A Letter From the Grave

Dear sports world,

My name is Sean Taylor. I've been in the news recently. I was murdered in my own home. I played football for the NFL's Washington Redskins. I played college ball at the "U"......as in the University of Miami. Before that, you could say I grew up in the "hood" .....if you consider Richmond Heights a hood with the average medium family income at $44,095. My parents divorced when I was three years old and I was raised by my Father and my stepmother.

My dad was and is the police chief of the Florida City Police Department. I was always surrounded by law enforcement friends of the family my entire childhood. Yet the media continues to label me as a product of the "hood".

I fell in love with football at Gulliver Prep where I played running back on offense and defensive back on defense. Football gave me a sense of who I was......it also made me ......well....it made me feel like my own man. I was good. Natural talent. And I worked hard to be better. That drive led to three successful years at the University of Miami. After my Junior year, I did what most athletes would do.......I opted for the NFL. I had read....heard.....even imagined I just might be a first round draft pick......so......hey, what the heck?

So......in 2004, the Redskins pick me in the first round. Wow.....that rookie season. I fired 2 agents......yes I did....and I was accused of spitting on a Cincinnati Bengal player....no I didn't.....and it was never proven. In the 2005 season I was fined $5000 for not wearing the Redskins socks. And....I will admit I did spit at Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman and was fined $17,ooo .....but only him....and I.....well may be the ref's ....know what the exact exchange between the two of us was.

The NFL is a strange league. I made the Pro Bowl last year. And I didn't think of it as my best. I had a up and down year and only made it as an alternate.....Philadelphia safety Brian Dawkins chose not to play....opening the door ....for me.

Now it's 2007.........I'm leading the Redskins with 5 interceptions but I'm sidelined with an injury.....so I return to my Miami home.

I'm in my bedroom along with my woman and child......when someone....somebody.......some person.....has invaded a privacy....my privacy. I react.....I over react....This is My house...I think I hear a sound that sounds like a gun shot.....I feel a sharp pain. My body is still moving.....I can still hear.....I can feel.....but then ....I can't breathe.....and then......I'm out. Asleep. They would later say I went into a coma.....what's the difference. I was in shock. I lost a ton of blood. And.......I'm not there with you today.

My death has touched a great deal of people.....It has also demonized everything from "hip hop" to "rap". They are saying, "He got what he deserved"..........."It had to have been another woman who shot him"..........."He bragged too much about his money"........."This was a random act of a burglar"....."His girl friend did it".....and so on .....and so on.

Let me just say this.......you are what you are.....I....am not of the hood.....I....have made a ton of mistakes. I...... love my child, my mother & father and the mother of my child. At 24 years old, I now will miss out on the life that you ......and that sports world full of you guys and gals take for granted. But for just a mere moment........think of me.....be me......if only for .....a mere moment.

Sincerely,

Sean Taylor

The Best Game.....Nobody will See

Dallas Cowboys.....10-1......Green Bay Packers.....10-1. In just a few hours these two teams will meet at Texas Stadium in Dallas to battle for supremacy in the NFL's National Conference. One problem. Well.....one big problem. Three fourth of the viewing American public will not get to watch it. Out of the 111 million homes in the United States which have televisions.....the NFL network is available in only in 35 million of them. Greed, greed.....and more greed. The mighty NFL (the creator of the so named network) , is holding the major cable providers hostage by demanding they carry the NFL network on it's basic package.......for a fee. The giant cable companies are balking.....claiming they would have to pass the cost on the consumers. The cable companies want the NFL network to be a "premium channel". The NFL wants it to be basic. Are these guys for real. You mean to tell me......in the year 2007........Already the number 1 consumer sport in the country.......The NFL has the gall to want ......even... more?

By the way......I have Directv.......so I'll be watching tonight....I even may provide updates.........for a fee.

Hump Day: Bad News... Good News... Bad News

So you think you have had a bad break in life?


Imagine being wrongfully accused and convicted of raping a 12 year old girl... Bad News!!

Fast forward 18 agonizing years to the wonderful science of DNA which CLEARS you!! Because of the state's grievous error, you are awarded $360,000 for your suffering... Good News!!

Before you can wrap your mind around all that is happening to you are sued for back child support for the 18 years you were in prison for a crime you DID NOT commit... Bad News!!

One man, Dwayne Allen Dail does not have to imagine it... this is the story of his life! Dail was wrongly convicted of a 1987 rape and spent 18 years in prison only to be summoned court for back child support by Lorraine Michaels, his son's mother.

Hmmmmm.... Do you think Lorraine would be willing to give up 18 years of her life and spend them behind bars while Dwayne raised the baby on his own?
She could then have the whole &@%! $360,000!

