Is Anyone Paying Attention?

Let me take you back EIGHT years ago to when Tiger Woods had the greatest golf season EVER. Can you believe that was so long ago? Well now he is is playing better than ever. That is a remarkable feat for someone who could have rested on his accomplishments nearly a decade ago.
Here is my point. Even though Tiger gets plenty of attention, it may still be the case that he is underrated. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. Winning in Golf is underrated. People don't understand how difficult it is to win a golf tournament. People forget (or never knew) that this is a sport when top ten finishes is an important statistic. Forget about top tens though. Tiger WINS. Imagine having to go out and beat 100 other competitors week after week. How good do you have to be to do that twice in a row? Forget about that too. Tiger has won 4 in a row. More importantly, he has won 16 out of his last 30 tournaments. This is one of the great accomplishments in sports history. But no one is paying attention.
   
2. People underrate the numbers. No one is paying attention because people don't understand the numbers behind the winning. The mere fact that Tiger is batting over .500 in his last THIRTY tournaments when he has nearly a hundred competitors each time doesn't register to people. But maybe this registers. No individual athlete in the history of sport: A) competes this often (on average every other week during the season), B) competes against that many competitors (usually 70-100) at one time while C) winning at such a high rate (life time win rate of 25%). Period. No one athlete does all three of the aforementioned as well as Tiger.

This is why he is the most dominant athlete to ever compete in an individual sport. Those are big words I know. Go ahead give me your best shot.

Edwin Moses you say? He didn't lose a hurdles race for 8 years. That is impressive. How many opponents does he face in a meet? Maybe thirty after all of the heats. And how often is there a meet? Once every few MONTHS?

Lance Armstrong won 7 Tour de France's in a row against over 100 competitors each time. That happens once a year. We never see saw him in any other event the whole year.

Michael Phelps maybe the greatest swimmer ever but has the Edwin Moses problem of not enough competitors and not enough of the time.

Oh, Roger Federer you say? That one is not close. For that one you can check out my article at http://www.dcsouth.com/

Click under articles.

And finally Jack Nicklaus. Here is what Nicklaus said about a young Tiger Woods: "I wouldn't be surprised if the kid won 10 green jackets one day." Nicklaus has 6 green jackets in a 26 year career. Tiger already has 4 in an 11 year career.

OH! Did I mention he was BLACK?????? (regardless of what he thinks he is). He is a black man that is going to be hailed as the greatest athlete in a sport where blacks weren't even allowed to play 30 years ago. If that isn't a reason to be paying attention then I don't know how you can call yourself a sports fan.

If you come up with a more dominant athlete please let me know.

Peace and Love,

Dr. Aris Winger
awinger@dcsouth.com
www.dcsouth.com

Floyd Mayweather Signs $20M Deal to Wrestle

Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the great fighters of his time, has decided to take on another challenge: professional wrestling.

It was just announced that Mayweather has signed a $20 million dollar deal to be part of WWE's "WrestleMania XXIV".

“It’s entertainment. You have a chance to just be you and do what you want to do,” Mayweather said Monday.

Mayweather praised the WWE, who has been under suspicion for a steroid use among its athletes.

“Wrestling takes care of business right on the spot,” Mayweather said. “Whatever they say they’re going to do, they do it right on the spot. There’s no waiting three, four, five months. Quick results, quick money. Quick big money, too.”

The match is going to be shown via live Pay-Per_View. It will also take place outside. The Staples Center crowd was given more excitement by Mayweather, who threw $100 bills out into the audience.

“I run Vegas and I run L.A. and I will run the WWE,” said Mayweather.

The Zoo Crew aka The Bench Babies

They play like animals. That's the description that Chauncey Billups has given to the Pistons bench. Thus the name "The Zoo Crew". I think they are all still only halfway to their prime so I call them "The Bench Babies". Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell, Jarvis Hayes, Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo all five players are in their early to mid 20's. All five of the players are at their best when they receive playing time in the early to mid 20's in terms of minutes.




Dont forget about the X-Factor Lindsey Hunter an elder Zoo Crew member who hasn't played in FOREVER. (Definitely not a Bench Baby, maybe in 1993.) Seriously he is one of our Top 3 bench players and he has not touched the court since January 10th, 2008.

When Lindsey plays the Pistons are 15 and 2. 15 and 2. 15 and 2. (Yes I know I typed it 3 times.) That's 15 Wins and only 2 losses. I should repeat it at least 12 more times because when LINDSEY HUNTER PLAYS WE ARE 15 AND 2.



