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Taylor Swift blasts Kanye West in SNL intro - no apology on symbol

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:22:52 PST

Taylor Swift was on Saturday Night Live and I have to say performed really well. She was in eight skits, playing everything from a prison gang-banger to the friend of a bride at a wedding.

But one place I didn't think Taylor would go in her monologue was to mention Kanye West, but not apologize for that Swastika photo. That took Taylor down a bit in my rating of her.

If you remember, rapper Kanye West famously took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards as Swift was about to accept the award for "Best Female Video" and said that the award should have gone to Beyonce. It was a classless move that had even President Obama weighing in, calling West "A Jackass":

But after a questionable delay, West apologized on his website and did called Swift later that week. Kanye West apologized for insulting a single person, Taylor Swift, but she did not say "I'm sorry" for posing in a photo with Swastika-t-shirt-wearing Hollywood model A.J. English at Katy Perry's 25th birthday party (English quickly apologized for that):

I can't figure out which is worse: Swift's silence on the action, the small number of fans that have multiple accounts and leave comments pretending to be other people and writing that the Swastika is a symbol of peace, or the silence of the Anti-Defamation League, which is supposed to be speaking out against this crap.

I'll say it and write it, and I don't care what anyone thinks because it's true as of this writing. It's easier for people in America to attack an African American male celebrity when he's wrong than it is for Americans to criticize a young blonde white woman celebrity when she's wrong, and a white male celebrity too, but not to the degree of a woman. It's a stupid pecking order.

Kansas City Chief's running back Larry Johnson used homophobic language but apologized, yet some are calling for his ouster from the team. And if a black male public figure makes a single comment that's racist, like Jesse Jackson's stupid "Hymie Town" comment of over a decade ago, it still sticks with him years later.

Why not the same for someone like Taylor Swift? Or for that matter Mel Gibson, who's anti-Jewish rants after a DUI stop got some talking, but no real punishment or constant criticism and Billionaire Mel's on the PR comeback trail as I write this.

The only white male celebrity I can think of who's career was really impacted by his dumb behavior was Seinfeld's Michael Richards, who went off at a comedy club in LA about African Americans, saying “Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!”

Now to make sure this is clear, all of these actions were wrong. Each person I've list apologized for what they did many times, but not Taylor Swift. Not once. No, she didn't say something offensive, but I now have the feeling Swift could get away with it, if she did.

Swift's a wonderful singer and an incredibly talented person; her songs are like a taste of Heaven. Taylor Swift is someone I want to like. But she must remember that she's also a public figure and a role model to young women. Swift can and indeed must set a good example, if not to please people like me, then at least for young women. An apology is a good start.

Cal v. Oregon State - After loss, Cal fans dread Stanford's success

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:56:33 PST

The stage was set for Cal's BCS rise and a realistic shot at the Pac-10 Championship. Earlier Saturday, The Stanford Cardinal ran all over Oregon 51 - 42, and did what I and other Cal fans wanted but many believed impossible: give Oregon a second loss. Notre Dame was surprised by the play of a Navy team that showed heart and lost 23 to 21, tossing it out of the BCS race. Iowa, which won close games they arguably should have lost, was upset by Northwestern, 17 to 10, for their first defeat of the year.

Cal was set to make a move higher into the BCS standings and catch Oregon if they beat Oregon State. That "if" did not happen and after the game (Cal lost 31 - 14) Cal fans were talking about Stanford's success and how much they hated it. But first, a look at what happened.

Cal was out-hit; the game plan terrible

Even before the loss of Cal's star Jahvid Best before halftime due to what turned out to be a concussion, Oregon State was giving Cal all it could handle. I've never written or said this before, not even after the USC loss, but Oregon State's defense hit Cal harder than any other opponent I've seen this year. Cal was out-hit on Saturday.

That's not the main factor for the loss, the terrible offensive and defensive game plans were, but it was such that it must be noted. Other than that, the main statistical indicator of a Cal loss remained: at 19 of 34 for 200 yards and one touchdown Quarterback Kevin Riley was below the 60 percent completion mark.

Of course Cal's performance can't be described without taking into account Best's loss. The sight of Cal's popular player laying motionless for that moment took the wind out of both the team and its fans. Memorial Stadium took on the feel and mood of a wake. But it's at that point that a team should find its character and, in this case, win it for Best.

While that's exactly what the players wanted to do, they were hampered by the worst offensive game plan and play-calling I've seen from the Golden Bears this year.

For some reason Cal Head Coach Jeff Tedford and Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludiwg were in love with calling the swing pass to the slot receiver again and again, and in situations where that play would not gain, say nine yards for a first down on 3rd and 9, as was done in the fourth quarter.

Tedford and Ludwig had the right formation idea - five wide receivers - but continuously running that play when it did not work was really frustrating to watch.

When the play calls were right on, Riley failed to connect with open receivers, essentially reverting to his overthrow habit of a few games back. But even here, a correctable pattern has emerged: Riley simply does not throw the crossing pattern or corner pattern or any lateral movement pass pattern calling for the passer to "lead" the receiver, consistently well, yet Tedford and Ludwig keep calling plays featuring those patterns. This has been a season-long problem.

If one goes back to the videos from this season, Riley throws the deep fly pattern well, the post pattern, as well as most quick-opening patterns like slants. But the kind of passes Riley would throw well don't seem to be a major part of Cal's system: hook patterns where the receiver goes 12 yard and then turns back into the quarterback; or drive patterns, which are deeper variations of the slant pattern, or seam patterns with the slot receiver and "out" patterns to the sideline, with varying depths timed to the quarterback's dropback. That's several different patterns alone that Riley would excel at executing if they were in Cal's system and drilled on again and again.

