Kobe's Statement on KB24.com

Technorati tags: Kb24.com, Kobe Bryant

May 30 :: 2007

The Truth: A new road ahead

Wassup y'all ...

Man, today is one of those surreal days for me and my family. When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere. But, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING. That is plain and simply what it's all about. It's in my DNA. It's what pushes me to work as hard as I do. It's my daily passion and pursuit.

The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future. The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent. I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series. All of that was frustrating in itself, but then, this week to have someone "inside" the Laker organization try to blame me in the media for us not being a contender right now -- that is what brought me to my current position today.

I want it to be clear that I still love, with all my heart, the Laker Legacy. From Mikan to West to Goodrich to Wilt to Kareem to Magic. That will never change. And the support my family and I have gotten from Lakers fans is undeniably the best. I will also always believe that.

But, now there is a new road ahead. I am gonna keep grindin and keep workin to get back to competing for Championships. Sometimes the trek up the mountain is tough. But, I know we'll get there.

Strength and Honor,
Kobe

Kobe demands trade

First and foremost, I will remain a Lakers fan until the day that I die. 

With that said, I honestly don't have enough facts in this issue to determine if this is sour grapes or mismanagement.

All I know is that if Kobe truly wishes to leave the Lakers

after stating yesterday that he wants to retire a Laker, I have to imagine that there have been more incidents than just the LA TImes story in the past few days. 

You would think the one paper in the country that would do it's best to show the Lakers in a positive light, to squash bad vibes would be the L.A. Times....but I guess all journalist are fame seeking whores with allegiance to now one but themselves. 

If Kobe is serious, Kupchack, you better not settle for anything like the Shaquille deal.  I will never be a fan of another team...but I'll stop watching if you singlehandedly destroy this team.

"I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?" -- Kobe Bryant

Technorati tags: Kobe Bryant, trade, LA Lakers

LPG Tournament First Round Matchups

The Logo Division		The Magic Conference
71-72(1)		00-01(2)
Bye(64)		Bye(63)
58-59(32)		60-61(31)
05-06(36)		54-55(35)
69-70(20)		95-96(46)
91-92(47)		68-69(19)
83-84(16)		90-91(15)
66-67(51)		06-07(50)
64-65(24)		61-62(23)
80-81(43)		75-76(42)
59-60(28)		65-66(27)
56-57(39)		92-93(39)
87-88(12)		99-00(11)
57-58(56)		74-75(55)
Bye(57)		Bye(58)
79-80(8)		51-52(7)
86-87(4)		81-82(3)
Bye(61)		Bye(62)
97-98(29)		96-97(34)
89-90(33)		02-03(30)
94-95(17)		82-83(18)
77-78(44)		55-56(45)
88-89(13)		67-68(14)
73-74(48)		76-77(49)
72-73(21)		03-04(22)
98-99(40)		78-79(41)
85-86(25)		62-63(26)
70-71(37)		63-64(38)
04-05(53)		52-53(10)
01-02(9)		93-94(54)
Bye(60)		Bye(59)
84-85(5)		53-54(6)

LPG Tournament Seedings

Seed	Year	Title Perc	Playoff Perc	Reg Percentage
1	71-72	0.8	0.8	0.84
2	00-01	0.8	1	0.68
3	81-82	0.67	1	0.7
4	86-87	0.67	0.92	0.79
5	84-85	0.67	0.85	0.76
6	53-54	0.57	0.83	0.64
7	51-52	0.57	0.83	0.61
8	79-80	0.67	0.8	0.73
9	01-02	1	0.73	0.71
10	52-53	0.8	0.71	0.69
11	99-00	0.67	0.65	0.82
12	87-88	0.57	0.65	0.76
13	88-89	0	1	0.7
14	67-68	0.33	0.89	0.63
15	90-91	0.2	0.79	0.71
16	83-84	0.43	0.79	0.66
17	94-95	0.33	0.75	0.59
18	82-83	0	0.73	0.71
19	68-69	0.43	0.73	0.67
20	69-70	0.43	0.73	0.56
21	72-73	0.2	0.67	0.73
22	03-04	0.2	0.67	0.68
23	61-62	0.43	0.67	0.68
24	64-65	0.2	0.67	0.61
25	85-86	0	0.57	0.76
26	62-63	0.33	0.57	0.66
27	65-66	0.43	0.57	0.56
28	59-60	0	0.56	0.33
29	97-98	0	0.54	0.74
30	02-03	0	0.5	0.61
31	60-61	0	0.5	0.46
32	58-59	0	0.46	0.46
33	89-90	0	0.44	0.77
34	96-97	0	0.44	0.68
35	54-55	0	0.43	0.56
36	05-06	0	0.43	0.55
37	70-71	0	0.42	0.59
38	63-64	0	0.4	0.53
39	92-93	0	0.4	0.48
40	56-57	0	0.4	0.47
41	98-99	0	0.38	0.62
42	78-79	0	0.38	0.57
43	75-76	0	0	0.49
44	80-81	0	0.33	0.66
45	77-78	0	0.33	0.55
46	55-56	0	0.33	0.46
47	95-96	0	0.25	0.65
48	91-92	0	0.25	0.52
49	73-74	0	0.2	0.57
50	76-77	0	0.36	0.65
51	06-07	0	0.2	0.51
52	66-67	0	0	0.44
53	04-05	0	0	0.42
54	93-94	0	0	0.4
55	74-75	0	0	0.37
56	57-58	0	0	0.26

The End All Tournament!

A proud franchise the Lakers are.  Why?  Because they have produced some of the best teams the NBA, no, some of the best teams the sports world has ever seen.  But, you ask, which Lakers team is the best ever?   Is it the 71-72 Lakers with their unprecedented 33 game win streak?  Maybe one of the great 80's Showtime squads?  Or is it the 2000-2001 Lakers with their 15 - 1 playoff run to the championship?

