Why Do We Care?

What's going on, good people? It's good to be back and I'm glad you could join me. I'm feeling good about the NFL being back. Glad the lockout got worked out before any games were missed or worse.

Enough small talk. Let's get into the topic.

I've never been one to pay to much attention to the private lives of celebrities. I basically see what any other passer by sees while standing in the line at the grocery store. I hear what gets announced on television while I'm watching shows I like to watch. I know there's a lot of stuff out there about different people and you can get all in the business of celebrities. The question is why do we even care? Are our lives that uninteresting that we have to spend time reading and entertaining ourselves with other people's lives?

It's safe to say that women, compared to men, pay much more attention to celebrity life than men. I'm not trying to generalize, but as a writer, people watching and listening is what I do. I hear women having conversations about celebrities and what's going on with them way more than I do men. But men do it too!

The media obviously drives this whole celebrity life industry. We watch, read, and listen to what they put out. But if there was no demand for it, then they probably wouldn't do it. For some reason it's interesting to us to know who's sleeping with, dating, marrying, divorcing, cheating on who. Is it because our lives are so "normal" that we are bored to the point of nosiness? Is it because we wish we could live the lives of the people we pay attention to on television? Is it because we simply don't make an effort to fill our lives up with things that make our own lives interesting?

It's an interesting commentary to say that we downplay the potential of our own lives and fill the voids we leave with the smoke and mirrors of celebrities and their lives. We forget that they are just people like ourselves. Many of them wish they could just sit back and live their lives without everybody being in their business. With all the different kinds of media outlets it's very easy to get wrapped up into the lives of celebrities. Should we find a better way to entertain ourselves?

Thanks for joining me once again. Until next time, keep it 100.

Overseas vs. NBA

Here I am again, people. I wasn't going to touch on this subject in my blog, but since I've had to talk about it so much in my normal everyday life I figured I might as well blog about it. So let's get into it.

Recently some NBA players have come out and said they'd play overseas while the lockout is going on. New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is apparently going to play in Turkey until the lockout is over. The first thing I'll say is this is a bad move and he's getting bad advice from his agent. I played in Turkey and let me tell you from personal experience, living and playing professional basketball in Turkey is a long way from the NBA.

I don't care what country it is or how much money an overseas team is promising a player. Under no circumstances should a player who's getting or is going to get GUARANTEED NBA MONEY play overseas. The risks of injury, safety, and dishonor of the contact are to high. Take it from someone who's been on both sides and knows the difference. Guys who have never played overseas don't know what it's like. The luxuries the NBA offers it's players far exceed what's provided in an overseas contract.

The biggest thing that players have to consider is actually getting the money that's promised in the contract. It's common practice for overseas teams to stiff players if the player or the team don't perform to the level management thinks they should. It's not like the NBA where once the contract is signed the player is getting his money as long as he doesn't do anything to breach the contract himself. NBA players need to do their homework and research before they start jumping at what they think is easy money. Trust me when I tell you there's nothing easy about it.

I could go on and on about the pitfalls of playing overseas. My experiences give me a unique perspective on the business of basketball and the people involved. The truest thing I can say is that no matter what the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is it is still going to pay and provide a better life and lifestyle than any overseas deal. So established NBA players need to stay put, wait it out, and be thankful when it's time for them to go back to work. If you are a player that may or may not make an NBA team this year going overseas is a good move because you don't want to be out of work.

I could go a lot deeper, but this is a blog, not a book.

Thanks for joining me. Feel free to post your comments. Until next time, keep it 100.

PULL YOUR DAMN PANTS UP!

Welcome back to The Big B Spot where "The Real" speaks volumes. Once again I'm happy to be back in the blog game. Let's get right into it.

I'm sure many of you heard about the college football player who was arrested in an airport for sagging his pants. When I saw the news report I couldn't do anything but shake my head. Is it that serious? I went into deep thought, after the news report, and debated on whether I'd address it here at The Big B Spot. After some deep thought I decided I wasn't going to attack or criticize this young man. Instead addressing the issue as a whole seems more appropriate.

Without getting into the history of the sag too much I can say that it originated in prison as a way for inmates to identify themselves as "available" for courting. Another theory is that inmates aren't allowed to have belts so their pants sag because they have nothing to hold them up. There are probably more theories, but it doesn't matter. The bottom line is the sag is something that comes from prison culture and shouldn't be imitated. What sense does it make to walk around showing you butt and underwear?

As someone who has worked with a lot of youth I know saggy pants to be very prevalent in our communities. It has crossed all color lines so it can't be said that only certain races of kids are sagging. It has also crossed economic divides. You can go to the suburbs and see those kids sagging as well as kids in the inner city.

The question that has to be answered it why is sagging so "cool". I've had encounters with kids that will fight you to the tooth and nail over being told to pull their pants up. I'm sure that those of us that have experience with working with youth know exactly where I'm coming from. It's like you are taking something very dear to them from them so they defend it with veracity.

A feeling just came over me. The more I write about it the less I understand why it exists. Many people who have anti-hip-hop sentiments will say it's the hip-hop culture and the rappers. I say to those people go and learn something about REAL HIP-HOP and them come back and tell me you feel the same way. What you see in the media and mainstream is not hip-hop. It's nothing more than exploitation of kids who don't have enough guidance in their homes.

I will say thug culture has plenty to do with it. It makes perfect sense since the sag's origins are from prison life. It's fair to say that the sensationalism of thug and hoodlum life has had a direct impact on the way today's youth express themselves through the clothes they wear, the music they listen to, and the kinds of shows they watch on television. So all you Hip-Hop haters can blame corporate America for commercializing thug, hoodlum, and prison culture.

