Weighing In

OK, people! I'm back. Hopefully you didn't miss me too much. I have some catching up to do so I'm going to do something a little unique. I'm going weigh in on a number of subjects. I'll be moving fast to keep up.

Here we go......

What's the point of having health care if only about half or so of us can afford it? I don't see what all the fuss is about. Let's think about the good of the people instead of the fattening of the corporate pockets. The corporate"machine" will never starve. They need to know what it feels like to go hungry.

President Obama, keep pushing to for what's right. Your people are united and strong behind you.

Rick Pitino looks like he's going to get a pass for his sexual exploits. I can't say that I'm surprised. I doubt that if Pitino were black the University of Louisville would have been so willing to back him.

It's good to see Michael Vick back out on the football field. Although what he did was extremely stupid, I don't think he shouldn't get the opportunity to rebuild his life doing what he was doing before he got busted. Good luck to you Mike. I wish you all the best.

Brett Favre has done it once again. Nothing more to say about that.

The San Francisco Giants are actually in the National League Wild Card race. Bay Area sports fans need something to cheer about.

Sarah Palin is using Facebook to keep herself relevant in the political landscape. Go away, lady. The fact that you are using Facebook for your political platform reminds us why President Obama won.

How does a sex offender kidnap a girl and hold her captive for 18 years in a regular nerighborhood? The guy was on probation and authorities came to his house and didn't look around enough to notice someone living in the backyard. Just goes to show our tax dollars act work. Sex offenders shouldn't be let out of prison! If you're going to let them out, the least you can do is keep a close eye on them. There's no way a guy with his history should have been able to get away with this. And I'm purposely not mentioning his name because I refuse to soil my blog with such filth.

Wild fires are burning throughout California and many of the state's fire departments are undermanned and over worked. Arnold cutting back on public safety is one of the worst things you could have done. One of these days a fire is going to threaten your home and family. Then what will you have to say about cuts to public safety? Oh! My bad! You're rich. You don't have anything to worry about. What was I thinking?

Michael Jackson's death is officially being called a homicide. Why am I not surprised that some kind of scandal was going to come out of this?

We are still at war overseas in the Middle East. George W. Bush is somewhere sitting back smoking a cigar and admiring his work. The more military manpower and equipment that gets used over there the more his pockets fill up.

Well, people I think I'm just about caught up. It's good to be back. I won't be gone so long this time around. Until next time, take care.

You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bhendrix5.

Accusations and Apologies

Head University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino made a public apology after a woman accused him of raping her twice on two different occasions six years ago. The consensus has been that it's an extortion attempt by this woman. I agree 100% that extortion is exactly what it is. She is seeking $10 million dollars. I can only laugh at the ludicrous nature of this story.

I'm not going to get into whether or not I think Pitino raped this woman or not. Frankly, for her to wait six years and think she can really prove it is insane in itself. I don't think the story is in whether the rapes actually occurred or not. Only they know what reslly happened. The story is in what the impact the accusation alone has on a figure such as Rick Pitino.

The University of Louisville is standing behind him 100% during this ordeal. I'm a bit surprised because Pitino goes to kids' homes and sits down with their parents in an attempt to convince these kids to come play basketball at UL. Now, as a parent, you see the breaking news on the television. Whether you believe he's guilty or not, would you send your kid to play for him? I have to think that some parents would at least hesitate when Rick Pitino calls them asking to speak to their son. Not to mention that Pitino was and is married to his current wife at the time these incidents occurred looks really bad on Pitino's character. He's already admitted to having consensual sex with this woman in a restaurant bathroom. Now thiskid has to make one of the most important decisions in his life and Pitino has this cloud hanging over him now. This will for sure hurt recruiting. Can UL afford to have it's men's basketball program fall because Pitino doesn't know how to keep "it" in his pants?