The best offenses fit the plays to what the quarterback does best. Yes, you may say Riley should learn to make those throws, but not during the season; that's what the off-season is for. If he can't do that, forcing him to make the throws he's not good at only produces losses and Cal's got three of them now.

The Defensive Game Plan was not much better

What my Cal friends and I could not understand was why Cal Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory had such a soft game plan against Oregon State. With a team that uses as much backfield playaction as the Beavers do, constant blitz pressure is the tonic to down their backs for losses and hurry throws.

The Cal Defense looked like it was consistently dazzled by Oregon's play-action rollouts, and that's because Cal was basically sitting back and watching them rather than sending outside linebackers to disrupt plays. Tight, man-for-man coverage while sending as many as six rushers would have produced a different outcome than the 342 yards and two touchdowns quarterback Sean Canfield threw for on Saturday.

Bob Gregory must practice using a variation of the 3-4 Defense that has the defensive ends between the offensive guards and tackles to better stop the kind of linebuck and off-tackle plays that were consistently used by Oregon State. OSU ran into the "bubble areas" where the inside linebackers were in that defense; moving the ends inside would cure that problem and force plays to the outside.

Stanford's win sets up a really big, "Big Game"

At Henry's, The Bear's Lair, Larry Blake's, and the other popular football game day bars and restaurants, Cal fans were down and for several reasons: Best's injury, the loss, and Stanford's success.

Cal fans wanted Stanford's win only in the context of a Cal victory over Oregon State. But in the wake of the loss, Stanford's victory over 8th ranked Oregon has Blues young and old seeing red.

At 6-3 for the season, but 5-2 in the Pac-10, the Cardinal are bowl-eligible for the first time in eight years and peaking at the right time. Oregon is now 7 and 1, but 5 and 1 in the Pac-10, with pesky Arizona State (which should have beat USC but lost 14 to 9) up next. If Oregon loses that game, Cal beats Arizona (which is 6 and 2 overall, but 4 and 1 in the Pac-10), and Stanford beats USC, the Cardinal will be in the drive's seat for the Pac-10 Championship. Saturday, November 14th is a red letter day but Saturday, November 21 is an even bigger day.

On that day the two Pac-10 teams in control of their destiny, Oregon and Arizona, play each other, while Cal travels down to The Farm for The Big Game. Let's say by then that Cal has beaten Arizona, Oregon lost to Arizona State, and Stanford beat USC.

Oregon would have two Pac-10 losses, and in a three-way tie with Stanford and Arizona. That makes The Big Game a must win for The Cardinal and the Oregon v. Arizona contest a potential bloodfest, with Oregon favored by Stanford fans (Stanford lost to Arizona).

Finally, The Big Game really matters.

The only way to make up for this terrible Oregon State loss is for Cal to beat Arizona and Stanford. The way Cal fans will look at this entire season will be defined in the next two exciting weeks.

GO BEARS!

Cal's Jahvid Best suffer major injury in Oregon State game

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:34:12 PST

Jahvid Best, Cal's Heisman Trophy candidate is, sadly as I write this, on the way to a hospital having suffered a major injury in today's game against Oregon State.

With 2:06 and Cal on the Oregon State three yard line in the second quarter, Best took the handoff from Cal QB Kevin Riley, turned around left end and as he was about to score a touchdown, jumped in the air. As he was airborne he was hit by OSU Safety Cameron Collins, who threw Best with his left hand as Best was in the air.

When as Best was coming down - he was about five feet in the air - his body turned so that the upper portion of his back hit the turf. He scored.

Best held out both arms as if he was frozen and did not get up.

Cheers turned to silence and both Cal and Oregon State players dropped to one knee to pray for Cal's star running back.

In a fast moment, trainers and doctors came out along with members of Best's family and a small crowd formed around him. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting for Best to some how get up, all hopes were eliminated when a cart and a stretcher were brought onto the field.

Best was placed in a stretcher with what appeared to be some kind of large orange brace around his neck and head.

As of this writing (I was actually on my way to the game) there's no official word on Best's injury or condition. The game is being televised on the Fox Sports Network.

Jahvid Best is Cal's third all time leading rusher and one of 16 Maxwell Awards semi-finalists for the nation's best player.

Oregon State is now leading Cal 21 to 7 in the second quarter.

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: sorting out the tragedy

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:06:39 PST

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First, my sympathies to the families and people directly and indirectly harmed during the Fort Hood Shooting. Watching that unfold was difficult and confusing. Let's sort out what happened on Thursday, because I'm still confused about what happened and why.

First, all of this actually started at 1:30 PM Central Time, according to my notes, blogs, other blogs, and updated information, reports of shots were coming from Fort Hood, Texas, the largest military installation in America.

(Fort Hood is huge. It spans 339 square miles and is the largest active duty armored post in American. It's home to about 5,000 active duty officers and 45,000 enlisted; with approximately 9,000 civilian employees. It's located next to Killeen, and northeast of Austin, Texas. To give you an idea of how large Fort Hood is, Walt Disney World is 49 square miles, larger than Manhattan Island. Fort Hood is over six times larger than Walt Disney World.)

At that time, according to Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks, shots were fired and there's where things got confusing for me.

