As I reported earlier William Ligue Jr., whose attack of Chicago White Sox first base coach, Tom Gamboa resulted in a very light penalty is allowed to return to White Sox games. In fact Ligue has returned to watch a game and Inside Edition, that bastion of journalistic integrity (note thick sarcasm), went along to report on it. The story will air this Tuesday.
This just upsets me all around. I'm annoyed that Ligue is even allowed back in the stadium where he obviously couldn't control himself. I'm pissed off that Inside Edition would follow him around and make him a celebrity because of his stupidity. It just makes me sick.
I have resisted commenting on the Dave Bliss situation at Baylor University for several days. I wanted to say something before but I just couldn't figure out how to say it. I'm not sure that I know what to say now but I feel like something needs to be said. There seems to be an epidemic among college coaches that cause them to lose their minds and cheat in every way imaginable and do stupid things like spend the night with a prostitute and then leave your credit card with her or spend all night partying with coeds from the school that just beat your team and then get your picture on the front page of the paper.
David Bliss has taken that stupidity to a whole other level. As a coach at a school that is at least in name Christian (I don't know anything about the school so I can't comment on whether it is still guided by that claim or not) he tried to cover his own butt by defaming the name of a murdered player. He tried to drag everyone else into the scheme, including players and assistant coaches and then he had the audacity to say "It's not like we created his situation. We're the victims." I don't even want to start on that comment, it just makes me sick.
The whole situation makes me sick. The fact that a coach would do something so stupid is disturbing. The fact that this would happen at at "Christian" school hurts even more. I just don't know what to say.
Well, I've got to go to a meeting now. Maybe I will comment a little more later. I've still got some other thoughts about this whole mess. I'd be glad to hear what anyone else is thinking.
I mentioned in an earlier post, Kobe, Race and Celebrity, that the Kobe Bryant case in Eagle County Colorado would probably bring focus to the issue of race because of the demographics of Eagle County. Eagle County is only .3% African American and of course the case against Kobe, a black man, is based upon the accusation of a white woman.
It appears now that some idiot white supremacists are trying to exploit this situation. (I included a link to their website out of some sense that I have that I should be journalistically fair and present information on all sides of the issue. I encourage you not to visit this site though so that they do not receive the hits on their site that they would like.) The National Alliance, the aforementioned idiot racists, have taken credit for distributing racist flyers throughout Eagle County in what could be viewed as an attempt to taint the jury pool. Whatever their overall motive the morons are trying to stir up racial tensions in an already heated situation.
I assume that just about everyone knows about the whole Pete Rose ordeal. If you don't, I don't know what hole you have been living in, but I will give you a brief synopsis.
Pete Rose was a great major league baseball player a couple of generations ago (before my time). During his playing career he established himself as a hard-nosed player that earned the nickname "Charlie Hustle." Over his career Rose amassed 4,256 hits, more than any other player in major league history, he had a 44-game hit streak and won a World Series MVP. After finishing his career Rose became a manager for the Cincinnati Reds, the team that he played for. In 1989 Rose was banned for life from baseball for "conduct detrimental to the game." Basically Rose was caught betting on baseball and even worse betting on games that he had a direct effect over. In other words he was betting on games that his team was playing in and therefore games that he could manipulate (to some extent) the outcome of. This is the chief of all sins in baseball and Rose received the equivilant of the death penalty. He was banned from all things baseball and most importantly to his supporters, from the Hall of Fame.
Well the debate has resurfaced as reports have come out that Rose is in the midst of making a deal with Bud Selig, the Comissioner of MLB, to allow him back into baseball. First into the Hall of Fame and then possibly as a manager.
This just makes me sick. If Pete Rose actually bet on games that he could control the outcome of then why do we want him back in baseball? Why would we allow him to manage again? The proof against him is insurmountable yet he has never admitted to wrongdoing. He was convicted of tax fraud because he didn't report his gambling earnings but he won't admit that he gambled. The guy is just sleazy and I don't want him back in baseball. Yeah, maybe he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame as a player based upon his career but he screwed up and took that opportunity away from himself. I have no pity for him. He got what he deserves.
And adding his names to the list of crackpots running for Governor in California ... Gary Coleman. The choices just keep getting better. Also officially announcing his intentions, on the Jay Leno show, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Last September two drunken idiots, a father and his 16 year old son, ran onto the field at a Chicago White Sox/Kansas City Royals game and attacked from behind Tom Gamboa, the elderly first base coach of the White Sox. The idiots were immediately pummeled by players from both teams and then arrested by stadium security. Gambo ended up with a large gash on his head and still is suffering from hearing loss directly related to the attack.
Cook County Judge Leo Holt sentenced William Ligue Jr., the father of the duo, to 30 months probation, community service, parenting classes, he must remain in a substance abuse program and abide by a curfew for 90 days. The maximum sentence could have been 5 years in jail. Judge Holt said that the sentence should not be considered a slap on the wrist because Ligue will have to “live with the stigma of being a convicted felon.” WHAT!?!