Should the accusation alone condemn Pitino to at some point have to resign as head coach? Pitino has already stated he will not step down and has filed a suit against his accuser for extortion. Good move on his part. He has no choice but to defend himself if he wants to keep his job. I'm sure he could probably quietly buy himself out of this since the woman seems to be looking to get paid. But if he does that, then he's admitting guilt and that would surely cost him his job and probably his career. When the stakes are this high you have no choice but to fight and see it through to the end. So the accusations alone should only put Pitino's job on the line on the basis that it could be true. Terminating his job should only occur if it comes out that he is 100% guilty of rape. Guilty until proven innocent is how it's suppose to be, so he deserve the opportunity to defend himself and keep his job.

Here's what I have a problem with. When things like this happen there's always a press conference that begins with an apology to everyone. I don't really take these apologies seriously. These are people doing damage control for something they made a conscience decision to do. These apologies are necessary because the public demands there be one in cases such as this. Are they sincere? Are they really coming from the heart? I guess it's up to each individual to come to their own conclusion.

Pitino's future is uncertain. As for now he's the head coach of the University of Louisville men's basketball team. Now I have to throw something else at you. Would the school back him if he were black? Just something for you to chew on.

Until next time, take care.

Still No Improvement

Even in a time where it is felt that things are changing with the election of an African-American president, we are still dealing with a racial divide. Racial relations have been said to be improving because President Obama was elected. I guess we can stop fooling ourselves now.

The Henry Louis Gates Jr. situation is a perfect example of how racial relations are still under par. A woman, not from his neighborhood, called the police because she thought she saw two males trying to break into Gates' home. The police arrived and were informed that Gates was the owner of the house and wasn't breaking in. At this point it should have been chalked up as a misunderstanding and never made the news. But instead Gates ends up being arrested.

Now let's look at the kind of man we are talking about.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a Harvard scholar! The last time I checked a person like this hardly fits the profile of a burglar. The police probably didn't know who he was when they showed up at his house, but that's still no excuse for letting the situation escalate into an arrest of a man with no criminal background whatsoever. Why didn't the cops take their time to get to the bottom of what should have been a simple situation?

Reports say Gates was being belligerent and uncooperative with the police. Let's be real here, people. How many of us wouldn't be upset at being accused of breaking into our own house? We are talking about a Harvard scholar being accused of breaking into his own home and then being arrested for being upset about it.

Cambridge Massachusetts police are trying to clean things up by insisting the arrest had nothing to do with race and had everything to do with Gates' behavior. Do they really think this excuses them from the embarrassment this man has suffered because of poor police work? Cambridge police also released the 911 call to try and prove that race was not a motivating factor in the arrest. This in no way clears the Cambridge police department of their reckless and unwarranted arrest of Gates.

The bottom line is the Cambridge police didn't mind arresting a black man for getting upset with them for what amounted to harassment once it came out that Gates' was the owner of the house and no crime was being committed. Was it racial profiling? Probably. Was it terrible police work? Absolutely. Are racial relations improving in America? I guess it depends on who you ask. Based on this incident I have to say racial relations are at the same level they were on before President Obama was elected to office. Situations like this will continue to happen and we will all live with injustices, such as this one, for a long time to come.

Until next time, take care.

Follow me on twitter by clicking on the link above and check out Big B's Talk Spot as well.

Witch Hunt

ESPN ran a story on the state of dog fighting after the fallout from the Michael Vick case. I was very disturbed when they reported that Michael Vick's conviction alone has crippled the dog fighting business throughout the country. You mean to tell me that Michael Vick's conviction alone sparked a nation wide crackdown on dog fighting organizations? Was dog fighting going on before Michael Vick? Of course it was.

So what made dog fighting such a priority all of a sudden? Is it because a prominent athlete got busted and they needed a poster boy much like how Major League baseball made Barry Bonds it's big target when it comes to steroids? If you didn't know better you'd think Bonds was the steroid kingpin and everybody use them because of him.

Now that Vick has served his debt to society, he must wait for Commission Goodell to reinstate him so that he can play in the NFL again. I have to ask another question here. Is it not a man's right, once he has served his time, to make a living even if that living is professional football? The man has been out of the NFL for two years. He's also financially strapped. Why does the NFL need to contemplate on punishing him further? He's fallen about as far as you can fall. There should be some mercy.

