CNN.com reported that an Ohio landlord violated the Ohio Civil Rights Act by putting up a sign that read “Public Swimming Pool, White Only” at her Cincinnati duplex, but the landlord, Jamie Hein, wanted the Ohio Civil Rights Commission to reconsider.
The commission ruled last year that the sign “restricts the social contact between Caucasians and African Americans as well as reinforcing discrimination actions that are aimed at oppressing all ‘people of color.'”
The case was brought by Michael Gunn, a white man who said had unrestricted access to the pool area for himself and his guests during the nearly two years he lived in the duplex. There were no problems until Mr. Gunn invited his 10-year-old biracial daughter to visit and swim in the pool. Ms. Hein reportedly accused his daughter of making the pool ‘cloudy’ because she used chemicals in her hair, and days later, she posted the sign.
She said that she received the sign from a friend and posted it in early May, but told ABC News in December that she collects antiques. She said the sign, which was dated 1931 and from Alabama, was a gift from a friend.
“I don’t have any problem with race at all. It’s a historical sign,” she told ABC.
Gunn said he was outraged by the sign and made arrangements to find another place to live as soon as he could.
This is the backlash of having an African-American President – now all of the racial hate speech can come out of the closet, and the racists can claim it is political “free speech.” As a father of two biracial daughters, I cringe when I see this. My girls don’t understand racism, but they know that they are half Chinese and half African-American. Someday, but I hope not soon, someone will say something to them, and I’ll have to explain this country’s history of bigotry, hatred and violence toward not only African-Americans, but the Chinese.
The Commission denied the landlord’s request by a vote of 4-0 without any discussion, and Ms. Hein will retain the reputation of being a racist all over Cincinnati, the rest of Ohio, and everywhere else.

I’m not proud of this, but I do think that sports agents are some of the scummiest people on Earth, right down there with used car dealers, lawyers and corporate CEOs. I admit to being ashamed when I read that former super-agent Leigh Steinberg filed for bankruptcy protection this week, said that he takes responsibility for debts of several million dollars.
“I just lost track while I was in rehab,” Steinberg told The Associated Press. The agent has struggled with alcohol for years but has been sober since 2010.
It is funny that his attorneys filed a Chapter 7 petition, meaning total liquidation of assets, rather than the more common Chapter 13, which is debt restructuring, much like a corporate Chapter 11.
Court documents show a default judgment ordered Steinberg to pay the Irvine Co. for office space he leased in Newport Beach.
The agent said his debts are larger than the $1.4 million owed to the Irvine Co., and that his attorneys are still compiling the total. He said his only assets are some stock.
Steinberg has represented NFL stars such as Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Steve Young and Ben Roethlisberger.
I do feel for Steinberg, and I would like to say that this shows that agents are human just like their clients and everybody else, but then I look at Scott Boras and Drew Rosenhaus, and I return to thinking of them as heartless shysters.

Happy New Year to everyone. The Indignant Family went away for the new year, and your friend and humble narrator is rested and ready to start 2012. but before we get started on the new stuff, let’s briefly touch on the issues that happened while I was gone:

