I'm Beginning to See My Problem with Colin Kaepernick

I think I've begun to figure out what bothers me about Kaepernick's protest and especially the followers...

When I got out of school in 1985 I couldn't find a job in my field, Reganomics decimated hiring in Higher Ed. Does any of this have to do with my "winning personality?" Maybe, but five years later, after throwing drunks out of bars for a few years I found an entry level job. Thank you David Shellberg and Lamar Community College.

I worked eight and a half years in Lamar and three more at the University of Arkansas, ten years of that was spent working with low income students and students who would be the first in their family to earn a Bachelor's Degree. Statistically speaking, people who qualify for these programs are more likely to be people of color, but don't believe for a minute that there aren't a lot of white children who fulfill those qualifications too.

So here's the deal. These programs, and the nearly 2,800 like them are a part of the United States

Click here for the Department of Education TRIO Homepage

Department of Education's TRIO programs. These programs include Talent Search, Upward Bound, Veteran's Upward Bound, the Talent Search Math Science Initiative and a few others. They help students whose families are less likely to get their kids into higher ed into Higher Ed and on toward graduation and even graduate school.

These program's are a part of President Johnson's War on Poverty. That's right, that "Redneck Som-Bit from Texas" Johnson, the President who made sure the Civil Right's Act didn't die with Kennedy on a Sunny day in Dallas worked to make sure kids who never considered higher education not only considered it, but had the support and the tools to succeed.

These problems have existed for hundreds of years in America. So why in the world are we paying so much attention to this guy? I'm sorry, he's a Johnny come lately to the party with the assets, the charisma, and the authority to do more than just whine. I've done more for race in America after someone called one of my regular customers who was black "The N-Word" in the bar I managed than he did and that took fifteen minutes.

I have sat in rooms full of people who could do more with what he makes in a single game sitting on the bench to further justice in America than he has ever dreamed. I've done more working ten years in higher education working with students and working to secure the jobs of the people delivered services to these students.

People aren't actually talking about race or society or justice, they're talking about Colin Kaepernick. He's more of a distraction. Colin Kaepernick doesn't need to keynote a discussion on race, he needs to go to a regional or national TRIO convention and see what people are doing to move toward a just society. He doesn't need to talk, he needs to listen, he needs to pay attention, and he needs to get involved and maybe put some of that money where his mouth is.

By the way, these are federally funded programs, you know, the federal government, That thing he protests by taking a knee. And I thought taking a knee was how a football player gives up on a play. All hat, no cattle. All protest, no action. Sorry Colin, spend ten years as an Upward Bound counselor helping kids get into college, which you seemingly took for granted, then you might have a better idea what the problem is.

Then you can go to your gated community and your swimming pool and tell the world how bad life is for people of color.

Public Faith and Tim Tebow

I have never posted anything about Tim Tebow as a collegiate, professional, or post-professional human being. Today I felt it was about time because of what I read from the Orlando Sentinel on msn.com.
The article titled "Tebow Hate Reaches New Low" deals with his recent plane trip from Atlanta to Phoenix where he comforted a woman and her friend with prayer as her husband laid dying from a heart attack on a Delta flight. Really that's the whole story. All you need to add it the heroic action of the Delta flight crew as they tried to resuscitate the man. Add too Tebow taking the woman and her friend in the car waiting for him to the hospital and waiting until the doctor gave her the bad news.

The author of the Sentinel article, Dan Whitley, said he was reading the comments about how Tim Tebow had reacted and what he had done. They were about 60% positive and about 40% negative. The 40% were telling the world (via the Interwebs) how Tim Tebow imposed himself upon a situation and put himself in the way of a heroic rescue by a Delta flight crew causing readers to become physically ill, a condition the author calls "Tebow Derangement Syndrome."

Well, no, he didn't get in the way. If he had the flight crew or a Federal Marshall would have put him back in his seat. Second, the woman could have sent "Ol' Time Religion Timmy" back to his seat if she were so inclined, she did not. Finally, if Tim Tebow was a media whore, he would be exploiting this, not me.

I think what Dan Whitley says about commenters says it quite well:

If all that makes you want to throw up, it says a lot more about you than it does Tim Tebow.

