2016 Olympics: Obama appearance in Copenhagen boosts Chicago's chances for win

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UPDATE: Chicago's stunning loss; Mayor Daley to blame?

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Olympic bid Forum: GameBids.com Forum

Today, in just a few hours, the International Olympic Committee will determine which city wins the right to host the 2016 Olympics: Chicago, Tokyo, Rio, Madrid, and Tokyo.

According to GameBids.com, which tracks the progress of Olympic bids, President Obama's decision to appear in Copenhagen and give a speech to the IOC was boosted Chicago's chances for winning. This is part of Obama's speech:



GameBids.com's BidIndex was changed to include Obama's impact, causing Chicago's score to increase to 61.24, just behind the 61.42 for Rio. It's a tight race, but GameBids forgot about Michelle Obama' and this impassioned speech.



Mrs. Obama's speech, focusing on her father, is just beautiful. Really something. I think it's the difference-maker.

This is the first time in Olympic bidding history that both the President of The United States and the First Lady of The United States gave speeches in support of an Olympics bid.

As one born and raised in Chicago for much of my young life, and who has family there, I would love to see "The City With the Big Shoulders" get the Olympics. Chicago teaches one to think big and to see possibilities. That city made me and it never left me even as we moved to Oakland, Ca, which I see as very much like Chicago.

This is Chicago's 2016 Olympics video:



And this is Chicago's presentation in Milan earlier this year:

Chicago 2016: Host Presentation
Uploaded by aipsmedia. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

Moreover, the Summer Olympics are long overdue for a return to America. The last time was 13 years ago in 1996 in Atlanta, and that was a true success. In our poor economy, at this time, it woulc be a massive shot in the self-esteem arm to get the games.

IOC Olympics voting process

According to GameBids.com, this is how the voting process will work:

Each city will give final presentations to the voting International Olympic Committee members. The drawn order of the presentations is Chicago, Tokyo, Rio and Madrid. Each city will have 70 minutes including a period for questions and answers.


Chicago will present at 8:45 AM Tokyo will follow at 10:45 AM. Next is Rio de Janeiro at 12:05 PM, then Madrid at 2:15 PM.


After the presentations, the Evaluation Commission will review their report with the IOC members.


Voting will commence a 5:10 PM local time in Copenhagen - it will be by secret electronic balloting.


Any city requires 50% +1 votes to win a ballot. If no city receives enough votes to win, the bid with the least amount of votes is dropped from the ballot and the remaining cities are added to a new ballot. There could be as many as three ballots.


There are currently 106 IOC members. Members representing countries with a bid city on the ballot may not vote. There are two members from the United States, two from Japan, two from Brazil and one from Spain. These members may vote in subsequent ballots if their city is eliminated.


There is one suspended member who may not vote and the IOC President Jacques Rogge will not vote. In total, there are 97 eligible votes on the first ballot. This number may be reduced if any voters are excused.


If there is a tie vote on he final ballot - the IOC President can cast a tie-breaking vote.


After each ballot the IOC President will announce either that a winner has been declared or he will name the city that is eliminated from the next ballot. After the final ballot, the name of the winning city is sealed until the annoucement ceremony at 6:30 PM local time.


After the announcement, the host city contract signing will folllow at 7:30 PM.

Games good for America

To me, opposing the games for America is just plain un-American, a tag that could rightly be put on conservatives like Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin, who really want to see President Obama fail, and would obviously undercut America's best interests to make that happen.

I'm not saying they can't have an opinion, but why go against America when its competing around the World for the Olympics? If Bush was headed over there, they'd be all for the Olympics, and they know it.

You can't claim to love your country and do what they're doing. When it matters most, America needs all hands on deck. Beck, Malkin, and Hannity know nothing of urban planning or public sector economics to make an informed comment about Olympic bids. As one who's formed the bid to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland, I do. Their opposition is purely political.


Go Chicago! Go USA!

Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans Preview - CBS' Pat Kirwan on JaMarcus Russell

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NFL.com and CBS Sports Pat Kirwan knows his football and since we meet at the 2006 NFL Draft..



..I've had a number of personal conversations on everything from Vince Young and the Spread Offense to then-New England Offensive Coordinator and now Denver Broncos' Head Coach Josh McDaniels passing attack. I don't always agree with Pat and today's another example of why.

Pat's views on the upcoming Raiders v. Texans game are below:



Kirwan's comment that the Raiders..

JaMarcus Russell is struggling as much and they're trying to protect him and they're very sensitive about what anyone says about him. But I said as much when I went to camp and I'll say it again, the guy was not making decisions fast enough to have an effective passing attack.

Where I totally disagree with Pat is that he focuses on JaMarcus Russell rather than how he's coached and the design of the passing game. Maybe it's the rule of one coach (as Pat has been) not criticizing another coach, or something. But my issue is with the Raiders passing attack design, which I've discussed before.

