The Saga Continues: 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame

The 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame list was made public on Saturday. There were some usual suspects. This list is deep. After the selection process has been complete, I am sure there is going to be both happy and people upset by the results.

I am still very unclear as to why Donnie Shell, Lester Hayes, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Ray Guy, Cliff Branch, Russ Francis, Joe Theisman etc., etc are vying to get in with the likes of Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. The point I'm trying to make is that these gentleman should have been in the fall of fame so long ago. I have read the outline of the process, but when players such as these and others have been left out of the hall for so long, it is time to re-think the process.

I'm really happy that Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice are going to be shoe ins. In a perfect world, so should have been the aforementioned players.

"Stepchild"

After MSU's 33-30 lost to Notre Dame yesterday, it began clear to me that MSU is following in the paths of Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Kentucky, Louisville and the like in making its football program the stepchild to basketball. For pigskin lovers, like myself, this is extremely disheartening. Thank goodness for the NFL and programs like Ohio State University, University of Alalbama and the like that make basketball the stepchild to there football programs.

Until MSU basketball season starts, "Roll Tide."

Not past five

ESPN has a poll this morning asking how many more games are left to the NBA Finals. Let me answer that question for you, "Not more than five." If you don't have a babysitter, get one. If you don't have a TIVO or DVR, get one. This is needed in case you attend church on Sunday evenings. If you don't live near a sports bar or own a big screen TV, find one or buy one.

On Sunday, Kobe Bryant is going to deliver a performance worthy of the NBA Finals MVP he will earn, an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and a Tony award. This little odyssey began with the trading of Shaq, changing his number from 8 to 24, the subconscious anger felt by the public and the NBA anointing LaBron James, an unproven king by the way, its new face, the loss to the Pistons in '04, the loss to the Celtics in '08. Talk about getting your popcorn ready.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I promise it won't be pretty for the Magic. This beat down will be akin to waking up one morning and having great sex with your man, going off to work only to return home to an empty house and a Dear John letter indicating that your man wants a divorce. When the wife asks her man, why the divorce and why the great sex in the morning? He replies,” I got sick of the disrespect, and as far as the great sex, you'll never forget who I am--"The Man, the truth" (Kobe Bryant).

One Mo' Time Babygirl: Game 4 ("It's On")

"Outraged"

First, I am outraged by the rumors of firing Mike Brown. I would rather see the coach of the Denver Nuggets fired, but that is another story for another time. Second, Skip Bayless of ESPN is an idiot and should be fired for suggesting that Mike Brown be fired and that LaBron can’t win the big one with him at the helm.

LaBron didn’t get into the NBA finals this year because he came up against a better team in the Orlando Magic. During the regular season Orlando beat the Cavs 4 out of the six times they played. Also, LaBron’s supporting cast needs help. Get LaBron a better supporting cast, and I promise you the big game will come.

I was also outraged by Skip Bayless assertion that LaBron needed a coach of “statue.” He began to rattle off names like Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, and Pat Riley etc. Question? Can anybody tell me who these men were before Michael Jordan, the Pistons, and Magic Johnson? Perhaps, Skip Bayless didn’t name any African-American coaches because with the exception of the great Bill Russell, Black coaches have not been given the same opportunities, past or present, to get it right over a period of time as others have. I’ll say it, White coaches.

For Skip Bayless to suggest that LaBron was acting as coach during periods of the Orlando series is insulting, a slap in the first to Mike Brown, and not the first time a star player exerted influence. I’m sure Phil listened to Michael Jordan. Paul Westhead got fired because he refused to listen to Magic. Does one think Kobe doesn’t have some juice right about now? Think again.

I would agree that there needs to be some changes in the NBA, but not starting with the Coach of the Year—Mike Brown.

"Swept Away"

Not only is the bloom out of the closet, but the dustpan. If Orlando doesn't come out smokin' on Tuesday, this thang is a wrap. I'm not sure if Orlando is awed by the LA bright lights, the movie stars, Kobe or what. Questions? Why is JJ Reddick handling the ball. Why hasn't Dwight Howard received more playing time? This is a problem on all cylinders. Van Gundey and his staff need to get it together or the disrepect of what has been a great Orlando season will continue and deservingly so.

"Chalk it up to no class"

For a long time, people have been making the comparison between LaBron James and Michael Jordan. Well, that comparison was not made more clear than last night. Remember when the Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls, and remember how Michael Jordan acted? Last night LaBron James acted in that similar classless fashion by not talking to the media, shaking hands and congratulating the winning team (Orlando Magic). LaBron has never been camera shy before. I guess we can "chalk" this behavior up to being a sore loser and classless. If we have more of this to look forward to from the "King", the question then becomes, "how is this sportsman like?" How can we justify calling him a winner, and more importantly, what do we tell the kids?

