Once again, congratulations to the Boston Celtics. Now please excuse the poor etiquette while I rain on the NBA’s and Boston’s parade today by bringing back the name Tim Donaghy. I’d be inclined to display better etiquette if ESPN was on their job.
Last week D-Wil covered much of ESPN writers initial reaction to Tim Donaghy’s recently exposed allegations of referees influencing games. Although there were some dissenterd many ESPN writers like Marc Stein, Stephen A. Smith, and Ric Bucher all came out to dismiss Donaghy’s claims with a quickness that rivaled Stern himself. Either a) they are professionally influenced; b) they truly believe that Donaghy’s claims are bogus; or c) the foundation of the game is being threatened, and they want to protect the game they know and love from further harm. My best guess is option C, as it is easy for them to rationalize that “the ends justifies the means” instead of stating — at minimum – ”let’s investigate this further”. Read full article at Sports On My Mind
Last year Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were unable to lead each of their teams into the playoffs. Today they are all world champions.
Last year Doc Rivers coached the Celtics to the worst record in the NBA. This series he out-coached 9-time champion Phil Jackson at every conceivable turn.
Prior to Barack and Michele Obama’s possible “terrorist fist jab” as described by Fox News, you would have to go back 40 years to find the last time a gesture involving two fists caused so much attention. That was after Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their hands in a black power salute in Mexico City. The cost of their fist symbolism would be to be expelled from the Olympics, and treated back home like, well… terrorists.
With a big hat tip to Media Matters, Sports On My Mind has investigated the role sports has played in this more recent political drama. Our findings, based off of 20 separate pieces of evidence, tell a troubling story of terrorist infiltration that leaves no sport untouched. Below are the results of our investigation. Read Full Article at Sports On My Mind
Former Bush insider Scott McClellan explains in his book how mainstream media were “complicit enablers” in spreading false propaganda leading up to Iraq war. Election coverage has been reduced to lapel pins. And the supposed watchdog of the NBA and its referee betting scandal also happens to be their corporate partners (that’s ESPN for those slow on a lazy weekend). What do these various issues have in common? They are the consequences of BIG CORPORATE MEDIA. Read full article at Sports on My Mind
Floyd, what if Sugar Ray Leonard never fought Roberto Duran? What if Hagler never risked his belt against Tommy Hearns? What if all of these four fighters never squared off with one another in the 1980’s? …It would never happen. It could never happen. Because championship fighters at the highest level MUST challenge themselves against the very best. It’s in their DNA. But today you announced your retirement from boxing without fighting the only man that true boxing fans have wanted to see you fight: Miguel Cotto. Read Full Article at Sports On My Mind
Full Disclosure: I love boxing, but hate Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Not the fighters, just the game. I have great respect for the skill, heart, and courage they possess, and greater disdain for the spectacle they create. I am personally happy for Kimbo Slice that he can make a few extra bucks, but despise the reasons why he has become so popular. I respect the true fans of MMA who appreciate the sport on its most technical levels, but not the masses who come to cheer for its the most barbaric images. Read full article at Sports On My Mind
Current Mets Manager Willie Randolph has found himself in a bit of racial controversy this week when in a recent interview with Ian O’Connor he questioned if black managers and coaches face double-standards in media criticism before later apologizing “for the unnecessary distraction”. In doing so, Randolph became the perfect candidate, and best possible laboratory experiment to discuss the true meaning of the phrase: “The Race Card”. Read article at Sports On My Mind
For months, political punditry has centered around race and gender politics. Yet virtually every show’s host is a white male, the pundit selections often fall short (yet far more diverse than hosts), and Pat Buchanan is somehow still receiving a paycheck. But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of punditry has been the last month of euphemism-laced questions about “Obama’s problem” getting “the white, working class vote” whether in Pennsylvania or West Virginia or Kentucky. A prime example took place this early morning on MSNBC’s “After Hours” with Dan Abrams. Pundit Tucker Carlson states: Read more at Sports on My Mind
She’s baaaaaack, Geraldine Ferarro just won’t go away, and neither will ”The Lucky Black Man Delusion”. In her most recent appearance she is wondering why Barack Obama didn’t say “thank you” to her, reiterates that Obama is lucky to be black, and says it is “a statement of fact” (note: since 1990 women have a 60 -4 edge over black men in winning statewide elections/reelections). Pat Buchanon — in his latest racist diatribe — agrees with her. In fact, Obama is not just luckier than white women, but white men too! Now old Democrats and Republicans put aside differences for their common racial bond. This post by Raving Black Lunatic shows that in 2006 Ferraro agreed that Hillary had the easier road, and may simply be playing an ugly form of racial politics? Either way, it’s working. Polls show that masses of white Americans agree with her. Now Hillary’s days may be numbered, but expect the “the lucky black man delusion” to continue from one deliberate campaign strategy to another. Bank on it straight through to November. Given the delusional concept based off ”black cherry picking”, it is a good time to repost (originally on March 27) ”Barack Obama, Chris Paul, and The Lucky Black Man Delusion”.
