Cloud Nine or The Greatest

The SEVEN
8 March 2011


I. Up, Up and Away

If you weren't watching hoops 25 years ago or have never seen the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers, do yourself a favor and find some of their games on ESPN Classic or NBA-TV, or clips on YouTube. I don't think it a stretch to say that there has never been a team as entertaining and exciting on the fast break as Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the boys, so much so that people that were not even basketball fans were drawn to their games.

But now I'm almost ready to amend the above statement…in that the Miami Heat have taken fast break basketball to a whole new level in today's NBA. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have such a chemistry together that you find yourself filled with anticipation after any steal, turnover, or long rebound resulting in a fast break situation which - more often than not - leads to one of them flying through the air en route to an alley-oop. And trust me…if I'm putting someone in a category with Magic, they must be awesome.

II. Psychedelic Shack

It was interesting to read that the Boston Celtics were/are allegedly shopping my favorite current point guard, Rajon Rondo, due to the thought that the era of the Pierce/Allen/Garnett Big Three is over and, therefore, it's time to rebuild. First of all, there were few people that disliked the Celtics more than I back in the day, but with that said, up in Boston it's not the Big Three anymore; either it's the Big Four or Rondo and the Big Three. Either way Rondo has to be included.

If you guys feel that a rebuild is in order, try to rebuild on the periphery, easing the current Three to reduced roles - or trade one or two of them to potential contenders…but keep Rondo as the lead guard to rebuild around.

I'm beginning to think Celtics GM Danny Ainge is either on some non-prescription medication or is experiencing judgement-affecting flashbacks from awful memories of getting used and abused by the former "Boston Strangler" of the '80's Philadelphia '76ers, Andrew Toney.

III. I'm Gonna Live The Life I Love

Back in the spring of 1976, when Julius "Dr. J." Erving dunked the final ball in ABA history, putting an exclamation point on the-then New York Nets' second ABA championship in three years, the future looked bright for one of the best - if not the very best - team in the game, featuring the best player in the New York media market.

But then came the summer, followed by the fall of the Nets franchise as a result of the short-sighted decision to sell/trade the Doctor to the Sixers. The Nets have been in perennial re-start mode since…nice young team for a while in the late seventies/early eighties…greatly talented team in the early nineties hurt by the death of Drazen Petrovic and the implosion of their other potential superstars…the Jason Kidd NBA finals years in the last decade…all of which were followed by years of bad play, compounded in recent years by the franchise's promotion of the forthcoming move to Brooklyn years in advance, thus ticking off the Jersey fan base.

Nonetheless, the move to Brooklyn somewhat brings things full circle for the Nets, who may again be featuring the best player in the area in Deron Williams. Admittedly a little tired of Linsanity, Williams recently torched the Knicks for 38, and on Sunday got the Bobcats for a Nets NBA-record 57 points. The only problem is that Williams is a free agent after this season, which means he may not make the trip across the Hudson river after all. My suggestion to new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would be that now that he has lost to Vladimir Putin in the recent Russian election, he ought come back over to this side of the Atlantic and see to it that he doesn't lose Deron as well.

IV. You Can Be What You Wanna Be

Some other mid-season observations…Byron Scott in Cleveland and Mark Jackson in Golden State are doing great coaching jobs in keeping their teams within shouting distance of the playoff teams…while Mike D'Antoni - who was probably a loss or two away from the unemployment line prior to the ascendance of Jeremy Lin - has got to be back on the hot seat. Yes, Lin helped save his job, but now the Knicks have Lin, and Carmelo, and Amar'e, and Tyson Chandler, and Landry Fields, and the recently returned Baron Davis, and the recently signed J.R. Smith, and sharpshooter Steve Novak, and athletic rookie Iman Shumpert…which means that management will want their coach to make it work. If Mike cannot, he will be gone before too long.

And watch for San Antonio to make a serious run at the Western Conference championship, with the seemingly almost un-guardable Manu Ginobili (who is beginning to show a bit of resemblance to NBC's Matt Lauer) a lot fresher than most players, coming off of time off due to injury.

So we'll hold off - at least for now - on inducting Jeremy Lin into the Hall of Fame, but I do think there can be some comparisons drawn between Lin and baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken. Not that I am predicting that Lin will play 2,631 consecutive games, but I see a similarity in what happened following the MLB lockout of 1994 (canceling the World Series) and the NBA lockout this past summer. Cal Ripken's subsequent eclipsing of Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak helped to redeem baseball in the eyes of the public, along with the 1998 home run battle between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Now that Jeremy Lin has become an international sensation, no one is talking about the lockout now.

