The Blue Workhorse

One Year Ago on The Blue Workhorse

Shotgun Spratling — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:57:25 +0000

One year ago on The Blue Workhorse, Bruce Pearl and the since fired Phil Fulmer had each just received raises from the University of Tennessee, and Heisman explained why he felt it was a definite mistake.

Overcompensation [The Blue Workhorse]

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Politicization of Tiger

Shotgun Spratling — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:59:13 +0000

One of my favorite columnists on National Review Online, Jay Nordlinger, recently brought to my attention a speech delivered by Tiger Woods during the inaugural celebrations in January (pgatour.com). He referenced this speech while refuting comments made by Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown that Tiger shirks his public responsibility to the black community by staying silent on most policy and political issues. Unfortunately, Brown, trading his running power on the football field for race baiting off of it, misses the larger and more important message presented by Tiger Woods to not only the black community but the world community as a whole.

Tiger leads very loudly through example. In a time in the sports and political world where hopeful and inspiring words seem to be void of any corresponding action to make the ideals held a reality, Tiger’s behavior might seem counterculture, in particular, counterculture to the behaviors exhibited by most that live under a daily spotlight of fame and/or power.

This simple and short, yet eloquent, speech exemplifies how Tiger lives his professional life as a golfer. He appreciates those who have sacrificed their lives, his family and the U.S. armed forces, that have provided him an opportunity to use his God-given abilities, his golf talent, to the best of his ability. He understands his pursuit of greatness is not due to a racial quota or a handout. Tiger’s success, as well as the success of all Americans, whether black, red, brown, or yellow is a product of sheer determination, grit, and consistent hard work.

Unfortunately, Brown’s idea of activism is one centered on past injustices rather than that of unlimited promise and opportunity that this country is founded upon. It is one of false platitudes and empty policy. If Mr. Brown was only able to capture the humble confidence of someone of Tiger’s character, this country would be plentiful with quality leaders that young athletes and non-athletes could aspire to be like by looking at the personal attributes described in the above. Instead, our sports world and the country as a whole drifts towards a quixotic idea that all are entitled to a champion’s success, that entraps those believers in a culture that is enslaved in the doldrums of mediocrity rather than aspiring to the limitless success, and responsibility made possible by freedom and liberty.

Heisman

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Breaking Down the 2009 All-Star Selections

Shotgun Spratling — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:17:29 +0000

Earlier today, Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the 80th All-Star Game being held in St. Louis at the new Busch Stadium.

The starters were determined solely by the fan vote once again, unfortunately. Note my displeasure when I previously wrote about who I was voting for.

Nevertheless, we wanted to do what we hadn’t seen anywhere else and break down the selections team-by-team, so that you could easily see who was selected from your favorite team (in alphabetical order with starters are in bold):

American League

Baltimore Orioles: Adam Jones (OF)
Boston Red Sox: Jason Bay (OF), Josh Beckett (P), Jonathan Papelbon (P), Dustin Pedroia (2B), Tim Wakefield (P), Kevin Youkilis (1B)
Chicago White Sox: Mark Buehrle (P)
Cleveland Indians: Victor Martinez (C)
Detroit Tigers: Curits Granderson (OF), Edwin Jackson (P), Justin Verlander (P)
Kansas City Royals: Zack Grienke (P)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Brian Fuentes (P), Torii Hunter (OF)
Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer (C), Justin Morneau (1B), Joe Nathan (P)
New York Yankees: Derek Jeter (SS), Mariano Rivera (P), Mark Teixiera (1B)
Oakland Athletics: Andrew Bailey (P)
Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez (P) Ichiro Suzuki (OF)
Tampa Bay Rays: Carl Crawford (OF), Jason Bartlett (SS), Evan Longoria (3B), Ben Zobrist (UT)
Texas Rangers: Josh Hamilton (OF), Michael Young (3B)
Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay (P), Aaron Hill (2B)

