DarkStar Spouts Off

He May Be A Punk

He may be a punk, but Kobe deserved to be MVP.

When The Olympics Are Over

When the Olympics are over, I think we are going to find out that people on the committee to select which country would get the Olympics, were bribed. I'm not saying all of them, but enough of them to make a difference.

I didn't understand the selection at the time and I really don't understand it now.

Say It With Me Kiddies: FREE THROWS!!!!!

Memphis ate peanut butter before the game and at half-time.

They HAD the game. But say it with me: FREE THROWS!

A fundamental part of the game did them in.

Wow

You mean I gotta give Eli Manning props?

Let Me See How This Works

Let me see how this works.

You are in charge of a corporation and you just got a raise.

You are in charge of the corporation at a time when your employees are using drugs and setting records. You, people who write about your corporation, and people interested in your product, have publicly stated that they know your employees are using drugs. There was even an investigation into it, with charges being filed and you even had to appear before congress! But even knowing that, the board members give you raise.

Can I get a job like that?

T.O., Youze a PUNK!

Ravens: YES!!!!!

Billick has been FIRED!!!!

Less than a month after he was assured he would return, Brian Billick has been fired as Ravens head coach, a team source said today.

Billick was informed of owner Steve Bisciotti's decision a day after the Ravens wrapped a dismal 5-11 season.

The Ravens held their team meeting at 1:30 p.m. today and Billick was not at team headquarters.

I Have The Tar

Whoever has the feathers meet me at Ravens central!

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU NOT GO FOR THE TD FOR THE WIN WHEN YOU ARE INCHES FROM THE GOAL LINE? EVER HEARD OF A QB SNEAK? HOW ABOUT A RUNNING BACK WHO IS OVER 100 YARDS FOR THE DA?

Punk Coach Of The Year

If there is an award for "Punk *** Coach Of The Year" it would have to go to Bobby Petrino.

Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bobby Petrino was hired as football coach at the University of Arkansas hours after quitting the same role with the Atlanta Falcons 13 games into his first season with the National Football League team.

Petrino's decision comes with the Falcons having a 3-10 record and a day after suspended quarterback, Michael Vick, was sentenced to prison in a dogfighting case.

The 46-year-old Petrino replaces Houston Nutt, who resigned Nov. 26 after 10 seasons and was hired the next day as coach of the Southeastern Conference-rival University of Mississippi. Petrino said it was ``difficult'' to leave the Falcons.

Let me state my total disgust. He quit a professional sports team in mid-season! And this was AFTER the CEO of the Atlanta Falcons gave an interview on Monday Night Football saying he had confidence in Petrino and that he, the CEO, was committed to giving Petrino YEARS to make a winning product on the field. Then, after a bad loss, he quits and then CALLS Arkansas saying he wants the job. PUNK!!!!

Let Deangelo Hall tell it.

Quickie On Sean Taylor

Well, 4 people have been arrested in the shooting death of Sean Taylor and it appears it was a robbery gone bad. They didn't expect him to be home and he was PROTECTING HIS HOME!

Here is what I wrote about it earlier:

Taylor made bad choices and may have died because of those choices, even after attempting to clean up his life. That's a story and a point of caution. But blaming HIP HOP?!?!?!?!

I wonder how things are going to be written now.

Another Take On Sean Taylor

Here is another take on Sean Taylor. This is done by George "Dr Midnight" Brooks.

Sean Taylor was 24, and had by all accounts had truly turned his life around from a rocky start, which makes this all even more painful. Sadly, he probably should have moved out of Miami, as there is a fairly good case that can be made that he knew his assailant.

Already, much has been made about Taylor’s past somehow still catching up to him, but it really doesn’t matter. Ask the late Broncos cornerback Darrant Williams who had the misfortune of getting killed by a bullet meant for someone else. Case still unsolved.

Ask the Timberwolves’ Antoine Walker, or the Knicks Eddie Curry. Both men were the victim of savage home invasions, like the one that killed Sean Taylor. Neither man has been in any trouble whatsoever with the law.

Read the rest at the link.

BTW, I know George via an email list and we've actually met at one point. He's the person who first called my son, "D.S. 2.0"

Dead Air McNair SUCKS!!!!!

That is all.

Helluvagame

Dallas.
Buffalo.

What. A. Game.
Someone ate peanut butter for the Bills?

NFL: Week 5

Ravens
Forget about the Ravens. They are toast. They won a game without getting a touchdown, against the 49ers, who are not a strong team. They had 3 shots in the red zone and not one touchdown. The defense is no longer suspect, it is a fact that they are weak.

