Hi Guys,

This is Tony. I’ve been meaning to write you for awhile, but I’ve been busy working and chasing after the Indignant Kids. I’m sure that you understand. But I needed to write you and tell you something – the world has changed and you need to make room on the top of the ladder for women and minorities. You can no longer count on numbers, savagery, and superior weapons to rule the day.
The true heart of the Tea Party is white people not being able to come to grips with an African-American President, and so they have done everything in their power to stymie his every move, lie, cheat, use the politics and propaganda of Fox News to scare their sheepish followers. They would even destroy the country rather than admit that President Obama had a good idea. The politicians are so corrupted by the money the 1% have in copious amounts that everyone else gets sold down the river. The Cliven Bundy standoff and other incidents show that white men have had enough of equality, of feminism, of affirmative action. Like three-year old children, many men are pouting and throwing tantrums and holding their collective breaths until they get their way. I’m here to tell you that it’s far too late for that.
The population has changed. Minorities and mixed-race kids are becoming the norm, not the exception. More kids are growing up in integrated areas (I won’t say housing and schools because that isn’t always the case) and learning that kids with different skin tones or different religions are remarkably alike in their goals, needs, and wants. With familiarity, in this case, stereotyping dies.
Some of you are with it. You are handling the new reality, much as I and many others have been doing for decades. I tell a joke that with three women at home and as the only male in a group of four at work, I desperately need some testosterone. Thank goodness for hockey and football.
Most important, women have always been as capable as men, but men have used their larger size and testosterone to shame and pass laws to keep women second class citizens. And if that didn’t work they just beat them. However, that is no longer accepted in “polite” society. Women are fighting back, or these men are being sent to jail. Just as running out and killing minorities is not allowed (unless of course, you still live in a backwards part of the country or are very rich when you will get off).
But I understand your frustration, I do. The fast paced world is getting faster, and the centuries of privilege you enjoyed is going away. You fear that someday soon, you may have to actually be the best candidate for a job or a spot in school (unless of course your parents are rich). The old days when you could just take what you want with force are quickly coming to an end, and if the last tactic is no longer available, you’re wondering what is left? The Supreme Court is filled with men who are doing all they can to turn the clock back on the gains of women and minorities, but they all have to die someday, so any progress they make will probably be overturned within 10-15 years after they die.
In light of the Elliot Rodger murder spree, I remember the days when I chased women with no success. My friend Wendy Walker and I played a game called “Defend Your Gender” – she would complain about the men she encountered and I griped about women. It seemed like every woman I was interested in just wanted to be friends, or played a game where they could get what they wanted without reciprocating or just letting me go to protect my feelings.
As bad as I felt, I never, ever even thought about hurting them. Giving them a sound character analysis in which I had the opportunity of telling them what horrible women they were, yes (and I did get a chance to deliver a few of these well deserved “tellings” – not as many as women who I felt deserved them, but some). That was enough – letting them know that they had been found out and calling them on their emotional torture was punishment enough.
In retrospect, I was just chasing the wrong women. When I wasn’t looking, along came the Indignant Wife and my life changed. Now, I have two daughters, and I can’t say what they will be like as potential girlfriends, wives and mothers. They are 9 and 5 and when they see people kissing, their reaction is “AGGHHH! Yucky!!” And I know that they will break some hearts and have their hearts broken in their lives. But, as I said, women are quite capable, and as Bono once sang “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” There are articles that men are obsolete, soon extinct. I don’t think so, the times are changing and we have to adapt to it or go the way of the dodo.
And it goes beyond being gentlemanly. The Indignant Wife is smarter than I am in some things, I am smarter then her in others. We are both equally capable of running the house without the other. This just in, she makes more money than I do. I could be resentful or something, but I’m happy for her – she studied hard and passed the difficult tests to become an actuarial fellow.
And I want the Indignant Girls to grow up to be smart and independent and find a partner that they love that supports them and makes them feel loved and whole and safe. To the cretins who feel that women are ignoring them and feel that they have the right to take their revenge, I say, get over your selves.