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks: Dan Haren (P), Justin Upton (OF)
Atlanta Braves: Brian McCann (C)
Chicago Cubs: Ted Lilly (P)
Cincinnati Reds: Francisco Cordero (P)
Colorado Rockies: Brad Hawpe (OF), Jason Marquis (P)
Florida Marlins: Josh Johnson (P), Hanley Ramirez (SS)
Houston Astros: Hunter Pence (OF), Miguel Tejada (SS)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Chad Billingsley (P), Jonathan Broxton (P), Orlando Hudson (2B)
Milwaukee Brewers: Ryan Braun (OF), Prince Fielder (1B)
New York Mets: Carlos Beltran (OF), Francisco Rodriguez (P), Johan Santana (P), David Wright (3B)
Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard (1B), Chase Utley (2B)
Pittsburgh Pirates: Freddy Sanchez (IF)
San Diego Padres: Heath Bell (P), Adrian Gonzalez (1B)
San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain (P), Tim Lincecum (P)
St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Franklin (P), Yadier Molina (C), Albert Pujols (1B)
Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman (3B)

Shotgun Spratling

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Attempt to Kill Manny Goes Awry

Shotgun Spratling — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:45:12 +0000

Not only are the San Diego Padres one of the worst teams in baseball. Not only have they been outscored by 94 runs this season (the second worst margin in baseball behind only the lowly Nationals). But it appears the Padres can’t even pull off a simple “hit” on Manny Ramirez because they can’t read a calendar.

Ramirez is set to make his return from his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs tonight against San Diego in Petco Park. Luckily, for the Dodgers and Mannywood an attempt to maim and possibly kill Manny went awry when someone read the calendar incorrectly.

Instead of Manny being engulfed in a swarm of 1000s of bees on the day of his return to left field for LA, Petco was enamored by the presence of the bees during yesterday’s day game against Houston.

Instead of a couple of thousand bees finding a home and crawling throughout Manny’s long, wispy dreds, they found a home inside a ballgirl’s jacket residing on a chair down the left field line.

Instead of their being a delay for the possible death by stinging of Ramirez, there was merely a 52-minute delay Thursday afternoon as a beekeeper had to be called to the field to dispatch the swarming insects.

Rather than have the Padres be a contributor to the injury of Manuelita, the Astros’ newest version of the “Killer B’s” did in the Padres. Geoff Blum, Lance Berkman, and Michael Bourn each recorded multiple hits reaching base a combined 8 times, scoring 6 runs, and driving in 5 runs (4 by Blum, who blasted a three-run homer in the 5th inning) as the Astros defeated San Diego 7-2 to take three of four from the Pads.

Really San Diego? Can you not do anything right?

Shotgun Spratling

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Calling Out for Help

Shotgun Spratling — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:21:38 +0000

I’ll just get straight to this — Major League Baseball’s All-Star voting system sucks! The deadline for voting is today and some deserving players are getting screwed.

In a game that is supposed to have implications on the World Series, fans are given the right to select the starters of the All-Star Game, and the fans voting is terrible!

Every year it is nothing but a preposterous popularity contest. If you want to crown ‘Mr. Popularity’ name a ‘Most Popular’ team at the end of the season and give them some ostentatious award because someone likes them. Hell, NASCAR even figured that one out.

Instead, the Jason Bartletts and Aaron Hills have no chance of representing their ball club and league as a starter and instead are resigned to hoping they receive a bench nomination from the manager of the previous season’s league champion.

So instead of getting it wrong, make a difference and don’t vote for the overrated, popular guy (yea…you…Jeter!) who doesn’t have the numbers that another player has. Vote for the Jason Bartletts and Aaron Hills in the league even if you are a Red Sox or Yankees fan.

Here’s who I’ll be voting for with the remainder of my 25 votes today:

American League

Catcher: Joe Mauer - Minnesota

After getting a delayed start due to an extended stint on the disabled list, Mauer has come out on fire. Despite having almost 100 less at bats than Victor Martinez (the only other person worthy of even a thought), Mauer has just as many home runs (14), only 13 less RBI (44), and is batting a robust .392 to Martinez’s .313.
Previous Pick: Martinez