Well, this summer we will find out.  Thanks to whatifsports.com, Lakers Bleeding Purple and Gold will be running the Lakers End All tournament.  Every Lakers team beginning with the 1951 season to this year's disappointing 06-07 squad will be battling it out for the title of 'LPG Best Lakers Team of All-Time'!

Tournament Setup

The earliest team in the tournament was determined based on the availability of teams in the whatifsports.com database.  Seeding was based on titles won, playoff percentage, season percentage.

Championship teams were automatically seeded in the top 12.  Based on the 69 -13 record and the 33 game winning streak, the 71-72 Lakers were given the #1 seed.  The rest of the championship teams were seeded based on playoff percentage

The non-championship teams were seeded based on playoff percentage, you know getting it done when it matters with ties broken by regular season win percentage.

The tournament bracket is based on the NCAA National Championship tournament.  With only 56 Lakers teams for this tournament, the top 8 seeds received a bye. 

The first two rounds will be a three game series with the higher seed having home court.  The sweet 16 and elite 8 will each be a five game series with the higher seed having home cart.  The final four and the championship rounds will each be a seven game series. 

Game results will be posted here including box score and selected play by plays.

 

 

Let the games begin!!!

Blameophobia

FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Hancock's father sues over pitcher's death

So the father of the drunk driver wants to sue the bar because his son decided to drive drunk.  Oh, and there was also weed in the car that I'm sure the bar planted. 
Seriously, any death is a tragedy.  However, if a person drives drunk, with a blood alcohol level twice that of the legal limit, and ends up killing themselves, there should be a law forbidding any family, friend or other person from trying to sue the establishment that the deceased chose to drink in. 

I agree bartenders should reserve the right to stop a person from drinking when they think he's had enough.  But at the same time, are we completely relieving the drunkard of any responsibility. 

What makes this even worse is the final statement:

Dean Hancock said he has an obligation to represent the family on all issues, "including any legal actions necessary against those who contributed to the untimely and unnecessary death."

The death was untimely.  The death was unnecessary.  But the death wasn't forced upon his son.  The death was a direct result of his son's behaviour.  It's as if the father wants to completely remove any blame on his son's name.  Sir, your son drove drunk.  Very drunk.  With plans to get high later.  Despite whatever you may think, the ultimate wrong was done by your son...not the tow truck driver helping out another sober driver on the roadway, not the restaurant that your son frequented enough to become a regular, only your son is to blame.  If you think a drunk driving incident is enough to tarnish his image, your legal shenanigans only add to the blemish at the end of a young life.  Rest in peace Josh Hancock.

Day Time Commercial

Working from home today.  Got the TV on as background noise and I suddenly here a familiar voice.  Damn if it ain't Gary Coleman doing a commercial for cashcall.com.  Ever heard of cashcall.com?  Exactly.  Gary Coleman talking about 'When I needed cash right away, cashcall.com was there!'  He may still be looking for the bottom but at this point, it can't be that far away.

Technorati tags: Gary Coleman

Nude car Wash

Working at the nude carwash... | The News is NowPublic.com

Nude Car Washing

Due to drought, the residents of Brisbane were prohibited from
washing their cars. And since dirty cars can't be driven to strip
clubs, there was a dilemma. Enter the Nude Car wash, topless window
cleaning, no longer a mere daydream but a $50 service. Need full nudity
and a lap dance to settle your nerves...drop a c-note!

Which gets me to thinking...Atlanta is in a drought.....hmmm

West Semi-finals Suspensions

Let's take a different look at this situation...my 'off-the-wall-I'm-just-being-a-hater-cuz-I-hate-the-Suns' theory is as follows:  Let's not blame Amare or Boris for coming off the bench.  Let's not blame Stern for being to harsh or enforcing the rule too rigidly.  Hell, let's not even blame Horry for the hip check.  Instead,  let's blame Steve Nash.  That's right, I said it.  Blame Nash.  See, Nash in the offseason plays soccer.  If there is a sport that does more acting when trying to draw a call from an official more than basketball, it's soccer.   Perhaps if Nash would not have flopped, his sidekicks wouldn't have left the bench and we would be talking about Game 5 purely based on the expectations instead of talking about the fallout of Game 4.  Though, many are calling it a wrap for the Spurs now, remember the Suns were shorthanded in Game 6 last year and down 3-2 to the Lakers and came out with a victory....granted it was Bitchilistic Bell which isn't nearly a big a loss as Diaw is much less Amare.   But still....

BLAME IT ON FLOPPING....THE LEAGUE HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL ONCE FLOPPING CAN BE CONTROLLED.

Technorati tags: Steve Nash, Robert Horry, Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, NBA, Playoffs, David Stern

Proof

What a lot of folks don't realize about arguing with me is that 8 times out of 10, when I say something I can provide the proof within 10 minutes(provided I have network connection handy). 

I remember when a sports argument, or any argument for that matter, relied on at the very least equal parts opinion and fact.  Nowadays, opinion is fact.  In bars across the country, people are considered guilty based simply on accusation.  People base entire arguments on 'I heard...' without doing a lick of research on their own despite the unprecedented availability of information today. 

Just keep in mind though, if you're going to argue something with me...come very correct, thorough, and prepared....for if you don't, I'll eat you and your lazy ass opinion alive.....I'm not out to convince you that I'm right...I'm out to convince you that you're wrong!

Taylor makes practice

I love Sean Taylor.  I do.  And being a Va Tech alum, that's hard for me to say with him being a former Hurricane (do you have to graduate to be considered an alum?).  And Sean doesn't make it easy to love him with his legal troubles and occasional on the field antics.  Of course, the biggest hurdle for me was when I took the leap to buy his jersey as my first Redskins jersey and he went and changed his number making my brand new jersey an instant throwback.  It's all good, I should have known there was a reason it was twenty bucks on eBay.

Anyway, I liked the way he made reference to his legal issues without saying his legal issues when being quoted about missing the first couple of voluntary practices....