V. The Greatest Show On Turf

It will be really unusual this fall to watch Peyton Manning in a uniform other than that of the Indianapolis Colts…and in the midst of the discussion about his release due to the impending $28 million bonus he was to be owed, my mother, of all people - who cares not one iota about the NFL - asked if the Colts could not have gotten together with him to re-work his contract in order to keep him in Indianapolis for the balance of his career. I'm not in their boardroom, but were it up to me, I would have explored something along those lines; just seems like in the cases of Bird, and Magic, and Indiana's Reggie Miller, Peyton should have remained with his one team.

VI. You're A Million Miles From Reality

As always, Inside The NBA - with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, straight-man Ernie Johnson, and newcomer Shaquille O"Neal - provides some of the best and most humorous TV out there, especially for sports fans. I'm looking forward to them bringing their banter to the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament…but meanwhile on the other networks, the comedy is often provided by this bunch of crazy folks running for president this year.

Romney says corporations are people, Santorum says President Obama is a snob for promoting higher education for all, Paul was the only congressman to vote against a resolution in honor of the Civil Rights Act, and Gingrich thinks inner-city youth should be janitors in school. And then a guy they are totally afraid to confront, Rush Limbaugh, calls a Georgetown student unbelievable names and asks for pornographic videos of her. They fall all over each other trying to portray themselves as the one that would engage us into war against Iran the fastest, but can't say a radio host was wrong.

Sure hope Obama is preparing his agenda for his second term now, and not bothering to wait until November.

VII. The Greatest

Forty-one years ago today the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden to fight champion Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship that was taken from him for his refusal to enter the armed forces in the midst of the Vietnam War. By virtue of his being a brash and confident and principled - "No Viet Cong ever called me n____er" - African-American man, Ali (or Cassius Clay, as his detractors continued to want to call him) was hated by many still burdened with the yoke of racism and, although ultimately the winner in two out of three against Frazier, was the loser on that night of the so-called Fight Of The Century.

Now, forty-one years later, Ali is a beloved icon, and Barack Obama is the President of the United States. Would that the next forty years bring as much change.

Linsanity

The SEVEN
11 February 2012


I. Love Is In The Air

To all of the ladies that are reading this, Happy Valentine's Day!


II. Love Is In The Air, Pt. 2

Mike D'Antoni must love his newly-found hero...I mean, wouldn't you love someone that may have saved your job?

Clearly the biggest sports surprise of the year so far was not the underdog Giants' Super Bowl appearance, nor their victory over the favored Patriots, but the meteoric rise to instant stardom of the New York Knicks Jeremy Lin, who this past Friday led the Knicks to their fourth straight win by scoring 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Lin, whose first appearance some weeks back seemed to forecast a stint in the D-League, has brought a ball-sharing mentality and excitement back to the team, which is 5-0 since he broke into the lineup (as opposed to 8-15 before).

Charles Barkley stated that Lin needed to be added to the Rookie/Sophomore game during all-star weekend...but if he keeps playing like that, he'll get added to the main roster. And now does this make two teams that are playing better in the absence of Anthony?

III. Please Don't Go

Rich DeVos, the senior chairman of the Orlando Magic, says that he wants their franchise center, Dwight Howard, to stay in Orlando, and that he doesn't want to trade him. Were I in their front office I wouldn't want to trade Superman either, but I might point out to Mr. DeVos that they didn't grow their Amway empire on a string of bad decisions.

The Magic need only look down the road to Miami, where the Marlins are preparing to enter the 2012 season with former Met Jose Reyes at shortstop after he signed with them as a free agent this winter. As it turns out, the Mets probably should have ticked off their fan base last July by trading Reyes right then. Fans would have been irate at the team trading the National League's leading hitter, but had that happened, the Mets would have walked away with something, as opposed to Reyes walking out the door in the off season and leaving the Mets with nothing. I doubt that the Magic want to replicate that scenario...a scenario that played itself out very similarly in Miwaukee as well when slugger Prince Fielder left for Detroit.