First Baseman: Justin Morneau - Minnesota

This is easily the toughest decisions in the selection of the All-Stars. Not only is there Miguel Cabrera batting .331 with 16 HR and 47 RBI, but Mark Teixiera has 20 HR and 60 RBI. Carlos Pena could also be considered with his AL first baseman-best 23 HR to go along with 55 RBI, but his .238 average isn’t good enough with this bunch. Kevin Youkilis has stubbed his toe down the stretch of the voting. His average, once .393 (when I made my first All-Star vote post), has dropped to .314. That’s why I’m going with Justin Morneau. He carried the Twins when Mauer was out, and he is near the top in all three of the triple crown categories with a .309 AVG, 19 HR, and leads the American League with 64 RBI.
Previous Pick: Morneau

Second Baseman: Aaron Hill - Toronto

Aaron Hill is having a career year already. He is batting .301 and driven in a AL-second baseman best 56 RBI. He is tied for the AL-second baseman lead with Ian Kinsler with 19 HR, but Kinsler is only batting almost 40 points less than Hill, and Kinsler is in the always hitter-friendly Ballpark at Arlington. Robinson Cano has had a good first half, but all of his numbers are lower than Hill’s with the exception being a 4-3 stolen base lead. And Dustin Pedroia shouldn’t even be in contention when looking at the numbers objectively.
Previous Pick: Hill

Shortstop: Jason Bartlett - Tampa Bay

Jason Bartlett is the obvious choice among AL shortstops, yet he’s nearly 2 million votes behind Derek Jeter. His .362 batting average is 55 points higher than Derek Jeter, who is the only other SS with an average over .300. Despite a stint on the DL, Bartlett is third in HR at his position with 7 (Alexei Ramirez leads with 10) and is second with 36 RBI, 3 off Ramirez’s pace. JB also is one of the best defensive middle infielders and is tied for the AL-shortstop lead with 17 stolen bases. However, no matter what he does, he’s going to be bested by Jeter despite the Yankee’s defensive ineptitude.
Previous Pick: Bartlett

Third Baseman: Evan Longoria - Tampa Bay

The Dirtbag won this nomination early in the season when he led the world with 46 RBI and was hitting at a .343 clip. He has since cooled tremendously. The second year slugger is currently hitting .297 with 16 HR and 63 RBI. Brandon Inge could be a possible alternative if he had a batting average better than .275 as he leads all AL-third basemen with 18 HR and has knocked in a second-best 52 runs, but Longoria is also going to be a top Gold Glove candidate.
Previous Pick: Longoria

Left Field: Carl Crawford - Tampa Bay

Crawford has been causing havoc all sesaon. He has stolen more bases (40) than eight ball clubs in the major leagues, including a 6 SB game against Boston. Add in the second-best batting average from an AL-outfielder (.320), 8 homers, and 38 RBI, and I’m going with the home team on this one.
Previous Pick: Crawford

Centerfield: Torii Hunter - Los Angeles of Anaheim

Torii Hunter is filling up the statline all across the board on offense. Amongst AL-outfielders, he has the third-best batting average (.305), has two less home runs (17) than the league leader, is second in RBI (59), and has added in 13 stolen bases. Not bad for a guy who has seemingly crashed into the wall 19 times this season. Adam Jones has been great this season, but Hunter has just put up better numbers.
Previous Pick: Jones

Right Field: Jermaine Dye - Chicago

The third OF selection/my RF pick is the toughest. It is hard to deny Ichiro’s .368 average or Jason Bay’s 69 RBI, but I think Dye has put up the most well-rounded numbers. Dye has a .292 average (30 points higher than Bay’s average, which has declined to .262 due to his current 2-31 slump), 18 HR (one less than Bay), and is fourth among AL-outfielders with 48 RBI (to Ichiro’s 18).
Previous Pick: Nick Markakis

National League

Catcher: Brian McCann - Atlanta

B-Mac is the only NL-catcher with more than 100 at bats that is batting above .310 (or even .280 for that matter). McCann’s power numbers (8 HR, 33 RBI) may not be as solid as Bengie Molina (10 HR, 46 RBI), but B.Molina has had 70 more at bats and is hitting a blah .259, and all of McCann’s numbers are superior to current vote-leader Yadier Molina (.279, 5 HR, 24 RBI).
Previous Pick: Bengie Molina

