When he came out of LSU, I thought that quarterback JaMarcus Russell had a bright future ahead of him. Even though he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis’ team always emphasizes the long bomb, stretch the field philosophy. It has been hard to watch Russell get chance after chance, but still not be able to perform well at the NFL level.
Well, the Raiders’ trade for former Washington Redskin signal caller Jason Campbell may be the final straw for Russell in Oakland. The Raiders now seem ready to close the door on the exorbitantly expensive and unproductive Russell; the only remaining question looks to be when. Will they cut the former No. 1 overall pick before this weekend’s mandatory minicamp begins; wait until training camp; hold onto him until the final roster cuts; or even keep Russell on the roster for another season as a backup?
The Raiders showed their confidence in Campbell by extending his contract through 2011, giving him a $4.5 million deal that season on top of the $3.14 million he is owed this season.
Why is this any more troubling than other quarterback busts? I watched a number of Raider games over the past couple of years and it seemed like Russell would make an error and he didn’t care. From what I’ve read, he has refused to do the mental work: watch film, work on mechanics, listen to coaches, that would be required of a quarterback and particularly of a leader. Maybe Russell got the big money and it went to his head? But what differentiates the superstar from the bust (besides talent) is the drive and will to win. Michael Jordan was supremely talented, but he also wanted to win every game, and worked on his game to get better. Peyton Manning works year round to make himself better, and it shows, both in his performance, and in the respect he gets from his teammates.
It’s too bad – I still think he has the tools somewhere. I hope he realizes what he has and what he can achieve, but he has to want it.

China was stripped of a bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics today for fielding an underage gymnast. The International Olympic Committee acted (that is pulled its collective heads from their collective holes in the ground) after investigations by the sport’s governing body determined that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.
As a result, the women’s team medal now goes to the United States. Dong’s results from Sydney were nullified in February by the International Gymnastics Federation. Because her scores contributed to China winning the team bronze, the FIG recommended that the IOC take the medal back. As expected, the IOC executive board upheld the request and formally stripped the medal on the first day of a two-day meeting in Dubai. The U.S. women, who had been fourth, move up to the bronze. In addition, the IOC also stripped Dong of her sixth-place result in the individual floor exercises and seventh place in the vault.
As expected, requests for comment from the Chinese Gymnastics Association and the media officers for the Chinese gymnastics team have gone unanswered to news agencies so far.
It’s sad, but it’s a little like the steroid allegations so prevalent in sports today, especially Olympic sports – someone else cheated, yeah, so, let’s move on to the next incident. And for governmental authorities to be involved in this, whether it’s the Chinese government, or the old East German women who had more male hormones in them than I have ever had in my body; it’s sickening.
What do they think – they’ll never get caught? And the athletes know – what does that say to them? It says that cheating is alright as long as you don’t get caught, which seems to be the nature of responsibility on a global scale: corporations, governments, people – no one says “maybe I shouldn’t do that.” If they did, maybe we would have to have massive car recalls; we might not have Wall Street executives called to Washington and grilled like criminals (maybe because they are or should be).
It goes back to a question I posed a couple of weeks ago – isn’t it better to spend money and do things right the first time, and then you don’t have to defend yourself against law suits, ruined reputation, huge monetary damages? Does it make sense just to do the right thing the first time, or am I helplessly old fashioned? Probably.

I tell people who ask me why I have Evilopinion.com that it’s cheaper than therapy. That’s certainly true especially when I want to tell someone what I really think (even if I can’t do so to their faces.
Long time readers know that I work in banking, and bankers are certainly conservatives for the most part, but I heard more than a few people express middle-of-the-road if not downright liberal comments before and even after the election of Barack Obama. But I know that everyone is not in agreement, so I try to keep my bleeding heart liberal tendencies to myself.
Unfortunately, some people don’t feel the same way. A couple of bankers sit near me, and they are to the right of Karl Rove and I know it. Usually, they keep their comments to themselves (except for calling me a bleeding heart, to which I retort ‘drip, drip, drip’) but this morning they made comments about a protest here in Illinois and it took all of my strength not to tell them off.
Yesterday, thousands of teachers and other union workers marched on the Springfield, Illinois State Capitol chanting “raise my taxes” to try to pressure politicians to avoid major budget cuts. The rally drew an estimated 15,000 people; according to officials, it was the biggest demonstration at the Capitol since the era of the Equal Rights Amendment more than a quarter-century ago (and larger than any tea party rally here, a point that my co-workers made).
Gov. Pat Quinn has come under fire for proposing a 33 percent increase in the income tax rate, but it’s never good to talk about raising taxes in an election year. Too many lawmakers (nee “cowards”) don’t want to take more money out of people’s wallets as unemployment remains high; yet groups that receive tax money said Quinn’s proposed tax hike isn’t big enough to help bridge a deficit that’s expected to reach $13 billion if nothing is done (Chicago Tribune.com).
Most of these cuts would be in education, and as I wrote several weeks ago, if people don’t want to pay for education, what do they want to spend their money on? So here were these two senior people, educated, well paid, bankers grousing over the fact that some people wanted to have their taxes raised. One is an older white man whose kids are grown, so he doesn’t want to pay for education for other kids; the old “I got mine, get yours” scenario. The other is a small, rather unpleasant woman who recently got married for the first time at the age of 40 who spoke openly about a previous engagement that broke up due to the fact that he wanted children and she didn’t. So, she doesn’t have kids and doesn’t want any, and obviously doesn’t want to pay for any either.
Again, yes, there was and is corruption in government, especially Illinois state government, and there is a part of me who doesn’t want to give these crooks any money. However, we want good streets, schools, healthy food and water, and so many services that we rely on government for, but no one wants to pay anything for them. And if you think that private industry will take care of these things, is Toyota above selling dangerous cars to you to save some money? Obviously not!
Admittedly, these two went into an office to commiserate on how many more people are willing to pony up more money to keep teachers employed than the simplistic, small minded, tea partiers, but I could hear them, and my blood started boiling. If I pay $50 more per month, or 6 months, or 1 year to help my kids, or even if I didn’t have kids, to help other kids get enough teachers, keep schools open, help poorer people have the opportunity to better their lives, then that’s fine with me. I have to question anyone who thinks otherwise as to whether they are racists, selfish, cheap, or just mean.

