT]: Are you Jewish ?

[JULES]: No, I ain't Jewish, i just don't dig on swine, that's all.

[VINCENT]: Why not?

[JULES]: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.

[VINCENT]: But bacon tastes good, pork chops taste good...

[JULES]: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie,

But I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfuckers.

Pigs sleep and root in shit, that's a filthy animal.

I don't eat nothin' that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces.

[VINCENT]: How about a dog? A dog eats its own feces

[JULES]: I don't eat dog either

[VINCENT]: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?

[JULES]: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy, but it's definitely dirty.

But, dogs got personality, personality goes a long way.

[VINCENT]: So by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?

[JULES]: We' have to be talkin' 'bout one charmin' motherfuckin' pig.

I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?

I think we should focus on Vick’s actions through the legal system, not a moral system. We all know America has a pretty twisted moral system. It is this that allows me to say he deserves an opportunity at redemption. He can come around on the moral stuff, he already did the illegal stuff.

America is a (racist) (hypocritical) rubber-necker.

Some people tuned in hoping to see the survivor walk out, others just wanting to watch the train wreck catch more fire. In either case people watched. I believe one reason people watched, blogged, read, was that Michael Vick epitomized the American Dream. Americans hold that dream near and dear and whenever something is about to wake us up from it we try to get deeper into it, as if we can control it. In this case it became a nightmare we should be glad we awoke from.

The coverage of this event was thorough but I can not state with conviction that it felt racist, not by design at least. I think Is’ take on it is on point. As I indicated above, America got hit hard, Michael Jackson-little boy hard, with this. Vick was on a high pedestal and that made the fall that much longer, his over-inflated ego probably kept it suspended that much more. America was built on the back of oppression and the profits of that oppression still control most of the power (via money & information). Racist attitudes continue to permeate society in medicine, employment, and education among other areas. Media is no different but in this case the demonization of Michael Vick came via his actions. As mentioned previously, people feel dogs have personality and personality goes a long way.

By special Bushwick correspondent: Ernesto Malave Jr.

Kanye West

2007-08-30T17:18:00.001-05:00

I guess Vick isn’t enough, because I feel the need to deconstruct another black guy. In Kanye West’s recent album listening party, which MTV covered, he talks of his album as one of the top ten hip hop albums ever. He lectures about the songs like a professor would literature, saying rappers are like modern day preachers. The sad thing is, I bet he is right about his album too. He probably has made a great one, but something about this guy annoys me to no end.

I mean, for real, his music is hot but this guy is comparing particular songs to ones by U2. This is interesting, but the thing is: Why does he have to say it? Its like he creates the buzz about himself through his own hype machine. I know a lot of artists do this, but I think he does to an unprecedented extent. He craves attention. I like for artists to be free and open with the media, but it is whole other thing to be completely plugged into your image, trying to control it, reacting to everything said about you. It’s like he is telling you how great he is, while at the same time, whining because he doesn’t win all the awards and everyone doesnt universally love him. People hated the end of the Sopranos at first, and David Chase said nothing. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself, and people have generally come around to fully acknowledge the depth of it. It’s like Kanye is so arrogant yet so obviously insecure; one almost feels sorry for him. He will never be loved like Caesar, like he wants and needs. Some people will dislike him, simply for the reason that he self-aggrandizes himself to such a grand extent. The fucking album hasn’t come out yet, and he is claiming he just made one of the best albums ever! And with all his noise, a fan feels little room for praise. What can I say to top that? I actually like his music and what he brings to hip hop, but the guy is too self-obsessed for me to take seriously. And I want too. Its like he wants to be multifaceted but it feels like he really spends most of his time focused on himself and what others say about him.

Vick

2007-08-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

Well, he did it. He apologized to the world for all his sins. I thought it was a well delivered speech. It seemed like it was from the heart. He wasn't reading from a prepared statement courtesy of his attorney, Billy Martin.

As part of his plea bargain agreement, he will also be an informant for the government to attempt to bring down more people in dog fighting. Is the Vick case a racial thing per se? Or dog fighting for that matter? No. It's just the atmosphere surrounding it. I think that one of the guests on this weekends Bill Maher show said it best: There are people standing in front of the court with a Confederate flag flying overhead with signs stating that Vick should be castrated in the former capital of the Confederacy. If it isn't racial yet, man, it sure smells like it. There is no way in this world that you can tell me that the media coverage over this has been disproportionate considering the crime.

The press has gotten on Stephon Marbury for saying that he, "heard that dog fighting was a sport". He's not saying that he believes its a sport, but just that he heard that. I happen to agree with that. If you're going to tell me its legal for these slobs to hunt defenseless animals for "sport" with assault weapons, you're crazy. How sporting is that exactly? How humane is that exactly? Do you think it matters to the animal in question that he is eaten after he is, quite unfairly, killed? Would you care if the situations were reversed? The only difference between these two unfair "sports", is that one is avidly practiced by a people in a different socio-economic level. Thats it. And the other is practiced, "behind closed doors", by the other people. Stephon was right. Broadcasters will tell you that he is just the typical athlete standing up, blindly, for one of his peers, but I think he was right. And, I already posted his craziness on TV the other day, so I know he doesn't come off as the brightest bulb in the batch, but he hit it right on the head with this one.

My wife and I just brought a baby girl into this world and I am deathly afraid for her safety. All the time, but more so when she grows to into adolescence and beyond. The statistics for sexual assault on women is staggering. One in 6 women will be raped or, at least, someone will attempt to rape them in their lifetimes. One is 4 women on college campuses will be sexually assaulted. Its mind numbing. This doesn't even take into account the unreported rapes and just domestic abuse in general. However, countless athletes have been charged with raping someone or beating a woman or their partner and it gets printed in the media and forgotten. The guy will catch a little bit of flack for a little while and that will be it. Back to playing sports practically immediately. So, dogs are more important than women now. Right? These animal "activists" are so stupid to me. They'll march up and down the street if they think you're testing a cologne on a dog. But violate the civil rights of a person of color systematically, beat a woman or sexually assault them and its all good. But, hurt "(White) Man's Best Friend", and its on.

Again, Vick did the crime. He was incredibly stupid and arrogant to think that he could get away with this for so long. He broke the law, he should suffer the consequences, but HE is the most evil man in the world? Are you kidding me?

There's still sports going on right?

2007-08-20T20:48:00.001-05:00

As Andre stated, my wife and I have ushered in a brand new citizen into this world. Catalina Matthews Espinoza. She is the cutest thing alive. I know, I know, all parents say that. But she is. We should have a cute-off and see who's baby is cuter. I challenge anybody. I double dog dare you. Above is exhibit A. 'Nuff said. And that was only her 10th cutest pic. I'll save the heavy ammo for a worthy challenger. Especially considering she's only 8 days old. Anyway, back to the rest of the world...

Today, I'd like to just shoot out a free-flowing entry. A little bit written on a few topics. First...

Baseball:

The Mets somehow have adopted the philosophy of, "Ok. We're older than you, so all y'all should give it to us or other people will think you're bullies". Jeff Conine for two minor leaguers? They're both Single A players so you can't say that they gave up too much for him yet, but the guy is 41. If anything, the Mets will lead the league in Arthritis. Meanwhile, the Phillies and Braves are doing some of the dirty work for the Mets since it seems that the Mets can't seem to beat the Braves whenever they are relevant. This will be a race to watch. If anything, I'm pretty sure the Mets are hoping that the Braves don't sneak in as the Wild Card representative and play the Mets in the playoffs.

The Yankees were steam rolling teams after the all-star break and then seemed to have the wheels fall off for a second when they lost 2 of 3 to the Orioles who seem to have the Yanks' number. They rebounded nicely to take 3 of 4 from the Tigers and are about to play the Angels now who are to the Yankees as the Braves are to the Mets. It always sucks to play the Angels, especially when they're on the West Coast. I say West Coast because I refuse to call them the El Lay Angels of Ana----. What kind of ridiculousness is that anyway? BTW, where are all those idiots now who were calling for Cashman's head? This guy has turned around their minor league system ala Gene "Stick" Michael (A nickname I always loved just because of my love for the Daredevil comic book series growing up. Grrr. How I hate Ben Affleck for messing that movie up. Bastardo). He made the Yankees' minor league system go from one of the worst to easily one of the top five in the majors. Unbelievable job. Especially when you consider he did this in a matter of 3 years. GM of the year anyone? This Yankee team is starting to remind me a little of 1998, minus the starting pitching when that team fielded three aces. Giambi is to this team as Darryl Strawberry was to that '98 bench when teams were afraid to bring right handed relief pitching in against the Yanks later in the game. That, coupled with their new and improved bridge to Mariano, is making them seem like they're going to make a big run to the Series.

Boston is shook. Period. Dustin Pedroia doesn't spend the time to say this unless he's shook. Yanks are four behind with more than a month to go and with a big series coming up starting on the 28th of this month. That series and this one starting tonight against the Angels are going to be the real barometers of the rest of their season.

Football:

It seems to now be official: Michael Vick is really, really stupid. According to reports he's going to be pleading guilty and accepting the plea bargain offered him. With his money, if he really were innocent, there is no way that the guy would plead guilty and serve - according to unofficial reports - 18 to 36 months of Federal time. Which is just mind boggling. This guy was on the cover of Madden Football! He was the second best athlete in computer game sports since Bo Jackson! And now he's going to be eating lunch daily with Tony Montana Jr. in a - most likely - medium security Federal Penitentiary? Wow. Dog fighting is ugly and I saw a great piece on it on HBO today - while baby was asleep - and it just made my skin crawl. He did the crime, so now he's got to do the time. It's a sad example of how people blow these guys heads up and then are surprised when it explodes. Don't get me wrong, if some athlete bumps into me in a bar and then just snarls at me, i'm still going to think he's a jerk. However, I do know that he was cultivated and conditioned into becoming that jerk. If you were consistently taught that no matter what you did you would be forgiven because of your physical abilities, you would think you were invincible too. But this was ridiculous man. Pac Man Jones. You better ask somebody. Stop acting the fool and clean up your act.

Music:

I have been listening to two albums for the last couple of weeks. The two latest albums from Pharoahe Monch (Desire) and Common (Finding Forever). If you haven't got your hands on them yet, you MUST GET THEM. They are great. Especially the Common drop. It's littered with great production and tight rhymes. I'm going to post a review of each this week when I have more time. While we're on the topic of Hip Hop; there have been many great artists and albums released in hip-hop over the course of the last 30 plus years. I'm going to start a poll on what you all think are the greatest "debut" albums in hip-hop, ever. Think about it and lets hear the opinions from the Cypher.

