July 2008 Archives

I've stayed away from commenting on Brett Favre's request for reinstatment for a reason. Simply put, I really don't care if he stays or if he goes. BUT...I do have an opinion about it. lol

If I were a part of the Green Bay Packers organization, I'd let him comeback ala Michael Jordan, wearing the Four - Five (sing it like Jay Z) with another team. Brett held a press conference to announce his retirement. His wife was there, he cried, the fans were grief-stricken, ESPN ran coverage re: his career for an entire week. You get the picture. He said goodbye to the game that he loves when all those around him ADVISED him not to. They knew what Brett didn't: "He wasn't ready to give up football." But he did, so here we are.

Here are my Top Five Reasons, to let Brett Favre go:

1. He plays maverick football when the game is on the line. You can't question his heart, but I do question his decision-making ability. Check out how many INTs he's thrown. Yea, yea, he's fun to watch, but the smiles disappear when you lose. I had him as my QB on fantasy football....hmph!

2. Eventually the Packers and their fans have to move on, and that time has come.

3. What about Aaron Rodgers? If you bench him in favor of Favre this year, what happens when Brett decides to really leave the game? What does that say for loyalty and Aaron's confidence.

4. Brett was one game away from playing in the Super Bowl. The same team was intact for this upcoming season and still, he decided to retire. The taste of victory wasn't good enough?

5. Get what you can while you can. If he's that's valuable, let him sign with another team, and get as many draft picks as you can for Brett.

I think the top guns in Green Bay have decided to look ahead instead of looking back, and I don't blame them. So slay me. Let him go already!

Young, fly, and flashy doesn't even begin to describe Gil at this point. As everyone knows Agent Zero recently signed a $111 million dollar deal, and he is wasting no time in showing us all how he gets down.

Gil has reportedly dropped a smooth milli on a new pool for his home in D.C. No word yet on if he is going to drop "A Millie" freestyle as well, but I can pretty much assure you that one may be coming soon.

Here are a few details on this pool:
*The stone for the "mountain" cost nearly half a million dollars. That's right, a MOUNTAIN!

* There are three different fish tanks, one going in the grotto (minus the bunnies), one in the front hall, and one in the basement. Their normal price would have been about well over another half-million.

* The tank in the basement will have a recess with a couch in it so he can "relax and look up at the fish."


But that's not even the best part. Agent Zero has a mural of himself in front of the Capitol Building painted on a wall as well. Gil has also dropped hints that he is seriously considering adding sharks to complete his vision.

This begs the question: "Does money change a man?" Maybe. But I bet once you swim in a million dollar pool, the good ole "Slip and Slide" just doesn't have the same appeal anymore.

So, while in Spain, Paul Pierce told a reporter that he thinks he is the best player in the world. They must have some really good weed in Madrid. Has Ricky Williams shipped them a dime bag

(*disclaimer* Hey kids, the Bona Fide Sports Expert has never smoked in his life and still is Bona Fide. So don't do drugs).

The only thing Paul Pierce is the best of is faking a torn ACL. Paul Pierce isn't even the best player on his team (see: Kevin Garnett).

Look PP, you had a great finals. You played inspired ball and spectacular defense. They could not have won the title without you. I'm happy you got your one ring because you've been through a lot in Boston. But don't get it twisted. You aren't better than:

Bean
The King
Timmy
CP3
D Wade
KG

And there would be a serious discussion whether you are better than the next tier of 10 or so superstars in the NBA. I know you feel like you can puff out your chest a little bit, but in the words of the Rock:

Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervision on release, for his role in a conspiracy to fix NBA games. He faced up to 33 months of incarceration and was referred to as "more culpable" than the others charged by Judge Carol Amon. However, he was given a break due to his cooperation with the authorities. His co-conspirators, James Battista and Thomas Martino, were sentenced to 15 months and a year respectively.

The NBA's internal investigation, the results of which, they claimed, they were waiting for Donaghy's sentencing to release, is still on hold. They now claim it is incomplete. It is being conducted by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz.

Assuming Pedowitz operates with integrity and independence, his findings and recommendations could be very interesting. If not, they will likely echo David Stern's party-line that Donaghy, the rogue, acted alone and all other NBA referees are angels and the supervision merely needs to be a little more vigilant.

For example, referee Scott Foster was found to have had numerous short phone calls with Tim Donaghy, but no charges were brought against him. What was the context of these phone calls? The NBA's only comment is that no charges were brought against Foster, so clearly the "Donaghy's the one bad apple" mantra needs no further adjustment.

Addressing fan concerns in this simplistic way disrespects the intellect of the public. The results of the Pedowitz report and how it is presented publicly will be highly indicative of the NBA's attitude towards its fanbase going forward. I hope David Stern recognizes this and acts with appropriate transparency and honesty.

Ron Artest is joining the Rockets via trade. While Sacramento is able to dump Ron Artest to the Rockets, the Kings get Bobby Jackson in return along with an unidentified player and a first round draft pick. I know folks think that Houston is an automatic contender with this move. While I agree they do become contenders, they should not be sizing their rings for fingers just yet.

Ron Artest has always been a ticking time bomb. I know this because I am a Pacers fan. I am well aware of the damage he does to a team. On paper, Houston looks unbeatable on defense. In reality they will crash and burn like, well, a Rocket running low on fuel. They still have T-Mac, the first round virgin and, as long as he's on that team, I do not see the Rockets getting past the first round. If I were a Rockets fan I would hope Ron doesn't end up destroying the team beyond reason. He, after all, has a history of doing that.

ESPN is expected to make the formal announcement that Chris Carter will be taking over Emmitt's role on Sunday NFL Countdown. I, for one, am thrilled with this development seeing as how I have been enjoying Chris Carter on ESPN since he joined. He's probably the only NFL analyst on ESPN that doesn't annoy me this side of Sal Paolantonio. Not to mention, he seems to have a far better grasp of the English language than Emmitt. I do like Emmitt Smith, but he is not even entertaining enough for me to get past his flaws ala Michael Irvin. Of course, Emmitt is not gone entirely. He will remain on Monday NFL Countdown and appear with Stuart Scott and Steve Young during the Monday Night games.

Yes folks, Kwame Brown has agreed to a 2 year deal worth $8 million with the Pistons. My first thought was: Why did Detroit want to get the original Darko? After all, before Darko, there was Kwame Brown, the biggest bust in the NBA. He, after all, was drafted by, of all people, Michael Jordan.

Unless this is some bizarre revenge from Jordan to the Pistons, I'm scratching my head as to why Dumars pulled the trigger. He did say he was going to make major changes to the PIstons roster and throwing Kwame to the mix certainly changes things. That being said, all bakeries in the greater Detroit area better hide their cakes because Kwame is coming to town and no cake is safe from him.

Manny Ramirez has more RBIs than any other player in Major League Baseball since 1993. He was the 2004 World Series MVP. He's an 11-time All Star. He has 9 Silver Slugger awards. And he has 2 World Series rings. So why are the Boston Red Sox itching to get rid of him?

This kind of reminds me of the Dave Chappelle skit titled "When keeping it real goes wrong." The Red Sox management is tired of the shenanigans, I get that! And anyone who's ever been in charge of anything can testify to having the one guy on your squad who's a pain in the ass but is also the best player on the team or your best employee. But drawing a line in the sand right now does what for the Red Sox exactly?

It's not like Manny has them by the short ones; no player is that valuable. But at this point in the season with the Red Sox having a real chance of a repeat World Series Trophy, would you pull Manny's leash right now or would you continue what you've been doing ignoring his behavior?

Okay, I know some of you think that this whole Reggie Bush and K.K situation has nothing to do with Black Sports Online and that this isn't TMZ. Well, Reggie Bush is a young African American man who happens to play football. Am I right? So I think it does have something to do with BlackSportsOnline.com. Not to offend any of you, but its the truth.

Anyhow, according to other sources, Reggie Bush is giving lil Kimmy the boot. For whom might you ask? His ex-girlfriend. Yes, she is home from college and Mr.Bush made arrangements for her to come to his practices. Could this all be a rumor. Just over the weekend, I heard that Kim and Reggie were making wedding arrangements.

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To expand on Cornelius's point, look at the following contracts:

Mike Bibby, 7 years for $80.5 million
Richard Jefferson, 6 years for $76 million
Zach Randolph, 6 years for $84 million
Andrei Kirilenko, 6 years for $86 million

You know many rings those guys have, combined? Zero. They also have 1 All-Star appearance between the four of them (Kirilenko's in 2004). Kirilenko is also the only one whose team didn't take a step back after giving him the big money. They're all secondary guys, not franchise players and yet they got paid like franchise guys because they blew up in series (Bibby) or they were the best players on bad teams at the time (the rest).

In light of the latest gossip scandal involving Alex Rodriguez and Madonna of all people, I have decided to come up with a manual for cheating athletes. I like to refer to it as:

THE 10 BONA FIDE COMMANDMENTS FOR THE CHEATING ATHLETE:

I- IF THOU SHALL WIFE HER, THOU BETTER MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T CARE IF YOU CHEAT.

As an athlete I can definitely understand why you would want to get married. You want to have some kids (not out of wedlock). You want someone you can confide in. You want someone you can be yourself around. You want someone who loves you for who you are and not what you are. Plus on top of that, it doesn't hurt to have a nice wholesome image for potential advertisers. As they say, getting married helps the "Q" rating.

