Expertise's Politics and Sports Blog


Thursday, May 05, 2005
Fallen Idol.

If I could put in one word, it would be "Amazing".

When I first heard about ABC doing the story (through Drudge), Fox tried to beat them to it and say they were trying to damage the show during sweeps with false allegations and rumormongering.  Now, if Fox comes out tomorrow and holds that same stance, they risk making themselves look even sillier than they do now.

I know bloggers constantly blast the exempt media (I'm going to start using Morrissey's term instead of "mainstream") for weak reporting, and rightfully so.  But this wasn't one of those times.  ABC's story was airtight.  I don't know how any person - even if you aren't objective - could actually look at that story and not believe Paula had a relationship with Corey Clark.

Let's review the facts for a second:

- Corey Clark had a cough syrup bottle filled in PAULA'S NAME.

- Phone records showed DOZENS of calls made by Paula's phone number to Clark's home, his momma's cell phone, his father's cell phone, and his grandfather's home.

- Clark's friends met Paula at a club.

- Clark's mother actually talked to Paula on the phone.

- Clark had no money, something that his friends backed up, yet he was able to get a new wardrobe, a fresh hair cut, fresh braids, and a new cell phone.

- Clark could describe the interior of the house in detail:  the jacuzzi, the dogs, where the guest room was, what was in her bedroom, etc.

- Voice messages.  Nuff said.

- The song choice that would win Randy Jackson over.  (And can I clown Randy for a second?  DAWG, lissen up.  300 llb men shouldn't wear leather pants and a red blouse.  And I know it was the 80's, but what was with the hair?  You looked like Jermaine Jackson's image in a funhouse mirror.)

- One of the former contestants had heard the same thing in a rumor soon after she left the show.

There really isn't a need for Idol to do an investigation.  ABC's already done it for them.  In order for this to be fake, Clark would have had to constantly break into Paula's house as well as steal her purse (I imagine that's where she keeps her cell phone), and call every house the records showed she called, not to mention steal her cough syrup.  He would also have to collaborate to get his friends to lie, his mom and dad to lie, the Sprint customer service rep to lie (ABC stated a rep saw Paula and Clark come in together to buy a phone.) as well as impersonate her voice.  No matter how you look at it, Paula is guilty.

So what should she do?  Quit.  I originally thought she would simply leave after the end of this season, but now I'm not certain if she will last the weekend.  This is no doubt the worst scandal Idol has ever had.  The sooner they can fix it, the better, especially as the crucial weeks for American Idol wind down.  Idol producers have acted quickly in the past.  Is there any doubt they won't do it here as well?

To be perfectly honest, I don't blame Clark for coming out with this.  After all, Paula dropped him like a sack of potatoes after he was booted from Idol.  Besides, if I tagged Paula Abdul, I'd want to tell the world too.  Paula's the stupid one for engaging in this behavior with a man 16 years her junior in a competition she's judging.  Who does she think she is....Tom Cruise?

Posted at 03:12 am by Expertise
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Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Forget Shawn Michaels....

Gilbert Arenas is the new Heartbreak Kid.

If you didn't watch the Bulls/Wizards game, you missed a classic ending.

More later.  Time to watch Fallen Idol.

UPDATE:  I finished watching the end of the Spurs/Nuggets game, and God knows everything else.  It's late, so I got a lot of blogging to do between now and tomorrow afternoon.

First things first; let's talk about that incredible Wizards win over the Bulls tonight.  In retrospect, it was sloppy - the Wizards blew a 22 point lead, and a 12 point one in the final two minutes for the Bulls to tie the game with 5.4 seconds left - but an incredible shot by Gilbert Arenas had Washington pulling out the win on the road.

Poor free throw shooting by Antwan Jamison (a Tarheel no less!) almost blew the game.  Jamison missed four straight at the line, and the final two could have possibly put the game away with 25 seconds left in the game.  Larry Hughes could have done the same later on by making it a two possession game with ll seconds left, but went 1-1 for a three point lead.  A cheap foul placed Bulls guard Kurt Hinrich at the line, and he missed both fts, but a scramble for the rebound resulted to a Heinrich pass on the wing to relatively unknown Bulls backup Jannero Pargo, who sank the trey and tied it up.