Let's take a look at the crime. He ran a illegal dog fighting ring. I don't have an opinion on the dog fighting part because animals have been made to fight each other for sport and the entertainment of humans for centuries. My only opinion about it is Vick broke the law and was punished for it. That should be the end of it. We aren't talking about murder, rape, or any other violent crime. We are talking about dog fighting!

ESPN also reported if Vick shows sincere remorse for what he did and the commissioner has to be convinced of his sincerity in order for Vick to be considered for reinstatement. You've got to be kidding me?! So Vick has to convince Roger Goodell he's sorry? What purpose is that going to serve? Whether he would involve himself in criminal activates again would be my main concern if I were Goodell.

It angers me considerably that Bonds and Vick have been crucified for there crimes or suspicions of crime. You are seeing, with every season that passes, different major league baseball players get caution when it comes to steroids. They get in front of the camera and give these bogus apologies because they have to and then they go on about their business and people forget about it. But for Bonds he gets the federal government on his back and black balled out of baseball because he won't confess and people don't like him. I thought this was a America. Aren't we innocent until proven guilty? Vick gets to be the poster boy for what a good job law enforcement is now doing to crackdown on dog fighting while the commissioner decides his fate in football.

These two cases have been a good old fashioned witch hunt. Somebody had to take the fall for things that were being done and virtually being ignored. It doesn't help that Vick and Bonds are black either. It seems to make it a lot easier when the "witches" are black. And yes I played the race card! I'm playing it because the media wants us to believe that white athletes never make mistakes or do anything wrong. I'll believe that when I see a pig fly.

Until next time, have a good one.

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bhendrix5.
Don't forget to check out my radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/Big-Bs-Talk-Spot.

Are You Kidding Me?!

Convicted murderer Scott Peterson and his family are asking for donations in order to accumulate $95,000 towards the appeal of his conviction. He's sitting on death row in San Quentin State Penitentiary in California.

Are you kidding me?!

I'm sure his family and friends believe in his innocence. But they are let's be real about what he's asking. He's asking for people's hard earned money in an effort to go free and beat a double murder change in which his wife and unborn son were victims. He and his family are asking for $5 to $50 donations saying that the financial burden is light if enough people come to his defense.

Are you kidding me?!

With all that's going on with the economy and the world being upside down, does he really think enough people are going to pony up to try and set him free? Whether he's guilty or not doesn't matter. The fact that he could be and probably is guilty is enough to keep me from reaching into my pocket and giving him so much as a penny towards his defense. I'm all for a fair trial and the opportunity for someone to exhaust all resources in trying to prove their innocence. It's the American way. But asking the American people to pony up for your defense when you've already been convicted of such an forgivable crime is an out right insult to my intelligence and to the intelligence of anyone who followed the story.

Scott Peterson, you and your family are on your own on this one. Not enough people believe in your innocence to generate $95,000 dollars towards your defense. I, for one, do not believe in your innocence and believe that the jury got this one 100% right. Due process is your right and you should exercise it. But keep the American people, who have better things to do with their money and their time, out of it. The Supreme Court is going to determine your fate once and for all and you will get the punishment that has been handed down to you. In this day and time America is waking up to the money that we waste everyday. If you think people are going to pool their resources for you, you are sadly mistaken. I think you know that. I understand because you are a desperate man at this point, and you have nothing to lose. But please understand that you have lost and no one, especially the American people, are going to save you. So understand that with every passing second you are closer to having to answer for what happened to your wife and unborn son.

I have to ask one more time. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Until next time, have a good one.

You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bhendrix
Also listen to my radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/Big-Bs-Talk-Spot or just click on the link above.

A Solute to Captain America

I've sat back long enough and listened to these anti-Obama clowns say whatever they want because they are unhappy we have a black president and he's 100 times more intelligent than the idiot we just had in office for 8 years. So I'm going to set the record straight on some things so that thinking people can go back and figure out what it is they're really mad about.