For that matter, let's hear the opinions from the Cypher on everything. Especially you all visiting the site from far away places like England. I know you're reading, so leave a comment. They most certainly will be welcomed. By all.

Welcome to the Party, Pal...

2007-08-14T09:45:00.000-05:00

We interrupt this dose of "Sprots" and debate for an important message:

Here at the Cypher we like to argue about a great many things. But every now and then there is an issue that is not up for debate. Recently one of these issues has been brought to our attention. And I would like to take a minute to acknowledge it.

Although small, it is an issue that will continue to grow, and with it's growth, there will no doubt be a slew of laughter, tears, sleepless nights, stressful mornings, moments of overwhelming joy, uncontrollable fits of amazement, and even a speechlessness that could lead a grown man to devolve into a cro-magnon-like gibberish.

This man is our very own Executive Editor, Luis "Its gotta be the Brows" Espinoza. And the issue is the reason for his hiatus. We all know he will return shortly to resume his quest to explain what "sprots" really means. But until then we would like to acknowledge this very relevant and incredible issue. So without further ado, I would like to wish Luis and his beautiful wife all the greatest as they embark on their new quest as parents. And let us all welcome their beautiful daughter, Catalina, to the world.

Catalina,

Sleep well in the knowledge that you have two wonderful parents, as well as a group of sentries for your protection and to assure that you will know all there is to know about "sprots" by the time you form your first sentence. Although as for protection, it looks as if you can hold your own already!

So welcome to the party, Catalina... And welcome to the Cypher.

Barry Bonds. Asterisk?

2007-08-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds is the home run king. Man are people pissed at this reality. All this anger, all this vitriol directed at the "evil" Barry Bonds. He represents everything that is wrong about professional athletes. He's a cheater. He's a jerk. He's really, really mean. And I think he hates kittens too. Not sure. He's not an All-American type of guy.

Look, it's obvious that he did steroids. I would be incredibly surprised if somehow, some way it's able to be proved that the guy hasn't been juicing for years and still is. He was a Hall of Famer before he ever started juicin'. Or, as Gary Sheffield said, "Steroids is something, you stick in your butt". Great interview by the way.

My only issue with all of this is how the media and baseball fans in general go after him and just can't bring themselves to talk about anyone else. Maybe, just maybe, this is only all because Bonds has made this run to to the top of the home run list. I just don't like the hypocrisy of the media. They have made it a habit to, "look the other way" when other players are bad guys, jerks or cheating. The 1993 Phillies' is yet another example of this practice. Take this paragraph from a Philadelphia newspaper on Lenny Dykstra (Who I was a fan of) when asked about how he put on the 30 pounds of muscle over the winter:

Dykstra was the one who opened the door into steroid speculation with jokes about the "real good vitamins" he was taking to add 30 pounds of muscle in the early '90s. Everyone had a wink-wink, nudge-nudge relationship with Dykstra. Stories about him and his goofy behavior are legend around the Phillies.

Dykstra's trainer was constantly hanging out with and training with "half the guys on that team" and yet no one reported this. This information went by the wayside. Just some innocent reporters who didn't follow a lead, right? The media for years did not like Mark McGuire because he was a brooding, jerk ('Roid rage perhaps?) but never told the public of this. You have to ask yourself why. They seem to be so anxious to talk about how much of a jerk Bonds is. And this is not new news. This has been reported on for years. Bonds just happened to be the best player in baseball for years (before the allegatons of steroids). When you add that fact, it makes the reporting of his personality even more rare. McGuire was just the best home run hitter on his team and reporters didn't want to report on it. Can you imagine if Bonds would have said he gained 30 pounds of muscle because of his, "really good vitamins"?

The hypocrisy of this, to me, is just disgusting. In a sport littered with cheaters, Bonds, and subsequently steroids, gets nothing but hate. Spit balls, scuffed balls, corked bats, stealing signs, vaseline on balls, etc. It's not a short list. Gaylord Perry is in the Hall of Fame and he WROTE A BOOK titled, "Me and the Spitter". Reggie Jackson (another jerk who was widely reported to be a jerk) got thrown out of a game because he went nuts after striking out against Perry when everyone knew he was cheating. His former manager, Gene Mauch, stated, "He should be in the Hall of Fame with a tube of KY Jelly attached to his plaque." Cheating. No other sport can even come close to baseball in that statistical comlumn.

Now all you're going to hear from here on out is, "Hank Aaron was all class", "Babe Ruth was hands down the best player of all-time", "Hank Aaron was the best player I ever saw", etc. Meanwhile, no one was singing the praises of Hank Aaron when he meant so much to so many for so long for much more than just baseball. There will be nary a mention that maybe Ruth should have an asterisk next to his name for playing in a league separate from his. Of course it's not Ruth's fault, but there should be an asterisk next to his name. No question about it. Satchel Paige wasn't allowed to pitch in the Major Leagues until he was 41. He pitched for four full seasons after that and was still a real good pitcher. He wasn't even the best pitcher in the Negro leagues when he was allowed to join and still excelled. Can you imagine what he would have done if would have been allowed to play in the Major's? Or Josh Gibson for that matter?

The bottom line is that there is no question that Bonds cheated. We all knew. The same way we all knew that McGuire was cheating when he did, even though the press and America lived and died on every word that he uttered when chasing Maris. Sosa cheated during that race too for that matter. Brady Anderson clearly cheated when he hit 50 HR's for one season and his neck disappeared from his body. But i still don't understand how people pick and choose who they go after. Bonds was a no-brainer pick for the Hall of Fame before he started juicing and he still is. And if you decide to put an asterisk nest to the records that he's breaking, you should reconsider your logic. There would be a whole lot of players accomplishments that would need to have asterisks next to them for not, "playing the right way". For cheating. A big can of worms would have to opened at that point.

Movie Review: El Cantante

2007-08-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

I never listen to critics, unless of course, you can tell that a movie is bad from the cast and the trailers and even then I'll rent it to see if I was right. Often times though, I have found that the majority of critics are so far off base when they critique a movie, I never listen to them. This, to me, seems to be the case with, "El Cantante".

I can't believe so many critics didn't even get the movie's concept. The movie is told from the perspective of Lavoe's longtime partner and wife, "Puchi". This is the plot synopsis from IMDB.com:

"Salsa great Hector Lavoe is the subject of this biopic starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Spanning three decades in the Puerto Rican singer's life -- from his 1963 New York arrival to his 1993 death from AIDS -- the film tells Lavoe's (Anthony) story in flashback from the perspective of his Bronx-born wife (Lopez). Chronicling both the good (the music) and the bad (the drugs), the film provides a riveting portrait of a passionate artist."

So you get it from that synopsis right? The movie is loosely based on interviews with "Puchi" about Lavoe and their life together. "Puchi", or Nilda Rosado, was filmed during a series of interviews for the purpose of a documentary in 2002 just before she died in an accident. If people have an issue with the movie because there is, "too much Lopez", then that's on them. If you know going into the movie that the movie is based on interviews with her about their life TOGETHER, then I don't get what the issue is. Usually when one actor overshadows another in a movie, critics don't bash the person doing the overshadowing, as they are to Lopez. She did a better job than Anthony, so they bash her? I don't get it.

As for the movie itself, it starts out with an older looking "Puchi" being interviewed in one of Lavoe's recording studios. She's a tough, at times repentant, woman in her 50's who looks pained and angry at times. At one point she curses out the director for questioning whether or not she wanted Lavoe to change his ways as a partier and drug addict. And, this line may have been meant for the critics, another time yells, "Of course that's my version of the story, do you see anybody else here? I don't." I think we all understand how the movie industry works, most time it doesn't matter how good a movie is, you need some drawing power from your stars. Lopez is that. La India is currently producing her own Lavoe movie called, "The Singer". This movie sounds like it will be the real, fact driven biography that some seem to be asking for, including myself.

I thought Leon Ichaso did a great job depicting the era(s). The 70's felt like the 70's, as did the 80's. One of Ichaso's earlier works was, "Pinero". another sad, destructive story of Latino poet-playwright-actor, Miguel Pinero. After seeing this film, you can tell that he finds flawed, sometimes destructive, life stories more interesting than nice, cookie-cutter stories and he's not the first director to be intrigued by this.

Marc Anthony, known much better as a singer, does a credible job as Lavoe. This is the first film that I have seen where he plays a central role towards the success of a movie and while he doesn't blow you away as Jamie Fox or Joaquin Phoenix did in their roles as singing icons, he didn't embarrass himself. As far as the music for the movie, he sang the vocals himself and blew you away with his renditions of the Lavoe classics. In this regard, I'm a bit biased since I am a Marc Anthony fan (only with his salsa though) and an even bigger fan of Lavoe's. Anthony did a good job portraying Lavoe as a kind of innocent young guy from Puerto Rico whose life spirals down the all too deep pool of sex, drugs, alcohol and fame.

I have two criticisms about Cantante: One, Marc Anthony should have gained a little weight. He's a buck 20. The other criticism is that I think that the director could have done a better job with make-up to show them aging better over the course of the 20 years that the film covers. Although my friend Joe pointed out that maybe that was done on purpose because one of "Puchi's" lines in the movie was that she, "wanted to remember Hector the way I always remembered him". As in young and full of life. I wouldn't consider myself a fan of Lopez', but I can give her props when she deserves it and she does with, "El Cantante".

Go see the film for yourself. Don't go by what the critics are telling you, not even me. In the big picture, we have to go support movie's like this that will tell stories about other stars of color. I won't deny that was one of my motivations for paying to see this film: to support. I hope you do too. Then, let us know what you thought of the movie. Just be prepared, it's not a happy ending, holding hands and walking off into the sunset film. It's real.

MLB's Trade Deadline is over. Now What?

2007-08-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

If you were a comic lover growing up...

2007-08-01T09:24:00.001-05:00

I thought that this was a decent little series. If you are or were a comic-head, you might like this series. Its called, "I'm a Mac and I'm a DC"...

Part 1:

Part 2:

After Hours...

And the Villains Edition:

While you're on Youtube you'll see links to other parts to the series.

Enjoy...

Trades, trades, trades.....you sho' look good tonight

2007-07-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

Celtics going to the playoffs....

If the Celtics would have stayed pat with their trade last month for Ray Allen, I would not have liked the trade because I didn't think that team would have been able to go further than the first round of the playoffs. However, now with this proposed trade for Garnett, the Celtics have the ability to probably go to the NBA Finals. I, as a Knick fan, always took solace in the fact that the Celtics sucked. "Ok, we're not going to the Finals this year or next, but check out the Celtics." Now? This sucks again.