But whomever you decide to marry, you better be sure she can handle the fact you are going to have many "side" women. Also, she better be able to handle the fact that women all over the country will be coming at you 24/7 365 days a year. Some women have the fantasy that if they marry an athlete he will be faithful. That is a recipe for disaster. So you may have to sit your lady down and explain to her that she is the main girl. Is that enough to make her happy? If not, you're going to have a lot of issues.

II- THOU SHALL ALWAYS HAVE A PRENUP.

In the immortal of Kanye West: "WE WANT PRENUP".

This should be the simplest rule of all. You make millions of dollars while she works part time of at Payless. That doesn't add up to 50/50. Even if you're following these commandments, there is still a good shot that your wife will leave you (see: Michael Jordan). So you need to protect yourself legally. If she doesn't want to sign the prenup, that should be your first clue that she might not be the one you want to marry. Be fair in the prenup. Offer enough money for her to be comfortable and more importantly to keep her mouth shut after the divorce.

III- THOU SHALL NOT CARE IF WIFEY CHEATS ON YOU.

I like to call this the Shaq rule. Shaq follows the cheating code to a tee. However, the one part that has cost him is, when he found out his wife was cheating on him, he flipped out and filed for divorce not realizing that all the dirt he has done would come to light.

If you are going to have different women in all 50 states and be gone half the time don't be naïve enough to think your wife won't sleep with the pool boy, after sitting at home alone in a huge house taking care of a couple of kids and not getting any sex. Don't be naïve and think your wife won't go to a club and sleep with a random guy who looks like Usher and maybe do it in the club. Don't be naïve if a "George" is whispering sweet nothings in your wife's ear, talking about how she deserves better and ends up playing "Bed Gammon" with her. She doesn't want a divorce, but she does want attention so don't overreact when it happens if you want to keep the majority of your savings account.

IV- THOU SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT IS CHEAPER TO KEEP HER.

Simply put, who would you rather have deciding where your funds go: you or a judge? Much better to pay now than later. So if your wife sees you on TMZ.com with four strippers in a hot tube popping bottles it is better to just give her the American Express card than to have her visit the lawyer's office the next day. Take the hit and move on.

V- THOU SHALL NEVER SLEEP WITH ANYONE IN COLORADO NOR ANYONE NAMED KATIE WITH A JOURNALISM DEGREE, EVEN FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

I like to call these the "Kobe Bryant and Superhead Rules." Something about Colorado and girls named Katie just seems like a recipe for disaster. Actually, you should stay away from Colorado, Utah, Montana, North & South Dakota, West Virginia and any other place that has more mountains than Wal-Mart's. You should also stay clear of females named Katie, Nancy, Brit, Molly or any other name that sounds like they could have been an extra in Beverly Hills 90210.

Any woman that tells you that "writing" is her hobby should immediately be dismissed from your potential cheating list. The list thing you need is a scorned lover deciding the way she is going to pay off her student loans is by writing a tell-all book about how you like to dress up in a in a Batman costume before having sex.

Personally, he was not my first choice for the cover. If I were going to put an NBA player on the cover of Time Magazine, I would've chosen Kobe Bryant because of the year he had despite falling short in the NBA Finals.

Then I realized that would be controversial, and, well, Time Magazine doesn't want to go there. That being said, I don't agree that he's the athlete to watch in the Beijing Olympics. I would've chosen Michael Phelps to see if he can make history or another individual that is not in a team-sport featured in the Olympics. The thing is LeBron is part of a basketball TEAM, which is great, but if you wanted to feature the Team USA basketball team, well feature the entire team on the cover. That would show a great sense of unity for not only Team USA but for our country in supporting them.

The NBA gets the attention from the general public for most of the calendar year. The Olympics is once every four years. I think it would have been better to feature a swimmer or a runner or some other athlete in an individual sport for the cover shot instead of LeBron James.

On the bright side, at least this is nowhere near as controversial as that Vogue cover shot with Gisele a few months ago.

Miguel Cotto tried to be Floyd Mayweather and what we learned is that Miguel Cotto isn't Floyd Mayweather. It is one thing to run, but it is another thing to run and get hit. Cotto figured out fairly quickly that he wasn't going to be able to stand in the middle of the ring and brawl with Antonio Margarito. So a boxer known for systematically destroying his opponent's will to fight did the unthinkable. He got on his bicycle and ran. At that point, I knew he was destined to lose.

Go outside and run 100 yards forward and then run 100 yards backwards and tell me which one puts more of a strain on your body. If you are someone like Floyd Mayweather who has been boxing going backwards his entire career, it is second nature. But it was going to be extremely difficult for someone like Cotto who has been going forward the majority of his career to try to switch up. You add to that getting hit in his body, jaw, arms, shoulders or wherever else the brick-handed Margarito could find, it added up to a long night.

One thing the biased HBO broadcast never brought up was that, while COMPUBOX records clean shots to the head and body, it has no way to know how many of those shots that miss but hit other parts of the body have an effect on a boxer. Cotto may have landed more "clean shots", but I don't care who you are, if you get hit with 130 shots a round, regardless if they are clean or not, that is going to take its toll.

Margarito took Cotto's best shot and kept coming. From the middle of the first round to the time Cotto took a knee, Margarito just kept coming and kept throwing. It would have been hard for any boxer including Floyd Mayweather to be able to stand up to that kind of pressure over 11 rounds. Margarito wasn't the better "boxer", but he was the better "fighter". He didn't win because of one great punch (even though that uppercut was sick). He won because he took Cotto's heart and soul. To me, that made it a much greater victory than if it were just a spectacular one-shot knockout.

It is ironic, to me, that Cotto was defeated in the same way he had defeated all his other opponents. He had will, desire and heart taken from him. It was pretty classless for him to leave the ring, but when you've been embarrassed and, in essence, given up to the point where you didn't want to take the pounding anymore, I shouldn't have been surprised his final run was right out of the ring.

Margarito has been saying for years he was the most feared and ducked fighter in boxing. Today, though, he doesn't have to worry about being ducked because they all will have to come to him and I guarantee they aren't looking forward to it.

Yes, we've only won the Bronze recently! Sure, the rest of the world has embarrassed the "home" team in basketball the last eight years. And I'd concede the combined salary of the USA Men's Basketball Team exceeds the GNP of more than half of all the nations competing in the Olympics.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk victory. Last night Canada received a beatdown of biblical proportions. 120-65? Not even in NBA Live on easy with a fantasy roster of NBA All Stars and a custom created Michael Jordan have I put the hurt on a team like Team USA did Friday night in Las Vegas.

Let's see Carmelo Anthony 24 points,Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul, 23 points each, Dwight Howard had 19 points and 7 rebounds. And the rest of the team scored in double digits except for Carlos Boozer who had 8 points and 4 rebounds.

Both Robert Bonnette and I have expressed our thoughts on the impact of some NBA players leaving for greener pastures in Europe. While our opinions on the impact of these defections vary somewhat, in my opinion, there is a root cause for these player's decisions. It is the teams' emphasis on fiscal responsibility.

According to TMZ.com, K-Mart and rapper Trina were involved in a car wreck today in Belize. Martin is hosting a celebrity basketball game in the country.

Let's let that marinate. K-Mart and Trina.

If anyone knows K-Mart, please have him read Robert Littal's controversial article, "The 10 Commandments for the Cheating Athlete." I ain't saying K-Mart got busted, but just in case.

http://blacksportsonline.com/index/2008/07/rl10cheatingcommandments.html

In a move to continue the healing process after the departure of Baron Davis, the Golden State Warriors have signed Guard Monta Ellis to a 6 year deal, worth $67 Million

Talk about an upgrade? Monte only made around $770,000 last year. This upcoming season, Ellis will earn in the $11 Million range.

Why am I a little skeptical about this deal? I don't doubt the talent that is Ellis, but is he going to be the leader that the Warriors need? Will Don Nelson let Monta do Monta or will the trend of superstars being set free from the shackles of Nelson's oppression come full circle again in 2 years or so?

Honestly, I could write a long drawn out article about the "God" Favre saga, but sometimes a "gif" is worth a thousand words.

So Rick Mahorn tries to stop a cat fight and Lisa Leslie throws a punch at him (the video doesn't lie). Mahorn simply tries to restrain her, she loses her balance and falls backwards. Then DeLisha Milton-Jones punches Mahorn while his back is turned.

So what happens?

Mahorn is suspended for two games and Leslie & Milton-Jones is suspended for one game.

That must be that new math they are always talking about. Because where I come from, if you throw a punch at someone, you're lucky if they just give you a light shove. Where I come from, when you punch someone from behind, you are considered a coward and a punk.

The WNBA is forever crying about being treated like an equal league to the NBA. Well, it is hard to treat you equally when you can sucker punch someone and get suspended for fewer games than the person you punched.

And, if I hear one more reporter say "Mahorn pushed the 36 year-old mother", I will personally smack that reporter in the face. I don't know how many kids Rick Mahorn has, but I sure don't hear any reporter saying "When Milton-Jones sucker-punched the father of 4".

If you want to be treated fairly "woman up" and don't expect to get sympathy just because you are a female.

The downlow you ask? I knew this was going to crumble. I'm talking about Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian. You can't call a chick a hoe,slut,whore or anything of that nature if she has a sex tape with her so called boyfriend. Right Ray J.? Well, Shana Moakler feels she has every right. The whole story is that K.K and her beau attended Carmen Electra's Party and by accident bumped heads with Shana Moakler. For some odd reason, Shana got upset and was IMMEDIATELY ready to leave. Why you ask?