I would bet my pension that Dwayne would have been happy to trade his past 18 years with Lorraine's 18 years of raising their son... FOR FREE!!!

Greed without compassion... Is there no limit?!?
Keep the faith Dwayne and son!!!

Thoughts from a Very Long Weekend

Thanksgiving, football, Family & Friends, black Friday, more football, more turkey, more family, a movie, more football, coaches resigning, coaches getting fired, some wet stuff falling from the sky (I think it's called rain.....but it's been so long), more football, more family, more turkey .......and finally ......the weekend is over.

Thanksgiving Day made us family guys......well.......family guys....All three NFL games fell well below competitive and entertainment qualities, forcing all of us to spend a great deal of "quality time" with our loved ones.

Black Friday brought out all those early bird specials and sales from retailers across the country. And a few decent college football games. LSU (ranked #1) loses at home.....in 3 ....or was it 4 overtimes to Arkansas.

Saturday saw a slew of rivalry games including Georgia beating Georgia Tech for the seventh straight time, and Auburn beating Alabama for the sixth consecutive time.

Sunday, the NFL returned to give us some bazaar games. Denver found a way to give the Chicago Bears a win. Seattle hung on......Tampa Bay intercepted a Washington Redskin win........The Giants stunk it up at home......and the New England Patriots are now 11-0.......though Philly put up one courageous fight.

All in all.........I had a great weekend....Thanksgiving, football, family, more football, more family, more football, a little rain......It doesn't get much better.

Sunday Morning Headlines

For your viewing pleasure......
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Sport Divorces - Michael Jordan

So, how much is a sports wife worth?
According to the divorce settlement of Michael Jordan it is worth $168,000,000... 9 figures!!!

Now let's discuss some facts... Juanita was married to Michael for 18 years. Based on pure unbiased math, she will receive $9,333,333.33 for each year of her marriage to Mike... or in other words, $25,570.78 per DAY!! ... EVERY DAY!!... for the past 18 YEARS!! Is there anyone on the face of this earth that YOU would pay $25.6 thousand a day to live with for nearly two decades? ANYONE???

The salary of hard working Americans falls far short of that kind of money. In fact, 93% of American workers earn less than $100,000 per year. Wait, before you start ranting about the children she gave birth to and "raised", she was financially "taken care of" by Mike during their marriage. She lived in the "big house", not a cottage on the property... She drove the "luxery car", not a "hooptie". She wore fine clothes, not "Walmart specials". She ate fine foods, not "fried bologna". She lived a GOOD life while being married to Mike and that should not be discounted in the equation... As a matter of fact, it should be taken into consideration in the final decision.

So why is she getting $168 million dollars for 18 years of child and home care? BECAUSE SHE CAN! Our government passed laws to protect wives from thoughtless, cruel, insensitive, slime ball husbands who left wives for younger more exciting women. The problem is, they did not put anything in the law to protect the husband from the gold diggers. What is a gold digger? Anyone is uses marriage or a relationship to acquire money from their mate that they could not have earned on their own. So I ask, what skill does Juanita possess that would net her $9.3 Million dollars a year?? I doubt she can make that amount for the next 18 years speaking about (for profit) "being married to Michael Jordan"... You think??

Juanita Jordan is entitled to some compensation... FAIR compensation! However, $25.6 thousand per day is WAY off base! Until there is fairness in D-I-V-O-R-C-E laws, all stars (male and female) should heed this warning... Live Single in youth and play your sport!!!
(Can you say: Derek Jeter Is Single?)

How much are you willing to pay for a mate to leave you after 18 years... for whatever reason. $2.56 hundred per day? $2.56 thousand per day? $25.6 thousand per day? What do you think is the fair limit? In sports, either you win or you lose but in sports, a loss today does not penalize you in your next game. The next team has to earn their win... NOT receive points from your previous loss! Hmmmmm, that sounds fair.

 A

In my humble opinion... Live single while you are young and playing sports... It's safer than being married to a very patient gold digger waiting for the BIG pay day!!... $25.6K per day!

Let the Firing......Begin!!!

God......How we love other people's miseries. But.....isn't this fun? Two big time colleges severed ties with coaches who didn't get the job done.

Ole Miss fired Ed Orgeron today following the Rebels 17-14 loss at Mississippi Friday. Orgeron was 10-25 (3-21 in SEC games) in his 3 year reign. Ole Miss wen 0-8 in conference games this year. Those geniuses in Oxford......the ones who hired Orgeron.....are getting exactly what they deserved. They fired David Cutcliffe who had amassed a 6 year record of 44-29. 44-29! At Ole Miss! And after a 4-7 2004 season, he's shown the door? This was Orgeron's first head coaching job after stints as assistant coach at Miami, Syracuse and USC. It is believed to be a small buy out for Ole Miss.....around $500,000.