In other words, any quarterback would struggle in that system.

I also take issue with Pat's look at the Texans. Pay says they can't stop the pass. The Houston Texans have one problem: they can't stop the run and haven't been able to since preseason which means its a scheme problem. They averaged 5 yards a carry on defenseagainst Jacksonville last Sunday; with stats like that, the Raiders won't have to worry about JaMarcus Russell, they'll just hand off.

My prediction: Raiders 20, Texans 17.

Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans Preview - CBS' Pat Kirwan on JaMarcus Russell

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NFL.com and CBS Sports Pat Kirwan knows his football and since we meet at the 2006 NFL Draft..



..I've had a number of personal conversations on everything from Vince Young and the Spread Offense to then-New England Offensive Coordinator and now Denver Broncos' Head Coach Josh McDaniels passing attack. I don't always agree with Pat and today's another example of why.

Pat's views on the upcoming Raiders v. Texans game are below:



Kirwan's comment that the Raiders..

JaMarcus Russell is struggling as much and they're trying to protect him and they're very sensitive about what anyone says about him. But I said as much when I went to camp and I'll say it again, the guy was not making decisions fast enough to have an effective passing attack.

Where I totally disagree with Pat is that he focuses on JaMarcus Russell rather than how he's coached and the design of the passing game. Maybe it's the rule of one coach (as Pat has been) not criticizing another coach, or something. But my issue is with the Raiders passing attack design, which I've discussed before.

In other words, any quarterback would struggle in that system.

I also take issue with Pat's look at the Texans. Pay says they can't stop the pass. The Houston Texans have one problem: they can't stop the run and haven't been able to since preseason which means its a scheme problem. They averaged 5 yards a carry on defenseagainst Jacksonville last Sunday; with stats like that, the Raiders won't have to worry about JaMarcus Russell, they'll just hand off.

My prediction: Raiders 20, Texans 17.

White supremacist forum "Stormfront" discovers Zennie

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The blog post I wrote called "Jimmy Carter's right; White Nationalists taking over the GOP" has got the attention of the famous white supremacist forum called "Stormfront".

When I put the link in the context of some of the comments that come to my email from my YouTube video, it's actually tolerable. But overall, concerns some express about "illegal immigrants" are sad and silly, because they use the term "illegal immigrant" as a racial code word for anyone Latino.

Here's my comment example from my video at YouTube.com:

I'm sure the dumbass in this video supports amnesty for illegals - he follows the party line like a trained monkey. And yet he says, "we need to fix this economy". Well, it might help if we didn't have millions of border jumping peasants sucking up millions of service industry, manufacturing, & assembly jobs.

By contrast, the reality is "illegal immigrants" come in all shapes and sizes and are just a marriage proposal away from being legal. Well that's oversimplifying things but you get what I mean. The commenter uses the term "border jumping peasants" which obviously excludes waiters and waitresses from Ireland.

Geez.

Now, what's "Stormfront", you ask? The website description reads "Discussion board for pro-White activists and anyone else interested in White survival". What's interesting is I could not find an equivalent when I took out the word "white" and replaced it with "black" in Google. But that's beside the point.

Stormfront started in 1990 as an online bulletin Board for David Duke when he ran for U.S. Senator of Louisiana (he lost). It's grown since then to become the 249th largest forum online with over 6 million posts according to Big-Boards.com.

Now that doesn't mean 6 million people are posting to the site but it means there are a small but active set of people who have the idea that "white rights" are being harmed for some reason. I think they're misguided.

For example someone wrote that they stood for the end of "white discrimination"; well that person should be interested in the end of discrimination, period.

I point to Stormfront because its something you need to be aware of. Fox News Bill O'Reilly said it best in 2003 in response to the Georgia racially divided prom issue:

Now, the fact that this white supremacist group is taking such an interest in the prom situation says a lot and should also be a danger sign to those of you who don't see the problem here.

Bill's right. Not being aware of a group that has as its goal racial separation and it seems by some harm, is to allow that group to grow and to commit criminal acts of racial discrimination and hate. That some people have been brainwashed to think in the way that Stormfront presents shows how terrible America's education system has become and how America has not activity had diversity training in schools.

As a result, we have some people who are so isolated from others based on skin color it's given them a psychotic view of the World.

The simple, inescapable reality is that there's no one purely white or black; we're all mixed together to some degree. Looking at the world purely through a white or black lens is silly and rather sick.

Now that's different from pointing out how racism is done, which I do. You have to identify who's who racially to do that, but it doesn't mean the persons are "all" white, black, Asian, or Latino.

To me, racial divisions are silly. It's why I never joined the Black Student Union at Skyline High or Brett Harte Junior High in Oakland. It's why I co-created our Star Trek Club when I was 14...

I'm gonna make Lars famous!