The Celtics and Ainge decided to go for it all these next coming 2 to 3 years. This version of the Celtics is kind of reminiscent of the Rockets team that featured Hakeem, Barkley and Pippen. Except these Celtics are younger. However, those 3 guys will have to play the lions share of minutes throughout the season. I do think that they have a little more depth than I originally thought. Skip Bayless, who I still don't know how he got this job he has, thinks that the Celtics are only the fourth best team in the East. He's an idiot. Looking over their roster I think that they're only really missing depth at the 3. They still have Kendrick Perkins who I thought made some decent strides last year as an inside presence ho ever, I think that they are missing depth at the 3. I like their drafting of Gabe Pruitt, but I don't see him producing soon. I do think that Glen "Big Baby" Davis will produce at the NBA level. He's got great footwork and while he isn't explosive, he is similar to Curry in that he is nimble for his size. I think this puts the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. People will get to see just how good Paul Pierce is again. I think people forgot that this guy is an assassin on the court. he never gives up, scores in bunches and is a clutch scorer. Now you put that together with Garnett in the post and either of them kicking it out to Allen? Pierce was killin' 'em with 'Toine out on the wing, now with Allen? It's going to be a long day for opposing defenses. We will be in for some entertaining basketball next Spring and Summer in the Eastern Conference.

The Mets got better...

Omar Minaya pulled off a nice trade for the Mets' stretch run. Luis Castillo is a very good, professional hitter. While he may not walk a lot or steal as many bases anymore, he gives the Mets another switch hitter at the top of hte lineup. He stole 25 bases last year but he had a lingering quadriceps injury in May that may explain his dip in stolen bases so far this year. While Castillo doesn't draw a lot of walks, he is a consistent .300 hitter who also has a great glove. He broke ryne Sandberg's 123 consecutive games without an error. Castillo has lost a step going to his left, but considering how much range he did have, he still covers a lot of ground. To get Castillo the Mets only had to give up one single A prospect in OF Dustin Martin and one Double A prospect in catcher Drew Butera. Martin has a lot of speed and decent power but strikes out a lot while Butera hit .258 in single A last year, his first in professional baseball, and was hitting .188 this year. Butera does however have a strong game behind the plate. Overall, I think the Mets got over on the Twins which is good considering the Braves just got Mark Texeira....

Here come the Braves...

The Braves finally pulled off the deal for Mark Texeira. I thought they may have given up too much for him, but they definitely got better this season and next. The Braves trail the Mets by 4.5 games and while they could use more pitching help, Teixeira definitely makes them better, especially if this takes some pressure off of Andruw Jones. The Braves had to give up 3 very good prospects along with promising rookie catcher Jarrod Saltamacchia who looks like he's going to be good, productive player for years to come. Thankfully for the Braves, Teixeira is signed through next year so at least they'll be able to hold onto him for that long. Atlanta is taking a big risk but they obviously think the Mets are catchable or else they wouldn't have given up so much to get Teixeira. As long as Smoltz stays healthy, the Mets have finally met a team that has a comparable lineup top the Mets in terms of length and explosiveness, especially now with word that Carlos Beltran will probably going on the disabled list with a strained oblique.

Michael Vick

2007-07-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm assuming that you all have been following this case. If the charges against him are true, and it's still an if, he is one royally stupid guy. I hope it's not true. Today he pleaded not guilty and he has hired a defense team to prove so in court.

The Feds are coming....

The Federal authorities announced that Vick has a "Superceding Indictment" filed against him. This basically means that the authorities have the power to keep adding charges in their case against him and, according to at least one legal expert, most likely mens that the authorities have gotten someone to cooperate against Vick in return for dropping the charges brought against them.

In addition to the superceding indictment against Vick, the authorities have an 18 page document filled with the charges against Vick as it stands. According to documents submitted by the authorities, the Feds have been building a case against Vick for 6 years and over 5 states. Now, if Vick is innocent, the Feds have put in an awful amount of work for this to at least seem he's guilty. I mean, the authorities don't usually put in this much work and wait years to arrest someone unless they're preparing to bring down someone who is at the top of a family or something along those lines. It would be hard to believe that he is completely innocent of the charges brought against him.

The court of public opinion...

I want to make something perfectly clear: I personally believe that dog fighting is disgusting. Period. I think it's barbaric and cruel to animals. Psychologists will tell you that serial killers and people sociopaths are usually very cruel to animals growing up. It's not exactly the same as taking a human beings life, but there are some parallels that can be drawn. Among the actions that Vick allegedly took place in are electrocuting, drowning and hanging dogs if they were injured badly during fights and even if the dog was just not, "living up to expectations" as a fighter. Really, really awful stuff.

I also know full well that besides that, this was an illegal gambling ring and all that basically means is that the government can't collect taxes from it. Having said all that, for the court of public opinion - good "old fashioned" Americans - to be appalled by his alleged actions is obscene. As I said in response to Dre and Is the other day, this country is filled with hypocrites. This country's track record has proven that we can't even treat human beings humanely let alone animals. Now by saying that I'm not saying that should be let Vick off the hook, I'm just saying that this country needs to look at itself in the mirror before it starts screaming from the rooftops that Vick is an awful human being or a monster.

Dre attested that he knew someone that was arrested for cock fighting...and then he pulled his pants up. Sorry. Kidding. The federal authorities are going hard after Vick for this and, to me, it just seems unwarranted. I mean, it's dog fighting. DOG fighting. You know, dogs? This wasn't a multi-million dollar ripping off of the American people or the way our government responded to Hurricane Katrina where we showed again how humane we are to other human beings. If Vick did this, he should be found guilty. I just think this is yet another news story to divert us from what's really bad in this country. It's DOG fighting.

Thriller(s)

2007-07-27T09:58:00.001-05:00

This first one is the Hindi version. The music doesn't sound like the original much, but you know who they're trying to emulate.

This next one is the Indian version. The music seems closer to the original and the guys outfit is dead on MJ.

And I just had to add this one. This is titled, "Indian Superman". Get a load at the size of the "S" on his chest. Apparently in this alternate comics reality, DC and Marvel team up for the romance of Superman and Spider Woman. Good stuff.

And since I got onto the Superman theme, I had to include this one. It's called, "How Superman SHOULD have ended". I thought it was funny.

I Have Too Much Time on My Hands...

2007-07-26T14:04:00.000-05:00

... But so do these people, and with all this negative energy being emitted by the sports world, I thought it was high time for some comic relief. This is one of those "have to see" videos. Prepare yourselves because someone will be emailing this to you again. 1,500 plus inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Cebu, Philippines practicing a familiar dance routine. This was completely voluntary, not a punishment in any way.

This next one isn't really funny, its just really cool. I've seen birds swarming in extremely large groups before, but this display is simply dazzling. Keep watching as other flocks join in and make some crazy patterns. Trippy, dude.

Starlings Swarming in Weird Patterns

Add to My Profile | More Videos

You may now go on with your lives.

Will David Stern's head explode?

2007-07-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Humble Pie?

I'm sitting here listening to David Stern's press conference for the embarrassment of Tim Donaghy. Wow. He sounds pissed. And contrite. I wouldn't say humble, but humbled. As in, "I can't believe my crap stinks!". He is the most powerful commissioner in sports. Much more so than Baseball and Football. NASCAR is as much a sport as poker and then there's hocket, or hockey. Whatever. It barely exists and I’m not sure can be considered a legitimate professional sport. Anyway, Stern is pissed.

Donaghy was investigated by the NBA prior to this...

Stern outlined in detail Donaghy's history with the NBA. In January of 2005, he had a dispute with a neighbor that resulted in litigation. Donaghy's neighbor sued him over an alleged dispute over what Donaghy allegedly did to his neighbor's lawnmower. Something a little nutty. Maybe Donaghy was cracking under pressure? Only speculation at this point. Stern stated that after this came to light, the NBA started its own investigation over the incident and called Donaghy into the corporate offices and told him that they, "were not happy", with the incident and if behavior/incidents like this continued, he would be dismissed from the NBA. Donaghy moved to another state. Case closed right? Wrong. A little while after this incident, the NBA got a tip that Donaghy was allegedly placing bets on games at the Borgata in Atlantic City. The NBA sent their private investigators and not only asked around the Borgata, but every single casino in Atlantic City over the next month. No one could confirm that Donaghy had placed bets on games. Again, case closed.

During the '05-'06 season, due to the incident that took place with Donaghy's neighbor, he was not allowed to work any games in the second round of playoff games. This was done despite his rating as one of the better officials in the league. There were no more incidents regarding Donaghy's personal behavior after the one with his neighbor and he began the '06-'07 season with a clean slate. Due to his superior grades for refereeing games during the '06-'07 season, he was allowed to work games in the second round of the playoffs that year. Just this past season. He refereed one of the more talked about officiated games of these past playoffs between the Spurs and Suns in San Antonio.

We did everything we could...

Stern outlined the security measures the NBA has in place to investigate suspicious activity internally. If their internal security force finds something that they consider "fishy", they then call in outside, private investigators. The internal security force, as many other corporations do, is comprised of former law enforcement employees. He went on about this for the first 7-10 minutes of the press conference. Really. It was painful.

Was Donaghy the only referee involved?

Stern also made sure to state that, to his knowledge to which he admits is second hand, that Donaghy is the only official that is associated with this scandal. It's curious though that he was among the highest ranked officials in the game. After each game an official is given a copy of the game that they refereed and they must write a report detailing each and every foul call and NOONE saw anything wrong with how he called the games? What is also curious is that Stern did not mention that there is no investigation underway on any players in the NBA. I know if I were commissioner and it were my league that was under scrutiny for a point shaving scandal, I would go out of my way to insure that there would be no questions left hanging in the air. I would definitely state that none of my players were currently being investigated.

139 Reg. Season Games, 8 Playoff Games and 4 Pre-Season Games in question...

Again, Stern as contrite as you will ever hear him, states that Donaghy is the only official that is associated with this investigation. This was what he has been told so far by the FBI and the Justice Department. Stern stated that, as he understands it, Donaghy is charged with:

Betting on games…
Supplying others with information that would benefit them as far as betting on games….
And he may or may not have bet on games that he himself officiated. That much is not certain at this time.

He does not know how many games are in question, although he did add that Donaghy is being investigated for his actions during the '05-'06 and '06-'07 seasons. During that time, he officiated 139 regular season games, 8 playoff games and 4 pre-season games.

Stern also wanted to clear up speculation about what the NBA knew. He stated that the NBA did NOT know that Donaghy may have been betting games or assisting on shaving points this past year. He finished up by stating that the NBA will do more investigating as to what they can do better in the future as far making sure that this type of behavior won't take place again and that this is the worst situation he has ever experienced as not only the commissioner of basketball, but also as a fan of the NBA.