.Public faith is a dicey thing, for believers and non-believers alike. For the devout of either ilk it really doesn't matter though. Non-believers are just fine being the 40% trolling articles saying prayer is worthless, the man died anyway. What the non-believers don't know is the comfort Mr. Tebow brought to the widow. Nor the help he gave putting his faith into action by taking care of the luggage and taking the woman and her friend to the hospital.

His quiet departure also speaks volumes. He didn't even offer up the good old,"Hey, this is a difficult time, give them a little space and I've got a try-out with the Cardinals (or whatever he was doing in Phoenix--I have no idea what he was doing in Arizona)."

Never been a real fan, but never been a real detractor either. Heisman Trophy winners just never seem to translate into the pros, so, oh well. My opinion of this, he had the faith and the confidence in his faith to do something and the resources to do a little more than that. Isn't that what we want professional athletes to do? Isn't that what we want men to do?

The Big Lesson of Mayweather/Pacquiao

I love this song:

Here's the lyric that matters for to Floyd "Money" Mayweather:

When they asked him who was responsible
For the death of Du Koo Kim
He said, "Some one should have stopped the fight
And told me, it was him"
They made hypocrite judgments after the fact
But the name of the game is, be hit and hit back

People say Floyd Mayweather fights a boring fight. Can't disagree. He fights an amateur style fight in the professional arena. Hit, stick, get away. He's trying to score points, not knock anybody out.

Floyd Mayweather has decided the name of the game is not to hit and hit back. To Money, it's just to hit and get away. Boring, but hey, he has championships, money, and he just may escape the fight game with his life. When you see so many boxers looking permanently "punch drunk" later in life, he has a point. It's killing boxing for people who were raised on Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Tyson, Holyfield and other boxers who hit and hit back, but look at these men today, the ones who live beyond "archival footage."

Boring or not, he might be the big winner after all.

Mayweather-Pacquiao and the State of Boxing

I'm not going to watch the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight this weekend for several reasons. First, I don't have $100 plus the extra fees my cable or satellite provider charges. Second, there's the question of paying a guy who has been accused and convicted of abusing women that's morally questionable. But then again, who would think there would be no connection between a violent sport and a violent life. Did we learn nothing from the life and times of Mike Tyson?

But no, that's not why.

This isn't the fight of the century. It should have been the fight of the last century. It should have been the fight of the decade if it were fought in the last decade, but Floyd made sure that didn't happen.

Ali fought all comers. Frazier fought all comers. Ali and Frazier fought each other several times. Ray Mancini and Doo Koo Kim fought to the death. These guys couldn't come to an accord until there was no one left to fight. That's why they're fighting. This is the last big payday for both of them.

Sorry guys, as a sports fan I don't want to have anything to do with this one. It may not be the loftiest reason to skip this one, but it's the real reason I just don't care.

It Was 25 Years Ago

Twenty-five years ago I was working in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri. It was also the 50th Anniversary of the NCAA Men's Division I College Basketball Tournament. As a bar manager it was a big weekend for us.

Image may be subject to copyright

Friday night April 1, 1988 was outrageous, especially as the 8th cede University of Kansas Jayhawks made their way to the finals. (A game they would ultimately win on Monday against the University of Oklahoma Sooners.) So after a wild evening of basketball and revelry, the national press woke on April 2, a sunny Sunday morning and asked Kansas City, "So, what's going on today?" Nobody had a clue.

On this sleepy Sunday morning a man escaped confinement from the midtown home of Bob Berdella wearing nothing but a dog collar. That's right, naked but for a dog collar. The young man had been abducted and held by Berdella in his basement.

When it all hit the fan, partial remains of six young men were found on Berdella's property. All had been kidnapped, raped, and murdered. His own words and pictures, along with the testimony of the sole survivor, led to a guilty verdict with a sentence of life imprisonment.

Just to keep this more bizarre, Mr. Berdella had a shop selling occult inspired items at a flea market. The name of the shop was "Bob's Bizarre Bazaar." While originally denied it, some of the meat in Bob's famous Chili came from some of his victims.

No,
I never went to Bob's and I sure never had the chili.