NBA's timeout rule gave the Wizards the ball at halfcourt with 5.5 seconds left.  Arenas got the ball at the top of the circle.  It almost seemed as if he wasn't going to be too late, but he drove inside off the elbow and hit the jumper; nothing but net.  Arenas was almost Jordan-esque with that shot as he really made it seem easy.

In the late game, the Spurs finished off the Nuggets to take a break before they move on to the second round to face the Sonics.

I've always liked the Spurs ever since they drafted Tim "Groundhog Day" Duncan (the Inside the NBA guys call him that because he plays the same way every day).  The reason why is real simple; they are the personification of what a team is supposed to be.  You never hear any drama coming from that Spurs locker room.  All of those guys are like family to each other.  And when they get on the court, they all know their roles and they execute them to a tee. 

Rarely do you hear about the Spurs blowing a lead.  If you beat them, it was because you played a hell of a game.  Kenny Smith was the truth when he talked about the Spurs being like the volume dial on the radio.  Most of the time, they'll always be a 7.  They can go up to 10 if need be, but they'll never go below a 6, which means every team that faces them must consistently play at a 7 level or up to have a chance to beat them.  

You find very few teams in the league consistent enough to play them at that level for a seven game series, particularly in the last three seasons.  That's what happened to Denver; they have the talent, but they simply don't have the team chemistry and the consistency that brings.  Besides Larry Brown, Greg Popovich is probably the best coach in the league, and he understands how to get maximum results from his players when he needs it.  George Karl is a great coach too, but he just came on board in midseason, and needs time to mold this team into true contenders.  But Denver only won Game 1 because Duncan was coming off of an injury.  Seattle won't have that luxury in the next round.

So with the remaining Round One series, we have some great ones with Indiana/Boston, with the Pacers leading 3-2, Bulls/Wizards, with the Wizards leading 3-2, and Dallas/Houston, with the Mavs leading 3-2.  Which ones will go seven games?  I see Dallas/Houston going that route, and maybe the Bulls/Wizards as well. Indiana I think will close out the series tonight.  Hopefully I will be able to watch the Pacers/Celtics game and Mavs/Rockets game to see if I'm right.

Posted at 10:03 pm by Expertise
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Television debate.

Well, what will it be?

I got the playoffs, with San Antonio trying to finish off Denver (and likely will) along with the very good Bulls/Wizards matchup, where the Wizards are up by 12 as we speak (check the scoreboard, people...I didn't put it up there for nothing.)

But then I also got American Idol, and Fallen Idol, which is the hit piece by ABC that will air on Primetime Live.  Drudge has been falling over himself hyping this up for a week.

Decisions decisions decisions.  Also, check back in the morning, as I should have some commentary in regards to Michelle Malkin's column about South Park conservatives.

UPDATE:  The Malkin post will be on the site tomorrow afternoon.  For those that might have seen this link through a search engine, I'll place the link for that post later.

My post is here.

Posted at 08:12 pm by Expertise
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NBA fines Jeff Van Gundy $100,000 for officials conspiracy.

Before I start, let me start off with this disclaimer:  I am a sports official.  I'm not an NBA official, but I would like to be someday.

Now that we got that out of the way, Houston Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy was fined $100,000 yesterday for his comments to the media. Gundy said an official called him up and said the officials calling the series were looking at Yao Ming a little closer on his fouls after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complained about moving screens:

"Before Game Three, I got a call from another official in the NBA who's not in the playoffs that I've known forever, and he told me they were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints," Van Gundy told the newspaper. "It proved prophetic, really, the last couple games. I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has."

Well, it pissed off Dave Stern, and he's responded in a way that no other commissioner has ever went at a coach before.  Not has Stern threatened that this fine is only the beginning, but he's stated that Gundy might be booted out of the NBA because of this:

"If he's going to say things like that, he's not going to continue in this league," Stern said. "If the attitude reflected in those comments continues to be public, he's going to have a big problem with me as long as I'm commissioner."

Lemme start off with this; if there is a coach that you know will ride and die for his players, it's Jeff Van Gundy.  If you remember the infamous Heat/Knicks fight, where Van Gundy ended up hanging on to Alonzo Mourning's ankle for dear life.  That's the one that most people remember.  Fewer people remember the 15 stitches Van Gundy had to get after being popped in the eye inadvertently by Marcus Camby, trying to stop his player from attacking Danny Ferry.