I only have one thing to say to the grown man and women (YES THERE ARE WOMEN THAT SAG TOO). PULL YOUR DAMN PANTS UP! I think that says enough.

I could go on and on about this subject, but I have to give the people an opportunity to weigh in and express their thoughts on the matter. Here at The BIG B SPOT we welcome all commentary.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my blog. Please post your comments. Until next time, keep it 100.

The Return. It's good to be back.

It's been a long time, people. No need to ask where I've been or what I've been doing. We'll just say that I've been in the lab getting the science on things. I didn't want to come back until I was ready to give the people what they need. I realized after many months away in the lab that all the people want is "The Real". So that's what I'm going to give them. Let's get into it.

Now that it's had time to simmer for a bit, it's time I addressed the Lebron James fiasco. I remember when I was telling everyone that would listen that he would bolt Cleveland to join D-Wade in Miami. All I'll say is there's a reason I was right and I was right for a reason. I don't blame you all for believing a guy such as Lebron, but if you would have stepped back from the situation and looked honestly at what was going on you would have seen it coming. But enough of that because he's in Miami now and we have a whole other issue to touch on.

With all his talent and ability some might say Lebron has a chance to become the greatest basketball player of all-time. Yes we are talking about better than Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and whomever else we like to bring up in those kinds of discussions. I hope this trip to the Finals has put all that to rest once and for all. What people don't understand is that Lebron, at this point, doesn't have the fire and "it" that gets a team over the hump and wins championships. There's a long list of great players that have had the same problem. When Lebron and his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept in the Finals by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 there were many that felt Lebron played poorly because it was his first Finals and he didn't have any help. I'll give him a pass because those are considerable factors even though I still consider it a bit lame.

Now what excuse does he have? He can't say he didn't have help. He had plenty in Wade and Bosh compared to what he had in Cleveland. It was hi second Finals appearance so that excuse is out. Truth is he has no excuse. At this point in his career Lebron is missing the killer instinct to go out and win championships. I can't tell you how many shots and opportunities he passed up in these most recent Finals because he didn't have the stones to take it upon himself to will his team to victory. He left it up to D-Wade. Go figure!

I'm going to cut Mr. James a little slack because it is a team game. No one man can win a championship by himself. Although, it 2006 D-Wade did exactly that when his Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals. For those of you who maybe have forgotten or didn't watch the 2006 Finals go check the stats and YouTube the games. D-Wade, as single handed as you can in basketball, won a championship. It is and always will be, arguable, the all-time greatest Finals series performance ever.

For now Lebron fans are going to have to have to face the fact that "The Chosen One" is merely a stat stuffer who doesn't have the heart, courage, and gall it takes to win on the biggest stage there is in basketball. It's not his fault. He just doesn't have it. The question is will he ever get it. Or will he ever have to get it? If the Miami Heat can add a solid point guard and a decent big man to their roster Lebron might not have to change anything. If that becomes the case it will put to rest all the greatest of all-time conversations and debates because he won't be better than Jordan or Kobe. He will be a guy that teamed up with another guy who does have "it" and got carried to the promise land.

I know it hurts Lebron fans but if you are honest with yourself you'll see that, right now, King James is King Scarecrow.

Well people it's been fun. Feel free to comment or write me about other topics you'd like for me to get into. I welcome all suggestions.

Until next time, keep it 100.

NCAA Men's Tournement Weigh-In

First off I have to congratulate the Duke Blue Devils on a fine season. As a team they got the maximum out of their group. I'm far from a Duke or Coach K fan, but I give him credit for the coaching job he did with a group that was not loaded with great talent. I tip my hat to the players that went out and got it done. As a former NCAA player myself, I respect what it takes to win a national championship.

Now that that's out of the way, it's time to weigh-in on what happened during this NCAA tournament.

During this tournament I read a number of articles about white players being stereotyped and disrespected because they are white. The media took advantage of predominantly white teams having great success in this year's tournament. Once Duke won the title it dawned on me how bad Duke winning is for college basketball.

Let's clear up some things. Coach K has always tried to win with as many white players as he can get away with. If you don't believe me, then go check the records and look at the rosters. Don't think for one second that this is not done by design. Coach K knows what he's doing and he makes sure his staff recruits accordingly.

I'll admit that the main reason I wrote Duke off at the beginning of the season was because I did not believe them or any other team that was predominantly white could win the national championship. Is it because of the stereotypes? Not at all. But let's be real. The University of North Carolina won the 2008-2009 title with a black team with the exception of Tyler Hansborough. Here's a question for you true NCAA fans. When was the last time a predominantly white team won the national championship before this year? What do you want to bet it was a Duke team?

I'm all for the small schools beating up on the big schools. In my opinion, that's what make the NCAA Men's Tournament the best sporting event in sports. It does not matter whether the team is predominantly white or black. It's just nice to see the little guy beat the big guy. The problems comes in when the big guy wins with white players because it causes us to have to address the subject of white verses black. All that does is take away from the job that the players do to get to that level.

It's irresponsible for members of the media to ask a kid, who's having the time of his life, about being a white player on a white team. The questions should strictly apply to the game and the tournament itself. I highly doubt that players want to address such matters while they are focused on their tournament success. There's a time and place for everything.

There is already a lot of controversy and bad press out there about black players verses white players. There has been a big deal made of graduation rates of black athletes and white athletes. I will say that black athletes, on a wide scale, need to take their education more seriously and graduate at a higher rate. As far as predominantly white teams being stereotyped and disrespected, it's a trivial subject. Duke got it done this year, but I would like to see them do it again next year.

The question is will this change the landscape of recruiting. Will coaches at other programs start trying to recruit more white players? Makes you scratch your head a bit.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm back on a regular basis now so stay close to your computer for the latest.

Until next time, have a good one.

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

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.