...and why I didn't want to be in a fraternity that was all-black in college. I believed then as I do now that in order to properly function in the World, one can't shield themselves off from society and become something akin to an anti-government wacko.

Moreover, I didn't want to be in a frat that was all white either, even though such organizations don't call themselves "white fraternities." The bottom line is I like organizations that have diverse memberships and seek to build a diverse population. Life's more fun than the other way.

Think about it.  A person who's white and always been around whites will have a hard time in a mostly-black room.  The anxiety created would be a product of their own mind, especially if someone took a "shining" to them, as they say.  But if they had a racially diverse set of friends, that anxiety would not appear and race would not be a source of discomfort.  And that's true for anyone. 

I am proud that I can go anywhere and be myself. 

It's not that I don't see the historic need for black frats - I do. There was a time when we were not allowed to assemble with whites, let alone ourselves. Blacks have needed a place to go as a minority in America to be able to connect with those who have similar experiences, and that's true today; thus the value of the black frat. 

And I support anyone who wants to join a black frat; I just think in this day and age whites and others should be encouraged to join a black fraternity as well, just as I'm invited to join an Italian men's club. It's good for society, and hey, it's good for business too. Especially the flow of commerce.

But the bottom line is racial separatists need to wake up and change with the world around them. American diversity is the norm now, and anyone who has friendships that are all one color is looked at as weird, even if the people doing the looking don't say anything.

It's what I've tried to tell anyone who would listen: the real America, the one that elected Barack Obama as President, is more diverse and desiring to be such than the mainstream media or Stormfront presents.

If you want to see the real America, watch Bravo, Current TV, CoLoursTV (where my TV show is) or MTV. It's no surprise that those networks have some of the hottest and most innovative programs around. They're the new cross-section of a racially mixed America.

It's about time!

Tom Hayes - Obama's Denmark trip is much bigger than Chicago

We've embarked on a "War on Terrorism" that doesn't have fronts on a map, or massed armies. Fighting to win means engaging in ways that win the hearts and minds of people half-way 'round the world from us, people who listen to neither Jon Stewart nor the Fox network to inform their opinions of the USA.

Foreign policy:
more than insuring oil supplies and limiting nuclear proliferation.

All our military strength and intelligence gathering wasn't enough to stop the terrorist attacks in 2001.

"It's easy to assume the Obamas connections to Chicago are driving their interest, but the reality is they're using that obvious familiarity to the advantage of our entire country in this case.

Plain and simply, this is a great chance to put our American principles on display, and it's just a fortunate coincidence that the President and First Lady have personal ties to the only U.S. city in the running for the 2016 games."

The reason Tokyo, Rio, and Madrid are still in the hunt for the summer Olympic bid for that year is that world opinion matters, and hosting the Olympic games boosts any country's image.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Read more...

Fox News uses blondes, sex, Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and car chases to win cable ratings

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Lost in all of the hullabaloo over Glen Beck calling Barack Obama racist (then famously saying Obama was better than McCain would have been as president),was the fact that all of this attention given to Beck would cause people to tune in to see what he said, even as advertisers were pulling away from him.

It's that and a still-healthy dose of leggy blondes that caused Fox News to dominate cable news. Ever see all the hotties Fox lined up over the past few years? Here's a look:



And if you've got an issue with my use of the term all the hotties, it's your complaining about it that produces the buzz that keeps it going. That's Fox's formula, to be the itch that you want to scratch. It's a method that goes all the way back to P.T. Barnum.

Barnum, the creator of the circus that grew to be the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, was known for a saying: "There's a sucker born every minute" and even though his competitor actually said it, that's something Fox News figured out a long time ago.

(Barnum was also known for his enjoyment of whatever publicity he could get, a school I subscribe too!)

The sucker is the American public with its weird duality of watching most what it claims to hate the greatest. I often watch in horror as Keith Olbermann spends much of his time talking about what Fox News anchors said (thereby giving you a reason to watch Fox), while Fox hardly mentions anyone from MSNBC.

It's as if MSNBC is actually selling Fox News by, er, talking about them to death - the death of MSNBC News if it doesn't alter its approach.

The other element fueling Fox News'ratings is its conservative leanings and a bit of a nod to white nationalists from time to time. Then there's those LA car chases..

Fox News is the only cable news network that's obsessed with these stupid car chases, but you know what, people watch them. Actually call each other to have friends flip the channel. I've seen this time after time at the gym, when a group of people will crowd around a TV watching a Fox News' car chase, always in LA.

Makes me wonder if they're staged. But whatever, it works.

For the third quarter of 2009, Fox News averaged 2.25 million total viewers in prime time, up two percent over 2008 which was a political primary year. That's more than CNN at 946,000 and down 30 percent over 2008, and MSNBC at 788,000 and down 10 percent over 2008 combined.

