The SEVEN
April 21, 2011
I. The "F" Word
Kobe Bryant has a little less "pocket change" - 100K, to be exact - as a result of being fined by the league and commissioner David Stern for calling a referee the "F-word" right in front of the TNT cameras. Not that that would have been any more excusable had it been the last guy on the Timberwolves bench, but my sense is that the amount of the fine rose due to the status of the offending player. Instead of bashing the referee in such a nasty manner, if the truth be told, Kobe and the Lakers better be careful before they are faced with another f-word: Freetime.
II. "The Blacks"
Unfortunately there's no commissioner of life to fine Donald Trump - or fire Donald Trump - for the crazy things flying out of his mouth of late, one of the latest being the statement about how he has "a great relationship is with the Blacks." First of all, Mr. Trump, using that phrase makes "the Blacks" sound like we are like the dogs, the cats, or some creatures in the zoo.
You know, if you want to be president, one of the qualities you should have is the ability to recognize what is wrong and how to fix it. To that end, I would suggest that before The Donald says any more about his "great relationship" or files any paperwork indicating a candidacy, he should apologize to the group of boys wrongly accused and convicted of a rape in New York's Central Park some twenty-two years ago. Trump took out full-page ads calling for the death penalty for the boys, but has not - at least not publicly - admitted that he was wrong to do so after DNA evidence (and the confession of the rapist) showed those boys were not guilty. Mr. Trump, try saying this: "I'm Sorry."
III. The Playoffs
The NBA playoffs have begun, and they are off to a tremendously exciting start, with drama in almost all of the first round matchups. I made predictions for this round before the round started...and while I might want to make some adjustments now, here they are:
Eastern Conference
Miami over Sixers in 6
Chicago over Indiana in 5
Boston over New York in 5
Orlando over Atlanta in 6
Western Conference
San Antonio over Memphis in 6
Lakers over New Orleans in 5
Dallas over Portland in 7
Denver over Oklahoma City in 7
IV. MMA
Went to my first MMA card last weekend to see a young man I used to coach during his baseball-playing days - Shedrick "Chocolate Thunder" Goodridge - fight for a regional title. I wound up leaving there with good news and bad news. First, the good news - Shedrick won the belt.
The bad news is that aside from the one match that I had a specific rooting interest in, the action was not exactly riveting - and I was at ringside. I guess the fact that I kept waiting or hoping that the guys would do some pro wrestling moves shows I wasn't particularly going crazy with excitement...except for "Chocolate Thunder." UFC , keep your eyes on him!
V. Bedtime for Bonzo
By the time Shedrick fought it was around 1:00 a.m...but despite the lateness of the hour and my lack of total excitement, I remained awake...unlike a few people in the news of late. I know some people would consider it almost blasphemous to put forth anything that even hints at criticism of Ronald Reagan...but with that said, is there any connection between President Reagan's firing of the air traffic controllers in 1981 - and the changes that brought - and these controllers falling asleep on the job in 2011?
VI. The End of a Reign?
As the playoffs are beginning, I find myself thinking back to some outstanding playoff matchups between the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings and, as such, truly saddened at the prospect of the Kings leaving Sacramento. We all know that sports franchises move from time to time; some, like the Indianapolis Colts, move in the middle of the night, while others just seek a better site. Indeed, the Kings moved from Kansas City...where they had moved to from Cincinnati...and I have have no real connection to Sacramento, having spent maybe three hours there in life. I just wonder if there could be a solution to keep a once-great franchise where it is.
VII. The End of a Life?
As passionate as sports fans are about their teams, sports, and games, we are periodically reminded that other things are of more importance. Troy Davis is facing execution in Georgia for a murder that it seems very likely that he did not commit. Various groups are attempting petition drives to spare his life, one such group being the NAACP. Please visit NAACP.org ASAP for more information, so that you can do your part to help justice prevail in this situation.
About Me
- Mack Williams
- My online column/blog, Sportin' Life - now rechristened as The SEVEN - has appeared on various sites for years, and became the basis for my first book, Sportin' Life: Essays on Sport and Life. My second book is entitled Voices From The Blue States - and my forthcoming children's book to be published in 2012 will be entitled "Jackie Robinson and the Negro Leagues." I am currently developing a TV sitcom, to be entitled Joyful Noize, as well as a comedy/drama entitled No Place Like Home. For more info e-mail me at mcwstar@aol.com.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Departure Board
The SEVEN
April 10th, 2011
I. Glenn Beck to leave FOX News
This week it was announced that Glenn Beck's FOX "News" program will come to an end by the end of the year...although they failed to announce that his outlandish and racist statements led to the mass exodus of advertisers from his broadcast. When thinking about Beck's none-too-soon departure, I am reminded of the words of William Shakespeare from "Macbeth":
Out, out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow
A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
Good riddance!