This year the Rebels had plenty of off the field troubles. Most recent, the highly publicized probation of 20 players for stealing radios and pillows from hotels, totally about $780.

Over in Lincoln, Nebraska.......Tom Osborne, the legendary Corn husker coach and now interim Athletic Director, lowered the boom on head coach Bill Callahan. Callahan had a respectable record (27-22), but was only 3-10 against top 25 teams. It was embarrassing loses in the last 4 years that led to Callahan's demise. In 2004, Texas Tech beat the 'Huskers 70-10, in the worst defeat in the program's 118 year history. This year, Kansas defeated Nebraska 76-39, in a game that wasn't even that close. Yesterday's 65-51 loss to Colorado sealed the deal speculated all season.

It will cost the University $3.1 million to buy out Callahan's contract which runs through the 2011 season. Callahan was NEVER a Nebraska guy.......period! His first act of foolishness was boldly saying he would "flip the culture". That meant dumping the triple option offense employed by Osborne and installing the West Coast offense. After all .....in his first year as coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.....he went all the way to the Super Bowl. Though fired by Oakland in 2003, Callahan still was quite confident in his abilities. But Nebraska was a different culture....Anyway....he'll still get paid.

Sometimes......a NO.....is a good thing

Mike Singletary has turned down an offer to become the head football coach for Baylor University. We applaud him. Singletary, inducted into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, is currently an assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Singleton cited "philosophical differences" that would have prevented him from taking the job. "They asked, 'Are you comfortable with letting your staff coach your team while you're speaking and doing other thing?' " Singleton said. "No, I'm a coach. I'm not a politician."


Singleton's decision means there will still be only 6 Black head coaches in Division 1 College Football. He would have joined Randy Shannon (Miami), Ron Prince (Kansas State), Sylvester Croom (Mississippi State), Turner Gill (Buffalo), Tyrone Willingham (Washington) and Karl Dorrell (UCLA)......The latter, who more than likely will be fired at season's end.

A 6" 0", 230 pound linebacker who played college football for his home town Baylor Bears, Singletary went on to a storied 12 year career with the NFL's Chicago Bears. He earned the nickname "Samurai Mike" during his professional years in recognition of the intimidating focus and intensity he displayed on the field.

We feel Singletary has earned the right to pick and choose the right job for he and his family. So many others would have jumped at the chance to coach at their Alma Mata. But Baylor? Since 2000, the football bears have a regular season record of 26-66. They have not had a winning season since 1995 when they went 7-4. In 1980, Singleton's senior year, Baylor won 10 games for the only time in school history. And playing in the Big 12, they are considered "little brothers " in the eyes of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska.......etc. At a distinct recruiting disadvantage, Baylor is ....what they are. A nice academic institution.....with a lousy football program.

Mike Singletary deserves better.....he has had head coaching interviews with NFL teams Atlanta, Dallas and San Diego. No need to "take a job" just because it's open. Mike......keep working hard......be diligent........your time will come.

Madea's Thanksgiving Rules

RULES FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER AT MY HOUSE

1. Don't get in line asking questions about the food. "Who made the potato salad? Is there egg in there? Are the greens fresh? Is the meat in the greens turkey or pork? Who made the macaroni and cheese? What kind of pie is that? Who made it? Ask one more question and I will punch you in your mouth, knocking out all your fronts so you won't be able to eat anything.

2. If you can't walk or are missing any limbs, sit your butt down until someone makes your plate for you. Dinner time is not the time for you to be independent. Nibble on them pecans and walnuts to hold you over until someone makes you a plate.

3. If you have kids under the age of twelve, I will escort their little butts to the basement and bring their food down to them. They are not going to tear my house up this year. Tell them that they are not allowed upstairs until it's time for Uncle Butchie to start telling family stories about their mommas and papas. If they come upstairs for any reason except for that they are bleeding to death, I will tear their butts up and you better not ask why!

4. There is going to be one prayer for Thanksgiving dinner! JUST ONE! We do not care that you are thankful that your 13 year old daughter gave birth to a healthy baby or your nephew just got out of jail. The time limit for the prayer is one minute. If you are still talking after that one minute is up, you will feel something hard come across your lips and they will be swollen for approximately 20 minutes.

5. Finish everything on your plate before you go up for seconds! If you don't, you will be asked to stay your greedy butt home next year!