A. Shana has the hots for Reggie.

B. She's jealous of K.K's bangin body and gorgeous face.

C. K.K. was busted trying to have an affair with Shana's Ex-Husband Travis Barker.

If you picked C you are absolutly correct. Kim Kardashian tried to creep with Travis Barker while she was still in a relationship with chocolate-faced Reggie Bush. Might I add, at the time, Travis and Shana were still married. Anyhow, after Shana popped fly with Kim and dashed her drink in Kim's face (SHANA IS GOING TO GET ENOUGH OF THAT FOR REAL. ONE DAY SOMEBODY IS GOING TO HAUL OFF AND HIT HER WITH A TWO PIECE) and called her a whore multiple times.

Reggie ambushed the scene and rescued Kim and told Shana to watch her mouth. Shana claims she was not confused as to why he was defending her because he knew nothing about Kim's sidekick getting hacked into, and tons of emails to Travis were leaked. Yes Ms. Kimmy was emailing Travis Barker asking him to meet her at her sister's crib in Calabasas on the "Low Low". Reggie you are a good guy, if you still are sticking around. Who knows though, a little blue bird whispered in my ear that he is cheating on her anyways. But, that's a whole different story.

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There has been a lot of banter questioning whether NBA players going to Europe to play professional basketball will turn into a more viable option. Count me out as one who is overly concerned...for now.

Josh Childress is a very nice player who can be a "glue" guy and help a team win a lot of games. But Lebron James he isn't. Juan Carlos Navarro, Bostjan Nachbar, Loren Woods, and a great high school basketball player Brandon Jennings, all going to Europe to play ball does not signify that we'll soon see top level players like Lebron James or Kobe Bryant going to Europe.

The facts are: (1) Josh Childress is going to Europe because he can't escape the grasp of the Atlanta Hawks and he does not have enough leverage to get a contract big enough to scare the Hawks away from matching whatever offer he may get; (2) Jennings is going to Europe because he can't get his test scores up-to-snuff and/or he can't go to the NBA because of the age limit. In other words, Europe is a back up plan for these players and not their first option. When Dwight Howard refuses to resign with the Magic or accept another offer and instead chooses Europe, call me. Otherwise, Im not worried...Yet!

In light of the injury that Calzaghe has suffered and has pushed back the date of fight, Jones has been pushing for something the boxing world may need.

At a recent press conference Jones had this to say.

"I had originally proposed something kind of different for this fight. And that is that Joe and I would first weigh-in for the fight at 168 and fight for Joe's Super Middleweight titles. Then we would step off the scales, drink some water and weigh-in again at more than 168 so that we could also fight for Joe's Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight title. I only recall this happening once before, in the Leonard/Lalonde fight and I think it would really add something unique to the promotion. Joe initially expressed concern about his ability to make 168 by September 19, but now that we have another 7 weeks, I hope that he will go for it and that the WBA, WBO and the WBC will sanction it."

I never knew anything like this was even possible. Hopefully Ring Magazine sanctions the fight this way.

If there were more action like this in the WNBA, I might have to watch.

The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants finally gave in to the Saints and dealt star tight end Jeremy Shockey for a 2nd and 5th round pick in next years draft. For those true Giants fans, it's a sad day in Big Blue Country. Despite all of Shockeys so-called antics, you know pouting when he doesn't get the ball, mouthing off to himself when a play doesn't go his way, or insisting on practicing in Miami in the off-season along with the rest of the guys from "The U", come Sunday #80 is an absolute beast on the field.

If you bought what the media was selling about the Giants young tight end Kevin Boss being a better player than Shockey, then you, my friend, are one of the many caught up in that media "Matrix". The boy Shockey is a Pro Bowl caliber receiving TE and a better than average blocker. He's the exact type of banger you need to have a viable running game in the smash-mouth NFC East.

You ask why did Eli Manning's play take off after Shockey went down? Manning's stellar play late in the season can be directly attributed to the return of his 3rd receiver, a young stud named Steve Smith out of USC. You might have noticed him making big play after big play during their playoff run. Spare me the non-sense about Boss being a better tight end, please! "Media Rule #1" - just because the media piggy-backs off of each others' notions as they always do, doesn't make what they're saying actually true.

It's been no secret in NY that Shockey has been frustrated with his role in the offense. Coach Coughlin always makes protecting the QB the number one priority, so in the Giants offense, Shockey is often hand-cuffed from being the downfield threat that he knows he can be. Now to the coaching staff's credit, a coaching staff which brought the city it's first Super Bowl Champion since 1991, Shock just doesn't have a leg to stand on as to how the O should be ran.

Somewhere from the constant complaining about his role, all the way to the team telling him he can't be on the sidelines during the Super Bowl, the relationship with Shockey and management grew sour and Shockey wanted out. All football fans can agree that Shockey is not the type of player you want upset on your team. The same fierce untamed emotion he shows on the field which makes him the player that he is, would probably rear it's ugly head off of it.

Now I admit I was a skeptic on the whole Brandon Jennings going to Italy scenario. But now, with Josh Childress pondering a move to Greece, even I have to admit that we may be on the verge of a major shift in the basketball universe. Childress is reportedly mulling a 3 year, $20 million deal that will allow him to return to the states in the offseason should he choose.

Let me be blunt in saying that there is no way Childress gets almost $7 million per season to play in the NBA right now. He's a sixth man and a good, but not great player, whose production pretty much cratered during the playoffs. If he played on any playoff team other than eight seed Atlanta, he'd be further down the depth chart. He's no bum, but you can find Josh Childresses on every team in the league. And with all but a few teams pretty much capped out, the best he can hope for is a midlevel exception. Now about five years ago, somebody would have given him 6 years and $50 million, but that's not today's NBA.

Credit goes to Michael David Smith at Profootballtalk.com for bringing this story to my attention because if he hadn't it would have been buried by ESPN like all the other positive Terrell Owens stories over the years. Once again it shows that the biased mainstream media have no clues as to who are the "good guys" or "bad guys". It is stories like these that show maybe the so called "bad guys" aren't as bad as you think.

Here is the story.

A NIGHT OF UNEXPECTED HEROES AT THE ESPYS

LOS ANGELES -- It was just after 2 a.m. Thursday when I exited an ESPYS after-party somewhere in some uncharted section of downtown L.A., hailed a cab and stepped off the curb. After that, things got fuzzy.

Love him or hate him, Charles Barkley has proven to be an iconic force both on and off the basketball court. Much has been made over the years about Sir Charles' indulgence in many different things. ESPN and the rest of the mainstream media would have you believe that he is simply an overweight and outspoken Black man who wastes millions of dollars gambling. What you won't hear much of is Barkley's penchant for generosity to others.

In a story first reported by Dan Gross of the Philadelphia Daily News, last summer Barkley agreed to help out Christian Abate, who is a waiter at one of Barkley's favorite restaurants. Abate was an education major at Temple, but was forced to drop out when he could not secure financial aid. When Barkley heard about Abate's situation, he gave the waiter the length of one meal to decide whether to accept his offer of tuition assistance. Abate accepted and he is line to graduate from Temple next May. People always want to talk about how many millions of dollars Barkley lost from gambling, but they never speak about the millions of dollars he has given back to his school and community.

The thing about this is that many athletes do this type of thing everyday and it never becomes news. Yet media outlets like ESPN would have people believe that athletes (and especially athletes of color) are only concerned with "making it rain" or otherwise blowing their money on material things. I have no problem with what an athlete does with his money. I just wish people would start realizing that there are many more athletes like Sir Charles than Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones.

Over four years ago, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed a duet during the Super Bowl halftime show on CBS. Of course we all remembered how that ended, with Justin ripping part of her top and her breast was exposed for millions worldwide to see. This caused such controversy and pretty much ushered in the politically correct coverage we see in sports and entertainment today.

Now everything people say and do is analyzed ad nauseum to the point we wonder why celebrities should bother saying how they feel if this is the reaction they are going to get? This is probably the only time where the halftime show upstaged the Super Bowl. I don't think anyone outside of Patriots fans remembered who won that year. Which is rather sad because, despite being a Patriots hater myself, it was a great game to watch. CBS, of course, pretty much let Janet and Justin(namely Janet) take the fall for this after getting tons of emails and calls from viewers who were outraged at what they saw.

However the FCC fined CBS for the wardrobe malfunction and that process has been in the courts for the past four years. Today, the federal appeals court threw out CBS's fine for the "wardrobe malfunction".

When I originally watched this unfold, I, of course, was bothered by it. I have no desire to see Janet's nipple or anyone else's for that matter. However, it would be hypocritical of me to condemn her because she wore an S&M outfit beforehand. There was no issue. We see half-naked cheerleaders at these games and nobody had an issue. We were watching a violent sport in the process. Again, there was no issue. But behold she flashes a tit and its the worst thing to ever happen.

I do not understand this country's puritan view of sex especially when you have shows like "The Bachelor" that are still on the air. Yet Janet flashing her nipple is the worst thing to happen? Seriously? Look, I understand how people did not want their kids to see this but these are the same people that let their kids watch football and it's a violent sport. I'm sure these kids see plenty of violence in their video games, hear it in music, and watch it in movies. While there is outrage over that, to an extent, it is not nearly as great as it is when sex and nudity are involved.

The things I took from this whole controversy are: that we are a country of double standards that has never changed and a person of color will receive the brunt of negative judgment for this type of controversy, as evidenced by the T.O./ Nicolette Sheridan MNF skit which aired a few months later after this.