What happens now?

We have to just sit back now and wait to see what the FBI and Justice Department investigation comes up with and pray that no players are involved in this. Again, I can not stress this enough, if I were Stern I would make it as clear as possible that there are no players being investigated. He curiously omitted any statement to insure that fans would not think this a possibility. This could get ugly people. Real ugly. I love the NBA and I would hate to see this put every game into question because of dirty refs and players. If this gets real ugly, the NBA could become “Pro” Wrestling or Boxing. You know that Stern used to snicker at MLB for the whole steroid mess. I think he looks like the type of smug character that would snicker about this behind closed doors because his league is "clean". You better believe that Selig is happy that the NBA can take some of the heat off MLB and steroids. This debacle will now make fans of all sports think twice whenever a referee or umpire in ANY sport makes a questionable call. This embarrassment will taint all of professional sports and you know that Stern has already thought about just that.

Has Harry Potter Lost His Magic?

2007-07-20T11:56:00.000-05:00

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I have a question. How does a movie writer and/or director take a story that is already laid out, already a huge hit with readers and fans, already contains all the elements you need for a great movie, and mess it up? I'm still puzzled by this phenomenon. It's happened with a few comic book movies (by a director that doesn't even deserve his name in this post) and now it has happened to the world's favorite young wizard, Harry Potter.

Let me first say that I have not read any of the books. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. Perhaps one day I will. But I'm perfectly content seeing the movies for now. I have seen them all and they have all been quite enjoyable. I was a big fan of magic and wizardry when I was a kid, so I totally understand the allure for both children and adults alike to this franchise. It's what many children dream of... a school where you learn magic instead of science (which if you really think about it is the closest thing to magic in the real world), where you learn to defend yourself against the "dark arts" by learning spells and incantations to fire through your magic wand, where you can fly around on your pimped out broomstick and play a flying brand of basketball/football. I mean, what kid wouldn't want that?

"Order of the Phoenix" is the fifth installment of the Potter series. It's tagline was "When the Revolution Begins...". Its trailer showed a much older Harry training and amassing an army of kid wizards to combat the threat of the evil Lord Voldemort and his band of baddies. Sounds like the makings of a classic summer blockbuster, right?

To quote the recently more popular Murphy brother "EHHHHHH! WRONG! WRONG!"

The trailer LIED TO US! This was by far the biggest let down of the series. I had anticipated the most action packed Potter movie to date. Instead, we were left to sit in the theatre for a good one hundred minutes, while the movie set up the last thirty minutes. It was like someone telling you a story they already told you except adding an extra hour of meaningless details. Things were unexplained, characters were under-developed, and even though the action sequence at the end was entertaining, by the time it happened it felt anti-climatic. Perhaps readers of the book will understand more of what goes on with these characters, but I've heard grumblings in the Potter world that many plot lines of the book were omitted. I'm sure it is very hard to adapt an 870 page masterpiece into a 2.5 hour film, but we need to feel the character's relationships more than they allow you to in this movie. They touch upon a love interest for the Boy Wonder, they touch upon a father figure, they touch upon his connection to the bad guy, but they don't SELL it. As only a reader of the movies, I was left with many more questions than excitement. Are these books out on paperback yet? Perhaps it's time I got the details.

The young actors were pretty good. Although this poor kid that plays Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) will probably never work another day in his life once the series is over (How hard is it going to be for him to break from this seven movie typecast?), he does the character justice. On the other hand, mark my words, we will be seeing much more of Emma Watson, who plays the headstrong female of the lead trio, Hermione Granger. She has grown up into a beautiful young actress who could take the baton from the likes of Kate Winslet and
Kate Beckinsale as the next of England's sexy imports (Hmmm... will she have to change her name to Kate?) Just give her a few more years (or the last two Potter Movies) to really come into her own. Then there's Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), who provides more of a goofy comedic element to the group. This dude will probably be straight to video with Radcliffe in "Harry Pothead... The Sorcerer's Stoned".

The adult actors are an ensemble cast of veterans who, even as the focus is on the kids, really are the glue that holds these movies together. Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson (are Emma and Kate the only girl names in England?), Helena Bonham Carter, and a slew of other limeys are used quite sparingly, but hold it down as the kids stumble into their little "war".

All in all, "Order of the Phoenix" wasn't horrible. It was just a little slow to develop and lacked some of the charm and magic of the other movies. The final battle scene was visually pleasing, but had a element of "Star Wars" to the idea of Harry indulging in his "dark side". I'm still waiting to see a serious, balls out wizard battle. I'm still waiting to see one of these herbs kick it to Hermione, and I'm still waiting to hear if Harry actually dies in the last book. Here's to reading books.

I give this 2 eyebrows, slightly raised.

As they say in Japan, "NAKATOMI... I LOVE SUMMER!"

2007-07-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

Movie Review: Live Free or Die Hard

When I told my friend there was a new Die Hard movie coming out she laughed and said "What's it called, 'Die Already'?" Although the actual title isn't much better, I still couldn't let the summer go by without catching the latest from the baddest NY cop since, well, JOHN McCLANE!

If you have never watched the Die Hard series, or missed some of the movies, here's a 4 1/2 minute crash course in why we love John McClane.

For those that have a little more time on their hands, this should tickle your fancy.

Here's a tip. Before you go see this movie, you have to not only check your brain at the door, but send it on a Semester at Sea. If you are looking for an award winning storyline, intellectual stimulation, gripping dramatic acting, or apparently an 'R' rating... then go write your own movie. There is not much of that going on in Hollywood nowadays. "Live Free or Die Hard" is a throwback to a time where one-liners and ridiculous, non-computer animated action sequences were the norm. It's an action movie... the old fashioned way. Much like the main character John McClane is the old fashioned hero without a cape and 35 million dollars of CGI to make him fly; The self-proclaimed "Fly in the ointment. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass"; The reluctant savior of men, women, children, the world, and evidently the slumping summer box office.

The story is pretty simple. A maniacal, and of course witty, cyber-terrorist (Timothy Olyphant) wants to shut down the entire digital infrastructure of America with the help of his Kung-fu kicking hottie girlfriend (Maggie Q). McClane, once again played brilliantly by Bruce "bald and beautiful" Willis, has to bring a hacker (Justin Long) to Washington D.C. for questioning. From there it does not take long for the bullets to fly. The cyber-terrorists want the hacker dead... McClane does his thing. It's surely not rocket science.

Yet, there is something more than just 'popcorn action flick' going on in this movie. The story is an interesting battle between not only good and evil, but analog and digital. McClane is a dinosaur (or a "toilet bug", if you ask his old boss) battling against the future. It's Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, Man vs. Machine, Stuntmen vs. CGI, bloody feet vs. Prada Shoes... and McClane's wise-cracking brand of ass whuppin' prevails in one of the most explosion-heavy movies of the series. There is a highway chase scene that rivals (though doesn't beat) the epic highway scene of "The Matrix: Reloaded" which pits McClane's beat-up, stolen 18-Wheeler versus a high-tech, remote-controlled, F-35 hovering jet fighter. Of course, many of the scenes are of the "yeah, right" variety, but it doesn't matter. Remember, your brain is reading Shakespeare somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean.

Although none of the movies have compared to the original (there are few action movies that can), Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) does his best to keep the movie true to its roots. There is an elevator shaft scene, air-ducts being crawled through, an Agent Johnson (of the Johnson & Johnson's from the original?), a bunch of bungling FBI hi-jinks, Lucy Gennero, er... uh... McClane (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the obligatory indie-cred cameo by Kevin Smith (who's love for Star Wars even warranted a quick fade of the 'm' in his name during the credits), some parkour, and even with the limited potty-mouth that comes with a PG-13 rating, there was at least room for one "Yippie Kai Yay, Mother...." SHUT YO' MOUTH!

I give this movie 4 Eyebrows up!

Favorite Die Hard Line #5:
[McClane tries to call up police]
Supervisor: Attention, whoever you are. This channel is reserved for emergency calls only...
John McClane: No fucking shit, lady. Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza?

NBA Summer League: Knicks

2007-07-16T08:33:00.000-05:00

The Knicks Summer League came to a close yesterday with the Knicks going undefeated at 5-0. Now, I know that the Summer League is just that, Summer League. However, the Knicks looked really good. At least, the young Knicks: Nate Robinson, Renaldo Balkman, Randolph Morris, Demetris Nichols and Wilson Chandler.

Nate decided to play this Summer despite entering his third year in the league and he looked like he's finally starting to get the whole passing the ball concept. He looked like he was playing under control better and setting up his team mates was more than just an idea. Encouraging to say the least since that his been his greatest knock his first two years in the league. It appears that not only Knick fans noticed Nate's development as a PG and player: He was named Summer League MVP today. While there were players who averaged more points and rebounds, he averaged 18.8 points to go with 7 plus assists per game, the way he ran the team and stopped taking bad shots during games apparently turned some heads. If he keeps this up, he won't be chained to the bench anymore due to his out of control play.

You could tell while watching "Taz" that he has worked on his game this past off season. While the results on his jumper were less than enthusiastic, his form looked better. I think this will be the first step for him to improve his greatest weakness. In addition to his improved shooting form, he has improved his ball handling. Along with these improvements, he still brought his usual fervor for defense and rebounding and knack for blocking shots. It's going to be difficult to keep him off the floor this upcoming season. I thought I'd add one of Balkman's more exciting plays from last season below.

One of Isiah's more creative pickups last season, Randolph Morris, is showing that he belongs in the NBA. While he lacks the explosiveness that teams look for when drafting elite PF or Center prospects, he does does show a willingness to bang in the paint, set screens and a pretty decent post game to along with a jumper from 12 feet in. While there will probably be a lot of nights that he doesn't get to see action, it has more to do with the players ahead of him on the roster and not his individual talents because at the end of the day, he's not taking away time from Curry, Randolph, Lee or Jeffries.

Demetris Nichols is looking like one of the steals of the draft after his performance this summer. The Knicks acquired Nichols in a draft day deal with Portland. The Knicks traded next years 2nd round pick for Nichols after being picked 53rd overall. He has great range on his jumper and very nice form and follow through on his jumper. In addition, as opposed to most great shooters, he drives the ball to the basket using his jumper to set up his pump fake and effective drives to the basket. He also displays his athleticism in the transition game and on defense.

