Quit Cryin' Kobe, You Got What You Wanted

Quit Cryin' Kobe, You Got What You Wanted
RF23 Commentary

After yesterdays bombshell by Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant in regard to the situation of the Lakers. Yesterday, Kobe Bryant went on a radio show front and bombed the hell out of the Lakers Organization specifically owner and now new member of celebrity mug shot Jerry Buss. Bryant angry at an unknown and named "insider" in the Lakers organization for saying what a large percentage of basketball and laker fans believe (including me) that he was responsible for the ousting of Shaquille O'Neal right after the 2004 season. Bryant claims that he took the bullet for the organization and "let on" that he was responsible. He said he took all the criticism from the media and pissed off O'Neal loyalist because he wanted to be the team guy and he believed that the team would rebuild aggressively to get back to championship form.

Bryant said that the owner told him on two occasions that the lakers were not going to resign Shaq due to his age and declining health. Bryant also said that he called Phil Jackson to see what the lakers told him (Jackson) after the 2004 season and that Jackson told him that the lakers were going to rebuild on a long term basis. Meaning that they were going to get under the salary cap and rebuild for the future. The future! Bryant is presently playing and looking to at least answer for Shaq's 2006 Championship win with the Heat.

I can imagine the anger and utter disappointment for Bryant, but didn't he want this? Didn't he, throw his team mate under the bus while he was being investigated for alleged rape of a Colorado woman. Didn't he provide "Scottie Pippin" soundbites in regard to Shaq about his weight and health? Didn't he tell people close to him that he wanted his own team and wanted to run things? And yes, although he didn't make the deal to send Shaq to Miami, he at least on one of the two meetings could have told the organization, "hey, me and the big fella may not get along, but we won three championships and had huge playoff runs, re-sign the big man and let us go for more." He could have done that. Instead all he did was tell the organization that he was opting out and seeing what free agency was like. Well now he sees it, he sees now that his allegeniance cost two game over .500 and quick exits in the playoffs..And all of this is under his watch....
So don't cry now Kobe...

this is what you wanted.

The Logo's livid with Kobe: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ak3flDznKg2RZKWPcuVxyT05nYcB?slug=aw-kobe052907&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Bryant Fires Back Lakers: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20070530_Stephen_A__Smith____Bryant_fires_back_at_Lakers.html

Bush on Aide to Africa

Bush on Aid to Africa:
Before anyone, says, well, what has Bush done for Africa in his years as President.

Well theres this from the Washington "Left Leaning" Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000941.html?nav=rss_email/components

And then there's"
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=21367

As for Sudan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/world/africa/29cnd-darfur.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Oil Companies Price Gouging:

Oil Companies Price Gouging:

Well since everyone is BMW'ing about the high gas prices, I felt it necessary to post a few articles from the left side of main stream media, since if it were from a less cared for media program it wouldn't be believed. But before I do, on Saturday, I went to get my fade and line up and the barber who was cutting my hair commented on the high gas prices. And as usual, the rhetoric about the president "gettin' rich by robbin' folks." Now usually when a barber is cutting my hair, I usually hold comment until he's done, can't take the chance of a fade being, well, off! But I couldn't take it and chimed in...
Me: Bush is gettin' rich, how?
Him: Man, he and his texas buddies are makin' a killin' off the poor man, we can't afford these prices.
Me: Ay, I feel you in regard to the high gas prices, but my man, there are other factors into the high gas prices and Bush and his oil rich buddies ain't one of them..
Him: You crazy, man, Bush is the reason why gas is high..
Me: I'm sorry, but he's not. Look man, the reason why gas is so high is because demand is high here in this country and by the way, we're not the only ones who are using a high amount of oil...China is now equal too or greater users of oil.
Him: C'mon! mayne! we're buying oil from the same motha(expletive) we're over there trying to kill..
Me: Well I would agree that we are buying from foreign countries, but as for trying to kill people just to get their oil, that sort of reach...
Him: then why we in Iraq, for the mother(expletive) oil! J!
Me: Look, man, I don't have enough time in the day to try to explain why we're in Iraq and even if I did, you probably would still reject it..even so, do you know how much gas is, in Europe?
Him: I know it's high
Me: yeah, over $5.00 in some parts of Europe and before you say, we're coming up on it, if we pay $5.00, they'll still be paying more.
Him: So Bush ain't getting his cut, that bull(expletive)
Me: And you wanted to talk about Iraq...Look man, you complain all you want, but the bottom line is that you still paid for it...and guess what, you'll pay for it if it were $5.00..pissed off...you betcha.

Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10082724/page/2/

Breaking Down the High Cost of Gasoline: What about the State and Federal Gov't aren't they benefiting?
Article : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18753432/

RF23 Commentary: Why is Jim Lampley Calling Fights?

RF 23 - Commentary: Why is Jim Lampley Calling Fights?

I try to be fair and forgiving at times with people, cause, well, I may need or want someone to do the same thing for me. But I draw a line, when it comes to the media and people who make a living being the face or one of the representatives of a company. For instance, there a number of people who believe Dan Rather should have been fired for his "dead wrong" report on the President's military record. As most of you know, Rather presented "forged" documents in regard to the President's perceived treatment during the Vietnam War. It cost Rather his job along with others. Imus? regardless if you feel he should've been fired for his dumb ass remarks is here or there. The fact is that the fallout for his remarks not only cost him, but as of now, 7 on - air radio personalities have either been fired or suspended for remarks deemed inappropriate. And if you thought just because you are on satellite radio and folks pay and know what they're getting...think again, 2 of those 7 are on XM radio. What Imus did is essentially put everyone talk radio, radio show host on eggshells when it comes to the content of their opinions and skits.
So what do you do, when a sports host commits a crime and pleads no contest. Take for instance Jim Lampley, Lampley pleaded no contest for a misdemeanor charge of violating a restraining order and oh by the way assaulting a 28 year old woman. This is the same Lampley who comments on and reports on the criminality of athletes, especially the ones in which he covers in boxing. Lampley was the voice and opiner of the Mayweather vs. De La Hoya fight and last weekend was the voice to Tayler vs. Spinks sparring session. Why? should'nt he at least been suspended for his off the mic actions? Apparently HBO doesn't believe so, yet it fired one of his executives for doing the same thing in Vegas after the Mayweather - De La Hoya affair.
HBO should do the right thing and choose not to renew Lampley's contract when it expires or better yet...fire him out right. The fact that I have listen and look at a 57 year old man, who should know better times 4, is disgusting.

Lampley's No contest: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2007-02-21-lampley_x.htm

HBO Executive Fired: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18562206/

Zawahri to Black Folk: Fight For Us

Zawahri to Black Folk: Fight for us.

You know it's obvious that Zawahri is a democrat. Why did I say that? what political group or supporters of the democratic party use race-baiting as a way to get an Amen out of black folk? Democrats.
While speaking in New York to black folk, Presidential hopeful candidate Hillary Clinton said something to the effect that the both Houses on Capital Hill is being run like a plantation, and ended her diatribe by saying, "and ya'll know what I'm talking about" race baiting. And while I'm on Hilary, cause Bill won't. Just this year in Selma, AL., Clinton did her speech in a black southern drawl...race baiting.
I don't want anyone to think that I'm picking on Hillary, but what party has over ninety percent of twelve percent of the black population vote? Democrats.
Does anyone remember the James Byrd murder? Does anyone remember the commercial run by the NAACP using Byrd's daughter in regard to a hate crime bill where she said the then republican presidential hopeful Gov. George Bush non-support for the bill was like murdering her father over again. Race baiting.
What party does the NAACP support? Democrats
And it doesn't have to be a brutal murder like Byrd's. How about every major election where every white democratic favorite will raise their hand during church announcements that they are visitors. Never-mind the fact that they stand out like, well, like white people in all black church. And the one time where state and religion is brought together, the candidate will get up and call themselves talking to the whole black community by promising what every other politician before them has promised. More jobs, better schools and to fight crime and point out that their opponent is in opposition to something that black folk hold dearly...
Affirmative Action.
This kind of stuff happens every two to four years along with the media's main story for the year. A cop, a white one preferably, but a black one will do cause once he puts on his uniform, as James Evans (Good Times) once said, never-mind the complexion the uniform makes them [black officers] the same. But the media's main story of a cop either a. beating the bejesus out of a black male or b. shooting a black male. Those type of stories bring out our favorite cast and characters to protest the world reported event, let alone that the suspect fled from a scene in a car, and oh by the way, a cop was in front of him or the suspect led police in a car chase in a stolen car..it's always because they're black and never because they broke the law.
Let me clarify this before I go further...I admit there are or were situations where the police was wrong...dead wrong...Diallo and King come to mind.
And now we have this, Al Qaeda's number two guy, Zawahri is taking notes from the democrats..It ain't good enough that he has almost every elected democrat looking to cut and run, almost all the main stream media looking to report the news in his favor and almost 60% of the country supporting a cut and run and believing in every main stream media positive report on Al Qaeda on how evil our American forces are...No!!! that's not good enough, Zawahri is now soliticiting the support of black america to support their cause. Using Malcom X, before he found out that Elijah Muhammond was, well helping the black muslim population. He also hit below the belt by showing 1950 and 60's film footage of the civil rights movement in the south being assaulted by southern democrats sheriffs departments.
Now this whole thing would be funny, if our so called black leadership would have said something, or it would be funny if our so called black leadership would have taken exception to the statement. But like the white democratic politicians in a black church. Zawahri may have gotten an amen...