There are some horrible women out there, just like there are some horrible men. Try being less of a horrible man, and be realistic on your wants and see what happens. I’m sorry dweeb but you don’t “deserve” Megan Fox or Emma Watson or Miley Cyrus. What do you bring to the table? The same thing I told women back in the day, I say to you – what makes you so special to deserve (fill in the blank)? Are you that pretty? That smart? Have lots of money? If you don’t (and most do not), why should the beautiful smart, rich, famous person even acknowledge your existence, much less “fall in love” with you.
To sum it up, you don’t deserve anything – you have to work for it. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t. However guys, the days of being able to force others to do your bidding are long over. Getting mad at the world when the problem is partly or mostly your fault is just a sign of mental illness.
Sincerely,
Tony

Long time readers know that I am old fashioned when it comes to sports. I like the rules to stay mostly the same, teams to stay in the same locations. Of course, some changes are needed: the end of the center line rule has rejuvenated hockey; and there have been franchises that never got the support they needed to remain in a location.
That said, I cannot understand Daniel Snyder. He stubbornly refuses to change the name of his football team, the Washington Redskins despite loads of opposition. The Donald Sterling case brought renewed attention to the name because for decades Native Americans have felt insulted by that name. Last week, 50 U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle (what a shock) wrote a letter to Snyder and the NFL imploring for a name change.
Unlike Seminoles, or Braves or even Blackhawks, the name Redskins is offensive to many. The Cleveland Indians’ mascot Chief Wahoo was retired years ago as been a negative stereotype. The University of Illinois’ Chief Illiniwek was retired in 2007. So, Snyder and, by failure to take action, the league, are snubbing some paying customers, which is usually verboten to the PR conscious NFL. Especially with the team calling the Nation’s Capital home, this is deplorable.
In the past, franchises never changed their names: case in point the Utah Jazz who moved from New Orleans; or the Memphis Grizzlies after they moved from Vancouver. On the other hand, the NHL Atlanta Thrashers became the second Winnipeg Jets; the Washington Bullets became the Wizards because owner Abe Pollan no longer wanted a gun nickname in a town that was leading the nation in violent crime. The Charlotte Hornets became the Bobcats, but next season, they will be the Hornets again.
The simple fact is that if Snyder does the smart thing, the remaining Redskins t-shirts and souvenirs will rapidly sell out and the merchandise with the new team’s name will also sell out, so in the short term, he should make money. It’s not like Washingtonians won’t support the team – they are like Chicagoans in that they live and breathe their football teams. Washington fans are loyal and many of them will have an easier time rooting for a team without such a hideous nickname.
But Dan Snyder and others in the 1% don’t want anyone telling them what to do. Like Donald Sterling, many of them feel that they are above the law and that other people’s opinions, especially those of the 99% don’t matter. But the 99% buy the product that you put on the field, and if the customer is always right (or even right part of the time), they do have a right to opine on the product. Will only a boycott make Snyder listen?

Both the NBA and suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling are each circling the wagons in the coming battle against one another. Of course, this still stems from Sterling’s comments in an audio recording of him berating a female friend for publicly associating with black people, including former NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The recording and Sterling’s self-centered non-apology on CNN sparked an uproar from fans, NBA players and commercial sponsors. Eventually, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life from the NBA and continues to call on the other owners to force Sterling to relinquish team ownership.
In order to build the case, the league formally charged that Sterling’s racist remarks undermined the NBA’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion; damaged its relationship with fans; harmed other NBA owners, players and Clippers personnel; and impaired the league’s relationship with marketing and merchandising partners, as well as with government and community leaders. The NBA also said its inquiry into the scandal revealed that “evidence was destroyed” and that “false and misleading evidence” was provided to league investigators.
The league said Sterling has until May 27 to respond to its charge and may present his side at a special hearing before the NBA Board of Governors set for June 3, after which the league’s 29 other owners who make up the board could vote to remove him. It would require a three-fourths vote of the board to force a sale.
On the other side, Sterling has refused to pay a $2.5 million fine levied against him by the league and threatened through his attorney to take legal action against any forced sale of the Clippers.
