GarageGabs

Wow, you’ve got to love the internet. Shortly after top ranked UNC was defeated 82-80 by Marland on national television Saturday, several rival message boards began to float the idea that they had heard a racial slur as Maryland walked off the court. Soon after that, thanks to the modern miracle that is YouTube the slur was brought to life. As Maryland walks off the court you can clearly hear someone sitting in the stands yell “Go back to the ghetto”. Now, it was already embarrassing enough for the Heels that all the sorority type girls were crying on TV over a regular season loss, but this only adds insult to injury. A couple of assumptions to note:

1. The fan that made the comment can not be seen, so, one can only assume that a UNC fan said it. Assumptions probably won’t hold up in court, but in the world of common sense they work just fine. First of all, Maryland players were leaving Chapel Hill, so they would be the only ones being told to go back anywhere. Secondly, at the time, they were walking by the UNC student section, so take that for what it’s worth.

2. The word ghetto. Yeah, it can have many meanings and be interpreted in many different ways. Not necessarily a racial slur. Again, I’m going with common sense here. I’m just guessing that a young girl upset at her beloved Heels losing a basketball game didn’t tell the other team to return to a section of the city where Jews likely live. I’m going out on a limb and guessing that she was referring to race and or socio-economic restrictions. Just a guess.

Anyway, here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure.

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “big deal, one fan in 20,000 said something a bit out of line”. I happen to agree with you on that. I’ve heard FAR worse things said (and done) at sporting events. However, it really isn’t UNC athletics, the institution, or even the student body that I want to take to task here. It’s the media, local and national.

Ya see, a couple of years ago current NBA star Chris Paul was making his rounds in the ACC. Paul & his Demon Deacons made a visit to North Carolina State. Reportedly, a few State fans made some comments about Chris Paul’s deceased grandfather. The problem this time was that a local opinion writer named Barry Saunders decided to print this story and call for North Carolina State to officially apologize for the incident. Basically, Saunders was offended by this type of behavior and felt the university should apologize for the actions of a few fans. State fans quickly called Saunders on his bluff, noting that he was exaggerating his material. It was later learned that only 3-4 fans were yelling at Paul and they were actually being reprimanded by other students. Didn’t matter though, the damage had been done. Local & national radio ran with the story & spun it as Pack fans were upset at being called out on their ignorance. Fine, it happened. Given, it was an isolated incident, but it did happen.

Here is the News and Observers reply to the article: ” Taunting Coverage Angers State Fans “

Get where I’m going with this? Fast forward to this weekend. Here we are, just 2 days before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and we have a UNC fan yelling “go back to the ghetto” on NATIONAL television. Local media? Mum. Barry Saunders? Nothing. Local paper? The News and observer ran an article noting that there is “Still More to Do” in regard to racial equality in North Carolina but not a peep about daddy’s girl telling Maryland to go back to the ghetto. I mean, that’s what this reeks of right? Since she was bold enough to put Maryland’s basketball team in a ghetto we might as well theorize that this girl is a spoiled white girl going to UNC on daddy’s dime….correct? Where is the out-cry? Where is the condemnation of this remark? Why doesn’t the school apologize? Am I to make another assumption? Should I assume that this type of behavior is ok?

I know, this is such a petty non-issue. But we live in a society where people get taken to task for minute levels of non political correctness. If you’re going to take one to task, you take them all to task. You do not show favoritism. One person isn’t let “slide”. You don’t look at the context of a situation, rules are freaking rules. Does Barry Saunders know this happened? You can bet he does, rival fans have probably flooded his in-box. In fact, when this is all said and done, that might be the only response you get out of Saunders or any other media. They’ll probably say “rival fans are upset” but never actually touch on the issue at hand. When you don’t want to talk about it……..spin it.

The Long Version Of The Video

*UPDATE* 1/22/08

WRAL, the local news affiliate which is basically located on NCSU’s campus ran this story today-

Tech’s Hewitt Puts RBC Center Incident Behind Him

Go figure, they take the time to drudge up a nearly 2 year old story with still no mention of the UNC comment.

