What if Michael Vick Was White

ESPN is under fire Thursday for creating and publishing the Photoshopped image above of Michael Vick(notes) with a white face to accompany a column in ESPN The Magazine entitled "What if Michael Vick were white?"
After immediate backlash to the image, which was also posted on ESPN's website, editors replaced the online picture with a regular photograph of Vick. The website then reversed course and, as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, had restored the original, controversial image to the top of the online story.
The picture and headline accompany a thoughtful piece by noted cultural critic Toure on how Vick's race has shaped both the positive and negative aspects of his life. The author dismisses the hypothetical question posed in the article's title saying that changing Vick's race would be to fundamentally change the athlete so much as to render him unknowable.

I mean, who would this white Vick be? [...] When you alter his race, it's like those Back to the Future movies where someone goes back in time, inadvertently changes one small thing about his parents' dating history and then the person starts to disappear. If Vick had been born to white parents, you wouldn't even be reading this right now. That Vick would have had radically different options in life compared with the Vick who grew up in the projects of Newport News, Va., where many young black men see sports as the only way out.

On his Twitter account, Toure said he asked editors not to use "What if Michael Vick were white?" as the title to the article. He later said he wasn't consulted about the image choice. "Judge me on the story," he wrote, "not the art."
If you ever wonder why it's difficult to have intelligent, measured discussions about race in this country, look no further than the picture above. A fine author writes a thought-provoking piece about how the color of your skin has some bearing on the person you become. It molds you like a number of other factors like upbringing, class and parenting. He goes beyond the usual platitudes that we throw into racial discussions so as not to seem insensitive or trite. And all of that is ignored because of a race-baiting headline and a cheap Photoshop job.

Related: Michael Vick

Jalen Rose Sentenced to 20 Days In Jail

Jalen Rose was sentenced to 20 Days in prison after he pleaded guilty in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan to driving while intoxicated after he was pulled over on May 25.
He was facing 93 days in jail if it had gone to trial, so he decided to spend less time of the lock out in lock up.
It will be interesting to see if there is any further punishment from ESPN, where Rose serves as an analyst.

Another NFL Player Aressted:Bengals RB Cedric Benson

Yesterday, it was  reported that Bengals Cedric Benson had been charged with assault of a family member. Story here. Well, new details have emerged.

According to police, Benson reportedly approached a former roommate at an Austin street corner at 5 a.m. Sunday, and repeatedly struck him in the face. According to the arrest affidavit, the victim ,a former roommate, Clavens Charles was approached by a “hostile and aggressive” Benson. He then told him they needed to talk about their problems. Afterwards, the two began to argue, and that’s when Benson allegedly punched him in the left side of his face multiple times.

“The two had difficulties resulting from Mr. Benson asking the former male roommate to leave his home a few days prior to this incident,” said Benson’s lawyer Sam Bassett in a written statement.

Benson, a former UT Longhorn Football Player, has been arrested three other times in the Austin area.

In June 2010, Benson was accused of punching a West 6th Street bar employee.

In May 2008, Lower Colorado River Authority officers charged Benson with boating while intoxicated at Lake Travis.

In June 2008, Benson was arrested in downtown Austin and charged with driving while intoxicated.

Benson still has to appear in court for his arrest last year in Austin, so this most recent arrest is not a good look for him. It’s equally bad for the Bengals,as a large question during the lockout is whether or not NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can apply the league’s conduct policy to players who are, technically, not employees of the league.

If Goodell is given this authority, he could suspend Benson, for his second arrest in a year. So how do the Bengals structure a contract offer, if they don’t know whether or not Benson will be suspended for the beginning of the season? Once the lockout ends, teams will only have 72 hours to negotiate exclusively with their own free agents, which isn’t enough time for Goodell to impose a penalty, nor enough time for the Bengals to make an informed decision.

Regardless, there is one thing that is for sure: Benson needs to leave Austin. Because when he is in his old stomping grounds, trouble is sure to follow.

"Choke" IS THE RIGHT WORD FOR THE US WOMENS SOCCER TEAM.