In addition, Sterling’s wife, Shelly, who co-owns the team through a family trust, has said she would fight any attempt to force her to give up her interest in the club. Her lawyers released a statement saying they saw no reason why she should be forced to sell.
It seems that we have yet another billionaire who believes that he is above the rules of law and civility. Like the Koch brothers, Donald Trump, and too many CEOs to mention, the very rich seem to believe themselves gods on earth, not subject to codes of good taste or decorum. And, as I wrote last week, Sterling wasn’t in trouble for his current comments, it’s the pattern of racist actions and ligitagion that has been well known by both Sterlings over the 33 years they have owned the team. What I heard on ESPN and believe is the league would have had difficulty getting the votes to force a sale if it hadn’t been for the Anderson Cooper interview where Sterling’s true nature came through. Now, on television, with no concern over who taped who, and what was said to whom, now, the league has a tasteless interview to prove that Sterling is deluded in his belief that he is the victimized party.
It would be better for the league is Donald and Shelly Sterling take the expected $1 billion windfall they will reap by selling the Clippers and disappear, but the worst thing that can happen to a famous person is not being famous anymore. The Sterlings seem to believe that everyone will just forget about the incident over time, but for a league predominantly played by African-American players, who will want to play for the Clippers? Who would want to play them? The league, which has been very solid in the PR arena, knows that the players came VERY close to a successful boycott as a result of Sterling’s comments. If the Sterlings remain as owners, they might as well shut down the Clippers, and the value of the league and every team in it will be seriously hurt. And, if there’s one thing that the filthy rich NBA owners don’t want, it’s lower value for their franchises. Will they side with a slimeball like Donald Sterling over their own financial interests? No way.
So, unleash the lawyers.

We have reached the conference final round in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and of course, Chicago fans like myself see the end of the tunnel, another championship within reach. The Blackhawks are seven wins away having won game 1 of the Western Conference Final with game 2 tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings.
Other than the local rooting interest and some great hockey, there aren’t a lot of side stories here. Both teams have won the Cup in the past four years; both have excellent teams; great goaltenders, and, what’s nice, healthy respect and pundits say that the series really could go either way.
It is the Eastern Conference Final that the bad blood is considerably higher. The New York Rangers are playing the Montreal Canadiens. These two Original Six teams both came in with dominant goalies: Henrik Lundquist of the Rangers, and Corey Price of the Habs. There are two subplots involving these goalies: Price beat Lundqvist in the Olympic gold medal game in Sochi where Canada topped Sweden in the final. And Game 1 marked the first time that the two Olympic netminders in that final were facing each other in the playoffs during the same year. Coming into the series, it looked like the Canadiens had the edge – they had just defeated the President Cup winners on the road and Lundqvist has been all too average at Montreal’s Bell Centre (4-5-2; 3.87 GAA; .876 save pct.).
Things were definitely looking positive for Price and the Canadiens until the second period of Game 1 when Ranger forward Chris Kreider slid into Price’s right leg as he was foiled on a breakaway in the second period. Price finished the period, but was replaced by Peter Budaj for the third. Now, he is definitely out for the entire Conference Final series. The Rangers pelted Budaj in game 1, and despite a terrific start by the home team, the Rangers were able to get three shots past 24-year-old Dustin Tokarski, who had only played in 10 regular-season NHL games in his brief professional career to win game 2.
Kreider’s slide has caused extreme passion in the Canadiens’ front office and fans. Habs coach Michel Therrien is angry; saying that Kreider has been playing hockey since he was a kid and he should know how not to slide skate first into a goaltender. It appears that Kreider’s slide was an accident and the injury extremely unfortunate. I don’t believe that any player would try to hurt another player (except in a fight, and even then, I don’t believe that anyone is trying to hurt somebody).
It is unfortunate that Price is unable to play, and it is entirely possible that Price’s injury dooms the Canadiens, but it is a fact that injuries happen, but the Canadiens and their fans are a bit crazy because of their intense passion for hockey and the fact that the Canadiens, the team with the most Stanley cup Championships in history, has not won a Cup since 1993, which is also the last Canadian team to win a championship, an unheard of drought.
