Notes: Gang Signin’ in the NFL; Camby was a Chess Piece; More Goods on Roger the Rapin’ Roider; Jennings Signs with Italian Team

Crip signin'… right? The NFL is concerned about its image - again. The league has hired "experts" to review and identify "hand signals" thrown up by NFL players during games: "There have been some suspected things we've seen," said Milt Ahlerich, the league's vice president of security. "When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and [read more...]

SSNN posts for the weeks of June 24th through July 8th

I'm going to start posting a few links to my SSNN posts for the previous link, so you all can see what we've got going on over there and hopefully enjoy a couple of those stories. CC Sabathia confused by new nickname MILWAUKEE -- CC Sabathia had an unusual request of reporters in Milwaukee upon arriving with the team Tuesday – no [read more...]

Donaghy’s Allegations Threaten Stern, the NBA and Beyond

Tim Donaghy's initial allegations of game-fixing have finally come to light. Interestingly, what was known months ago is being divulged just weeks before his July 14 sentencing date. The timing of the release of allegations cannot have been accidental as it has allowed the conversation surrounding Donaghy's claims to be framed in a way that casts the deposed official and his [read more...]

Straight Guy For The Queer Eye: NBA Uniforms Still Not Gay Enough

When former NBA player John Amaechi became the first pro basketball player to announce that he was gay back in 2007, I was thoroughly impressed with his courage and hoped perhaps it was a beacon of light, an invitation for other homosexual athletes -- who might have been living a double life -- to reveal their true identity as Super [read more...]

OJ Mayo: U.S. Culture and the One-and-Done Rule

Google "one-and-done rule" and the search results are, well, hilarious. Everybody and their mother are touching on it. A blogger claims that myriad problems created O.J. Mayo. A mainstream columnist blames the NCAA for a, having players for one year is better than not having them at all, philosophy. Another columnist casts doubts on the rule and claims it is [read more...]

Donaghy’s New Allegations Have A Very Real Past

"Anybody who tells you that Michael Jordan was suspended for a year because of gambling is lying. That's not what happened." That was one of ESPN's Mike Greenberg's statements in response to Tim Donaghy's lawyer's charge that other referees, coaches, and players were involved in gambling in the NBA: According to documents filed by the lawyer, John Lauro, Donaghy provided law enforcement [read more...]

Defending the Sports Fan

I have recently been thrust into the unenviable position of having an in-law move in with my wife and me. A brief respite from the despair is the fact that it is the father-in-law, not the dreaded monster-in-law. However, from the sports-viewing perspective, the household has taken a hit. While my wife was always tolerable of me watching various things [read more...]

Boston-Atlanta: Where Head-Butting and Not Getting Tossed Happens

I'm wondering if anyone noticed that fact that, just before Game 4 (about 6 p.m.) of the Boston Celtics-Atlanta Hawks matchup the league informed Paul Pierce that he would be fined $25,000 for making a "menacing gesture" during Game 3. The "gesture" Pierce made was said by Commissioner David Stern and his patrolman Stu Jackson to be a "Blood gang [read more...]

Race and Sports: Maybe If the Cards are Laid Out on the Table…?

Racism, the 21st century version, is as insidious as it has been at any point in U.S. history. Gone are the days of knowing which side of the tracks to live to distinguish white and black. Gone are the days of knowing that for a black person, to cross those tracks is to cross at one's own peril. Though those [read more...]

Hart Surgery: David Stern’s Rationale Not Racist

Recently, Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers made a statement implying a proposed NBA age-limit had racist overtones. One of my colleagues has taken the stance that O'Neal is correct in his assessment. Though I respect their opinions and would die for their right to author them, I must humbly disagree. O'Neal is wrong in his assertion, and what's more, [read more...]

O’Neal’s Cries of Racism Worth a Listen

David Stern was not sitting by himself, reading Frederick Douglas, and thinking, "This guy is full of it." He was not perusing Mein Kampf under an apple tree when a plump Granny Smith struck a chord. Nor did he sit down to an evening on the History Channel during Black History Month and wonder to himself why Rosa Parks couldn't just [read more...]

You Call That a Dunk?

The NBA held its annual mid-season showcase in Los Angeles this past weekend, and the once prized pupil has officially become the class clown. Back in the Magic-and-Bird days of professional basketball, the Slam Dunk Contest was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated event of the year. After witnessing Saturday night's debacle at the Staples Center, its future may resemble that of [read more...]