I was always told to never count my chickens before they are hatched. The NBA Commissioner, the City of Cleveland and all you other LaBron James fans should have learned this same lesson. So, I say to all of you this morning, go ahead and pay off your bets because I am definitely going to get my money this morning, not to mention talk big shit in the process, cry on your pillows, and for goodness sake, get rid of those ugly muppets that look neither like Kobe (The Truth) or LaBron (Sore LOSER).

Lastly if I may shed some light on this lose by the Cavs to the season the Pistons had when they lose to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. I remembered Chauncy Billups saying that they played hard all year long for home court advantage throughout, swept through the playoffs, and by the time they got to the Spurs in the finals, they were just exhausted. Now, if a complete team, at the time, like the Pistons got exhausted in the finals, what in the heck did you guys think would happen to the one man show? I saw how exhausted LaBron James looked last night. He couldn't give anymore because he had carried that team the entire season. the NBA is a "team sport starting with the center position." One man can no longer do it alone than Fred Astaire could dance the Waltz without Ginger Rogers.

I didn't get the NBA Finals I wanted. I thought Denver was a much better team and should have won. I also think the Denver coach should be fired. Remember the Dallas Mavericks fired Avery Johnson, and he lost the finals. Carl has had a great team for some years now that has underachieved. Not all of this is his fault entirely; however, we are a society that honors, respects and reveres leadership. Carl is ultimately responsible for this fiasco. On the other hand, I would like to see Kobe win won without Shaq. Shaq was classless last year with his rap rendition of how Kobe still needed him or couldn't win one without him. I get confused with the silly bullshit of NBA players sometimes.

As I stated, the NBA is a team sport beginning with the center spot. Every great team has had one and Orlando is no exception. I plan to watch every game because I am a fan, and not because I have an allegance to one player over the other. It will be fun to watch. My last words," may the best team win."

MSU: Going to a "GO-GO"

Going to a Go-GO! Yeah, a one more time. Going to a Go-Go. OOh, OOh Baby! It was a perfect game. Goran Suton, Durrnell Summers (aka: Andre 3000), Kalin Lucas, Green, Lucious etc, etc.

On the banks of the Red Cedar is a team that's know to all. Its specialty is winning and they always play great ball. Spartan teams are never beaten. All through the game they fight. Fight for the only colors Green and White!

...and "THA-BEET" goes on.

The UCONN Huskies punches the first ticket to the motor city.

"SUTON" UP FOR THE GREAT 8!

It was Suton in the first half and Kalin Lucas in the second half that lead MSU to its 62-67 victory over last year's national champions Kansas Jayhawks. With MSU's determination and Kansas second half mistakes resulted in MSU "Goran" (Goran Suton) to the Great 8.

"Talking about gettin' caught in THA-"BEET" down"

Hasheem Thabeet (Big East Co-Player of the Year) scored 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocked shots to lead the Huskies into the Great 8 with their 72-60 win over Purdue.

Memphis Tigers: In My MISSOURY

It was Missouri all over Memphis as they advance to the great eight.

Duke Women's Basketball: Da' Gone

Oh so SWEET! The MSU Women's Basketball Team is headed to the SWEET SIXTEEN with their win over the former MSU coach. Next stop, sunny California. You go girls!

MSU: Sweet Sticky Sixteen!

I'm not sure what brand of "crack" Greg Anthony was smoking when he made the prediction that USC would beat MSU, but it's MSU and Kansas Toto!

Driving Drunk!

Someone coined the phrase,"A picture is worth a thousand words." For anyone who has been the victim of a drunk driver. This blog entry is for you. Anyone who is currently risking getting behind the wheel and driving drunk. This blog entry is for you. Students and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, this blog entry is for you.

This morning, I watched ESPN's story on Donte' Stallworth who recently got behind the wheel of his car intoxicated and killed someone. I have been the victim of a person driving drunk twice in my life. I thank God I survived both times. The following individuals were not so lucky:

Local Waitress--Long Beach, California
Wife and Mother Lost in Drunk Driving Collision
Santa Maria Man Killed in DUI Collision
Woman Killed, 4 hurt in DUI Collision--Orlando, Florida

I never knew these people personally, but someone did. As a teenager, I remembered how relentless MADD and SADD used to be. I saw so many public service announcements and billboards everywhere. I don't doubt that these organizations still exist, but it is like with anything, the minute you let up and think people get the message, the problem continues to get worse.