Qaeda's Zawahri says Iraq bill shows U.S. defeat
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18509370/

Survivor 14: Earl Wins Survivor 14

Survivor 14: Earl Wins Survivor
AD EXEC EARNS TOP DOLLAR:
Earl Is Sole Survivor

After 19 Survivors spent 39 days battling the intense Fijian sun, suffering severe dehydration and starvation along with countless alliances made and broken, the winner of SURVIVOR: FIJI has been named. Earl Cole, the 35-year-old advertising executive from Santa Monica, California emerged virtually unscathed as the winner of the million dollar prize and title of Sole Survivor. Controlling the game as puppet master, Earl maneuvered both his alliance and his opponents like chess pieces. Forging a common bond with the clever Yau-Man, Earl played a stealthy game with an Immunity Idol in his pocket, making few enemies along the way. Earl won over the hearts of the jury in a unanimous vote.
Paste or Click Link: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor14/show/ep14/index.shtml

Sopranos - One Wasted Episode

Last nights episode of the Sopranos was a little disappointing...One, Christopher was killed by Tony. Being suffocated to death is not the way I envisioned Christopher exiting the show. I always thought he would either be indicted and put in prison. Or! turn rat. He seemed like a likely candidated to turn states evidence against his cousin and his gang family. He had the biggest axe to grind. His hot girlfriend, Adrianna was whacked for talking to the government. He was passed over for big spots and it took a long time for him to make captain. And most recently he was taking slack for being sober!

As for the rest of the show, it was a wasted show with so little left for the series. Tony, dreams about his satisfaction of his cousin's death and turnsaround and heads to Vegast to hook up with Christopher's lady to the side.

Paulie Walnuts is next on my list to turn rat or turn on the family period. Feeling left out and disrespected, I won't be surprised if he's holding a gun and firing the last shot to Tony's already bullet riddled body.

AJ is hanging with a group of young wannabee mobsters and after a beat down on a african student. He is not showing the mean streak his old man shows.

With two episodes left, I have a funny feeling that the real finale is going to cost $10 to see...in a form of a movie.

Record Breaking Fight

Last weekend's fight between Mayweather and De La Hoya broke Tyson v. Holyfield's Pay Per View record. According to the article, boxing is not on life support. I beg to differ. What the numbers showed is that the people would pay out their noses to see a good fight, period point blank. And not only for PPV, Cable channels need to make a better effort in making good fights that everyone wants to see. Who in their right mind, wants to see Jermaine Taylor push around another small fighter in Spinks? Who is interested in watching slow starting Winky Wright go against even slower starting Hopkins? Who? Another thing, until Americans put out a good heavyweight contender/champion....No one is going to give a darn about a Klitschko or whatever European champion. And we can look no further than Lennox Lewis and his acceptance in the States.

Article: http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/6791828

Good Bye - Sweet Lady

Today, I decided to drop a few lines to a good friend of mine, one of whom I haven't heard from in a while. I knew that she was battling bone cancer, but when I last heard from her, she said she was doing well. I believed it and would not believe that she would leave this life so early. I was wrong.

So today, in my E-mail, I put down, that I hadn't heard from her in awhile and that I hoped all was well. It never occured to me that that E-mail would fall short and not be delivered, so when it did, I felt this uneasiness about the return e-mail and something just told me to check "lexis." There she was, Valenda C. DeCohen, social security death notification. She died in December of 2006 and was only 46 years old. My heart sank and although I knew it was her, I didn't want to believe it, so I checked the local news papers and there she was, it was. It had everything I knew about her in it and like her four children, her mother and father. I now have to come to grips that she is gone.

I, like everyone who came into contact with her, is left with good memories and funnies ones. She was my and could have been my bestest of friends. I confided in her, like she confided in me. She listened to me and vice versa. We used to talk to each other in the early mornings, well I was her alarm clock.