First Baseman: Albert Pujols - St. Louis

Prince Fielder might be wondering how he will ever beat out a healthy Pujols to be named an All-Star Game starter. Fielder is hitting .306 with 20 HR and 74 RBI. Of course, Phat Albert just has to upstage him. The man that is constantly in contention for the triple crown, is once again this season with a .337 average (3rd in NL), 30 HR (1st in ML), and 77 RBI (1st in ML). But what makes Pujols stand out this season is 10 stolen bases, only the second time in his career he’s reached double digits.
Previous Pick: Pujols

Second Baseman: Chase Utley - Philadelphia

Brandon Phillips might be considered for contention if it wasn’t for his .269 batting average. That makes the only logical choice (now that Orlando Hudson has cooled off without the protection of Manuelita) Utley. Batting .301 with 17 HR, 52 RBI, and 7 swipes to boot has made Utley a contender for top NL vote receiver.
Previous Pick: Hudson

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez - Florida

Yunel Escobar and Miguel Tejada have put up some solid shortstop numbers, but the choice at shortstop has been putting up awesome fantasy numbers rather than just shortstop production. Hanley Ramirez wasn’t the #1 fantasy baseball selection for no reason. HanRam got off to a slow start, but has turned it on: .348, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 12 SB.
Previous Pick: Ramirez

Third Baseman: Pablo Sandoval - San Francisco

Aramis Ramirez was the early favorite before he went on the DL, and David Wright has put up phenomenal numbers, but I’m going with Pablo Sandoval. Now, this time, I have no problem with someone choosing the New York player as Wright’s .340 average, 42 RBI, and 20 stolen bases definitely make him a worthy selection. However, Sandoval is hitting .332 with more pop (11 HR to go with 40 RBI). I also have to give props to Sandoval for also being a part-time catcher, which can affect a player’s offensive game (just ask Brandon Inge).
Previous Pick: Ryan Zimmerman

Left Field: Ryan Braun - Milwaukee

I’ll start with my third choice. I would really like to put the big donkey of Adam Dunn on as my third outfielder, but his .260 average will likely never land him in the ASG as a starter (at least not on my team). Instead, it will be Ryan Braun. Braun has one more RBI than Dunn (57-56), four less homers (16-20), but he gets the nod because his batting average is 70 points higher than Dunn’s (.330-.260). He also has added 6 stolen bases.
Previous Pick: Ibanez

Centerfield: Brad Hawpe - Colorado

No one knows anything about Brad Hawpe, and some people wouldn’t even recognize his name, but the man is tearing the cover off the ball. Hawpe is one of the reasons for the Rockies recent success. He’s hitting .333 with 13 HR and 56 RBI on the season.

Right Field: Raul Ibanez - Philadelphia

Besides his recent DL trip and stereotypical words against bloggers, Ibanez has been tearing it up since arriving in Philly. Despite being on the DL, the outfielder still is 4th in the majors with 22 HR. He also is batting .312 and has driven in 59 runs.
Previous Pick: Hawpe