I was watching MSNBC at the time and as the moments advanced, they said that there were reports of more than one gunman at Fort Hood. At that point Fort Hood was on "lockdown": no one can get in, no one can get out or move from place to place. So I turned to CNN for a different perspective, as they commonly find someone to go on camera as an information resource.

I then found this video, thanks to Cao's Blog:

Then I wrote: There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN. The shooting happened at the solidier readiness facility on the base.

The gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on the Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago.

President Obama was informed of the incident and CNN reported that the White House expected him to make a statement, soon.

Then here's what was confusing for me:

First, the number of gunmen, which started at one, then two, then three, and now it's back to one. What's unexplained is how there could be gun shots in different places of the installation in the same time frame?

Then there were the number of fatalities: it started at 7, then went to 12, then 11 because one of them was said to have been the gunman or a gunman, and now its at 13. The number of wounded is at 31, that increased steadily during the day, starting at 12 people.

Obama makes his statement:

Finally after a woman "first responder" reportedly shot the person who's said to be the "lone gunman" named Major Malik Nadal Hasan. At that point he was reported to have been killed. We later learn he's still alive and said to have been upset over the chance that he would be sent to war.

This is from the Associated Press, later in the evening:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president is being kept updated as details about the shooting emerge.

Gibbs said he told Obama about TV news reports that seven people were dead at the Texas military location and others were injured. Gibbs said he informed Obama based on broadcast reports and the president is being kept up to date through the White House Situation Room.

The Web site of the base in central Texas has posted an alert that says, "Effective immediately Fort Hood is closed." The Web site said that units at the base have been ordered to account for all personnel.

The site says, "This is not a Drill. It is an Emergency Situation."

Fort Hood is located halfway between Austin and Waco.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations / units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."

Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

The military installation is located near Killeen, Texas. It is the Army's largest installation, Honore said.

What to make of this? Well, what does concern me is a report by CNN that Major Malik Nadal Hasan was constantly working as a therapist for soldiers who've gone through horrible stuff, and yet he has no outlet. No girlfriend or wife to come home to and share what he's going through or better yet, forget about it for a bit.

He's one - reportedly according to Keith Olbermann's interview with Clint Van Sant, a former profiler with the FBI - shrink responsible for about 750 officers who are being processed to enter society after returning from wars. That's a hard job to do and keep one's mind straight.

Major Hassan was placed in a sensitive position, dealing with the issues and pains of fellow officers and internalizing them, and with no outlet, he apparently snapped and shot a lot of people, or shot at them.

He had to have lost it: Hassan had no previous extensive experience using guns and was said to have hated the idea of going to the gun range.

(Oh, this has nothing, zero, zip to do with being Muslim or Arab or anything , so please don't be a major bonehead and go there.)

California's education and economic problem; Chevron's aide

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:29:16 PST

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Aside from jobs, education funding is the most important problem in California. I was surprised to learn that Chevron Oil Company - the company commonly associated for bad things and unfairly so in my view - was behind a $7 million initiative to fund education non-profit organizations in Northern California.

It's called The California Partnership and was developed to help those organizations that were focusing on, and making a difference in, disadvantages neighborhoods, primarily in Northern California.

I was invited to join other media at the San Francisco City Club and frankly learned something shocking. I learned that while other media outlets were invited, at least one organization said they only covered a story involving non-profits if their was something negative, like a staff member stealing funds, for example.

Think about that the next time you see a bad story on a non-profit in the media.

The organizations Chevron helped for this round of funding who attended the breakfast are Teach For America, Kiva.org, Donors Choose.org, and Project Lead The Way. Here's the total list of organizations assisted in 2009:

Chevron California Partnership Nonprofit & Community Partners for 2009
Education

- California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) – REVS-UP program for STEM education in local middle and high schools, and creation of a new STEM Activities Center at CSUB
- Contra Costa County Office of Education – online media services to local districts and schools
- DonorsChoose.org – providing grants to teachers to purchase tools for STEM education
- Project Lead the Way – preparing middle and high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
- Project SEED – teaching high-level mathematics to increase education options for urban youth
- Science Buddies – online resource for science fair projects and content for class assignments
- Teach For America – places high-achieving college graduates as teachers in low-performing schools
- Techbridge – a hands-on after school science program for young girls

Economic Development

- AnewAmerica – business incubation, asset-building and social responsibility for entrepreneurs
- THE BREAD PROJECT – career training program for low-income people with barriers to employment
- EARN – asset-building services to help low-wage workers to escape poverty permanently
- Goodwill Academy – post-secondary vocational education and help for those with little work experience
- Jewish Vocational Services – vocational training and employment services
- Kiva.org – person-to-person microlending website for small businesses and entrepreneurs
- Opportunity Fund – provides loans to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses
- Opportunity Junction – helping low-income adults build sustainable economic self-sufficiency
* WE Invest – provides tools and resources to help women achieve financial self-sufficiency
- Women's Initiative for Self Employment – training, resources and support for women entrepreneurs

The video features talks with representatives of the firms at the breakfast and I'll have more information on each company as they've got great stories to tell.

Ian McKellen rips out Bible pages of Leviticus..for a reason

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:48:17 PST

Taking a bit of a break from what's frankly a hard chore of paying attention to shooting (Fort Hood), after shooting (Orlando), after shooting (Tokyo) to share a bit of light news.

I clicked over to Jewcy.com and learned that great actor Sir Ian McKellen (Lord Of the Rings, The X-Men series) has an interesting habit he practices in hotel rooms. He rips out a specific page of the Bible from Leviticus, Chapter 18, verse 22, which reads:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

According to Jewcy, McKellen told Details magazine:

"I'm not proudly defacing the book," he asserts, "but it's a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible."