Every year I'm trying to show up here more and more...It helps the team. The last couple of years I've been kind of busy with certain issues. I finally have those in the past and I'm working on getting ahead.

Technorati tags: Washington Redskins, Sean Taylor

Retire the Thug Description (or how Woody Harrelson is a black male athlete)

It's time to retire 'ghetto thug' in sports circles to describe every black athlete that gets in the slightest bit of trouble.

Let's dissect the use of thug.  Thug is defined as (according to dictionary.com):

A cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer.

Very few of the many athletes that have been called thugs fit the definition above.  Further, all of the athletes that are labeled thug are black.  Coincidence?

The major conflict between sports and their fans, in football and basketball, is that the fan base majority is white but the player base majority is black.  The black athletes that successfully manage this line are the players that do not strike at the base fear of the 'angry black man'.  David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Michael Jordan come to mind.

See, the black athlete is in an interesting position.  His entire life he's been a black male.  Not to feed into stereotypes but chances are he lived a hip hop culture (which is not necessarily a gangsta shoot em up world).  Now he is placed in the public eye and the public eye is often anti-hip hop. But this is another post for another time.

The main focus is that we as fans need to realize that often thug is an inaccurate description used to imply not only undesired behavior but also ethnicity or race.  Perhaps you're thinking I'm throwing out the race card here but please consider this:  when a white player rushes the mound in a baseball game, said player is not called  a thug.  Hockey players fight nightly yet thug is never used as a character description.  Or even better, Kyle Turley throws his helmut and generally acts cruel and vicious during a game.....and thug is never in the reports.

On the other hand, Mike Vick throws a middle finger (not condoning his action) and he becomes a thug.  Oddly enough, there are no notable situations before this middle finger which would lead to being called thug.  In fact, Mike Vick gets called a thug because of his brother's antics.  Let's scope this out a bit further....Woody Harrelson's father spent the last years of his life in jail for murder, in fact Charles Harrelson was a freelance hitman. Now using the same logic that makes Mike Vick a thug, how should we refer to Woody given his actual violent outburst?

Technorati tags: Thug, Mike Vick, Woody Harrelson, black males, athletes

Tickled by Road Rage

So on my daily trek to work, this elderly lady runs a red light making a right turn in front of me.  As I close on her, she decides that she would also like to be in the left lane.  I had started to change lanes to pass her so with her driver side front already in the left lane, she decides to look in the mirror to see if it is clear to change lanes.  By this time, I am already halfway in the lane and just about ready to overtake her so she swerves back into the right lane.  My tricky middle finger has started to make it's way to the sunroof so I couldn't stop it before I realized it was an elderly lady (not sure that knowledge would have stopped it, some old women can be mean as the dickens!).  At the same time, she STICKS HER TONGUE OUT AT ME!  Wow.  She still caught the finger but in hindsight I could only chuckle...the old lady stuck her tongue out at me!

Technorati tags: road rage, tongue, old lady

My Boy Has That Something Something

So this past Friday, Devin was under the gentle care of his nana.  Lately, the past month or so, Devin has taken to having his fingers instead of his pacifier to suck on.  Well, apparently he missed his fingers by a couple of inches and sucked on his wrist/forearm Friday.  So much so that he left a hickie on his arm.. . . . . . that's my boy!!!  He's gonna be a terror on some girl's neck come high school!!!

Classic Arcade Gaming

Mmmm, my gamer roots are ablaze with new found (for me anyway) ways to play all those beautiful atari 2600, Commodore 64, etc games. 

For those less geeky and technically savvy folks out there, our geek (remember when geek was an insult) friends have created emulators for these old but glorious consoles.  Emulators basically mimic the hardware these old games ran on so that you can run them on your current laptop or PC.  In some cases, you can even run Super Nintendo games on a Sega Dreamcast (according to a friend of mine, I haven't done this myself but sounds like an interesting Saturday project). 

I love this.  I spent nearly an hour playing 10 yard fight last night on my laptop with my wife quizzically wondering what I was doing and why?  I think tonite, after grass cutting of course, I will try to get a commodore 64 emulator so I can revisit California Games! 

Technorati tags: Emulators, Commodore 64, Atari, Classic Arcade, MAME

Nash Photo

Not kissing that bicep now are ya little man????

Unheard of Awards

Technorati tags: Joss Stone, Sexy, Vegetarian, PETA, awards

I was looking through a photo gallery of the Joss Stone concert at the Tabernacle in Atlanta Thursday night.  With each photo, there of course was a caption.  One caption states:

Joss Stone often performs barefoot. She was voted the World's Sexiest Vegetarian in 2005 by PETA, alongside Coldplay's Chris Martin.

Who knew PETA could take the time out from it's incessant battles against us meat hungry animal beaters to pick out a sexy vegetarian.....

Flashback

I recently gave Xpinionated as a gift and I thought "When was the last time I looked over some of my older posts?"  So I started scanning and realized, I'm pretty damn funny.  I can't quite explain what I was thinking when I wrote everything that is here but I read it and still chuckle....giggle even. 

So I am pledging to make a much stronger effort to get back to writing.  I also plan to do some advertising/marketing and get the readership up if at all possible.  Also, the return of the Xpinionated Shop will be coming soon with more than just a single design....

Overmatched and Outhustled

Overmatched, outclassed, embarrassed.  How does a team respond to that kind of thorough beating?  Never mind Kobe's attempt at minimalization with his loss is a loss attitude.  At the very least, I want to see us mad....mad at something....acting like we care.  If not for personal pride, what about for Lakers pride?  What about the franchise, the history, the fans, hell even the haters? 

The purple and gold is more than what happened last night.  Yeah, the Suns played a helluva game but that game was increasingly helped by our barely lackluster play on what I guess was supposed to be the defensive end.  How is it Phil hasn't found a way to make any of his teams during his L.A. tenure understand defending the pick and roll?  That oh so simple play has been the stick in our ass for years now. 