Finally, there is Wilson Chandler, the Knicks first round draft pick and 23rd player selected overall. I never got the chance to see him play in college so I didn't know what to expect. He is a very fluid athlete that always seems to play under control. He reminds me a little bit of Trevor Ariza with a jump shot and a better handle. He, along with Balkman, frequently started fastbreaks after they snared the rebound and brought he ball up quickly and went to the middle of the floor immediately displaying good court instincts. I saw what the announcers were saying during the draft when they stated that Chandler's game is suited to the Pro's. He uses his body 6'8", 230 lbs.) well to shield defenders and gets good elevation his shot be it in the post or on the perimeter. In addition to his offensive game, he displayed the ability to play defense with and rebound using his long wing span and definitely looks like he will be the starter at SF one day. Knick veterans are on notice: this kid will be pushing for playing time at the 3.

Overall, it increasingly looks like Isiah's eye for talent cannot be questioned. I hate to harp on this, but, if you look at the roster that Isiah inherited along with the salary cap restrictions he started out with, the amount of talent and youth that he has acquired during his tenure as president of the Knicks is remarkable.

With the talent that Isiah has acquired, practices will be spirited and guys will be competing for playing time which is always a good thing. In addition to that, most of the team came to Vegas to start practicing early and learning the new sets that they'll be running next season with the acquisition of Zach Randolph. If I had to put a number on the amount of wins that they will end up with at the end of the season, I would put it at 47 wins with the caveat that they will become a team that noone will want to play during the post season.

The Second Half of the Baseball Season and WTF?

2007-07-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

This is something you HAVE to watch. This would be the portion of the post labeled, "WTF?" It's only about 2 minutes long and if anything, it makes you want to go catch a minor league game to be able to watch a spectacle like this unfold. It looks like the guy had a Vietnam flashback. Really, really weird.

The All-Star game was pretty good. The AL beat the NL...again. Ten straight years now. A turnaround from the 80's when the NL dominated the AL. The Home-Run Derby (or as Dre coined it, "The Line-Drive Derby") was boring.

The Mets fire Rick Down as their hitting coach and hire...Rickey Henderson? Are you kidding me? Mets management didn't bring him back after he was playing cards in the clubhouse DURING A GAME, he used to talk to his bats and now they want hire him to come on board as a leader of the team? Maybe, MAYBE as the stealing bases coach/Jose Reyes caddy, but this? I can't wait to see Rickey go over the finer points of talking to your bat with Carlos Delgado. Should be fun.

Yankees? Ugh. We'll see. Some good news: They have finally dropped their stance of not negotiating contracts with players during the regular season for A-Rod. Thank goodness. Now we'll see if he actually is willing to stay here. He's nuts if he does. Another good thing is that their second-half schedule is pretty easy. I'll have my fingers crossed.

There aren't any real big trades coming up that can be foreseen with all the bigger names that would have been traded are injured. Or in the case of Mark Buerhle, he's already re-signed with Chicago.

All I have to look forward to now is seeing how Bud Selig manages to slither away from being in attendance when Barry Bonds breaks the all time Home Run record. That should be fun.

When do NBA games start again?

2007-07-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

This sucks. The homerun contest was on last night as part of All-Star weekend and this thing is dreadful. It took like, 3 hours. It's really not that exciting. As bad as the dunk contest was for a while there, it was still more exciting than most HR contests, especially when the thing takes forever. What makes this worse is that the Yankees don't look like they're making the playoffs anymore. They would have to start the second half with something like a 24-6 run. Certainly not impossible, but not probable given the way they have been playing. Abreu still look s like the walking dead out there at times and Kei Igawa is, well, Kei Igawa. This wouldn't be that bad if Phil Hughes hadn't been struck by the, "I hate Yankee pitchers legs" disease and badly sprained his ankle while rehabbing his own pulled hamstring. They were playing better just before the break again but that was preceded by another bad losing streak which just may have buried any dreams of the playoffs.

On the other hand the Mets are playing better and will most certainly make the playoffs. However, I'm not that confident about them going to the Series with their pitching. Mark Buerhle re-signing with the White Sox could not have been good for the Mets. I said the same thing last year and despite injuries to their number 1 and 2 starters, they came within a game of the Series. This year looks like it might be different though. Milwaukee looks really good. They have one of the best young sluggers in the game in Prince Fielder, a slugging shortstop of their own (The rest of his game can't hang with Reyes though) in JJ Hardy. In addition, they have a legitimate ace in Ben Sheets. While Sheets may be having a down year for him (10-4, 3.41 ERA), he can still turn in a dominating performance, which is what you want out of your ace during the playoffs. The top teams in the NL are better this year than last making this year more difficult for the Mets. Even the Padres are better this year. Chris Young (8-3, 2.00 ERA) and Jake Peavy (9-3, 2.19 ERA) make them very dangerous in with their ability to shut down teams during a short series. You put that together with the fact that the inevitable fall to earth was going to have to happen with some of their players. What? You guys really thought that Jose Valentin finally "discovered" himself at 37 and would keep playing at the level he did last year? Meanwhile Carlos Delgado has picked it up during the month of July and is hitting .375 this month, hopefully this is not an aberration. I still don't think that you enter into a season when you want to contend for a Championship with a declining Shawn Green as your everyday right fielder and Moises Alou, who at 41 and with a history of being injury prone was not a good gamble. You can have one or the other, but if you have both as starters, you're playing with fire.

The rest of the season may be really hard to watch for Yankee fans if they don't put together an almost historic comeback. Hopefully, Omar Minaya can find another piece or two for the team. If i'm the Yankees, if I don't come out of the gate playing great, I try and trade A-Rod and see what kind of prospects I get for him. If someone puts together a package that's just too good to overlook, you trade him and get something in return for him. You know that he's opting out at the end of the year and if I was him, the way that this City's fans have treated him and the way the media has covered him, I leave for the West Coast. Less pressure, same huge sums of cash.

NBA Summer League Action! It's Faaaaan-tastic! (Knicks beat up on Seattle last night. Wilson Chandler and Randolph Morris looked pretty good).

Was Stephon Marbury drunk?

2007-07-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

I don't know if anyone has seen this but, this is Stephon Marbury reacting to the trade for Zach Randolph. It's pretty trippy. It's about as bad as Paula Abdul on the Fox morning show, if you haven't caught the clip in her drunken (I hope) state, you have to see this.

Back to Steph. What do you guys think?

Possibly even better is Steph on Mike'D Up. I really like Steph, I think his game progressed last year in terms of being a better point guard, but I can't believe this guy wants to be a talk show host. If he really got a show, we could be looking forward to a little more Magic Johnson talk show history.

Rashard Lewis: Is he worth a "Max" deal?

2007-07-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

Rashard Lewis signed a "Max" deal with the Orlando Magic. I'm guessing that the Magic think that this signing puts them near the top of the weak Eastern Conference. It may do that. His skill-set would seem to be perfect for the Magic. He and Dwight Howard should be a very effective inside/outside combo that other teams will have a hard time defending. On the other hand, does it make sense to pay a guy who doesn't do much else but shoot the ball make sense? Knick fans were greatly disappointed in Allan Houston, who was a similar player at times. He had a better handle and when he put his mind to it, could break down defenders with the dribble and get to the rack and either finish or get to the line. However, he didn't play "D" and would disappear at times. He was unselfish to a fault throughout his career and this same trait can be found in Lewis' game. He has a beautiful stroke and again, seems to be a great fit for Howard, but will he disappear too much for this big a deal? Are 5 years at $85M too much for a one dimensional player?

With most teams the answer is yes. This may be one of the handful of teams that it may not be such a bad deal. Lewis will turn 28 this coming August, meaning he will be 33 at the end of this deal and while he missed 20 games last year due to injury, he does not have a history of injury and has shown that he takes care of himself during the off-season. You won't see him appear on Shaq's overweight camp show (one of the funniest new shows on TV. Shaq? Helping people lose weight?) However, this deal is not only about Lewis' pricetag. For the Magic to be able to fit this contract under their salary cap, they also had to renounce their rights to Darko Milicic. This leaves the Magic with only Howard and Tony Battie in their frontcourt. Does this mean that the Pat Garrity era is about to commence in Orlando? Say it ain't so.

What do you guys think?

Movie Reviews: Transformers and Knocked Up

2007-07-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Movie reviews will be a recurring feature on the site. We love movies, although I don't really don't get to go much, and we'll post a review here from time to time. I got to go to the movies this past week, which is good since my wife and I are about to have our first child and we won't be going to the movies much in the future. First, i'll start off with, "Transformers".

Transformers

The DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures venture, "Transformers", was actually better than I thought it would be. Not by much, but better. First off, I don't think I was alone in the fear that Michael Bay directing this flick (you really can't call this a film) would be the kiss of death. Is this guy formulaic or what? Hollywood gives this guy a LOT of money to make movies. Bad movies. He's produced, or directed, such "classics" as, "The Island", "Pearl Harbor", "Armageddon" and "The Rock" (Which I did kind of like). For all the money this guy gets to use towards making movies, why does he use the SAME music in his flicks? It's THE EXACT SAME MUSIC. Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but it's annoying. Back to the flick.

Maybe the flick was worse than I thought, my opinion might be a little skewed because I grew up loving the cartoon as a kid. Either way, it was cool as hell to see Optimus Prime and Megatron brought to life on the screen. Industrial Lights and Magic has done it again: They put together a special effects masterpiece. Don't pay your money looking for a well developed story in the expectation of really caring about the characters in this flick. It ain't gonna happen. But if you loved "The Transformers", the cartoon, as a kid, I think you'll enjoy this summer flick. If you truly hate Michael Bay's formulaic madness (the love story, the hot chick slo-mo shots, the "rah-rah" team scenes, someone giving their life for another or at least the attempt to do so, etc.) you might get a little annoyed at times, but hopefully you'll be able to overcome it.

Knocked Up

If you like comedies with "heart", then you'll love this movie. I have to say, I am a fan of the director of this movie, Judd Apatow. He was the co-executive producer of, "The Larry Sanders Show" and executive producer of, "The Ben Stiller Show". He also produced and directed, "The 40 Year Old Virgin". I thought this movie was better than "Virgin". "Knocked Up" never slowed down, I felt "Virgin" did, there was one funny scene after another. A few of them are classics in the making which you already probably saw in the trailers, but trust me, there are more funny scenes in the movie. It's not like other movies where all the funny parts are in the trailers.

Guys, you ever see a couple walking down the street and the woman is just way too good looking for the guy? Well, in this movie that scene gets taken a step further and have a kid together after she gets pregnant, from what she thought, after their one-night-stand. That's the movie in a nutshell. Seth Rogan, also In "Virgin", was great in this movie. He played the guy who got lucky with a woman that was way out of his league. The woman in question being Katherine Heigl of TV's, "Grey's Anatomy". Her sister in the movie is played by, Leslie Mann, the drunk driving woman who drives Steve Carrel home in "Virgin" and throws up on him in her car. Paul Rudd plays Mann's husband and is really funny in this and has a great chemistry with Rogan throughout.

