YourBlackSports is a place for brothers to talk about sports from a black perspective. This is not ESPN, this is Your ESPN. We see the analysts on all the shows talking this and that about black athletes, without a brother even being invited to the conversation. Well that doesn't happen at YourBlackSports, since this site is all about you!
A judge reportedly denied a request by Michael Vick's lawyers to allow him to plead guilty to state dogfighting charges via videoconference from federal prison on Thursday.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Thursday that Surry County Circuit Judge Samuel E. Campbell denied the request during a hearing in Sussex County court. Vick's attorneys made the request so that the disgraced former Atlanta Falcons quarterback would not have to leave prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he is serving a 23-month sentence for a federal dogfighting charge.
The state's attorney objected to the defense's request, and Campbell agreed, as there is no allowance in Virginia law for someone to plead via videoconference, according to the paper.
Vick is facing two state felony charges -- dogfighting and animal cruelty -- in Richmond. The judge set November 25 as the date for Vick to enter his pleas.
The state and federal charges against Vick are related to a dogfighting ring he funded at a property he owned in Surry. He is slated to be released from federal prison and into a halfway house on July 20.
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Police were reportedly sent to the home of former New York Knicks head coach and president Isiah Thomas early Friday morning in response to a call that Thomas had overdosed on sleeping pills.
WCBSTV in New York reported Friday afternoon on the overdose. The television station said that Thomas was rushed to a White Plains Hospital for treatment, but his condition is not yet known.
Thomas was fired by the Knicks on April 18 by new president Donnie Walsh, ending his disastrous two-year tenure as head coach. The Knicks went 23-59 last season, giving Thomas a record of 56-108 in his two years after replacing Larry Brown.
Walsh, who took over as president on April 2, kept Thomas in the organization as a consultant, however.
The Knicks made the playoffs just once with Thomas running the basketball operations, losing to New Jersey in a first-round sweep in 2004.
Following the tumultuous 2005-06 season with Brown, Thomas took over the head coaching duties in 2006-07 and had the Knicks within striking distance of a playoff spot at 29-34 when he was rewarded with a contract extension. The Knicks went on to win just four of their final 19 games.
Thomas' tenure with the Knicks was also marred by the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders.
A Hall of Fame player with the Detroit Pistons, Thomas also spent three years as coach of the Pacers and has a five-year record of 187-223.
Stephon Marbury watched the final presidential debate in the common room of a homeless shelter on the Bowery with a bunch of guys he met at Two Boots pizza. He kept his eyes on the tiny TV, laughing and scoffing along with the residents as McCain spoke—Marbury does a pretty good imitation of the senator—and smiling when it was Obama’s turn. “Look at Obama,” Marbury said, pointing at the screen. “You feel him. We feel him. You can feel his spirit when he speaks.” At one point, when the debate turned to the economy, Marbury snorted. “Middle class? We don’t have a middle class anymore.”
As the millionaire said those words, the homeless agreed. “I love Starbury,” an excited resident said, referring to Marbury’s affordable sneaker and clothing line. “I can get hot shoes for like $30. Jordan wants me to pay $100.” Others gave him career advice. “Hey, you know, I see you doing good in the sixth-man role,” one resident offered. “It’s just a game,” Marbury answered, pointing at the screen. “There’s more to life.”
“These weekly insults to Black manhood that we have been programmed to believe are entertainment and not direct racist warfare, further reinforce, perhaps in the unconscious thinking of Black people, a loss of respect for Black manhood while carrying that loss to ever deeper levels.”
Sen. Obama’s astronomical rise to political stardom has been fascinating for any number of reasons, but most especially, helpful in decoding the underlying racist perceptions of Obama, held by neo-liberal, otherwise known as, “well-intentioned” Whites. Renowned poet and activist, Amiri Baraka, once described this group as “little liberals who think Obama is just some trendy new-flavor.” These “little liberals,” are no doubt, fully responsible for the overt commodification of Obama by big-business enterprises. More saddening, however, is the reality that Sen. Obama, a Black man, is increasingly being perceived by this specific class of White liberals, as more a boy than a man.