This article is not designed to make Donte'Stallworth feel any worse than I'm sure that he already does. It must be hell to have on your heart the fact that you have killed someone. I feel badly for he and his family and all the other people who suffered and continue to suffer from this disease. They, too, need prays and help.

Before I end, I got one question? While, I'm sure the victims' family will come after Donte' Stallworth, I don't want them to forget the motherfucker or motherfuckers who let Donte' Stallworth get behind the wheel of his car drunk. They should be implicated as well. If they offered to drive him home, or called the police to inform them he was driving drunk, them my apologies to you for calling you out of your name. But if none of you did either of these things, then the motherfucker stands.

Perhaps, this is the consequence when people allow athletes and other celebrities to conduct themselves as if they are above the law or can't be told no. We just like them get dragged into whatever suffering they cause to others and to themselves.

"Salty": Coming Out of Hiberation!

Hello friends. It's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournement time! Yesterday was an exciting day, but I would be remissed if I didn't put my spin on the highlights. Lets start with the Big Ten Conference. First, can anyone tell me how many teams are in this tournament that lost games in double digits without winning their own tournament conference? The answer to that question is none besides the Big Ten Conference.

I bring this up because my brackets got all out of whack because of the Big Ten Conference. First, Michigan had no business in that game yesterday with Clemson. Michigan finished their season with an overall record of 21-13. I heard people talking this morning on the radio about the return of Michigan. Ah! The only return Michigan is going to need is a return airline reservation back to Ann Arbor.

With regards to Clemson, Michigan got at the ass ealy, and it was history. Clemson's lost to Michigan was inexcusable, and that's my only comment on their sorry asses.

Let's talk Illinois. President Obama and me are not the only people with hurt feelings about this lost. Again, Illinois should have never received an invitation. They like Michigan finished their season with double digit loses (24-10). Hell, I've never heard of Western Kentucky or the conference they represent. I'm not sure if they will beat Gonzaga or not. I had Illinois beating Gonzaga and UNC beating them. This part of my bracket will balance itself out after this game has been playd.

Last notes: As far as Michael Jordan's son is concerned with his Division II level playing, Herve Villechaize (Tattoo, Fantasy Island) lookin' ass. I hope he takes up coaching cause that is as close to the NBA as he'll get. Unlike his father, he is yummy looking. I probably would get a kick out of seeing an handsome coach in the NBA. There are only a few, and even fewer who know how to dress. I miss Pat Riley. He stayed clean--hair and all.

Good Luck shoutouts to: Wisconsin and Ohio State. You see what happened to Minnesota. These teams finished their seasons with double digit losses as well. Only two teams should have surfaced from the Big Ten Conference--the regular season winner and tournament champion (MSU and Purdue).

MSU vs. Michigan

"You Got Nothing!"

You got nothing! That famous line from the motion picture, “The Score” sums up the current predicament of the New York Jets. How in the hell anyone can say that the year Brett Favre spent in New York was worth it is beyond me. Maybe you guys sold some jerseys that one day may be worth something. Maybe it was a great distracting from the New York Knicks. Perhaps you sold more tickets to Jets’ games, but you gave up more than was gained in the process. Stick a pin in that for a moment will you.

For a career which should have ended with imagery like this: 1st Player to win AP (MVP) Award 3 Times, Most Consecutive QB Starts, Most QB Victories, Most Career Touchdown Passes (etcetera, etcetera……..)


Brett Favre left the New York Jets looking like this:

Let’s evaluate that crazy trade shall we. The Green Bay Packers trade Brett Favre to the New York Jets for about a week and one-half bad publicity, gained a few angry fans, and will receive a third round pick in the 2009 draft. The Jets lost a conditional fourth round pick because although Brett started in 80% of the games, the Jets didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. The Jets coach got fired. They lost Chad Pennington to Miami who had the worst season last year and made it into the playoffs. And now, the Jets have no quarterback.

This is what happens when we (fans) make players bigger than the team concept and the game itself. I’m not pondering whether or not Brett’s shoulder will feel better in two months. I could care less if he changes his mind. Come back and play for the Lions. He could certainly help them win at least a game, if the Lion’s offensive line doesn’t get him killed first.

All jokes aside, the best outcome here is to leave in the way that he should have in the beginning with grace. The sun eventually sets for every player whether he wants it to or not. Will he get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Yes. Will fans always love Brett Favre? Yes.