I don't like Danica Patrick. She isn't as hot as she thinks she is. At best, she is C-level driver getting A-level attention. She always picks fights with the male drivers because she knows they can't retaliate. So this made my morning when the video surfaced of her getting punked by fellow female driver, Milka Duno, who is much hotter by the way.

This just hit the wire: Jason Taylor is officially a Redskin. The Redskins gave the Dolphins, in return for Jason Taylor, a second round pick in the 2009 draft and a sixth round pick in the 2010 draft.

Hard to believe before "All My Favre," the other drama in the NFL was about the Dolphins and Jason Taylor. Was he going to be traded? To whom? Did he and Parcells like each other? Well now, that clearly doesn't matter because both sides benefited from this trade. The Dolphins get rid of an aging defensive end in exchange for draft picks, and the Redskins fill a void at defensive end due to their other defensive end getting injured for the season in training camp. Along with the fact that their owner, Dan Snyder, loves his stars and he wants to cash in on Jason Taylor's newfound reality TV fame.

Here is the sad thing. I have received not one, but five emails asking me to address this situation. Before I get to my opinion, here are a few of the links to understand where this is coming from.

This was provided by Houroc at SportsFiends.com by way of Withleather.com stating that bar owners are being forced to sign agreements that they will not serve Blacks and Mongolians. Here is the quote.

http://withleather.uproxx.com/post.phtml?pk=6394

Bar owners near the Workers' Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises.

"Uniformed Public Security Bureau officers came into the bar recently and told me not to serve black people or Mongolians," said the co-owner of a western-style bar, who asked not to be named."

This was provided by Lisa who is a big Tennessee Lady Vols fan (I am more of a UCONN fan but I am going to let that slide). Now in this article the police are denying the above story about a ban on Blacks and Mongolians here is a quote.

http://olympics.scmp.com/Article.aspx?id=1338

Police in Beijing's popular Sanlitun bar district deny they are conducting a racist campaign ahead of the Olympics, as another bar owner revealed he had been ordered not to let in blacks.

The bar owner said police had given landlords a list of do's and don't's during the Olympics. "We simply can't let them in [sic. during the Olympics], it's what I was told," he said.
"It's [sic. the restrictions on blacks] definitely happening. It will all happen in 24 hours."

Sounds almost like a Roger Clemens denial doesn't it? The one thing we need to remember is China is still a communist country. So while they are talking about that "One World, One Dream" BS, in reality their dream is to rule the world without allowing anyone to have freedom to make their own choices. When you have a country where you can be jailed for having more than one kid, you shouldn't be surprised they may be racist against people that don't look like them.

There is a lot with wrong with the United States. There are probably some, who if I walked into, I would be taking my life into my own hands. But, at least, I have that choice. So while you are watching the Olympics, just remember we aren't just fighting a battle to be respected as an equal race in the United States, but we are fighting that same battle all over the world.

Last Thursday, Carson Palmer was on a L.A. based radio show talking about Buckeye fans and how he cannot stand them. How he hears tons of crap from OSU fans about their program and Tressel and can't wait to see USC trample the Buckeyes two years from now at the Horseshoe.

Now I'm not a fan of either USC or Ohio State so I could care less about these two programs talking smack to one another. However, one would think Carson would realize that, in this day and age where the Internet can make you or break you, that some way, somehow, this would spread like wildfire and end up on various sports blogs across the country such as this one, no less. Not to mention, you are playing for a professional team in the state of Ohio so these Buckeye fans are the ones that help cash your paychecks and they also happen to be a far better team than the Bengals have been lately.

If I were you, Carson, I would just keep my mouth shut about anything bad about the Buckeyes until you either leave the Bengals or retire, whichever comes first.

I was doing a little research for an article about Josh Hamilton when I was led down the path of stories written about prejudice in baseball. That wasn't the angle I was going to take with this story, but man, there were thousands of articles published in the media and on the internet on the subject. From Willie Mays, Strawberry and Gooden versus Howe's coverage on their various addiction problems and varying degrees of coverage (yeah I know this was before your time).

Many writers obviously have different opinions on the MLB's stand on equal treatment of its players or lack thereof.

Most recently a lot of sports analysts have had major opinions on Josh Hamilton and his herofication (that's not a word by the way) because he's been able to overcome his addiction to drugs and because a star again in baseball.

I'm sure by now everyone, mildly interested in sports, has heard Hamilton's story. He was drafted #1 overall and was considered to be the next big thing in baseball. He soon fell under the control of the crack pipe and, as with all addicts, his occupation and family became obstacles to getting high. Once he hit bottom and later succeeded in maintaining control over his habit, he became this year's great story. And of course, understandably, Major League Baseball has made him this year's poster boy. His performance in the All Star Game's Home Run Derby only helped fuel MLB's marketing campaign that had him posterized and his name repeated dozens of times on every ESPN Sportcenter broadcast since MLB's spring training started.

You know here at BlackSportsOnline, we are all about supporting black businesses. Which is why I am providing this free ad for Rev. Run's daughters' new clothing and sneaker line "Pastry" (you can check all they have to offer at pastrykicks.com).

But because I am a man of truth, I must admit I do have another reason for adding this ad. The Simmons sisters are doing a meet and greet at a local St. Louis area mall today and "Ya Boy" is going down there. The reason being, I have a huge crush on Angela Simmons.

In all seriousness, I have checked out their site and their clothing and sneaker lines are hot, so please support the Simmons's girls for "Ya Boy".

Seriously, Green Bay, if you can't find a taker, just shut him down. Either shut him out of the starting job (which would probably lead him to go home), or don't reinstate him. Yeah his agent will whine about it, but so what. Say it's for salary cap purposes (keeping the $13 million off that is gone with Brett retired) and be done with it. $13 million is a huge amount of money to be on the hook for, figuratively and literally, and at this point bringing Brett back will mean other guys getting released. And, right now, you need the other guys more than you need Brett Favre. That's right. It's time to let go of Favre, one way or the other. It doesn't matter if Aaron Rodgers is any good or a total bum; the sooner you get on without Favre, the better.

For those who have not heard according to TMZ, Brady Quinn has issued a cease and desist letter over a gay dating website that is using his picture to promote their website. The problem here is nobody cleared it with Brady and, well, according to him he's not gay.

Now for those that are unaware a few months ago, Brady Quinn was accused of using homophobic slurs at an adult male on New Year's Eve. He, of course, has denied it and since nothing came of it, one way or another, afterwards and well seeing as how I haven't heard otherwise, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Now fast forward a few months later and his picture is being used to promote a gay website. Personally, I could care less if Brady Quinn is gay or not. However, there are locker rooms across the NFL that may not be nearly as accepting.

Recently, there was an article in The (Nashville) Tennnessean newspaper detailing the financial troubles of William J. "Boots" Del Biaggio. Del Biaggio is a part-owner of the NHL's Nashville Predators and was one of the key investors who helped keep the franchise from relocating.

Recently Del Biaggio has been investigated by federal officials for defrauding investors out of almost $35 million. He has now, reportedly, filed for bankruptcy. Since the news broke, it has also been discovered that Del Biaggio had secret plans to line up investors and move the team in the event that the Predators folded in Nashville. It's been no secret that Del Biaggio has wanted to move a team to Kansas City for some time. Yet the NHL allowed him to buy into the struggling Predators franchise with little more than a cursory background check. Somehow the financial misdeeds and intentions of Del Biaggio slipped past everybody. Or maybe the NHL chose to ignore it since they know that it's just a matter of time before hockey skates away from Music City.

Either way, this is a bad deal for fans and it's just another example of how some owners could care less about anything except their own bottom line. Just like the situation with the Seattle Supersonics, these sports leagues know exactly who they are dealing with and they do nothing to stop these teams from moving or insure their survival in their existing cities.

These leagues need to stop playing Charlie Brown with the fans' emotions and start showing a real committment before people stop paying to watch their product.

The former Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings has agreed to play professionally in Italy, signing with Virtus Roma. Personally, I hope more kids follow in Jennings footsteps. If you don't know the story by now, it goes as follows. Jennings was recruited by the Wildcats and was all set to go. He had some problems with the SAT tests and did not get a qualifying score. He then took the test over and scored a 1300, but that test was flagged because it jumped too high from his previous score. To this day, Jennings is waiting on the results of his latest attempt, but that score really doesn't matter now that he has already signed.

Now back to my point about more kids following in Jenning's Footsteps. One of the worst things a kid can do, in terms of college, is to go when they have no desire, because they're taking the place of someone who really wanted that spot (scholarship). Everyone knows that the current NBA rule of a kid having to go college for a year, or being two years removed from high school, before he can pursue his professianal NBA career is horrible.

My question is, "Why is there an issue about this kid going pro overseas when kids pass up college all the time in baseball to go pro?" Are they all ruining the integrity of their sport too? I have yet to see that as a problem for them.

The bottom line is this, getting a university education depends on the kid getting his degree. But Jennings would've been one and out. One year of college doesn't make much of a difference in the job market. However, balling around Europe for a year may be the education of a lifetime, and with the money he makes there, he could go to school on the money he makes professionally, if the NBA is no longer an option.

There is a classic Eddie Murphy skit (see above) where Murphy is explaining how women if your "Bed Gammon" skills are on point will believe almost anything you say regardless of how obvious the lie is. The example he uses is a friend gets caught red handed cheating and simply gets out of it by saying "It wasn't me."