First of all you need to figure out who you are really mad at. You can't be mad at that man who's been chosen to clean up the mess a certain republican idiot left us. Do you realize that President Obama is being looking upon to set the world straight and bring order and balance to a world that has turned upside down? How can you be mad at him for trying to find ways to fix things? He's been called a fascist, a Muslim, and whatever else you haters have thought of to call him all because you're mad in general. You're mad we have a black president. You're mad that the last president screwed us. You're mad that the republicans sent McCain and Palin to try and beat Captain America. The bottom line is you're just mad.

Let me explain to you what President Obama is trying to do and he will do if you haters stay out of his way and let him fulfill his destiny. He's looking at history and seeing what was done in the past during similar times. He's taking bits and piece of proven and applied methods, adjusting them to what's going on currently, and putting them in place to get things moving back in the direction we all want it to go. He's smart! You take what has working in the past no matter what society it comes from and you use and apply it to a current problem. Does that make sense to you because it sure does to me.

Saying he's this way or that way is just pure ignorance. He's the right way! The man has been asked to do a super hero's job and basically save the world from it's self. Do you think John McCain and Sarah Palin would have been up for the task? I highly doubt it. We would have gotten the same crap we got for 8 years with you know who.

I'm going to tell you right now our most recent former president shall remain nameless in my blog and on my radio show. He doesn't deserve to have his name spoken by me as far as I'm concerned. The truth of the matter is he's not feeling the recession or any of they other problems we are all facing everyday. He's not feeling all the lives being lost in the wars that he started. He sitting back with his buddies and all their billions laughing at what they've done. That's what you should be mad about. Tell him to give the money he's profited by creating war to the economy. Go speak out on how good he's living while the rest of us try and make a way out of no way. Speak out against the true wrongs that have been done and leave the man that's trying to fix things alone to do what he's been chosen to do.

So for all you people that sit back with all the anger and direct it at President Obama, stop wasting your time. He's a super hero. That means he's a superior being compared to you and your intellect. He was chosen for this job by a higher power and there's nothing you can do about it. His powers go beyond the title he holds. So when you say things to try and bring him down all you are doing is making him stronger because those of us that believe in him will take up the fight against you for him. And trust that we are many!

President Obama don't worry about all the nay sayers with their negative way of thinking. They are criticizing you for doing a job they couldn't even come close to attempting. The fight to keep them out of your way is at full strength and we will not be moved. I solute you Mr. President. You are Captain America.

Until next time, have a good one.

You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bhendrix5
Listen to my radio show. See the link above.

Foul Play/The ICon

It's early Tuesday morning after being up late doing my radio show the night before. (#BlogTalkRadio - http://tobtr.com/s/607945) My mind is stirring because there are things going on that are very disturbing and bothersome. One week after Steve 'Air' McNair was murdered by his "girlfriend" former boxer and 140 lbs. champion Arturo Gatti died in what looks to be a murder by his wife. All I can really say is it's tragic and disgusting that murder was the method used to end these relationships.

Have we gotten to the point that the stresses and situations we deal with these days drive us to extreme behavior such as murder to end our problems? Does it say something about today's society that people are so down that they don't value there lives nor the lives of their mates? Or is this just two isolated incidents that have come out in the media and I'm over reacting?

Go ahead and write in and let me know what you think.

Moving on........

I've waited for some of the buzz to calm down before I touched on Michael Jackson. There was so much media coverage that I had to sit back and wait to see what came out before I wrote about it.

Let me start by saying Michael Jackson was a once in a lifetime icon. For pop culture he set the bar and standard for what music and entertainment should be. His influence and presence will never be matched nor will anyone after him be what he was. His stardom is unattainable. His legacy as a a singer and entertainer don't need to be explained by me. When your funeral is held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and somewhere upwards of 250,000 people show up in and around for your home going it speaks for itself.

With all that being said, Michael Jackson lived under a pressure none of us can imagine. From his early days to the day of his death he was always trying to be what people wanted him to be as well as trying to make himself who he wanted to be. It had to have eaten him up inside. The man is in the Guinness Book of World Records for charitable contributions! But I don't think many of us knew that until he died because that's when the media decided to let that information out. Again that was Michael Jackson setting a bar that few if any will ever reach.