Lets not call it a "Choke Job" was a phrase swirling around Twitter. Because its a woman's sport are you suppose to be nice ? My answer is no and here is why. That diminishes the effort given by the 99 team (world champs). On the biggest stage in any sport there comes a great deal of pressure and expectations.The 99 team delivered the 2011 team caved in under pressure.

This was never more apparent than after dominating the first 20 min in offensive possessions having a one goal lead in the second half and again in extratime which seemed like an insurmountable challenge for the Japanese,they lost their aggression.They didnt play to win they played not to lose,a freightened team with burning tired legs waiting for time to run out.Time seems to never run out for the timid. If you dont finish off your opponent you leave the door open for chance, which came by way of a last minute corner kick by Japans Homare Sawa.But the US team still saved their ultimate choke job for the end.

 Going into the penalty kicks, the U.S. seemed to have the  advantage. They have the experienced and dangerous strikers, and more importantly they have one of the game's best goalkeepers manning the nets. They also had the history of never having missed a penalty kick in Women's World Cup play.They missed their first 3 shots two lame and badly aimed shots were blocked and the other sailed into the stands.

And while the Hope Solo blocked one shot, she should have had two. She got her hand on a shot to the lower left corner, but the ball powered through. If you are truly the best keeper in the world, then you need to stop that shot. "EPIC CHOKE". In soccer there are no coaches time outs or media timeouts for commercials these are well conditioned world class athletes and should be regarded as such and held to a world class standard just as men do.If your favored to win then you must do so or its a choke ,especially for any kind of "World Championship".

"I'm not sure," Wambach said when asked to explain all the blown leads and missed opportunities in her own TV interview. "I think the magnitude of all this can get the best of you.
"I don't know. Japan just kept coming and they never gave up."To me thats an admission of caving in under pressure.

The sadness at the Loss is moderated by wanting good things to happen to Japan in light of the recent events.We cant sugar coat it thogh it is what it is "A CHOKE JOB"  

"Exercise is a must" : Oldest Bodybuilder Ernestine Shepherd

 Oldest Bodybuilder Ernestine Shepherd

The oldest female bodybuilder Ernestine Shepherd 71 said, exercise is a must  for everybody."Everyone needs exercise in their life" .Shepherd is in better shape than most people, decades her junior.She spends her days running, lifting weights and working out every morning.Without it she also works as a certified personal trainer at her gym and is a role model not just for senior women everywhere, but for everyone of us .at 40 she was a ,”Bodybuilding champion Ernestine Shepherd shows us that ”being out of shape” as we age truly is merely an option.

Training grub: She drinks 16 ounces of water and eats a light snack that includes a bagel with peanut butter or two hard-boiled eggs before starting her workout.

Other acclaim: Has appeared in Essence (1991 and 2003); The Baltimore Times (2002); and the book Self Seduction, Ultimate Path to Inner and Outer Beauty (2003); has appeared on The View (2001); in a Carmax commercial (2004); and in the Miss America Senior Pageant (2004). She models for Nova Models in Baltimore.

 She doesn't overdo it. Shepherd said she bench presses about 150 pounds, but her trainer is careful not to push her and cause an injury. "I have old things in my body," she said.
She had an inspiration. Shepherd's quest to become buff was launched alongside her sister, Mildred Blackwell.
But when Blackwell died in 1992, a year into the sisters' training, Shepherd vowed to continue on in her memory.
She gives back. Shepherd said she wants other people, especially those who are older, to know it's not too late to get healthy.
In addition to working as a personal trainer, Shepherd leads exercise classes for seniors at the Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore.

Lockout Key Issue No More Jamarcus Russell's: Rookie Salary Cap

A key issue in the negotiations of the NFL lockout has been reached. NFL players and owners have agreed in principle to a new rookie wage system, sources on both sides told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Rookie contracts were becoming ridiculous with the guaranteed money, Sam Bradford for example, his contract netted him $50 million in guarantees and $86 million overall.  Jamarcus Russell signed a $61 million contract with $32 milllion guaranteed.  NFL veterans and owners could not continue to let unproven players earn this kind of money.