Brett Favre Joke:
A reporter asked Brett for his parting words as he boarded the plane leaving New York. He said in the words of W.C. Fields, "Damn the whole fuckin' world and everyone in it but you, Deanna".

"It ought to be a LAW, son"

Ty Lawson scored a career high 25 points with 21 of those points coming in the second half in UNC's 101-87 victory over the Duke Blue Devils. In his press conference, Coach K acknowldeged that, " Lawson played like a pro tonight." "He played as well as any point guard against us in a long time." I think this pretty much sums up the beat down.

Sidebar: I noticed the University of Oklahoma's coach Bob Stoops at the game. Bob Stoops don't need to be in Durham, North Carolina. He still needs to be thankful for the BCS nod over the University of Texas in addition to his office studying film from that BCS Title Game lost to the Florida Gators. While you were there, Bob, did you chat with Coach Williams, K or better yet Coach Cowher on what a real winner looks like? The nerve of some people.

Baseball's Disgrace

I’ve never been an Alex Rodriquez fan. I don’t like the fact that he plays for my all time favorite sports team. In my opinion, Alex Rodriquez has never felt like a Yankee. He never looked good in the “pinstripes” from the back in the way that Dave Winfield, “Mr. October, Willie Randolph and others looked. You can file that last comment under girl just want to have fun. Meaning, only a woman and real female Yankee fan would get it.

However, all jokes and fun aside, this latest baseball steroid story has brought me out from under, “my indifference rock.” While I have never liked Alex Rodriquez, the lack of integrity disturbs me more. It is my understanding that when these players were screened or tested in 2003 that the results were supposed to be “confidential.” Question, how did Alex Rodriquez’s test result become public? Why did we run to the bias media to ask if A-Rod would become a MLB Hall of Famer? Why was the first instinct to protect the reporter of this story’s source?

Why do we think that Jose Canceso has some how been vindication when he has been allowed, for profit and press mind you, to expose his fellow baseball brethren in the name of capitalism? Jose Canceso or the people who helped him don’t give a damn about baseball, and that’s what makes what he has done all the more sickening. He doesn’t care about the preservation and integrity of America’s past time. He is a self professed cheater. When do self professed cheaters get “air-time?” Jose Canseco is an angry man who wants others to join him in his misery. Question, why do we as Americans feed off of this type of individual and story? What is inherently wrong with us when we think it is okay for one to expose another knowing that none of us are perfect and knowing that the innocent will also be harmed?

I say this to say that A-Rod’s privacy was violated. I do not condone the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports, but the bigger question is why athletes and others take this risk in the first place. Me, you, them have grown up in a culture that places value (both intrinsic and extrinsic) on an individual because of the money they make, their occupation, the person they are sleeping with at the time, their friends and a host of other insane criteria.

To date, I see no one calling for the resignation of Bud Selig, the sanctioning of any owner or calling for a full scale investigation of anyone at the top (the union, agents, and lawyers). All of baseball is guilty. The goal was to save baseball by any means necessary due to the anger brought on by the fans about the strike and the heat of competition felt by the NBA and NFL, which brings me to the next question. Why do we knowingly allow others to destroy themselves in the name of profit, and when it becomes inconvenient, we throw these people under the bus? I was taught that lying is wrong. Lying under oath is even worst. All people who work in baseball take an oath to protect its institution. Let’s indict Bud Selig, the owners, the imperfect media, for years that has been gender and racially bias, who would use any excuse not to celebrate the contributions of a man of color. Yes, I invoked the race card because it has been in the deck that has been stacked against most people of color in America. Read your history, if you got a problem with this statement, and come back to it.

I always ask people who watched baseball, in this so-called steroid or Pete Rose era, where they were when Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro Jose Canseco, Pete Rose and others where making the ultimate sacrifice of their bodies and integrity, for profit, and why did we allowed it, and why we think by punishing them makes where we were when it happened or their baseball contributions any less real.

I was there. We were all there, and we all watched and said nothing. Stop lying! We knew just as a parent knows when their child is in trouble, if they love them and are paying attention. The answer is we didn’t care. We were selfish. Hopeful this drama and the lives a people destroyed will make us get involved and not when we seek fame or profit by doing it, but because we genuinely give a damn about others and what happens to them. All of us could be the next A-Rod. I don’t see this story just having an impact on sports. Anyone can be harmed from any occupation in the name of someone’s revenge or goal to seek fame or that promotion.