McKellen says his actions have inspired others to do the same. "I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom."

As one who's straight and Christian, but one who believes in civil rights for all - in fact that it's even a conversation is really annoying to me - there are parts of the Bible I elect to skip, like that one. So Sir Ian McKellen's doing a favor for me by taking out a part of the hotel version Good Book I skip anyway.

So the next time you're in a hotel, look at your Bible. If the page containing Leviticus, Chapter 18, verse 22 is gone, you'll know Ian McKellen was there.

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: 7 dead, 12 injured (video - updates)

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:20:48 PST

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Video from local television station KCEN.

Original blog post with updates:

This is covered on television and just happened by what apparently and reportedly is an upset set of of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, near Waco, Texas. There are reports of up to three gunmen, one already arrested, two others the subject of a search. 7 are dead and 12 are injured.

Fort Hood is on lockdown now; the 55,000 people not allowed to go anywhere.

There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN. The shooting happened at the solidier readiness facility on the base.

The gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago. Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the country.

Cao's Blog reports:

Fort Hood is next to Killeen, northeast of Austin; home to about 5,000 active duty officers and 45,000 enlisted; with approximately 9,000 civilian employees.

In August, there was a shooting at Ft. Hood that left Spc. Ryan Richard Schlack, 30, of Oshkosh, Wis. dead and Fort Hood Spc. Armando Ray Baca was taken into custody. There was another shooting in August, and another in October.

This story is developing and much of the information beyond the deaths and injuries, and that the gunmen may be solidiers, is not well-known.

UPDATE: CNN reports that President Obama was informed of the incident.

UPDATE: Confirmed - more than one gunman and in military uniform.

UPDATE: U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson says 30 people were wounded.

More soon.

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: 7 dead, 12 injured (developing)

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:59:22 PST

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This is covered on television and just happened by what apparently and reportedly is an upset set of of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, near Waco, Texas. There are reports of up to three gunmen, one already arrested, two others the subject of a search. 7 are dead and 12 are injured.

Fort Hood is on lockdown now; the 55,000 people not allowed to go anywhere.

There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN.

The Gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago. Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the country.

This story is developing and much of the information beyond the deaths and injuries, and that the gunmen may be solidiers, is not well-known.

UPDATE: CNN reports that President Obama was informed of the incident.

UPDATE: Confirmed - more than one gunman.

More soon.

Unemployment benefits extension passes House; on to White House

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:14:23 PST

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After passing the U.S. Senate 98 to nothing on Wednesday, legislation to extend unemployment benefits has passed the U.S. House 403 to 12 and is on to the White House.

Free of its GOP Senate roadblocks, the bill is sailing through Congress on its way toward the White House. It's just one day and this legislation has done what few bills have: gotten almost unanimous approval so far.

What changed the fortunes of the unemployment benefits extension? Good question; I will answer later today.

Stay tuned.

National fitness model search by Wilhelmina Models

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:35:26 PST

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I just received this out-of-the-blue email by "Project Breakout" (never heard of them) explaining a fitness model search contest they've launched , or as the email reads: "Wilhelmina Models has partnered with Shape and Men's Fitness (magazines) to find the next hot body!"

Fit body like this? Wilhelmina Models wants you!

What kind person is a "fitness model?" Well, one example of someone who would be great for Wilhelmina Models is Jennifer Benda, a SF Bay Area Female Bodybuilder whom I interviewed a couple of years ago as she was trying to get her and story name "out there" while preparing for several contests that year.

So if you've got a great, beautiful, hard body like Jennifer Benda (and there are a lot of great candidates in the SF Bay Area) go for it. The search contest is open to men and women, ages 18 and over. (I wonder if whoever sent this was thinking I would try out for it myself because the email came from left field? If so it's a complement but I'm going to skip this one.)

The 10 finalists (five male and five female) will receive a three-day trip to New York City to be in the contest finals, a "spa and grooming experience", a day of personal training, and a $200 Vitamin Shoppe gift card.

If you want to participate in this contest to be a "Top Model" with Wilhelmina, go to www.wilhelminamodelsearch.com to enter now through November 30th.

From there, the two grand prize winners would gain a five-year modeling contract with Wilhelmina, a photo shoot in Shape or Men's Fitness, a vacation for two at a Beaches resort, a Bulova watch, $1,500 Vitamin Shoppe gift card, and a one-year VIP membership to Gold's Gym.

Also, if you happen to read this and are in Miami, there's an open casting call for the contest at The Vitamin Shoppe on 1101 5th Street on Saturday, November 14 from 10am to 3pm.

Now this email tells me there's a $20 entry processing fee, so be warned and good luck.

The mainstreaming of women and muscle

This search contest is a great indicator of how far the athletic woman has come. From the days of being considered "unladylike" to "totally hot" and sought after by modeling agencies today, it's finally completely acceptable for a woman to look and feel strong. Regardless of how one feels about the female bodybuilder from a visual perspective, that development is something to celebrate.

Rihanna on "Good Morning America" talks about Chris Brown;

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:24:23 PST

Rihanna

According to the Associated Press, just an hour ago, singer Rihanna was on the ABC show "Good Morning America" to explain that she regrets going back to Chris Brown after he beat her February 8th of this year, and during an argument over his alleged infidelity to her. Or in the AP's detailed paragraph:

The attack occurred in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood as Brown drove a rented sports car. A Los Angeles police detective described a brutal attack in a search warrant affidavit filed in the case, stating Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna and tried at one point to push her from the car. A photo of her bruised face was circulated on the Internet. In an interview with Glamour magazine, posted online Tuesday, she said about the leaked photo, "I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it's my life."