Barack Obama is treated – by these White liberals – as a pet-project who can only function within the confines of an accepted model. The emergence of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright on the national stage, earlier this year, fully confirmed my suspicion. A broad swath of Sen. Obama’s allied White-base were aghast and appalled by the revelation that a man as militant-minded and pro-Black as Dr. Wright, had, once upon a time, had a profound impact on Obama’s life. Most of his White supporters had invested in the mythology of Obama as the “one Black friend,” who could be tolerated as long as he/she functioned in a non-threatening manner. NPR host, Farai Chideya, echoed this sentiment in an appearance on CNN, earlier in the presidential race. Speaking of the sense of betrayal many White neo-liberals felt after learning of Obama’s past-associations with Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Ms. Chideya noted how “Christopher John Farley of "TIME" magazine once wrote an essay about the magical African-American friend, which is the idea in movies often, that there's this nice black man who's my black friend, and he's not like other black people. He's so nice.And I think that some people, some supporters have put Senator Obama in the magical African-American friend box. And therefore, for them there's a double high standard, which is not only that he has to be squeaky clean as it relates to other politicians, but he has to be sort of this super-nice person.”
Barack Obama’s charisma is often mistaken, by many White liberals, as an opportunity to diminish his manhood. Bill Clinton ran the first leg of this prestigious relay race with his initial comment that Sen. Obama’s candidacy was nothing but a “fairy tale.” President Jimmy Carter, widely hailed as a newly-branded Humanist and activist, grabbed the baton and fell into this entrapment in a self-revealing appearance on PBS, during the Democratic National Convention. President Carted suggested that Sen. Obama’s acceptance as Democratic Presidential Nominee was not only emblematic of significant racial-progress, but it had “sent a wave of approbation and admiration in many countries around the world, just knowing that this black boy who grew up with just a loving mother and grandparents -- and that was about all he had to start with -- does now have a chance to become the nominee of the Democratic Party for president.” One wonders if President Carter would call Barack Obama a “boy,” if he happened to be non-black. Jimmy Carter is not alone, as Television Host and Comedian, Bill Maher – running the third leg –, has also expressed similar sentiments regarding Sen. Obama. In an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, whose obsession with Black Women boggles the mind, argued against Obama’s eloquence, stating that “Our boy needs to be a little more forceful…Don’t you think he needs to jab a little bit? He seems a little too professorial.” John McCain – anchor leg – wasted no time in confirming his disregard for Obama as, “that one.” Late last week, CNN host, Campbell Brown, attempted to make a case against the accusations that Sen. McCain hurled a racially-inflamed insult at Obama by characterizing the Democratic nominee as, “that one.” Speaking in defense of McCain, the fairly-liberal pundit stated: “Some people have interpreted that comment, 'THAT ONE' as having racial undertones. Give me a break. I can hear my grandfather talking about one of his kids or grandkids as "that one." He used it a lot. Maybe it's a generational thing. Maybe it wasn't a term of endearment the way it was when my grandfather used it. Maybe McCain did mean to be disrespectful. But racist? I don't think so.” Following Ms. Brown’s logic, Barack Obama would have to be a grandchild for McCain to successfully call him “that one,” and be devoid of any racist or vituperative intent. Thanks for buttressing my point, Campbell.
In sports, the infantilizing of Black Men appears to be more overt. Last week, Dallas Cowboys cornerback, Adam “Pacman” Jones, was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating NFL “personal conduct policy.” NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, took great pride in publicly remonstrating against Jones. In a letter published for the world to see, Goodell passionately wrote that, “It's terribly disappointing to me that we're dealing with this again and that he's reflecting so poorly on all of the players in this league, which they don't deserve.” In a demeanor comparable to a parent reprimanding a child, Goodell furthermore explained to Adam Jones that he had temporarily terminated his contract because of a noticeable “disturbing pattern of behavior,” which was “clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL.” Whether Mr. Jones indeed violated league policy remains irrelevant at this point. More disturbing is the fact that Roger Goodell, and the higher officials in the NFL, would seek to make an example out of Jones in favor of waging the “weekly insults to Black manhood,” of which Dr. Welsing spoke.