Knowing that, it isn't surprising that he would make these comments if he thought they were true, and it isn't surprising that he would stand by them through thick and thin with Stern ready to end his coaching career.  Van Gundy, above all else, is a man of conviction.

I'm not saying he's right.  Really, the only one that knows the truth is Van Gundy.  And notice; Dallas and the league's front office admitted Cuban complained about several incidents in the game where they felt Ming set illegal picks yet went uncalled.  The front office admitted that out of the picks Cuban mentioned, nine of them should have been whistled illegal, but weren't.

Here's the question:  does the fine and the resulting investigation fit the crime?  I don't think it does.  Van Gundy's fine doubles the previous largest fine for a coach in league history.  While I think the NBA was entitled to some punishment given that Van Gundy refused to give out his source (I'm a believer in roles.  Van Gundy felt he should protect his source.  Stern felt he should give it up.  Neither are necessarily wrong, IMO) and for making the comments to begin with, I think it was too harsh.  While I know Stern and others have been quite sensitive over the officiating conspiracy line, and having a NBA head coach feed that conspiracy, we must place this in the proper context.

I don't think there is a conspiracy.  You must understand the difference of officiating basketball and officiating a more team sport, such as football.  Because there are less players in the game, the officials can analyze what's going on the foor throughout the game, particularly during timeouts and the end of a quarter.  They can talk to each other about what they are seeing, what calls they might have missed, etc. 

Basketball is a fast paced game, and officials have to be on their p's and q's in order to be able to see a play, tell if there is an infraction, which infraction was it, and make the call.  It's not easy, and that's why there is a lot of criticism, because it is impossible for a referee to catch every infraction there is.  BUT, you can keep an eye on things the next time.  Just because an official didn't call a foul doesn't mean he didn't see it, and he can keep it in mind later in the game, or in the next game.

When Cuban called up the front office and made his argument, I'm sure the front office told the officials to do a better job looking for illegal screens.  Now does that mean they told the officials to watch Yao and call him tighter on the screens?  No, but the fact that the officials possibly knew Yao was the focus of the complaints made them look at him a little more than they regularly would.  Nor does it mean Yao is setting legal screens that are being called for violations or fouls.

A lot of basketball fans think the official's central principle is to call it the same way on both ends of the court, but it's much more than that.  Officials have to also worry about the pace of the game, how physical the players are (particularly in the paint), and making the correct call at the correct time.  Therefore, if Van Gundy reviewed the tape and showed they were allowing Dallas to slide on things Yao was being called on, then he might have a point.  But the fact that they are whistling Yao for illegal screens that are actually illegal screens, well, that's Yao's problem, not the officials. 

You also have to look at the setting for this whole situation; the NBA Playoffs.  This makes the situation unique for two reasons.  First, the officials are more experienced, and they are able to catch things a lot quicker during the course of the game.  Second, the season consists of 82 games; and none of the teams play each other on consecutive nights.  In the playoffs, however, there are four games with the same opponent.  Any official will tell you it's a lot easier to call a series, because you know what to look for each time they play and the calling should get better with each game.

That's why the graphics ESPN used to show the difference in playing time and fouls accessed to Yao between the regular season and the playoffs didn't mean squat.  For starters, no official is going to call two games the exact same way.  They might look for the same things, but they aren't going to make the same calls in the same manner.  Also, no player has the exact production and does the same things in every game, no matter if they played their opponent 100 times.  If that's the case, why have a playoff series?  The winner of the first game would move forward since all the rest would be sweeps.

Basketball as a whole - recreation, high school, AAU, college, semi-pro, NBA - faces a number of problems and obstacles that will have to be addressed sooner or later if it is to survive and maintain it's popularity as a global sport.  Officiating is just one of those problems.  I'm sure Van Gundy and Stern both mean well, and I hope this whole fracas ends soon so we can put aside the egos and the grandstanding and deal with the real problems facing basketball.  Kicking Van Gundy out will only hurt the league, and conspiracy theories will only alienate more fans.  Let's squash both ideas and enjoy the playoffs.

Posted at 05:42 am by Expertise
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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Law debate at In The Agora

Just wanted to make a note about the very interesting debate that's going on at In The Agora discussing judicial activism both current and historical.  I am not a law school student, but I love discussing legal opinions and interpretations, and this one is red hot.