Colts
Another strong one.

Packers
How did they lose that one? No longer undefeated and Farve looks more "human" now.

Washington
A very good performance all around against a bad team.

Steelers
This is another good team, PLUS they use the pass game as a part of the game, not an "after thought."

I Knew It

I knew it. Her performance when from sunshine to poop too soon.

Track star Marion Jones has acknowledged using steroids as she prepared for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney and plans to plead guilty tomorrow in New York to two counts of lying to federal agents about her drug use and an unrelated financial matter, according to a letter Jones sent to close family and friends.

Jones said her former coach, Trevor Graham, gave her the substance, telling her it was the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and saying she should take it by putting two drops under her tongue. Graham, contacted by telephone today, said he had no comment.

Jones, who won five medals at the Sydney Olympics, said she took the steroid known as "the clear" for two years beginning in 1999, according to the letter, which was read to The Washington Post by a person who had been given a copy. A person familiar with Jones's legal situation who requested anonymity confirmed the relevant facts that were described in the letter.

From Mrs. D.S.: "You mean to tell me she was lying!?!?!?!? The NERVE of her!!!! She was threatening to sue EVERYBODY!!!!"

NFL: Week 3

OK, I saw more games Sunday. This is a GOOD thing.

Eagles -- I guess McNabb got motivation but it was against Detroit, and even if they were 2-0 before the game, it was still Detroit.

Patriots -- Oh. My.

Colts -- Oh. My.

Washington -- That is a tough loss. They are a decent team and are going to win those games, if not now, next year. Campbell is for real.

Ravens -- Last year I wrote that the Ravens defense is suspect. This year, it is there for the world to see. Any quarterback who can run the no huddle offense is going to rip the Ravens a new one. At least it was a win. The offense needs help.

Green Bay -- Farve of old is BACK. Look. Out.

Sports Stuff

[Updated]

• Is McNabb whining when he says more is expected of Black quarterbacks than white quarterbacks?
  Maybe. Maybe not.

  What is true is when quarterbacks aren't playing well, they get blasted and blasted hard. McNabb is not playing well.

  If the criticism is really harsh, and of McNabb it is harsh, one has to do with the fact that Philly has no good receivers and there is nothing McNabb can do about that point.

  But remember... Philly Eagles fans BOOED and threw snowballs at Santa Claus!

• Isiah Thomas sees a difference between a Black man calling a Black woman a b**** and a white man calling a Black woman a b****. Honestly, he may have a slight point because of the race factor, but the fact is, it is still an insult. Of course, a woman calling a woman a b**** is another matter.
  So, Isiah Thomas, to your remarks I say, BITCH PLEASE!!!!!!
• I have yet to see the football games I want to see. But the part of the games that I did see, leads me to think this is going to be a good football year.

Serena Williams

Is Serena in shape?

Again On Michael Vick

[Update]

Look, the federal case against Michael Vick is mostly about running a gambling enterprise across state lines. If Vick didn't plead guilty, RICCO would have been used to hammer him.

Next, because he was involved in gambling, he HAS to be kicked out of the league for life. The NBA referee who plead guilty is a prime example. He owed debts to a "low level" Mafia person. The NBA is now using statisticians to determine if the referee made calls to affect the final score against the spread. Consider Michael Vick in a football game. The point spread is heavily used "for entertainment purposes only." Think about what he may be able to do for just his games. Now consider OTHER football players who get involved in gambling.

Vick HAS to be barred from the league for life.

[ Update ]

Vick pleads guilty to the DOG CHARGES and is suspended indefinitely from the NFL.

Billy Martin must be ONEHELLUVA lawyer OR Vick is going to turn on someone else!

Spouting Off On: Sports

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds is going to eclipse the record of Hank Aaron. Aaron has done the right thing by saying he didn't want to attend because it is a no win situation for Bonds and himself. Aaron is still displaying class. Bonds, on the other hand, is an ass, but so what. Steroids or not, he has to have the hand and eye coordination to hit the ball. And when the same scorn is shown to Mark McGuire or especially Jason Giambi(!) that is being shown to Barry Bonds, then I'll take the criticism more seriously.

