Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Welcome Back..........Michael Vick......Sort of....


Michael Vick........

Has been re-instated into the National Football League.

Conditionally.....

Meaning he can sign with a team........practice with a team.....play in pre-season games with a team........but...........

He cannot play with said team in a real game.......until October........or week six.

Excuse me while I puke. You're telling me, the United States government has sentenced this man to 2 years in a federal penitentiary........for which he served his time.......lost tens of millions of dollars.......And now the NFL....is flexing it's muscle.....by not letting him play....in a meaningful game.......until week six?

Let us ........puke.......some more.

Where is the "players union"? Why is the almighty NFL depriving Vick.....of making a living. Yes.....he is an ex-con....... and yes...........he paid his debt to society.

And........yes..........the NFL..........to borrow a quote from our president........"Acted....stupidly ".

Take your pick....on the following stories.......

Michael Vick paid his debt, but should NFL let him play?


Los Angeles Times - USA Today

We here at 5 on Five........have a novel idea....

Leave the man alone....let him play.........

Now!!



Thursday, July 23, 2009

When.....We....Become....the News...

Here we are........My step-son........My ex-wife.........My daughter's oldest brother......

When we become news..........It is time to take a step back. For we are plainly simple folks...We don't like .....or need .....drama. This needless killing..........is .......killing me.

Why?

Jay.....as we called him........was a special child....a first born. Yvonne's first. He made mistakes........he paid for all of them...serving time, etc..........He made himself into a business man....And he made all of us proud.

From the New York Daily News..........

Brooklyn businessman found slain; wife says she heard shots

Thursday, July 23rd 2009, 4:00 AM

Maisel/News

Relatives and friends were overcome by the death of Louis Burch (below), who was shot and killed by his home in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, Tuesday.

Brooklyn businessman Louis Burch told his wife he needed to buy aspirin for a headache, walked out of his home and climbed into his Land Rover parked a block away.

But the SUV never moved.

Investigators believe Burch, 36, was shot and killed moments after he left his Flatlands home at 9 p.m. Tuesday, even though his body was not found until Wednesday morning.

The motive for the murder remains unknown, and no witnesses have come forward, police sources said.

The dead man's widow, Serena Vasquez-Burch, told investigators she thought she heard gunshots moments after her husband left their E. 53rd St. home but did not go outside to check.

That enraged the dead man's mother.

"I find it very hard to believe that your husband went out, you heard a gunshot, and you don't even look out the window," said Yvonne McDuffie.

A police source said detectives were looking into the couple's "rocky marriage," but Vasquez-Burch is not a suspect at this point.

She was cooperating with investigators, the source said. Vasquez-Burch refused to speak to reporters yesterday.

Burch's relatives said he served nearly a decade in prison for assault but had been clean since his release in the late 1990s and was making money "flipping" old houses.

Investigators were checking into some of his recent business dealings - and one of Vasquez-Burch's relatives said she feared for her safety.

"We're all very afraid [and] we think someone might be trying to hurt us," said the woman, who would not give her name. "If they hurt Louis, they'll probably come back for us too."

With Arianna Davis

Thursday, July 16, 2009

NASCAR........Goes Hollywood.......Sort of.....



We very, rarely get into the NASCAR scene......but.........

Recent events surrounding one of their drivers .....you know.........drugs.......suspensions.......appeals.......allegations.......family feuds........have gotten us to pay heed.

We present.......the Jeremy Mayfield Saga: (Courtesy of the NASCAR Nation Union web site)

5/9/2009: Jeremy Mayfield tests positive for something just minutes before the Southern 500. NASCAR has not revealed the substance, but all we know is that he is suspended indefinitely, and the only way back is rehab.

Week of 5/11/2009 to 5/15/2009: Mayfield claims that Claritan D is the drug responsible for his positive test. Dr. David Black of Aegis Science Corporation, the company responsible for all NASCAR drug tests, calls bull**** on that claim.

5/29/2009: One week after quite possibly the worst Memorial Day weekend in auto racing EVER, Mayfield decided to use the Glenn Dunnaway* method and sue NASCAR for his reinstatement. Mecklenberg County would host, but NASCAR requested it to move it to federal court a few days later. Request granted. The trial is set for July 1st.