At the heart of this stems Eric Seymour's post arguing that the Democrats are filibustering Bush's nominees because the judiciary is the last branch of government that the left still controls.  In it he states most left-winged judges "push their agenda through the courts based largely on personal philosophy (covered by Constitutional fig leaves)".  I agreed with that statement, but his fellow Agora contributor Ed Brayton didn't, and it became a point/counterpoint argument that has included an anomyous poster and has gotten heated at times.  Regardless, it's still good reading.

Probably the best post was Ed Brayton's discussion of the immunities and privileges clause of the 14th Amendment, in which he provides solid proof that the 14th Amendment was designed to force the states to uphold the Bill of Rights.  He also slams the Slaughterhouse opinion as judicial activism, and chides conservatives for supporting that opinion even today.  The central question is how far does the clause go in incoporating the Bill of Rights as well as natural rights into the 14th Amendment?

Also, we're trying to find information into Janice Rogers Brown's stance on this clause.  Brayton originally said Brown felt the 14th Amendment didn't incorporate any rights upon the states, but after I found a Washington Post op-ed berating Brown for supporting the Lochner decision, it seems she possibly changed her mind about it considering Lochner is considered the widest interpretation of the immunities and clause argument to date.  If you have any insight into this, feel free to leave a comment or scroll down and click "contact me" on the sidebar.

I've finally received Men In Black (which means I am now reading two books, because I still haven't finished reading South Park Conservatives), and just finished "Radicals In Robes", the first chapter.  I'll be looking out for Levin's opinion on the 14th Amendment as well as how it pertains to judicial interpretation today.

Posted at 01:23 pm by Expertise
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Monday, May 02, 2005
Robertson's truth sends "moderates" on other side of the fence.

Yesterday the Reverend Pat Robertson was on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulis, and when asked about the current animosity of the federal judiciary by conservatives, he said this:

"Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings," Robertson said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

"I think we have controlled Al Qaeda," the 700 Club host said, but warned of "erosion at home" and said judges were creating a "tyranny of oligarchy."

Confronted by Stephanopoulos on his claims that an out-of-control liberal judiciary is the worst threat America has faced in 400 years - worse than Nazi Germany, Japan and the Civil War - Robertson didn't back down.

"Yes, I really believe that," he said. "I think they are destroying the fabric that holds our nation together."

This has led to some strong criticism, as the "Moderate" Voice responds:

This kind of verbal stops political debate — cold. So Robertson now says our judges are in some ways worse than terrorists. Why? Because they don't rule the way HE wants. And Republicans (rightfully) complained about some of the verbal excesses of Michael Moore?

If you've seen me respond to some of his comments on Booker Rising, you know I don't think much of Gandleman to begin with, nor of most of the bloggers that call themselves "moderates" (I'd rather call them fenceriders or lukewarmers).  I have a hard time taking people seriously who's solution to everything is the middle of the road, or whatever sounds like a good idea at the time.

But what's wrong with Robertson's comments?  Absolutely nothing.  While the terrorist reference is admittedly over-the-top, the fact remains that Robertson isn't saying anything that hasn't been said since the founding of this country:

Thomas Jefferson:

The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal judiciary; an irresponsible body, (for impeachment is scarcely a scare-crow) working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the States, and the government of all be consolidated into one.

James Madison:

I acknowledge, in the ordinary course of government, that the exposition of the laws and Constitution devolves upon the judicial. But I beg to know upon what principle it can be contended that any one department draws from the Constitution greater powers than another in marking out the limits of the powers of the several departments.

George Mason:

"When we consider the nature of these (Federal) courts, we must conclude that their effect and operation will be utterly to destroy the State governments; for they will be the judges how far their laws will operate .... The principle itself goes to the destruction of the legislation of the States, whether or not it was intended .... I think it will destroy the State governments .... Ther are many gentlemen in the United States who think it right that we should have one great, national, consolidated government, and that it was better to bring it about slowly and imperceptibly rather than all at once .... To those who think that one national consolidated government is best for America, this extensive judicial authority will be agreeable."

Abraham Lincoln:

"The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."

Alexander Hamilton:

For I agree, that there is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and judicial powers.

