Monthly Archives: June 2009

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Got To Do Better Than This!

And fools can’t hold us

Every chance we get – we’re hittin up the rollers

Coming up short on the green guys

And I might start slinging bean pies

Or the bootleg t-shirt of the month

With, “you can’t touch this” on the front   – Ice Cube

Street Begging Kids

This is a sensitive subject matter for me.  I waited to blog about it because I didn’t want anger to ruin my point.  After months I am finally at a place where I can discuss this reasonably.

You know, in this world we all have to get our hustle on some kind of way.  I don’t care what kind of job it is.  You can be a teacher, a preacher, a cook or a CEO.  In the basic sense it’s a hustle.  In this case the definition of a hustle is simply, ” making a way financially to obtain or sustain.”  I don’t mean it has to be anything illegal or immoral.  Back in the day, the word hustle indicated aggressiveness and drive.  That is my definition in this post in the basic sense, but in no way is this  the only meaning. 

 For instance, for some people a hustle may be standing on the corner soliciting donations.  Some have signs that say they want food or employment.  The game plan is that they want drivers to give them money as their cars pause at a traffic light.   I’ve challenged some this way.  There have been people that asked me for money on the street in order to “get something to eat.”  And I’ll say something like, “Sure man.  What do you want?  There is a Wendy’s right around the corner.  Let’s go.” 

There have been times that the person was grateful and indeed honestly wanted a meal.  It blessed me to be able to provide one.  Other times they just wanted the money instead of the food.  I’m intelligent enough to guess why, but I won’t go there.  I don’t judge cause Lord knows I understand I am just a circumstance or tragic event away from being on the street.

That being said: One thing that just gets under my skin and burns me up is when I see little kids on the corner begging for money for their “fill in the blank sports teams”. 

For those who don’t know already, I live in St. Louis and in this town there are busy intersections where often people stand waiting for a large group of cars to gather at a stop light so they can hit them up.  Some are for churches or ministries.  They approach the car and say something to the effect of, “Would you like to donate to the homeless ministry.”  A person holds out a bucket and if you give them something they give you a Tootsie Roll or something in return.  Some have printed information about their organization. 

If you were to travel to Kingshighway and Natural Bridge on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you may see cats from The Nation of Islam selling their Final Call newspapers or bean pies.  The above picture was taken on West Florissant and Dunn Rd., an intersection with a large daily flow of traffic stops. 

These little dudes were approaching cars asking people to give them money for their basketball teams.   Not pictured was an adult male standing at a safe distance as the little ones did his whoring.  The hope is that the citizens will see these cute little kids and have empathy to come out of their pockets.

Now there are two reasons why this is whack – Flat out despicable!

1) It’s dangerous!  There are too many cars doting for position in these crowded intersections.  The children are small and are in danger of getting injured or worse.

2) It’s begging when begging is not necessary. The example set by the adults who put these kids up to this is beyond reprehensible.  The children want to play basketball.  Great.  The finances are low and there is a need.  Understandable.  Instead of having them stand on the corner begging, put them to work.  It doesn’t take much to sell candy, or hold a fundraiser by having public car wash.  Find a place where you can get buckets, soap and towels and provide a service.  Teach them how to earn money and you may create an entrepreneur.  Show these young people with their God given abilities and potential that if they provide a service, he/she can earn money by providing that service.  Raising money with a producer’s mentality as opposed to a beggars can revolutionize a person’s outlook on life.

Look!   I can go to Los Angeles right now.  And some of my Mexican brothers will be on the corner selling flowers.  At the next block you can buy an NBA Finals Lakers T-shirt.  It may be authentic.  It may be a knockoff.  There are hundreds of streets and boulevards where this scenario is going on.  The buyer decides the value.  Everything is negotiable.  You can’t negotiate begging.  If anything people tend to resent beggars and people who stand on corners asking for something but offering nothing in return.  We don’t know where that money is going.  I hate to see the few black men in St. Louis sending these youth the wrong message.  I don’t give them a dime.  I refuse to support this shameful venture. 