And personally, Jordan Farmar was the only guy I saw step up last night.  Lamar had a quick start but when his dunk got pinned and then stolen in mid-air by Amare, his fire extinguished.  Kobe tried to facilitate but with no finish Kwame blowing layups like a hooker at the pointe, it became moot. 

Simply put...lose Thursday, and we might as well call Mr. Clean and ask to borrow his dustpan cuz we will be swept.

AP Story on Jungle Fever

Before anyone gets in an uproar of my insensitivity, remember that I am happily interracialized matrimonally speaking. 

Interracial Marriages Surge Across U.S. By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK — The charisma king of the 2008 presidential field. The world's best golfer. The captain of the New York Yankees. Besides superstardom, Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter have another common bond: Each is the child of an interracial marriage. For most of U.S. history, in most communities, such unions were taboo.

Quick Note on Denver Game

The most interesting, and oddly enough, least reported stat from last night's 115-111 loss is the free throws attempted.  Denver was given, awarded, allowed -- however you want to say it as long as the implication of bad ref'ing is noted -- 49 free throws last night.  The Lakers had what would be an average, maybe a bit above average 28. 

The age old argument of free throws as a result of bad defense or bad referees.... last night it was bad referees.  One example, and then it's back to work.  Ok, two that my beer fogged mind can recall.  Luke Walton jumps for a rebound, receives an elbow to the face from Nene in mid air as the ball is tipped to Najera.  Turiaf stands behind Najera and gives what can be described as no more than a bump; more like a tap if anything.  Where does the whistle come?  On the elbow to the face that if Kobe had done would have resulted in 7 free throws and the ball?  Nope, that was missed.....Najera goes to the line. 

Example two:  Under a minute to go, Kobe feeds Brian Cook a pass underneath.  Brian Cook attempts a layup, gets clobbered by -- yep -- Nene.  No call made, scramble for the loose ball results in Nene tap dancing at the end line, throwing the ball to AI who trips -- on his own feet -- as Luke Walton jumps over his legs.  Whistle - Luke Walton on the foul. 

Lastly, -- yeah I know I said two but this one just came to me -- Kobe Bryant fronts Carmelo on an inbounds pass.  Carmelo -- with both hands -- shoves Kobe to the floor to get open for the pass.  Refs missed it.  Which is fine except for the fact that it happened in front of two of the three refs, the one handing the ball to the inbounder and the one on the end line.

Horrible job, cost a game and likely a playoff spot.  That's not to say the Lakers aren't at fault.  After all, when you're coming back in every game that means you were playing like shit for the previous 3 quarters.  But when it's eight on five, the task becomes even more daunting.

Why so close to .500

If you're a Lakers fan wondering why we're so close to the dreaded .500 season, you may be surprised to find out that it's not because of our tough conference.  In fact, we are 26-21 against our conference.  It's the under .500 record against the considerably weaker Eastern Conference.  We are 14 -16 against the Eastern Conference. 

There is no excuse for that.  No amount of injuries can explain that away.  If we were equally bad against the West, then injuries could be our crutch, pun intended.  But we aren't, indeed we have the 5th best record against the west in the western conference......

Nuttin Honey

A VA hospital in Los Angeles has formally apologized to what I presume can be considered a former patient after removing the wrong testicle.  They removed his healthy nut and left the bad nut. 

But they did say sorry.....


Technorati Tags: testicles, apologies

A bit backwards

Halle Berry was awarded with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame yesterday.  Great achievement for her and definitely deserved.

Here's the backwards part....Ryan Seacrest has had a star for nearly a year now.  Hmm, Halle Berry a year behind Seacrest out?  This is why I'm not a fan of Hollywood....Seacrest has to his achievement....American Idol host....no skill really required there...and a top 40 radio show....for this he is immortalized with Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Halle Berry, Clint Eastwood....

Alimony Schmalimony

Man Doesn't want to pay alimony to man who was woman when they divorced

So in a nutshell, this news article is about a man who doesn't feel he should have to continue alimony payments to his ex-wife who has become a man via a sex change after their divorce. 

In another nutshell, I agree.  But wait you gay rights vultures, I agree because I don't think alimony should be a legal institution any longer.  In these times it's a shame that the same women that claim to be independent, self sufficient, and 'don't need a man' still want alimony. 

This man is expected to pay his ex-manwife $1250 a month so she can maintain the standard of living that she was accustomed to during the marriage. Sex change operation isn't a standard standard of living cost but she managed to afford that.  Not only are most alimony payments above and beyond what's needed to maintain a standard of living (by the way the standard of living changes when you are no longer a couple....less income, less standards), they are a form of punishment to the husband. 

It's high time for this ridiculousness to cease.  If alimony must be kept on the legal stacks, at the maximum, at the very maximum, the length of time that alimony payments should be required should be limited to one year....not until the wife dies or remarries. 



Technorati Tags: alimony, transsexual, sex change

Shammond Williams

I wonder why Shammond Williams hasn't gotten more playing time throughout the season.  Smush Parker has, in my opinion (and yes I know this is a complete 180 from the beginning of last season), overstayed his time in L.A. 

A point guard averaging 2 assists a game and being 4th on the team in assists is a bit troubling, unless he's a scorer.  Alas, his streaky shooting also leaves him in 4th in the scoring category.

Now, don't get me wrong, Shammond's numbers aren't gaudy by any stretch.  But let's look at it like this:  Smush shoots 44%, Shammond 47%.  Smush is 37.4% from 3pt land, Shammond is 45.5%.  Smush is a 64% free throw shooter, Shammond is at 75%.  Granted, Smush has put in way more minutes than Shammond and it is possible that Shammond's numbers would come down a bit with some extended playing time.  But given the fact that Kobe, Lamar, and Luke will get the ball spread around, wouldn't it be worth the chance to see if we actually have a point guard on the team who can knock down shots with consistency???

Condoleeza Pleeza

Asked on CBS's "The Early Show" to say what the
administration could have done better, she said that, early on,
officials "might have looked to a more localized, more decentralized
approach to reconstruction.