From politics to sports, the “game” remains the same. If Sen. Obama is lucky enough to convince the requisite amount of Whites to vote for him, what would the end result of his presidency amount to? That of a Black man, or a Black boy?
Ever since Andrew Johnson welcomed the New York Mutuals to the White House in 1867, presidential politics has exploited professional sports. It's a foolproof way for politicians to show voters they enjoy competition, fair play and are salt-of-the-turf Americans.
Sports signifies different things to different voters. Football (JFK) and baseball (George H.W. Bush) are good. Windsurfing (John Kerry) and hunting "varmints" (Mitt Romney)--not always so good. And no candidate should ever bowl in a necktie, unless he can seriously roll.
Barack Obama's game is basketball. He shot three-point baskets with the troops in Iraq and his high school b-ball videos have become a YouTube sensation.
During the campaign Obama has appeared on sports radio, including a cameo last week on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning. He earned cheers from co-host Mike Golic by saying, tongue-in-cheek, "I would have my attorney general investigate the possibility of instituting a college football playoff system through executive order. I'm tired of this nonsense at the end of every college football season."
A month earlier, John McCain made his own ESPN appearance. He's also known to work the crowds at NASCAR events. But no one in this election uses sports like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. At times on the campaign trail, sports is her primary form of communication with voters outside of her narrow, Christian fundamentalist base. Communication is critical for Palin, since she mangles the English language so consistently that she's become the subject of ridicule. Talking sports--whether as a mom on the sidelines of her kids' hockey games or a as an outdoorswoman who loves to hunt and fish--gives her the opportunity to seem genuine, friendly and accessible.
Palin was introduced to the country as "Sarah Barracuda," the former high school point guard who led her team to a state championship, a fact McCain actually uses as an argument to tout her experience.
She is, as Fred Thompson said at the RNC, "The only candidate who can field dress a moose." She worked as a sports reporter for KTUU, Anchorage's NBC affiliate, and once dreamed of being a reporter for ESPN (although according to the campaign, her daughter's name, Bristol, is not in fact a tribute to ESPN's Bristol, Connecticut, headquarters.) She told Katie Couric that her favorite movies were the sports flicks Rudy and Hoosiers, although she claims she only loved the endings. She likes to shoot caribou from a plane, a fact that made Chris Rock wonder why she walks free, while Michael Vick is in jail.
Sarah Palin has made every effort to embody all that is rugged and real. It turns out she is a breathtaking fraud.
Palin speaks about being Joe Six-Pack when in reality she's Jane Champagne, with a net worth over $1 million. As the Washington Timesreported, "A check of financial records...shows the Palins live anything but a common life when compared with their fellow residents of their hometown of Wasilla. Their combined income of nearly a quarter-million dollars last year was five times the median household income for Wasilla's 7,000 residents. They own a single-engine plane, two boats, two personal watercraft and a half-million-dollar, custom-built home on a lake that is worth three times the average of other homes in town."
Palin spoke at last Thursday's debate with a collection of folksy "you betchas," but, as conservative Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan pointed out, "Just compare this recording of Palin in Alaska in 2006 to what you heard last night. Ask yourself where the folksiness is. See how many "times she says 'doggone' in 2006. Or 'betcha.' Or 'Joe Six-Pack.'
Palin uses sports the same way she uses her looks and language, which have turned the blog corner at National Reviewinto something like thePenthouse Forum. The simple truth that Palin is Bush with lip-gloss, the only difference being that she was a better athlete than the former Yale cheerleader. She is still the same person who was the head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at her high school. FCA is a group whose stated mission is to "use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ." Substitute "politics" for "athletics," and we have Palin. But it isn't just about spreading the word of God.
It's about the right-wing edge of the fundamentalist movement that uses sports to mask a political agenda of creationism, bigotry, environmental catastrophe and deregulation. And if that leads to the "end-times," then so it was written. If sports teaches us anything, it's that you can disguise a lousy competitor for one round, one quarter or one inning, but the truth has a way of making itself known. There is a reason Sarah Palin hasn't done a press conference. In every conceivable way, she belongs in the minors: strictly Bush league.
A judge reportedly denied a request by Michael Vick's lawyers to allow him to plead guilty to state dogfighting charges via videoconference from federal prison on Thursday.
