Jeter Wants To Be Like Mike!

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter told reporters yesterday that he wants to be like his buddy Michael Jordan and one day obtain ownership in a Major League Baseball team. It looks like Jordan may have started a new trend in terms of entrepreneurship for professional athletes. Most athletes don't have the constant cash flow of Jordan, but with the money that Jeter and others are making team ownership is an obtainable goal.

J-Smoove Strikes Again!

Josh Smith aka J-Smoove made one of the great end of the game baskets that I've ever seen last night at the Highlight Factory as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic. Just watch and enjoy. Smoove should have been an All Star this year.

Paul Hewitt Being Courted By St. Johns!

Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt is being courted by St. Johns to become their new head basketball coach. Hewitt's contract with Georgia Tech carries with it a $3.4 million buyout, but it may be worth it for him to leave now. His teams have underperformed since Tech went to the NCAA basketball final game in 2004, and he'll likely be losing freshman star Derrick Favors to the NBA, which will leave next years prospects challenging for his team.

Hewitt is from New York and he's a pretty good recruiter, so if he could keep some of the in town talent to stay he might have a chance to resurrect the St. Johns program.

Flash Mobs In Philadelphia!

Flash mobs is the new term used to describe rowdy mostly African-American teens who are terrorizing Philadelphia residents in an increasingly more frequent manner. The latest episode occurred this past Saturday night on Philly's South Street area wreaking havoc on innocent residents who were trying to have a good time. The frequency of the attacks is alarming on several levels and scary in terms a city not being able to control teenagers who for some reason are getting a rush out of this new form of recreation.

Tiger Woods First Interview!

Tiger Woods gave his first television interviews yesterday to correspondents from ESPN and The Golf Channel, respectively. Tiger didn't reveal anything earth shattering and kept it pretty close to the vest in his responses. He stressed that the circumstances that caused the November accident is a personal matter and referred to the police report as the official version of what took place that night.

The biggest difference in the interviews from his public statement was that Tiger was in official golf attire, and seemed completely at ease even offering a couple of smiles.

Michael Jordan Invested $220 Million In The Bobcats!

Michael Jordan was officially introduced as the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats yesterday. The Charlotte Observer reports that the team is valued at $275 million and that Jordan owns about 80percent of the team which equates to an investment of about $220 million. Jordan has to be commended for making a commitment to the only pro basketball team in his home state.

Charles Barkley has said that Jordan is one of the most financially savvy people he knows, so for Jordan to make this type of financial commitment proves that he's serious about making the Bobcats a success. The fact that he's the first pro basketball player to be a majority owner is monumental and could be Jordan's greatest success over and above him being the greatest basketball player of all time.

Now I Know Ron Wahington!

Admittedly, I'm not the baseball fan that I used to be, and before yesterday didn't know that Ron Washington was the manger of the Texas Rangers and also African American. Unfortunately for Mr. Washington the whole country knows who he is today after he came clean to his team and Major League baseball that he was going to fail a drug test last year after apparently using cocaine for the first time at 57 years old. Washington's honesty actually helped him, because even with the admission he wasn't fired on the spot.

Washington is in his 4th year as manager of the Rangers, and managed them to a second place finish in their division last year. It will be interesting to see what happens if the Rangers get off to a slow start this year. Players get second and third chances even with admitted drug use, Washington's situation will be the litmus test to see if managers have the same latitude.

Can He Win It?

Tiger Woods announced yesterday that he is officially returning to golf at the Masters Golf Tournament next month after a nearly 5 month self imposed sabbatical to deal with his personal issues. Now that he's returning, the question for Mr. Woods is does he have a chance to win the tournament. If Woods' past performance after extended breaks is an indication, it will be difficult for him to win. However, who would ever bet against the greatest golfer in the world.

Michael Jackson Still Making $$$$$

Michael Jackson continues to make money for his estate after his death. It was announced yesterday that his estate has entered into an agreement with Sony Music Entertainment that will feature 10 projects over 7 years and could be worth up to $250 million. "This Is It" the movie featuring concert footage is a part of the deal, and reportedly generated $100 million in profits towards the estate. Also featured as part of the deal, is a reissue of the monumental "Off The Wall" and a release of previously unreleased music in November. Obviously we can't get enough of everything Michael!

Can Detroit Schools Be Saved?