Okay, let's do some basic vocab here....localized, defined, would be -> To confine or restrict to a particular locality.   Decentralized, defined, would be ->
To undergo redistribution or dispersal away from a central location or authority.

So unless I'm reading it wrong, which is quite possible, not likely, but possible, Condoleeza is using what could arguably be antonyms in succession.  General rule of thumb, if you're more of one word,  then you should be less of previous word's antonym.  It's kind of the basis behind opposites.....

Heartstrings

Son, today was the first day that you looked like you were sad to see me go.  I set you down at the daycare and grabbed your finger.  You gave me that half smile of yours.  I started to walk away and your eyes never left me.  So I turned around to give you some more love and you smiled again!  But I had to leave, had to get to work, and your face changed when you realized I wasn't coming back.  You were strong, though.  You didn't cry, just a look of disappointment that pulled my heartstrings......

Devin's Rollin'

Last night Devin rolled over from his stomach to his back.  Very excited were the proud parents....then I thought 'Wait, now we have to watch him even closer'.  Ah geez  ;)

Why my people???

Technorati Tags: Dekalb Teachers, Sex with student, Black People, Weed Kids

Gmail - Gwinnett County Detention Center Admissions in 30024
Teachers charged with student sex | ajc.com

For the past few weeks, I find myself saying the same thing when the news is broadcast

Please just this once, don't let them be black!

And for the past few weeks, I have not been granted that wish.  Oh wait, I take that back, there were the Barbie Bandits last week...oops, their teller accomplice was black..dammit!

Along with the link above, we have the 2 and 5 year old potheads.  The scary part about that video is that they don't cough after hitting the blunt.  They don't hit their chest or anything.  In fact, it appears that they blew the smoke out of their nose....indication that maybe they weren't weed virgins....why do my people have to be this way?

I know it's not all of us...but it is a reflection on all of us.  These incidents help build stereotypes and help build images that will one day go into someone's first impression of me, or your black friend, relative, whomever. 

A bigger question has to be asked as well in regards to the two teachers in the link above:  why the hell is a man awaiting trial for possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute teaching our children?  Perhaps, we need to run biannual background checks on our teachers and public servants in general to ensure that we aren't leaving our children with folks we wouldn't let in our house.

powered by performancing firefox

Some Straight Clarification

Technorati tags: Gay Amaechi, NBA, Locker Rooms, Straight Men, Gay Men

As we are all painfully aware, John Amaechi came out recently.  Anyone with a negative thought about this is considered a barbaric homophobe.  In fact, if you say anything to the effect of possible locker room situations, the gay community will crucify you and claim that you have some homo-erotic fantasies about locker room freak sessions.

As a straight guy (something I don't feel the need to shout to the world every chance I get....but that's another story), I want to try to clarify the locker room hesitations some straight athletes may have with a gay teammate.  Despite Amaechi's and other gay folks' claims that straight men are so vain in regards to thinking every gay man will hit on them, I think there's a misunderstanding.  A straight man will notice a female, regardless of attraction, or intent to solicit further communications.  I look at, with at least a cursory glance, most women that cross my path, with no regard to their sexuality.  I don't lust after them.  I don't want to date them.  Hell, most of them I don't even want to talk to but I look because my preference is women. 

Now, without ever having been gay, I would imagine that the same goes for a gay man.  He will look at a man simply because that is his preference.  No intention of hitting on, or trying to establish a relationship.  Just looking because that's what we as humans do when encountering our sexually preferred gender.

Locker rooms are genderistically (<-I like that word) segregated.  So, before homosexuality was 'out', the locker room was a place where despite possibly being homophobic, you could still dress and undress under the assumption that you weren't being looked at sexually (again, I'm not saying a gay man will see any naked man and pine for them....but as a straight man, I have looked at all kinds of naked woman --regardless of attraction levels -- and rarely turned down the opportunity to see them...).  Woman, whom were assumed to prefer men, were not sharing lockers next to a man and vice versa. 

In the situation of a gay athlete, things change.  If I have an openly gay teammate, will I feel as comfortable taking a shower with him after the game?  I would not.  Not because I feel that he wants me, or that I'm so damn sexy (although I am), rather it's just a simple situation of I don't want to be looked at by a dude while I'm butt arse naked.

Better yet, let's say a woman decides to fight the common battle of joining some all-male institution...say a gym.  Would she feel comfortable showering in the men's locker room?  And vice versa, after all, not all straight men are comfortable showering in front of women.  Does that make them chauvinistic?

Some Straight Clarification

Technorati tags: Gay Amaechi, NBA, Locker Rooms, Straight Men, Gay Men

As we are all painfully aware, John Amaechi came out recently.  Anyone with a negative thought about this is considered a barbaric homophobe.  In fact, if you say anything to the effect of possible locker room situations, the gay community will crucify you and claim that you have some homo-erotic fantasies about locker room freak sessions.

As a straight guy (something I don't feel the need to shout to the world every chance I get....but that's another story), I want to try to clarify the locker room hesitations some straight athletes may have with a gay teammate.  Despite Amaechi's and other gay folks' claims that straight men are so vain in regards to thinking every gay man will hit on them, I think there's a misunderstanding.  A straight man will notice a female, regardless of attraction, or intent to solicit further communications.  I look at, with at least a cursory glance, most women that cross my path, with no regard to their sexuality.  I don't lust after them.  I don't want to date them.  Hell, most of them I don't even want to talk to but I look because my preference is women. 

Now, without ever having been gay, I would imagine that the same goes for a gay man.  He will look at a man simply because that is his preference.  No intention of hitting on, or trying to establish a relationship.  Just looking because that's what we as humans do when encountering our sexually preferred gender.