So Robertson's comments aren't new, at least to people with a modicum of American history.  Sure, Robertson is looking out for his own viewpoint of constitutional interpretation in relation to Christianity.  But that doesn't mean you ignore the central premise of his argument, which is that we live under a judiciary run amok, that has given themselves powers that weren't handed to them by the Constitutional Convention or any constitutional amendment.  And this was predicted by several of the framers as well as early public figures and former presidents.

If that's something that the fenceriders can't handle, then that's fine by me.  America will be a better place without ticks clinging on to men and women of principle.

Posted at 07:12 pm by Expertise
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The Contender Quarterfinals: Joey vs. Peter


(Photo:  Yahoo's The Contender Page)

Alfonso Manfredo won last week's fight over an overmatched Ahmed Khaddour.  Alfonso was much more bruised this time than he was in his first fight with Peter, but won by a unaminous decision.  Back at the training house the boys talked about how dangerous Alfonso was, but they gave him kudos for being all heart.

There were four boxers left to go in the quarterfinals, and they once again tried to pre-pick fights, which has failed, what, three times already?  At the heart of the matter was Anthony, who had a torn hamstring (most thought it was just pulled, but a doctor announced it being torn later on).  They decided Joey would face Peter this week and Jesse would face Anthony next week.  However, none of them trusted Anthony to keep his word to fight Jesse if he won the mission this week due to the Brent Cooper incident a few episodes back.

They didn't realize Joey was scheming as well.  Anthony was injured, and would be a much better matchup for him than the other three fighters.  The object of the game is to win, and the best way to win is to choose your opponents carefully when given the chance.  However, Joey screwed up by telling Jesse his plan.  Jesse felt Joey was trying to get an easy fight.  However, wasn't Jesse more than willing to get that same injured fighter?  Jesse realized that Joey couldn't win the mission this week, or Joey would choose Anthony to fight this week.

Later, Stallone gave Alfonso the IV pendant, which is given to each semifinalist.  Jackie, who is a long-time boxing publicist and manager, allowed Alfonso to take someone with him for the reward.  Since Sergio took Alfonso with him last week for his reward, Alfonso would pay back the favor.  They accompanied Jackie on a clothes shopping spree on Rodeo Drive.  Blah.  Seems to me they're starting to run out of rewards choices, as they've already done one before.  I felt it was a waste of money anyways.  Had it be me, I'd have probably asked her could the money we were going to spend home.  I could have paid bills with it.

It was challenge time, this week they had a speedbag race...sorta.  The guys had to lay on the ground facing away from the speedbags which were probably, say, 100 yards away.  In front of each speedbag was a sign with a specific color and number.  Sugar Ray would either tell them a number or a color, and they had to get up and run to it and grab the speedbag.

There were only five guys that were in this challenge, since Anthony was injured and forfeited.  The first part of the competition had the five guys simply trying to run and grab a speedbag.  There were four speedbags, so the odd man out had to challenge another guy in a speedbag race.  The loser of that race was eliminated.

Sergio lost the first race and challenged Alfonso, who was eliminated first.  Sergio lost the group race again, and challenged Peter.  Peter misunderstood Sugar Ray's command, which gave Sergio the easy victory.  Sergio lost the group race AGAIN, challenged Joey, but was eliminated.  That meant Joey and Jesse remained, and they went two out of three.  Jesse won the first race, Joey won the second, but Jesse pulled out the third to win the mission and became the matchmaker.

When they got back to the gym, Jesse decided the fight.  He said he would have fought next, but he had a hamstring pull.  Thus, he picked Joey and Peter to fight.

So it was Peter Manfredo Jr. vs. Joey Gilbert.  Once again experience was a factor, as Peter had lost only one in 23 fights (Alfonso was his first loss).  Joey had only fought nine fights.  The one thing Joey had going for him was his strength and heart.  Joey understood what he was getting into, as Peter would no doubt be the toughest fight he has had up to date.  He also rationalized that Jesse's choice might be a blessing in disguise, as fighting Peter would make him tougher.  Peter simply saw this as another fight, and the win a few weeks back over Miguel allowed him to regain his confidence.