The City of Detroit Public Schools are on what many would say is life support with a 58% graduation rate. Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb has unveiled a plan to boost the graduation rate to 98% in 5 years and add up to 70 new schools while improving curriculum according to the Detroit Free Press. The plan would cost $540 million, which on the surface sounds like a low estimation. Detroit has been hammered like all major cities during this recession, but hopefully this plan will be successful and not go the way of a lot of plans that get bogged down in politics and agendas.

Racial Tensions At Chicago Firestations!

I found this interesting article in the Chicago Tribune about racial tensions at Chicago area firestations. The persons interviewed for the article report that the racial atmosphere is more "covert" than in the past and that the "N Word" is still occasionally muttered in the workplace. The minority workers seemed to be more comfortable in segregated environments, which in 2010 shows that a lot of work still has to be done even when attempting to create a comfortable work environment for workers who have the common goal to protect and serve the residents of Chicago.

Limbaugh Makes Massa Joke Regarding Paterson!

Rush Limbaugh is ever the jokester regarding all subjects, and yesterday injecting race into his act regarding New York Governor David Paterson and Rep. Eric Massa according to the New York Daily News. Below is the transcript of a call Limbaugh took yesterday on his show:


CALLER: Yeah. Hey, listen. Interesting sidebar to that Eric Massa mess for Democrats. You know, our besieged governor, David Paterson, will be charged with naming a replacement for Massa. And I'm wondering if there's any chance, do you think that Paterson...

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Wait a minute.

CALLER: ...will exact some revenge on Obama, Emanuel, Cuomo, the whole Democratic gulag, by appointing a Republican or, at the very least, a DINO - a Democrat in name only?

LIMBAUGH: Are you sure that Paterson appoints or is there a special election?

CALLER: I am reasonably sure that Paterson will be appointing the replacement, assuming that he, you know, doesn't resign in the next 60 or 90 days.

LIMBAUGH: Let's assume you're right. So, David Paterson will become the massa...

CALLER: Yes.

LIMBAUGH: ...who gets to appoint whoever gets to take Massa's place. So, for the first time in his life, Paterson's gonna be a massa. Interesting, interesting.

Wow, Limbaugh has jokes, and no one will even hold him accountable.

Is L.A. Reid In Trouble?

L.A. Reid, the CEO of Island Def Jam is one of the most powerful men in the music business, but the economic climate of the hasn't shielded him from rumors that his job may be in jeopardy. I'm sure Reid, who is known for his penchant to make hits would have to admit that his recent track record in that area leaves a lot to be desired. Recent releases by Rihanna and Mariah Carey have struggled, so he's obviously searching for that next big release.

Page Six reports that Reid asked out of a speech at a Billboard symposium last week because he didn't want to address questions about his job status. Reid's people say his absence was due to a family personal issue. Reid has an over 20 year history of creating hits, but clearly he has to adjust to the economic realities of the music business and probably reign in expenses while generating hits. He also probably needs to let the old guard go and bring in some new fresh talent.

Lil Wayne Begins His Time In Jail!

Rapper Lil Wayne finally began his time in jail yesterday when he was taken to Rikers Island where he'll serve a maximum of one year in jail for a conviction on gun charges. Lil Wayne is the most prolific rapper in the business, and while he'll be missed by his fans there won't be a shortage of music or videos for his fans to experience his genius.

A "Precious" Win!

Mo'Nique won the Oscar last night for Best Supporting Actress as expected for her role in the movie "Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire". Geoffrey Fletcher also won an Oscar for "Precious" for adapting it into a screenplay. Two Oscar wins for "Precious" is a good night for a film that was originally slated to go straight to DVD, but has since made over $47 million at the box office.

El DeBarge Lookin' Good!

I found this clip of El DeBarge being interviewed by Brian McKnight. El comes clean about his battle with drugs, and according to him, he's kicked the habit. I surely hope so because El still has incredible talent, that he displays toward the end of the clip singing "Time Will Reveal" which he says that he wrote at 16. Watching El play piano and hitting all of the notes will give you chills. El, who will be 49 this year still looks good.

Is This The Real Michael Vick?