5/29/2009: That same date, the drugs are revealed. Well, two of three. Claritan-D (duh), and Adderall.

6/5/2009: NASCAR countersued Mayfield for $150K, citing that he willfully violated the drug policy, breach of contract, defrauding competitor's earnings, and pissing off fans who don't know who to believe.

6/9/2009: ESPN's Ryan McGee confirmed with two independent sources that the drug Mayfield took is methamphetamine.

6/10/2009: I believed that some drugs, including Adderall, the drug Mayfield took, can produce false positives, and I was with Mayfield...for ten minutes. He claimed that the fumes suffered from a Talladega wreck back in April caused meth-like substances in his body. If the engine were to blow up right in front of my face on my way to a lab to get drug tested for a job, I would have failed already according to his logic. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

6/16/2009: NASCAR released a statement saying that an "expert" witness lied when asked about Mayfield's creditionals. Dr. Harvey MacFerenstein falsely represented himself on six counts on the May 29th hearing. NASCAR also said that Dr. MacFerenstein had no credentials to state that he is a doctor. WOOPS.

6/17/2009: On top of the drug lawsuit, Mayfield's suppliers, Triad Racing Technologies and BDR Acquisition, sues Mayfield for over $84K. Maybe he should have taken rehab after all at this point, huh?

6/18/2009: Dr. MacFerenstein says that he told Mayfield's attorney incorrect qualifications in an affidavit and John Buric (Mayfield's lawyer) assured him that they were correct. *sigh* Which is worse, Brett Favre's "retirement" plans or this?

UPDATE 7/1/09: Jeremy Mayfield won the temporary reinstatement so that he can race in NASCAR again.

UPDATE 7/2/09: Yet his car was not ready for Daytona.

UPDATE 7/9/09: And Chicagoland. Mayfield stated that he's not entering any races so he can focus to get a permanent reinstatement to NASCAR. Yeah, right.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnddddddddddddddddd.....NASCAR says that Mayfield tested positive for meth AGAIN and wants the judge to reverse the temporary reinstatement.

But.......it gets even better.....News that just hit today:

Now the "step-mom" speaks,

"I saw Jeremy using methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the seven years I was around him," she said.

Wow!!!!

Jeremys' response..........


“I don’t trust anything NASCAR does, anything Dr. David Black does, never have, never will,” Mayfield told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Black is the administrator for NASCAR’s drug-testing program. “And they picked the wrong woman to use against me because that (whore) is trash and has got nothing on me but lies.”

According to documents, Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients. She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others.

“Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often,” she said in her affidavit. “I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others.”

Mayfield contested his stepmother’s account.

“She’s tried everything she can do to get money out of me. I won’t help her, so I guess she found a way to get money from NASCAR by giving them an affidavit full of lies,” he said.

Well........that's our NASCAR story.....and we're sticking with it.

A lot more entertaining than making 200 left turns.......in a 500 hundred mile race.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Gone.......In a New York ........Minute

Mets and Braves Swap Right Fielders

It's a done deal........Tonight, the Atlanta Braves traded home grown right fielder, Jeff Francoeur to the New York Mets for another right fielder, Ryan Church.

After taking the city by storm when called up in 2005........Francoeurs' career....has steadily descended.

Once a two sport star....... at Parkview High....with a football scholarship to attend Clemson, Francoeur never matched that 2005 and 2006 season.

Instead of adjusting to pitchers.......The pitchers....adjusted to him.

Baseball is a mental game........the trade could be good for Jeff.

But .....in New York?

We.......will see.

Does the Picture.......Tell the "whole" Story? Part 2

In fairness.......

To our President........we have obtained the entire video footage.....courtesy of Good Morning America on ABC and Yahoo.com.

Now.....make your interpretation :


Thursday, July 9, 2009

Does the Picture.......Tell the "whole" Story?

Interesting....at best....

This photo was from Reuters.......

It can be interpreted many ways. U S President Obama
and the French Prez.......You be the judge:


U.S. President Barack Obama (C) and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) take their places with junior G8 delegates for a family photo at the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, July 9, 2009. Leaders of the Group of Eight major industrial nations and the main developing economies are meeting in the central Italian city of L'Aquila until Friday to discuss issues ranging from global economic stimulus to climate change and oil prices.