Here's the data from DocStat:


3Q '09 _LIVE+SD_ P2+ ranker -

What should CNN and MSNBC do? Well, for CNN, being an iReporter, I have an answer I told them while I was visiting and my video gives a clue:



The idea is to really emphasize the iReports that are sent in. People love to see themselves and the iReport was at its best when CNN was liberally integrating videos into its news format. CNN needs to up the ante there, and create a kind of current-tv-like web system and regular iReport shows.

That would do it. Well, that and putting Campbell Brown in a shorter skirt.

As for MSNBC, I'd include more of a web-based news presence and also copy what CNN's doing with iReport. For all of its liberal politics, MSNBC has an "old school" feel to it, that makes it down right boring at times. Taking out David Gregory and putting in Rachel Maddow for "Meet The Press on Prime Time" would be a kick-ass challenger for Bill O'Reilly.

The bottom line is CNN and MSNBC need to think out of the box, before its too late.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 4

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 4
By Frankie Underwood
Sr. Fantasy Football Writer-Football Reporters Online



Carson Palmer stays in state to face the lowly Cleveland Browns. This should be great for Palmers stats. Last weekend Cleveland gave up nearly 350 yards to second year Ravens QB Joe Flacco, and 260 to Denver’s Kyle Orton, the week before. Palmer’s had low yardage totals so far this season and is coming off a huge win against division rival and the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers. After that big win this game against the winless Browns could turn into a trap game, but I believe Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals can put the past behind them and take care of business in Cleveland. I actually thought about recommending Trent Edwards again this week since he has a very nice match up against the Miami Dolphins, but thought I’d just mention it in pacing in case he lets me down again.

I selected Oakland’s Darren McFadden for my week two Favorite Five, and here he is again. Houston has been torched by running back this season. In week one Thomas Jones dropped 107 on them. Then in week two Chris Johnson broke two long runs for touchdowns and totaled 197 rushing yards not to mention a 90 yard plus touchdown reception. Finally this past weekend Maurice Jones-Drew scored three touchdowns and 119 rushing yards. As long as Oakland can stay in the game, McFadden should be a large part of the Oakland offense. Houston’s Steve Slaton in also a nice play since Oakland can not cover the run.

Who is the number one reliever in Chicago? If I run the team I’d start Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox and use Devin Hester as the third therefore freeing him up to be the full time punt and kick returner, maybe run him out of the victory formation as a desperation play (you can email me for further explanation of that idea). Well since I do not run the team and Hester is the so-called number one receiver, I look for him to have a nice game against the Detroit Lions. Santana Moss, a similar yet extensively more experienced receiver, put up 178 yards in a loss to the Lions on Sunday. Also Percy Harvin, again with a similar skill set, scored against them in week two. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler should attempt to force feed Hester the ball, and depending on how banged up RB Matt Forte is Hester may see some rushing attempts to go with his returns and receptions. Third receiver Johnny Knox should also be considered this weekend.

If you are still holding on to an Oakland Raider besides McFadden, hopefully it is tight end Zach Miller. This may be the weekend that Miller lives up to his off season billing as a top twelve TE. As have I stated before Houston can not cover tight ends, add this to the fact that Oakland QB JaMarcus Russell can not seem to find his wide receivers, and it should equal a big day for Miller. Whether coming from behind or dumping off because of pressure, Miller and McFadden should both be heavily depended on this weekend. By The Way, keep an eye on the Green Bay Packers Jermichael Finley Monday night in Minnesota.

Although their team has been decimated by injuries, The Buffalo Bills defense could emerge as a nice desperation play. The Bills will face a Miami Dolphins team that just lost QB Chad Pennington, and will be starting a new era behind Chad Henne. Buffalo should pester an inexperienced Henne with multiple blitzes, which will lead to sacks and interceptions. The San Francisco 49ers is also a defense worth starting this weekend.



Last Weeks Favorite Five

Trent Edwards - Don’t get much more of a bust than that.

Tashard Choice – Touchdown and decent yardage, That’s average but he gives you a couple more games worth or use

Josh Cribbs – Again, BUST!!! Sorry

Vernon Davis – I’d say I nailed that one, 96 yards and 2 TDs!!!

Green Bay Packers – 3 turnovers and one Sack, I guess that’s an OK day.

Jets Titans Recap-By T.J.Rosenthal contributing writer Football Reporters Online

THE JET EXPRESS ROLLS 24-17: THE TITANS ARE THE LATEST VICTIM-By T.J. Rosenthal contributing writer
Football Reporters Online

The Jet express is rolling. Sunday's come from behind 24-17 win against the desperate Tennessee Titans in front of another frenzied home crowd passed two tests. First, the Jets  defied a trap game that had LETDOWN written all over it.. Second, they weathered their first real mistake laden storm that saw a 14-0 lead turn into a 17-14 deficit. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez responded to his own careless stretch to help the Jets regain the lead late in the 3rd after a crucial Tennessee muffed punt.  The fumble and ensuing Jet TD became the momentum change of a game that from that point on, saw the Jets never looked back. 