IV. Not In The Market

When a New York City Councilman suggested that billionaire mayor Mike Bloomberg buy the struggling Mets, Bloomberg respectfully declined, stating that "...why anybody wants to own a sports team, I can't figure out." Well, if that franchise is the Yankees, you have your name in the media constantly and ultimately walk away - if you choose to sell - with a crazy profit. If it's the Mets...maybe that's why he said no.

V. Here's The Story of a Man Named Brady

Okay, we all now know that supermodel Gisele Bundchen - the wife of Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady - was none too pleased at the performance of some of his
teammates in the Super Bowl...and that saying "my husband cannot throw the
#*?;"+%€ ball and catch it at the same time" might not have been the most
diplomatic statement possible for someone in her position.

That said, here are two things to keep real: one, she didn't express any
sentiment that wasn't being expressed thousands of times across New England.
Two, she does have a right to have an opinion and is not excluded from having
one by virtue of being a woman - which is why it's great that the Giants'
Brandon Jacobs has apologized for his "stay cute and shut up" comment.

VI. Make Me Lose My Religion

If only the CPAC conference could last for the rest of the month. If it did, the
Republican presidential contenders would have so fully stumbled over each other
in an attempt to prove themselves the most conservative that the ultimate winner
would be essentially eliminated from serious contention in the fall. So in
light of all of the discussion this week about coverage of birth control - with
President Obama's opponents bashing him as anti-religion and virtually the
second coming of Satan - it seems funny how some of the haters continue to claim
that Obama is a Muslim, while others (and maybe some of the same folks) continue
to castigate him for the years he spent in Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church.

Hey guys, see if this makes any sense to you...if he's a Muslim, then there's no
need to harp on him about being with Rev. Wright. If he's a Christian, then no
matter what his name may be, he's not a Muslim. Of course, if he spent 20 years
at Rev. Wright's church, chances are he's not a Muslim. Bottom line...we know
you have issues with him being who he is and where he is...but don't trash him
on both of these.

VII. The Greatest

As an attendee at the 1994 NAACP Image Awards, I saw one artist going back and
forth onto the stage to accept award after award, thanking everyone with
anything to do with the success during these multiple presentations. Finally
she went to accept what was to be her last award of the evening, saying "I don't
know what to say."

From the back of the auditorium, during a split-second of quiet, I shouted,
"Sing!" - and it reverberated throughout the entire hall. Within seconds people
around the building were shouting for her to sing.

"You want me to sing?"

We screamed our approval, and then Whitney Houston broke into an a cappella
rendition of Jesus Loves Me. Rest in peace, Whitney. Another star gone too soon.

Super Seven

The SEVEN
5 February 2012

I.  Super Bowl Sunday

Back in December I kind of predicted that the recently 7-7 New York Giants might advance to the Big Game after their defeat of the previously-undefeated Green Bay Packers...and now here they are, back against the New England Patriots, their opponent four years ago.

Four years ago I so expected the Pats to win because I didn't consider Eli Manning to be an elite quarterback. Now that he definitely is, I could see either team winning...but I still think his brother should or could really be the MVP!

II.  Job Opening?

A few nights ago a guy predicted that Mike D'Antoni wouldn't last the week as the Knicks' coach.  Well, that was wrong - but it brings to mind the championship predictions flying through the New York air upon his signing. Folks must have thought he was bringing Steve Nash along.

III.  Winning Ways

Nash & his Suns just sent the Charlotte Bobcats to their eleventh straight loss. Michael Jordan didn't experience eleven losses during the entire 1995-96 regular season...& super rookie Kemba Walker barely saw more than eleven losses in college.  

IV.  Strength in the Hair?

Before we begin to think Jose Reyes' haircut for charity  will strip him of his strength, let's remember he kind of played like this before he grew his locks out, so we should expect more of the same in Miami...or maybe more in the warm climate.   Hope the Make-A-Wish Foundation does well with their auction of those locks!

V.  Winter Break

Meanwhile I was recently in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area to watch a group of 12U, 16U, and 19U ballplayers that had taken their talents to South Beach and nearby to participate in the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League's All-Star games, which took place on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.  The players were treated to great coaching by, among others, Mookie Wilson and Preston Wilson; a great seminar on Black participation in baseball, and a great tour and hospitality provided by Florida Memorial University.   A good time was had by all and all are looking forward to the MJBL Classic at the end of July in Richmond, VA. Check out mjbl.org for more information on this organization.

VI.  Why?

What's up with fans booing Kris Humphries?  Let's be real; he was the only one in that marriage with any talent.