REUTERS/Jason Reed (ITALY POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY.


Are they both .....staring at .....the "booty"?

Or.....was this just an un-timed photo....with an innocent glance?

You tell us..........

An Andruw Jones........Sighting....

When last saw Andruw Jones..........

He was being unceremoniously dumped......fired......discarded......by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just one year .........and the Dodgers were cutting their losses.

Could you blame them?

Last year, Jones played in only 75 games........batted a measly .158...........with 3 home runs and 14 RBI's while striking out 76 times.

We have been harsh critics of Andruw. He.......with all that "potential".....but never asserted himself........like so many greats before him.

Talent wise.....he is the best pure center fielder.......I've ever seen play the game. With all due respects to Willie Mays......I actually saw Jones play.......live.....in person. No balls ever got over his head........nothing fell in front.

A "phenom"..........

Then........he got married.....signed a huge mega-million dollar contract.......and got lazy. Or, maybe he signed the huge deal.......and then got married.......Whatever..........he got lazy.

And when the Atlanta Braves did not re-sign him after the 2007 season..........he took off to Hollywood.



Well........fast forward to yesterday: Andruw Jones hits 3 HRs as Rangers win

Andruw........has re-invented himself with the Texas Rangers! Barely making the team in spring training, Jones has already hit 14 homers.......driven in 34 runs.....and has a respectable .250 batting average .......in 46 games.

At age 32.........his best years may be behind him.......but it's good to see........he finally.....gets it.

Too bad it could'nt be with his old team..........the Braves.


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hump Day..........News & Views


Wednesday, July 8, 2009.......



"Hump Day".......
all over again. We have been following a few stories..... Sit back and enjoy.....

And buy.......an "Ebony"..........featuring Jada Pinkett Smith........


The Steve McNair .....tragedy....is just that. A tragedy....just in: Police: Girlfriend shot McNair, herself ............Like we said, " A woman scorned.....is a dangerous thing". I still find it hard to believe.....his wife....never suspected....an affair. Was she blind? Or indifferent? Or stupid?

Marion Barry: Ladies' Man

Enough said.......Read the story.......the whole story....brought to you from our friends at.....

gawker.com



From the ..........DRUDGE REPORT .......And...I'm reminded.....it is 2009. This is a little disturbing:

SHOCK: 60 black kids kicked out of Philly pool; Might 'Change the Complexion'...

There are.......as always....two sides to every story. We can only hope....this was just a ........huge.....misunderstanding.


RIP, Oscar Mayer

The wiener guy has died.......Yes, this is the Oscar Mayer....whose meat packaging company re-invented the hot dog industry.


Finally........


Did not
see much of the Michael Jackson stuff yesterday.......but I caught some hi-lights...


Can Reverend Al Sharpton steal a show or what? Just give old Al.....a reason to preach....


Got some .......much needed rain today.....the grass was heard saying, "Thank you, Jesus"!


Finally, finally...........


Just........
59 days.......before my Georgia Bulldogs open their season.......against Oklahoma State.


Have a great "Hump Day"!



Monday, July 6, 2009

Things we learned......From a "Patriotic" Week-end...



What a week-end........

4th of July........cook outs.....baseball....... a little golf.........fire works...........Wimbledon....some beer.....liquor.....lots of food.......and......family.

It just .......does not get any better.

Say what you want about the United States of America.......there is no other place.......in the entire world.....I would want to live.

Some headlines from........this week-end:

Gov. Palin resigns

Yes.....that governor ......from ...."up there" resigned.....Why? Can't stand the heat? Readying herself for 2012? Who knows? I do know this........No one of any major consequence ..........ever led.......anyone....by quitting.


Police: Slain QB's girlfriend bought gun Update on this Steve McNair drama....

From 'Saturday Night Live' to the U.S. Senate Al Franken.......United States Senator......Rush is in cardiac arrest .....by now...

TV ratings for AT&T National triple That's because..........Tiger won the darn thing!!!

So much for headlines...........

Here's some of our famous ..........one-liners..........

Our brother........and co-writer ........6eVoice.......has to go to China......Soon.... Let's see how fast...Lenovo.......gets him.......his ........passport!

I had my car......."detailed" this week-end.......cost a lot.....but in this Georgia heat? Well worth it.