In week one, the mighty Texan offense was smothered. In week two Tom Brady was baffled. Sunday, the Titans were in the end, outmuscled. The 24-17 win sets up a week 4, marquee matchup  with Drew Brees and the 3-0 Saints. THAT however, will be then. THIS, is now. Now, means enjoying a hard fought victory against a team with the number one rushing defense and one of the  leagues top RB in the dangerous Chris Johnson. The Titans become the latest victim for a Jet team that few  envisioned would be in the AFC East drivers seat so soon in the Rex Ryan era. 

The old AFL  rivals, both in their vintage wear ( Jets in their ugly blue 1960 NY Titans  gear and the Titans in their "Luv Ya Blue" Houston Oilers uniforms. Houston being where the franchise originated from) took to the field in a tale of two cities. The Titans, 13-3 in 2008 came to the Meadowlands  0-2 and in desperate need of a win after losses in OT to the world champion Steelers and the high powered Texans in a wild shootout in week two. The Jets came in to the contest 2-0 and riding high after knocking off the despised Pats at home for the first time in a decade.

The Jets wasted no time in proving to the home crowd and to themselves, that coming out flat would NOT be part of the equation. A balanced and controlled opening drive highlighted by throws from Sanchez to Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery led to a gutty TD. Sanchez ran 14 yards for in the score thanks to a nasty head on collision with the Titans Michael Griffin at the goal line. Stretching the ball over before it was knocked loose, the play symbolized the new Jet toughness. It furthered the notion of Sanchez as a leader perhaps beyond his years. The 7-0 lead was also a great start that was about to get better. 

On the ensuing kickoff, Jets Special teamer Jason Trusnick delivered a jarring hit on Ryan Mouton setting the ball free. The Jets recovered and suddenly were in position to go up two scores. On third and goal from the four, a pretty play action by Sanchez to a diving decoy RB Thomas Jones action left back up TE Ben Hartstock all alone. Sanchez's short toss and Hartstock's catch made it 14-0. The Titans offense hadn't taken the field yet. The Jet defense came out strong as well, pressuring veteran QB Kerry Collins and leaving Chris Johnson (197 yds in week two)  with little room to find big runs. After one ,the Jets were in control on the scoreboard and emotionally, 14-0.

The second quarter did not follow the same script as the first. The well coached Titans settled down after the initial firestorm, and began to close in on Sanchez. Finally they got to him, stripping the rookie QB of the ball, and the Jets, of control of the game. Putting together a solid drive of their own off the turnover, QB Kerry Collins got hot with accurate throws under pressure and tight coverage. Then bruising RB Lendale White entered the stage. Taking the ball from the Jet 6 White bounced his way of off a plethora of hits like a pinball for the first TD scored on Gang Green's D in 2009. 7:24 to go in the half Jets 14 Titans 7. The Titans were back in the game.

Sanchez then continued to struggle , with balls now slipping from his hand on throws in the falling rain. Other tosses missed their target. Meanwhile the Jets ground game of Jones and home run threat Leon Washington , for the third straight week, had trouble establishing itself early on. A Rob Bironas FG with 4:38 left cut the Jet lead to 14-10. The half ended that way and as both clubs hit the tunnel. It was now the Titans who now owned the momentum.

Jeff Fishers club rode this momentum to a 17-14 lead four minutes into the third.  thanks to former Steeler speedster Nate Washington's 9 yard TD catch from Collins. As the 3rd wound down, the Jets were slowly becoming in danger of entering the 4th trailing a team with a two headed ground churning monster. Johnson and White, thanks to a succession of Jet three and outs, were now becoming a threat. A Titan pair that moved chains and ran out clocks out on a regular basis in '08. 

 Another 4th down punt by Steve Weatherford from the Jet 40, was to send to the ball back to Tennessee, up 3 and looking for more. Instead , a muffed punt, again by Ryan Mouton gave the Jets the mouth to mouth resucitation their offense needed. The turnover was the turning point of the game.The Jets early on in 2009 have become sound at capitalizing on opportunites. They didn't let this chance pass by either. A key throw from Sanchez to Jerricho Cotchery left the Jets on the 3. Cotchery was called on again holding onto a 6 yard slant thrown like a bullet by Sanchez (17-30 171 yds 2 TDS) for the lead 21-17. Now it was the Jets who looked to roll out their defense for the kill as the 4th quarter began. End of three, JETS 21 TITANS 17.