Again, my opinion may be skewed since my wife and I have a child on the way, but judging by all the laughs in the theater, you have to see this movie. I definitely recommend this movie to all people/couples expecting children, some of the jokes in this movie will really hit home with you.

Hope you enjoyed your Fourth.

NBA DRAFT - Knick fans, are you happy?

2007-06-29T07:59:00.000-05:00

No big surprises happened. Portland didn't mess this thing up and not take Oden. The huge trades that were talked about involving Amare, J. O'Neal, Kobe or KG didn't happen either. A few teams showed they know what they're doing and Danny Ainge proved once again he should have no part of a front office job and Paul Allen proved again that he's the richest mofo in the room by spending about $9M last night in buying draft picks from multiple teams. I think this is going to go down as one of the deepest drafts in years, maybe one of the best of all time. Although I'm not a fan of his, Dick Vitale agrees. That's saying a lot since there were 4 franchise players chosen in the 2003 in Lebron, 'Melo, Wade and Bosh.

First let's see about the Knicks draft and their trade that jettisoned Steve Francis' contract and Channing Frye to Portland for Zac Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones. At first glance, talent-wise, the Knicks fleeced the Blazers. I think Portland should have been a little more patient. The Blazers were originally in talks with the Nets in a trade for Richard Jefferson and then settled for Channing Frye, they should have held out for Marcus Williams and a bad contract for Randolph. With this trade, this means the team now has Aldridge, Frye and Josh McRoberts at the 4 on that team. I never knew this before he came to New York but, Francis has an incredibly low basketball IQ. I would think that Portland doesn't want this guy leading that young team on the court. If Zac Randolph can stay out of trouble and get along with his teammates, this should be good for the Knicks, but those are two big if's. He has enough range on his "J" to compliment Curry and can take over the offense from time to time. More importantly, does this open the door for a trade for Kobe like the one I proposed before? Curry, Balkman and Crawford for Kobe?

Has anyone seen Wilson Chandler play before? I haven't. I don't know if the "experts" are afraid to bash Isiah since he has shown that he knows how to pick players in the draft, but they were high on Chandler last night. Jay Bilas was saying how this guys game is made for the pros and that he should be better in the pros than college. Later that night, the Knicks traded 2008's 2nd round pick to Portland for the 2nd rounder this year in Demetris Nichols of Syracuse. He's a pure shooter who was lighting it up in pre-draft camps and may be able to stick on the team because of his stroke. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much else.

What is Danny Ainge thinking? IS he thinking? Ray Allen for Jeff Green (who I love), Wally World and Delonte West? So they can squeak into the second round of the playoffs for one year? Ainge just made the West look even better for the next 10 years. I think Green will be the perfect complimentary player for Durant and he could have been that for Pierce and Jefferson. How does Ainge still have a job exactly? Everyone bashes Isiah but THIS guy gets a pass? When he started they had just come off of consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now they just stink. I'm glad Ainge sucks at his job though or i'd be real mad.

The Bulls made it easy to keep hating them deep into the next decade by selecting Joakim Noah. I thought this was a bad pick for them. Don't they already have athletic guys with no offensive game to speak of in Big Ben and Tyrus Thomas? They should have taken Spencer Hawes. With Big Ben and Thomas, they would have had defensive players that would have been able to cover up Hawes' deficiencies. Paxon has done a great job building that team but I don't think that Joakim "I'm a big punk" Noah will be much good in the NBA and especially on that team.

Detroit made a nice pick with Stuckey. He can play both guard spots and can score. And thankfully for Ed, it looks like they'll be holding onto Chauncey.

Don Nelson continued his love affair with foreign players by picking Marco Belinelli of Italy. Later that evening Michael Jordan traded Brandan Wright to GS for Jason Richardson. Luckily for MJ he's probably the greatest player of all time because right now he's looking more Danny Ainge in the front office. Why would he trade for Richardson at this point in his career for a team building from scratch? Charlotte is not one player away at this stage of their franchise.

Atlanta picked up yet ANOTHER PF in young Dominican, Al Horford who I think is going to be a stud. I think they should have picked up Mike Conley, but they made up for it when they picked up Acie Law who reminds me of Sam Cassel. He's got that old school game and he is clutch do this might work out for them after all. I'm going to like seeing Law play alongside Joe Johnson. What do they do now with Shelden Williams?

Do you guys think any other trades are going to happen?

CIA to Air Decades of It's Dirty Laundry

2007-06-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

Our friend, and new Father, Colin brought this article to our attention. I posted the first page of the article on here, for the rest click on the link just below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/21/AR2007062102434.html

CIA to Air Decades of Its Dirty Laundry

Assassination Attempts Among Abuses Detailed

By Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus

Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 22, 2007; Page A01

The CIA will declassify hundreds of pages of long-secret records detailing some of the intelligence agency's worst illegal abuses -- the so-called "family jewels" documenting a quarter-century of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying, kidnapping and infiltration of leftist groups from the 1950s to the 1970s, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said yesterday.

The documents, to be publicly released next week, also include accounts of break-ins and theft, the agency's opening of private mail to and from China and the Soviet Union, wiretaps and surveillance of journalists, and a series of "unwitting" tests on U.S. civilians, including the use of drugs.

"Most of it is unflattering, but it is CIA's history," Hayden said in a speech to a conference of foreign policy historians. The documents have been sought for decades by historians, journalists and conspiracy theorists and have been the subject of many fruitless Freedom of Information Act requests.

In anticipation of the CIA's release, the National Security Archive at George Washington University yesterday published a separate set of documents from January 1975 detailing internal government discussions of the abuses. Those documents portray a rising sense of panic within the administration of President Gerald R. Ford that what then-CIA Director William E. Colby called "skeletons" in the CIA's closet had begun to be revealed in news accounts.

A New York Times article by reporter Seymour Hersh about the CIA's infiltration of antiwar groups, published in December 1974, was "just the tip of the iceberg," then-Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger warned Ford, according to a Jan. 3 memorandum of their conversation.

Kissinger warned that if other operations were divulged, "blood will flow," saying, "For example, Robert Kennedy personally managed the operation on the assassination of [Cuban President Fidel] Castro." Kennedy was the attorney general from 1961 to 1964.

Worried that the disclosures could lead to criminal prosecutions, Kissinger added that "when the FBI has a hunting license into the CIA, this could end up worse for the country than Watergate," the scandal that led to the fall of the Nixon administration the previous year.

In a meeting at which Colby detailed the worst abuses -- after telling the president "we have a 25-year old institution which has done some things it shouldn't have" -- Ford said he would appoint a presidential commission to look into the matter. "We don't want to destroy but to preserve the CIA. But we want to make sure that illegal operations and those outside the [CIA] charter don't happen," Ford said.

Most of the major incidents and operations in the reports to be released next week were revealed in varying detail during congressional investigations that led to widespread intelligence reforms and increased oversight. But the treasure-trove of CIA documents, generated as the Vietnam War wound down and agency involvement in Nixon's "dirty tricks" political campaign began to be revealed, is expected to provide far more comprehensive accounts, written by the agency itself.

The reports, known collectively by historians and CIA officials as the "family jewels," were initially produced in response to a 1973 request by then-CIA Director James R. Schlesinger. Alarmed by press accounts of CIA involvement in Watergate under his predecessor, Schlesinger asked the agency's employees to inform him of all operations that were "outside" the agency's legal charter.

This process was unprecedented at the agency, where only a few officials had previously been privy to the scope of its illegal activities. Schlesinger collected the reports, some of which dated to the 1950s, in a folder that was inherited by his successor, Colby, in September of that year.

But it was not until Hersh's article that Colby took the file to the White House. The National Security Archive release included a six-page summary of a conversation on Jan. 3, 1975, in which Colby briefed the Justice Department for the first time on the extent of the "skeletons."

Must See Documentary on Hip-Hop

2007-06-25T11:40:00.000-05:00

Guys, i'm not sure if you have all heard about this documentary, but you have to see this. It's called, "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes". It's about an hour long and its made by a brother that's a lot like us: He's about 30, grew up loving hip-hop and doesn't like what he's been hearing on the airwaves. Byron Hurt wrote and directed this piece that has played at a number of film festivals and it is outstanding. While he loves hip-hop to this day, he exposes it for what the mainstream of hip-hop has become: overly misogynistic and advocating violence against your fellow brother. We know that there are a lot of rappers out there that aren't all about dehumanizing women and violence, but they don't get the promotion and airplay that the Lil' John's and Lil' Wayne's of this world receive. Have you ever asked yourself why? I know all of you and feel you would love this documentary. We should view this at one of our movie club dates. For everybody else, please support this film.

Here's the official website:

www.bhurt.com

NBA Draft - Who's going where?

2007-06-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

With the NBA draft coming this Thursday, I thought we could start a little something on the draft. Now, I know that the NBA Draft does not generate the same amount of hoopla that the NFL draft does, but I love it. Does anyone know or want anything in particular to happen for their team on draft night? Portland will definitely take Oden right? They don't make another Bowie pick right? I do think that Durant is going to be a real player in the league. He's got that killer instinct that we've seen many a talented player not have. Knick fans, does Allan Houston ring a bell? For that matter, Curry has to develop that attitude himself. He's got the physical talent for sure, but he's got to develop that attitude that he wants to completely dominate the paint. Durant has that attitude already and he's incredibly talented.

What do you think your team needs? And, going further, who do you think they should draft at their position in the draft? I, personally, think the Knicks need a shooter. I'm hoping for Morris Almond from Rice. I saw him play twice last season and his shooting stroke is smooth like butter. The Knicks need a legit, consistent outside shooter. As streaky as Crawford is from the outside, and we know how much Ed dislikes him, after he went down teams completely collapsed on Curry and made it impossible for him to operate in the paint. So I think Almond would be a good choice. He shot over 45% from 3pt. range last year as his teams number one option and teams draped all over him.

There's a rumor that the Knicks have made a promise to DePaul SF Wilson Chandler. He's been canceling workouts left and right which you never see a guy do when he's on the first round "bubble". If the Knicks didn't make a promise to him, someone must have or else thig uy is crazy. I've never seen the guy play, but I trust Isiah's ability to pick talent from anywhere in the draft. Has anyone seen this guy play? Please tell me good things. Isiah was also rumored to be hot for PF/C Sean Williams from Boston College. He's a big time shot blocker and rebounder whose stock has dropped due to being kicked off his team for marijuana use. It looks like the Nets are going to take him though since they need more big man help than anyone else in this draft. For that matter, they should try and trade for Kurt Thomas.