Finally Flip Saunders has realized that for the Pistons to be truly effective the starters must play no more than 30-35 minutes. This gives well deserved playing time to the Zoo Crew. I prefer it when the starters play between 28 and 32 mins and when we have at least 3 Zoo Crew Members aka The Bench Babies playing at least 20 minutes.

Its just something about the energy that a fresh, athletic, young, hungry player can bring to a team with 3 All-Star Players who sometimes appear to just be going through the motions. Excluding you Rip. You are my 1st "Get It In" Award recipent.





I will not rest until Amir Johnson is getting the most big man (interior player cause Deven says he is still a lil' fella) minutes of our bench. He has the most potential of any forward or center on the bench so let him play and do what he does best. BLOCK AND DUNK!!!

Signed John W. Davis aka "The Valley Boy (Amir Johnson) Hype Man"

Check out Babier Baby Amir: (Is Babier even a word?)

The latest moves by the CIAA are bad ones

By L.A. Batchelor
sports.yourblackworld.com
labatchelor@blackathlete.com

NC-With the recent departure of Winston Salem State University, NC Central and maybe more HBCU'S in the historic CIAA, the strong rumor and talk is that the Conference is looking to replace departing schools with "NON-HBCU" College and Universities. Yes, (CIAA), a Conference that's existed for nearly 100 years and was the only choice for many African Americans and people of color before the turbulent Civil right era, looks like they will permit a few College and Universities into the fold despite the title of "Historically Black". According to Commissioner Leon Kerry, Chowan University will join the CIAA for football next year only in the fall, making it the first predominately white institution to join a historically black conference. Kerry is also in talks with UNC-Pembroke, the most diverse public university in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, about joining the conference. Yes the CIAA may have to re-label there Conference as an "HB&WCU'" rather than the traditional "HBCU" Now I know Lincoln University of PA, a historically black independent school, will join the Conference in 2009 and the CIAA board has approved an unnamed Southern school for membership. The addition of Lincoln University is a good move because they were an original CIAA member and because how much black independent schools struggle without the financial assistance of a Conference or Association but one white school to me is one too many.

Why this move to bring in Chowan and UNC Pembroke? Commissioner Kerry says it's about diversity and fitting in. "We can help them and they can help us,'' Kerry says of Chowan and UNC-Pembroke. "With a Chowan or Pembroke, we talk about getting out of the diversity market and getting into mainstream; they can help us get into mainstream.

For diversity? To entice them by adding a few mainstream Colleges with predominantly white students for economical purposes? The reasons for this move in my opinion if the result turns out to be white schools replacing black schools is a bad one.

One of the great attractions and aspect of the CIAA and others like them is the purity and historical place it holds with African Americans when it comes to higher education. Attending such schools like Virginia Union, Johnson C. Smith, Shaw University, Fayetteville State and others is the fact that young African Americans can learn about there people, there culture and get a true meaning, understanding and education of African Americans who struggled and succeeded in the past.

Yes I believe in growth, progress, diversity and inclusion, but not at the expense of tradition, history, pride, preservation, blackness, self identity and solidarity especially at a time when few African Americans can take ownership. Not ownership in a product, store or business because the number of African Americans in that category diminishes further, but owner ship in black pride, power and organization.......I.E. the CIAA.

Change can be a good thing and welcomed in certain situations but this is not one of them. You don't make changes to philosophy and tradition for the sake of change and the pressure from the outside. You fix your deficiencies and structure on the inside. I'm confident the CIAA welcomes all young people of all races to attend there colleges and universities to achieve there goals through higher learning and compete in the sport of there choice athletically because that's what attending any college or university is all about, but inviting primarily white oriented colleges and universities as INSTITUTIONS to benefit from all the prestige and economics that traditional black college and universities are privileged have worked so hard for a century to obtain through blood, sweat, tears and even there lives I think is shameful and disrespectful to many generations of African Americans both past and present and to me does a disservice to what the term "HBCU" really stands for.

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Hey Rasheed! Can I Get A Dunk!

Hey Rasheed when you make the All Star team its an honor. Next time you make one, honor us by trying. When you are 6'11 and you take 5 shots and all 5 are three pointers something is wrong. Now if you would have made more than 1-5 then so be it BUT YOU DIDN'T.