Roger Clemens has been saying "It wasn't me" for about six months even though he has been caught red handed about 34 times now. The latest incident being government snitch Kirk Radomski finding receipts under his TV of all places for shipments of HGH to Clemens's home. The story of Clemens's guilt is becoming so repetitive that the story wasn't on ESPN.com front page more the 24 hours (but the NFL checking for "gang signs" was, imagine that).

Clemens through his attorney continues to say "It wasn't me" in hopes that naïve fans who don't want to believe their hero was a worse cheater than Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire will continue their blind faith in him. But even the most loyal women stabbed their husbands in the back after so many infidelities. How many more are you going to need before it becomes clear to you that Clemens has been and always will be a "lying cheat"?

That was my first thought when I saw they were giving away Marcus Camby for a two liter of Sierra Mist. But then I realized that they're shedding contracts to either get under the salary cap or the luxury tax threshold. Right now the Nuggets management has finally figured out that their overpaid, badly constructed roster was only good for a lower seed in the playoffs and a four to five game exit. Wow...it only took how many years to get that? They've made the playoffs for five straight years, but have won exactly four playoff games over that period. During that time they gave Kenyon Martin $91 million for seven years only to watch miss time with injuries damn near every season and play like some garbage when he's actually there. They've given $60 million to Nene for reasons no can understand, and traded for Allen Iverson, who solved none of their problems and only added more. When you're already a bad defensive team, throwing a guy into the mix who's also a bad defender usually isn't a good idea.

She just isn't our favorite "Web Girl" she is one of the hottest internet models in the world. Check her out in the latest issue of King Magazine and King-Mag.com.

Meet Milt Ahlerich

He is the VP of Security for the NFL. He makes sure that the stadiums are safe and things of that nature. But in his job description, he also make sure that the integrity of the game isn't compromised. Im interested in knowing if thats his job, then who is in charge of protecting the integrity of the players?

According to a report from the LA Times, the NFL will be hiring experts to study game tape to analyze whether players are using gang signs during their various points of celebration on the field. Milt Ahlerich says they have suspected that some of the players are representing gangs by the use of different hand gestures.

I used the picture of the gentleman hunting to illustrate the point that the No Fun League is trying to find ways to alienate and destroy anything that compromises the "shield". More so, it seems that all of their initiatives are focused on a particular group of people.

Its been a tough couple of weeks for UFC superstar Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Forest Griffin got the W at their much anticipated fight on July 5th.
Early Tuesday afternoon, Jackson was involved in a Hit-and-Run incident, where he was arrested because apparently, he didnt want to stop and lead authorities on a high-speed chase.
This incident will actually be good for the UFC as we have learned that any publicity, is good publicity.

Check the Yahoo article for more information:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-071508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

15 innings. A Red Sox player winning the MVP in Yankee Stadium. Failure to score with the bases loaded on multiple occasions. These are the things that comprised the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. J.D. Drew won the MVP in the first all-star appearance of his career thanks to a 2-run homer that started the AL's scoring in the seventh inning. On the other end of the scale, Dan Uggla set a record by making 3 errors. All 3 errors were during extra innings: 2 in the 10th inning that allowed the AL to load the bases and almost end the game, and one in the 13th. Finally in the bottom of the 15th, Michael Young's pop fly out allowed Justin Mourneau to tag third and get home just in time to beat Corey Hart's desparation throw in a close call to make the final score 4-3 for the AL.

Fortunately baseball was able to spare itself the disgrace of 2002 when the teams ran out of players in the 11th inning and Bud Selig declared the game a tie. Once again, the AL will have home-field advantage in the World Series. The NL has not won an All-Star game since 1996, losing by one run the past 3 years.

Josh Hamilton set an MLB-record with 28 home runs in the first round of the homerun derby last night. This included several bombs of over 500 feet. The crowd was electric, and even the players were in awe as Hamilton seemed to crush every pitch coming his way into oblivion. Despite this incredible display, Hamilton did NOT win the Derby, as he only managed 3 homers in the final round to Justin Mourneau's 5. Still, his first round will be what is remembered of this Derby, and another chapter in his inspirational story as a one-time crack fiend turned MLB superstar.

We were told that Donaghy acted alone. That those of us who believed that the NBA was some how unethical and that this was a more wide spread issue were wrong in our thinking. We were told that a thorough investigation was done and the information they received stated that Donaghy was a supposed "rogue" official. Well, I didn't believe him then, and I do not believe them especially now.

Every year, the April showers bring May flowers and among those flowers are different types of pansies. And the biggest pansy of them all just happens to wear pinstripes in the Bronx. Whether it involves fake displays of passion on the field or real displays of passion with various women off the field (hello Madonna), you can always count on Alex Rodriguez to create headlines in the sports world for all the wrong reasons. Most recently, A-Rod decided to skip the Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities. That usually wouldn't be a bad thing most years except that this year's events are being held in YANKEE STADIUM! A-Rod has given the media the lame excuse that he does not want to mess up his swing for the second half of the season. Forget the fact that he always finds a way to mess up his swing as soon as the playoffs begin each year. The real reason he doesn't want to participate is because he is scared of choking in front of the home fans (again) and coming up short in the Derby. Given the performance by Josh Hamilton last night, I doubt A-Rod would have made the finals anyway. It's funny how he tries so hard to get people to like him, yet the one time he has a chance to do something genuine for the fans, he runs and hides behind an excuse. You have to wonder if A-Rod will ever "get it" or if he will go down in history as the most talented and uninspiring player in this history of the game. It's time for A-Rod to man up.

Ummmmmm yeah. I am going to let the people from LAYUPDRILL.COM explain this one.

The dance is called the "Wu-Tang" and if by the way if you don't know who the Wu Tang Clan is you should slap yourself in the face right now.

Billy Packer is out at CBS and fans worldwide are rejoicing. The reason is simple. He sucked. No one likes to hear a joyless old man trying to act like he is the god to college basketball announcing games like he needs two cases of Ex-Lax.

Billy Packer is the exact opposite of what a good announcer should be. He is pompous and arrogant and treats the viewers are idiots. Now many of those viewers' maybe idiots but it is the announcer job to break down the game in a way that even an idiot would understand as oppose to speak down to the viewer (see: Hubie Brown).

Clark Kellogg is taking his place and while I would have much preferred Gus Johnson (if you want to know why watch the video below) I have no issue with Kellogg. To be honest they could have just put a cardboard cut out up and it would have been more entertaining than Packer. Good riddance.

First let me say I appreciate all the emails, texts, MySpace notes and etc asking me if I am ok. To clear up some of the rumors. I have not sold BlackSportsOnline. I have not decided to be in the Frontline band full time. I have not retired because of the BSO curse.

Simply put I was a little burnt out so decided to take it easy for awhile after the NBA Finals. Those who have been readers of the site for awhile know there was a point in time where BSO was basically the Robert Littal show 24/7 and while I love hearing myself talk even Bona Fide Sports Experts need a break from time to time.

I don't suppose to be writing anything during my vacation, but as you see I will chime in from time to time (sorry I can't help myself). I will ask you the reader to give the other writers the same open mindedness you gave me when I first started out. At one point I was just like them trying to get my voice heard in a market that is tough for minorities to break into.

I appreciate everyone who supports the site and don't worry with NFL & College Football season right around the corner you are going to get more Robert Littal than you probably will ever need or want. Have a good one.

Long before Devin Hester, there was Vai Sikahema of the Philadelphia Eagles who returned kickoffs. He was scheduled to fight Jose Canseco last night in a celebrity boxing match last night. Vai won before the first round ended it was a rather pathetic showing from Jose Canseco. Apparently Vai used to be an amateur boxer who competed in 80 matches before this one. The prize for this fight was cash and Vai donated 50K to the family of a slain Philadelphia police officer that was shot and killed in May. Conseco? Well this just is another added humiliation to the big joke known as his life.

UPDATE!!! WE HAVE THE VIDEO!!! PASS IT ALONG!!!

I am not sure most people even know about the main event that happened last night, but the heavyweight championship was up for grabs last night. Wladimir Klitschko knocked out Tony Thompson at 1:22 of the eleventh round in another boring performance in keeping his IBF, WBO & IBO Heavyweight Titles.

In what was a one-sided fight, Klitschko used his strong jab, followed up by his powerful right hand to systematically break down Tony Thompson on his way to a boring match-up. Until Thompson, it appeared that he was able to take Klitschko's best shots. The problem, and it was a big one at that, was that Thompson was not throwing enough punches and even when he did, there was a complete lack of snap and power behind them.

My problem with Wladimir is that something is missing. He simply is not the best fighter out there. After watching this fight I am convinced that most heavyweights out there right now can beat him. In no way does he seem to be a terror and he does not strike fear in his opponents. Wladimir lacks any excitement, desire and passion on the ring.

The Heavyweight Division is in really bad shape my friends. Because of big money, boxing has turned into an international market sustained by lesser boxers who have no real boxing skills. USA heavyweights now are lazy overweight sparring partners with no desire to be the best. Not to say that an American heavyweight can't compete on a high level, it's just that he is more that likely playing football or basketball professionally. The European heavyweight has given us giant, SLOW punchers with absolutely no SPEED or quickness. Wlad and his brother Vitali are very tough guys, but their boxing skills are inadequate compared to the fighters of past (i.e., Holmes, Ali, Tyson, Frazier, and even Lenix Lewis).