In the first round, Peter simply had the sharper punches and was able to make things happen by using his jab and unloading some good counterpunches.  Joey came in very flustered.  His punches were very wide, he wasn't guarding very well, and he left himself open to some strong shots by Peter.  Joey's probably the best athlete in the competition, and he has a long reach, so he should have tried to use the jab to pin Peter on the ropes.  The crowd grimmaced with almost every shot Peter threw, and he hurt Joey with a few of them.  Peter won the round easily.

Before the second round, Joey told his corner Peter broke one of his ribs.  Ouch.  I'm not sure, but once he stood up you could see a part of his rib cage poking out.  I don't know if that was the one that was broke or if that was just cartilage, because Joey's a pretty slim guy.  However, you could tell it was bothering him, as Peter pretty much did anything he wanted in there.  Joey really didn't put up any resistance on defense nor did he do any kind of damage on offense.  He was never in danger of being knocked out, but it was a lopsided round. 
Now here's the problem with edited rounds:  Tommy said he felt Joey won Round two, but there was nothing in the edited footage that would have pointed to that.  As long as Tommy's been in the boxing business I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.  At the very least, it was probably closer than the footage suggests.

In round three, Peter comes out with some pretty good shots.  He looks a little more careful now.  And then something went off in Joey's head.  He caught Peter with a good shot right on the ear, and then he goes after him.  Finally he's using his athletic abilities to rough Peter up and comes back with punch after punch, hurting Peter with every shot.  It should be noted that Peter did a fairly decent job of guarding under the circumstances, but Joey definitely won round three.

Round four saw much of the same.  Peter simply couldn't go toe-to-toe with Joey.  Peter should also be criticized with worrying too much about head shots, which is normal in boxing, and not going to the body.  He might have been surprised if he got him with some really good hooks to the body.  But Joey continues to lunge at Peter, and although Peter displays some knowledge of defense, there's only so much you can do when facing shots like that.  Joey wins that round.

Round five started exactly like you thought it would: both guys coming out and throwing everything they had at each other.  Peter is an excellent counterpuncher.  He knows when his opponent is vulnerable from the missed shot and he takes advantage.  He hit Joey with some great shots, reminiscent of the first round.  But Joey wisely uses his strength advantage to pin Peter against the ropes and tries to unload on him.  You would have thought his corner would have told him to move around more and stop getting caught on the ropes against a stronger opponent.

And that's when it happened; an accidental headbutt gives Joey a huge cut over his eye.  Many thought it was a punch, but that was WAY too deep to be from one or even a coupleof punches.  The blood flowed quickly, and soon the ref called the cutman over to check it out.  There was no way the fight could continue, so under California rules if the fight is stopped by a cut it goes to the scorecards.

In a split decision, Peter won.  I kind of question that, as I thought it should have been a draw, and if you place Tommy's view into it, Joey won the fight.  But I wasn't angered by the decision for a couple of reasons:  1.)  Joey fought weak in the first and second round.  2,)  There was no way Joey was going to fight again anyway.  He had a busted rib and a deep cut over his eye.  There had already been too many replacements on the show at that point anyway.

For all of the talk about Joey being a manipulator and an opportunist, the fact remains that he had the two best fights on the show; both showing how much heart he has.  In this fight, he had a broken rib.  In his earlier fight, he had an injured leg, and he had opponents both times that were more experienced than him.  Kudos to Stallone and the gang, because they really had an asset in Joey Gilbert.

Afterwards, Joey could hardly see, and he was in a lot of pain from the beating he took by Peter.  They called the EMT's to take him to the nearest hospital.  They were going to place him on a gurney, but he wanted to walk out on his own, which he did with his dad.

Next week is Anthony vs. Jesse.  Anthony has the only knockout of the show, and both are injured.  Will we see another short fight?  Possibly.  See ya next week.

My Other Contender Posts:

1.  The Contender Quarterfinals:  Alfonso vs. Ahmed
2.  The Contender Quarterfinals:  Ishe vs. Sergio
3.  The Contender, Episode Eight:  Jimmy vs. Joey
4.  The Contender Episode Seven:  Juan vs. Tarick
5.  The Contender Episode Six:  Anthony vs. Brent
6.  The Contender Episode Three:  Ishe vs. Ahmed

Posted at 04:40 am by Expertise
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Sunday, May 01, 2005
Sports roundup.