I know you wanted to take your trip All Star Weekend break to the Bahamas and get some sun rays but you made it as a injury reserve player so BOSS UP!

**AHEEM! I heard you did some community service for children and residents of New Orleans through the NBA Cares Program. Thank you very much for that. Community Work like that is worth a lot more than the All Star Game. I mean the no defense until the last 6 minutes game.

However during the game, can I at least get a Rasheed to the Hoop for a Decent Dunk! Everyone else showed you up. Even Tim Duncan was halfway banging close to the rim. (Well banking close to the rim)

**AHEEM! I will give you your props on defense for your two block shots and five rebounds.

Its ok Rasheed... You win the NBA Championship and I'll personally see to it that you that you get a month long trip to the Bahamas!

Sincerely Your Personal Motivator,

John W. Davis

Shaquille O'neal Traded to the Phoenix Suns

"The Daddy" has been moved. Shaquille O'neal, long-time NBA superstar and dominant center, has been traded to the Phoenix Suns. The deal comes as a surprise, as the once great O'neal has reached the sunset of his career.

The Suns acquired O'neal in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The Suns gain a stronger inside presence and a seasoned veteran, but not the dominant player that O'neal once was.

O'neal didn't talk to reporters when he arrived in Phoenix, but the crowd gave him the same kind of warm welcome he received when he went to Miami. He didn't make the open promise that he would win a championship (as he did when he arrived in Miami), but he did point to the ring on his finger and give a thumbs up. This made the crowd go wild.

The chances that O'neal could lead the Suns to a title are not as great as they once were. However, it is not out of the question. O'neal has brought championship caliber performance everywhere he has gone, since his days with The Orlando Magic, LA Lakers and finally, the Miami Heat. Should O'neal choose to step up his performance, a title may be in the works for his new team as well.

O'neal has recently been out with a hip injury and had an MRI on Tuesday.

"I'm well aware that I'm on the line," Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. "That's my job. That's why I'm sitting in this seat."

Over 16 years, Shaquille O'neal has averaged 25.6 points and 11.5 rebounds. This year, has has only averaged 14.2 points and he is dealing with a highly publicized divorce off the court. He was also not selected to the All-Star team for the first time in 14 years.

"We have to move on with our team," Miami president and coach Pat Riley said. "This is not the most desirable place to be right now."

O'neal is set to earn $20 million per season for the next two years.

IMHW: It couldn't have happened to a worthier team

By Gregory Moore

SAN ANTONIO -- Hooray for the New York Giants. Finally somebody got a chance to knock off the New England Patriots.

Somebody became David, grabbed the smoothest pebble in the creek bed, loaded up his sling and thumped Goliath right between the eyes.

The mighty giant known as the Patriots fell and it was as sweet as sweet can get.

It simply could not have happened to a worthier team.

If the gloating is a bit much for Patriots' fans then maybe that should be the lesson learned here. Only one team in NFL history is a perfect team. They weren't a dynasty. They didn't go out and get hired assassins. They did what they had to by grit, determination and a belief that they can get it done from last year's disappointment. That team is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. You know the founding citizenry of Perfectville, USA? They were the team that made it happen and they didn't have to use smoke and mirrors in getting it done.

But this past NFL season, far too many pundits and ratings seekers wanted a 19-0 team. They wanted the Patriots to win it all because they just figured they were the better team. And for the most part they were right. Throughout the season, the Pats were putting points on the board and setting records galore. Bu they were doing it in a style that just wasn't becoming of a true champion; something they had already been adorned with. Too many people were crowning them before they got to Glendale, AZ.

Yet look at what the Giants were able to do. Down by so many, there were good story lines coming out of the woodwork. Here we have the Giants, a team that everyone had left for the football graveyard and look what they accomplished. Nobody talked about how they had won ten games on the road straight. Nobody talked about how they knocked off the top seeds in the NFC East to get to this point in history. Everyone doubted that other Manning kid. They questioned the heart of Plax. They piled on the secondary. They said that Tom Coughlin was a lame duck who deserved to be fire. All of that may have been true and much of it may still be true but what happened on Sunday was nothing short of spectacular. When the Giants defeated the Patriots, it was as if everything right was in the world at least for this day. It gave Jeff Feagles and Michael Strahan a Superbowl ring apiece. It allowed us to see a rookie like Steve Smith and a no-name like David Tyree become a household name in mere minutes. It gave New Yorkers something to cheer about in grand fashion.