Locker rooms are genderistically (<-I like that word) segregated.  So, before homosexuality was 'out', the locker room was a place where despite possibly being homophobic, you could still dress and undress under the assumption that you weren't being looked at sexually (again, I'm not saying a gay man will see any naked man and pine for them....but as a straight man, I have looked at all kinds of naked woman --regardless of attraction levels -- and rarely turned down the opportunity to see them...).  Woman, whom were assumed to prefer men, were not sharing lockers next to a man and vice versa. 

In the situation of a gay athlete, things change.  If I have an openly gay teammate, will I feel as comfortable taking a shower with him after the game?  I would not.  Not because I feel that he wants me, or that I'm so damn sexy (although I am), rather it's just a simple situation of I don't want to be looked at by a dude while I'm butt arse naked.

Better yet, let's say a woman decides to fight the common battle of joining some all-male institution...say a gym.  Would she feel comfortable showering in the men's locker room?  And vice versa, after all, not all straight men are comfortable showering in front of women.  Does that make them chauvinistic?

Arrington's Journey

Technorati tags: NFL, Giants, Lavar Arrington

Lavar Arrington was released today from the Giants after a short injury plagued season.

It' kind of funny, this past summer a Giants friend of mine was thanking me and the 'Skins for providing them with such a talent.  Oddly enough, I was thanking him and the Giants for taking such an overrated headache off of our hands.  I even went as far as to predict to him that Arrington would not finish the season, which he did not.  I can't wait to see this friend now....

Not a good feeling

I just got a feeling.....and it ain't a good feeling.  I feel like we're slowly collapsing.  I don't know why, and I don't know how to stop it.  But the feeling of optimism from the first two and one half months of the season has slowly begun to fade into fret. 

We survived the Lamar Odom injury but it just seems that the high level that our role players were performing at has disappeared.  Andrew Bynum seems to have plateaued recently and Radmonovic hasn't produced consistently enough to be that third option. 

And I don't even want to talk about the road performances....I welcome the all star break.

Great Moments in Playboy Radio

Technorati tags: Playboy, Naughty Melissa, trivia, radio, Mexico, roaches

Channel flipping on my way to work today, I decided to flip to Sirius and see what the Satellite radio provider had to offer up.  I find trusty Playboy radio and stop for a second to hear what debauchery is going on.  To my surprise, they are playing a little trivia game with Naughty Melissa.  The hosts, Kevin Kline and Cort McCown, are going tete a tete against Melissa in trivia.  Below is what happened, not word for word, but good enough:

Host1: What insect staged its first attack on humans in McCallum (sp?), Texas in 1991?

Naughty Melissa:  Human Insects?

Host2:  Yes, attack of the roachmen!  No...what insects staged their first attack on humans in McCallum, Tx in 1991?

Naughty Melissa:  Well, McCallum is on the border of Mexico, or right near it anyway, so I'm gonna say roaches.

Host1:  Can we give her a hint? 

Host2:  You can tell her that it has wings.

Host1:  Can I give her the initials?  Melissa, it is not roaches

Naughty Melissa:  Roaches have wings.

Host2:  He just told you it's not roaches!

Host1:  The initial could be a K or a B

Naughty Melissa:  Katydids?  Or maybe it's ladybugs...I remember ladybugs being everywhere around that time

At this point, I got out of the car.  Of course, the answer was Killer Bees.  And I have to imagine every Mexican in Playboy's listening public is offended at how easily Naughty Melissa made the connection between the Mexican border and roaches......

Sign of Growth

The Lakers ended their two game skid last night with a win over the Warriors de Golden State.  Interestingly enough, the Lakers have limited their losing streaks this season to no more than two games.  four times this season they have lost two in a row and bounced back.  That is a definite sign of growth.

In even better news, there is a good chance of a Lamar Odom Friday night against Charlotte.  Though the team has held the ship without him, the two in our one two punch has been missed. 

The Idol is Back

Say what you want about American Idol, but tryouts are one of the best things going on TV.  Tonite's gems: 

• Randy says "You don't have to be a singer", and Simon follows with "And now you know you never will".  After a bit of crying, the contestant goes outside to converse with the camera saying "I keep waiting for them to come out here and say psych".  Wow, she said psych.  I guess they still say that in Minnesota?
• Paula Abdul:  "Oh my god that's a note I've never heard"
• Jewel: "So are you serious when you're doing this?"
• Contestant: "Do you guys want the poster" (She had a Wizard of Oz poster as she had done a ditty as the lion from the movie.  Randy's reply?  "No"
• Randy: "Man, Prince'll never be on this show again"

Chinese got it right!

The Chinese are my new favorite people!!!  To commemorate the year of the pig, the Chinese Postal Service will be releasing a pork inspired scratch and sniff stamp which upon lickification reveals a sweet and sour pork flavour!

Oh hell yah!  I would write fewer emails and write more letters if I could get a collared green inspired stamp.  Or maybe, just maybe, a garlic (I'm a garlic junkie) flavored envelope with an italian bread inspired stamp!!! DAMN BE MY DIET, FEED ME MY MAIL!

CRANKY.COM

This website is not targeted to me.  But I do find it hilarious that the search engine for those 50 and up is called Cranky.com.  That's just funny...

Mejia's idiocy continues

The L.A. Lakers did the rest of the NBA a huge disservice by snapping Dallas' 13-game winning streak on Sunday night.

Tony Mejia has long been on my list of 'Paid Idiots with a Keyboard'.  His 'opinion' pieces are based on little more than his like/dislike of a player, team, or coach.  Naturally, his dislike of the Lakers franchise has made us archrivals though I'm unsure if he's hip to me as his adversary.

Anyway, his latest piece basically states that the Lakers should have intentionally lost a January game in order to allow the Mavericks to continue winning until they get complacent.  Yes, he is suggesting they should have thrown the game.  Now when Dallas' previous double digit win streak was broken, there was no suggestion of throwing the game.  Why would a so-called expert ever suggest a team throw a game for the sake of the league?  Idiot.