So many things to talk about, I thought I'd just put them in one post:

   - First and foremost, all condolences to the family of wrestler Chris Candido.  Formerly "Skip" of the BodyDonnas, Candido at one time was one of the best mat wrestlers in the world.  He was a natural in the ring, and it was good that he got rid of some of the demons that had been plaguing him before he died.

Candido died Thursday of a freak condition; a blood clot after having surgery on his leg which had been broken in a match last Sunday.  Even after he broke it he showed up at TNA Impact in a wheelchair, which shows how much he loved just being around the guys even when he couldn't work.  I hope Sonny Siaki isn't taking this too hard (he came down wrong on Candido's leg, which caused the break), and he's able to continue his career as well.

   - In boxing last night, James Toney captured one of the alphabet heavyweight titles with a unaminous decision over John Ruiz.  Toney is not only the fourth oldest person to ever win a heavyweight title, but the third to win it after winning the middleweight title.  He won that title 14 years and 73 pounds ago.

I would say he's one of the flabbiest champions ever, but I'm sure someone can find one that was in worse shape than he was.  Nevertheless, James Toney is 36 years old, overweight (he weighed in at 233; he probably weighed more when he actually got into the ring), and he is a smoker.  Not only did he outpoint a "heavyweight champion" (Ruiz has always been a joke), but he won the last six rounds of the fight.

Makes you feel good about the future of the sport, doesn't it?  And people call MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters barbaric and undisciplined?  Not even in the early 1980's did it ever get this bad.

   - In the first episode of the Eagles soap opera, we found out T.O. didn't show up for mini-camp, which means he's officially holding out for another contract.  Donovan also took the time to check T.O. for some comments he made about him a few weeks back.

Well, T.O. got slapped in the mouth again, this time by the Eagles front office.  They said he is in breech of contract for not showing up to minicamp, which means he could forfeit $1.8 million of his signing bonus.

Ha.  If T.O. keeps on, he'll be lucky to get a new pair of cleats.  Although the Eagles haven't decided if they are going to collect or not, the longer he holds out, the more likely he'll have to come out of pocket.  Talk about irony.

- Also in this episode, Andy Reid told the press that he told Mitchell not to show up.  I don't think we need any more of a guarantee that he will be waived or part of a trade deal.

- I'm sure none of you pay attention to college baseball, and well...I can't blame ya.  Hell; it's hard enough to stay interested in Major League Baseball.

However, here's something that might get your attention.  Here's what Oklahoma baseball coach, Larry Cochell, said as a compliment about one of his players to ESPN off camera on Tuesday:



How nice.  I'm sure Dunigan felt great after hearing those comments.

As for Oklahoma officials?  They didn't suspend him, but he isn't in the dugout and has been replaced by one of the coaches.  Oklahoma is conducting their own investigation into what happened, although the coach admitted to the comments and apologized.

It reminds me of the Robert Byrd incident on Fox News a few years back.  I was actually watching that live at the time that went down.  I wonder if Cochell will get off the hook like Byrd did?  Cochell better hope he's a registered Democrat; he'll be fine then.

   - In MLB, suspensions have been levied against players as well as the managers of both the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the defending world champion Boston Red Sox.

I support the decision, particularly when a manager orders a pitcher or a pitcher takes it upon himself to throw a beanball in retaliation.  Yeah; it's an old unwritten rule, but it's a stupid rule.  Baseball should fine and suspend any pitcher that throws one.

   - Speaking of suspensions, Bud Selig went to his own nuclear option after criticism of his new steroid policy.  Implementing a "three strikes and you're out" rule, the first offense is 50 games, the second offense is 100 games, and the third bans you from the league completely.

I'm not sure about this.  I understand MLB wants to show they will be tough after being trashed Congress and later the sports media during the steroid hearings, but going from one extreme to another isn't going to help. 

It all depends on what level of testocerone will the drug test detect?  If it's a sensitive test that can trace a change from over-the-counter drugs, then I think it's too heavy handed.  But if it's like the NFL policy, where you have to look like Captain Caveman (you had to have six times the normal level to be caught) in order for it to catch you, then I might be inclined to agree.

That's all I have.  Watch Miami/New Jersey today on ABC.  I will.  I think Miami will close this one out.

Posted at 04:33 am by Expertise
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Saturday, April 30, 2005
Inmate dies after being tasered in chest five times.