It's clear Rihanna (who has a new album coming out November 23rd) is at least more aware of her public image than Taylor Swift, who still as of this writing has not apologized for posing with a Swastika t-shirt wearing Hollywood model named A.J. English.

Regarding her actions in going back to Chris Brown, Rihanna said "That's embarrassing — that's the type of person I fell in love with. So far in love, so unconditional, that I went back," she said. "That's not what I want to teach people."

Rihanna continued: "When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn't be held responsible for telling them, 'Go back,'" she said.

"I didn't realize how much of an impact I had on these girls' lives until that happened," Rihanna added. "It was a wake-up call for me, big time, especially when I took myself out of the situation."

At 21, she's come a long way in a short time and has set an example for Taylor Swift to follow. As a public figure, one can't just "do what they want to do". They have to be aware of the messages and images they send out to the World.

This revelation puts Chris Brown's confession video in new light because the vast majority of people I polled did not believe him:

In retrospect, since Rihanna had gone back to Brown already he probably didn't feel entirely remorseful because he had her at the time even after the violence incident, and that came through on camera. Why do it then? To protect his career and get a lesser sentence, which happened, as Brown's doing community service work in place of jail time.

But the larger development is that of Rihanna the responsible public figure. Again, Taylor Swift can follow her example. Since Swift's silence on that horrible Swastika photo matter, I've got comments on my blog posts at Zennie62.com by people actually stating that the Swastika is a sign of peace, as if to apply some weird "PR" rescue to Nazi Germany.

Taylor Swift could silence those hate-filled people with one apology she has yet to give and yet is so easy to provide. If she needs guidance, Swift should turn to Rihanna to show her the way.

NY Yankees are World Series Champs; don't hate them for their payroll

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:44:20 PST

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The New York Yankees just captured their 27th World Series Championship, in 48 playoff appearances, beating the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies 7 to 3 and in six games as Hideki Matsui carried this game on his shoulders.

Hideki Matsui drove in three runs, first with a home run, then a single to center, then a double to deep center. The Phillies didn't threaten until the 6th inning, when Ryan Howard homered to bring the defenders to within striking distance 7 to 3.

But a Phillies threat in the 7th inning was blunted as Chase Utley, the hero of Game 5, struck out swinging at the plate.

The hero of the series? There were many, but I'm swayed by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who explained on TV and at his blog "Baseball Nerd" why Johnny Damon made the smartest play in World Series history, Sunday, when he stole a third base the Phillies left uncovered because of a defensive shift.

Yankees payroll puts them in a hard place

With the perennially highest payroll in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees are in a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they don't position. With a payroll hovering around $200 million, they're supposed to win the World Series, or at least get to it. But when they don't win, fans are happy they didn't because they have such a high payroll.

According to an article in Psychology Today, when we teach our kids to hate the Yankees because of their high payroll, we cause them to forget that the baseball game is played on the field. In other words, hatred for the Yankees is so great, we have shrinks telling us how unhealthy it is.

I don't hate the Yankees at all.

As I've explained to students who use my Oakland Baseball Simworld in the classroom, its possible to construct the revenue to create a Yankees competitive player payment base. It's better to join the Yankees than beat them at their payroll game. That said, many teams opt for the "Moneyball" route, employing Sabermetrics (statistical analysis for baseball-related playing decisions) to find the best players and use them is specific situations, and keep salaries at manageable levels.

Improving Twitter - how about emailed tweets?

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:20:47 PST

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I was reading TechCrunch blogger MG Siegler's post on the newest improvement to Twitter, that of notifications in a new "ticker tape" bar just above the list of tweets, when it hit me: Why not emailed tweets?

See, what Twitter's staff is trying to do is keep users engaged, according to MG's post, people tweet for a while or a period of time, then lose interest. The problem with the fix that's installed is one still has to come to the Twitter page to see it.

My idea is to send the tweet to the user via email so that it appears in one's mobile phone email account, thus the person doesn't have to have an app on their phone or go to their computer to know what tweets they're getting.

To clarify this would not be any tweet but just those directed at the user starting with the @zennie62 indicator. That would theoretically reduce the number of tweets flooding one's email in-box.

What do you think? Send an email or comment at my video page.

LA Lakers - Will The Lakers go 20 and 1? Record 3-1

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:38:56 PST

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My LA Lakers watch, where I make a bet that the Lakers will go 20 and 1 has already taken a bit of a beating because the Lakers are 3 and 1 as I write this and face the Houston Rockets tonight.

NBA Western Conference, Pacific Division foe Phoenix Suns are the best team at 4 and 0. For the Lakers to help me win bet, they have to go 16 and zip. Can they do it? We shall see.

Take my poll:

create a free poll on pollsb.com

Unemployment benefits extension approved by Senate

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:47:57 PST

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I was just informed that the U.S. Senate voted 98 to 0 to extend unemployment benefits for 20 weeks, which means those GOP Senators who were standing in the way of help for many Americans got the message and stopped being a road block to assistance, which they were as recently as Tuesday.

According to CNN, the benefits will be extended an additional six weeks for states, like New Jersey and California, where the unemployment rate is greater than 8.5 percent.

The measure now moves to the House for a floor vote, perhaps as early as Thursday. Then it goes to the White House for President Obama's signature.

