Myles Brand (1942-2009)

My mother always said if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all....














R.I.P.

Point Guard-in-Chief

I don't often watch the late night talk shows anymore. If I do happen to have them on, as I did the other night, I watch Letterman.

I happened to be watching this week when Don Rickles was on and he made a joke that bombed:

[Rickles] was absolutely killing the audience on David Letterman's show the other night with his trademark scorched-earth put-downs. Rickles seemed at the top of his game -- until he tried to tell a joke about the new president-elect. Not even a well-timed rimshot from the band could have saved him.

It was just a quick bit in which he imagined Obama, faced with his first international crisis, telling his advisers he couldn't be interrupted because he was busy playing basketball.

Yeah. And?

Apparently, people got uncomfortable when an old white guy mentions our first black president in the same sentence as "basketball."

I don't read entertainment news because, well, its vapid and soul-sucking, so I don't know what kind of attention this seeming faux pas has been getting. But it certainly was enough to get an op-ed in the Washington Post today.

If President-elect Obama had not campaigned as a basketball player, or put up videos of him playing basketball on his campaign's YouTube site, or talked about basketball being his "first love", I could see a certain amount of "Oh no he didn't just say that" directed at Rickles. But Obama repeatedly played up his b-ball skillz as a reason to vote for him--especially in places like Indiana. (The night before the election, ESPN played this interview where Obama talks about the wisdom of his coach whom he favorably compares to Bobby Knight. This is my best guess as to how he won the once unquestionably red Hoosier state.*)

I can understand the sensitivity of the Letterman audience that led them to think that the boundary-pushing comic may have gone too far, but he didn't. Funny? Perhaps not. But Rickles is not a racist and his joke wasn't either.

Lighten up, America. It is still ok to poke fun at people--even if they're black.

*And just in case you're wondering, that's a joke too.

Hell Freezes Over: Refs Miss Bobby

From the WTF files:

Still, despite his reputation for showing up officials, the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach has received nothing but praise from the Men In Black (and White) since announcing his retirement two weeks ago.

Bring Me the Head of Kelvin Sampson

Fire him, NOW.

Everyone knows how I feel about Bobby (and I did want to write something about his retirement, but work has been a mother recently) -- and many of my friends have been critical of my of my devotion to him. But this latest from Sampson illustrates why Bobby was indeed so great and so special.

Coach Knight, for all his imperfections, ran a clean program the right way. Indiana is a program that represents a team -- not individuals. I am proud that no Indiana jersey bears a player's name. I am proud that no jerseys hang from the rafters at Assembly Hall. Rarely did we have the most talented team in the conference, let alone the nation -- yet Coach Knight was able to deliver three national titles to Bloomington in addition to a slew of Big Ten crowns.

But Coach is gone and never coming back.

However, this does not mean we have to become like so many other major programs in America; essentially NBADL teams from which the pros can take their picks. I could not have cared less if we landed Eric Gordon -- he'll be gone after this year and then what? I want IU to field a team of good players who will grow into good men that graduate from college. It is far more important to run a team with honor and less-talented players than it is to win at all costs.

Sampson's actions have further degraded IU Basketball and he should be removed from his position immediately. To hell with the rest of the season -- IU Basketball is far greater and more important than one season lost.

This is not about Bobby. This is about restoring IU's tradition -- not just of winning -- but of playing basketball as a team and building up young men to become leaders, not cheaters.

900 Wins for the General

My heartfelt congratulations to Coach Bob Knight for collecting his 900th career victory last night against the 9th ranked Texas A&M Aggies.

Anyone who knows me does not have to be told how I feel about Coach, what happened to him at my alma mater, or where former IU president Myles Brand can stick his position at the NCAA.

Way to go Coach! Go Red Raiders! Go Hoosiers!

Irreverant Holiday Edition

Barring anything patently ridiculous in the news today, I won't be posting again until next week. So, I leave you with these thoughts for your Thanksgiving pleasure:

-For all the late 20-somethings and early 30-somethings, a more professional breakdown of your favorite Hip-Hop songs here.

-Tragi-comedy achieves new depths here. (Warning: This is the whitest thing I have ever seen and thus may irreparably damage your Soul)

And given that its NCAA time again, a special dedication from my favorite General that pertains to recent events in my life (Money quote @ 2:58 (-:22) mark):