Latimer Williams

I came across an article that one of my “favorite” writers Jason Whitlock wrote about the new class of Hall of Fame inductees for 2008. Jason Whitlock basically goes on a rant about how this class is undeserving of the induction so honored to them. Whitlock rants on and on about how Fred Dean of the 49ers and Art Monk of the Redskins have no place in the HoF. My attention really came on Art Monk and how as Jason Whitlock stated that Art Monk had a really good career but not a Hall of Fame deserving career. Well Lets look at Art Monk’s career and really see if Jason Whitlock has any merit to his statement.

Let’s see, Art Monk is the first receiver in the NFL history to catch 900 career receptions. Monk also set the single season record for receptions with 106 that has since been broken. He also set the mark for the most consecutive games with a reception with 183 games. Did I mention 3 Super Bowl Rings????

The very fact that Jason Whitlock is blaming the cowardly writers for voting in players who do not deserve the induction is funny since he is in the same boat judging players on a professional game he has no experience in other than as a spectator.

Bottom line if Art Monk doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame than there are a lot of players that shouldn’t be there as well.

To Put it short, stop hatin because you never got to play pro football.

Read Jason Whitlock’s crappy article Here

Well you can’t say enough about the New York Giants and the way they played last night! They came out with intensity and just manhandled the New England Patriots all night long. Everyone on the New York Giant team made key contributions, this was truly a team effort. The calm and poise that this team showed was truly amazing! The longer this game went on you got the feeling that the New York Giants were playing to win and the New England Patriots were playing not to lose. The Super Bowl win by the New York Giants made a history for black America as well, Jerry Reese the first year General Manage of the New York Giants who was the first African-American GM of a Super Bowl team is now the first African-American GM of a Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants 17-14 win over the New England Patriots.

Jerry Resse drafted 8 players in 2007 and all 8 were retained by the New York Giants and all have played significant minutes in the Super Bowl run by the New York Giants. Two of the New York Giants come to mind from the Super Bowl Game who made big plays. Steve Smith a rookie Wide Receiver out of USC came in the game on the last drive on a crucial 3rd down and 11. Eli Manning threw the ball to Smith and he was short of the first down and did a high wire act on the side line to get the first down and then stepped out of bounds to stop the clock, a very veteran play by a rookie. The other came the when the New England Patriots had the next posession, Jay Alford came up with a key sack to slow down and ultimately stop the Patriots.

Let’s hope this is the beginning of a long run as GM for Jerry Reese and the New York Giants.

Hopefully he will move the Steelers one day because we could use him!

Last year we had a pair of first in the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as the first African-Americans coaches to led their teams to the Super Bowl with Tony Dungy being the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl with his team, the Indianapolis Colts. It was a historical moment in the NFL and sports.

Today in Super Bowl XLII we have another set of first for African-Americans. Mark Carey will be the first African-American head referee in a Super Bowl. Mark Cary will be the leading a team of referees that include 2 other African-Americans, line judge Carl Johnson and field judge Boris Cheek.

The other first is Jerry Reese GM of the New York Giants. Jerry Reese is the first African-American General Manager of an NFL team to have his team in the Super Bowl. Reese in is first year as GM drafted 8 players in the 2007 draft and all 8 play significant minutes for the New York Giants. Jerry Reese was promoted as GM after serving as a scout for a couple of years.

Let’s celebrate these two men and the accomplishments that they have done.

Well the Mitchell Report is out and all hell has broken loose in the baseball world. The chair of the report , George Mitchell has put faces to all this steroid business and the media is like sharks circling its prey, or are they? It seems to me that there is not nearly the frenzy there was when it was just Barry Bond’s name out there but that is the cards dealt to Bonds, and it isn’t like he is the most approachable person in the world. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the media might as well come out and say that Barry Bonds will never get into the hall. I would be surprised if he even gets on a ballot for a long time.

The Mitchell Report brought a lot of people out and some locks for the Hall of Fame before this report. I wonder if Roger Clemens or Andy Petite will get the same blackballing that Bonds certainly will get when it comes time to get into the Hall. It is clear that this is a witch hunt but I think the Major League Baseball Association should certainly be the biggest entitly accountable for this mess. The MLB ignored this problem for so long that there had to be outside intervention on this matter and that is the biggest sign on an opinion that this was no pressing issue to MLB. Heads definately should role but the first ones should be the front office on the MLB.

Another one of my problems with this whole steriod issue is the opinion that this steroid issue has tainted a “Clean Sport”. When has baseball ever been a clean sport? There is a ban on Shoeless Joe Jackson from the early 1900s for fixing games in the World Series. There has always been a player gambling problem in baseball, there has been always been drug use in baseball There has always been racism in basball. No today its not the Jackie Robinson racism but a more subtle form of it. Any one Remember Al Campanis, well in 1987 he was interviewed on ABC by Ted Kopel and on the 40th anniversity of the Intergration of Major League baseball Campanis asked why there were not more Blacks managing baseball teams and Al Campanis said ” that blacks “may not have some of the necessities to be, let’s say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager” and to justify that statement he said in the interview that blacks are often poor swimmers “because they don’t have the buoyancy.” Say What??????

But baseball has been a clean sport…..