What do you think the Pistons need Ed? They have two picks in the first round and I think this draft is going to be pretty deep. I really think if a team has a 2nd round pick they should take a chance on PG Jared Jordan. Maybe the Pistons should take a chance on him with Chauncey officially declaring himself a free agent today.

Kobe on the East Coast?

2007-06-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

Knick fans, if you really want to have Kobe in a Knick uniform, you have to ask yourself how badly do you want him. If you're willing to give up Curry. then we got a shot. I worked out a trade on the ESPN Trade Machine and this one worked:

Knicks trade: Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Channing Frye and Renaldo Balkman or David Lee for,

Lakers trade: Kobe, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar.

I don't know how else to get Kobe. I was listening to sports radio yesterday and these guys were calling in with some idiotic trades (Mardy Collins, Channing Frye and Steve Francis for Kobe). We would be giving up a lot, but we would get Kobe while he's still in his prime, get a promising big man in Bynum (he's only 20) who some think could develop into a real good center to take the place of Curry. In addition, we would get a true point guard to take over for Steph in a year or two. Personally im a fan of Farmar. He's not much of a scorer, but he knows how to run a team and hes a good athlete. Plus, we would still have a young team to build around Kobe.

They might be willing to do it since they would get one of the only true scoring centers left in the NBA along with an established scoring guard who also happens to have a great chemistry with Curry in Crawford. Plus, Frye or Lee would immediately start for them. They would give away one starter for 3, plus they would get a good, young bench player in Frye or Balkman (depending who we would have to give up). What other package do you see the Knicks being able to put together without giving up Curry? One that the Lakers might actually be willing to accept? Especially if the Bull are willing to give up Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon for Kobe.

Other trades:

Theres a rumor that the Celtics are trying to get Garnett for: Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and the 5th pick in this upcoming draft. That kind of sounds tempting.

In the Post today Pete Vecsey is reporting that the Wizards and the Suns are talking about Shawn Marion for Antawn Jamison straight up.

A Hip Hop Time Capsule

2007-06-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

Israel, Alex, and I had a discussion last night, while listening to "Only Built for Cuban Links", where we discussed - if we were to leave a time capsule for future generations - what ten artists defined hip hop for our generation and would demand inclusion? For our generation, we defined the time span to be from 1987 to 2007, and we decided for artists, we would include a group, no matter how large or small, as a single entity. NWA, for example, would be one entity in our time capsule list. Another important note; politics pushed aside, we are talking about musically important, and by that we aren’t talking about one hot album, but someone(s),who changed hip-hop, or defined it for the past twenty years. The first six were sort of easy:
(This list is in no particular order.)

1. Public Enemy: Sure Rap’s roots were somewhat socially conscious, but the way Public Enemy mixed their message with songs friendly for radio and mass consumption made revolutionary thought accessible.

2. Wu-Tang: As Israel noted, they were the first rappers to take Mafioso, drug dealing mentality and lingo, and elevate it to the form of high art. Production wise, they were clearly ahead of their time.

3. NWA: They opened the rest of the country to the world of California. They added a violent, against the mainstream edge to hip-hop that took it from a friendly New York Party genre, to a socially angry medium for expression.

4. Outkast: “East coast, West coast, the South got something to say and that’s it.” This group was the first to loosen the head lock the East and West Coast had over hip-hop for a long time. They didn’t bite either, sticking to a distinctly Southern sound and perspective. (Of the first six, this group was the only to have any dissension. Alex thought they didn’t belong in the top ten.)

5. Notorious B.I.G: With only two albums, this man created songs that defined Hip-hop. His swagger, honesty, wit, and story-telling ability took the country by storm. His early death was a blow one might point to as the end of hip hop’s ability to successfully walk the line of broad appeal and high lyrical standard.

6. Tupac Shakur: Shit talker, contradictarian, poet, and probably the most passionate person to ever pick up a microphone, his life speaks to a certain post-civil rights/integration frustration that many of us have felt. No one spoke more eloquently and angrily about the lie of the American Dream.

Here things became less certain for us. We had a list of six rappers, only four slots left, and no women on the list. We are keeping it real, no politics, Little Kim doesn’t make this list, nor does Foxy Brown. We decided we needed a woman, and the only one worthy to be mentioned with these rappers is:

7. Lauren Hill: Easy choice right? She could rap, for sure, but I question the strength of her overall rap catalogue, but her few rap lyrics sound unbelievably perceptive and honest next to most other rappers. So we included her on this list.

8. Nas: This man has personal demons, but Nas has brought so much originality and riskiness to the form of rap songs one has to include him. Whether it’s rapping backwards, changing the volume and intensity of his voice, speaking from the consciousness of a gun, or himself in his mother’s womb, he has taken chances. Plus, in my humble opinion, no one is more New York than Nasty Nas.

9. Jay- Z: The pretty boy swagger, the hustler’s bravado, Jay- Z has stolen more lines from Biggie than a coke head girlfriend from her drug dealer Man, yet, overzealous homage aside, this guy has word-play and puns that match the greatest wordsmiths of all time: “High school, Crossover/ Waved away picks/ Music is the same thing/ Gave away hits.”

10. Who knows? This I want to leave to the Cypher. Who should get this last slot. Wait, what is that I hear? is that Dre arguing for the Roots? I hope not. I won’t even dare to mention Lil Wayne. Who belongs here? Also, did we get it right? Feel free to argue, but remember our definition: changed the nature of hip-hop in the last twenty years.

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2007-06-15T11:00:00.001-05:00

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Subway Series. Round Two.

2007-06-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

"Ding. Ding." - Apollo Creed

It’s time. Round 2 of the Subway Series begins today with the hated “Rocket” starting game one. While no Met players remain from the last time Clemens pitched against the Mets in the 2000 World Series, Met fans remember all too clearly how Clemens beaned Mike Piazza multiple times during that season. The teams have had a role reversal as of late. The Yankees come in riding the crest of a 9 game winning streak. The Mets meanwhile come into the series having lost 9 in a row. The last time these two teams met, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Yankees, but now the tables have turned.

The Mets seemed poised to begin running away with their division, until this recent stretch of bad play. The Yankees were the pre-season pick by many to win their division, which would be their tenth division championship in a row. There were questions with each teams pitching, but the expectations were that each teams’ lineup and bullpen would be able to carry them through the regular season to the playoffs.

Then, the injuries struck. The Yankees were afflicted before the season began by losing their ace, Chien-Ming Wang, with a pulled hamstring. One by one, 4 out of their 5 starting pitchers missed time due to injury throughout the season. Carl Pavano was lost for the year, but no surprise there. Mariano looked old. His trademark cutter was moving along at a snails pace of 87 mph. He was used sporadically during the first third of the season, which most likely contributed to his ineffectiveness, due to the fact that the Yankees weren’t playing well enough to protect a lead during the late innings of games. The team looked awful. Noone was predicting that the Yankees would rebound from this malaise. However, the pitching has come around and the lineup has finally awoken: Cano and especially Abreu, who holds the lineup together, have started to produce as expected. This run has been highlighted by the Yankees romp through two National League teams, further illustrating the disparity in play between the leagues. The Diamondbacks had a 24-12 record since May 12^th, the best record in the NL over that time period. If this was the best the National League had to offer, does this mean that the gap between the two leagues has possibly widened?

“I really have no words” – Ron Darling

The Mets have taken their turn at experiencing injuries now over these last few weeks, they’ve taken hits to their entire starting outfield. All their starters have missed time and even Endy Chavez and Lastings Milledge are currently out with injuries. In the case of Milledge, this is a wasted opportunity for Lastings to gain valuable experience and seasoning with the outfield in shambles. Paul LoDuca for one refuses to use the injuries as an excuse for the losses. He believes that the reason for the Mets losing streak can be chalked up to the lack of hitting with runners in scoring position. However, it appears that the problems run deeper than just clutch hitting. Like the Yankees during their run of horrible play, the Mets look listless and don’t seem to care that they are losing their once comfortable lead in the NL East. During last nights game, Ron Darling stated, “I really have no words”, this was followed by 10 seconds of silence. This was after one of the Mets pitchers failed the basic execution of covering first base on a grounder toward first. It’s gotten that bad for the Mets, at least in the eyes of their Championship winning former starting pitcher.

Truthfully, this series may be just the elixir the Mets need to right their ship. This series should inspire the Mets to play harder and most assuredly better, which would come as a relief to Mets fans. Mets players hate playing second fiddle to the Yankees in New York. Furthermore, no matter how well they play against the Yankees, it will remain that way until they win a Championship of their own. If a World Series win comes at the expense of the Yankees, as the Yankees did to the Mets in 2000, it would be all the sweeter. The Mets have two lefties starting in this series which should be an advantage for them since the Yankees have historically struggled against lefties with their predominantly left-handed hitting lineup. On top of that, the Yankees are starting Clemens tonight who, to temper the excitement of Yankee fans, he did well in his last start, but it was against the Pirates. A bad team in a bad league.

Floowing Clemens in teh rotation is rookie Tyler Clippard who, while he pitched well and earned the win against the Mets the last time these two teams met, too much can't be expected from him this time out. Either way, this should be an entertaining weekend for New York baseball, but most likely, a bit of a letdown for Met fans.

Why is Hockey still a professional sport? Is it really though?

2007-06-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Are we really sure owners of these franchises aren't "paying" players with "funny money" or Monopoly money? Where do these hosers make money anyway? When I'm catching Sportscenter and that guy with the mullet comes on I put it on mute and walk away. Does anyone else do this? Or do you do the, "I'll change the channel and come back exactly as the segment is ending" maneuver? Very tricky and it works about once per week, but when you do it, you know you feel good about yourself. You can admit it. Especially Ernesto with his eleventeen remotes.

See, there's this thing called Hockey that I know nothing about and it seems no one else does for that matter. I think it was last week that the Stanley Cup Finals were on TV and it was the lowest rated broadcast of ANYTHING, ever. Yes. Ever. "The Ropers" was a ratings bonanza compared to the STANLEY CUP FINALS!! "Homeboys in Outer Space" had better ratings. Hey, I would catch an episode now and then just to see if they had a hot alien female wearing something provocative too, but, the show sucked. Sorry, let's push forward.

I would love to hear someone really argue for their love of Hockey. I'm sure its hard right now what with the season over (Is it?). However, if you ask me why I love the NBA in September, I'll still have answers at the ready. It doesn't even represent itself well on Sports Center. THE guy that is the Hockey personality on ESPN has a mullet. And he wears a suit. A suit with a mullet? C'mon.