6. BRING YOUR OWN TUPPERWARE!! Don't let me catch you fixing yourself a plate in my good Tupperware knowing that I will never see it again! Furthermore, if you didn't bring anything over, don't let me catch you making a plate period or it will be a misunderstanding. And why are you making plates before you eat? You never bring a dish or offer a dime do you?

7. What you came with is what you should leave with!! Do not leave my house with anything that doesn't belong to you. EVERYBODY WILL BE SUBJECTED TO A BODY SEARCH COMING AND GOING OUT OF MY DOMAIN!!!

8. Do not leave your kids so you can go hopping from house to house. This is not a DAYCARE CENTER ! There will be a kid-parent roll call every ten minutes. Any parent that is not present at the time of roll call, your child will be put outside until you come and get him or her. After 24 hours, I will call CPS!

9. BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM BEFORE YOU COME INTO TOWN!! There will be no sleeping over at my house! You are to come and eat dinner and go home or to your hotel room. EVERYBODY GETS KICKED OUT AT 11:00 pm. You will get a 15 minute warning bell ring.

10. Last but not least! ONE PLATE PER PERSON!! This is not a soup kitchen. I am not trying to feed your family until Christmas dinner! You will be supervised when you fix your plate. Anything over the appropriate amount will be charged to you before you leave. There will be a cash register at the door. Thanks to Cousin

Alfred and his greedy family, we now have a credit card machine! So VISA and MASTERCARD are now being accepted. NO FOOD STAMPS OR ACCESS CARDS YET

Hump Day Thoughts..........

Not that any one still cares.....but Mike Tyson....yep....that Mike Tyson spent a day in a Phoenix, Arizona jail. The one-time "baddest man on the planet" was incarcerated one more time.....if only for 24 hours. The 41 year old Tyson had admitted to charges of possessing cocaine and driving under the influence. Joe Arpaio, the self-styled toughest sheriff in America makes inmates wear pink hand-cuffs and pink underwear underneath their prison stripes. Mr. Tyson will also have to complete 360 hours of community service along with 3 years probation. According to AP, Tyson ate sloppy joes and read the mobster epic "American Gangster". Mike........how fitting.

Three touchdown favorite? The New England Patriots are a 22 point favorite Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. According to MGM- Mirage, this is the second highest line in the history of NFL betting. The Patriots are 10-o and 9-1 against the spread so far this year. With Eagles QB Donovan McNabb's condition list as questionable......the line may even go up ....or .......as some places are already doing......taken off the board.

Building for the future? According to the AJC, forty-nine percent of the 83 athletes who have played for the Georgia Bulldogs this season are either freshmen or sophomores. Of the 25 freshmen to see action -- that ranks fifth nationally behind North Carolina (38), Florida (33), Auburn (29) and Iowa (29) -- six are true freshmen, four of whom are starters.

And finally.......a little taste.....of the greatest city on earth.......

Enough said.

Love ....and Basketball

But can he ball? By now everyone has heard the reports of Lil Romeo signing a national letter of intent to attend the University of Southern California to play basketball for the Trojans. Lil Romeo, who's real name is Percy Romeo Miller is a 6'0" senior guard at Beverly Hills High School. He averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists last year. Lil Romeo's father, Master P , was also a wannabe baller......twice trying out for NBA teams but never making the squads. Miller calls the scholarship deal, "the most important thing" he has ever had to do. He says he hopes kids will learn from him that "education is more important than money". One recruiting service ranks Miller among the top 15 point guards in the country. That remains to be seen.....But it is refreshing to see a young man put his interest in more than just baggy pants and gold chains. Lil Romeo.......We're with you man!

Is it just me....Or is it getting hot in here?

It's that time of year.....The College football regular season is just about done but for a game or two. This is when coaches all across the country are either coasting into a bowl season with optimism......or.....are squirming in their severely warm seats.

The web site: Coaches Hot Seat 2007 ranks every division 1 coach from the hottest in the hot seat to the most securest.

We have posted the top ten with the coach, school, conference and salary. It is very depressing to have our main man Mr. Karl Dorrell leading the list. Notre Dame's Charlie Weis just missed the top 10. He came in 11th. According to this site, the coaches at the bottom, (the most secure) are: Georgia's Mark Richt, West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez, Hawaii's June Jones and Boise State's Chris Peterson. On to their top 10:
1
▲
Karl Dorrell
UCLA
Pac 10
$881,000

2
▲
Ed Orgeron
Ole Miss
SEC
$905,000

3
▲
Joe Glenn
Wyoming
MWC
$505,100

4
▲
Dennis Franchione
Texas A&M
Big 12
$2,012,200

5
▲
Nick Saban
Alabama
SEC
$3,500,000

6
▼
Houston Nutt
Arkansas
SEC
$1,049,644

7
▲
Kirk Ferentz
Iowa
Big 10
$2,840,000

8
▲
Tommy Bowden
Clemson
ACC
$1,198,028

9
▼
Chan Gailey
Ga. Tech
ACC
$1,009,191

10
▬
Ted Roof
Duke
ACC
$370,200

Coincidence....Or a Disturbing Trend?