Even More Updates:  A few local blogs are catching on to this “non-story”

UNC Girl Celebrates MLK Day In Style    ( 850 the buzz blog)

 

Tears In, Class Out In Chapel Hill  (ACC Now Blog) 

I found what I think is an excellent read in regard to the Sean Taylor murder.  Jason Whitlock discusses the relationship between the Hip-Hop culture & the death of young black men.  I enjoy hip-hop & Rap, but there has to come a point were youth (not just black youth) are able to separate reality from music.  You would think that the entertainers themselves would have some sort of conscience when it comes to the affect and influence that they hold over America’s youth.  Anyway, here is a link to the article:

Taylor’s Death A Grim Reminder For Us All  (Jason Whitlock, Fox Sports)

I don’t have a lot to say about the whole Mike Vick thing…..I think dog-fighting is wrong…..that’s about as much as I can say.

Anyway, wanted to drop a few videos on the situation-

First up, another fantastic video from Bradyfan83: “Dog’s in the kennel”

Second, I couldn’t agree more with JustA11en :

Finally, Clinton Portis being a complete idiot.  “it can’t be too bad of a crime….it’s a lot of stuff that’s crimes”   (you go Clinton)

Throughout his NBA career Robert Horry (aka Big Shot Bob) has made his name hitting big shots throughout his NBA career. Last night, he hit perhaps his biggest shot ever. During game 4 of the West Semis, Horry leveled the Suns Steve Nash in the games closing moments of a game the Suns were locking up.

Pretty big hit by Horry, in what has been a series full of big hits from the Spurs. It has now become a big deal as the Suns reaction to the hit has gotten two of their better players suspended for pivotal Game 5. Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire have both been suspended for Game 5 of the series for “leaving the bench area”. Robert Horry was suspended 2 games for a flagrant 2 foul (Rightfully so). NBA Vice President of Operations, Stu Jackson (This is the guy that makes suspensions) commented on the suspensions saying “This is a very unfortunate circumstance. No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently.”

Ok, I get it. I understand the rule. The rule has its place in the game. However, this isn’t what this rule was intended to stop. As with every rule there should be a gray area that leaves it open to some type of interpretation. Everything cannot be so black and white. Yeah, Diaw and Stoudemire left the bench. However, they never made it to the altercation, and in fact, quickly retreated. Yes, I know they retreated with a little help from the coaching staff. Also, the Suns contended that the players were just going to the scorers table. Of course, everyone on earth knows this wasn’t true, but it is a possibility; one that I really think is impossible to disprove. The NBA has practically hand delivered Game 5 to the Spurs (and probably the entire series) by punishing the Suns for an altercation that the Spurs started. THIS IS CRAZY! I’ve been working all day so I have no idea how the mainstream media has reacted to this, so maybe I stand alone in my opinion.

Stu Jackson, I’d like to thank you for royally screwing up this series.

Update: Apparently, the new thing floating around is why wasn’t Tim Duncan suspended. Duncan left the bench area in the 2nd quarter as it looked like tempers were about to flare. I have to say I agree with this. If you are going to suspend Diaw and Stoudemire because a “rule is a rule” then you must suspend Duncan for violating the rule as well.

I’ll provide a few quick links as to how some other blogs are calling this:

God Hates The Suns And The NBA Can Go To Hell (100% Injury Rate)

Will Tim Duncan Be Suspended (The Big Lead)

Phoenix Got The Calls (True Hoop)

Finally, a tribute to Horry:

 
Quick, tell me who these guys are….Oleg Maskaev, Rusian Chaqaec, Wladimir Klitschko,and Shannon Briggs.  Hmmm, how about these guys: Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, and Ken Shamrock.  Chances are, you’ve heard of a couple guys from the first group.  If you are an avid fan of boxing, you’ve probably heard of all 4 of them.  However, if you are a casual UFC fan (like myself) you know all the guys from the second group.  This is what’s wrong with boxing.  The first 4 guys are each heavy-weight champions in each of boxings 4 organizations.  Out of the 4 of them, I’ve seen Klitschko fight….one time.