VII.  I Knew It All Along

A recent study, discussed in the following Huffington Post article,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/intelligence-study-links-prejudice_n_1237796.html, shows a correlation between low IQ scores and conservatism.  According to the study, people that had scored low on IQ tests as youth were "more likely to develop prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood."

I knew it!  I knew those Tea Party/Klansmen/right-wingers were intellectually challenged, to say the least, but I just didn't have the empirical data to prove it. Thanks so much!

We Got Next

The SEVEN
27 January 2012

As we sit here in between the Martin Luther King holiday and Black History Month, I thought it a most appropriate time for a special edition of The SEVEN, in the form of an excerpt from my first book, "Sportin' Life: Essays On Sport And Life." Given that 2012 will be a most exciting year from a political standpoint, there may be several special SEVENS throughout...but for now, here's We Got Next.

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One of my memories of the old sitcom "Good Times" is of the family's patriarch, James Evans, resorting to pulling out his pool sticks - much to the consternation of his wife, Florida - when the money got short.  I guess it was during these years that "Good Times" was in its' first-run period that I realized how much I, too, enjoyed the game of pool.

My enjoyment, however, was and is on a purely recreational basis; never have I approached anywhere near a level of proficiency to attempt to win the rent or food money at the table.  That notwithstanding, I enjoy the game and can watch virtually any two players compete, whether they are at the neighborhood pool joint or running the table for thousands on ESPN.

Still I found it somewhat unusual this week when - without having played or watched any pool for a number of months - I wound up thinking about the game, and people and places I've played.  I began to also think about another player that I know of that I never had the opportunity to play, though on the other hand, I would undoubtedly have wanted to do much more with him than that.  And he would certainly have described himself as being more than just a pool player.

But pool it was for this young man - who was a very good player, by the way - on this one particular Saturday evening, because the word needed to be immediately spread about what was to happen, or not happen, on the following Monday.  As many of the people in need of the information would not be in church on Sunday to receive it, it was thought that a different approach might be in order - something along today's lines, if you will, of "Shackles" or "We Fall Down" or "Stomp" as opposed to "Onward Christian Soldiers."

So the young man went into the pool halls and bars, and I can picture him placing his money on the table and/or calling "Next," indicating that he wanted to play the winner of the current game.  And after getting to play and take part in the pool table banter, he'd share with those present that yet another sister had not only been disrespected but arrested on the Jim Crow buses of Montgomery - and as a result, the Black community was to take a stand against segregation by remaining off the buses on Monday.

Then the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - truly one of the great writers and orators and thinkers of this century, or any other, for that matter - would head back out into the street in search of another game at another table for another opportunity to spread the word.

Down Go The Mets, Down Go The Mets

The SEVEN
6 December 2011

I.  Yes, Virginia...

There is a Santa Claus and he's bringing some awesome NBA basketball on Christmas Day...Knicks-Celtics, Miami-Dallas and much more.  Finally...the rock...has returned...to the court!

Of course I was neither present nor privy to the details of the marathon 15-hour final negotiating session that yielded the agreement between the players and owners, but I gotta believe they could have done the very same deal a month earlier and come away with an easy 72-game season as opposed to the 66-gamer that is to be the 2011-2012 NBA season.  

That said, I'll take what we got - but I must say this before the first shot is taken:  I don't want to hear anyone with anything negative to say about the eventual winner in June, in the manner that some people subsequently dissed the Spurs after their 1999 lockout-shortened season championship.  Besides the fact that the Spurs won three more titles within the next eight years - which made any criticism of their '99 title totally invalid - all of the teams played under the same rules and same conditions, as will be the case this season.  May the best team win - and if not, congratulations to the winner.

II.  Giants Deja Vu?

A few years back the New York Giants played a late-season game against a heavily-favored undefeated team, and wound up almost winning while giving the undefeated team their toughest game so far.  Several weeks later, in the Super Bowl, the same Giants  - led by Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, and David "Catch It Against My Head" Tyree - pulled off one of the major upsets in NFL history in defeating the New England Patriots.

This past Sunday the Giants played the previously-unbeaten Green Bay Packers, and wound up losing on a last-second field goal.  Obviously the Giants won't be playing Green Bay in the Super Bowl as they are both in the NFC, but could that scenario repeat itself in the NFC championship game?

III.  We Were Family

I wonder if at any time during the 72 days they were officially brothers-in-law if Lamar Odom tried to recruit Kris Humphries  for the Lakers?