More news out of Georgia this morning, as Gwinnett investigators released a tape of a subdued inmate, Frederick Williams, being tasered in the chest five times at a county jail outside of Atlanta last year.

Williams had been arrested on domestic violence charges, as his wife said he didn't take his medicine for epilpsy and had gotten violent.  They took him to Gwinnett County Jail with shackles on his feet and handcuffed.  At the beginning of the video, you can hear him yelling, "Don't kill me man!" as he was being led into what would be the last room he'd live in.  Once he was there, eleven officers tried to force Williams into a restraining chair.  When he resisted, he was tasered in the chest not once, but five times.  In between taser shots, you can hear the officer say, "You want it again?"  After the fifth shock, Williams fell unconscious and eventually died.

Take a look at the video, courtesy of 11 Alive News in Atlanta.

I don't have a problem with the use of the taser, in and of itself.  But when you have eleven cops in a room restraining one man, yet they still feel the need to taser a man that's already overpowered, I have a serious problem with that.  Tasers and other devices are to be used when the officers are undermanned, and having trouble subduing the assailant.  Show me eleven cops that can't restrain one man, and I'll show you eleven cops that should be fired, because they can't do their job effectively.

In spite of this, a Gwinnett County grand jury declined to press charges (they never looked at the video), the sheriff's department stated the officers acted appropriately and a police investigation cleared them of criminal wrongdoing.  I find this very hard to believe.  If this isn't considered excessive force, then what would?  41 shots?

(via Wizbang's Kevin Aylward)

UPDATE:  A former friend of the family and lawyer Melvin Johnson gives a full account of the events of that night on Wizbang's comments section:

(5) At the jail, while still hog-tied and securely bound, Mr. Williams is tasered at least 5 times according to the autopsy reports. I say at least 5 time because not every taser attack results in an identifiable burn mark. There are mounted cameras at the jail and an officer reportedly had a hand held camcorded to record the entire ordeal. Of course, at this point, Gwinnett has refused to provide either of these recordings. Gwinnett County justifies the tasering under these conditions because according to another written report by a senior officer at the jail, Mr. Williams was reportedly thrashing and jerking his body upon arrival at the jail. Nowhere in this second report does the senior officer indicate that Mr. Williams attacks any of the officers, throws a punch, kick, bite, or anything; nonetheless, Gwinnett County officials, in the media, justifies the MURDER of this young father, husband, only child, deacon, friend, etc., because his apparent thrashing and jerking was "combative" while he is still hog-tied and securely bound. In fact, the senior officer records in his report that Mr. Williams is conscious at least for a moment, and utters his last and only words "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME." Upon arrival of Mr. Williams' body at the hospital, Doctors record that there were plastic instruments that were apparently used to hog-tied Mr. Williams at his house. Doctors' examinations revealed acute with suspicion of chronic renal failure, negligible brain activity, negligible pulse, and negligible blood pressure. His hands and feet were cold and capillary refill was poor. He had no eye movements, no muscular movements and his entire body was flaccid. His pupils were dilated 6 mm and fixed. Doctors' impression were that there was cardiac arrest, brain hemorrhage, pulmonary embolus and/or seizure. Mr. Williams reportedly lost all pulses at about 1948 hours. He had no gag response.

As you can tell by the numerial at the top of the quote, there is much more to this story, including what happened at the home, an alleged quote by one of the officers, and Williams's family telling both the dispatchers and the officers several times that Williams is a epilepsy patient.

There is a Yahoo group created by the Ed Kramer Legal Defense Fund, where they are collecting funds for a man who is in jail in Gwinnett County.  They are monitoring the Williams case as well.

Posted at 10:56 am by Expertise
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Missing Georgia bride was hiding; had cold feet

The Georgia woman that had been missing since Tuesday and was supposed to be married today, Jennifer Wilbanks, showed up alive in New Mexico on Friday.

At first she told her family that she had been abducted, but after being questioned by the police, she recanted her story and admitted she got cold feet because of such a large wedding. According to the Associated Press, they had invited over 600 people to the wedding.

I think Neal Boortz and I will agree on this one.  Wilbanks should be forced to pay back the money and resources used to search for her.  The cold feet was her own problem, and she should have come forth and admitted this from the beginning.  Instead, she decided to start a nationwide manhunt and then lied about being kidnapped.

Posted at 09:57 am by Expertise
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