The stadium was rocking again as the Jets stood 15 minutes away from their second straight home win against a top notch AFC team. Before they could go for the kill, the Jets needed to deliver the knock out punch. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer then dialed up the play. A bomb to Jerricho Cotchery. Sanchez faded back and threw a beautiful () yard  fade to Cotchery who made a difficult catch in tight coverage. The Jets were in the red zone. The drive stalled there. on third down, Sanchez, under pressure, rolled out and found FB Tony Richardson brielfy alone in the end zone. Fullbacks are not accustomed to working the sidelines and the high throw became a bit too much for Richardson to negotiate. Still, a clutch Jay Feely FG gave the Jets a 24-17 lead with 11:30 left.

Enter the Jet defense. Though Chris Johnson (22-97yds 0TD) broke free for a scary 30 yard run on the following drive, the march towards a tying score died there as pressure on Collins was turned up by Rex Ryan's crew(Collins missed his last thirteen throws of the game).The teams traded another pair of  three and outs  as the 4th reached the midway point. Former Raven, the dependable S Jim Leonard then returned a Titans punt to the Tennessee 40 as the Jets sought to ice it. On the follwoing play, Sanchez threw high to Chansi Stuckey and was intercepted by S Chris Hope. This thwarted a chance to leave the Titans for dead. 

Collins and Co. began the march downfield once again with under 7:00 to go,  as White and Johnson took it to the Jet 40. Run stopping mammoth NG Kris Jenkins then made a huge 1st down stop of Johnson; a 5 yard loss that forced the Titans into a long yardage situation. The situation  led  Collins to a  mistake. Unable to step into a throw due to a collapsing pocket, Collins was picked of by LB David Harris. This ended a drive that had the Ttians with their best field position since the early 3rd quarter. 4:13 left.

The Titans last gasp drive started with with no timeouts and just over two minutes left . After more pressure then a David Harris sack , a 4th down incompletion sailed harmlessly over Jet secondary's heads. Final score:JETS 24 TITANS 17

Soon  the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS will head to New Orleans for a showdown with the high scoring Saints. A club whose offense regained its balance thanks to the return of starting RB Pierre Thomas. Something will have to give.  A high powered offense and a wild high flying shutdown defense.The showdown next week in the Big Easy is a marquee matchup thanks in part  to the Jets latest win over the Titans. For Gang Green, the confidence is growing. So is the win column. 2009 couldn't be off to a better start for Rex Ryan's Jets, perhaps the newest darlings of the NFL.

Giants Blank Bucs, Start 3-0 For Second Straight Year-By Jon Wagner Sr. writer at large-Football Reporters Online

Giants Blank Bucs, Start 3-0 For Second Straight Year-By Jon Wagner
Sr. writer at large-Football Reporters Online

In a game like this, little analysis is needed. The numbers speak for themselves:

First Downs: 27-5, New York Giants; none in the first forty minutes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Total Net Yards: 397-86, in favor of the Giants.

To put those first two categories into perspective, the Giants, on the opening drive alone, of their game in Tampa Bay on Sunday, just about matched the Buccaneers’ offensive output for the entire contest.

The Giants started the game with five first downs during a 12-play, 80-yard drive which resulted in running back Brandon Jacobs’ first touchdown of the season, on a 6-yard run, giving the Giants a quick 7-0 lead, 6:55 into the game.

Considering what little the New York defense would allow the rest of the day, it was pretty much game over at that point.

Still, here’s a further look at the Giants’ numbers dominance:

Total Plays: Giants 76, Buccaneers 36.

Time Of Possession: Giants 43:38, Buccaneers 16:22.

Third Down Efficiency: Giants 10-for-16, Buccaneers 0-for-9.

And, the most important numbers for New York: a nice, crisp, 24-0 road victory, pushing the Giants’ 2009 start to a perfect 3-0, marking the first time the Giants have started a season with three straight wins in consecutive years since the 1993 and 1994 seasons.

As difficult as the Giants’ grueling, last-second two-point victory was in Dallas last week, that’s how easy New York got by Tampa Bay a week later.

In sharp contrast to the Giants’ win over the Cowboys, this was utter dominance at Raymond James Stadium, summed up very simply by Bucs’ first-year head coach Raheem Morris, who admitted to AP reporter Fred Goodall, “They beat us down… “We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us… It wasn’t even close.”

The NFL’s youngest head coach was also well aware of the aforementioned statistical disparity between his team and the Giants, telling Goodall, “You get five first downs and you’re 0-for-9 on third down. You have 86 yards total offense. It was completely disastrous.”
Tampa Bay (0-3), which blew its shot at the playoffs last season with an 0-4 December collapse, lost for the seventh straight game.

What made the Giants’ defensive performance particularly impressive was that Big Blue, despite being depleted and limited with injuries to several key players, completely shut down and dominated a Tampa Bay offense that averaged a more than respectable 20.5 points and 401.5 yards per game over the first two weeks of the season.