Sure, the local press were all over the story, but did I mention, the national press was in town too? Something about a basketball game? Well, 25 years later the story of Bob Berdella is a passing thought to people from Kansas City and less than that to the people who heard the story waiting for basketball scores. The only people who care anymore are documentary makers and the writers of "Criminal Minds" who are missing a sure bet not retelling that story.

Bob died in prison on October 8, 1992 from a heart attack. He had complained that he wasn't getting his medication. As my sister said, "You just know the guard wasn't in much of a rush." and she's probably right.

Pastor Paul's Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Review

Let me begin by saying a little about myself and my expectation for the show: I'm a 50 year old white guy who loves football and music and not talented in either. I walk into the show expecting a show that features a musical performer will be more about the music than the spectacle. If you want to say "Er, Paul, Super Bowl? You're not looking for the spectacle?" you've got a very good point. It's just that I want the music to be spectacular too. My take, my opinion, you may believe something completely different. That's cool, God creates in many colors. If you don't agree that's fine.

So let me add, the halftime shows that I enjoyed since the turn of the century were U2, Springsteen, Prince, The Who, the Stones, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I will also say that The Who and Petty sets weren't everything they could have been. I've reviewed The Who show in this space (Roger's pipes aren't what they used to be) but not the Petty (seemed a little light and those were ARROWS shooting across the field, not what some folks thought they were. They're the "Heartbreakers" for the love of Pete! ARROWS SHOOTING INTO A HEART!). U2 and Prince ROCKED!

As far as the technical aspects of the performance goes, Beyoncé's voice was so much louder than everyone else it was truly a Beyoncé show. So be it. This becomes an issue when she shares the stage and especially the spotlight with other performers. I couldn't hear the flaming guitar over Beyoncé. When it came to the Destiny's Child reunion I could hardly hear the Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams parts either. So the over-focus on Beyoncé was a distraction for the audiophile guy in me.

Then color me suspicious... Yes there were some times when Beyoncé did improv into the mic as if to say, "See, I'm not lip-syncing, I'm singing!" but then she put the same mic into the crowd during the finale. Beyoncé's voice came through loud and clear, the crowd noise was mute. So, color me suspicious.

But then again, it was conceived and birthed as an entertainment spectacle, not as a musical performance. It was a dance show, not a musical act. I get it. But it's just not my cup of tea.

Does that make me a 50 year old guy who doesn't understand what's going on with today's kids? Well, I was 15 when my dad was 50, and if that's any barometer then yes. It was only later when I discovered my dad wasn't the complete fuddy-duddy I thought he was.

By the way, Alicia Keys anthem was wonderful. It wasn't Marvin Gay at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, but it was in the same league.

Only in Cub Scout Baseball

It's been a long time since I just told a story, and this one came back to me recently because of a friend who has returned to my life.

Moishe Sachs and I went to grade school and were in Cub Scouts together. Among the things we did was play Cub Scout Baseball. Let me add that I was awful! There's no other word, for the first two years I could not put the bat on the ball. I was just that bad.

One day we were playing and Moishe's dad Fred was calling balls and strikes behind the plate. All of the dads had to put on the mask at least once and that day was Mr. Sach's day. I was in the batter's box. I don't remember if there was anybody on base but I don't think so. The pitch came toward the plate, but it was a bit inside. I decided to stand tough, not move a muscle as it came below my hands.

Well, I misgauged the pitch, it was inside, but just a little higher than I thought. It hit the knob of the bat and rolled half way back to the pitcher. Well, I figured that I didn't swing so it wasn't a hit and it didn't hit me so I didn't get the free base. Everyone else must have thought the same thing because nobody moved. I didn't even hear anything from the parents' gallery.

Then Mr. Sachs said the magic words, "Fair ball." I didn't think it was a hit but I don't have to be told twice. I ran for the bag and the pitcher ran for the ball. The ball got away from the first baseman, so not only did I reach first--I got to second on the throw.

The Butt-Bunt was born. I might have been lousy, but people who were good never had stories like this one. They have enough sense to get out of the way.

God bless you Mr. Sachs. God bless you Moishe.

Suspensions for Sports Violence

Metta World Peace (hereafter referred to as MWP), the artist formerly known as Ron Artest, tossed this haymaker elbow in Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder...