• Alabama soundly defeated LSU in the BCS Championship Game. I watched very little of the game since, to me, it’s two football factories playing. I doubt anyone who starts on either side ever goes to class; does their own work; are in school for anything other than an NFL career. Sickening.
• By the way, why are there college bowl games after January 3rd? I understand that with New Year’s Day on a Sunday this year, so the Rose Bowl and other games were on the 2nd, but there were a smattering of bowls that whole week, culminating in the BSC Championship Game last Monday night. What about the time it takes to study? Go to class?
• One final college football comment – with the SEC winning another national championship, let’s stop the hypocrisy and just make the SEC teams a semi-pro league and that way, the players can be paid; they don’t have to go to any classes; and teams from the other conferences can play each other in bowl games?
• While I was gone, the Chicago Bears fired GM Jerry Angelo and Offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Angelo did little to help the team in the draft and blamed everyone else for his own shortcomings. Martz tried to fit the Bear offense into his scheme, and if there’s one thing every good coach knows – fit your scheme for the talent, not vice versa (unless you’re also GM). Overall, a good move.
• I’ve never rooted for the New England Patriots, but I will this weekend when they play the “Holy” Denver Broncos. Everyone knows my feelings about Tim Tebow, but I was sickened to see the team’s punter Britton Colquitt pointing at the sky after a good punt. It was a nice story, but it’s time for the Godless horde to unleash the Lions on the Christians.
• Barry Larkin will join Ron Santo as the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2012. In their primes, this would be on of the best left sides of the infield to enter the Hall together.
• Speaking of baseball, it was announced that Commissioner Bud Selig will be at the White Sox Fan convention January 27 – 29th giving Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf a humanitarian award and also speak to the fans at a “state of the game” discussion. Long time readers know that I have been very critical of Selig, and there’s a mean part of me that wants to get a ticket and go to the festival just for that, but I have so many questions, I would probably get thrown out. But Sox fans are knowledgeable and brutal – I’ll trust that some of the questions will make the old bastard nervous.
• Let’s check to coffin to see if Al’s dead. It took almost no time at all for the Oakland Raiders’ new GM Reggie McKenzie to fire Head Coach Hue Jackson. While not making the playoffs, the Raiders were noticeably better than in the past five years, but despite Davis’ death, it looks like the front office remains Team Turmoil.
• In my office, I’m known as the biggest Blackhawk fan around, so, when I returned this week, everyone wanted my opinion on the recent 4 game losing streak (which was ended last night 5-2 to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets). I have a couple of thoughts. First, everyone forgets that two seasons ago when the Hawks won Lord Stanley, the team went through a period of about three weeks when they couldn’t beat anybody. It’s a long season, losing streaks happen. I’d rather have a losing streak in January rather than in the playoffs, when four losses would be the end. Second, I’ve watched a lot of hockey this season and there have been maybe 2-3 games in which the Blackhawks have played solid 60 minutes of hockey. In too many games, the team would get outplayed for 2 periods, but have enough talent to win. That won’t get you a championship. If they had kept cruising along doing just enough to win, it would be inevitable that the Hawks would not win the Cup (or go that far in the playoffs). The Hawks are very good, but no one is good enough to win a Stanley Cup turning in 20-30 solid minutes per game.
• You have to look no further than the top of this site to see my feelings on the Green Bay Packers, but I feel for the team and especially its offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Police have recovered the body of Philbin’s 21-year-old son Michael from an icy Wisconsin river near Oshkosh, and said that they were trying to figure out how he died. Michael Philbin disappeared early Sunday and was reported missing that night. The body was recovered Monday, but the police didn’t make the formal announcement until the next day in respect for the family. Of course, the Packers are preparing to host the New York Giants in an NFC playoff game Sunday, but the team’s thoughts are with Philbin and his family. As are mine.

It’s been a very long and not particularly pretty 2011, so I’m ready for the New Year, So, I’m taking some time off from everything except for the Indignant Family, including my site. I will be back the week of January 9, 2012. I wish all of you a safe holiday and here’s hoping for a much better 2012 than 2011.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve given my “end of year” list of favorites and there is one omission that I found that I had to add; then a sports apology:

• For whatever reason, I thought that The Decemberists CD – “The King Is Dead” was a very late 2010 release, but I was mistaken, and it should have been included in my list of favorites of 2011. But where to put it, I asked? I played it a great deal; and think it is great, but what about the other 10 CDs I had listed here before? So, I have listed it as a tie for the second best CD of the year with Radiohead’s “The King of Limbs” As a result, the new list of the Top 11 CDs is as follows: 11) The Original 7ven – Condensate; 10) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now; 9) Matthew Sweet – Modern Art; 8) Thomas Dolby – A Map of the Floating City: 7) Foo fighters – Wasting Light; 6) Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See; 5) The Book of Mormon – Soundtrack; 4) Paul Simon – So beautiful of So What 2) (Tie) The Decmeberists – The King Is Dead; (2) (tie) Radiohead – The King of Limbs; 1) Wilco – The Whole Love
• I owe an apology to Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery. During the pre-season, I said that Emery was finished, washed-up, and worse, not even a has-been, more like a never was. In stints in Ottawa and Philadelphia, Emery had been counted on to be “the man” – the main goaltender on a Stanley Cup contender. Expectations have always been high, but immaturity, inconsistency and injuries have always kept Emery from being an elite goaltender. I openly wanted the Hawks to keep rookie Alexander Salak and let Emery go. But, with Corey Crawford mired in a slump, the Hawks called on Emery over the past three weeks and he delivered, winning six straight games until losing and then giving up the goal to Crawford, who maybe needed some rest or some time to clear his head, since he has won two straight. So, Ray Emery, I owe you an apology – you aren’t washed up, you have lent stability to the goalie position on the NHL’s best team (by points). I hope you keep it up (and that the Hawks will eventually play 60 good minutes per game instead of one great period.)