That is why this couldn't have happened to a more deserving team because the Patriots were a franchise that was just a little too smug, a little to in love with itself and just way too arrogant even for its own tastes. Don't call this an upset. Call it poetic justice for the thousands of fans who wanted the Patriots to be knocked down twenty pegs or so. Greatness isn't bestowed upon you just because everyone thinks you are a dynasty; it's earned through hard work. And really, when was the last time a Bill Bellicheck team worked hard at winning a title?

A Boston writer said that this time New England fans were suffering agita. Agita? What the heck is that, acid indigestion? Heck call it what it is.

But whatever it is or was, it was just darn sweet to see it happen. Congrats to the lucky sonofaguns who bet the farm on the Giants and the point spread. Congratulations to the New Yorkers who still believed in the team when they were at their lowest point.

For sports fans this was history in the making.

For the Pats and their contingent, think of it this way; there is always next year.

Oh and as for trying to get into Perfectville, that perfect suburb that is legendary? Well as Mercury Morris so eloquently read the gift card, they get to enjoy it just one more year.

Gregory Moore is the webmaster/managing editor of the San Antonio Informer, an African American newspaper found exclusively online and is a contributor to many local and national talk shows and sports television entities.

African American Golfer Tiger Woods on a Major Tear

Tiger Woods was unstoppable....again. In a dramatic come from behind win, Woods won the Dubai Desert Classic this week by one stroke. This is the 7th win in his last 8 starts, something almost no golfer in history has ever done before.....except Woods.

Last week, Woods crushed the field at the Buick Invitational by 8 strokes, a huge margin of victory in professional golf. He has won both of his tournaments this year, and says that he is playing better than he did during his 2000 season, during which he broke records that were set before golf even became a sport in the United States.

The win this week was even more amazing after Woods revealed that his equipment was faulty. On the first day of competition, Woods broke his driver and had to use his backup to defeat the competition.

"I broke my driver and had to use my backup which I don't like very much," he said. "I spun it too much, It was fine on Thursday because the wind didn't blow, but as soon as the wind started blowing, I had a hard time controlling the driver because it kept spinning too much.

"I was on the periphery most of the day and somehow got into it late in the back nine."

Tiger Woods started the final round of the tournament four strokes behind Ernie Els, the closest thing he has to a rival in professional golf. However, this isn't much of a rivalry, as Woods has defeated Els time and time again. This event was no different, as Woods caught Els and the rest of the field with birdies on 5 of the last 6 holes. One of the birdies was a 25-foot downhill putt that had Woods pumping his fist, leading the crowd into a frenzy.

Tiger Woods, the only African-American golfer in most tournaments in which he participates, has been nothing short of phenomenal. His world golf ranking score is 20.43, which is astounding, since no other golfer in the world has a score above 10. Only the top 10 golfers in the world have a score above 5. In 2000, Woods World Golf Ranking score almost reached 30, a feat considered impossible before Woods came onto the scene.

The late Earl Woods, Tiger's father, once bragged that his black teenage son would become the "Muhammad Ali of golf". Considered insane by sports journalists who believed that domination of professional golf would be impossible, Earl Woods and Tiger Woods proved the American sports media wrong. Woods has also transcended the sport by increasing the involvement of African-Americans and other people of color. He also became the first black golfer to win a major. Currently, he is on pace to eclipse all major golf records and has broken many of them already.

The Giants win is bigger than football

By L.A. Batchelor
sports.yourblackworld.com
labatchelor@blackathlete.com

NC-Perfect season? The greatest season ever? The greatest team ever? I have the answer to those questions..........The New York Giants!

The Patriots crowning as Champions of The 42nd Super Bowl was derailed by the "G-MEN" who never received the memo they were inferior to The Patriots and they had no chance to win the game according to the odds makers, fans, media and experts. In fact, The Giants were so much of an underdog going into the big game, they should have stayed in New York and watch The Patriots crowning on television.
But as someone said before, "that's why you play the game!"

But when you examine The Giants win over The Patriots, it goes much deeper than The Giants beating The Patriots on the field. It was good beating evil, and a win for all that believe in fair play and winning the honest way. It was also a win for all of us who know how racist the state of Mass truly is.

