It's.......About Time!

It took......

27 years.....10 jobs as an assistant coach......and  7 Universities....

Finally.........Charlie R. Strong.......has been named at head coach at a major college.   Years and years of rejection after rejection......Years and years .....of interview after interview.


And finally....the University of Louisville ....has had the good sense.....and the guts.....to hire this man.


Qualifications........were never a problem for Mr. Strong.  As a defensive coordinator,  he produced feared programs throughout the southeast  at schools like Florida and South Carolina.


But the fact remained......and still does.......Charlie Strong.... is married to ....a white woman.


And throughout the 70's,  80's, and even the 90's.....that just didn't sit well with the lily white booster clans.....of southern college football.


Welcome........Mr. Strong......we hope you are a great success at Louisville........and Louisville.....We salute you......for having the foresight.......and the "marbles".......to make this hire.


From ESPN:

Strong in place as new Louisville coach

Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1983-84 1985 1986-87 1988-89 1990 1991-94 1995-98 1999-2001 2002 2010-	Florida (Graduate asst.) Texas A&M (Graduate asst.) Southern Illinois (WR) Florida (OLB) Ole Miss (WR) Florida (Asst. HC / DT) Notre Dame (DE / DT) South Carolina (DC) Florida (DC / DE) Florida (interim HC) Florida (Asst. HC/ co-DC / LB) Louisville

A New Black NFL Head Coach

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Perry Fewell......

The newest black head coach of the NFL's Buffalo Bills...

From Wikipedia:

Perry Fewell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perry Fewell (born September 7, 1962 in Gastonia, North Carolina) After serving as Defensive Coordinator he was named interim head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League after the firing of Dick Jauron on November 17, 2009.

Congratulations.......and good luck......Perry.

A "Tree".......in the ......."Forrest"

He stood.......six feet tall.......weighed about a buck fifty....a welterweight.....then a light-heavyweight.

He was a professional boxer.......fought the likes of "Sugar Shane" Mosey.......twice......and beat him both times.

He won 41 of 45 professional fights. 29 by KO's.....

He simply was.......the best pure boxer.......America.......never knew.

And .....why are we talking about this man.......in ....the past tense?

Vernon Forrest........was killed.......murdered.......

From news reports:

At about 11:00 pm EDT on July 25th 2009, Forrest stopped at a gas station in the Atlanta neighborhood of Mechanicsville. With him was his 11-year-old godson. As the boy went inside the gas station, Forrest went to the back of his car to add air to a low tire. As this occurred, a man robbed him at gunpoint and fled. Forrest, who was armed, went after the man and shots were exchanged. After a short distance, Forrest gave up the chase and began walking back to the gas station. It was then that the man shot Forrest seven to eight times in the back. According to police, the shooter and a second person left the scene in a red Monte Carlo. Forrest was pronounced dead at the scene and the death was ruled a homicide. On August 4th 2009 Atlanta Police arrested and charged a 20 year old man for his murder.

Senseless...........brutal.

Vernon, lived the way he boxed. No surrender......In his mind, some young punk.......would not get his hard earned money or car........without a fight.

But these thugs don't play fair..........they shot him in the back. 7 times.

And the biggest "tree"........in the "Forrest" ........was dead.

Vernon Forrest.........May you rest in peace....

Get to know him.......courtesy of our friends at ESPN:

Telegraph.co.uk

Forrest's impact felt beyond the ring

ESPN - Dan Rafael - ‎Jul 28, 2009‎

Wayman...........We Hardly knew You

From the Kansas City Star newspaper.......

Former Sooners basketball star Tisdale dies at 44

He stood..........6' 9" and weighed 240 pounds.

A scoring machine..........Tisdale, remains the all-time leading scorer at the University of Oklahoma........and had a stellar career.....with 12 seasons in the NBA.

From Wikipedia..........

Tisdale was born in Fort Worth, Texas^[1]. His father, Louis Tisdale, was a well-known pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma serving for 28 years as senior pastor of Friendship Church; after his death in 1997, the former Osage Expressway in Tulsa was named L. L. Tisdale Parkway in his honor.^[2] Wayman's older brother Weldon has been pastor of the church since 1997.^[3]

Growing up, Tisdale was not interested in basketball; when Weldon and another older brother, William, played pickup games in their yard, he usually quit before they finished, retreating to the family's sandbox. However, Tisdale began taking to the sport in the eighth grade when he first learned to dunk.

He met his future wife Regina in April 1981 at church. At the time, they were juniors at different Tulsa high schools, and she did not know he was one of the most heavily-recruited basketball players in the country.