Shake yourself you lazy and unimaginable adult!  Teach your youth to fish,  not to beg for fishes!

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Cheney Says Saddam and 9-11 Were Not Related!

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says Saddam Hussein "provided sanctuary ... and resources to terrorists."

Wow!  Is this guy a genius or what? Talk about stating the obvious.  Uhhh, Dick, and I do mean dick… we have known this since the beginning.   And so did you.  Please go back to your cave and stop trying save your legacy.  You got over and got thousands of good men and women killed.  You made Hiliburton even richer than it already was.  Your legacy is sealed and this double-talk will not undue your crimes against humanity nor the horrible position you placed our troops and nation in.

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Caught Up on “The Wire!”

Thanks Jason Whitlock!  No I really mean it. 

I was minding my own business till you insisted on the radio over and over again that “The Wire,” a show that used to be on HBO was by far the best drama series in the history of television – network of pay.

I had seen bits and pieces of David Simon’s production.  I had heard about the stories and some of the characters as well.  I never got hold of the series because I didn’t have HBO during any of it’s 5 seasons.  I caught an episode years ago while stay in a hotel that carried the network, but since I was not familiar with the show or it’s characters, I was not able to follow what was going on.  The Wire is one of those programs that picks up it’s plots from the previous week and so on.  So my interest for trying to pursue it any further dissolved quickly.

But, while catching up on the podcast archives of the Jim Rome show where Whitlock frequently substitutes for the host, he spent well over an hour detailing once again why the show was the best.  He had done this before in a previous show.  But this time he even went as far as interviewing Simon the mastermind of the program.  David Simon has a story of his own that is very well worth reading – so I won’t insult him by giving some brief synopsis not worthy of his research and work.  I will say instead that Whitlock’s passion for the show finally got to me and I decided to start from the beginning via Netflix.  I watched the first three episodes of season 1 over this past weekend. 

Right from the jump I was  introduced to the Baltimore police department, political and judicial figures, some crackheads and a drug cartel who’s main characters have as much depth as any real life characters ever seen on television.  “Ahhhh so this is what you were talking about when you described the contrast between crime boss Avon Barksdale and his lower level nephew D’Angelo.  This is how it really is when a police department is cash strapped and care more about their image than doing good police work.  Wow!”  I make it sound simple.  But the depth and detail of the character development I’m trying to describe is beyond anything I’ve seen before. 

What is really authentic about “The Wire” is that much of the story that Simon told during 5 season was based on his own personal research of the Baltimore Police Department, the drug trade, the politics, the reporting via the major local newspaper, and how it all effected the lives of the citizens of inner city Baltimore in particular.

The storylines are genuine, and the acting surreal.  After a mere three episodes I find myself fully invested into the characters and I look forward to seeing all 5 seasons in successon as soon as I possibly can.

Congratulations Mr. Whitlock!  You hooked me!

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LeBron, A King with No Diplomacy

Ok… this is a light subject matter but what the heck.  It’s been a long weekend and I am still trying to gain my strength back so I’m not looking to think too hard.  Hopefully I won’t give too many words to the subject matter. 

But I was tripping off how LeBron James walked off the court on Saturday night after the Cavs got dismissed from the playoffs courtesy of the Orlando Magic.  Normally in the NBA, teams don’t shake hands after a regular season game, nor during the playoffs with the exception of the final game.  Instead, they go to their dressing rooms on opposite sides of the floor after the buzzer sounds. 

I have seen some heated playoff series where teams play one another up to seven games over a period of two weeks.  By the 4th, or 5th game, the players not only know what the other team wants to do, they are tired and irritable of having to deal with the same opponent which may lead to conflicts and minor scuffles.  But after it’s said and done, similar to boxing where guys spend several rounds trying to take each others heads off there is a certain mutual respect extended for competitors.  Personally I have been on both sides of that equation as well having both won and loss during baseball and track events in high school, as well as basketball events as an adult.  I always felt that it was classy to give props regardless of the outcome.