Growing up in the North East, I was painfully aware of the prejudice that existed in the region but it was no more apparent and blatant than the Mass. The racial profiling, the double standard in arrest, job and house discrimination and other injustices took place from Springfield to Boston to New Bedford to Foxboro, RACISM was wide spread through the state where many of sports greatest teams reside.
You look at the Boston Celtics and their storied franchise. Sixteen (16)World Championships, Legendary players and a historic arena that tell the story of a team with many Championship stories to tell. But with every great story, there are some that are not so pleasant. Bill Russell is on the record many times talking about the fact that he was good enough to play in Boston for the Celtics, but wasn't welcome to live in Boston. That it was acceptable to lead the team to Championships but not acceptable to stay in hotels there in Boston. It was great to see him drink champagne after another Celtic Championship, but not a good thing to drink from a WHITES ONLY water fountain.

Many other athletes from the past who played for and against Mass sports teams tell similar horror stories of the "Massachusetts Militia" who spread fear and hate throughout the tiny New England State. As far back as Russell to modern day players like Jim Rice, Robert Parish,Stanley Morgan to Mo Vaughn. All have endured racial slurs and racial intimidation over there years as athletes in the state.

Even as the state has there first African American Governor, still makes no difference in the overall political climate as both Senator John Kerry and Ted Kennedy along with Governor Patrick found out when supporting the first legitimate African American candidate for President Senator Barack Obama still wasn't enough to win the state over the first legitimate female candidate Senator Hillary Clinton(A white woman). No, the state has become a little tolerant but not enough.

I know some of you may say, racism existed everywhere in the days of the 50's, 60's and beyond and my answer is only to tell you of my personal experiences in traveling through the state as a child with family and as an adult. I also would add that a lot of the hate came at a time when the south held that distinction while the north was seem as an area of diversity and the belief in equality.

So The Giants won Superbowl 42. 17-14 was the score in the game which made them number one in the eyes of there fans and the football world, but also made them number one with thousands of African Americans and other minorities who suffered the racism, hate and evil from the state of Massachusetts.

The Patriots have not been punished enough for Spy Gate!

By L.A. Batchelor
sports.yourblackworld.com

NC-With The Patriots on the brink of history and perfection it's an absolute

Black history month is here and we still have a long way to go

By L.A. Batchelor
sports.yourblackworld.com
labatchelor@blackathlete.com

NC-February is here and that means it's Black History Month. A time to reflect back and pay homage to those African Americans and others who've shaped the past of the plight of Blacks in this country.

Although we could be on the brink of history with Senator Barack Obama and his quest for the Democratic Nomination, we as Black people still have a ways to go in many areas when it comes to jobs. You can look no further than college and pro football.

Both The NCAA and The NFL continue to practice exclusion in the "good ole boy" club despite attempts to implement and enforce various rules and programs on Colleges and teams in The NFL. Currently, The NCAA has only six Division 1 African-American head football coaches, and The NFL has only six. These numbers are a far cry from college basketball and The NBA which have 34 and 12 respectively. The worst league of all when it comes to hiring practices is Major League Baseball, which currently has three black head coaches.

To add insult to injury, even though two white assistant coaches passed up on head coaching jobs offered to them, there were still no qualified and experienced African Americans considered for the coaching vacancies in each city. Jason Garrett, Offensive Coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys decided not to leave the team after he was considered a candidate for the head coaching position in Atlanta. That job was eventually given to Mike Smith, an assistant with Jacksonville with some experience. But this was not as much experience as long time assistant coach and now Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas. Thomas was the interim coach for the last few games of the season for The Atlanta Falcons. Thomas is well liked and respected by his peers and players, yet he continues to be the "Best Man" and never "The Groom".

The Washington Redskins still don't have a head coach after Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo decided to stay with the team to become the highest paid Defensive Coordinator in the NFL. So Spagnuolo decides he isn't interested in the Redskins position. Who is the front runner for the job? Another re-tread..........Jim Fassel.

When is this disturbing trend going to change? It will change when enough of us are so angry and outraged that we take our frustrations and disgust out on a sports society that condones this blatant racial practice. When we push the masses so hard, they are forced to re-examine their exclusionary practices. When we protest these sports plantations by keeping our money in our pockets and not attending games to deplete the owners bank accounts. When we realize change starts with us and our mentality. The belief that we are as intelligent, talented, gifted, hard working and dedicated as our white counterparts. The belief that we must bring awareness to the disease of racism.

The struggle continues................