Before the holidays begin, I’ve been really busy with work and family duties, so I apologize for not being as diligent as before. A few Pre-Christmas thoughts:

• I guess former Chicago Bear wide receiver Sam Hurd was more interested in being Al Pacino’s Tony Montana than Jerry Rice. When he was arrested for trying to buy and distribute huge quantities of cocaine and marijuana, a big stink was made about the Bears’ personality screening process. What process? NFL teams are looking at a player’s ability on the field, and unless they were a proven criminal or a real pain in the ass, they don’t care about off-the-field issues. It’s all wins and losses.
• Speaking of wins and losses, the Bears have finally given up on the Caleb Hanie project – Josh McCown (I always cringe because that name is so close to Cade McNown). Hanie has the worst QB rating of any signal caller under Lovie Smith, which would include Brian Griese, Chad Pennington, and Jonathon Quinn.
• Bear GM Jerry Angelo said today that the team “imploded in some cases.” Yeah, like not having a capable backup quarterback; not doing enough to shore up the offensive line; being woefully prepared for injuries. Yep, things imploded alright as the Bears went from 7-3 to 7-7 after Jay Cutler and Matt forte went down. (But at least you save the McCaskey’s money not paying Forte. He’ll be highly motivated next season after you slap the franchise tag on him instead of paying him what he wanted. Nice Job!) That’s your job Jerry, to not let that happen. Angelo is 66, time to retire.
• Moving to movies, I had the chance to see “Drive” at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and it looked interesting but I passed. Why? Because Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s previous film was one I saw in Toronto, a film called “Valhalla Rising,” which was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen at the Festival (look at my 10 worst films in my first decade at TIFF). “Valhalla” had bad action; unintelligible characters and no apparent plot. I’d like to see “Drive” but Rehn is going to have to redeem himself big time.
• Jerry Reinsdorf’s bad luck (decisions) with the White Sox stand out in stark contrast to his luck as owner of the Bulls. He has had the pleasure of having two players (Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose) who are supremely talented, but are also driven to win. And Reinsdorf has paid for their services, Jordan was paid $36 million per year at the end of his Bull tenure, and now Rose signed a 5-year, $94 million contract. Both of them are worth it.
• While I was very happy to see the Packers lose last weekend to the Chiefs, I am nervous that the loss will only make the Packers focus more on the remaining games, leading to another championship. Looking like an unstoppable juggernaut, I was hoping that the Packers and the Cheesehead Nation would begin to feel invincible and then get knocked off in the playoffs – that would have depressed Wisconsin to no end – it would have been fun to watch.
• Which is to say – if you are in Chicagoand don’t want to have a bad Christmas Day, skip the Bear-Packer game. It may end up 63-0.
• I guess Ohio State was surprised when the NCAA gave them the one year bowl ban. From what I hear, they tried to pin in all on Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor, and the tattoo parlor owner, but when the charges surfaced that a booster was contributing to the players and there were no controls placed on his activity, the “failure to control” hit the Buckeyes. Like I said when he got the job, Ohio State will win a lot of games coached by Urban Meyer, but I don’t see the program getting very clean.
• Finally, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il died. The country is mourning like Michael Jackson died again (although how much of it is genuine and how much is at the point of a gun barrel, we don’t know). I don’t know if the son is up to be ruler of the country, but let’s just hope that he has more sense than his insane, megalomaniacal father did.