AMPAS event "Brave Women In Wartime" a must see show

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:17:10 PST

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, home of The Oscars) announces a really cool, must see event, Wednesday, November 11th, 7 PM at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, CA.

I call it "Brave Women In Wartime" because it features two films: “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” and “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” which are about women who coped with difficult situations during the Holocaust and The Liberian Civil War. Both films were drawn from the 2008 Academy Awards pool of nominated films.

"Blessed Is The Match" is the first documentary about Hannah Senesh. Described as a modern day Joan-of-Arc, she was a paratrooper and resistance fighter. In 1944, Hannah participated in what turned out to be the only military rescue mission for Jews during the Holocaust. Her life ended sadly as she was captured, tortured and killed by the Nazis and all seen by her mother, Catherine.

(This is the kind of movie Taylor Swift and A.J. English should jaunt over to see, given their now famous Swastika row and the incredibly high level of insensitivity expressed about the issue, both is Swift's silence and in some of her defenders actually writing to me that the Swastika is a symbol of peace! As of this writing, Swift still hasn't apologized for the photo.)

“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” concerns the story of thousands of Liberian woman, armed only with white T-shirts, who came together to stage a silent protest that forced peace talks ending the conflict and the atrocities of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor during the 90s. It's a movie

Again, the event is at the The Linwood Dunn Theater, located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

Carly Fiorina called "Failed CEO" by California Dems

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:29:31 PST

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I just got an email from California Democratic Party chairman John Burton that's a blistering attack on Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who recently announced she was entering the race for California's next U.S. Senator as a Republican, thus challenging Senator Barbara Boxer. I can actually hear the legendary Burton say these words:

“The last thing Californians need in a U.S. Senator is a failed CEO who was fired by her last employer after taking $100 million for herself.

“In these tough times, hard-working Californians need a Senator who will fight to create jobs, not a millionaire former executive who laid off more than 28,000 Americans and shipped jobs overseas.

“Carly Fiorina may have millions to spend on a Senatorial race, but Californians will not be snookered by yet another millionaire neophyte in search of a new hobby.

“Maybe Fiorina’s ill-advised run for Senate will finally inspire her to take the time to vote.

“Senator Boxer and the California Democratic Party will be ready for Assemblymember Chuck DeVore, Fiorina or whoever wins the Republican primary in 2010.”

Now we see how "Carly 2.0" is going to be attacked by the California Democratic Party: first on political experience as she has little save for advising then-Presidential candidate Senator John McCain (and where she said neither McCain or Vice Presidential Running Mate Sarah Palin could run a company) ; second on wealth as Florina didn't leave HP poor but her income is after yesterday's election officially a liability (New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg almost lost his bid for a third term after spending almost $100 million in that city's mayor's race.); third on her voting record, where she's only voted five times in the last 18 elections.

Senator John McCain and Carly Florina

That kind of disengagement can and will be used by Dems as a "hammer and pound" message in the campaign. And why not: it works. The only person I can think of who was similarly disengaged in his past was Ross Perot, but the famous entrepreneur over came all of his weaknesses with a blast of personality in his Presidential run.

The other question I have is will Carly invite the Right Wingnuts to help her in her Senate bid. They lost their last election, that in New York State's 23rd District when Bill Owens beat Doug Hoffman, and were rejected by Republican gubenatorial candidate and now Governor-elect Bob McDonnell in Virginia.

Can Carly keep the Right Wingnuts off her campaign and present a blast of personality that overcomes her weaknesses? I have my doubts, but let's see if "Carly 2.0" is really a new version of Carly Fiorina or just a marketing slogan. Frankly, I can't wait for the first debate in this contest!

Unemployment insurance extension delayed by GOP; who to call?

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:05:03 PST

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In my last blog post on the unemployment insurance delay problem, I explained how the GOP was delaying the much-needed extension of unemployment insurance.

To recap, on Tuesday it was revealed that legislation to extend unemployment insurance was being held-up by GOP Senators who were trying to dump a large list of amendments concerning ACORN and also (as The Hill reported) taking the money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) rather than the the unemployment surtax.

In other words taking money from the program to create jobs, thus weakening The Stimulus. Wild.

And the concern for the the unemployment surtax shows how little GOP Senators understand America's own unemployment funding system - that surtax is funded by the worker when they're employed. It's not a burden on the employer, or it should not be.

Many want to know who to call to place pressure on ending this bit of political gaming because Americans who need the extension ASAP are suffering. According to a number of sources, this is the GOP call list:

GOP Senators who voted against extending benefits:

JOHN BARASSO (R-WY) 202-224-6441
CHRISTOPHER BOND (R-MO) 202-224-5721
JIM BUNNING(R-KY) 202-224-4343
THOMAS CODBURN (R-OK) 202-224-5754
JOHN CORNYN (R-TX) 202-224-2934
JIM DEMINT (R-SC) 202-224-6121
MICHAEL ENZI (R-WY) 202-224-3424
LINDSY GRAHAM (R-SC) 202-224-5972
ORRIN HATCH (R-UT) 202-224-5251
JAMES INHOEF (R-OK) 202-224-4721
JEFFERSON SESSIONS (R-AL) 202-224-4124
DAVID VITTER (R-LA) 202-224-4623
ROGER WICKER (R-MS) 202-224-6253

I will continue monitoring this problem. Stay tuned.

NY 23 election results - Bill Owens beats Doug Hoffman, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:25:04 PST

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Glenn Beck. Doug Hoffman's Mentor

The Right Wingnuts led by Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Malkin lost their self-selected signpost election the 23rd Congressional District in New York. The ultra-conservative Republican candidate Doug Hoffman conceded to Democrat Bill Owens just about a half-hour ago.