II. Cathie Black to leave NYC Schools Chancellor Post
Actually she has already left the position she should have never held. Having a successful career in publishing does not make you qualified to walk in off the street and run the largest school system in the nation. Make better decisions, Mayor Bloomberg, in this, your final term.
III. Kevin Boyle to leave St. Patrick's
Kevin Boyle, the legendary New Jersey high school basketball coach and three-time national coach of the year who has coached players such as Sam Dalenbert and Al Harrington, is leaving his Elizabeth, NJ powerhouse St. Patrick's HS
to take a similar job at Montverde Academy near Orlando, FL. Good luck to him!
IV. Kyrie Irving to leave Duke
Another superstar player previously coached by Kevin Boyle is Duke's star freshman Kyrie Irving, soon to be an NBA rookie after the announcement that he will be entering the NBA draft and - to that end - hiring an agent. Irving, due to injuries, played a total of eleven games during his one year at Duke. Wow...even Julius Erving stayed three years at UMass.
Hey, I've never had any issue with athletes going pro at whatever age they feel is right - and, of course, hardly anyone says anything about tennis players - but there are only so many players like Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James - people who can step into the NBA as stars with one or less years of college. Hope it works out for Kyrie...but really wish he wouldn't hire the agent so that he could have the option of changing his mind and returning for at least one more year.
V. Morris Twins to leave Kansas
Speaking of collegians leaving early, Marcus and Markieff Morris of the University of Kansas have also decided to leave school, forgoing their senior seasons to enter the NBA draft. For my take on that, see number four...I mean, I know Markieff and Marcus were the leaders of the Big 12 conference in field goal percentage, but I remember a young lady from one of my favorite movies saying "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." I can envision them saying that as they go up against the big men of the NBA. Markieff averaged 13.9 in college; is there the thought that that will become 23.9 in the NBA?
VI. Manny Ramirez to leave MLB
I remember picking up a New York Times and reading of a local high school senior from Washington Heights who was a phenomenal baseball player...and I've been following the career of Manny Ramirez ever since. What a career it has been - and what a shame it comes to an end under the cloud of a banned substance. Whether you were a member of Red Sox Nation, Yankees Universe, or a general baseball fan, those years he spent in Boston were among the greatest in the storied Yankee-Red Sox rivalry.
"Manny being Manny," as the saying goes, should have been enough to punch his ticket into the Hall of Fame...and I'm truly sorry that probably will not be the case.
VII. Taking leave of his senses...
What you may have seen leaving the building are the brains of Donald Trump, as he supposedly flirts with a run for the presidency while joining the ranks of the "birthers." Or maybe he just enjoys hearing himself speak...or is it that he wants to try to spike the ratings of "Celebrity Apprentice?"
Who knows...and quite frankly, it's almost like who cares...but in the event that he really intends to seek the Republican nomination, I would share the following with him:
Most Americans look for a certain level of common sense and ability to reason in elected officials, especially in the President. So when someone questions whether President Obama was born in the United States, what they are essentially saying is that in 1962 - at a time when African-Americans were unable to vote in several southern states; unable to get hired in numerous situations; unable to live in certain neighborhoods and just becoming able to attend integrated schools in many areas - there was a group of civil servants or bureaucrats in Kenya and Hawaii that felt that this baby named Barack Obama needed a Hawaii birth certificate, and conspired to get him one. Could they in 1962 have forecast all of the varied events - over 46 years - that would lead to this Black man's run for the presidency in 2008?
If this was true, and the Kenyans saw such potential in young Barack, why would the newly-independent country have wanted to pass his citizenship on to the United States?
I couldn't even go to Canada last year without proper documentation; what would make anyone think that in this post-9/11 era someone can easily create that type of document? The bottom line is that anyone whose powers of reasoning are no better than those folks screaming "birther" theories at town hall meetings is not qualified to lead our nation. And no one whose racism leads them to scream such theories should lead our nation. So Donald, I'd leave that line of questioning alone were I you. Otherwise...you're fired.
