Derrick Don't Dance

Not much to say here. Just watch the vid. Pretty self-explanatory. 

Shouts out to @Brendan_Tobin for the video.

Oh yeah. Here's more: http://rosedontdance.tumblr.com/ 

If you don't laugh at that last link you're, well, Derrick Rose.

Lighten up Derrick.

Black History Month Pt. 1

As this is a blog that discusses sports, politics and other aspects of society, it's only fitting that our Black History Month post would delve into said topics. This moment in black history is definitely of note as the world recently celebrated Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday. One of the seminal moments of the 1960s and sports history, Ali's decision not to go to Vietnam may have changed the course of black athlete's involvements in sports and the roles they played.

The following photos and accompanying video show the Negro Industrial and Economic Union (started by HOF running back Jim Brown) giving Ali the platform to explain his stance on the Vietnam War among other issues. This is one of the rare times we see major athletes of any race across sports step up for a cause outside their arenas.

In the mold of Michael Jordan, many superstar athletes have often stayed away from taking controversial stances on non-sport issues. Maybe the only time, albeit necessary, that we see top level players banding together to fight an injustice is during a lockout in their respective sports. It is usually deemed to be more cost-effective and less career-threatening to say nothing, and "just sell your shoes" so to speak. The men of the NIEU took their stances on the issues when it could mean even more damage to their livelihood and even their lives. For that they should be remembered and more importantly, commended.

The following link is to a VERY interesting 1967 Sports Illustrated article Bill Russell wrote about Ali choosing not to go to Vietnam. Russell speaks better on the topic than any of us could think to do even today. BILL RUSSELL: I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT ALI

Part 2 to Coach Says' Black History Month Series will be up shortly.

The Poster List

The word Posterize comes from the German word postoris meaning "to dunk another's soul through the basket." It was first popularized by... hell, I'm just messin with ya. Can't say I know the history of the word posterize, but I know what it means and I think we all know what it looks like.

In honor of Blake Griffin's early retirement gift to Kendrick Perkins, here is my list of the top dunks of all time.

Team USA Basketball. Who Makes The Cut?

Have you ever had to pick between a Maserati and a Bentley?
Ever struggled with which actress to date, Halle Berry or Angelina Jolie? Has your company's success depended on Perfect Option A or Perfect Option B?
If so, you've dealt with the "agonizing" decision that awaits Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo in the coming months.
USA Basketball has an embarrassment of riches to choose from for it's 12-man roster heading into this year's Summer Olympics in London. Earlier this month the national team released its 20-man roster. The final 20 seem to be an amalgamation of the 2008 Olympic "Redeem Team" and the 2010 World Championship Squad. The following is a list of the squad.

Jeff Ireland and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Tenure

Well-known Miami sports personality Dan Le Batard spoke about the Miami Dolphins' situation on his radio show yesterday. Dan believes that head coach Tony Sparano, with a dearth of talent in Miami, is no different than Jim Caldwell, who is struggling to win in Indianapolis. The loss of Peyton Manning, he said, means more to the team than anything Caldwell could do. The addition of Andrew Luck could mean as much for Sparano's win/loss as having Manning does for the coach in Indy.

Le Batard also felt, that the addition of Bill Cowher, rumored to be receiving attention from Stephen Ross & Co. lately, would do nothing without a good QB.

His main point of contention was that personnel has a much greater impact than coaching on team success. I think Dan would agree with the assessment that the GM, the employer and architect of personnel, is more important to the success, or lack thereof, of an NFL team than the coach.

In looking past Sparano, to that GM, you see the root of the Phins' problems. The root's name is Jeff Ireland.

In the coming weeks the media, if they address him at all, will talk about how Ireland hasn't been sociable. How he has hid behind the scenes pushing buttons like the tiny man once believed to be the Wizard of Oz.

They'll wax poetic about how Ireland has let Sparano and Steven Ross take the blame. 

That's neither here nor there in The Coach's opinion. How often do you see Green Bay's Ted Thompson, Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome, or Pittsburgh's Kevin Colbert step to the podium for post game press conferences? You don't. Those successful GMs are no more sociable or media accessible on a major scale than any other. 

The real problem with Ireland's tenure in South Florida has nothing to do with media savvy or relationships with players, coaches or ownership. It's solely a matter of a bad job done filling the roster. The Dolphins fridge is full of bad groceries.

Instead of harping on bad free agent acquisitions (Reggie Bush, the Cowboy Castaways, etc.) and questionable trades (Brandon Marshall (which Monstar took his talent again?) or Jason Taylor to the Redskins), the best place to see Ireland's ineptitude is by looking at the NFL College Draft. Between 2008 and 2011, JI has had four cracks at making the Phins a contender, or at least markedly better. 