Both Favre and the Packers are at fault in my book. When Brett Favre held his 'I'm retiring' press conference, I wasn't feeling very convinced that he was done. Not that I'm Nostradamus or anything, but I just got this feeling that he wasn't finished. I've seen farewell speeches from guys like Jim Kelly and John Elway, guys whose bodies just couldn't take it anymore, guys who couldn't play anymore, and this wasn't one of those. Last season Favre wasn't playing like a guy on his last legs, trying for one last hurrah before he was forced out of the game. The obvious decline has not set in yet for him; the unequivocal evidence that he is no longer physically capable of doing his thing out there. No, he can't run like he used to, but he can still throw it more than well enough. There hasn't been much dropoff there. I remember Dan Marino barely being able to drop back well enough to set up and throw or hand the ball off to a running back, and I remember Kelly's shell shocked play in his final season. Favre was doing none of that. And because he can still go, I had that feeling that he'd want to try and play again, if not immediately then maybe next year. Well, my feeling has been confirmed now that Brett has asked the Packers to release him.

Remember the expression: "You couldn't pay me to root for that team!" Well this fan on eBay is going to test this theory. He's an Indians fan who has decided to put up his fandom for sale. Where he agrees to root for your team for the remainder of the 2008 season and postseason if they make it that far. This includes: emailing your friends of how much your team rocks, watching at least one game a week of your team and root for them to win, and rocking the team's gear. However he charges extra if this team is: Yankees, Red Sox, any team including Roger Clemens, and any team including Barry Bonds. Crazy? Perhaps. However with the way our economy is these days it wouldn't hurt to try.

According to various outlets, Grandpa Favre will remain with the Packers and deny his request to be unconditionally released. Translation: "I wasn't born yesterday sucka! No way are we going to let you go to a division rival and haunt us"! The $39 million question now is: What happens next? Since they won't release him will Favre end the drama known as " The Days of our Favre" and just retire by riding that tractor into the sunset? Swallow his pride and play backup to Aaron Rodgers? Yeah I don't see Favre swallowing his ego to do either of those things that would mean less attention is focused on him. And we know he clearly can't have that. So this means the Packers are definately going to want to trade him away. Preferably to an AFC team who needs a QB and is willing to take on the rest of that contract. It will be interesting to see where Favre ends up but don't expect him to be a Viking(or Bear) anytime soon...

*Pic courtesy of Deadspin.com*

You might be surprised but I don't blame Brett Favre for this drama of the Young and The Favreless. I blame Favre for bad interceptions and talking publicly about retiring every year for the past twenty, but not for asking for his unconditional release from the Packers and the reason is simple.

The Packers never wanted Favre and not just this year but for the past three years and didn't have the guts to tell him. All of this could have been avoided if the Packers organization wasn't so frightened of fan backlash and just did what they have been wanting to do for years.

Feel like you have heard this before? That is because you did about eight months ago Henry tested positive for marijuana and was facing a possible one year suspension from the NFL. He was able to appeal and successfully win and then afterwards the Broncos cut him. Now he is unemployed and could face a possible one year suspension if he does not manage to win this appeal either. This could also mean the end of his career seeing as how he is a running back and they do not have much of a shelf life in the NFL. He does not have enough talent for them to overlook his character issues whether its his pot use or the 9 kids he has running around and does not pay child support for. Just goes to show what a moron he truly is it is one thing to test a false positive which is what happened the last time. It is another to test positive again a few months later, even if this is also a false positive why put yourself in a position where this could possibly happen again? If anyone should be happy about this development it should be Matt Jones because folks will forget about his troubles for a short while and focus on Travis Henry being busted.. again.

Now I've seen many knockoffs of the "What if Kobe responded back" videos however out of all of them this has been the best one. It gets funnier everytime I watch it. Props to those who were involved they got the mannerisms down cold.

So let me get this straight. Major League Baseball has absolutely no place for Barry Bonds. None. Zero.

To piggy back off of Rob Littal's post on the Snowman:

It will be interesting to see how the mainstream media outlets handle this story. T.O. gets blasted for speaking his mind about his quarterback. Pacman gets blasted for his appetitie for the booty clubs. Lets see how quickly this story will disappear. Its rare that a former SEC superstar like Jones makes the headlines for drug-related offenses. Take that how you want.

As Rob Littal stated, the league was so suppose to be focusing on player misconduct, but apparently that memo hasn't reached everyone. It is becoming apparent that certain offenses by certain people are not receiving the same attention from the Commish.

Who knew Matt Jones "who?" Matt Jones had a little Scarface in him.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones faces a felony drug charge in his former college town after police say he was inside a car cutting up cocaine with a credit card.

Source ESPN.com

Now coming Matt don't you know the 1st rule of drug dealing:

"Don't get high off your own supply"

I thought the NFL was supposedly cracking down on bad behavior is it me or does it seem to be increasing?

Let's just cut to the chase Brett Favre doesn't want to play for the Green Bay Packers anymore. That is the truth if you don't like it or you can't figure that out you are just blinded in your Favre worship. The writing has been on the wall for the last couple of years. Last year was an anomaly because Brett has been dropping hints he is tired of dealing with the cheese heads and more specifically the Packers organization.

No more BS the Packers don't want Brett Favre anymore. They haven't wanted Favre for several years. If you don't believe that you probably believe ESPN gives Terrell Owens fair coverage. The Packers want to move on. They are tired of the Brett Favre will he won't he merry go around. The drafted Aaron Rogers for a reason and it wasn't to be the "Water Boy". They are tired of the "God" Favre treatment where a player is bigger than the team. Maybe more importantly they are tired Brett throwing key interceptions at in opportune times. He didn't retire because he wanted to he retired because he feels that the Packers organization doesn't appreciate him and has been trying to push him out the door for years.

So both parties need to stop playing around and just admit the truth. This is the NFL not the Young and the Restless.

Even Bona Fide Sports Experts need to get the inside scoop sometime. When "Ya Boy" needs to know about the inner workings of what is going on in the NBA he checks out LayupDrill.com . This site has it all analysis, breaking news and opinions. It is by far the best basketball blog out right now. If you like to keep it Bona Fide like me go to the site bookmark it and tell Robert Littal sent you. You won't get a gift, but you know like saying name anyway. Check out some of their hot topics they have going on now. It is Neo Bryant approved.

Turiaf to Golden State - Jennings to Europe

Corey Maggette signs with Warriors

Sign of the Times

"It was all good just a week ago". That's what the Clippers will be saying to themselves when it actually sinks in that they let Elton Brand get away. Unless you've been under a rock, the Philadelphia 76ers have essentially won free agency by acquiring the power-forward Elton Brand. Everybody can pack up and go home now. The reason I say this is because this is the one true impact player on the market who instantly can make a team go from bad to good or good to contender. Understand anytime you can acquire a player that has a career average of 20ppg and 10 rebounds it definitely changes things. We're talking about a player one of only 4 players in this league with these type of career numbers, KG, Shaq and TIm Duncan are the other 3.

Stuck in a hoops waste-land called Clipperville, Brands basketball skills have been rotting away for the past 7 seasons which is why he isn't seen in the same light as the other 3. It was assumed that Brand flaked-out on the Clippers and pulled a stunt on Baron Davis by signing with the Clippers. Come to find out the Clippers made their own bed by telling David Falk who is Brands agent that they would only make one offer to Brand and if he doesn't accept it they'd be as happy with that decision as they would be if he did accept it. Of course that didn't sit well with Brand who felt disrespected and turned his attention to Philly and Golden State. Brand told Comcastsports Net that Davis actually advised him to do what he had to do and take the 90 million that the Warriors offered him. So much for backstabbing.

It's easy to see why Brand took less money and chose the Sixers over the Warriors. The Sixers have a nice young core group yet to reach it's full potential, while the Warriors have head-case Stephen Jackson and recently acquired serial jacker Corey Maggette.

If everything goes as expected, the 76ers will become a huge factor in the East playoff race today, and the Clippers, well..they will still be the Clippers. This was accomplished with the signing of Elton Brand, a free-agent power forward who immediately fills the Sixers biggest need. In signing Brand turned his back on his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, who were on the verge of fielding a serious contending team.

The offseason started with a bang for the Los Angeles Clippers when they signed guard Baron Davis. That feeling of well being that the fans of the Clippers felt is expected to end today, because Elton Brand won't be the only one bolting the Clippers. Corey Maggette reportedly will sign a five-year contract worth around $50 million with the Golden State Warriors.

The acquisition of Brand apparently was made possible earlier Tuesday when the 76ers freed up additional room under the salary cap by trading reserves Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth plus a future first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That deal, which will become official today, gives the Sixers more than $3 million in yearly cap space. In the trade, the Sixers acquired Minnesota's $2.8 million trade exception, which can be used in a future deal.

The game of chess is like a swordfight, you must think first before you move- Wutang's "Da mystery of chessboxin" intro

The yearly annual big acquisition this season in MLB was the Cleveland Indians manchild, CC Sabathia. Last years Cy Young award winner was either the Chip to put a team in serious contention or over the top. The Milwalkee Brewers who haven't made the playoffs in centuries ended up landing CC in hopes ending the drought. Pairing Sabathia with Ben Sheets, the Brewers figuratively get themselves out of "check" that the Cubs have had them in the entire season right? Right?... Cubs owners say no so fast.

Just when you thought the Brewers we're going to seriously challenge the Cubs for the NL Central crown, the Cubs turned around and acquired Oaklands Rich Harden before CC could even complete his first start. No he's not CC Sabathia and he's often injury-prone, but when healthy Harden is as dominant as any pitcher in baseball. The power-righty is 5-1 this season in 13 starts with a ERA of 2.34. Flaunting arguably the best offense in MLB along with a 1-2 punch of Zambrano and Harden with Kerry Wood closing, the Cubs have not only put their entire division back in check, they have surrounded the entire national league with their Queen and bishops. Other than Rich Harden pulling another Mark Prior... I can hear CubsNation collectively gasp, the only thing I think that could possibly stop the Cubs are the Phillies and the Cardinals adding pitching themselves. That being said, next move is on GM's Pat Gillick and John Mozeliak.