Shotgun Spratling

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

This Week in Fantasy Baseball…

drang — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:23:29 +0000

What can we say about Mr. Hanley Ramirez, the preseason number 1 overall player? He just finished a week where a clubbed a couple grand slams and drove in 15 runs. His overall campaign now looks like .333 AVG / 47 R / 11 HR / 51 RBI / 11 SB; however all his owners would like the steals to increase from a guy who has stole 50 in the past.
“Bossman” BJ Upton had another nice week and continues to shine in the month of June. Upton went .348 over the past week with a homer and two steals, upping his total to 28 bags. It looks like the window has passed to buy low on Upton as he finally has things going and displaying that 5 category potential.
After 3 straight sub-par outings, Matt Garza finally picked things up for Tampa Bay. He went eight strong against Philly, giving up 3 hits and whiffing 8, bringing his strikeout total to 85 this year. Garza’s K/9 rate has improved to 7.86 this year from 6.24 a year ago, and his BAA has went from .245 to .210, but his walk rate is too high. Also, watch out for his 106 pitches per start as we wear along this summer.
I must give props to Javier Vasquez. Coming up with two more solid fantasy starts this past week, Vasquez now has 125 K’s, a 3.06 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.06 for the season. Coming into the season as a mid-round pick, Javier has jumped up to fantasy ace status with his start in the ATL. Projections have him fanning 270 this season, but a 250-260 season could be reasonable as he contends for the MLB strikeout king.
***Just a tip, always draft pitchers with increasing K/9 rates or pitches who consistently have high K totals, they tend to have better stuff and strikeouts take away the “chance” factor in putting balls in play (BABIP), which can cause pitchers to become unlucky over the course of a season.
Grady Sizemore is back from the DL and has hit .300 since, with a homer and 8 runs batted in. Expect good things the rest of this summer from this 5 tool talent.
Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill clubbed 4 more homers this past week, adding to his career best season so far. Hill now has 19 homers with 56 RBIs, and boasts an OPS of .848, which is splendid for a second baseman. Expect more homers since Hill’s fly ball percentage is hovering around 50 percent, 50.6 to be exact. Owners have to be ecstatic over Hill’s production so far.
Josh Beckett loves the Braves. He has thrown 16 innings, won 2 games, given up 11 hits, allowed no runs, walked none, and struck out 13. The boys in Atlanta are glad to see the big Texan go away for the rest of the year. That is a simple description of domination.
Danny Haren had another great week. I don’t think people understand how dominant he has been. Haren has a season WHIP of 0.81 in 108 innings pitched. Only Jonathan Broxton and Joe Nathan have lower WHIPs as CLOSERS. Chris Carpenter does have a WHIP of 0.70, but he has thrown only65 innings, 43 fewer than Haren.

DRang

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

One Year Ago on The Blue Workhorse

Shotgun Spratling — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:15:56 +0000

One year ago on The Blue Workhorse, we played guess the numbers as DRang illustrated how important quality middle relievers can be for your fantasy baseball team.

Rang Report - The Power of Middle Relief [The Blue Workhorse]

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

One Year Ago on The Blue Workhorse

Shotgun Spratling — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:20:54 +0000

One year ago on The Blue Workhorse, the media was abuzz about the Fresno State Bulldogs and their run through the playoffs calling them one of the biggest Cinderellas ever. However, Rosenblogger showed why they weren’t Cinderella.

Fresno State Was No Cinderella [The Blue Workhorse]

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Workhorse Link Roundup: NBA Draft Edition

Shotgun Spratling — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:22:45 +0000

The NBA Draft is tonight, so we’ve got a basketball heavy round of the Workhorse Link Roundup featuring 9 Around the Country, 6 NBA Draft, 2 Hometown, 1 Awesome YouTube Song, and 1 Megan Fox is Ungodly Hot:

9 Around the Country -

Iowa FB Coach Slain in Weight Room - Yahoo/AP
Sports All-Time Sidekicks - Rumors & Rants
Retina Burning Unis (no Shareef Abdur-Rahim green Hawks uni?) - MoonDogSports
Top 10 All-Time Sports Transformers - FanSided
76ers Returning to Roots - Ball Don’t Lie
Christmas Comes Early for Spurs - Project Spurs
Shaq Learns of Trade via Twitter - Awful Announcing
Shaq to Cleveland = Cleveland Worse? - AJC
Samurai Cuts Baseball in Half - Sports Rubbish

6 NBA Draft -

What Will be Said (satire) - Barkley’s Mouth
Best College Representation in NBA - Real Clear Sports
Best College Rep of Current Talent - Basketball Fiend
Bargains & Busts - Josh Q. Public
NBA Wives & gf Draft - The Big Lead
I See White People - Joe Sports Fan

2 Hometown -

Goodbye Acie Law? Hello Jamal Crawford? - Peachtree Hoops
Hawks Draft Possibilities - AJC

1 Awesome YouTube Song Stuck in my Head -

“Press Hop” ft Iverson, Mora, Dennis Green - YouTube

…and 1 Female -

5 Megan Fox Scenes You’ve Never Seen - Complex

Hope you enjoy, and if you have some links we should include in the future, feel free to Contact Us and enlighten.

Shotgun Spratling

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these related posts:

Thursday Throwback: Len Bias Draft Tragedy

Shotgun Spratling — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:27:09 +0000

As Bill Simmons astutely observed in a 2001 ESPN.com article, 1986 was a time when Michael Jackson did not yet look like an alien, Gretzky and the Magic/Bird combination were the kings of sport, kids were playing Atari, and, most importantly, Ronald Reagan had his hand on the button.