The Giants held the Bucs to just 58 passing yards (the fewest since they gave up 53 yards through the air against Atlanta, on November 9, 2003) while posting their first shutout since a 36-0 rout of Washington at home, on October 30, 2005. New York also recorded their first game on the road without allowing a point since a 23-0 win at Philadelphia on November 20, 1983.
Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin was happy with his defensive unit’s effort, saying “I was pleased with their energy, the way that they played, the way that they focused, their purpose… the fact that they took the challenge and really wanted to go and prove against a team that rushed for 174 against Dallas that we could stop the run. I thought the approach was really good. The leadership was strong… the energy that they showed from snap to snap, I thought all that was good.”

Meanwhile, the Giants, who entered the game averaging a decent (but not great) 100 yards rushing per game, broke out with 226 yards on the ground, led by running backs Ahmad Bradshaw (104 yards on 14 carries) and Brandon Jacobs (26 rushes for 92 yards), each of whom continually broke initial first tackles to gain additional yardage.

“I thought Bradshaw did a nice job,” Coughlin said. “He got hit, spun, got himself north again. He was able to do that on a number of occasions. Brandon did a nice job on some of the runs of just taking the pile and moving it… a lot of times [there were] two, three, four guys that he was able to move.”

While Bradshaw, in a larger role this season, was complimenting Jacobs very well, Bucs’ running back Derrick Ward, who teamed with Jacobs to give the Giants a pair of 1,000-yard rushers last year, was held to just 2 yards on 5 carries against his former team, after leaving the Giants as a free agent in the offseason.

While the Giants’ ground attack keyed their offense, it was a combination of their rushing and an effective passing game led by Eli Manning (14 of 24 for 161 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) which helped the G-Men to three different twelve-play scoring drives, while controlling the ball for their highest time of possession since October 29, 2000, when they had the ball against Philadelphia for just three seconds longer (43:41) than they did on Sunday.

Leading the NFC East by a game over both Philadelphia and Dallas, the Giants will finish up the third and final game of their longest road trip of the season, next Sunday at 1pm EST, at Kansas City (0-3), which began a four-week stretch of playing the entire NFC East with a 34-14 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday.

Mark Sanchez v. Matt Stafford - who's better? Take the poll

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At the 2009 NFL Draft I met and was impressed with both USC's Mark Sanchez, and Georgia's Matt Stafford. Now Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions as the first pick in the 1st round and at the top of many draft charts; Sanchez was projected by some to go as low as the 2nd round of the draft but he was chosen in the 1st round as the fifth pick by the New York Jets. Here's my interviews with both Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford:

Mark Sanchez:



Matt Stafford:



Since they were picked, both experienced the shock and dream-come-true at the same time of being named the starting quarterback. But even in preseason it was obvious Mark Sanchez was something special, playing with cool, confidence, and poise, even when the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense gave him a challenge he's not going to forget.

As the NY Jets' regular season starter, Mark Sanchez has thrown for 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 606 yards for an 87.7 passer rating.

By contrast Matt Stafford has thrown for 598 yards, 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for a passer rating of 57.

Ok. So, who's better? Well, Sanchez because of his passer rating, right? Well, hold on. They play in different systems and the Jets defense is much better than that for the Lions. But Stafford and the Lions are getting better: Stafford posted an 87 passer rating in the win against the Washington Redskins last Sunday, with 241 yards and one touchdown.

Will this position hold? Is Sanchez just the better of the two, or will Stafford settle in, be the beneficiary of better play calling, and catch up to Sanchez? You decide below, in a poll that will be ran through the rest of the season.

More fun polls on pollsb.com

Tucson Arizona school discipline policy is not racist; Alan Keyes is right.

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As much as I pick on him, I'm not blind to the possibility that African American conservative Alan Keyes will issue a point of view I might agree with. This is one of those times I do: The Tucson, Arizona school discipline and race issue.


Alan Keyes may be a birther, but he can be right..

This all started when a columnist Doug MacEachern of the Arizona Republic, claimed that Tuscon schools were implementing a policy that was "two-tired": one for black students, and the other for other ethnic groups. He got that idea from this:

With the goal of creating a "restorative school culture and climate" that conveys a "sense of belonging to all students," the board is insisting that its schools reduce its suspensions and/or expulsions of minority students to the point that the data reflect "no ethnic/racial disparities."

Personally I think that's a praiseworthy objective and so does Alan Keyes. But where I take issue with Keyes is that this is not a "liberal" or "conservative" argument.

Keyes may wish to frame it as such, but I'm liberal and agree with the policy. It reminds me of Gates and Crowley all over again, where one as a police officer tends to give a pass to whites persons over people of color, as I discussed here:



What the Tucson school minders say is their current climate is "two-tired" and this new policy will change that. In other words, black students are more harshly punished for the same offenses that white students in particular may comment. A fair person would agree that should not stand.

Where some are really confused is that in order to make sure that a system is not being racist, how people are treated based on race must be analyzed. Seems logical ,but that escapes a lot of people on both sides of the political fence. One of those is Arizona State Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne, who thinks race should not be mentioned in the matter.