With that said, great game Sunday night.  No Kwame, No Lamar, and a 9 point deficit headed into the fourth quarter made for another confidence builder a la the Houston game a few weeks back.  These Lakers are showing the league a lot about heart.  They are showing me a lot about teammates.

How 'bout dem Hokies?

 Maybe the basketball team can teach the football team about heart?  Va Tech 69, #5 Duke 67.

Bitchilistic Bell Back At It

Technorati tags: Raja Bell, Kobe Bryant, Andrea Bargnani

Raja Bitchilistic Bell is back at it.  He was suspended for one game without pay for kicking Andrea Bargnani.  Let's see, last year in the playoffs he intentionally closelined Kobe Bryant citing Kobe's arrogance etc as the driving factor.  What now will he say in regards to Bargnani....after all the dude's first name is Andrea so he can't be all that instigative. 

Perhaps Bitchilistic Bell has a maturity and a temper problem...maybe a complex derived from his pure sucktitude...

Ugly WeekEND

VT's quarterback throws the game, Redskins lose again.  Combined on Saturday evening, my teams gave up 52 unanswered points.  The Redskins game doesn't hurt, expected to lose....they are a losing team.

But I am starting to believe that VT QB Sean Glennon is getting some kind of payback from UGA alumni.  It would be different if his throws were accurate and the interceptions were a result of phenomenal effort from the DB's.   Alas, twas not the case.  Balls batted at the line of scrimmage, nearly every pass thrown short.  Embarrassing, simply embarassing and I wouldn't be surprised to find out 20 years from now that somebody *cough*Glennon*cough* was paid to throw this game.

To top it off, I lost the Super Bowl in Madden 20 - 17 last night....football sucks....

Dubious Distinction

How's this for Gibb's genius?  Along with the Raiders and Browns, the Redskins are one of three teams (out of 32!) that are under .500 when leading at the half.  Gibbs really knows how to keep that focus....

It's not as easy as it may seem for me to hate on Gibbs but his decision making and performance lead me to have something less than faith in him now. 

Christmas Day Game Log

2nd Quarter

Starting out with 4 bench players trying to get a spark with Kwame being the lone starter on the floor.  Normally, Lamar would be out there at this time for a bit of stabilization. 

Good work Kwame...way to stick with the play!  Fight for the rebound, wait for the steal on the lazy pass. 

Looks like Phil's plan is to lure the Heat to sleep, take the edge off.

Deeper Lakers squad makes me feel tons better about Kobe being on the bench for 5 minute stretches or more.  V-Rad, aka the Geico Cave man, is slowly getting into a Lakers rhythm.  Luke has definitely picked his game up.  Maurice Evans has had some nice run too, despite just getting his shot jacked by Mourning....

Time for more eggnog and brandy. . . .

What the hell is 'Curse of the Golden Flower'?  What kind of name is that?  Why does a martial arts flick have such a girly name?

Okay Sasha, that's three straight shots....

Another bad call on Kwame, three personals and maybe one of those was an actual foul. 

The fact that the Heat were given a championship last year still leaves a bad taste in my mouth....

Four straight threes from Sasha...

Phil...take Shootsha out....

Five possessions....five threes attempted.....one three made.....down by twelve,not surprising.

Why the hell is lebron wearing a headband in the pool?

Gotta hold my newborn, be back later.....

Christmas Day Game Log

Technorati tags: NBA, Christmas Day Game, Lakers, Miami Heat, LA Lakers

1st Quarter

Fouls can be the story.  Two centers, two fouls, five minutes left in the first quarter.  Oh, and the whole D-Wade is allowed to draw a foul by initiating contact....Kobe can't get to the line to save his life.

Alert:  Miami players are putting parts in their hair a la Spike Lee's 'Do the right thing'....bad idea.  Perhaps it is some kind of team unity thing; you know, if we all have bad haircuts then we can't all get laughed at together!!  One for all and all for one. 

Shot selection is suspect right now. 

Turiaf with a nice post up. 

Every time D-Wade touches the ball the refs blow the whistle.  Shades of the finals returning....8 free throws in the first quarter...at this pace he will have 32 free throws at game end.  First quarter has taken over 30 minutes with the parade to the foul line currently known as the Heat Offense.

It's apparent that we must avoid all defensive pressure for fear of the whistle......

The Day

Hello Son
Tomorrow looks like the day we finally meet
You've never seen the sun
Yet you've been the source of more happiness and nervousness than you could imagine

You know in my head
I imagine you've understood every word I've ever said to you
I imagine that you'll immediately recognize our voices the first time you hear them
I feel like I know you and I've never met you
And I already love you

I could sit here and try to list all the things I want for you
I could tell you of the dreams I have for you
But I'd rather you grow up and tell me the dreams you have for yourself
And I hope that I can do my part in helping you realize those dreams

Welcome Home

White Folks Lose, White Folks Lose!!! -- Breaking Story!!

Cooks Island --  Approximately 8:40 pm, for the first time in modern history, white folks lose.  In a surprising turn of events, the winner of this year's Racial Survivor will not be a Caucasian.  VT (as I call him since I don't know his real name), the last caucasian on the show, was voted off of the controversial show.

When this year's show started -- for those that are pop culturally challenged -- 16 contestants were divided into four tribes based on their race.  Whites versus Blacks versus Asians versus Hispanics - Let's get it on!  The racial theme lasted only briefly as the driving force as the tribes were mixed within the first few episodes. 

With tonite's finale nearing the midpoint, we have two Asians, one Hispanic, and one Black.    My money is on an Asian, more than likely Yul, the Godfather.

Big Win

Wins like last night's 112 - 101 comeback victory over the Houston Rockets without Lamar Odom are the kind of games we can look back on when we need a boost later in the year.  Kobe's 53 point outburst fueled, carried, willed-- and any other verb you wanna throw at it -- the Lakers to their fifth victory in seven games.  53, 10, and 8 assists -- those, my friend, are true numbers!

