Clippers' owner Donald Sterling....the biggest racist in American sports....EVER!!! Time for him go...FINALLY!

     It is no secret that longtime Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is a racist POS. He has made racial remarks at persons of color, in particular people who have played and/or worked for him, including former longtime general manager and Hall of Fame player Elgin Baylor. For the majority of his tenure as a owner, the Clippers have been a joke mainly because the team was run so poorly. Baylor and his staff had their collective hands tied. Sterling has been in trouble with the US government and others for racist business practices and accused of sexual harassment as well. He has either paid the fines or reached settlements and moved on, mostly not caring about his reputation. Even the NBA, its commissioner, its players association and the other owners looked the other way. The team sucked, so let it go. So they did.
    It is now 2014. Things have changed. NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (soon to be Hornets). Future Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal is a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings. In case you didn't know, both men are Black.The NBA has a new commissioner after David Stern retires after 3 decades on the job. The Clippers are good and are in the playoffs with a high seed. The Lakers (at least for this year and probably the next year or two) suck.and have to almost rebuild their roster from scratch. But Sterling is still here and now this audiotape has him saying bad things about Black folk to his barely over 30 "girlfriend" (the old geezer is still married, by the way. Typical LA BS.) and complaining about having persons of color hang out in public with her and in social media (specifically on Instagram) and attending Clippers games including ANOTHER  NBA Hall of Famer and majority owner of the LA Dodgers (and former minor owner of the Lakers) Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who was supposedly a friend of Sterling! Not good. The fault goes to Sterling, but also to the NBA owners who have been i
   Okay, the recording was made illegally. We all know that. Whoever taped the conversation and then "allowed" TMZ Sports to acquire and then put it out in the public eye may be facing jail time if (and when) he or she is revealed (plus a lawsuit from Sterling which I could give a **** about). Would Sterling have made the same comments if he knew he was being recorded? Probably not (if he had common sense), but who can say with Sterling? He has said worse things IN PUBLIC to his team's OWN ******* players on the ******* court DURING games and to his own (top-level) team employees and executives off the court for years!
    Unlike the NFL, whose commissioners (who, like in the NBA, is paid by, and answers to the league's owners), the NBA's (former) commissioner didn't have the balls, or according to him, the purview to do anything to Sterling in the past. If Sterling was a NFL owner, he probably would have been out on his ear years ago. Now, the audio has to be authenticated, but when it is and it is shown to be Sterling saying the comments, the NBA must act immediately.
    Forget this PC crap that (new) NBA commissioner Adam Silver said about a full investigation that will move swiftly. Forget that Sterling "agreed" not to attend Game 4 of the Clippers versus the Golden State Warriors Sunday in Oakland. Who cares? If Silver and the NBA doesn't implement punishment before the series returns to the Staples Center in LA for Tuesday night's Game 5 (series would either be even at 2 games each or the Clippers would be up 3-1 with their first (of a maximum of 3) chance to clinch the series in Game 5), there will be hell to pay. Period.
   The team president of the Clippers, Andy Roeser, said in a statement that "Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings," Roeser said in the statement. "It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them." If Sterling said that, then add ******* liar to the long list of negative things said and/or is known about Sterling.
     If I worked for the Clippers, and I could afford it, I would quit in protest. But then again, knowing who he is and what he is about, I wouldn't be working for him in the first place. Some have called for the players to boycott and/or wear black socks and/or armbands to protest these comments. Noble, but won't happen. Today's players do not have the balls to go there...plus there is their salaries and the chance to play for a world title to be considered.
   Some have called for a big fine (7 figures) and/or a long suspension (maybe a full season). NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!! That should have happened 20 years ago! The only answer that would satisfy me is to have Sterling and his family out as owners of this franchise. Period. I don't believe the NBA can easily do it...there are not but so many options for situations like this. I think the NFL and MLB have more power to act in situations like this. Find a way, NBA. Sterling must go. NOW and Forever! No matter the sport, or who is targeted with such nasty comments and/or actions, THIS MUST NOT STAND!!!!!

DeSean Jackson..Who made the bigger mistake..Philadelphia or Washington?

    The Philadelphia Eagles recently decided to cut their best wide receiver DeSean Jackson, using vague reasoning, citing his alleged bad attitude and work ethic in his craft. Not mentioned was his alleged ties and friendships with Los Angeles gang members, some of whom he has known since he was a kid. Right. It must be noted that Jackson had just finished the best year of his career on the field last year and has been a good guy off of it for his entire NFL career. The same cannot be said of many other players, including current and former teammates nor draftees in the next month's NFL draft. I understand the NFL has been trying to be tougher with maintaining a clean-cut image with its players and other personnel, especially with the recent off-the field situations involving current and former players and even front office executives and a current NFL owner. Whatever.
    The NFL has tried to do a lot of things, but have also failed at some of them. Their hearts may be in the right place, BUT with that said, a group of obscenely rich White men about to start trying (through new on and off-field rules) to tell their employees, most of whom did NOT come from a rich, much less middle-class background AND most of whom (I mean NFL players specifically) are either Black and/or of mixed heritage that they should not use the N-word on the field (right) in any form, fellow players, especially of the same color, especially when a similar mandate IS NOT going to be in place for similar terms for other ethnic groups, ESPECIALLY White folk, is a joke. The N-word is wrong. Period. I don't use it. EVER. Not even on this blog. Members of my family, friends and others (some whom are not even Black (WTF??) ) use the term in all its forms, all the time in my presence. I let it go, and they know and RESPECT I don't use it. I have plenty of other bad words I (can) use freely when needed.
     The Eagles and coach Chip Kelly may have decided to dump Jackson for the above reasons stated. He is a diva-like wide receiver who thinks he is the s**** among wide receivers. The thing is that for the most part, he has backed it up on the field. He is NOT the biggest receiver around, like a Calvin Johnson, Jr. or a Jerry Rice and the like. But he is a electrifying player with the ball in his hands. You can check NFL Network or YouTube for proof of that. But the Eagles did NOT specifically say that Jackson's "friendships" with alleged gang members and/or alleged murderers is what got him kicked out of Philly. Not in public. IF they told him that in private...that is another thing. If so, Jackson is being the bigger man for not speaking on it...so far..in public.
    The Eagles did what they felt was right (though it may be proven to be really dumb later) and so did Washington for signing him. They, like most of the NFL teams, can use a talent like Jackson. If these "allegations" are later proven true, then the Redskins will have to deal with them. That would not change if my Raiders had signed him, or Dallas or the Giants, or even Seattle or Jacksonville had signed Jackson to a multi-year deal with 2/3 of the money guaranteed. Give the Eagles credit for having negotiated a re-signing contract with Jackson a couple of years that left so much of the money not guaranteed, so they had the option of doing this without destroying their remaining cap space for the next 3 years or more. The Redskins may welcome this Jackson scrutiny, considering the mess they are still dealing with over their team name (more on THAT in another entry!). This was a business move. Period.
     However, Jackson himself has done nothing wrong and has committed NO crimes. (If and when) Until he does (if ever), you have to respect DeSean Jackson as a man, just like we all had to respect Michael Vick, before he got into trouble, while he was in prison, and how he has acted after he served his time and got a job with these same Eagles, worked hard and proved himself as a player and a man again. Vick and current Eagles receiver Riley Cooper, who is White, DID do reprehensible things and paid prices for them (Vick more than Cooper, of course). They were both given second chances and have made the most  of them so far. Jackson deserves to continue his FIRST chance...since he HAS NOT done anything wrong to anyone, as of today. Revise your thoughts about DeSean Jackson if and when he does something wrong, NOT before.