Can you say, "Overkill..........on this whole Michael Jackson deal"?

Tiger Woods.......wins again.....is he the greatest golfer in our lifetime.....or what?

Not in to tennis.......but what a great finals Sunday.......

And those.......Williams sisters........awesome....and then some.....

I..........think.......I had ...........one ..........great..........week-end.


Sunday, July 5, 2009

A Woman Scorned...........Is a Dangerous Thing.....


Steve McNair..........

NFL quarterback........extra....."ordinare"......But a few too many "extras".....

As in an extra-marriage affair ......with a 20 year old.

McNai
r was found dead..........yesterday.....the result of 4 bullet wounds.......two to the chest.....two to the head.....The 20 year old .....dead also.....of a single gun shot.

Details are still forth coming........

But.......a few facts...we do know. Mr. McNair was still married..........Mr. McNair was having an affair.......with the 20 year old.


We know women........Mrs. McNair........was the "scorned" wife..........the 20 year old.....was the "scorned" girl friend....

You figure it out...........put it all together........This is this the worst case scenario of a "love triangle".

What a shame........He was only 36........

We'll keep you posted........

From .....Tennessean.com:

Autopsy shows Steve McNair was murdered



Friday, July 3, 2009

A Michael Jackson......Tribute........Sort of.......

The untimely death of pop superstar........

Michael Jackson .....has definitely made all of us pause....pay our respects....etc.

But Arland Bruce......a football player in the CFL, took it to a whole new level.

Courtesy of YouTube..........enjoy:


Sister Act...........Part IV


Serena........and .....Venus........

Taking their "Sister Act" to the finals......across the pond....at Wimbledon.....again (
Venus-Serena final for fourth time ).......

Tomorrows' Wimbledon tennis championship match will .....for the 4th time.....feature these two amazing athletes from Compton, CA.

Serena beat her older sister in 2002 and 2003, with Venus winning last year.

“I feel very calm, actually,” said Venus, who is 2-5 against Serena in Grand Slam finals. “But, of course, I’m going to bring the tough feet to the court.”

For Serena, it’s just more of the same.

“We’re used to being in this position now, so we pretty much have it down,” Serena said Friday after she and Venus beat top-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-1, 6-2 to reach Saturday’s doubles final, where they will face Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

“I feel like going into this final I have nothing to lose,” said Serena, who is 27 years old, two years younger than Venus. “I feel like obviously she’s playing the best tennis at this tournament.”

No matter what happens.......one thing is for sure. A Williams will be crowned champion.




A Yahoo............Sports Minute

From Yahoo Sports........


Major League Baseball is coming up. With the help on MLB.com........and Yahoo Sports........ESPN is not the sports monopoly it once was. A breath of fresh air.......something different.......to the point. And not self promoting.

Here's a look........at last nights' games.....from " killer bees " to an Atlanta Brave sweep of the World Champion Phillies.......

It's all here..........enjoy:



Thursday, July 2, 2009

The Best........of the .......Best.....of the .....Best

From CnnSi.com..........We're only showing the top 20.....

These.....
are the most talented athletes in the world.......and they're getting paid....because of being the very best........in their sports.

For the full list of "The Fortunate 50" Click .....
here.

1
Tiger Woods
Pro Golf
Last Year's Rank: 1
$7,737,626
$92,000,000
$99,737,626

Tiger sacrificed millions in appearance fees during his year off to recover from knee surgery, but replaced his lucrative Buick deal -- voided by mutual consent -- with a new one from AT&T.

2
Phil Mickelson
Pro Golf
Last Year's Rank: 2
$6,350,356
$46,600,000
$52,950,356

Like Tiger, Phil no longer counts on a car-maker in his endorsement portfolio. (Ford chose not to re-sign him.) He still has lucrative deals with Rolex, Callaway, Exxon, Barclay's and KPMG.

3
LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 3
$14,410,581
$28,000,000
$42,410,581

LeBron has one more season left under his deal before he can opt out. If Cleveland doesn't show it's Finals-worthy by next spring, expect the Knicks to come in with a huge offer.

4
Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 6 (tie)
$33,000,000
$6,000,000
$39,000,000

We're in the middle of A-Rod's peak earning power in his middle-loaded, 10-year megadeal: He'll make another $33 million in 2010 and then gradually decrease to a "normal" $20 million by '17.