Michael Vick appeared on the "Gansta Grillz" radio show in Atlanta last weekend and stated that if he could play for any team in the NFL it would be the Carolina Panthers. Now this wouldn't be a problem if Vick was a free agent, but the last time I checked, Vick is under contract to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This may be one of the biggest incidents of disrespect that I've seen from an athlete. Michael Vick was an exiled player when the Eagles took a chance on him following his stint in prison on dog fighting charges. Tony Dungy placed his reputation on the line to back Vick for the Eagles. If Vick really meant the statement about playing for the Panthers, then he really didn't learn anything from his sordid ordeal, and his BET show is a farce. I understand that Vick wants to be a starter in the NFL, but he owes the Eagles an apology immediately.

Take New York Out of It's Misery!

New York Governor David Paterson continues to hang on to his job amid allegations that he had subordinates speak to a woman who was attacked by his top aide. Last night State Superintendent Harry Corbitt was forced out of his job for allowing a senior officer to contact the woman. Paterson needs to take the state of New York out of it's misery and simply resign. His statements that he didn't abuse the power of his office simply don't appear to be true.

Paterson wasn't even elected into his position so before he embarrasses himself even more, just do the right thing for the residents of the state that you serve.

Trying To Get Something Right!

President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he's pledging $900 million in federal dollars to target the lowest performing schools in an effort to improve drop out rates in our country. Calling the dollars "turn-around" grants the monies will go to states that are willing to take decisive action to cope with under performing schools. While many will say this is throwing bad money towards a bad asset, it will at least assist those schools trying to make the tough decisions regarding our educational system.

Is Lil Wayne Ready For Jail?

Rapper Lil Wayne will begin his stint in jail tomorrow. While I'm sure he never anticipated spending time in jail for gun charges, hopefully he's prepared for it. If he's on good behavior, Lil Wayne will spend 8 months in jail. The seclusion will give him nothing but time to keep the creative juices flowing.

The End Of The Line For Gov. Paterson!

It's probably time to New York Governor David Paterson to call it a day as governor, and immediately suspend any intentions of being elected to the position. Paterson is now embroiled in another controversy after he made contact with Ser-una Booker, who was scheduled to be in court the next day after accusing Paterson aid David Johnson of assaulting her on Halloween. Booker never showed up for the hearing and charges against Johnson were dropped.

Paterson interceding in the legal case of an aid by contacting the accuser borders on career suicide. He really needs to resign his position as governor at this point and end the embarrassment that he's causing himself.

Dumb Ideas?

Newt Gingrich has become one of the more vocal conservative talking heads. He's now making the rounds telling anyone who will listen that President Obama is a socialist and a radical. He told a group of Georgia Republicans yesterday that the President just has dumb ideas according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It's amazing that our President has dumb ideas, but no one has come up with any better ideas to solve the ills of our country. It's easy to have opinions from the outside, however, because of our bureaucracy it's just tough to really create change.

Kwame Must Live The High Life According To Attorney!

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick wasn't able to make his $79,000 restitution payment last Friday, but money orders were sent in by unnamed donors totaling roughly $35,000 according to the Detroit Free Press. This information came to light as Kilpatrick's attorney Daniel Hajji wrote a 14 page motion in an effort to postpone Kilpatrick's probation violation hearing as a result of not paying the restitution. Also during the motion, Hajji made the claim that the ex-mayor has to live lavishly because of the $120,000 base salary job that he has for Covisint, a subsidiary of Compuware.

I'm trying to understand this logic, Kwame Kilpatrick costs the city of Detroit millions of dollars, lives in a million dollar house in Dallas, has hundreds of thousands of dollars funnelled through bank accounts, does jail time and still gets a 6 figure job, has friends paying $35,000 towards his restitution payments. Only in America!

Our President's New Plan!

President Barack Obama introduced a new health care plan to the country yesterday with hopes of reigniting a cause that seemed left for dead. Obama's new plan would come at a cost of $1 trillion with higher taxes on the wealthy. I have to give our president an A for effort, but sometimes I wonder if he's just a little out of touch, especially when no one appears to be asking for the health care bill except the folks in Washington. I could be wrong, but just a thought on my part. There seems to be more interest in Tiger's exploits that a new health care bill Mr. President.

Feds Have Evidence That Kwame Took Bribes!

First Kwame Kilpatrick wasn't able to come up with the necessary restitution money on Friday, and now according to a report by the Detroit Free Press, contractor Karl Kado, who has plead guilty in a Detroit corruption probe has stated that he paid Kilpatrick as much as $100,000 in bribes in 2002. Kado also stated that he paid Kilpatrick's father Bernard hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. It remains to be seen whether charges will be brought against the Kilpatrick's but this could get interesting.