Tisdale called music his "first love". He was a self-taught musician; he never took any lessons, never knew what key any of the pieces he played is written in, or even the names of the notes. Throughout his youth, continuing through his college basketball career, he played bass guitar at his father's church. Music and church were so important to Tisdale that after recruiting him to the University of Oklahoma, Sooners head coach Billy Tubbs changed the team's practice schedule to accommodate Tisdale, moving the team's Sunday practice from the morning to the evening to allow him to play in the Sooners' band and at morning services in his father's church in Tulsa.

Back in the day........Wayman Tisdale........was a "baller".

May he rest in peace.

An Introduction ........to Mike Tomlin

From the archives of Wikipedia........

Mike Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American football head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history. Tomlin is the third African-American head coach and the youngest head coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl with the Steelers victory in the AFC Championship Game on January 18, 2009.

From NFL.com:

Official site of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Coaches

Mike Tomlin.......never played a down in the NFL.

Though he starred as a wide receiver in high school and college, Tomlin realized his true calling at the age of 23 when he began his coaching career with Virginia Military Academy in 1995 as the receivers coach.

He is ....."no nonsense"......."My way or the highway"(see Plaxico Burris)..........He is animated and articulate......he demands effort. A fitting.......fit.......for the "Steel City" of Pittsburgh........

That he is an African-American means little to this city or its team. That he is a qualified leader of men........and has CEO qualities in running an organization ......speaks volumes.



This Steeler team has taken the personality of its coach. Fearless........tough..........nasty.

I can only hope that Mr. Tomlin will be around for many, many seasons as head man of these Steelers .

The NFL is so far ahead of the "good ole boy network" .......which is so prevalent in College football. We wish Mr. Tomlin........and his Steelers........much success......and .......a win in next weeks Super Bowl........

More to come on that.......

But for now.....read the entire bio....via wikipedia:

Mike Tomlin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Making History ....to Being History

Five years ago.......

Sylvester Croom was named head football coach at Mississippi State University. It marked the first time in the history of the Southeastern Conference, the football program was run by an African-American...........a black man.

But after a 4-8 record this season including the season ending beat down , 45-0, at the hands of arch rival, Ole Miss, Croom has resigned........effective immediately .


“Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation,” Croom said. “I want to thank (then-president) Dr. Charles Lee and (then-athletic director) Larry Templeton for that opportunity. I also want to thank the assistant coaches and all the players who had faith and trust in me. We have tried to build a program the right way that can compete for conference championships. I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign.”

Mr. Croom is a good and honest man. Very sincere.......very dedicated........well respected.

But..........3-8, 3-8, 3-8, 8-5, and 4-8.......just don't keep the alumni happy. Bottom line? Croom was another nice guy with great morals who was a mediocre coach who happened to be black. One winning season in 5 years will not get you any extended contracts.

It is still sad though.......we are down to just 3 black head football coaches in division 1.......

Randy Shannon of Miami, Turner Gill of Buffalo and Kevin Sumlin of Houston are the only remaining black men in charge among the 119 teams that play at college football's highest level. Washington's Tyrone Willingham and Kansas State's Ron Prince were recently fired, with Willingham finishing up with the Huskies next Saturday.

Croom's coaching record.......courtesy of Wikipedia:

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl	Coaches#	AP°
Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC) (2004–2008)
2004	Mississippi State	3–8	2-6	6th (West)
2005	Mississippi State	3–8	1-7	T-5th (West)
2006	Mississippi State	3–9	1-7	6th (West)
2007	Mississippi State	8–5	4–4	T-3rd (West)	W Liberty
2008	Mississippi State	4–8	2-6	T-5th (West)
Mississippi State:		21–38	10–30
Total:		21–38
National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title
†Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.

Friday Picks

The year was 1977........

Thirty-one years to the day.....Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton ran for an NFL record 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

"Sweetness" as he was known to football fans will go down in history as on of the most prolific backs in the game.

Payton passed away in 1999 with complications of a rare liver disease at the age of 45.

His incredible stats, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Career highlights and awards

• 9x Pro Bowl selection (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
• 9x All-Pro selection (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
• 1977 NFL MVP
• 1977 PFWA NFL MVP
• 1977 NEA NFL MVP
• 1985 UPI NFC Player of the Year
• 1977 UPI NFC Player of the Year
• 1977 Bert Bell Award
• 1978 Pro Bowl MVP
• Super Bowl XX Champion
• 
  

Now........on with this weeks picks....