In the expected deal; all first rounders would get four-year deals, plus the option year, under current proposals. That option could be executed by the team after the third or fourth year of the contract.

Sources told ESPN Analyst Chris Mortensen that the two sides expect to work late into Thursday night and return Friday morning to work on open issues that include workman’s compensation, extra right-of-first-refusals on this year’s free agent class, settlement on the television damages and the antitrust lawsuit and issues relating to commercial sponsorships.

Progress has been made in the NFL labor negotiations and the July 21st deadline of reaching an agreement is within reach. Owner’s realize they will lose $20,000,000 per week if any games are cancelled. There could be light at the end of the lockout tunnel, but no celebrations coming from me until the deal is finalized.

Wambach Lifts USA To A 3-1 Victory Over France

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AP)—The United States is in the World Cup final for the first time since it last won the title in 1999, and once again Abby Wambach came up big for these Americans, scoring in a 3-1 victory over France.
Wambach broke a tense tie in the 79th minute Wednesday with a monstrous header—what else?—off of a Lauren Cheney corner kick. Cheney delivered the ball perfectly to the far post, and the 5-foot-11 forward soared over the scrum, pushing the ball past French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz. Wambach let out a scream and did a sliding sprint into the corner, where she was mobbed by her teammates.

It was Wambach’s third goal of the tournament and 12th of her career, tying fellow American Michelle Akers for third on the all-time World Cup scoring list.

Alex Morgan added an insurance goal in the 82nd, the first for the World Cup rookie. When the final whistle sounded, the Americans rushed onto the field. Wambach found U.S. coach Pia Sundhage and gave her a bearhug as the pro-American crowd of 25,676 serenaded the team with chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”
“Abby, she’s just the best,” Sundhage said. “I’m very happy to have her in our team. Great.”
Despite the loss, the World Cup was a resounding success for the French, who made their first appearance in the semifinals and qualified for next summer’s London Olympics.
The French didn’t stick around to watch the Americans celebrate—and the party is sure to be even bigger back home. A thrilling win over Brazil in the quarterfinals captivated fans back home, with Hollywood celebs, other pro athletes and folks who’d never watched a soccer game before jumping on the U.S. bandwagon. Ellen DeGeneres wished the team good luck on Twitter before the game, dozens in the Phoenix airport were glued to TVs and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers tagged one of his tweets with “worldcupfinalherewecome.”
Though the Americans are two-time World Cup champions, they haven’t made the final since Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain won it all in 1999. This American team will now play either Japan or Sweden in Sunday’s final in Frankfurt.
The Americans had only two days’ rest following the Brazil game, their quickest turnaround of the tournament, and there had been concern that fatigue or emotions might get the best of them. But Wambach, who has been playing with an Achilles’ tendon so sore it often keeps her out of practice, dismissed that idea.
And she sure didn’t look hobbled.
“In the end, we’re in the finals,” Wambach said, “and that’s all that matters.”
The U.S. was staked to an early lead by Cheney’s goal in the ninth minute. But with the silky smooth Louisa Necib calling the shots, France dominated for most of the game, finishing with a whopping 25-11 advantage in shots. They missed two great chances in the first half, with goalkeeper Hope Solo having to tip a Gaetane Thiney shot away in the 30th and Sonia Bompastor rattling the crossbar two minutes later.
Finally, in the 55th, France got its equalizer. Bompastor floated in a cross from about 30 yards and, with the dangerous Gaetane Thiney right in front of her, Solo had little opportunity to move. The ball flew right past her.
But just as they did Sunday against Brazil, the Americans got stronger and stronger as the game went on before Wambach came through. Morgan then put the game out of reach, showing why many believe she’s next big U.S. thing. Outracing four French defenders, Morgan sprinted up the left side and then stutter-stepped to throw Sapowicz off before taking her shot. There were still 10 minutes left, but the party was on.