However, it is a fact that injuries happen. The rest of the team needs to step up, or have a nice summer.

After putting both feet deeply in his mouth and getting banned for life by the NBA, both Donald Sterling and his estranged wife Shelley Sterling crawled out from under their individual rocks giving interviews to the media trying to put their spin on the incident, but neither one made their case.
First, Shelley was interviewed and said that she had been trying to divorce the 81 year old Clippers owner for years, but they had not come to any “financial agreement.” But, Mrs. Sterling said that she owns 50% of the team (which she probably does since California is a community property state, meaning all assets and debts are split between the spouses) and does not plan to sell. In fact, she says that she will fight to retain ownership of the team. She also says that when she has gone to games, fans are high-fiving her and telling her to keep the team.
Then came Donald, historically one of the worst owners in any sport, saying that he made one mistake and asks forgiveness from the other owners but not coming out and saying that he will fight for the team since the other owners have not yet voted to sell the team out from under him.
The most bizarre part of this whole story has been Mr. Sterling’s continuing obsession over Magic Johnson. In the initial rant, Sterling told his friend/girlfriend/mistress (?) not to bring blacks to games and especially not to bring Magic. In his CNN interview, again, Sterling made disparaging comments about Johnson. He said that Johnson did nothing in unban communities, and, on account of his sexual proclivity caused HIV infection, that Johnson was not a good role model.
Now, I am not here to defend Magic Johnson, but I do know he has been active in AIDS projects and has made investments in inner city neighborhoods like opening movie theaters and other businesses that employ people (do they only get paid minimum wage, I can’t say). However, I find it disingenuous that Donald Sterling is asking forgiveness while not giving any to Johnson, who, it can be said, has paid a stiff price for his promiscuity and his “sin” happened 23 years ago.
But, what both the Sterlings are either suffering from dementia or are sincerely deluded on two major points. First, both of them claim that they are being punished for Sterling’s comment a couple of weeks ago, but this is just the latest is a long history of racist actions and statements. The Sterlings have considerable real estate holdings, many in low-to-moderate income areas, and there have long been reports of red-lining (discriminating in sale or rental real estate to minorities), and both have made comments about blacks and Hispanics. This is not a random or one-time occurrence, and as many journalists have documented since the incident, it is well known of the Sterlings’ contempt for minorities.. If it had been a one time incident, the PR savvy NBA would have had him quickly apologize, punish him, then move on.
Since however, the NBA is mostly played by African-Americans, and blacks do spend money for tickets, jerseys, and television, both broadcast and cable/satellite, Sterling insulted a sizable portion of the league’s audience. The owners, many of whom it feels like to me, aren’t great friends with Sterling, are certainly more in love with money than Donald Sterling.
Finally and most important, the Sterlings seem to think that the players and fans are on their side. Perhaps the yahoos surrounding the Cliven Bundy ranch support Sterling, but if either Sterling ends up with ownership, players will revolt. Clippers players won’t play for them and rival players won’t play against them. The fans will not attend games with no players, and many would change allegiances to the Lakers, who also play in the Staples Center than give more money to Donald and Shelley Sterling.
I don’t have any doubt that litigation is coming. I also don’t have any doubt that the Clippers will not by owned by the Sterlings when the dust settles. Donald Sterling is in his 80s and according to his estranged wife, in the early stages of dementia, so a long legal battle may not be settled until he has shuffled off this mortal coil. Considering that Forbes Magazine values the Clippers at $575 million and loads of billionaires from Oprah to Snoop Lion have offered to buy the team and Mavericks’ owned Mark Cuban says that the team is worth about $1 billion, the Sterlings will get a hefty payday. They should take the money and run, but today’s oligarchs believe that their wealth makes them invincible, answerable to nothing and no one.
So, we have the deluded Sterlings thinking they are going to win. They’re wrong.