Anyway, back to saving boxing.  Supposedly, this past weekends huge pay per view even between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was going to save boxing.  Long story short….it didn’t.  Ok, I admit, I was pulling for Oscar.  Even so, this fight wasn’t worth going out of your way to watch.  Yeah, I saw the punch count numbers, Mayweather supposedly out-landed Oscar 207-122.  I also saw that Oscar was often times throwing wildly, while not hitting much.  However, Mayweather just didn’t do ANYTHING.  He danced around, threw the occasional combo, stuck his jab in there from time to time….he never came anywhere CLOSE to actually hurting De La Hoya nor did he ever push the issue.  Mayweather flashed sarcastic smiles whenever Oscar would push the issue…you know, those “You didn’t hurt me” smiles…..but honestly, this fight wasn’t a laughing matter.  Rather than retaliate to De La Hoya’s flurries with smiles, how about throw some punches?  How about come out of the corner swinging….make the fight somewhat entertaining.  I’ll tell you why: That is the only way he loses the fight.  Mayweather knows he can sit back and tactically pick apart any fighter….as they relentlessly slug away at him.  It’s a winning mentality, but it’s a boring one as well.  It’s also why I’ll never pay for another Mayweather fight….assuming there is one.

As for Saturday night’s fight, I didn’t have to pay for that one either.  Just so happened that several of my buddies and myself were in Wilmington, NC this weekend.  We looked around town for a place to watch the bout and finally happened upon the “Boars Breath” Saloon.

My group of friends was pretty diverse….a few white guys, a Guatemalan, a black guy, and an Indian.  An odd collection to say the least, but well represented.  The Boars Breath was the exact opposite.  This place consisted of about 100 flaming rednecks.  Not a big deal to us, we just wanted to watch the fight.  We had a little trouble with our table because 2 kids were throwing darts right by our heads….I thought it was strange that anyone would bring 12 year olds into this environment, but what are ya gonna do?  Anyway, as the fight started, something strange happened.  The karaoke  kept going.  I’ve been to a lot of karaoke joints, but this was by far some of the worst American Idol tryouts I’ve ever heard.  Drunk old women crooning “I’m a redneck woman” and some VERY STRANGE kid that kept attempting to turn groups like Pearl Jam into death metal.  It was hideous.  At one point we noticed a woman singing while holding a puppet….using the puppet to mouth the words to the song.  Anyway, they kept the karaoke going strong and the volume to the fight down.

As we moved into the middle rounds of the fight, it became clear that the majority of the Boars Breath was NOT pulling for Mayweather.  They also weren’t the most educated fight crowd.  “Do somethin!”, “Don’t stop hittin him!”, “Kick him in the balls!”, and “Go white guy!” were all heard.  It quickly became clear that this crowd was pulling for De La Hoya….not because of his fighting skill….but because he wasn’t black.  Soon after we realized this one of the patrons made it dreadfully clear.  A man sitting about 2 seats from our group began to talk about Mayweather wearing a sombrero when he entered the ring.  I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this:  “He wore a sombrero into the ring to try and disrespect a Mexican….and he’s a (insert N word), a damn (insert N word).”  When this guy let the first N word fly, a few people sitting around him sorta gasped, as to say: “watch out Billy Bob, there be some non-white folks in here”, but this guy went on to say it again.  He said it loud enough so that anyone within 30 feet could have heard him….the karaoke was in between songs, there was no volume on the fight.  My friend Ronald, who is black, got up out of his chair and walked outside.  I followed him out and we semi discussed what had happened.  I went back in, took care of my tab and was able to catch the guy by himself on my way out.  I told him he had disrespected us etc., to which he offered a hand-shake and an apology.  I told him I wouldn’t shake his hand nor accept an apology to which he told me he could get some of his redneck friends to join us.  I made it clear I wasn’t interested in going to jail over this and walked outside.  As I waited outside with Ronald all the other rednecks began gathering at the window staring out at the white guy that took offense to a racist comment.  They appeared to be gathering for something….maybe they thought we were waiting for them, I’m not sure.  The rest of my friends soon made their way out and we left.  I did see the entire fight, only from outside.

So, that’s my “Boar’s Breath” story.  I wish my website was ESPN popular so I could ruin this hole in the wall redneck establishment, but honestly, it probably isn’t the bar, just it’s patrons.  In fact, our waitress was outstanding and the wings were off the chain.  I really believe there was some in-breeding going on amongst the patrons though.