Or, get over yourselves. South Park is irreverent. It is foul-mouthed; but it is also one of the funniest programs on television, and I wish I saw more episodes than I do (Now I revel in the exploits of “Dora the Explorer” and lots of Barbie movies).
One of the things that makes South Park fun is that it is an equal opportunity offender – every religion, along with atheists have had fun poked at them. The show has depicted God as a gap-toothed rhinoceros-monkey; portrays Satan as a simpering wuss and regularly features Jesus as a superhero.
But they have now poked fun at Islam by portraying the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit? For its 200th episode April 14, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker wrote a plot line about free speech in which most everybody the show’s ever offended comes back, and among the episode’s characters: the Prophet Mohammed, who is first pictured behind a black “censored” bar and later in a bear suit.
That didn’t sit well with Revolution Muslim, an Islamic group that objected to Mohammed’s portrayal. According to some Muslim traditions, the visual depiction of Mohammed is not allowed and, of course led to the death of Theo van Gogh, the Dutch director who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic extremist.
Revolution Muslim posted a warning on their website “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality that will likely happen to them.”
I know that I’ve said this before, but if people want to live their lives in the 4th Century, go for it – find a cave and live in it, but the problem with religion (notice, I didn’t single out Islam) is that people can be so threatened in their beliefs by others. Mohammed was a man; he lived. I would think that a depiction of the prophet would enhance the religion, not demean it. After all, depictions of Jesus are almost everywhere (and almost universally impossible with the European looking blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus a scientific impossibility – he was dark skinned, and would have had much coarser hair).
So, will Stone and Parker have to go into hiding like Salmon Rusdie? I have to give credit to Comedy Central who allowed the show to air. Will those executives have to fear for their lives.
Get over it! Not everyone is going to go along with your view of religion; pro or con. Everyone makes that decision for themselves. And to think that you need to convert everybody, or worse yet, smite everybody who disagrees with you is short-sighted, and impossible unless you use nuclear missiles and kill us all.
So good for the bad boys behind South Park. And anyone who can’t laugh at themself is an idiot.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the right move yesterday by suspending Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first six games of the season, even though he avoided sexual assault charges in Georgia (it should be noted that the QB can cut his suspension to 4 games with “good behavior”). The two-time Super Bowl winner was banned without pay for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and was ordered to undergo a “comprehensive behavioral evaluation by professionals.”
The punishment came one week after prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a nightclub last month. Goodell explained his decision in a letter to Roethlisberger saying, “(m)y decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.”
This was an important move by the commissioner. He took action against a star; a quarterback no less; and a man who has performed well enough to have to championship rings. More important, Roethlisberger is white: most of the other players (and certainly the highest profile players) that Goodell has suspended for violating the personal conduct policy in his 3 1/2 years as commissioner have been African-American.. He banned the Titans’ Adam “Pacman” Jones for one year, and suspended then-Chicago Bear Tank Johnson and Cincinnati’s Chris Henry eight games each in 2007. In 2009, Michael Vick was suspended for six games, later shortened to two games, after serving 18 months in jail for his role in a dogfighting ring.
As I’ve said here, I used to be a fan of Roethlisberger, in college at Miami of Ohio where he put beatings on my beloved Northwestern, and as a Steeler. He appeared to be a decent young man when he came to Evanston with former Wildcat Trae Essex. But, as the father of two girls, even a professional football player has to understand that no means no. No exceptions!