I am happy that I have the two Indignant Daughters – I wonder what I’d be like if I had boys in competitive sports. So far, my girls are involved in figure skating and swimming and both may be good enough to compete competitively, so I’m not immune, but since I don’t skate and can’t swim, it would be more difficult to argue calls and get into trouble in sports that I don’t have personal experience playing.
Anyway, we often hear about the evil parents, those who seem to be living vicariously through their children. They argue with coaches, they heckle the referees, sometimes fights break out between parents. It has to be tougher when you are a former player coaching/watching your kids.
This brings us to the story of former relief pitcher Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams. He had a reputation for being wound very tight as a player, and the MLB Network analyst seems to have it bad. Six years ago, Williams was ejected from his daughter’s basketball game years ago for screaming at an official, and recently, Williams had a run in as his 10-year-old son was playing in a Ripken Baseball tournament in Aberdeen, Maryland. Witnesses say thated that witnesses said Williams had been arguing throughout the game. Finally, one umpire confronted Williams after the former MLB pitcher shouted something to a parent in the stands about getting that umpire fired. The confrontation sparked a face-to-face argument that, one parent reported, was “just like the major leagues.” Two different observers told us Williams had to be physically separated from the umpire by other coaches. Williams then refused to leave the field, causing a 10-minute delay in play; as a result of his antics, he was initially banned from the tournament.
Wild Thing reportedly sent at least one expletive the umpire’s way.
However, the ban was removed after it was determined the umpire had acted unprofessionally. It still didn’t look good, so Williams took to Twitter to defend himself:
• to set the record straight. I was thrown out for laughing at a call.then the threatened to fight me. said pick a time and place.
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
• for those that think I’m making this up.it is on film.,and when he threatened me 1 of my coaches came out and put his hands on him
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
• the ump and moved him away. the ump said you can’t touch me. what the ump didn’t know is my coach is a judge. And my coach told him
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
• if we weren’t in Maryland you would be in handcuffs and arrested for threatening me. All I care about is the kids.the entire game
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
• is taped by Ripken. They have it and it will show everything.ive never seen an ump at so out of control especially at a 10yrold gm
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
• It started in the 1st inn, the ump yelled at the opposing coach, then yelled at me. i asked why r u yelling at me I haven’t even met u yet.
— Mitch Williams (@WildThingMLBN)
It will be interesting to see any footage. While Williams may have been out of line, it does take two to fight. Long time readers know that I am often critical of umpires and referees whose power has gone to their heads, and in this case, it is entirely possible that Mitch Williams isn’t as “guilty” as one might think..

This week, rookie NFL jersey sales are centered on two players: Johnny “Football” Manziel Cleveland Browns jerseys, and St. Louis Rams Michael Sam jerseys. OF course, Manziel is the former Heisman Trophy winner whose draft stick fell until Cleveland drafted him with the 22nd pick in the first round. Small, not possessing the strongest arm, and known as a scrambling QB in college, the question is whether Manziel’s pro career is closer to Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton or Nebraska bust from the early 2000s, Eric Crouch.
Manziel is brash: the main picture from draft day is Manziel rubbing his fingers together in an “we’re in the money” pose. Later that weekend, Manziel reportedly bought a shot and a beer for an entire bar. Sounds like a kid having a good time; will he be a great starter and also, will he be another ex-jock declaring bankruptcy some day?
On the other side of the ledger, it has to be considered a positive factor in our society that Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL, appears to be accepted to the great majority of people. I do question if another SEC defensive player of the year would have lasted until the seventh round if he hadn’t been openly gay?
Of course, there are bigots who were freaked out by Sam’s coming out of the closet, and even pushed for the boycott of the league when he was drafted. The closed minded bunch were freaked out even more when Sam kissed his boyfriend on television after being drafted. As I said, there are some GOP politicians who were calling for a boycott of the entire NFL over Sam, but the good old boys would rather cut off limbs than miss football.
(My favorite tweet was “how do I explain Michael Sam to my kid – a guy with two first names?”)
These story lines will make the upcoming NFL season yet another one for the record books. Roger Goodell is smiling.