 

 

In yet another greedy move the NFL has banned an Indianapolis church from broadcasting the Super Bowl.  Seems the church ran a promotion for a “Super Bowl Bash” and the NFL got wind of it.  The NFL got wind of it and demanded that the party be cancelled because the church was charging a fee(to be given to charity) and using the words “Super Bowl” in their advertising.

 

So, the church counter offered saying they wouldn’t charge anything and would drop the use of the forbidden words.  The NFL then rejected the churches idea at using a projector to broadcast the game saying it was against the law to show the game on a TV bigger than 55 inches.

 

The church pastor has pretty much said they won’t be showing the game now, but he feels it is sad that the church isn’t able to offer an alternative for people that want to gather in places other than bars.  The makes an exception for sports bars and other places that show games as part of their regular routine.

 

Just another example of the NFL being the greediest of the greedy.  Seriously, first it was games on NFL network….youtube videos getting removed and banned…..exclusive rights for video games and other NFL products…and now they are policing who can watch their product (on national television) and where.

 

I have a TV bigger than 55 inches.  Am I not allowed to sit in my house and watch the Super Bowl?  I’m sure once this story gets some press the league will back off and allow the church to throw their party, but the overall idea behind this story is appalling. 

 

NFL Won’t Let Church Show Game  (SI.com)

I’m sure you’ve already heard about Broncos starting corner Darrent Williams being shot to death early Monday morning after leaving a Denver nightclub.  First my condolences go out to all of his family and friends.  I can’t imagine what they must be feeling.  I am not going to discuss the particulars of the even, I’m sure you’ve already read or heard them.  I imagine a lot more will come to light in the next few days as well.  What I would like to discuss is some of the fan reaction to the incident.

I frequent several message boards and blogs and the idea that some people are blaming Williams for what happened is not only insane, but it is just downright ignorant as well.  I’ve been reading things like “Well, he shouldn’t have been where he wasn’t supposed to be” OR  “another NFL street punk gets killed, big deal” OR “Why would someone who makes millions go to a nightclub!”.  If you don’t believe people are saying things like this read some of the comments to the story being posted on Fanhouse. 

People, Darrent Williams was a 24 year old kid.  It was New Years Eve.  Going to a club, especially on New Years Eve is something that lots of 24 year olds do.  Just because he was an NFL player doesn’t mean he shouldn’t go out into society and live his life.  It’s especially arrogant that these statements are being made before anyone really knows the nature of the crime….was it a random shooting?  If not, what was the motive?  If Williams shouldn’t have been there, what about other people in the car that weren’t NFL players?  I just believe that people often times lose decency when it comes to celebrities and athletes.  This guy is actually being persecuted by some people for going to a night club.  Folks he was shot and killed…and you are still persecuting him?  I’m not sure of the circumstances, but I do know that this could have happened to ANY of us that leaves our home.  Thoughts and prayers with the Williams family.

Miami Dophins defensive STUD Jason Taylor is on record as saying Shawne Merriman shouldn’t be this years defensive MVP because he tested positive for steroids.

For those that don’t know, I’ve always been a defender of Barry Bonds in concern to the whole steroid issue. I’ve said on multiple occasions that I don’t believe Bonds should have an asteric beside his statistics. There are a couple reasons I believe this:

1. He has never officially tested positive for steroids. The writing might be all over the wall, but until the guy tests positive, lets move on.

2. The MLB testing policy before 2004 was a joke. If Bonds were doing steroids, he probably wasn’t in the minority. Why put a star beside his name because he achieved his statistics while enhanced….vs. players that were enhanced.

3. I just happen to be a San Francisco Giants fan, so of course I probably have some bias.

As for Merriman, I have a different stance. I agree, 100% with Jason Taylor. Early this season my friend Mike and I were discussing the beastliness of Merriman. We talked of his size and speed, and how we’ve never seen an athlete quite like him. Mike looked at me and said…”he’s juicing, guys gotta be juicing”..A few weeks later, sure enough, BUSTED.
The NFL has, and has had a testing policy in place for quite some time. In theory, it catches everyone that cheats. (of course we all know this isn’t true) Merriman got caught. It was reported that BOTH of Merriman’s samples tested positive and that his suspension was definintely for steroids, not one of those supplement deals. I’ve heard through the grapevine that Merriman was suspended for nandrolone, also known as Deca-Durabolin. Merriman claims that he took this unknowingly as part of his daily supplement routine. Nandrolone is a banned anabolic steroid. It’s not something you take “by accident”. You’re going to tell me that a freakish athlete, that has been taking supplements for years, and probably has a trainer as well, took a banned anabolic steroid by accident? Hmmm, yeah, ok Shawne.