For your viewing pleasure, after the page break is each pick Mr. Ireland banked his employment on, how they've fared, and some notable young men who were available at the time. Let's start in 2008:

*Actual picks in orange

*Players passed over in blue 

Coach's Thoughts on Qaddafi

Both fought rebels. Even if one was a fox in green tights. I'm just sayin.

I've been following the coverage of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's demise from a distance over the past week. I try not to give the tabloid national news outlets too much of my viewership business, but I was interested in how they would tackle this topic. I'll leave my scathing rebuke of biased leanings of the three giants in reporting this topic for another day. Subsequently, I wanted to see how those in my circle reacted after the response to Osama's similar fate a few months ago.

It's understandable to see the US and the world express a sense of relief that this man is not an international problem anymore. I can't dispute that. I feel that way myself. After forty years of the WORST kind of "leadership" for ole Gaddafi it was time for a permanent siesta.

But I also believe such celebration should be tempered down a bit for a couple reasons.

Do Presidential Debates Really Tell Us Anything???

I've got an idea.

Since the White House can't do anything without help from Congress, why not have Congress ask questions at these debates?? I mean that is who the president will, ya know, be working with. Congress members. Not you and I.

It's easy to give a bunch of one liners to a partisan audience about what you will do when you become president. Those people in the audience? You won't have to see them for another 4 years. You'll have to see those Congressman every day.

And many of those congressman will be saying "no chance in hell" to the same things that partisan audience clapped and yelled for. Those chosen as Supreme Court Justices have to go in front of Congress for their confirmation hearings, why not Presidential Candidates?

How well do you think those debate one-liners would go over in this room?

Now go back to watching Real Housewives or SportsCenter. lol

All 32 Teams Make Forbes List

I know we're excited about having football back again. But I want to direct your attention back to the matters of the lockout briefly. I don't want to get you sad again. There's no news that's gonna take football away from you again. Don't fret. But there's one issue we can't let go unreported.
Leading up to and during the lockout, all we heard was how the NFL teams were losing money and they had to protect their financial interests by taking back a piece of the NFL pie from the players. The "Woe Is Me" feelings were rampant on ownership's side. This would be understandable if they were losing money.
But...

Now we have news that they might not have been scrugglin' after all...
Forbes' annual team valuation list, the "World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams" found a spot for, ::Lebron Voice:: not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but all 32 NFL teams. Every @$%#^%^ing team. Every whining, sniveling, spendthrift, Goodell goading, De Smith loathing NFL owner has one of the 50 most valuable sports products on the blue and green planet.

Forbes' report states that teams "selling for $70 million in the mid-1980s are now worth $1 billion on average. That's MORE than a tenfold increase. Jerry Jones' Cowboys, they of 152 foot HD TV screen fame, makes over $100 million annually on it's luxury seating ALONE. They have sponsorship deals with many of the nation's major companies. And don't forget the TV Deals. Ohhhh don't forget those. They were getting paid regardless of whether there was a season this year or not.

Of the other American Big Four sports, the MLB had six entries on the list. The New York Yankees at number three were the only MLB team in the top 30. There were 23 NFL teams above baseball's next highest team, the Boston Red Sox.
To put this in even MORE perspective, the Jacksonville Jaguars are more valuable than the New York Knicks. That's right. The NFL's least valuable team is more valuable than the NBA's most valuable team. Let that marinate. There's a reason the owners would never show the players their books. You can't doctor financials. Yes, you can interpret financials different ways according to what accounting standards you use, but the numbers are the numbers. And ridiculously huge profits are ridiculously huge profits, no matter how you look at them.

To add insult to injury, the other teams dominating the list, International Soccer teams (namely English Premier League squads) are mostly owned by, YOU GUESSED IT, the same NFL owners complaining bout not having any money. Maybe you should sell your soccer teams and stop trying to spread yourself so thin. That's a novel idea. But don't try to tell me you aren't eating like a fat cat loves to.

One of these days, sports business outlets will be as popular as sporting news outlets like ESPN and SI and will be able to give mainstream sports fans a more accurate picture of the financial landscape in American sports. Then, teams won't be able to use public misconceptions and ignorance against the players to get things they don't deserve.
I am not advising any action against the owners because, frankly, what could be done. The only people in our country, including government, who can keep these billionaires in check, are the people we've been yelling at to quit whining and go back to work for the last four months. The leagues' players.
Only a group with their ability to essentially shut down the factory, can make ownership have to play ball. I take my hat off to De Smith, Kevin Mawae, Jeff Saturday and the other NFLPA brass and throw it at Goodell and the owners. I guess I need to use my ::parental voice:: for these owners. Don't ever ask us for money ever again.