IV.  Not 1, Not 2, Not 3...

Now that Jose Reyes has taken his talents to South Beach, shouldn't he too get a key to the city?

V.  Basement, Please

For those of you outside of the New York City area, the New York Mets have a crazy fan base, one that will support the Mets to no end...if they respect the product.  Case in point:  they drew well in their early years even with an horrible team on the field, in part because they were horrible and lovable at the same time.

But then they won in 1969, which changed their landscape with the fan base forever.  No longer was it good enough to be the lovable losers; a certain level of productivity is now expected for fans - especially within hard economic times - to part with hard-earned dollars.  That productivity is expected on the field as well as upstairs.  So when the suits upstairs let Reyes, the best home-grown infielder and one of the most exciting players in team history, walk without even tendering an offer to him, that sends a message to the fans that we are blowing off 2012 and quite possibly the foreseeable future. The fans, in turn, will undoubtably vote with their wallets against going to see a team that is worse and duller, in the way that I did after 1990 upon the departure of Darryl Strawberry.

VI.  Am I My Brother's Keeper?

Unlike in the Bible, in this case it was Cain who was slain, or at least his presidential ambitions were killed.  I was kinda hoping he would stick around - and in my opinion, he really didn't have to "suspend" his campaign.  I mean, he didn't leave his wife when he had an affair, nor did he leave sick wife #1 for mistress and sick wife #2 for mistress.  Might as well stay in.

VII.  Association Fee

At any rate, the GOP field is down by one, which will make it that much easier for my friend who is not supporting President Obama but does not know the  Republican candidates to get a grasp of where they all are.  He has floated the idea of not voting at all, which I don't consider at all valid; given that which African-Americans have gone through in this country - in relatively recent years, no less - just to have the right to vote/drink in non-segregated fountains/eat at southern lunch counters, etc., my belief is that not voting dishonors the memories of people like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Rev. Jim Reeb, Medgar Evers, and so many others whose names we will never know who gave so much so that we would be able to take advantage of our constitutionally-promised rights.

One could say the question of whether or not to vote is like living in a condominium.  Condo owners usually pay an "association fee" to the owners association, which is then available to be used for the common good of the membership.  I know every owner isn't jumping for joy when it is time to pay that fee, but that is what you do to remain in good standing within the organization.  

In a sense, we here who are citizens of the United States are like joint owners of the U.S. condo.  None of us - even the 1% - own the entire thing, but we all have a stake in maintaining our property - and one of the things that comprises our "association fee" and keeps us in good standing is participation in the political process through voting.

If my dude doesn't vote I can't banish him to the North Pole, and I imagine that if you miss a payment to the condo association they won't banish you there, either - but you certainly  ought not try to complain if you don't like the lights they put up.

A Few Things To Be Thankful For

The SEVEN
24 November 2011

I.  Smokin' Joe Frazier

Let me open by saying that I was (and am) one of the biggest Muhammad Ali fans out there, beginning back in an era when being the heavyweight champion of the world meant you were the most recognized and celebrated athlete - and in Ali's case, human being - on the planet.  Nowadays my young lady friends talk about the WWE's Randy Orton being "the man" and might not be able to produce the name of any heavyweight champion if their lives depended on it.  Or pronounce it either.

With that said, as an Ali fan, I'm thankful for the life and career of the late Smokin' Joe Frazier, who was laid to rest last week in Philadelphia in the presence of dignitaries from around the world, including Ali.  Joe was a great champion as well and his fight trilogy with Ali defined both of their careers and help to forever etch their names at the top of the list of heavyweight champions.  Just as Magic had an ultimate rival in Bird, Ali had Frazier, and their legacies are the greater for it.  And in light of Frazier's passing, I just hope that Joe was able to let go of some or all of the bitter feelings he held about Ali as a result of various things Ali said to and about him during their years in the ring.

I hope he ultimately came to the realization that Ali was the master promoter who used the resentment against him,  the folk-hero status afforded him within the African-American community, and the media to hype their fights to levels never-before seen.  And yes, he used Joe Frazier as his foil, his straight-man, the "company man" as opposed to the "anti-establishment" Ali. But I'm sure that what he was doing was solely done to make them both a whole lot of money.  I do hope he was able to see that.

The champ is gone; long live the champ.