However, not all was blue jeans and apple pie in the sports world of America. In fact, professional basketball lost one of its most promising young talents, and the NCAA embarrassed itself with a precedent that is virtually unattainable.

With the NBA draft this evening, I came upon a sad story that requires as much social commentary as it does sports commentary.

Lenny Bias may not be a household name for my generation (or those younger than me) as my peers and I were merely infants at the time of his death. However, to mature college basketball fans at the time, Bias was going to challenge the second year player by the name of Jordan and continue the dynasty in Boston by becoming the fourth leg of the Bird-McHale-Parish triumphant trio that had just produced yet another championship banner in the Boston Garden the previous season.

He had raw skills that resembled a more powerful James Worthy capable of jumping with anyone in the league even that young MJ in Chicago. He naturally played with a playground swagger before the affront that is the current player who plays with nothing but brash arrogance rather than the cool confidence Bias oozed.

But in the end the bottom line, Bias overdosed on cocaine. Less than 48 hours after the biggest day of his life when he was drafted as the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, who was going to the defending champions where he would eventually take over the reins from Bird and continue the Boston glory, Bias was dead and the bright star had his future snuffed out prematurely. While sad, we must garner what lessons can be learned from such a tragedy.

First, there is an even larger lack of leadership in the athletic community at all levels today than in 1986. Far too many coaches, like Lefty Driesell, are far too quick to cover up the transgressions of the star athletes rather than hold them to a higher standard as extraordinarily talented people who dominate an illuminated public stage (see John Calipari/Derrick Rose).

As a high school coach I see this, on a lesser scale, far too often. Those in a position of leadership for the young men in our country often take the easy way out of disciplining their players. Opting instead to make excuses for the superstars. Just as Driesell directed teammates to hide the drugs in Bias’s room on Maryland’s campus, a coach at the high school level may lie to the team regarding the reasoning behind a player’s absence from a team workout or attempt to bully a faculty member to inflate a grade or overlook a disciplinary action.

Coaches are supposed to set the example, not allow inexcusable behavior to fester.

This being said, the NCAA’s laughable knee-jerk reaction in 1986 deserves tough scrutiny as well. The NCAA had no need to level any sanctions against the Maryland Terrapin basketball program, much less, come within a step of issuing the dreaded “death penalty”, reminiscent of the SMU football scandals that was based on actual NCAA violations.

The public scrutiny of the admissions process and academic oversights would have been enough to modify processes by the individual institution, such as the ability of the admissions department to view and hand down judgments on transcripts for athletes before they were able to sign a letter of intent (Nakamura and Asher, Washington Post 1996). Rash decisions, and punishments made by governing bodies are very rarely wise ones. The NCAA condemnation of Maryland was no different.

The final lesson to be garnered from such a tragic turn of the sports world is one of the disintegration of the black family. Even as we as a country embark on a new era of governance under the governance of an executive branch led for the first time by a person with a black skin color, the average black family is stuck in a rut of social decay and poverty.

Undeniably, even to the Democratic New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, it can be traced back to the policies of government put in place by The War on Poverty program under the Lyndon Johnson presidency.

These same federal interventionist policies are now trying to be grown exponentially by President Obama’s administration. They can be expected to have the same outcome, where black families are not encouraged to pursue self improvement under their own hard work and determination. Instead, the same types of excuses that are made by today’s coaching profession lead to further socially deviant behavior and prejudice by those trying to lead lives in the American spirit of freedom and self-improvement.

While this is neither the forum nor time to directly address these issues, it must at least promote the thought and discussion of matters such as drug abuse and the seemingly continuous cycle of poverty that enshrines the American black family.

In the end, as we watch the NBA draft tonight, we must stand up and address the issues addressed above with the memory of such a tragic event in the forefront of our thoughts.

A league so dominated by pseudo-father figures of coaches from AAU teams to the NBA, to the sports world governing bodies led by Myles Brand and David Stern, as well as the current political climate and policies that affect so many athletic supernovas not so unlike those of the dimmed glow of Len Bias and his tragic death.

Heisman