Game 7 Eastern Conference Semifinals at Boston. The Detroit Pistons await the winner. Despite the Celtics “Big Three”, the game evolves into a mana-a-mano shootout. Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins? Nah, that’s sooo 20 years ago. Today it was Paul Pierce carrying the Celtics on his back to overcome 45 from Lebron James on route to a 97-92 victory over the Cavaliers. And in doing so, Lebron James, and hopefully Cavs GM Danny Ferry, discover “the truth” why the Cavaliers lost this game and this series. Read Full Article on Sports on My Mind
She likes to post-up her defender… when not effortlessly draining 3-pointers. She likes to rebound the ball in traffic… right before she puts it on the floor to start the fast break. She likes to cross-over in either direction… before scoring with either hand. WNBA - Meet Candace Parker. After watching the Los Angeles Sparks’ Parker assert her “5-dimensional” skill in her WNBA debut, only one person came to mind: Magic Johnson. …And it could have also been: the no-look passes, the near triple-double, or the taking the game over in the 4th quarter. In any event, Parker amassed 34 points, 12 boards, and 8 assists in an exciting 99-94 win over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury on a court filled with some of the WNBA’s finest stars. LA center Lisa Leslie — the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer — came back from a year off (pregnancy) to notch 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Scoring machine Diana Taurasi shook off a poor first half to notch 24 points for the game. And lighting quick all-star Cappie Pondexter kept the Mercury in the game with 32 points before missing a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left. Read Full Article at Sports on My Mind
It has been almost three years, almost 200 regular issues, and 10 women dressed in swimsuits since the last solo female athlete graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. During that time span, Candace Parker led the Tennessee Volunteers to back-to-back NCAA basketball championships, her coach — Pat Summit — became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history, Venus Williams won Wimbledon twice, and young golfer Lorena Ochoa has emerged with the dominance of Tiger Woods… Read full article at "Sports On My Mind.
According to a report in the New York Post, the New York Knicks are interested in Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni." The New York Daily News Mike Lupica’s most recent headline reads: "Mike D’Antoni has Stiff Task Ahead Leading Isiah Thomas’ Stiffs". Lupica claims D’Antoni must clean up a mess that is "the biggest in the history of Madison Square Garden", and that Thomas put together "the most wretched Knicks team of them all". Lupica did not mention if Thomas had any role in bombing the World Trade Center. Read full article at SPORTS ON MY MIND.
Donnie Walsh really blew it. Mr. Nice Guy pulled a fast one. Actually, he pulled an Isiah. Or is that “a Dolan”… Hiring Mike D’Antoni? Nah, the jury is out on that one until we see future personnel moves. Pissing off the big bad New York Daily News? Not a smart career move. Almost one hour after CNNSI Jack McCallum reported Saturday at 1:25 pm that the Knicks had just hired D’Antoni, the New York Daily News article that morning still read: “The Deal was Shot Down”. ESPN’s website didn’t look much better as a top NBA headline read “D’Antoni Waiting for Bulls”. …So how did the NY Daily News get it so wrong? Well, they reported that Walsh himself had denied the report for two days before officially closing the deal. Yesterday, Daily News beat reporter Frank Isola remarked that “Walsh’s credibility” was “taking a hit”. Read Full article at Sports On My Mind
“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together…”
I am not the Walrus, but I am Will Leitch… whether I want to be or not… and if you are a sports blogger, so are you… If this perception wasn’t already reality before last week’s HBO COSTAS NOW “Sports and Media” special, it certainly is now to any non-blogger who saw author Buzz Bissinger and Bob Costas tag-team Deadspin’s Will Leitch like he was Barack Obama at a presidential debate. …