II.  JoePA and company

I think many are glad that the curtain was pulled away at Penn State, exposing the horrific things allegedly occurring under the nose of coach Joe Paterno.  As per the sign on the desk of the President of the United States - Harry Truman - when Paterno began there: The Buck Stops Here.

Still trying to figure out why this assistant coach, seeing what he claimed to have seen, first called his father.  Unless his dad was Batman, dude's best move might have been to call the police.

III.  NBA sides talking again

Thank goodness for that!  Get it done this time.

IV.  NASCAR crowd

Thanks to the probably Tea Party-types at the recent NASCAR event that booed First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.  You guys are really doing us such a favor...thanks so much.

V.  Occupy Wall Street

As we sit around the table giving thanks, we should include our thanks to Occupy Wall Street and the other occupations nationwide.  President Obama might want to do so as well...in that after almost three years of Republican efforts to protect the 1%, OWS has brought to the nation's attention some of the things that he has attempted to bring to light.  Now he can sit back and let them make some of his points and move the needle back towards reality.

VI.  MVP Trophies

No disrespect to Ryan Braun and Justin Verlander, but I think they ought be very thankful to the voting baseball media for giving them their MVP trophies.  They had fantastic seasons, no doubt, but had I had a vote, I would probably have gone with Matt Kemp in the National League and Curtis Granderson in the American League.  Again no disrespect to Verlander, who had an outstanding season, but the bottom line is that if Dwight Gooden did not get the MVP for 1985 (24-4, 1.53 ERA; 16 complete games; 268 strikeouts), no pitcher should ever get it.

VII.  Rex Ryan's curse

Finally, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan ought really be thankful he makes enough money to afford his $75,000 fine.  That sure was an expensive F-bomb.

Occupy The NBA

I.   Have You Guys Been Reading Your Paper?

On Monday AM New York, a free newspaper in New York City, listed a game between the Sixers and the Bulls as scheduled to be shown on ESPN that night at 8:30.  If only that were true.

II.  Occupy The NBA

Spotted a while back at Occupy Wall Street:   A 3-4 foot high little basketball hoop.  What this says to me is that someone at OWS thinks the cause is important enough to stay there with their infant...and also that it's time for the big boys to play.  And while the two big boys factions from the 1% continue beefing, the league has placed a proposal on the table - with an approval deadline of Wednesday - and the players' association is supposedly revisiting the concept of decertification of the union.  President Obama said he was "heartbroken," and that alone almost seemed to move negotiations forward...but as it turned out, only temporarily...and they're still at an impasse.  So I came up with a couple of ideas of my own.  I don't know if they will move things forward any more than did Obama's comments, but here are my suggestions:

1)  Since the major stumbling block between the sides seems to be the share of BRI, or basketball-related income...and the players and owners each basically want 53%...instead of a 50-50 split, why not do a sliding 47-53% scale for the players? That way both sides can say it could wind up working in their favor, and therefore they won, so it's time to go back to work.

2)  Occupy Wall Street/Oakland/Philly/Atlanta/Denver, etc. should take their protests to visit the arenas on behalf of the 99% who sell the tickets, cook the hot dogs, pour the beer, screen the t-shirts, and everything else in and around an NBA arena and/or team that is affected by this lockout.  I wonder if that wouldn't bring folks back to the table.

III.  Occupy New Jersey

I also have a suggestion for the soon-to-be divorced Kim Kardashian, whose ears are still stinging and ringing from the almost universal trashing she's taken for her 72-day marriage to the New Jersey Nets' Kris Humphries.  Instead of (allegedly) seeking to pay Kris to keep her $2,000,000 ring, a nice p.r. move might be if she would donate some cash to the people employed by the New Jersey folks affected by the lockout.

IV.  You Da Man

When Cliff Lee chose to leave the Texas Rangers via free agency to rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies, many people - myself included - anointed the Phils the favorites and blew off the Rangers.  Therefore, it was to the surprise of many people when the Phils...winners of 102 games, no less...failed to make it out of the first round, while the Rangers returned to the World Series.  Guess Texas skipper Ron Washington deserves some American League manager of the year consideration.

V.  Next Exit

Who would have thought the legendary Joe Paterno would be walking out the door to keep from being kicked out?

VI.  Exiting Too Soon

Unreal to hear of the passing of rapper/actor Dwight "Heavy D" Myers.  Rest in peace, Heavy D, and you will be missed!

VII.  The Last Round

"The world has lost a great champion.  I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration." - Muhammad Ali.