LeBron doesn’t think he did anything wrong when he stormed off the court like a child.  This was his excuse:

It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them.  I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.

Uhhhh, right!

Let me tell you the real reason why LeBron walked off the court.  A lack of respect for the Orlando Magic players.  Let me explain:

The last time you saw a team walk off the court during the playoffs like that was the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons after they lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1991.  Prior to that year the Bulls were Detroit’s bitch getting thrashed every year in May.  Jordan would try to do it all himself, but the Pistons would continue to beat Chi-Town.  I remember when the Piston players would laugh at Jordan during the game as he fell to the floor trying to make every difficult and spectacular shot.  Michael didn’t have teammates that he trusted, and he fell spectacularly hard as a result.

Finally the Bulls improved as Phil Jackson was promoted to head coach, and they got some players around them that Michael had confidence in.  The Bulls came of age and got over on the Pistons.   Before time ran out of the deciding game that would put the Bulls in the Finals for the first time in it’s team history, Isiah Thomas and a few of his Piston teammates left the bench and proceded to walk off the court.  The Pistons were two time champions and obviously that hurt.  But the reason that Isiah led his crew to walk was his utter hatred and disrespect of Michael Jordan.  Thomas hated Jordan since Michael’s rookie year when he was adorned with so many accolades before he accomplished anything.   Jordan had the Nike contract, his own clothes etc.  Thomas is known for freezing Jordan out of his first All Star game by making sure no one passed him the ball.  The Piston’s leaving the court was a Bad Boy “F- YOU!” to the Bulls.  They didn’t want to shake their hands since the tables turned. 

This is where Thomas was a hypocrite:

1) He didn’t have a problem with shaking hands when they were bouncing the Bulls from the playoffs the previous years. 

2)  The Pistons were in the same position as the Bulls a few years earlier when the Celtics would make them cry by sending them home every spring.  Remember, “Bird steals the pass, underneath to DJ for a layup – Celtics lead.”

When the Pistons finally got over on the Celtics, I clearly remember Hall of Fame forward Kevin McHale grabbing Thomas and looking into his eys telling him how it was Thomas’ time, that he earned it, and to finish the job by becoming a champion against the Lakers.  Thomas listened and I could tell he appreciated the gesture.  Thomas did not extend Jordan the same courtesy.  He punked out and cowardly walked out before time even expired because it was a personal thing with Jordan.  He just couldn’t be pro enough to give props where they were due.

What does this have to do with LeBron?  He essentially walked out on the Magic for the same basic reason.  He has no respect for the Orlando Magic and he fully expected to win that series.  Look at the Magic’s roster.  Sure you have Dwight Howard, but after that it’s Hedo, Lewis, Alston, etc.  The Magic are an awkward herkey jerkey team that presented some serious match up problems for the Cavs.  They shoot threes like a renegade bunch of rebellious youths.  Many times they are undisciplined and seem ready to implode at any moment.  And yet they got it done against the Celtics and then the Cavs who had the best record in the league.  I can tell you that if the Celtics had knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs like they did last year, LeBron would have shaken hands because he would not have dissed Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  When he looked at the Magic roster, there were no guys he had enough respect for to give them props.  He feels they are beneath him as a unit and that they should not have messed up his dream matchup against Kobe in this year’s Finals.  That is the real deal.

Now where LeBron doesn’t get it – (and he is still young at the tender age of 24) is that “to whom much is given much is required.”  He has a following with the whole “Witness” campaign, the chalk thrown in the air, the puppet commercials etc. and kids look up to him.  What he does in defeat is just as important as how he conducts himself in victory.  And even if he walked off the court the way he did out of sheer anger and frustration, the best thing he could have done upon reflection is to own it by saying, “I got caught up in the moment.  I should have been a bigger man and shown better sportsmanship.  That will not happen again.”

LeBron say’s he’s a winner.  He certainly has won more than he’s lost on the court.  But his immediate “exit stage left” act was as immature an act as you’ll see from a superstar of his calibur.