Last week's winners? Notre Dame and Clemson covered........Losers? Mississippi (+21 1/2) could not get close to Alabama... The St Louis Rams (+6) got blown out by San Francisco....and Carolina (-14) won the game, but failed to cover against Detroit.

We're still above water........still with a winning record.

Last Week: 2-3-0

Season: 29-25-1

Cincinnati (-5) over Pittsburgh .........

The Bear Cats of Cincinnati (8-2) have won all of their home games and the Pitt Panthers (7-2) have won all of their away games.....But Pitt has lost to Bowling Green and Rutgers....Lay the points.

LSU (-4) over Mississippi.....

The Tigers had a wake up call last week in their narrow escape against Troy..........while the Rebels enjoyed a 59-0 scrimmage against Louisiana-Monroe. The Rebs four losses have been by 2, 6, 7, and 4 points. In a close game.....LSU will win by a touchdown.


Texas Tech (+7) over Oklahoma....

In the biggest game of the week.......We ask, "When is the last time the Sooners won a "big" game?" Been a while.....Sure , Bob Stoops team can score.....but their defense has holes.....and this is arguably the best offense in the nation. Take the points.....in a high scoring thriller.

New England (+1) over Miami.......

Hard to beat a team twice in the same season. In week 3, Miami surprised the Patriots 38-13. These are not the same Pats.....New England wins straight up.

Dallas (-10) over San Francisco.......

Sure, the 49ners won last week, 35-16 against the 2-8 Rams....but.....this is on the road.....against a desperate Dallas team trying to keep pace in the NFC east. Lay the points.

So there........see you in a week.....or sooner...

Italy.........You could be Speaking...."German"

It is not often.....

we dabble in international politics.......but this is one we had to get involved with.

Spike Lee , the Black-American film maker, has caused a storm of controversy among Italians with his upcoming movie, "Miracle at St. Anna".

From Yahoo.com:

Film director Spike Lee has set off a storm in Italy with a movie about black American soldiers fighting alongside Italian partisans in World War Two.

Surviving members of the resistance to the Nazi occupation of Italy have taken issue with "Miracle at St. Anna" ahead of the film's Italian release on Friday, distributing protest flyers and accusing Lee of distorting history.

Lee has said he wanted to set the record straight about the role played by black U.S. soldiers in the war. The film is based on a novel by James McBride and focuses on the all-black 92nd Buffalo Division which helped liberate Italy in 1944-45.

Seems like a good idea to me. In most WWII movies..........us blacks were nonexistent. It was as if no black man even fought in the war. Hollywood has always presented blond haired, blue eyed Caucasians as the saviors of the free world. Thousands of Black men fought and paid the ultimate price (their lives) for this country.

Read on.....

At the heart of the dispute is the film's depiction of an infamous 1944 massacre in the Tuscan town of Sant'Anna di Stazzema, where Nazi troops rounded up and killed 560 civilians.

In the film, the massacre is portrayed as a response to the actions of resistance fighters, with one of them betraying the town and colluding with the Nazis -- a version of events that has angered surviving partisans.

Okay........that is so Italian.......The truth hurts......Here's more.....

Lee, who is in Italy promoting the film, has responded to the criticism in his characteristically feisty manner.

"I would not allow anybody to tell me how to make a film, be it a partisan or the president of the United States," Lee told a news conference in Florence on Wednesday after a preview screening, according to Italian media.

"This simply shows that in Italy the wound is still open. ... It is up to Italians to come to grips with their past, not up to me or James McBride or the film," he said.

Spike.......you tell 'em ........Note to Italy: "If not for the courage and fight of the 92nd Buffalo Division, "German" would be your national language."

Another key here..........This is just a movie, a film........It is not an official documentary....never claimed to be one. This is Spike Lee. He makes movies...... His movies often provoke a lot of thoughts. That's Spike Lee.

And shame on you ....Italy.....if you can't get past........your past.

Don't just believe me..........Find out more about the "92nd" from these links:

92nd Infantry Division (United States) - Wikipedia, the free ...

The 92nd 'Buffalo' Division

African American 92nd Infantry Division Fought in Italy During ...

What.....is .......Grits?

Grits.......

In this southern college town.....grits are known here....as "Georgia ice-cream".....

Fish and grits.......grits and bacon........grits with sausage gravy.......grits and eggs.......fried grits....shrimp and grits (I still have yet to make that recipe).......

So.......just .....what is a grit? For this ....we go to Wikipedia:

Grits is a Native American corn-based food common in the Southern United States, consisting of coarsely ground corn. It is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world such as polenta. It also has a lesser resemblance to farina, a thinner porridge.

Huh? What?