It's safe to say Michael Jackson was a giver. He gave himself to us. He gave to charity. The man gave us his heart and soul. There's a book coming out today I believe. I won't reveal the title of the book nor the author's name because I believe the guy is trying to cash in now that Michael is no longer here. He claims to have inside sources and everything that's in the book is backed up by evidence. I'll wait to see what comes of it before I spend anymore time talking about it. I have the feeling this will be one of many books that come out now that he's not here.

One thing is for sure. Michael Jackson will live on forever because of the bar he set as an entertainer as well as the bar he set with his charity work. People become icons for different reasons. Many become icons undeservedly. But Michael Jackson is and always will be the icon of icons. No matter what you think about how it was in the end for him, he put his imprint on the world and it will never be washed away. His legacy and memory will live on forever.

Rest in peace Mr. Michael Joseph Jackson.

Until next time, have a good one.

The Steve McNair Situation

I'm writing this post with a heavy heart. Steve McNair was a great NFL player. To come from little known Alcorn State University (an Historically Black College) as the first quarterback selected in the 1995 NFL draft was remarkable in itself. But to go on to be an NFL most valuable player and to come a yard away from winning the Super Bowl is incredible.

The heart and courage he played with rank among the all-time greats. The guy showed up to play every week no matter if he was broken and battered. He gave it everything he had week in and week out just to do what he could to help his team win football games. He was the ultimate warrior and should be the benchmark for the kind of effort and courage athletes should play with in any sport.

It goes without saying that McNair's untimely death is both tragic and shocking. You never expect to hear about something like this happening to a guy who was beloved by the people in his community. He was known for being a big part in the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. It's been documented as to the many other charitable deeds McNair was a part of. For these deeds he should always be remembered as a guy who cared about people and wanted to do his part to help make things better.

Here's where it gets sticky. It looks like McNair was having and affair. When this type of thing comes out it's never good. Along with his death, his family has to deal with the embarrassment of McNair having an outside relationship. I'm not going to pretend to know what the circumstances were in regards to the affair and his family life. We can only speculate.

What I will say is that people, not just athletes or famous people, have affairs all the time. In certain circles it's so common that it's expected. Let's be real about it. Even Halley Berry has been cheated on. Regardless of how we may feel about affairs and cheating there is never a situation that warrants what happened to Steve McNair. Murder is beyond extreme.

So this is my advice to the world. Make sure you take the time to get to know the people you date, marry, or deal with. All though people do a good job of hiding who they really are, there are always signs. Don't make promises you can't keep or have no intention of keeping. People can take these promises to heart and it can become the thing they live or die for.

Steve McNair was not a bad person. He had an affair like many other people. Based on what we know it doesn't look good as to what lead to him being murdered. It's just sad to say that this affair probably cost him his life. Now his kids and other loved ones will have to live without him. That's tragic in itself. Hopefully the media doesn't focus to much on the affair. Spare the family of having to read, listen, and see McNair be vilified for having an affair. And all you ladies out there who are sensitive to these types of situations, please back off a little and remember the guy was murdered. Don't say things like, "If he wouldn't have been cheating, then he'd be alive". Affair or not the man didn't deserve to be killed.

Until next time, have a good one.

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/bhendrix5

Keep On Pushing

Finally a baseball player that looks you in the eye and basically tells you without telling you that he doesn't care if you think he's a cheater for using performance enhancing drugs (PED). Thank you Manny Ramirez. As a sports fan, I think I speak for a lot of us when I say "I don't care if a guy uses steroids or not!" For the longest time Major League Baseball turned it's head to the steroid problem because it was good for the game. The truth of the matter is it's still good for the game.

It doesn't really matter whether Manny is telling the truth when he says he was being treated for a personal condition and he and his doctor thought it would be okay to use female fertility drugs to treat that condition. It doesn't even matter if he's played the game clean or not.

What matters is what Manny brings to the field. His teammate love him. The fans in L.A. love him. And the media loves him. Why do they love him? It's simple. It's his talent at the plate and his character off the field. Barry Bonds has been vilified for steroid use because people just don't like him. So it's safe to say that if people like you then you can be forgiven for whatever wrong doing you have been involved in.