Owens gained 49 percent of the vote, versus 46 percent for Hoffman, and six percent for Dede Scozzafava, who's name was still on the ballot, even though she dropped out of the race.

That the 23-rd District of New York is Democratic and moderate Republican country didn't seem to phase these Couch Potato Conservatives. (While Republicans have controlled that seat for years, their politics have been centrist.)

This race saw the original Republican challenger Dede Scozzafava back out of the race under extreme pressure from within her own party and the right wingnut fringe. They - led by media pundits Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Malkin - hand picked Doug Hoffman as the man who would save them. With their withering communications drumbeat, Hoffman rose from nowhere in the polls to the point of being considered the front runner before tonight's election.

What hurt Hoffman? Theatrics aside, he was new to the area. On Topix, one commenter wrote:

Hoffman doesn't even live in district 23. He thinks that our local issues and concerns are "Parochial" and... he was not able to answer questions about these local issues and concerns.

He was set up by the media? Poor baby. My cup runneth over with sympathy for him ( sarcasam intended )

Others were turned off by the drum-beat of ultra-conservative talk show mouth involvement, as well as Hoffman's admission that Glen Beck was his "mentor."

No kidding.

While that may have helped Hoffman, it wasn't enough and I argue that if Dede Sccozafava took her name off the ballot those votes would have went to Owens and not Hoffman. She backed Owens and for all practical purposes is a conservative democrat.

In other words Owens margin of victory could have been greater than three percent, perhaps six percent or better if Scozzafava's name were off the ballot.

Now if it were Scozzafava versus Owens, she would have won with the same media help but maintaining her more liberal political positions (That would have been something!)

Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh lose

With this we can say the "RHINO" purge - where wingnut pundits like Malkin developed a "hit list" of moderate Republicans - failed. Getting Dede Scozzafava out of the race caused the party to lose an election they could have won.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to Host Oscars Show - 82nd Academy Awards

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:40:40 PST

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The latest Oscar Buzz is big. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were selected to host the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Steve Martin

They're an odd couple: Martin the funny, quirky star of such films as LA Story and Baldwin, the aggressive actor known for his roll as Jack Donaghy in the popular 30 Rock, traded barbs in thanking the Academy and producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman.

“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

Steve Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, and landed an Emmy nomination for the first go. Steve's performances were some of Oscar's most memorable as a host.

Will this help boost ratings? Ah, no. Both actors are better known to older audiences even though Baldwin, because of 30 Rock, is presented regularly to a younger demographic. But still Martin and Baldwin are safe picks to be sure.

The Oscar show will be on Sunday, March 7, 2010, but you know that already, right? Stay tuned for more information and videos on past performances.

Judge who denied interracial couple marriage in Louisiana resigns

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:42:08 PST

Keith Bardwell, the Justice-Of-The-Peace who denied an interracial couple Louisiana marriage resigns, according to a breaking news email from CNN.

Bardwell, a Tangipahoa Parish Louisiana Judge (outside New Orleans), became famous for rejecting Terence McKay and his girlfriend Beth Humphrey, who wanted to be married by Bardwell. But Keith decided to show the country what real racism was when he said "I do it to protect the children, he reportedly said. The kids are innocent and I worry about their futures" when asked why he would not marry an interracial couple.

What's even more frightening is Judge Bardwell did not think he was a racist. According to the Associated Press, Bardwell said this:

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

on the issue at the time and I'll have more information soon:

Unemployment extension delayed by GOP; 200,000 lose benefits

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:55:17 PST

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This is a total outrage and what you will get if the GOP - that's the Republican Party of Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh - gets its way: no unemployment insurance and no jobs to be employed at.

According to the Huffington Post's Ryan Grim, An extension of unemployment benefits is being delayed by Senate Republicans. In October, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made a motion to pass it by unanimous consent after the House approved it by an overwhelming vote of 331-83. (I'll get a list of those who opposed it.)

The Senate GOP objected to Reid's motion.

So Reid filed for "closure" to break a Republican filibuster, then a motion was issued to consider the bill which would also block a filibuster, and that passed 87 to 13. But here's the catch: the Republicans have 30 hours of allowed debate time, and they're taking it! (You can read the more detailed story at Grim's blog post.)

It's obvious they don't care about the unemployment insurance of those who applied for it and need the extention. Moreover, there are people who apply for it and are still waiting for their interview call to happen. A gentleman at Gaylords, a local Oakland cafe, said that he applied weeks ago and still have not received a phone call.

This is happening to people who are used to finding work, but can't, and it's terrible.

Meanwhile the GOP uses this misery to play political games. One would think it's more logical to help fix the economy and assist people and take some credit for that rather than acting as the vehicle to drive them out of their homes.

So for those of you in places with hot election day races, think about the GOP and how they've held up your unemployment insurance before you vote Republican. Yes, growing jobs is the ultimate answer, but causing a person to go broke while searching for a job when something can be done to help them isn't right either.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Election Day November 2009 - Bloomberg for Mayor of New York, Corzine for Gov of NJ

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:32:24 PST

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Last year saw the most exciting November Election Day my personal history with America putting the first African American man into office as President of the United States: Barack Obama.

One year later, in this "off year election" and in the middle of the second worst economy in our nation's history, we have a few key races in three states. Here's my personal view - not that of any other website or publication - on who you should vote for and why.