Native American? I beg to differ.......We African Americans brought the grits across the Atlantic. Farina? Cream of wheat? That was the white man trying to put their spin ...on ...grits.

Anyway.....we came across an interesting article on grits...

Enjoy:

The Ten Commandments of Grits

I. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits

II. Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon or knife

III. Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits, for this is blasphemy

IV. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors Grits

V. Thou shalt use only Salt, Butter, and red eye gravy as toppings for thy Grits

VI. Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits

VII. Thou shalt not put ketchup on thy Grits

VIII. Thou shalt not put margarine on thy Grits.

IX. Thou shalt not eat toast with thy Grits, only biscuits made from scratch.

X. Thou shalt eat grits on the Sabbath for this is manna from heaven.

So there........we have completely gotten off course here........

To talk about grits........

To the readers of this blog who complain that we only talk sports.......this is for you...

Grits.........satisfied?

Another "Pistol Pete" ?

Those of us.........

Old enough to have seen "Pistol " Pete Maravich play in the 70's couldn't help making comparisons during the Olympic basketball games featuring the Spanish team with a shaggy haired 17 year old guard named, Ricky Rubio.


Among NBA scouts, Rubio is considered the best guard prospect ever to come out of Europe. He stands just shy of 6' 4" and weighs 180 pounds.

I was amazed at his maturity at such a young age in the game against the USA. And ....he can shoot, pass, and dribble.

In 2006, Rubio led the junior Spanish national team to the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. In the 110-106 over-time victory over Russia in the finals, he scored 51 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, and stole the ball 7 times. Oh, by the way, he was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

This year, he was selected to play on the real National Spanish team.......thus becoming the youngest player ever to play in the Olympics.

Read this article from a year ago:

1. ^ http://slamonline.com/online/2007/04/the-best-basketball-player-youve-never-heard-of/

Meet Mr. Rubio: Courtesy of Wikipedia.com...

Position	Point Guard
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
League	Spanish League Euroleague
Team	Joventut Badalona
Born	October 21, 1990 (1990-10-21) (age 17) El Masnou, Catalonia, Spain
Nationality	Spain
Draft	Ineligible until the 2009 NBA Draft
Pro career	2005–present
Awards	2006 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship MVP

The Freedom....of Expression

It was ....the summer of 1968.....

In Mexico City.......the Olympics. (It actually took place in mid October).....but .....

Tommie Smith and John Carlos of the USA track team, raised their arms straight into the air....and made a fist. On the platform of the medal winners.......after Smith had won the gold in the 200 meters....and Carlos had placed third.

No words..........just an arm raised.....and a fist formed.

Well........The United States of America.....well.......they went .....bananas!

"How dare they disgrace the USA?" "They made a Black Panther signal!!!!!" "They should give there medals back!!!!"

And so forth...........and so on..........The Media crucified these men..........And for what?

For expressing themselves as black men.....going through the trials........that were...........the '60s......Remember 1968? Martin Luther King was assassinated. Robert Kennedy, also. Thee Democratic National Convention? The race riots? Those were ...trying times.

And these two men........chose the forum.....which was the Olympics.....to express themselves....

Fast forward........2008.....Beijing.......

Seems the Spanish basketball team made a statement......expressing themselves.....using their fingers....to "slant" their eyes........China style.

Well ........as usual.....the US media..........has been hammering these guys....calling them racist, etc.

Spain and the rest of world........says. "What's the big deal?"

And we agree......We are so "politically correct" in this nation.........it's become pathetic.....

Lets...........let........people express themselves.......It's really not all that bad.

Hump Day News & Views

If....it's Wednesday.....It must be Hump Day.....

A few thoughts......and a little news.



19-17.....And this was a Major League Baseball game....

Last night the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 19-17, after blowing a major league record 10 run lead.

Talk about your wild games........The evening featured a combined 36 runs, 37 hits, 4 errors and a total of 11 pitchers used.

Here's the box score: Box Score



This Michael Phelps dude is really good.....

At 6' 4", he is an imposing figure.....with a wing span of 6' 7".......He has already won 11 gold medals in his career.

Meet the man...........courtesy of Wikipedia:

Michael Phelps - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Things I think I think..........on a Wednesday....

I always thought John Edwards was a phony........now.....I'm sure of it.

I think Brett Favre will have a tough time in New York .....this season.

I think I'm about to jump on the Chicago Cubs bandwagon.......They are the best team in baseball.........or at least in the National League.

I think it's a good thing the Olympics come only every 4 years........I could not survive all the hype.


Have a great ......Hump Day.