Odom Hurt, Step Up Time

Technorati tags: Lamar Odom, Lakers, LAL, Los Angeles, NBA

Odom sprains right knee

HOUSTON (AP) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom sprained his right knee in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the Houston Rockets and Coach Phil Jackson said he might be out for more than a month.

The 6-foot-10 Odom, the Lakers' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, landed awkwardly after Shane Battier blocked his shot on a drive. Odom stayed in the game for another 90 seconds, but the Lakers called a time out so Odom could come out with 8:31 left.

"I don't know exactly when it happened," Odom said. "But I felt like something was really wrong. I have no idea how long it'll be. I've never had anything like this."

Odom was taken to a hospital for an MRI. The Lakers said Odom suffered a moderate MCL sprain and was flying back to Los Angeles for more tests on Wednesday.

"He's going to miss some time," Jackson said. "I'll be really happy if he plays again in January."

Odom had started all 20 games for the Lakers and is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game.

If there is anything that we didn't need, it is this.  Odom possibly out for several weeks.  Luke Walton's production has been great but now we are going to need it stay consistent.  Previously, it was needed but there was room for a loss of focus here and there.  Not any longer, Luke has officially become our second scorer followed by the Brown/Bynum tandem.  Tough stretch of road games coming up with another in Dallas tonite. 

World's Best Casual Gamer

One million bucks goes to the world's best casual gamer.  10 payments of one hundred thousand dollars.  Mrs. Xpinionated plays solitaire, bejeweled 2, and zuma.  Mrs. Xpinionated needs to hone her skills and make us some munay!

Pop's Points - 12/9/2006

To The Race:

Being of Black America, lets begin tomorrow by not using the N- word. While achieving this, lets concentrate on eliminating other derogatory words that we use so faithfully.Speak with words of Love, Peace and Happiness, forget the F-word, S-word and G-word, etc. Man life without profanity is beautiful.

Pop

VT Players on CFN's Top Rated Lists

CollegeFootballNews.com has released it's top rated ACC players list and Hokies made a pretty respectable showing. 

The All-ACC Offensive team listed Branden Ore at RB and Brandon Pace at PK.  The defensive team sported three Fighting Gobblers with Vince Hall, Jr. at LB, Brandow Flowers DB, and Eddie Royal, Jr as PR.

CFN also listed it's top 30 regardless of position.  Vince Hall was highest on this list at the four spot.  He was followed by Branden Ore at 9 (who also received top back accolades), Xavier Adibi at 14, and Brandon Flowers at 19.

Overrated

How does Brady Quinn win the Maxwell award over Troy Smith? He's got to be one of the more overrated players at the college level. If it wasn't for SMaragvewadi (the WR/TE guy -- sorry I don't remember ND players), Brady's numbers would be average at best.

Is this a sign that the Heisman may not be as locked up as the world thought it to be?

No title

I need to be strong.  I want my son to be healthy.  I want him to be here.  That way I feel I can at least do something.  The latest ultrasound showed that his heart was slightly to the right.  It's functioning normally and although the doctor told Mrs. Xpinionated not to worry, I'm a little sickened.  I just want Devin here.

Sad, Really

Technorati tags: Suckiness, Redskins, Sucks, NFL, Suckitude

What does it take to realize your team sucks?  How about realizing that with 25% of the season left, you can only hope to get to .500?  Upon hearing that your current coach is going to stay, you suddenly start making plans for next season's Sundays so you can spare yourself the frustration? 

You know your team sucks when people stop talking trash to you

You know your team sucks when you stop talking trash

You know your team sucks when you try to talk trash but can't help but giggle a little with anything you say

You know your team sucks when you don't know who they play next....and you don't care

You know your team sucks when they consistently get between 0 and 1 highlight per Sunday evening episode of ESPN.

You know your team sucks when your coach is more successful in his 'other endeavours' than he is in his job!

You know your team sucks when your reply to any criticism revolves around the record breaking performances of Doug Williams and Timmy Smith in the Superbowl umpteen years ago...

Georgia on my mind

Technorati tags: Chick Fil A Peach Bowl, Virginia Tech, Hokies, UGA, college football

The Virginia Tech Hokies have accepted a bid to play the University of Georgia on December 30th in Atlanta at the Chick Fil A (Peach) bowl -- it will always be the Peach bowl as far as I'm concerned.

Living in the metro ATL area, I've been exposed to my fair share of UGA fans and their football.  Though always obnoxious, I can respect that much more than I can Georgia Tech's new obnoxiousness, which coincidentally has died down considerably with the real GT showing it's colors.   For these eight years, I have prophesied on how UGA is a good team, no doubt, but I'm not convinced that they are better than VT.  In fact, I'm sure beer influenced boasts followed at regular intervals, not to mention well timed 'Yipes' to mock any UGA barking that may have been previously heard. 

Well, now the time has come.  The Hokies and the Bulldogs.  I didn't score tickets to the game and I'm not all that upset about that.  After four years of being the only Hokies fan at my local watering hole, it is only right that I watch that game, for better or for worse (and circumstances willing given the expected child), at that bar surrounded by all those Dawgs fans.

Trash Talk?  I do not plan on starting it but I will not turn the other cheek...that's fo' sho'.  Now during the game and after the game, only the game can decide (and the amount of liquid courage filling the room) what is said. 

Ben Johnson Speaks -- and that's a bad idea

Technorati tags: Ben Johnson, steroids, Carl Lewis, dumbasses

Ben Johnson, the former sprinter who was stripped of his 9.72 second gold medal in the '88 univer-Seoul Circus ... uh Olympics has told an Australian newspaper that Carl Lewis set him up.  Blah blah, the funny part of this is the victim toned statement:

"Number one, that day the drugs that they find in my system was not the drugs that I was using," he said.

Followed by:

"I'm not denying at all that I was taking drugs but that's the drugs that I was using that they claiming.

And we're supposed to feel sorry for the guy.....cuz he was sabotaged...poor li'l fella....dumbass.