It was a tough game and evidently there had been jawing from victim James Harden during the game. As you see in the replay, MWP knocked down the basket and was ready to flex some muscle and attitude while getting down on defense. Harden was getting ready for the inbound, at least nominally. Suddenly, BAM!, Harden goes down.

MWP has a history of bad behavior in the NBA. In Indianapolis he was responsible for a huge fight in the stands. (It's true, he didn't start it, but going into the stands, especially when you start slapping around the wrong guy, is never a good thing for a millionaire to do. It'll get you sued quick!) So what ever his punishment will be, it will be based on being a repeat offender, and so be it.

I have heard that Harden has a concussion. Here's hoping he doesn't, but if he does he'll miss a few games.

So if I were the Czar of Sport Punishment, how would I handle MWP? Easy. First, I'll agree with everyone who says he should miss ten games. Good start. But here's my wrinkle: First, he misses the same number of games Harden misses because of the injury AND THEN he serves the ten.

So, if Harden misses six games because of the concussion, MWP misses a total of sixteen. If he's knocked out for the season then so is MWP then he serves the ten next season. If Harden misses the playoffs then so does MWP.

By the way, this has a "professional death penalty" implication too: If your intentional violent action ends someone's career then your career ends too.

My rationale is simple, nobody should benefit by intentionally injuring another player. I want the punishment to fit the crime. If you take someone out intentionally, you go too. For those who say I'd end careers, I would say "Well, in the (insert sports league here...). There's always Japan, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Finland...(I can't think of another place for NFL style football, so they'd better be careful or check out the Arena League.) Playing is a privilege, if you intentionally destroy someone's career you'd better be ready to pick up the shattered pieces of your career too.

I know accidents happen, Joe Theismann knows this better than anyone. But this Suspension for Sports Violence would not have been applied in that case because it was not intentional. It was a horrible injury, but it was not intentional.

Sure, lawyers, unions, and leagues would fight implementation tooth and nail, and that's fine. But implementing this sort of rule would curtail many cheap shots seen in sports and that's a good thing. As for the cheap shots still taken, implementation just might get it out of the league another way.

Bobby Petrino--YOU'RE OUTTA THERE

Bear with me, I'm going to take you on a long, convoluted explanation about why University of Arkansas Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino was fired.

The cover up.

Kind of a big build up for nothing, wasn't it.  Check this out...

• Bobby Petrino wasn't fired for having an affair. If people got fired for having an affair the unemployment rate would go through the roof.
• Yahoo! reports Coach Petrino gave his mistress $20,000. It is also reported that this was a gift from his personal accounts, not the University nor the Razorback Foundation which supports and funds Arkansas Athletics. So he wasn't fired for this either.
• Coach Petrino did not get fired for making a false report to the police because technically he did not make a report. As for lying to the police in general, well, that's "an error of omission, not commission."
• He wasn't fired for hiring his mistress. The violations of employment law was enough to get him fired, but it wasn't why.
• He wasn't fired for misuse of state employees. The local newspaper reported Coach Petrino contacted his personal game day security day man after the accident to get him to the hospital and keep things on the down-low. This man is an Arkansas State Trooper. This too could have gotten him fired, but it wasn't why.

What Bobby Petrino was fired for was lying about all of this to Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long. I believe all of this could have been swept under the inappropriate rugs if it were not for the lies. 

What Coach Petrino was despicable, I'm sure his wife would agree. But it's nothing a state university, athletic department, or team couldn't live with. And while I find that sentence despicable, I also believe it's true especially in the football crazy SEC.

In the end, it was lying to Jeff Long that made Bobby Petrino's stay at Arkansas untenable. If it weren't for the cover up, it could have all gone away.

The moral of our story is, as usual, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Look at Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater, and any one of a million other political scandals since time began. It's not the crime that gets you, in the end it's the cover up.

At least that's my opinion. Here's Jeff Long's...

Ozzie and Miami

When he was manager of the Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen was known for putting his foot in his mouth. He would say the most absurd things! This was a part of the reason the Miami Marlins were so happy to land him, and why it was so easy for the Sox to let him go.

The Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, have two World Series Championships and no fan base. It's almost impossible to get a house for a game in Miami! Between the weather (rain at 5PM anybody?) and, well, it's Miami people, the Marlins never drew much of a crowd.

This year was the first big step in changing that. There's a new baseball stadium on the site of the old Orange Bowl. There's a retractable roof so there's no more problems with the rain. There's a change from a generic "Florida" name to a new "Miami" vibe. The last piece of the puzzle was Ozzie. Venezuelan by birth, it was hoped Ozzie could speak to the Latin population of the city in ways others could not.

Whoops.

ESPN reports Guillen told Time magazine for an article published last week that he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power for so long. If you want to alienate Miami's Cuban population, with a stadium in the heart of Little Havana, that's the best way to do it.

I think this analysis says more about what Ozzie meant to say than the quotes. Ozzie has always seen himself as a rebel. He's willing to do or say what ever it takes to win games and championships, his way of staying in power. He said he deplores Castro's politics, but loves his chutzpah. He loves the fact that a man so despised by the world can be a "success." He is still President-for-Life after all. Maybe that's the title Ozzie wants, President-for-Life. Forget these silly front office people. Forget the press. Forget the crowds. All that matters is the number of wins. Fidel is a winner and Ozzie backs the winner... even though he hates his politics.

I know little of Florida or Miami politics, but this much I have learned: There is no way of extolling love for Castro in South Florida that even comes close to being appropriate. Ozzie committed the first sin of trying to get Miami's Latin and specifically Cuban population to follow. That's all.

Ozzie has apologized. Whether it's because he "betrayed his Latin community" or for causing such a storm that he might lose his job we'll see. In my opinion he'd be a fool not to be sorry for both of these things. In both of these things he seems sincere.

In the meantime, he begins a five game suspension. Will he be fired? I suspect it depends on whether or not the storm subsides and people go to the stadium or not. We'll see next week.

Support for Coach Ricky Sargent

Here's a plug for Coach Ricky Sargent.

Let me begin with a little about where I'm coming from. First, my mother and father taught me to respect and obey authority. You had better believe I obeyed my high school coach when we were out on road trips. Second, I have no kids of my own. The concerns of the parents, while understood, are not ingrained on me like they would be a parent. Finally, let's just say 60 miles today isn't what 60 miles was when I was in high school. I remember thinking it was a huge distance, but after living in rural Colorado and in Texas, 60 miles is nothing.

Ricky Sargent was the football and track coach at Hempstead ISD. The kids were being rowdy on the bus, so when they stopped at 11PM in Gittings, Texas, 60 miles from home, the coach told everyone they weren't getting any food.

Two boys, cousins, decided to disobey. They got left behind. The coach even went back to wait with the boys!

Now let me add two more things. First, getting stranded in 2012 is different from even being stranded when I was in High School in the late 1970's. The boys called their mommas from their cell phones, they didn't have to call collect from a gas station pay phone. Let me also mention again they were stranded in Giddings, Texas. Giddings is a wide spot in the road outside of Austin with a population of less than 6,000. It's not like they were left in a crack den in a methed-up neighborhood.

There is talk of discipline breaking down. Well here's somebody who showed that actions have consequences and for that he got fired. What did the young boys learn, "if I cry to momma I'll get what I want." What did the mommas learn? Nothing, by their actions all they say is "I can't discipline my children and neither can you."

I like what Coach Sargent did. Was it a good thing to do? In this litigious society it wasn't the smart thing to do. Do I think the the school board did the right thing? I think that to cover their collective asses in a litigious society they did what they had to do.

On a side note, what if the coach "had been playin'" and pulled around the corner? What's the lesson to the rest of the team? "Go ahead, disobey me, there are no consequences and by disobeying you are the only members of the team to get food." Now that would be messed up. Good for you coach. Here's hoping you, your 2011 State Championship in football, and no-nonsense attitude get a better job quickly.

Stories from MyFOX26 in Houston...
School Bus Abandons Student Athletes at Burger Joint
Hempstead ISD Fires Popular Coach

Standing Up for a Super Model

Yeah, I'm defending a super model. You've seen this somewhere either on the tube or online, I'm sure. Here's the take from TMZ...