Bloomberg for Mayor of New York City

The most important one for me is Mayor of New York, where Mike Bloomberg has spent between $86 million, or as Lou Dobbs said yesterday on CNN $100 million in an attempt to be reelected Mayor of New York City.

But he didn't have to spend that much money to retake a job he's done so well. Mike Bloomberg has proven himself to be a capable elected official and a steady, focused hand in many ways better than former mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Guiliani, who had adversarial relationships with New York's black and Latino communities. Not so with Bloomberg, who's also done well in steering New York through the recession. Mike deserves to be reelected Mayor of New York City.

Corzine for NJ Governor

Jon Corzine finds himself locked in a battle for Governor of New Jersey against Christopher Christie. But the real way to look at New Jersey is its unemployment rate, which is at 9.8 percent - while high it's not as bad as a number of states and was aided by a stimulus package that no New Jersey republican reportedly wanted.

That means a Republican in office will be less likely to want stimulus money or make sure unemployment insurance needs are well-funded. While New Jersey's economy has had its problems, that's true around America. Chris Christie's not going to fix New Jersey.

Jon Corzine is not being looked at with the right lens. He's a person who understands how to direct New Jersey through economic crisis and should be given the right to finish the job he started as Governor of New Jersey and fix that state's economy.

Creigh Deeds for Virginia

Ok, he's not exciting but he gets the job done for rural Virginians. But having the anti-choice conservative Bob McDonnell as Governor is a step backward for a state that needs to and has moved progressively forward.

What ever you do, make sure you get out and use your God-given, hard-earned right to vote today. I'll provide more election views and updates through the day.

Tom Hayes: For GOP Congress is now the opposite of Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Hayes, the Synergist) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:17:07 PST

It would be laughable if it wasn't such obvious partisan grand-standing. The minority party wants to have their cake, and eat it, too. After years of exercising rock-solid legislative control with Congressional majorities they're finding the rules aren't as fun when the other guys are in charge.

The GOP leaders say they want the President to, "show some leadership," and, "get things accomplished." But along the way he'd better compromise with them. The latest example comes from the stage of international relations. The President's supposed to represent indecision in Copenhagen, courtesy of the 7 GOP members of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee.

These esteemed Senators have threatened a boycott of planned work sessions - get this - to delay the start of the committee debate. We're not even talking about a vote, they don't even want to talk about the bill yet. Progress isn't supposed to be the opposite of Congress, is it?

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who chairs the committee, said, "We're not going to rush this through," because she hopes Republicans will, "return to the table." She's extending the deadline for Republicans to notify her of amendments they're considering, and canceled the Tuesday session so Environmental Protection Agency staff could come appear before EPW to answer technical questions, even. She's bending over backwards to craft a bi-partisan bill and get a committee vote before the Copenhagen Climate talks.

But she doesn't have to. All the posturing about costs, and how acting too quickly will surely be a burden on business, are echoes of the tired, familiar litany that the GOP always recites whenever their lobbyists haven't blessed a bill.

Even if the 7 Republicans don't show up the committee still has the necessary quorum to conduct business. It only takes 10 votes to move the bill forward to the floor, and 12 of the 19 members are Democrats. Obviously Senator Boxer and the administration know this simple math.

Evidently the decision has been to to compromise on some of the procedures, and possibly even policies, but to set an agenda that shows American values in the court of world opinion - yet the GOP chooses to play obstructive games while complaining that Obama doesn't exhibit leadership in world affairs.

I know that sort of thing can be spun into indignant rants by extreme pundits selecting judicious sound-bites. Yet, when Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has called on China to set a tougher target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions after 2020 as its part of the international agreement to be negotiated in Copenhagen, shouldn't the U.S. Congress step back from the rhetoric and help set the stage for U.S. participation?

The facts are stark; the U.S. can lead in Copenhagen, or we can trail along behind petulantly like a spoiled brat. If the GOP wants the President and his administration to demonstrate leadership it's logical that they facilitate -- rather than delay, decry, and obfuscate.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Rush Limbaugh too immature and inexperienced to be NFL team owner

zennie@sportsbusinesssims.com (Zennie Abraham) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:26:01 PST

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Rush Limbaugh was on Fox News Sunday for a really softball-of-an-interview by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.

The discussion was a platform for all things Rush and Limbaugh got so carried away running his jaw, that while he thought he was talking about - well, insulting - President Obama, Rush was actually talking about himself and why he can't be the owner of an NFL team:

He really has no experience running anything. He's very young. I think he's got an out-of-this-world ego. He's very narcissistic. And he's able to focus all attention on him all the time. That description is simply a way to cut through the noise and say he's immature, inexperienced, in over his head.

And that, folks, summed up why Rush Limbaugh was kicked off the St. Louis Rams NFL ownership group by its leader, St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts.

Rush came into the situation because Dave Checketts invited him knowing full well that his really immature and just not smart remarks about Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb would come back to haunt him along with all the other statements he's made while letting his mouth run free on radio.

(Think about it. Rush said that the media "was desirous to see a black quarterback do well". But the flip side of that statement would mean that Rush was happy to see a black quarterback fail. Uh, like he wants President Obama to fail.)

Limbaugh was in over his head in dealing with the resulting criticism by NFL players and in a perfectly narcissistic fashion attacked NFL players and anyone who dared bring up his racially-divisive statements and made the issue more of what it was already: "all attention on him all the time."

Get it? Get it...

There's an old saying: careful who you chose as your enemy because you may see yourself in them. Rush Limbaugh looks at President Obama and really sees himself, he just plain can't admit it.