5
Shaquille O'Neal
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 6 (tie)
$20,000,000
$15,000,000
$35,000,000

The Big Bargaining Chip? Regardless of his trade to Cleveland, Shaq is in the final year of the five-year, $100 million deal he signed while with Miami. It's the largest expiring deal in the NBA.

6
Kevin Garnett
Boston Celtics (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 8
$24,750,000
$10,000,000
$34,750,000

After earning a team-high in salary this past season, KG shoots down to $16.4 million in '09-10 as his three-year extension kicks in, making him the lowest earner of Boston's Big Three.

7
Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 5
$21,262,500
$10,000,000
$31,262,500

While Kobe's league-high $23 million salary next season is certainly befitting of an NBA Finals MVP, it'll also eat up more than a third of the Lakers' cap room to rebuild under the luxury tax.

8
Allen Iverson
Detroit Pistons (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 12
$21,937,500
$7,000,000
$28,937,500

AI just finished the final year of the six-year, $76 million extension he signed in '03 with the Sixers. Larry Brown would be open to signing him in Charlotte -- no doubt at a big discount.

9
Derek Jeter
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 10
$20,000,000
$8,500,000
$28,500,000

Yankee captain now has a place to get the kids involved in his Turn 2 Foundation in shape: He opened his second co-branded 24-Hour Fitness gym in Manhattan, and a third is scheduled.

10
Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: 9
$14,500,000
$13,000,000
$27,000,000

NFL's top endorser has distributed $500,000 in grants in '09 through his PayBack Foundation to charities in Indianapolis, near his alma mater (Tennessee) and his hometown, New Orleans.

11
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Auto Racing
Last Year's Rank: 11
$4,611,290
$22,000,000
$26,611,290

Junior was voted NASCAR's most popular driver for the sixth straight year. But what NASCAR needs to win back fans and sponsors is for him to win more often than once every 76 races.

12
Dwyane Wade
Miami Heat (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 16
$14,410,581
$12,000,000
$26,410,581

Even if he doesn't get a contract extension this summer, D-Wade will get his nine figures one way or another. He's suing an ex-business partner for slander and libel for $100 million.

13
Dwight Howard
Orlando Magic (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 22
$13,758,000
$12,000,000
$25,758,000

Last year Howard bought the 11,000-square foot "Chateau d'Usse" near Orlando for $8 million. The mansion includes four kitchens, 15 TVs, two game rooms and three "mini-beaches."

14
Mark Teixeira
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$25,000,000
$250,000
$25,250,000

Big Tex's $181 million deal includes a clause where he has the option to buy the eight best available season tickets. Finally, someone who can afford the $2,600 Legends Suite seats.

15
Tracy McGrady
Houston Rockets (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 17
$21,126,874
$4,000,000
$25,126,874

Injured T-Mac spent less time on the court last season, but spent more time involved in aide to Darfur -- he visited refugee camps in Chad in '07 and continues to donate to schools.

16
Tim Duncan
San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 19
$20,598,705
$3,500,000
$24,098,705

Though Duncan's $22.2 million salary next season is the team's highest, the fiscally responsible Spurs still have nine players from last year's roster signed at around the salary-cap limit.

17
Stephon Marbury
Boston Celtics (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 25
$21,937,500
$2,000,000
$23,937,500

Starbury netted some $18.6 million while riding the pine for the Knicks last season, then latched on with the Celtics in January for the veteran's minimum, earning him a prorated $1.3 million.

18
CC Sabathia
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$23,000,000
$250,000
$23,250,000

Sabathia's seven-year, $161 million deal is by far the richest ever for a pitcher in baseball history. He'll earn roughly $675,000 for every game he starts over the course of this season.

19
Jason Kidd
Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 24
$21,372,000
$1,500,000
$22,872,000

Future Hall-of-Famer would like to stay in Dallas, but he must lower his asking price. With skills in decline, he'll be lucky to get a third of the $20 million range to which he's grown accustomed.

20
Jermaine O'Neal
Miami Heat (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 27
$21,352,500
$750,000
$22,102,500

Miami could be without its two biggest-name players next summer when O'Neal's contract expires and Dwyane Wade can opt out. That would let the Heat rebuild around Michael Beasley.