Well, let me make a couple of points.

• It was a private moment in a public space.
• Yes, she was being goaded.
• She didn't "know" she was being recorded.
• Yeah, she should have known better thank to think she wasn't being recorded but...
• Frankly, she wasn't completely wrong.

In the end, she was doing what any guy can hope his Brazilian super model wife would do for him. She was standing by her man in the face of rowdy hooligans (an American football version of hooligan, mind you). If your teammates can't handle that your wife doesn't know "the code" of not talking down your teammates then apologize for her. Tell them you're sorry she lit the fuse, but she's just a feisty, long-legged, hot-blooded Brazilian super model and you can see her apology "in full" in the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

So in honor of Gisele standing by her Tommy, I give you The Blues Brothers. Enjoy.

My Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show Review

First, congratulations to the New York Giants for their Super Bowl victory. Congrats too to Eli Manning as MVP. While he deserved the acclaim and the award, I want to throw some love to Giants Defensive End Justin Tuck. Tuck had three tackles, two sacks, and forced the Safety on the first Pat's offensive play of the game. Justin Tuck did much to set the tone of the game and deserves props.  Now for the Halftime Show Review...

Two words: Hated it. Again, let's give props--it was a spectacle. If you were looking for a spectacle this was for you. As for me, I prefer when performers perform, give me Roger Daltry (whose performance I reviewed here) crackly voice and all over spit and polish.

If you want Cirque de Madonna, then just have the dancers to Madonna music. Having Madge there "performing but not singing" was just redundant.

One more note, an informal poll of my facebook friends loved the Halftime Show. As for my friends who are professional musicians, they hated it. As far as I'm concerned, that split says it all.

Adios, Joe Pa

It has been reported that former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno has died from complications due to lung cancer. God bless Joe Pa.

Joe Pa did many wonderful things. He was the King of State College, Pennsylvania. He led the Penn State Nittany Lions football team to many wins and championships. He funded significant advances not to the athletic department that paid him so well but to the Penn State libraries which support all academic endeavors. Joe Pa's world was Penn State and ultimately this was his undoing.

He was undone by age and status. It's hard to tell an icon that a trusted aide is forcing himself sexually on underage boys. It's even harder to say it in a way that makes everything clear to someone old enough to be you great-grandfather while trying to parse words so no one feels uncomfortable. If you think it's easy, say "your trusted aid rapes children" to your grandmother. This is how he was undone.

Ultimately, Penn State decided that while Joe Pa fulfilled his legal requirements to report what happened, he was morally obligated to do more. In a society that tries to follow laws only to the letter and not the spirit--and moral obligations seem to matter less--Joe Pa's vilification is a shame. Maybe this is why no man should be an icon.

We do need to do a better job of protecting those who are in danger, but we need to do a better job of defining "those who need protection" too. Children are obvious. But when we forget the poor and the elderly many get lost in a dream that values the rugged individualism of boot-straps over community efforts to truly lift every boat in the bay.

Yes, Joe Pa did what he was supposed to do. No, he did not do enough--but he trusted that those who he told would do what they were supposed to do. That is why several of those folks are under criminal indictment.

But before anyone says what Paterno did was bad or evil, remember that none of us are truly good enough to cast the first stone, especially at someone whose position, God willing, we will never share.

Adios, Go with God Joe Pa.

America Loves Tim Tebow, Just Ask ESPN

According to the ESPN Sports Poll, Tim Tebow is America's favorite athlete. When asked "Who is your favorite athlete?" 3% answered Tebow. This may not seem like much, but considering the number of sports and athletes Americans follow, this is huge. The next closest athlete, Kobe Bryant, has only half of Tebow's numbers. Statistically speaking, that's a huge difference! Tebow beat out the rest of the current top 5--Bryant, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He also beat old favorites like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, and LeBron James.

As for me, what do I say about this as a sports fan? His current mechanics cannot maintain his current output. The way he throws the ball will not thwart NFL Defenses for much longer. And so what! Right now what he's doing is amazing, so enjoy the ride everyone.

What do I say as a person who is a Christian, Presbyterian Minister, and purveyor of popular culture? He lives what he believes and lets the rest of the world judge him by his words and his life, which is all any of us will ever be judged upon. Gotta love that.