A lot of people have wondered why I haven’t taken on the Tim Tebow phenomenon, and it’s because I thought that the Tebow story would be settled by now one way or the other. But the Broncos keep winning, and Tebow is under the spotlight.
First, let me admit that I’ve never liked the Denver Broncos. I never liked their fans back to the Orange Crush days, and I was never a big fan of John “Mr. Ed” Elway because he did the equivalent of a toddler holding their breath until they get their way when he was drafted by the Colts, and got himself traded to Denver. He was going to get big money and there was nothing wrong with Baltimore or any other city, but Elway was a big baby.
I paid very little attention to Tebow, even when he was winning the Heisman Trophy, but he played at Florida, which, like most of the SEC, I consider football factories and its players would either be iheading for the NFL or about to be pumping gas in Tampa. I know and understand that Tebow is religious since his mother received medical advice to abort her baby because of possible birth defects, but turned out to be a very strong NFL player. I was annoyed by his “Tebowing” bowing down after scores and the like, but I wasn’t more annoyed than other celebrations (although I did enjoy when he was parrodied when he got sacked in an early game). However, since then, he and his team’s improbable comebacks have been graphed upon by the hyper-religious as some kind of divine intervention.
As someone who isn’t religious, I am so sick and tired of these people. They have gone bats#$t since 9/11 when the country got scared to the core when we were under attack from followers of another religion. One of the basic flaws of modern religion is that fundamentalists look at the teachings through the lens of the times the books (Bible, Koran, etc.) were written. Using an example from Chris Rock’s first HBO special, the Bible and other religious texts make eating pork a sin; but now we have refrigeration and “a pork chop can save your life.”
Simply, the Bible was written at a time when Christianity was a small, often persecuted religion – followers were driven to gain converts so that the religion would survive. This just in – it worked. Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with 2.1 billion followers or over 33% of the world’s populace. Despite what Bill O’Reilly and Fox News says with their annual “War on Christmas” propaganda (it’s like Fox’s “Grinch” – a holiday staple), Christianity isn’t going anywhere. There is no need to feel that you have to convert others. (The same can be said of Islam, which is approximately 21% of the population.) Believe in what you want (or not) and leave everyone else alone. Most people don’t give a damn about other people; they just want more people to believe what they believe in, or to be folloers of theirs. Honestly, is it any of your business whether I’m “saved” or not (and do you give a s#$t anyway?). I would think that more people who aren’t saved would make more room in heaven for those that are – if you believe that load of nonsense.
To be honest, I never thought Tebow would be a good NFL quarterback, and so far, I’m right. (I said that Tebow was Eric Crouch for the 21st Century.) He has the worst statistics for the first three quarters of a game of any quearterback, but is one of the best in the fourth quarter. Simply, too many teams have gone into the “prevent” defense (which goes back to the old adage that prevent defense does one thing – it prevents you from winning). The religious nuts who pushed for him to start when the team was struggling, may have arrested his long-term development as a QB by pushing him in too soon.
That said, he has the team winning, but as always too much credit is being given to the QB. Denver’s defense has kept them in every game Tebow has won; the special teams have been excellent; the offensive line has been good. If the Broncos were down by significant points, there’s no time for a 4th quarter comeback.
Which, of course, brings us to last week’s win over my hometown Chicago Bears. There has been enough blame thrown at running back Marion Barber, and he deserves every bit of it. I don’t blame him as mush for the overtime fumble – he had the ball ripped away by an aggressive, ball hungry defense. The Bear defense had plenty of opportunity to stop the Broncos long before the winning field goal. But his failure to stay inbounds in regulation would have won the game for the Bears, and for that, there’s no excuse.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not for a depleted Bear team to limp into the playoffs just to lose their first game – a better team should go. And the Bears, without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte and with Caleb Hanie at quarterback, is at best a mediocre team, and one that would not only lose in the first round of any playoff, wouldn’t even make it a competitive or interesting game. Together Hanie and Tebow combined for perhaps the worst quarterback play in the first three quarters of the game ever seen in league history. Neither team deserves to be in the playoffs, except for the fact that Denver is in one of the weakest divsions in the NFL – the AFC West.
One thing is certain, every team that plays Denver for the rest of the season will be watching the film of the Bear game – for three querters, Tebow was 3-16 passing for 42 yards and a pick. He isn’t very good, but late in games when defenses play conservatively, he becomes Fran Tarkenton. When will these teams play Tebow the same way in the fourth quarter as they did in the first three quarters? At that point, you may see the flaws in his game that are so apparent come out late in a game too.
Credit where credit is due: Tebow is a good leader. Late in games he has led his team to victory despite not having much of a track record of success early in games. I have to admit that I have been against Tebow all along – rampant fundamentalist religion makes me sick to my stomach. No one, especially a 24-year-old quarterback has any right to tell people anything about how to lead their lives. If he was any good, I would still tell him to keep his beliefs to himself and play football. Because he isn’t all that good makes me wish for him to go away.