Sterling and The Snoop

Never thought I would laud the actions of Snoop Dog over those of...  The NAACP!!! While racist Whites would no doubt twist and construe his response as racist, hate speech against the ever oppressed White man, what I particularly admire about it is the succinct, rather restrained and totally appropriate message and delivery- completely honest, forthright and... on task.

Much rarer in public nowadays, are the all out, white foamed harangues associated with the KKK. Whenever most Whites now deliver their racist commentary, it's usually done with cleverly substituted code words and terminology; the epithet laden, emotional vitriol is absent, but the deep down, ill founded hatred still percolates. Snoop's response, as passionate and from the heart as it is, isn't filled with the insane hatred that constitutes the very heart of racism, it isn't a generalized statement condemning an entire group of people- it is a very measured, almost clinical response to the individual racist who inspired it.

UpDate... 

Clippers Owner Donald Sterling to GF: Don't Bring Black People to My Games

A Rose By Any Other Name...

via Boing Boing

It's curious to see how the commentary on this facet of racism (in sports) so closely mirrors anytime (the very, very few times) the subject comes up in photographic circles- the defense of, denial of and justification for.

To actually have a team called the "Redskins" in 2013 is, I'd like to say, totally unbelievable. Upon seeing the plethora of blatantly racist commentary on the internet however, it is, in fact- totally believable as well as repugnant. As for the Cleveland Indians and Chief Wahoo, I must admit to having rather fond, endearing memories of The Chief since childhood, but Neil Shyminsky lays out a pretty convincing argument as to why "nostalgia for its own sake is always a pretty weak argument," not to mention a host of other more salient reasons...

What Place!?!

This is way, waaay too early in the game to draw any conclusions, other than to say that Le Boss still has the thrill factor. This will soon be relegated to ancient history as the days and weeks inexorably wear on in this race of unholy attrition. But the old feuds are back and- new ones to be determined?

Le Tour!!!

Despite what you may think of him, having Lance Armstrong back in Le Tour de France is a kick. His raptor like concentration, determination and fuck-all attitude make for one eerily scary and winning combination (against the mountains called cancer, or the Alps). I never thought I could get into a sport that is such the proverbial chess match. But it's also so high on the pain, isolation and pure guts thresholds, it could easily give boxing a run for its money. These white boys suffer! Let Le Tour begin...

Photo: AP

Mixed Blessings...

Like all prodigies, Allonzo Trier's path to professional success is laden with career ending possibilities each and every day of his pre-adult life, obstacles that can lay waste the dream quicker than it flashed unto his prepubescent consciousness. Physical injuries and limitations, financial skullduggery- and the potential psychic trauma of such premature exposure to all that is best and worst in the human condition. Everything that can turn a blessing into a curse.

I grew up loving the sport. There's something so fundamentally pure at its core- a leather ball, a metal hoop, and whatever spark of ingenuity one brings to the hardwood. But this avenue to success has long been overcrowded and oversold, like the asphalt streets surrounding many a broken backboard.
Photo: Lauren Greenfield

Dwyane Wade

I'm not much on sports these days, at least not like when I was a kid- and even then, it was larger than life personalities who accomplished things outside the arena that really attracted me (eg- The Greatest). Fortunately, there is a genuine, modern day, sports hero who excels as athlete, and fellow human.

Nice to see in these times of me, me, me...

Let The Games Begin!

"da Tour" New York

Well, the '08 Tour de France is over and Carlos Sastre has won that three week paean to pain and tribulation. San Francisco doesn't have anything approaching the Alps or the Pyrenees, but the numerous hills are challenge enough for this aging cyclist. And although Manhattan isle is virtually flat as the proverbial pancake, I still stand in awe of anyone who dares venture to ride a bike in midtown Manhattan traffic, always did always will. New York is one of America's few remaining pedestrian cities (ie- a real city), but once you step off that pavement unto the asphalt, you are fair game- and a bicycle offers no protection, just more opportunities to get hit in that maddening vortex of NYC traffic. I understand steps have been taken there to make it more bike friendly, but it's gonna be one hard sell to convince this native. And this video of one of New York's finest tackling and body slamming a Critical Mass participant for no good reason does little to persuade otherwise...

Le Tour de France!

Le Tour de France, one of sports most grueling, competitive events, commenced this weekend. I ride my bike almost daily since I moved to San Francisco- took me a good three months to "get my legs" to go up the damn hills here. Previous to that I would fake that my bike broke down mysteriously at the base of every hill as I'd curse and push it all the way up- until the fateful day I finally realized I was actually pedaling uphill! I had always viewed boxing as the ultimate test of training, self discipline and endurance- until I got on a bike in this hilly town. One round in boxing can be like battling death itself, but so is riding up a mountain, whether it's the Pyrenees or the goddamn Alps for Chrissakes, for days... and weeks!

BTW- Three independent labs that tested urine from Floyd Landis (above), the same sample that tested positive by the French lab which has admitted to botching protocol and contaminating samples, testified at the arbitration hearing that they found it as non-positive- doesn't that mean that (contrary to popular opinion) maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that this man might have been unjustly stripped of his Tour de France win (and livelihood) in 2006?

Now this is where it gets really weird- Alberto Contador, the winner of the 2007 Tour de France, is banned from defending his title this year because... the team that he signed with immediately after last year's Tour win was later banned from this year's Tour (as of this Feb) for a violation they originally committed in 2006! And you thought riding up a mountain was crazy!

Weekend Athleticism!

Friday I went to a ML baseball game, something I hadn't done in quite some time. I was quite astounded to find that a good third of the people there were only vaguely interested in the game at best. Stadiums have changed dramatically since yours truly was a child, back then there was the game, and outside of that you had hot dog stands, bathrooms and souvenirs. Now the game itself is secondary to the multiple bars, cruising areas, rides, restaurants, various on and off field entertainment- and don't forget the conveniently located baseball video games for reality disabled kids everywhere.



Saturday night I saw the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster- a rather fair and balanced (I kid you not) look at the role of performance enhancing drugs in modern sports. It focuses on the roles these drugs (particularly steroids) play not only on professional and amateur athletes, but on the lives of the movie maker's immediate family. Be prepared for a rather intriguing, informative and, yes, comical inquiry into the political, moral and physical side effects that these drugs impose on present day society.

Oh, and BTW... the Before/After photos shown above were taken on the same day! And not only was the After "buffed up," the Before was also "pigged out."