Timmy T will join the likes of Michael and Tiger soon enough. I just hope he doesn't join them in the scandal their personal lives later displayed. In a society that puts people on pedestals just to throw them down nobody lasts forever. So enjoy the game and if he throws another game winning 80-yarder like he did last Sunday, marvel some more.

How popular is Tim Tebow? Rocky, the mascot of the NBA Denver Nuggets "tebows" in a #15 Jersey. Face it, when your name becomes a verb, you've done something.

Hank Jr. and High School Civics

Hank Williams, Jr. recently told Fox News that for his political money, President Obama is as big an enemy to his way of life as Hitler was an enemy to the Jews. Because of this comment, ESPN did not play the intro Hank recorded for Monday Night Football. This was the first time in over 20 years that some rendition of "all my rowdy friends..." didn't precede MNF. Hank apologized, but that doesn't mean all is done.

This morning ESPN reported that they have parted ways with Hank, Jr., though Hank says he didn't get fired, he quit them. He quit them because: "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."

I'm not here to debate the politics. Let me simply say Hank and I will never be seen at the same political fundraiser and that should just about do it. But for my point...

Hank Jr. says ESPN, a private company owned by the Disney Corporation infringed on his first amendment right to free speech. Hank, the first amendment says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (emphasis added)

Hank has just said that the Disney Corporation is Congress. Only Congress can infringe on that right, so Disney must be Congress, right? Wrong, of course. Disney isn't Congress, no matter how powerful Disney is, it still isn't Congress.

So no Hank, ESPN, Disney and everyone else did not infringe on your first amendment rights. In fact, you exercised your rights to say what you wanted to say. And ESPN and Disney exercised their rights to say we don't want to be affiliated with you anymore.

My dad used to have a word for this, consequences. Sure, go ahead and say and do whatever you want, but don't cry about it when you face the music... and in this case, the music isn't yours anymore. Sorry you've lost the only exposure you've gotten in years, but don't cross the water if you can't swim the tide. Your high school civics teacher wants you back for a refresher.

Now for the next question...Will ESPN find a half-way decent replacement to "All My Rowdy Friends" or have they cut off their nose to spite their face? Sure, they exercised their rights, and may have taken some sort of high road (or did Hank when he "apologized then quit"), but what comes next? That may be better than watching the Chiefs on MNF in a few weeks.

Tressel Resigns!

ESPN.com reported this yesterday, but I didn't want to sully my Memorial Day post. Jim Tressel has resigned as the Football Coach at Ohio State University. Last March I gave my ideas about how Tressel and OSU should punished, and how all NCAA Cheaters should be punished. I wonder if a time for bold action has come?

A Snarky Little Idea about the Football Lockout

I just saw a posting on Facebook from the Kansas City Chiefs about asking people to contribute to their Joplin Tornado Relief effort. Here's an idea: Pick 53 residents of Joplin, one for each spot on the roster, and have them pick a jersey belonging to a Chiefs player. On game day, the holder of that jersey gets that player's paycheck. Not the team, not the player, but a person whose life is devastated and doesn't have NFL football to help their lives feel even a little more normal.

New winners every week, one winner per household please. I think that would help more than me sending the Chiefs a case of water to send to Joplin.

The X Word

Athletes are fighting our culture wars again. They're dealing with backlash from language.

There's all sorts of words that can't be used in polite or impolite conversation anymore. There's "The N Word," "The F Word," "The L Word," "The R Word," "The B Word,"  "The F Bomb," and "The K Word" among others that just can't be used in language anymore.

By the way, if you aren't familiar with "The K Word," it's "The C Word" but that word makes my wife so angry I don't even say "The C Word."

The latest two offenders have been Kobe Bryant of the Los Angles Lakers and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls. They both dropped "The F Word" in a game setting, Bryant at an NBA Referee, Noah at an unruly fan. Bryant was fined $100,000 and Noah $50,000. In an explanation, Bryant was fined $50,000 for the word and another $50,000 for directing it at an NBA employee.