Aside from all that, can you imagine if the NBA would have fights the way they are celebrated in Hockey? They'd re-institute slavery with the quick-fast. Meanwhile, these guys assault each other with weapons! And it’s a professional sport!?! If a player just leaves the bench without throwing a punch in the NBA, he's thrown out of the next game. Meanwhile, the NHL has guys earning paychecks whose only role on the team is to get into fights. The country went into an uproar when Don Cheaney sent a guy into a basketball game to foul someone hard, real hard. Meanwhile, the NHL has guys who go into games to start fist fights.

Can anyone in the world please, please, please tell me why this is a professional sport? They're not even in real cities. Raleigh, North Carolina has professional sports franchise? Sunrise, Florida? Are you kidding me? At the end of the day, I'd still rather watch an episode of "Cop Rock" over this crap on ice any day. Anyone else out there that likes this? Hello?

The Yankees and Mets. Another crack at the Subway Series?

2007-06-13T08:41:00.001-05:00

Are the Yankees back?

As a Yankee fan, things are finally coming together. They have won 10 of their last 12 and 7 in a row and are back to .500 again. The rotation is finally healthy again. Clemens pitched well, not great, but well. His splitter still has a lot of action on it. His fastball was only topping out at 91-92, but with his movement, control and "Mr. Splitty" (A real dumb nickname for a pitch), it was more than enough to strikeout 7 Pirates. Sure he's probably 'Roiding up, but I don't care. The offense is finally hitting the way they're supposed to with Abreu and Cano hitting their stride again Jeter, Posada and A-Rod (Haters please raise your hands) and balancing the offense out. Probably more importantly, its time for some more (yay!) interleague play.

Ah yes, interleague play, the soft part of the schedule. Or, as AL teams like to call it, "Sexy Time". Going into last nights game the AL had won 51 times to the NL's 35 wins. Just a little more stats:

________AL _________NL
Avg. _____.289 ________ .251
HR's _____104 __________94
ERA _____4.10 ________5.45

The Yankees have been reaping the benefits of interleague play to the tune of 107-73 since it began in 1996. This should allow them to make up even more ground in the standings. Currently, they are 9.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. Although, I'm not holding my breath waiting for them to catch the Sawx. Their pitching is too good and they have been pretty healthy. However, if they lose their top 8 starters in their organization for any length of time in teh second half, the way the Yankees did in the first, I like their chances. Instead, I am focusing more on the Wild Card, which they are currently only 5.5 games behind current leaders Cleveland and Detroit who are tied for the lead. With the Yankees resurgence, this should be an exciting summer.

Better times ahead for Mets?

The Mets have hit a rough patch with injuries of their own after steamrolling their way through the first third of their schedule. Their entire outfield had been on the DL at one time or another which would be tough for any team. Shawn Green just came off the DL this week leaving only Moises Alou (quad strain and octogenarian-at-large) and Endy Chavez on the 15-day DL with a pulled hamstring. They are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak and have only won 2 of their last 10 games played. John Maine has come back down to earth after his phenomenal start, settling back into his role as a number 3 starter. El Duque is pitching like he did 10 years ago, although pitching in the NL may have something to so with that. If they get to the playoffs - which they should - he will be a great asset as his track record has shown.

After finishing up their series with the Dodgers they play 3 more AL teams. The highlight of these upcoming games is another Subway Series with the Yankees. The City always comes alive with the bickering that usually ensues. This year, the rivalry has been somewhat subdued with the Yankees horrible start to the season, but I am sure it will pick up some steam as the Series approaches. The interleague part of the schedule couldn't have come at a worse time for the Mets with their injuries and slumping bats. Carlos Delgado has looked lost at the plate at times and, probably more importantly, his bat looks slow. This places more pressure than ever on their cornerstones, Reyes and Wright, to carry them with their upcoming series against The Yankees, Minnesota and Oakland. Luckily, the Mets have not had any injuries fall upon their two brightest stars. Wright's power swing seems to be coming around to compliment the always superb Reyes who is quickly supplanting New York's other shortstop, Jeter, as the best all around shortstop in New York. However, I expect the Yankees to take at least 2 out of the 3 upcoming games this weekend extending the Mets difficult times. Although, with their offense and bullpen, they are the class of the NL and should make the playoffs unless the injury bug rears its ugly head at their starting pitchers.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (And set up shop)

2007-06-12T11:36:00.001-05:00

Ed sent me the link to this article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=2900878&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos2

You guys have GOT to read this article. Just be prepared to be angry. Its about a 20 year old man that is in his second year of a ten year sentence. The reason? He received oral sex from a young lady of 15 when he was 17. Can you believe that crap? I don't want to offend anyone from down South, BUT, what the hell goes on down there that makes sense? No wonder the schools don't teach the theory of evolution down there. The people in charge haven't evolved! Bastardos!

Let us know what you think.

The NBA . Trades anyone?

2007-06-12T10:40:00.000-05:00

Any trades you guys would like to happen? Or think might actually happen? Will Garnett EVER leave Minnesota? Will Kobe ever make up his damn mind?

Ed put the Rasheed Wallace trade out there. So i'll respond: No way. There's now way i'd want him in a Knick uniform. I might be alone on this one, but I don't see the guy being a good fit, especially at his age. He might provide the team with some crazy good herb (In case the Feds are reading, this site is adamantly anti-drugs). Thinking more about it though, he might be a good to partner for Curry, but I don't think he rebounds enough. The only way I would see it working is if Lee could play full time at SF by making his jumper, although they would probably want him in the trade. If he could, he could pick up the rebounding void that Curry and Wallace would leave.

Other trade rumors out there:

Rashard Lewis to the Celtics, as long as Gerald Green isn't involved in the trade. Apparently, they're good friends with each other. And can anybody else believe that the Suns want to trade Shawn Marion? His name is in a bunch of rumors as long as the team trading for him takes back a bad contract or 2 (Does the name Marcus Banks ring a bell?). The Suns want to trade high up into the first round and are using Marion as one of their starting points for any package for Marion since they can't get Atlanta's pick which was Lottery Protected.

Didja catch the Series Finale of the Sopranos? Oogats!

2007-06-11T08:53:00.001-05:00

What did you all think about the ending? I couldn't tell what David Chase was going for. I know that he has bristled in the past about being questioned about how he has left subplots left just hanging out there in the Sopranos universe without ever addressing them again.

Like, isn't SOMEONE going to castrate the guy who raped Dr. Melfi? While were at it, why did Dr, Melfi become so unhot? Remember how she used to be kind of sexy? Why? Why did that have to end to and be unexplained. Well, you get the picture. In past interviews Chase has said that in real life, stories aren't always finished nice and easy in an easily explained way. This is true. In that sense, I can respect him. And as my friend Drew said, you have to give Chase his props for having the courage of his convictions and writing the ending the way he did.

I, personally, like the ending. He didn't do what people here in the States are so used to by this country's TV and cinema: happy, complete endings. I liked the fact that we, the viewers, are allowed to choose the ending that we like or think should happen. I, for one, think that Tony didn't get shot by the guy in the bathroom. Tony is a survivor. For all his "growth" in therapy, the guy is like a roach. He's gonna survive no matter what. If it's you and him in a room and only one of you can come out alive, my money is on Tony. If the Sopranos ever got to the point where the Feds finally got Tony, I might have been disappointed if Tony DIDN'T turn State's evidence. I only hope that Chase was staying, in his mind, true to the show and not going for a way to have people arguing over how the show should have ended. Then I just feel used.

As for what I didn't like about the way the show ended, I didn't like how Chase was making it seem that Paulie was helping out the New York family. He made it seem pretty obvious that someone was playing both sides of the fence. That and how Silvio got shot with his piece in his briefcase. WTF!!?!??!? But, as my friend Joe said, this is the same guy that had an asthma attack the first day he was left in charge in Tony's absentia.

The show ended with it's best season since season 5. It's sad in the sense that we don't have a great show to look forward to anymore on Sunday nights, especially for me and my friends who are really into Mob movies (which reminds me, we need to do movie club soon). At least we were treated to perhaps, the best writing on TV for the last 7 years and now we won't have to another year, year and a half for the next season. Now THAT was tortuous.

Introduction

2007-06-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

First off, thank you for taking the time out of your life to read this.

I am starting this blog for my friends and me. We are battle-tested, die-hard sports fans (Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants, Knicks Nets, Pistons, etc.) who aren’t band wagon jumpers. Mind you, we’re not truly dedicated like, um, lets say face-painters, but we know and love our sports. If you have a bottle of Brugal or Bacardi rum and some Coca-Cola lying around, we can talk/yell passionately about anything, and we’ll actually know a little bit about what we’re talking about to boot…at least from time to time. Just please don’t catch us on a day when one of us is alleging that Lebron still isn’t as good as Grant Hill was, it could get ugly up in this piece.

As I sit before my keyboard listening to “All for one” by Brand Nubian, I can’t think how appropriate this song is for this blog: I love my friends, and I feel as though we actually carry intelligent conversations with one another. Well, that’s debatable when we’re arguing about who best portrayed Batman (until Christian Bale that is). Subsequently, I hope that this blog allows others to partake in our debates/convos/heated discussions about everything: Sports, Literature, Music (mostly hip-hop), Movies, and Politics and just about everything else under the sky. For the most part we will stick to sports, but we usually look at sports with an eye toward the “Big Picture” and how sports is impacted by the way the media covers it and how, in turn, the media is affected by the dreaded taboo: Race. We’re not fist pumping, big afro, dashiki wearing black nationalists wishing for a revolution, but we know that race affects things around us and we don’t pretend that it doesn’t like many mainstream media outlets.

We are children of the 80’s, mostly hailing from Brooklyn, New York. As the great KRS-One once said, “Brooklyn keeps on takin’it”. I was born and raised in Brooklyn but my parents were born in South America. My friends are a great mix of Latino, Black, White, Jewish, etc. But we have similar values and I, for one, am never afraid to use them as my faithful sounding board. Use us. We are tekkie geeks, literary geeks (a few aspiring writers, check out www.everythingbutthefiction.blogspot.com , my friend Drews’ blog on the New Yorker magazine), artists (go to natmeade.com, for my friend Nat’s artwork. He’s a great painter who also happened to be a Division 1 Left Tackle for Boise State), comic book aficionados, movie buffs and music critics. We might be able to answer a question you have or, ask the question that hasn’t been asked yet.

There will be the occasional article, or even interview with a person of interest on sports or any of the other topics that I listed above, but mostly, there will be opinions, a smattering of facts and a little community thrown in for good measure. Give us a shot, you might like us. On the other hand, if you step up to the plate with a weak comment/question/retort about MLB, the NFL or the NBA, you might get snuffed!

Join the cypher! It’s all love!