Why or how Merriman took the steroid doesn’t really matter until you consider Merriman’s reaction to Taylor’s comments. Merriman notes that he handled this matter correctly, apologized, and served his suspension. Yeah, sorta. Handling the situation correctly would have included saying you took the steroid, and that you wouldn’t do it again. Haven’t heard him say that, only that it was an accident.

All that being said, how does a player that tests positive for steroids get ANY acclaim? His numbers are amazing, but the thing that makes this situation different is that Merrimans play is a direct result of athletic freakishness. Him beating two blockers to a QB isn’t a result of great hand/eye coordination…it’s a direct result of strength and speed…..the two attributes that have ALWAYS made Merriman stand out from the crowd. When your superpower is exposed as being a farce…..how do you continue to be included in a premier group of NFL athletes? Barry Bonds has been nailed to the cross and has never even tested positive…..people can’t mention Bonds without the word steroids as well. Olympic athletes test positive and are immediately stripped of all awards and banned from further competition. That includes several that tested positive for nandrolone. Yet an NFL player fails a test…..that includes 2 samples, where a STRICT policy is in place, that they are well aware of (this isn’t like baseball where it’s drawn in the sand) and they get a slap on the wrist 4 game suspension, lose some pay, then come back later and finish leading a team to the playoffs. I don’t get it and I don’t like it.

I now find myself pulling against the Chargers and Merriman. I finally understand why the people that feel the way they do about Bonds….feel that way. Here’s to hoping Jason Taylor wins NFL Defensive Player of the Year. I applaud him for speaking out against Merriman in a sport where athletes aren’t so comfortable talking about other athletes.

If you are from another planet you don’t know that suspensions were handed out today to the players involved in the Nuggets/Knicks brawl, as well as a hefty fine for Terrell Owens.

First, I’d like to deal with Terrell Owens getting fined $35,000 by the NFL.  Once again, I’ll say I don’t agree with spitting on a player.  However, no official saw him do it, and it isn’t on tape, so we really don’t know the severity of the spit….what I mean is, did he really hock one at Hall, did some spit just fly out of his mouth….just how bad was it?  We don’t know.  Owens said today that it wasn’t entirely intentional and that Hall was making a bigger deal out of it than it really was.  No one saw it, Owens said it was just a result of talking in another players face….and spit flying out…Sounds a pretty fishy, but  Owens has always been a truth-teller so who knows.  I just don’t get the amount of the fine.  Sean Taylor was fined $17,000 last year for doing the same thing and they SAW HIM DO IT.  I have to believe that Owens received a higher fine because he is Owens.  Does this mean fines are going to start growing for every on-field incident?  Of course, I could care less how much money they charge Owens, all I care is that he plays.
Now, do yourself a favor and click the link I provided above….First, read the nonsense that Joe  Theisman is babbling…I’ll print it here:  Theisman’s take:  Joe Theisman thinks T.O. should have been suspended for a minimum of two games for spitting in the face of DeAngelo Hall. He also believes T.O. will do something at some time to hurt the Cowboys during their playoff run. My god man, are you serious?  Yo Joe, no one has EVER been suspended for spitting on another player!  Why should Owens be the first?  I’ve always thought Joe Theisman was a first class idiot but this takes the cake.  This is the same guy that changed the pronunciation of this name so it would rhyme with heisman….from THEEZ-man to THIZE-man.  Joe, a lot of people probably agree with you about Owens, but you are a bumbling fool, no one respects you.  I wonder if it occurs to anyone that Joe was a Redskin, and naturally despises Dallas….Gee, I don’t guess a 2 game suspension during a tight playoff race would bother the Cowboys would it Joe?  Nothing Theesman says can get the Redskins in the playoffs….or Bret Favre, Joe’s lovechild.  I dare anyone reading this post to tell me they actually enjoy Joe Theiman as an NFL analyst.  Check out this post on Deadspin for some other Monday Night Football Rants.
Now, click the ESPN video and sit through  Merril Hodge and Sean Salisbury go on about the situation.  The bias of these guys is so obvious…..“when you have 25 million reasons not to commit suicide, 35,000 is nothing”.…Did Hodge seriously say that?  The way he says it is almost like he has a bone to pick…..I think Hodge is seriously upset about this….also, who in gods name cuts this mans hair??  Hell, who dresses him for that matter, he’s wearing a purple table cloth!   Salisbury went as far to say “the NFL would be a better place without Owens”…man, seriously, get a life.  Hey Sean…..the NFL is a better place without YOU and your 19 career passing Touchdowns! (and 19 picks)  Also, why is Salisbury trying to grow a goatee, it makes him look sick.  Salisbury says he would rather be sucker punched than spit on…..ha ha, I’d like to be the one to sucker punch him.  He always tries to be so “out there” with his picks and predictions that he comes off looking like a moron.  It’s no wonder the only person he can ever out debate is John Clayton.   The NFL is full of arrogant jerks, Owens just happens to be an attention wanting, dynamic wide receiver of a big jerk…and oh yeah, he leads the NFL with 11 receiving TD’s….funny, they mention all his drops, but I haven’t heard one analyst mention his 11 TD’s?? Big deal, he spit on a prima-donna corner back.  Hall should have waited for Owens after the game and settled the score on his own rather than whining to the media.