As a fan I'm not here to determine what records should stand or what records shouldn't. I just want to see great athletes be great. It's about the entertainment value. I don't know who's done what and what affect it has had on their performance. No test can nor can any so called expert determine what PEDs actually do for a player. I think it's safe to say the results vary from athlete to athlete.

The bottom line is the whole steroid issue needs to be put to rest so us fans can get back to enjoying our sports and the players we follow. Until every PED can be tested for let the players and the sports they play work themselves out. I say this because the people who design these PEDs adapt and make new drugs that there's no test for. So I say make an effort to police the designers so that the players can't get to these drugs so easily. Until that happens put it to rest and know that it's possible that the game you are watching is full of guys using steroids athletes to be the best they can be at their respective sports.

Until next time, have a good one.

You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bhendrix5.

Social Websites

I have to admit when the whole social websites craze started I wasn't on board at all. I never had and still to this day have never had a myspace account. For a while friends and family were trying to get me to join Facebook. I scoffed at the notion and went on about my business. I figured the people I stay in contact with are the people I stay in contact with for a reason. What do I need to join a social website for? Then something happened that got me curious.

TWITTER!

I was watching an NBA game and one of the sideline reporters starting talk about Shaq and Steve Nash on Twitter. Then I was watching another game on TNT and Kenny Smith was blurting out his Twitter ID. So I went online and put my account together just so I could see what all the fuss was about. Once I started using Twitter I was hooked. From there I opened up a Facebook account and I spend time on both daily.

I do have to address one of the problems with social websites though. People have gotten so addicted that they've substituted a real social life for a cyber one. This isn't healthy, people. Guys are trying to be cyber macks and pimps and girls are using these sites to solicite possible mates and what not. These sites weren't meant for people to spend all their free time searching, chatting, and flirting online. It's suppose to be a tool for keeping in touch, networking, entertainment, ect. Making new friends along the way is great, but that doesn't mean to just stay in the house and hunt for people on the net.

As a newer user of social websites I use them at random times. I Twitter from my phone as well as update my Facebook status from my phone depending on what I'm doing at the time. But that's about as far as I'm going to go, people. I'm not going to spend my every waking moment consumed in what's going on on Twitter,Facebook, or any other social website. You shouldn't either. So get up, get out, and get a real social life.

See you next time. Have a good one.

You can follow on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/bhendrix5

For Starters

First I'd like to welcome everybody to THE BIG B SPOT. I put this blog together for your pleasure and entertainment. I'm a pretty well rounded guy so the topics you'll find on this blog sight will be numerous. I am a sports guy, so there will be plenty of blogs about different things going on in the sports world. So let's get started shall we.

The Los Angeles Lakers made a big move in aquiring Ron Artest to replace Trevor Ariza. If they resign Lamar Odom (and they will) that will put them firmly in the drivers seat to repeat as NBA champions. What I'm wondering is why the Lakers weren't sold on Ariza after the magnificant post season he had this year. Arize ended up commiting to the Rockets for the same amount of money he was going to get from the Lakers. Why wouldn't the Lakers want him back?

Ariza is 24 years old and has a tremedous upside in the Lakers system. He improved his outside shooting and was very key defensively during the Lakers championship run. Why wouldn't the Lakers want to reward him for a job well done? My guess is Ariza wanted more then what the Lakers were willing to pay. That says something about the NBA and the nature of the business. A guy gives you his heart and soul to win a championship and his reward is a one way ticket out of town because he wants to be rewarded for the job he did.

The bottomline is the Lakers were willing to role the dice on getting a replacement for Ariza. Once Artest became available and more than willing to sign for what the Lakers were offering Ariza became expendable. Neither party had any sense of loyalty to the other nor did either side feel like they owed the other anything. It was a "thanks for your help, but we've got it from here" type deal for the Lakers. Now it's up to Ariza to make a name for himself in Houston so that he doesn't regret leaving L.A. down the road. Only time will tell.

Well, people that's it for now. I'll be back soon. Have a good one.

You can follow me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/bhendrix5