Michael Vick surrendered to authorities today in Warsaw, Virginia and turned himself in to United States Marshals and was brought to the Northern Neck Regional Jail. This comes 3 weeks from Vick's scheduled sentencing. Having already pled guilty, Vick faces (according to sentencing guidelines) from a year to 18 months in prison.

What bothers me is a disturbing trend developing regarding high profile black athletes and the United States government. Barry Bonds was recently indicted on charges of lying to a grand jury. Marion Jones was indicted on virtually the same charges. Bonds is scheduled to be arraigned in December 7 in San Francisco; Vick will be sentenced December 10; Jones will be sentenced January 11, 2008.


More disturbing is that fact the each of these investigations took on more of a..... holy crusade ....than that of an impartial investigation. The sheer length of the grand jury in the Bonds case begs one to wonder (4 years for a grand jury is highly unusual). And in Vick's case.......when has the government ever got involved in a dog fighting case in the deep south?

Neither of these three have ever been caught in a DUI or DWI. None have ever killed another human. They have never been convicted of tax evasion or fraud. None are on trial for selling drugs..... or even abusing drugs.


The three..........Bonds, Jones and Vick will all probably do some jail time. And won't that make all of us feel safer with them locked up? Did I say us? Oops........my bad .....you know who this is aimed at. And if you have to ask who......then it's ....more than likely you.

Monday Morning Moans & Groans

Bye, bye Byron.......In Sunday's 31-7 loss by the Atlanta Falcons to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Byron Leftwich was.....well ...brutally ugly. After missing 2 games with a bum ankle, Mr. Leftwich return as a starter even though Joey Harrington had led the birds to two straight victories. First year coach Bobby Petrino stood by his man....Leftwich started, struggled, struggled more and eventually was mercifully benched in favor of Harrington. How bad was Byron? He completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards, no touchdowns, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Harrington engineered a meaningless drive late in the game to get the Falcons their 7 points. Who will start Thanksgiving night against The Indianapolis Colts is any one's guess.


Welcome back Tom.......Tom Glavin has agreed to a one year contract worth a reported 8 million dollars to come back home to pitch for the Atlanta Braves. After spending his first 16 years with the Braves, Glavin signed with the New York Mets after the 2002 season. Even though he won his 300th game while in a Met uniform.... Glavin was never a New Yorker....He and his family maintained their residency in Atlanta throughout the 5 seasons as a Met. In the last game of the season, Glavin pitched his final game for New York......An outing that saw Glavin have one of his worst starts of his career. He lasted only a third of an inning and gave up 7 eared runs on 5 hits, while walking 2 and striking out none. Glavin will be reunited with ace John Smotz with hopes of returning the Braves to postseason play after a two year void.

Happy Trails....Lloyd Carr..... The Michigan head coach resigned this morning after 13 years as the leader of the Wolverines. This season saw Michigan (ranked 5th in preseason polls) lose to Appalachian State to start a tumultuous year. The 14-3 lost to Ohio State Saturday marked the six consecutive year Michigan has lost to their rival.

No more undefeated NBA teams. ......The Boston Celtics aim at going 82-0 came to a sudden halt in Orlando last night as the Magic beat Boston, 104-102. The trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen had been averaging over 20 points apiece , but Sunday, only Pierce achieved that .....scoring a team high 28. The Magic (9-2) was lead by Dwight Howard with 24 points and 6 rebounds.

Witness protection program? Alabama coach Nick Saban had better get his family to a safe house if his Crimson Tide keep up the current trend of losing to the likes of Louisiana-Monroe.


A 24 1/2 underdog, the Warhawks of the Sun Belt Conference embarrassed Alabama in Tuscaloosa Saturday, 21-14. Alabama (6-5) has lost 3 in a row and must travel to arch rival Auburn this Saturday. Saban, the highest paid college coach in America (4 million a year) , was hired by the good folks of Alabama to restore this once proud school to prominence again.
With too many more of these kinds of losses, Saban had best get the moving vans ready. These 'Bama folks have been known to run a few coaches out of town.

Sunday Morning Headlines

For your viewing pleasure.........
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