One of the apologies that has been made by sportscasters on behalf of these athletes can be summed up with "When using these words as insults, they are not used to compare the insulted person with the people represented in 'The X Word' nor are they to derogatory to the people represented in 'The X Word.'" This lets them and us off the hook way too easily.

What the apologists are saying is that if a pro player says that someone "throws like a bitch" he is not saying that he throws like a girl. Really?

So if a pro player says "you're my bitch" he says that he owns you on the field of sport, but not owns like a man owns a woman? Really? If it's not ownership then why the possessive pronoun? And women are fine with this concept of ownership?

It has been said "there is no direct connection between the insult and the people represented in the insult," but that's a lie. If no connection were intended and if no derisive intent were intended then it wouldn't be an insult would it?

This charade is being addressed, at least by the NBA with fines, but the sports radio apologies have to stop. The reason it truly has to stop is that it lets us off the hook too. If the pros don't mean it then we don't mean it either do we? Really? If it starts on the playground then it's not going to stop at the pros.

OBLIGATORY NOTE ON POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
At one time, for maybe about fifteen minutes in the early 1990's, political correctness was about treating people with dignity and respect. It quickly seemed to turn into not offending anybody. There is a difference. One comes from a place of positive action and the other is from the negative. There's always a place for positive action. Negative never comes from a healthy place or goes to a healthy place.

So in conclusion, I'm not saying you can't bust someone's chops, working with a college baseball team some years ago I learned baseball players, coaches, and umpires are some of the great chopbusters of this age. But there is a right way to do it, and there's a way that costs money. Let's do the right thing.

Hall of Notorious, er, Fame

Two sports stories dominated the weekend, Manny Ramirez, baseball slugger, retired from the game and Tiger Woods, former immortal golfer, is showing signs of his old prowess. The tie that binds, right now they are both more notorious than they are famous.

Allegedly Manny has tested positive for "Performance Enhancing Drugs" for the second time in his career. In professional baseball, these drugs are either steroids or the drugs used to mask the use of steroids. They make good players great and great players the greatest of all time.

As for Tiger, it's not his game that suffered, it was his marriage and his bank account; and ever since those took their hit his game did suffer. This weekend he showed signs of the old Tiger on the links and the TV ratings for last weekend's Master's Golf Tournament spiked accordingly.

The question that has dominated sports talk this weekend is "Should people root for these men?" They are greats in their sports; and both cheated, one on his sport and the other on his wife. I've been decidedly Old School about the matter, both cheated and neither should prosper. It seems pretty easy until you look at other sports immortals.

Ty Cobb was a racist and used his spikes to break up double plays and other players. Babe Ruth was a drunk and womanizer. Lawrence Taylor is on probation for "patronizing" an under-age hooker. OJ Simpson needs no introduction. What do these men have in common? They are in their sports' Halls of Fame.

Some say that players in Major League Baseball's so-called Steroid Era should go into the hall with special notes on their induction plaques explaining their places in the game. Some say players like Manny, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds should wear the "Scarlet S" on their bust in Cooperstown. Some say they should be in a special place in the Hall of Fame so we can celebrate their achievements while not forgetting their indiscretions.

But maybe this is unnecessary; if we don't forget Ty Cobb's short comings we won't forget Manny's. Maybe.

It is said America celebrates the scoundrel. The shame is the truth in that statement. It's true in sports. It's very true in politics. It is said that those who have the deepest talent also have the deepest flaws. That sure seems to be true too.

Yesterday I heard someone on the radio say "You can have the pretty good moral people and I'll take the deeply flawed star because the stars are more fun to watch." I want to say that's horrible. It's giving up on being better. It glorifies a status quo that has no choice but to fall deeper and deeper into its own despair.

But I must acknowledge this, I have no real good idea about how deeply I live into that same hole myself with the stars I love to watch. It's the glass houses thing. Everyone loved Kirby Puckett and then we found out he had a mistress for eighteen years and he shoved her in the apartment where he hid her from the spotlight.

What I do say is that as Christians we are held to a higher calling. We should root for stars who do what they do the right way. We should never hold to the "if you ain't cheating you ain't trying" perspective and we should root for people who live their lives the same way. We should also remember that as Jesus once said, "Let he who is without sin..."