April 10th, 2011
I. Glenn Beck to leave FOX News
This week it was announced that Glenn Beck's FOX "News" program will come to an end by the end of the year...although they failed to announce that his outlandish and racist statements led to the mass exodus of advertisers from his broadcast. When thinking about Beck's none-too-soon departure, I am reminded of the words of William Shakespeare from "Macbeth":
Out, out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow
A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
Good riddance!
II. Cathie Black to leave NYC Schools Chancellor Post
Actually she has already left the position she should have never held. Having a successful career in publishing does not make you qualified to walk in off the street and run the largest school system in the nation. Make better decisions, Mayor Bloomberg, in this, your final term.
III. Kevin Boyle to leave St. Patrick's
Kevin Boyle, the legendary New Jersey high school basketball coach and three-time national coach of the year who has coached players such as Sam Dalenbert and Al Harrington, is leaving his Elizabeth, NJ powerhouse St. Patrick's HS
to take a similar job at Montverde Academy near Orlando, FL. Good luck to him!
IV. Kyrie Irving to leave Duke
Another superstar player previously coached by Kevin Boyle is Duke's star freshman Kyrie Irving, soon to be an NBA rookie after the announcement that he will be entering the NBA draft and - to that end - hiring an agent. Irving, due to injuries, played a total of eleven games during his one year at Duke. Wow...even Julius Erving stayed three years at UMass.
Hey, I've never had any issue with athletes going pro at whatever age they feel is right - and, of course, hardly anyone says anything about tennis players - but there are only so many players like Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James - people who can step into the NBA as stars with one or less years of college. Hope it works out for Kyrie...but really wish he wouldn't hire the agent so that he could have the option of changing his mind and returning for at least one more year.
V. Morris Twins to leave Kansas
Speaking of collegians leaving early, Marcus and Markieff Morris of the University of Kansas have also decided to leave school, forgoing their senior seasons to enter the NBA draft. For my take on that, see number four...I mean, I know Markieff and Marcus were the leaders of the Big 12 conference in field goal percentage, but I remember a young lady from one of my favorite movies saying "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." I can envision them saying that as they go up against the big men of the NBA. Markieff averaged 13.9 in college; is there the thought that that will become 23.9 in the NBA?
VI. Manny Ramirez to leave MLB
I remember picking up a New York Times and reading of a local high school senior from Washington Heights who was a phenomenal baseball player...and I've been following the career of Manny Ramirez ever since. What a career it has been - and what a shame it comes to an end under the cloud of a banned substance. Whether you were a member of Red Sox Nation, Yankees Universe, or a general baseball fan, those years he spent in Boston were among the greatest in the storied Yankee-Red Sox rivalry.
"Manny being Manny," as the saying goes, should have been enough to punch his ticket into the Hall of Fame...and I'm truly sorry that probably will not be the case.
VII. Taking leave of his senses...
What you may have seen leaving the building are the brains of Donald Trump, as he supposedly flirts with a run for the presidency while joining the ranks of the "birthers." Or maybe he just enjoys hearing himself speak...or is it that he wants to try to spike the ratings of "Celebrity Apprentice?"
Who knows...and quite frankly, it's almost like who cares...but in the event that he really intends to seek the Republican nomination, I would share the following with him:
Most Americans look for a certain level of common sense and ability to reason in elected officials, especially in the President. So when someone questions whether President Obama was born in the United States, what they are essentially saying is that in 1962 - at a time when African-Americans were unable to vote in several southern states; unable to get hired in numerous situations; unable to live in certain neighborhoods and just becoming able to attend integrated schools in many areas - there was a group of civil servants or bureaucrats in Kenya and Hawaii that felt that this baby named Barack Obama needed a Hawaii birth certificate, and conspired to get him one. Could they in 1962 have forecast all of the varied events - over 46 years - that would lead to this Black man's run for the presidency in 2008?
If this was true, and the Kenyans saw such potential in young Barack, why would the newly-independent country have wanted to pass his citizenship on to the United States?
I couldn't even go to Canada last year without proper documentation; what would make anyone think that in this post-9/11 era someone can easily create that type of document? The bottom line is that anyone whose powers of reasoning are no better than those folks screaming "birther" theories at town hall meetings is not qualified to lead our nation. And no one whose racism leads them to scream such theories should lead our nation. So Donald, I'd leave that line of questioning alone were I you. Otherwise...you're fired.
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