Athletes Acting Up

I have heard of a few professional athletes, one getting "his shine" now, who have had accusations of domestic abuse levied at them, but they are appreciated by the fans. Bob Daley, the drunken golf pro, is not shown scorn. Pete Rose bet on baseball and many people still think he belongs in the hall of fame. We have an NBA referee who may have shaved points on games he bet on using Mafia bookies. The Tour de France, again, has people kicked out because of doping. And I guess I shouldn't dare mention the doping going on in high school. Let's allow the population to believe Jack, Johnny, and Jill are just gifted, not using supplements that can have long term negative affects on them. And let's ignore the long standing shenanigans of college athletes: cheating, taking money they aren't supposed to take, abuse, etc. After all, the big colleges need their programs to bring in alumni money.

Tony Gwynn

The stats.
The Wiki entry.

Final Comment

Athletes are humans, who are increasingly being given "special privileges" at young ages when someone or some people realize they have a gift. As such, many of these people are developing social habits that are outside of the norm. It's fine to admire them for their ability in their sports, but making them "role models" is a dangerous thing.

Jason Whitlock Off The Deep End

Jason Whitlock is entering putz territory.

Think about this: a person grows up in a poor/depraved/"ghetto" environment, why does anyone think a ton of money is going to change that person's mindset? That's not street cred, it's not knowing any other way.

Next, but most important, dog fighting is bigger than "ghetto" or "hip hop" culture. It goes beyond it and started way before it.

NBA Referee Doing Dirt

This is major in the world of sports!

The NBA acknowledged Friday the FBI is investigating referee Tim Donaghy for allegedly betting on games, including ones in which he officiated.

According to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, authorities are examining whether Donaghy made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered over the past two seasons.

Donaghy is perhaps best-known previously as one of the referees in a 2004 game at Detroit that ended with Indiana Pacers players fighting with Pistons fans, one of the biggest black marks in league history.

This could top it.

I have a cousin who likes to joke that "they" would never let certain teams get too far because it is bad for the NBA, financially.

I was in Philly this weekend and the local news coverage was all over this. One channel stated Donaghy was disliked by players and other referees and that the NBA had previously questioned him about his gambling. If the latter is true, once the NBA found out about his gambling habit, he should not have been allowed to work another game.

Dumb

I often wondered (not really) why people could not leave the weed alone for a few years when they have multi-million dollar contracts. I guess now I have to ask why they can't leave dog fights alone.

(CBS/AP) Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal dog fighting.

Vick and three others were charged with violating federal laws against competitive dog fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.

Vick and the other defendants — Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor — were involved in an ongoing animal fighting venture based out of Vick's home in Smithfield, Va., from early 2001 to April 2007, according to a statement released by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Vick faces $350,000 in fines and six years in prison if convicted of the charges.

Michael Vick is a dumb ass. His brother, more so. They show lack of home training.

[ UPDATE ]

Media is turning this into OJ, 2

All Hail King James

Who can deny otherwise?

Baseball

I really don't know what to say about Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in baseball. As a child, I learned his baseball story and I was nonchalant about it. I didn't understand the "big deal." When I was slightly older, and I learned more about what he had to go through, and thinking about what I went through playing baseball and just having opposing players and parents saying I was a scrub, I marveled at his strength.

During this time of memories and tales of what he went through, all I can think about is his mental strength, strength of character, and his baseball skills. Then, that brings me to thinking about Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron.

When I was a child, Hank Aaron was one of my baseball heroes. Other baseball heroes were Frank Robinson, Al Bumbry,  and Reggie Jackson. I remember when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record and I remember the racial mess that surrounded him as he came close to beating the record. Aaron was, and is the man.

As Barry Bonds, son of Bobby Bonds, another GREAT baseball player, comes close to breaking Aaron's record, I marvel at Aaron's stance about being at one of the games where Bonds stands a chance of tying or beating Aaron's record:

Aaron said he wouldn't attend if Bonds were within reach of the record when the San Francisco Giants play at Atlanta from Aug. 14-16.

"I'd probably fly to West Palm Beach to play golf," Aaron was quoted as saying in Moore's column. "Again, it has nothing to do with anybody, other than I had enough of it.

"I don't want to be around that sort of thing anymore. I just want to be at peace with myself. I don't want to answer questions. It's going to be a no-win situation for me anyway. If I go, people are going to say, 'Well, he went because of this.' If I don't go, they'll say whatever. I'll just let them make their own mind up."

I marvel at Aaron's stance simply because I think he made the right call. I don't consider this a snub. It's going to be a media mess one way or the other.

I think this is a class move. He can't win. Bonds can't win. Bonds' record will always be considered to be with an asterisk.