Even more problems mount for Michael Vick who is currently serving a 23 month sentence for plotting to run an interstate dogfighting ring. Now he is filing for bankruptcy which really doesn't matter now since he's in jail. It is not as if he can really spend any money. Let this be a lesson to everyone: the higher you are the harder you fall. Hard to believe about 4 years ago Michael Vick led the Falcons to the NFC Title Game against the Eagles and now he's a convicted felon and a broke one at that. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Michael Vick once he is released from prison. Will he be a changed man or end up making the same horrible decisions that led him to his downfall to begin with. Then again like anyone that falls from grace we always are suckers for a story where the Phoenix rises from the ashes. Only time will tell how this story will turn out.

Apparently Andrew Bynum's knee is not the only body part that he is having problems with. He is also suffering from an inflamed sense of self-worth.

With contract negotiations on the horizon for the Laker Center, his camp will be seeking a 5-year, $80 Million extension according to the Orange County Register.

Mind you, Bynum was having a great season before he missed the final 46 games due to his injury. But for his agent to be asking for the maximum extension allowed is a little premature. At the beginning of the season, we signed off on Bynum as another high school big man that would fall short of the expectations of being a valuable contributor to his team. He surprised us all and made major noise for the Lakers this season.

I do not think Bynum has earned that maximum extension status just yet. And he knows that as well. But in this day of the free agent free-for-all, anything is possible.

The University of Louisville's Sports Information Director has not been having the type of summer one could imagine.

The Big East Football Powerhouse (is that an oxymoron?) has had their share of off-field incidents this summer with two of the star wide-receivers. Within a span of 24-36 hours, the future of Trent Guy and Jajuan Spillman remain uncertain.

Guy was hospitalized last Saturday night/early Sunday morning with gun shot wounds after he was attacked by a man he had an altercation with at the club earlier that evening.
They expect him to make a full recovery soon, but have not made a decision regarding his status as a member of the football team.

Spillman, on the other hand, was dismissed Sunday after his second arrest in 18 months. He was charged with DUI, having no insurance, and carrying a concealed weapon. Spillman is the new posterboy for Ridin' Dirty. He has served suspensions before due to drug-related incidents.

I understand that you have one player in trouble, but two, at the same position? Albeit that Guy was a victim, it still cast a dark cloud over the program when players are involved in instances of behavior that compromise the integrity and standard of the programs they serve.

Last week, Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs was in the right place at the right time to save a man's life. Of course in the off season, Tony lives in California where he was having dinner with his family at a local restaurant. Apparently, he saw this man choking on a piece of meat and Tony performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved this man's life. The twist here is this man was a Chargers fan(oh the irony of a Chargers fan choking on something) and for anyone that follows football knows the Chiefs and Chargers are divisional rivals. Now this Chargers fan has become Tony's #1 fan despite his Chargers ties. Tony was a hero and an underrated tight end on the field and now he is a hero off of it.

For those who watched ESPN back in the 1980's, saw Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann become the pioneers to combine sports and pop culture which is now the staple of what sports reporters do today. Now over twenty years later, they will reunite on Football Night in America on NBC this fall. I have to admit Jerome Bettis is the only person on that show I actually can deal with the others seem to bother me for the most part although Bob Costas isn't too bad. It should be interesting to see all these personalities mix it up now that Dan Patrick is thrown in.

It appears now that Shaq has lead every athlete to believe he can be the next Lil Wayne. Usi Uminyora shows why the majority of them should stick to their respected sports. While this was all done in good fun I found it hilarious that ESPN's Eric Kuselias pointed out that Brady has three rings to Usi's one when Usi utters the horrible phrase:

"Tell me how my ring taste"

Roger Federer had won 5 Wimbledon championships in a row. Rafael Nadal was 0-2 against him on grass, including last year's Wimbledon final. Nadal came out and took control with a 2-set lead. After losing a tiebreaker in the third set, he had a 5-2 lead in the fourth set tiebreaker and looked ready to put Federer away. After a double-fault and a loss of composure by Nadal and a spirited comeback by Federer, the two rivals were down to one set. Nadal was able to take it 9-7 (bet he's glad there are no tiebreakers in the fifth set!), Federer's streak was over and Rafael Nadal was a Grand Slam champion on what many recently considered his weakest surface.

Many have already said that this was the greatest tennis match they had ever seen. For 22-year-old Rafael Nadal, it is a defining moment in his career, a point where he took the title of best player in the world from 26-year-old Roger Federer, who has already accomplished enough to be considered an all-time great. Nadal still trails Federer in the world rankings, but if he continues to dominate he will take over the #1 spot soon enough.

I only knew of Terrence Kiel for what he did off the field rather than on it. He played for the Chargers but one too many brushes with the law and substance abuse problems made it hard for the Chargers to keep him on their roster. So they cut him back in February 2007 and fast forward over a year later and now he's dead. He was only 27 years old and never reached his potential on the field because he chose to throw his life away on drugs. Just goes to show nothing in life is guaranteed and the NFL really does stand for Not For Long.

In what was definitely an instant classic, underdog Forrest Griffin won a five-round unanimous decision to oust reigning champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. In round one, Griffin was in total control, until a vicious right uppercut sent him staggering. Round two saw Griffin jump on the noticibly tired Jackson and control him from the top position for the round. Rampage came back in the third and a street fight broke out. In the fourth round, Griffin nearly made Jackson tap out with a tight triangle choke. The final round saw the champion and challenger go toe-to-toe, neither one seemingly satisfied by letting the fight to go to the judges' scorecards. Official scorecards read 48-46, 48-46 and 49-46 all for Griffin.

The very much delayed BSO Music Video will debut barring Brett Favre's fans catching me in a dark alley on July 7th at 8pm Eastern Standard Time. For those who are new to the site I started to do these videos to scratch my rapping itch about a year ago (I had retired from the rap game in 2004) to my surprise the videos have been very successful and even spawn me returning to the music business with my band "The Frontline".

The only hints I can give you about the video is that it is Jay Z inspired and it will address something that is long overdue. Of course you know some of my favorite models will be included as well as the BSO dancers. For now check out the previous three BSO Music videos. By the way my personal favorite is the "Upgrade U" Remix.

"The Good Life/Flashing Lights" BSO Remix feat: Kayne West

"Upgrade U" Remix feat: Beyonce, Michael Jordan and Others

One Blood (Terrell T.O. Owens BlackSportsOnline) Remix

Ok, you're Venus Williams! Your sister has been a dominant force in women's tennis for years. Not only has she dominated the sport, she's beaten you five times straight in championship matches! I'm sorry, make that five straight in Grand Slam championship matches!

You're the older sister, so most feel you're past your prime because your little sister is beating the pants off of you and the rest of the field. But today, you had your time in the sun. Today you took all those years of defeat and turned them into not only a Wimbledon victory but a dominant, no mistaking the victor, utter destruction of your younger sibling and in the process shut up every critic who said your time had past and that Serena was the reigning queen of tennis.

A 130 mph serve followed by crushing backhands and volleys with enough vigor to buckle a top male tennis player, Venus defeated her sister 7-5 and 6-4 in a decisive and short but merciful victory. No bravado, but lots of the "Michael Jordan" fist pumps. Venus wasn't meek during match play but gracious in victory.

People accept other jobs which pay higher salaries thus enabling them to provide a better life for their families. However, only in the world of sports are what are essentially employees villified for doing so. Thus is the contradiction of the fan as it relates to athletes. After hearing that Brett Favre wanted to return from his brief retirement, I like everyone else had a reaction to his rumored decision. Of course, many persons have already formed an opinion. Some are calling him selfish for not considering Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers as a whole as he waffles back and forth in terms of his commitment to playing professional football. Those individuals would not be wrong in their assessment. But would those individuals be hypocritical?

Overpaid? Not really!

I will never again refer to athletes as being overpaid. Not after Rush Limbaugh signed a contract for more money than any pro athlete has ever gotten for playing his or her sport. The guy in the picture above just got $400 million to run off at the mouth five days a week for eight more years. Now I'm no fan if his, but if he generates the revenue, he get should get compensated accordingly. I'm just waiting for people to say the same thing about pro athletes. If Rush getting $400 million is a result of performance and market forces, then isn't Gilbert Arenas' soon to be signed $111 million contract the same thing? Of course it is, but it's easier to complain about professional athletes than it is radio talk show hosts or even Hollywood actors and actresses. Just remember that all of these people get paid based on how much revenue they help generate, and that if they all agreed to work for $100 grand that the owners would take all the extra money they had and put it in their own pockets.

The NBA season is over, the champion has been crowned, and the draft has come and gone. It is now free agency time, and already there is a big name talent leaving his team for another team. This is not another story of a man who wants more money. This is the story of a man who had his feelings hurt as his coach publicly criticized him in a harsh way.

After hearing about Baron Davis' departure, fans of the Golden State Warriors have to be feeling a sense of déjà vu. Once again, an all-star and team leader has left the Warrior franchise during a time of success.