There are few Blackhawk fans bigger than myself (literally and figuratively), but as the team is in a 2-games-to-1 hole against pesky Nashville in the first round of the NHL playoffs, I have to wonder about my attitude.
Am I worried? No – there’s nothing I can do about it. Am I still rooting for them – of course. But am I ready for them to get bounced out in the playoffs? I guess I am. Last season, they went to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings. I was very excited, but it was like playing with the house’s money: they were much improved, but I didn’t expect them to go as far as they did, and every round was like a bonus.
Well, come into this year, and the Hawks are among the favorites, and played like that except for the stretch a couple of months ago, and they are expected to make a serious run at Lord Stanley’s Cup. They are no longer the underdog – they are among the favorites, and maybe that’s the problem.
The Michael Jordan era Bulls were favorites most of the time, but they were the best team in the league, and while they were occasionally challenged, we know that somehow, MJ would “will” the team to victory. The White Sox five years ago again came out of nowhere – few expected them to win the championship and when they marched past the Angels and Red Sox, it was again playing with the house’s money (plus, only one side of the city was really happy about this anyway).
The 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle Chicago Bears were prohibitive favorites too, but when Walter Payton fumbled on the first possession of the game, and the Patriots scored a field goal, the entire city of Chicago groaned. Of course, the Bears came back and throttled New England, but the mindset is still there: the teams that grab defeat from the jaws of victory – the 1969 and 1983 Cubs; the 1984 White Sox; the 1983 Blackhawks – all division winning teams that failed in the playoffs.
Usually at this point, with the Blackhawks out of the playoff picture, I had little angst – I could watch playoff hockey with one thing in mind – anybody win but the Red Wings. I didn’t have to be nervous; I didn’t have a great rooting interest. Coming into this year’s playoffs, coworkers and friends asked me what I wanted and I paraphrased Moses Malone: “Fo, Fo, Fo and Fo.” Four wins, then four wins, then four wins, then finally the last four wins. I didn’t and don’t expect it to come that easily, but I certainly want the Hawks to take control of every series early and finish off their opponents as quickly as possible (like the Eastern Conference elite teams – the Penguins and Capitals are doing after losing the first games of their series). No slam on Nashville or the other playoff teams, but I wanted the Hawks to dominate all the way to the Cup. Now, we have to wonder whether they will pull a San Jose and lose unexpectedly in the first round.
With an expected decrease in the NHL salary cap and the number of long term money committed to the team’s stars – Kane, Toews, Hossa, etc. many feel that this is the year – Stanley Cup or bust. And so far, the Hawks have not only lost 2 of the first 3 games, but have looked bad doing it.
I just can’t watch. But I have to.

One of the main reasons that Chicago Bears fans have always hated Michael McCaskey is that he comes off as someone who knows no work. He was lucky enough to be born into the Halas family, the owners of the Bears. He took some of that money to get himself an Ivy League education including MBA. Unfortunately, he never learned much about the real world, so when he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1986 like he himself had played the games, people resented him. It was former GM Jim Finks, Head Coach Mike Ditka, Defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the other coaches, and especially the players that won the championship, not McCaskey.
McCaskey showed his true ineptitude in trying to get the city to build a new stadium. Despite the deterioration of Soldier Field and a need for something, standing up to McCaskey especially after the politicians caved for a new stadium for the White Sox, was a political benefit to Mayor Daley the younger and many other local politicians. The deal didn’t get done until McCaskey was “promoted” to chairman of the board of the team, and Ted Phillips was brought in as President and CEO. (The Chicago Tribune says that Michael was removed after the debacle over Michael’s attempt to hire Dave McGinnis as head coach fell apart, but I still think it was the stadium deal that was the biggest reason for the move.)
On most other issues, it was assumed that Phillips, GM Jerry Angelo, and Head Coach Lovie Smith made most of the decisions, and if they needed owner’s input and approval on anything, they went to Michael’s Mom, Virginia McCaskey, George Halas’ daughter. Michael has reportedly kept an office at Halas Hall and has a part of the team’s big picture decision making, along with being involved in numerous NFL committees and league matters. Sounds strenuous?
So, to many, it was a surprise when the Bears announced today that chairman of the board McCaskey will retire after the 2010 season. From doing what – attending a few meeting and playing “Mother May I” on any big decisions? His biggest attribute over the past several years has been in not being around to rekindle the dislike that most sports fans have for him.
The 66-year old will be replaced by his younger brother George McCaskey, who has been the team’s ticket manager for many years. Again, according to the Chicago Tribune, George McCaskey is well liked at Halas Hall and known to be efficient, and is on the team’s nine member board of directors.
Will he be a better manager than his brother? Will he do more than asks Mommy for approval? What will happen when the aged Virginia passes away? Can any of these people organize a one-car funeral? Time will tell.
(And, as stated in the title, this is the 500th blog I have posted on my site. Thanks to all that have stopped to read my demented offerings.)