Coming Attractions

To all my followers, I apologize. I was all happy with myself for finally getting something up and being able to call myself a blogger/writer, that I rested and did some other things for the past few weeks.

In any event, today's post will be a quickie. These are working titles of some of the ideas I'll be working on in the future. If there are any that you are very interested in, let me know, and they might move closer to the top of the list.

With no further ado:


Tiger Owes the World a 'Bud Adams' - Do you remember November 15th?
Obama's Negro Dialect - Who should be more upset about this foot-in-mouth episode?
Reality Television Needs to Quit - Unless they're coming out with more Joe Millionaire/Schmo
Master P, The Octo-mom and other pop phenomena that were popular for too long
Teams that don't try - Why do some owners vie for championships while others just fill seats?
Tupac Amaru rebels, Caster Semenya & other stories the news forgot
What If Health Care and Public Education can't be fixed?
How Can Fans Change Sports?
How Can Citizens Change Politics?
Title IX Strikes - Ode to Brittney Griner & Elizabeth Lambert
How To Be Black, Rich, and not-Stupid
"All Black People Leave" - How much can/will be done?
Donna Simpson wants to weigh 1,000lbs
Is the NCAA operating an illegal monopoly?
The Lottery is Good - But you won't catch me playing.
Sports Without Announcers - What is the next step in broadcast innovation?
Hey Rosie, Oprah Doesn't Need a Replacement
An American Consumer Conscience? - Chris Brown's sagging sales
What Makes a Con/Lib? - The cost/benefit conundrum

Did you hear the one about...?

Did you hear the one about the guy who broke (back) into jail? A man in Florida broke back into jail a week after being released on probation, due to fear of reprisal by the family of his (manslaughter) victim.
No, really...

http://www.nowpublic.com/strange/sylvester-jiles-gets-15-years-breaking-florida-jail

Award shows are stupid

It's halftime of the Laker game, so I'm not going to spend much time here. The Academy Award show is on tonight, and for the life of me, I can not understand why people will watch. All award shows, from BET to MTV, and even the hyper-hypocritical VH1 Hip Hop Honors, on up to the big dogs like the Grammys and the Oscars are just circle jerks that I want no part of. (I still remember the advent of cable, when MTV still used to show actual music videos. Back then VH1's tagline was "Soft pop and No Rap". Go figure.)
They all come off to me as nothing more than a party a bunch of rich people are having. A party to which I am not invited; and neither are you. Even for those who are in attendance, the question remains (shout out to GURU). I have been to award banquets before, but even when receiving an award, they are among the most boring events conceivable. You sit, and listen to people crack bad jokes, wait for the announcement of someone else's selection for a prize then clap, and repeat.
I hate the Oscars more because I love movies so much. First of all, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is so out of touch, their selections only vary between being laughable and patronizing. Don't get me wrong, occasionally, they get it right. But two thirds of the time the shameless pandering to "blockbusters" is just too obvious. How else can a system, through which some 5,000+ actors, directors, writers and other insiders purport to tell the world which movie of the last calendar year is the best, be described? For a little history, note the fact that the Academy itself was founded by an MGM studio head in the twenties. This guy had the bright idea to create a body, give it made-up credibility, then use it to promote its own product. And now people tune in to watch the beginning of a long con game that is way too long.
The bottom line is that if you want to know which movies are good, ask friends you trust, or go out more. ladies, if you are "just watching to see the new gowns", save that line; you will never be able to afford them anyway. And guys, if your woman tries to rope you into missing the NBA double header on ****, tell her she's your leading lady, and invite her into the bedroom to receive her award.


Did you hear the one about...?
Did you hear the one about the woman who couldn't understand, "Do not feed animals"? A woman in Wisconsin had two of her fingers bitten off by a bear she was feeding at the zoo.
No, really...
http://www.newser.com/story/82603/black-bear-at-zoo-bites-off-womans-fingers.html

Looking back at the 2000 NFL Draft

Chris Samuels' retirement announcement inspired me to look back at the NFL draft of 2000. Samuels is the third player of the top 3 draftees to end his career on less than good terms. 1999 was the first season I watched college football with any significant interest or understanding. I had been hit by a car and was hospitalized for a week when my buddy brought the SI college football preview issue into my room. I must have read that magazine cover-to-cover 4 or 5 times. Because LaVar Arrington was on the cover, I became a Penn State fan, and still follow Linebacker U today.

I remember Courtney Brown was also at PSU that year, and there you have the genesis for this piece. As this year's NFL Scouting Combine comes to a close, the stud of the draft a decade ago has to be Jamal Lewis. Lewis carried the load for a championship team as rookie and gave the team that drafted him 6 seasons during which he averaged 1300 yards, made the Pro Bowl, was named the Offensive Player of the Year, and became the fifth member of the (now) 6-man 2,000 yard club. Brian Urlacher is a close second, due in no small part to the fact that, like Samuels, he has stayed with his first team. Urlacher has been a consumate pro and all-around team guy, a great reward for the Bears organization and the Windy City fans. Thomas Jones has had a respectable career, including a Super Bowl appearance - for his third team - and a 5 year string of 1,000+ yard campaigns.

The brutal nature of the game took its toll on this group, as six of these 11 players either missed at least one season or were forced into early retirement because of injuries. The "biggest bust" tag goes on Peter Warrick's head as the former Heisman hopeful played only 4 seasons in the NFL and is now playing football indoors. Way to go, Taylor and Warrick, you guys make Plaxico look good by comparison.

Class of 2000

1. Courtney Brown: 7 seasons, 19 sacks

2. LaVar Arrington: 7 seasons, 23.5 sacks, 3 Pro Bowls

3. Chris Samuels: 9 seasons, 6 Pro Bowls

4. Peter Warrick: 4 seasons, now playing in IFL

5. Jamal Lewis: 9 seasons, 10,000yds, Pro Bowl, Off P.O.Y., Super Bowl ring

6. Corey Simon: 6 seasons, 32 sacks, Pro Bowl, SBa

7. Thomas Jones: 10 seasons, 9,200yds, Pro Bowl, 5 consecutive 1,100yd seasons, SBa*

8. Plaxico Buress: 9 seasons, 505 rec, Super Bowl ring*

9. (a) Brian Urlacher: 9 seasons, 37.5 sacks, 17 int, 6 Pro Bowls, Def R.O.Y., Def P.O.Y., SBa

10. Travis Taylor: 7 seasons, 312 rec, DNP-Super Bowl XXXV

* indicates acheivement for team other than drafted to

(Here is my gimmicky feature to get a few more hits a day)

Did you hear the one about...?

Did you hear the one about the Korean couple who let their real baby girl starve to death while they were out at internet cafes playing an online game in which they nurture a virtual child?

No, really... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100305/ts_afp/skoreainternetgamecrime_20100305142555