According to ESPN, Brett Favre recently contacted the Packers to come out of retirement. Now I don't know about you but who didn't see this coming. Did you think that it would be this simple for Favre to go away quietly? No I did not think so. Once again Favre is doing his usual flip flop: "This might be my last year but..." You know as much as I did not care for Michael Jordan when he retired at least he waited a few years before he came back. Grandpa Favre took only four months which is actually longer than I gave him credit for and about three weeks before the Packers training camp begins. While the masses of the Frozen Tundra and sports writers galore are waiting with open arms to bathe Grandpa Favre in all his glory there is one person that should be outraged at even the possibility. That would be Aaron Rodgers who is finally getting his chance after being in the purgatory known as Brett Favre's backup. Aaron actually has put the time in with the chance he's given and it might possibly be taken away due to an old timer who clearly can't let go. Look Favre you had your turn and you did make the most of it now let Aaron lead the Pack. ( Although I wonder if anyone bothered to tell Favre about the Madden Curse? He is on the cover this year if he came back and suffered a horrible injury the Madden Curse will live on...)

T.O. showed off his new chick at the "Hancock" movie premiere. She gets the Bona Fide thumbs up from me. Of course black women across the country rolled their eyes at the sight of another black athlete with a white woman on his arm. Of course these are the same women who pledge their allegiance to Barack Obama's "Change" initiative and swear by Oprah Winfrey. How about changing your attitude about this subject? Doesn't matter if you are black, white, green, yellow or orange it is your choice who you want to date and if we are talking about making a change the change first has to come from the man/woman in the mirror.

Free agent season is open in the NBA and we've already had one major move. Baron Davis is a Clipper. The rumour is that Elton Brand opted out of his contract to give the Clips enough cap space to sign Baron and will sign back with the team at a slight discount and more guaranteed years. Corey Maggette also opted out but is expected to sign elsewhere after clashing with coach Mike Dunleavy for years. Brand and Davis combine with Chris Kaman, Al Thornton and Cuttino Mobley/Eric Gordon to form what now looks like a playoff contender in the West.

Other signings: The Raptors quickly locked up Jose Calderon after dealing TJ Ford away for Jermaine O'Neal, and the Wiz did the same with Antawn Jamison. DeSagana Diop is back in Dallas. Agent Zero is still on the open market, and reportedly has 2 $100 million offers to weigh (one from the Wiz, the other from the now Baron-less Warriors where he started his career). Other names still out there include James Posey, Ricky Davis, Jarvis Hayes, Kurt Thomas, and Mickael Pietrius.

Restricted free agent Josh Smith is being wooed by the 76ers, but you have to believe the Hawks will match any offer he gets. Andre Iguodala, Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins and Ben Gordon are all also restricted free agents. Don't expect Iggy or Meka to go anywhere, but things could get interesting with the 2 Warriors and Bulls. If both guys from either team get ridiculous offers, their teams may be forced to choose which one they want to keep. I'd put my money on Luol in Chicago and Monta in a closer call in Golden State.

According to the NY Daily News, A-Rod and his wife Cynthia are separated. I have to admit I am surprised only because I pegged her as one of those trophy wives that was in it for the fame and fortune. She could very well still be because I have hard time believing any woman not named Jackie Christie married to a professional athlete would be naive enough to think their husband is faithful. And well most women who marry professional athletes are usually in it for the fame and fortune so when it comes to affairs they usually look the other way. This is just under three months since the birth of their second child. Of course maybe this was inevitable after A-Rod was caught with a stripper in Toronto last year and they have been trying to save something that wasn't working anymore. Time will tell if it leads to divorce after all A-Rod makes $35 million a year with his salary and endorsements. But as of now the story is that A-Rod is hooking up with Madonna and his wife with Lenny Kravitz. Say what you want about the Yankees but they are never boring and the storylines outside the dugout are enough to retain the interest of the casual fan.

It is amazing how things can change in an instant in the NBA or any other professional sport for that matter. Two years ago, we were talking about Dwayne Wade being Finals MVP and how he was part of the elite that is occupied by LeBron and Kobe. Now fast forward to the present day and its amazing how quickly Wade has fallen off. Maybe part of it is due to his injuries and that his style of play is causing his body to break down at a rapid pace? Or maybe we overrated his abilities and he's just an above average player but not an elite star like LeBron and Kobe are.

Now he's barely mentioned in the conversation these days. You still have Kobe and now LeBron but you also have rising stars in CP3, Deron Williams, and Dwight Howard. Dwayne Wade has become rather irrelevant except for those T-Mobile commercials he does with Barkley and even then its all about Charles. However he seems to have developed an image in China as a Sex Pill Pusher. It is unknown whether they received his consent to use his image to endorse sex pills in China. But it does make you wonder if he ever used these pills to get Star Jones' attention?

*Disclaimer* DWade did not give permission for his pic to be used according to his represensatives.. The pic is from the NBA Live 06 Cover.

It's a sad state of affairs in baseball today. We all know of the effects of the steroid era, as the sport, which was once America's game is now simply licking its wounds behind the NFL and NBA. Now, we as fans sit and watch Barry Bonds historic ball get turned away from Cooperstown .If this is the case, no one from the era except Ken Griffey Junior should even appear on the ballots to the hall.

If the Mitchell Report did anything, it proved that the steroids era was in fact the steroids era. Either they all should go in or none of them. It's disturbing to see that while Bonds is being made an example of, (Being blacklisted and having his records asterisked among having his history denied by the hall.) the rest seem to be living their lives, even when Bonds has yet to even have a positive test.

The question is why he is continually made the example?

Michael Strahan isn't fooling me. Ever since his ex-wife "Heather Mills" him he has been seen with the likes of Mel B (who is stalker Eddie Murphy as we speak) and now here he is with one of my wives Alicia Keys (ya boy does it Big Love style).

Where I am from what Strahan is doing is called "recouping". In laymen terms when you get milked by a woman you immediately try to find a woman who has much more money than you and milk her. Once in my younger BonaFide days I bought this girl I liked a happy meal from McDonalds and soon after she stop talking to me. I was so devastated I found a new girl who worked at McDonalds. You following me?

So keep your pimp game strong Mike and I will be rooting for you to get those millions back in your account because any enemy of Tiki "I don't like being black" Barber is a friend of mine.

BlackSportsOnline are big supporters of young ladies trying to get their shine on in the modeling business. So we have partnered up Dimewars.com to bring you some of the most beautiful up and coming models in the industry. Here is the cool thing you the reader get to vote on who you think is the baddest chick on the block So do "Ya Boy" a favor and go check out the site I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.

I'm sure you are well aware of the article I wrote about Jemele Hill's ill-advised comments where she made the comparison of rooting for the Celtics the same as rooting for Hitler. As expected, she received backlash and was suspended by ESPN over it. While I could see why it was in bad taste I was more bothered by her editor not being held accountable for allowing it to be posted on the website if it was known to be offensive. I guess it only mattered when people, namely Celtics fans, cried foul(pun intended) over it.

However about a couple weeks later Bonnie Bernstein, also employed by ESPN, was on Mike and Mike in the Morning talking about a high school player who plans to play professionally in Europe. She made a comparison of this to Palestine Suicide Bombers.

Here's the transcript:

It's sort of like, you know, and this isn't -- I'm prefacing this by saying this is in no way an analogy to sports because I know we live in a hypersensitive society -- but I remember a while ago I was reading an article in the New York Times about Palestinian suicide bombers and I just remember being struck by the notion that from the point of birth, people in Palestine are taught to think that dying in the name of God is a good thing.

They grow up wanting to be suicide bombers. So bringing it back to sports -- and again, I'm not making the comparison or the analogy -- if a young talented basketball player is being told at an early age that they are destined, it is a good thing to focus on basketball and not worry about what's going on in the classroom, why are any kids going to be worried about what's going on in the classroom?

I don't know about you but if she knew this was going to be offensive why say it in the first place? Of course she did get some backlash from Ray Hanania, of the National Arab-American Journalists Association

http://aams.blogspot.com/2008/06/arab-american-protest-racism-on-espn.html

He was right this was an inappropriate reference and something I found far more offensive than what Jemele Hill said about rooting for the Celtics.

She then of course later apologized on air:

Sorry Cleveland fans (and Knicks fans for that matter) it is a done deal Lebron James will be a Brooklyn Net very soon. The verbal agreement is already in place between him and Jay Z. It's a rap (you love my play on words don't you) I have it on good authority from a person in the Jay Z camp that this has been in the works for awhile and Cleveland's inability to surround Lebron with the proper talent sealed the deal.

Speaking to me on the condition of anonymity this is what the source had to say about the situation:

"Jay wants to make a big splash when the Nets come to Brooklyn. At every opportunity he is in Lebron's ear telling him he can be bigger than Michael Jordan, but he can't do that in Cleveland. He is telling him that if he comes to Brooklyn he will be seen as a savior because Brooklyn is still hurting of the Dodgers and that was damn near 60 years ago."

He went on to say:

"Lebron doesn't just want to be a basketball player he wants to be a global icon. He looks up to Jay because Jay went from being a rapper to one of the most powerful and influential men in the world. Lebron wants to be remembered like that and he thinks Jay can help him. That is why he is dropping hints about coming to Brooklyn. He loves Cleveland but they have dropped the ball. Trust me this is a done deal he will be in a Nets uniform."

I don't blame Lebron because beyond Neo Bryant he is the most talented player in the league and unlike Kobe he is only 23. He hasn't even touch the surface of his potential. Cleveland has had every opportunity to make the team better but right now it is Lebron and the Pips. If history has showed us anything it is that one man can't win a championship so a change of scenery maybe in order.