Ligue’s son was earlier sentenced to five years of probation and 30 hours of community service but will probably be sent to prison boot camp because he already violated probation. So the son got a stiffer sentence than the father. The judge also said that baseball players encourage violence by throwing at batters and batters charging pitchers and benches-clearing brawls. Because of these things and the fact that Ligue is a drunken idiot he isn’t responsible for his actions. I don’t see the logic. Neither does Tom Gamboa. Maybe they should have just let the players continue to beat the crap out of the two idiots.
This just makes me sick. I’ve got a lot more I could say about this but I don’t have the time and it just continues to make me angry so I am going to stop.
Politics in California just seem to be a joke, and it just seems to be getting more and more funny. Or maybe more and more sad. If you don't know, Gray Davis, the current governor of California is facing a recall election where he could lose his job as governor. The whole process just seems to be bringing the wackos out of the woodwork. (And there are plenty of wackos in California to go around). Apparently more than 200 people have taken steps toward getting their names on the ballots. There's an 18-year-old who couldn't get elected as class president running, Arnold Schwarzenegger may run, and even a crazy lady selling thong underwear with her campaign slogan on it. But hey, she's got a blog, so she must be cool.
Kobe Bryant has made the news once again. It seems that this time he is trying to buy his way out of his troubles. No, he isn't buying of the prosecutor or the jury or anything like that. He is doing something even more American, buying off his wife after he has made a mistake. Adultury is a big mistake, the biggest that you can make in a marriage. Kobe paid out a large sum for his adultury, roughly $4 million for a purple diamond ring. I don't think any amount of money can get you out from under the weight of that sin. (Not to say that money could buy you out from under the weight of any sin). I just hope and pray that Kobe doesn't try and buy God's forgiveness but that he finds the only source of peace there is.
This is sick. Some stupid radio talk show host thinks that it is his duty to inform the world of the name of the alleged victim in the Kobe Bryant scandal. Any rape counselor type person will tell you that bringing media exposure to the victim is like raping them again. What is it about radio talk show hosts that makes them think that they are smarter than everyone else. Someone needs to slap this guy.
Even if Kobe is innocent, there is no reason to bring this girl into the spotlight. If she is just trying to get Kobe's money then publicity is what she wants, and we shouldn't give it to her. If the allegations are true, and she was indeed raped, then this guy is subjecting her to even more misery. Either way he is a jerk.
Kobe Bryant will soon be on trial for rape in Eagle County, Colorado, unless the defense can get the trial moved. There will be several factors in this case outside of the simple facts of whether or not the sexual intercourse was consensual. I don’t think that there will be any debate as to whether or not the sex happened, seeing as Kobe already admitted to committing adultery with the alleged victim.
This case will also hinge on whether or not a “fair” trial can be had in Eagle County, Colorado, or anywhere else for that matter. Kobe Bryant is one of the most recognized people in the U.S. because of the celebrity he has gained as a basketball player. Celebrity carries with it preconceived notions about the character of the accused. The alleged victim does not have this kind of celebrity and therefore does not have the advantage, or disadvantage, of preconcieved notions following her around. Of course by the time that this case comes to trial we will know more about her than we need to know. Does this constitute bias one way or another? I let the lawyers debate that one.
Also interesting in this case will be the demographics of Eagle County, and by extension the jury. Now I know nothing about Eagle County other than what I read or heard but I do know that there is a very small population of African-Americans (.2%). Now we are not talking about the Jim Crow era but racism still exists. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the trial.
Just some things to keep in mind as this develops.
I always worry about the theological soundness of anyone that shows up on TBN on a regular basis and the athletes that show up on that station worry me even more. Deion Sanders has now given me even more reason to worry. It seems that Sanders did not want to pay all of his bill for the repairs on his car so he told the repair shop that he was only going to pay $1500 of the $4265.57 bill because "Jesus had informed him that was all he needed to pay." What's sad is that his reason for not paying doesn't surprise me as much as the fact that the car was a 1961 Lincoln Continental. This guy made millions of dollars and he is driving a 1961 Lincoln Continental. It's as big as a Hummer and probably gets fewer miles to the gallon but doesn't have quite the same status that a Hummer has. I guess I expect regular TBN guests to think in this way but I don't expect them to drive my grandmother's car.
I’m interested to know what everyone thinks about Dusty Baker’s comments. For those that don’t follow sports or don’t now what is going on you can read this, and this. Also, just to summarize, Baker, the current and first ever black manager of the Chicago Cubs, made a comment about players with darker skin being able to handle the heat of the summer better than those with fairer complexions. Baker’s comments outraged some as “reverse racism” and many people just want to point out that his facts are wrong. Some want to argue that if a white manager had made the comment he would have been fired on the spot.
Since I am white and my wife is black I have to deal with race relations every day. It is always interesting to me how different my take on an issue can be than hers simply because of the different way that we look at the world based upon our race.
I would like to know if you think that Baker should be fired for his comments or if it is alright for him to say the things that he did because he is black. Is Baker just guilty of ignorance in his take on darker skin and the ability to handle the heat or is he just propagating a stereotype? What's your take?