In case you were wondering, I used a debate technique that I learned in an English class a year or so ago…it is called “attack your opponent”….when your case is in need of help you can always attack the character of the person who disagrees with you to make their point of view seem weaker.  Politicians do it all the time, I’d like to officially welcome the tactic to my blog.

In conclusion, I liked Mike Ditka’s comments on the situation from today’s USA Today:  “If I was DeAngelo Hall, I would have gotten dressed real quick and would have gotten right in front of that locker room.  When he came out, I would have hit him as hard as I could”.   

Now, on to the NBA suspensions.    Man, I really don’t know what else to say about this.  I think the entire thing is getting blown WAY out of proportion.  People are suggesting that Isiah Thomas should have gotten suspended for urging his team to foul Denver hard.  Well, I don’t see anything wrong with a hard foul, and although I think Thomas is a moron for complaining about the situation after the fact, the idea that his team fouled the other team while they tried to dunk is not that big of a deal to me.  I felt the suspensions were suitable but not equal.  A punch thrown is a punch thrown…everyone throwing punches should have gotten the same suspension.  Why didn’t every player that threw punches get the same amount of games as Anthony?  Yeah, his was a sucker punch, but fighting is fighting in my eyes.

I think that Carmelo Anthony, Nate Robinson, JR Smith, Mardy Collins, and Jared Jeffries  should have each been suspended 15 games for fighting.  Everyone else that came off the bench should have gotten a game  (which was the case).  Anyway, I believe our Denver correspondent Ruben Romero is going to have more on this story later, so I’m gonna end my rant here.

Just like I told you a few weeks ago, Florida will play Ohio State for the National Championship.  Florida of course, beat out Michigan for the #2 spot.  I’m not even going to get into the argument of who actually deserves to be #2.  Maybe the NCAA likes the BCS system because it stirs up a lot of conversation about college football?  I really don’t get why it hasn’t been fixed yet, especially given the success of other college tournament formats.

I’m going to spare linking you to a bunch of stories about who should have played, or why wasn’t this team included.  We all already know this routine.  I’ll have a more in-depth preview of every bowl game a little later.
Anyway, here are how the BCS bowl games fell out-  (what a moronic system)

Tostitos BCS Championship Game- Florida vs. Ohio St.  (1-8-07)

Rose Bowl- USC vs. Michigan- (1-1-07)

Fiesta Bowl- Oklahoma vs. Boise State (1-1-07)
Orange Bowl- Louisville vs. Wake Forest  (1-2-07)

Sugar Bowl- LSU vs. Notre Dame (1-3-07)

Finally, here is PART of the reason why this system can’t be gotten rid of:  Ohio State coach Jim Tressel “With a 12-game season, it would be next to impossible to have a 16-team playoff,” he said Sunday. “We’ll continually improve the system. As you look at it over the past few years, it has gotten better and better.”