I can't believe that she is gone, but at least she is no longer in pain. And I'm not talking about the physical pain that her cancer put her through. I'm talking about the pain her ex-husband put her through. After years of supporting him and giving him four children. He upped and left, cause she wanted to grow as a person. She wanted to define herself as a woman, wife, mother and all of that was for him. How'd he accept it, he got the family together at the dinner table and announced that he didn't want to be married anymore. Fought, kicked and scratched to avoid paying child support, took her three boys away and made her fend for herself.

She was a strong woman, a woman who piqued a lot of curiousity and above all else...she was a lady. Thank you Valenda for allowing to me celebrate your graduation from Cal.State Dominquez and into your life path way. I will NEVER forget you and you will remain a piece of my heart.

Until - Good bye Sweet Lady

Valenda C. DeCohen (1960 - 2006)


DeCOHEN VALENDA CHERYL (NEE WARD)
December 21, 2006
Age 46, peacefully made her transition on December 18, 2006. She was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. Lynn, as she was affectionately called, had a zest for life and lived it to the fullest. A native Detroiter, she moved to the Los Angeles area in 1975. In 2004, she moved to Dallas, where she was an educator until she was diagnosed with cancer. She moved back to Detroit in November 2005 to be with her mother and family while seeking treatment for her illness. Lynn was a woman of faith. She loved the Lord, as was evidenced by her beautiful smile, kind, loving heart and magnificent spirit. Last summer she planted a beautiful vegetable garden because she was a nature lover who enjoyed the outdoors. She especially loved the mountains and the ocean. Lynn is survived by her daughter, Jezreel; sons, Kadesh, Jeremy and Ethan DeCohen; devoted mother, Patricia Marshall; father and stepmother, Harold and Paula Ward; sisters, Vanessa Ward Hines, Dana Hugle, Makeva Ward, Torri and Gina Hill; brothers, Darrell Wells and Rashaan Washington; a loving companion, Hussein Lynks; aunts, Jacqueline Lowe and Diane (Jules) Jenkins; uncle, Kenneth (Mary) Marshall, a special uncle Jerome Readus; and nieces, nephews, cousins and numerous friends. A family hour will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 22, 2006, at St. Stephen A.M.E. Church, 6000 John E. Hunter Dr. in Detroit. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. A private scattering will take place in May 2007 in Angeles National Forest in Altadena, California, as well as in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to St. Stephen A.M.E. Church for the Valenda Cheryl DeCohen Scholarship Fund

NFL.....Ain't Playin' Ya'll

"In the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select...JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU."

The crowd yays, and Raider fan is happy that their team didn't select a kicker or a special teams specialist. Shoot not happy, but greatly relieved. Also relieved is Russell. Relieved that his name was called first and having to avoid the embarrassment, of not being called until 15, 16 and in Brady Quinn's case, 22nd. But the one thing, Russell and new NFL rookies have to worry about is themselves. And they need not look no further than, Tennessee and Adam "PacMan" Jones. Jones and Cinncinnati Bengal wide receiver, Chris Henry earned themselves some time off from the league, involuntary. Jones was suspended for one full season, while Henry received eight games off for conduct detrimental to the league. As most of you know, Jones was one of the problems in Vegas during the NBA All Star weekend, by instigating a fight/gun fight at a strip club, leaving a bouncer paralyzed. Henry who came into the league in trouble, recently was stopped for driving without a license and arrested for the fourteenth time!

In the past, this type of behavior would be balked at by sports-talk radio host and their fans, and the NFL just let the teams deal with it. In the Bengals case, all blame for the bad behavior of Henry and other Bengal players was about to be placed on the feet of the head football coach, Marvin Lewis. Well. Not no more, the league has stepped in with the good graces of the union and law abiding football players and said "enough."

Now lets get back to the incoming rookies. In the past, rookies who had a questionable past, would get a pass and the team, his supporters and local press would put all discipline on the coach, such as a Bill Parcels. A player like Henry, if under Parcels would probably last exactly one week on the squad after messing up for the second time. A player like Jones, wouldn't be drafted after his antics, but this is the mood in the league. And young rookies coming into the league, now, if they needed to be told, act right. Who would have thought that a young man, would have the opportunity to make millions, playing a game most of us, probably played in a park, on a pop warner or high school team, would risk all the injuries, the pain and hard work to hang with his boys and keep his street cred. Not me. And you wouldn't have to tell me how to act in public. I appreciate the league has symposiums for it's rookies warning them of shady people and stupid deals. Educating them on how to deal with the press, but never a symposium on how to act.