(Is) My mind playin' tricks on me?

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

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?

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?

"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"

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

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?

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.