Tom Horne

That's crazy.

Alan Keyes and Tom Horne and Doug MacEachern don't look at the problem from a perspective of policy analysis: is the current school system fair in its treatment of all people? The Tuscon school execs, led by Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen, determined that it wasn't and worked to change that. A move that should be applauded by liberals and conservatives.

The bottom line is a "color-blind" society is not only an impossible achievement, it's silly. Part of who we are is our ethnicity. What we must learn to do, and make sure young people know how to do, is to be curious about and appreciative of such differences and not use them to punish one another.

Jimmy Carter 's right: White Nationalists taking over Conservative America

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Jimmy Carter was right. It was bound to happen. The combination of the weak economy, the Internet, and the election of Barack Obama as America's first African American president have come together to cause the Republican party and Conservatives to be influenced by white supremacists and white nationalists. I call them the "Confederate-flag-waving conservatives."

(And I don't for one minute think that black nationalists – or Asian nationalists or Latino nationalist or Whatever nationalists - are any more tolerable and certainly just as insane as those who happen to be white nationalists. The operative word for me is "yuck.")

Unlike their ilk of decades past, these racist activists don't always have sheets over their heads, or KKK t-shirts, or even salute Hitler (those guys are jailed). Yes, they do yell, most of the time. Yes, some of them fly the Confederate Flag from the back of their pickups driving through shopping center parking lots.

Look, for those who need a history lesson, the Confederate Flag is a historic symbol of the support of black slavery. OK?

(And for the record, Rep. Joe Wilson, who's "You Lie!" comment to President Obama set off a new conversation on race and politics, did argue for the right to fly the confederate flag, in fact, in 2000 he said "the Confederate heritage is very honorable" and he has not taken back his statements. Rep. Joe Wilson should clarify them; it's possible to fly the flag and not be racist, but that's a rare breed of person from my personal experience.)

Yes, they do include "birthers", tea-baggers, and wingnut fringe types, but not Alan Keyes because even though he's conservative, to those folks he's just another black guy who they don't take seriously.

I can't believe 21st century America has people like that on its shores, but they walk among us. They're the people who send emails of watermelons planted at the White House. The ones who place "black face" photos of President Obama in the succession of pictures of presidents. The sad sacks who make doctored pictures of Obama as a spear-carrying witch doctor. The radio talk show hosts who commonly use unfavorable stories involving blacks to insight white anger. And those who say anyone who accuses them of being racist, is racist; thinking that old trick's going to curb scrutiny of their actions.

The Top-10 dumb lines of Confederate-flag-waving conservatives

These types aren't policy wonks and act more like the cyborgs called "The Borg" in Star Trek TNG. It doesn't matter where I go: an airplane or on the street for that matter, I hear the same line from Confederate-flag-waving conservatives again and again when politics is the subject (maybe this is you). The Top-10 dumb lines of Confederate-flag-waving conservatives:

1.First, I'm a Conservative. (I didn't ask.)
2.I believe in small government (I didn't ask that either, but the idea's batcrap stupid. Government is more than the federal level – its federal, state, and local and of a size that reflects our democracy.)
3.We're in trouble because the wrong people got housing loans. (This sends me through the roof. Who the heck's the "wrong person" and why are you the right one? And do you realize that without a job a person can't pay any kind of loan? So what is the problem then, Huh? Huh? Huh? Duh!)
4.Illegal aliens are taking over America. (First, I didn't ask that either. Second, which ones? The Latinos you're thinking of or the sexy blonde Irish waitress you hit on? When I ask that the answers is always silence because the person never stopped to think that people comes from all parts of the World to be American, and well, it's OK to be a pretty blonde Irish waitress and an illegal alien. )
5.Obama's socialist. (I didn't ask that either. Plus, when I explain how much government's a part of our lives, I get silence on that too. What's really annoying is these so-called conservatives – but are really political racists – show how little they understand about their own country's political economy. It's tragically silly and almost as bad as the percentage of young people surveyed in Oklahoma who don't know who our first president was.)
6.Obama's not American. (I didn't ask that either and by this time you've either driven me to drink scotch-on-the-rocks if I'm on a plane or looking for a way to escape your company if I can.)
7.Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck are right. (About what? Again, I really didn't ask and have presented my views in my videos. I hate repeating myself. Plus, by this time, I'm so enjoying the scotch with my salmon-spinach-and-rice dinner I'll listen to anything, even you.)
8.There are "good black people" like Colin Powell. (Again, I didn't ask and if I'm on a plane, I'm asleep by this point, accept to mutter that Powell endorsed Obama for President. The assumption is that every white person is good, but one has to find a good black person. Plus, this is said to a good black person. Me. As I'm trying to sleep. With the scotch and food putting me under.)
9.Asians are the model minority. (I really didn't ask and didn't realize I was on earth to be in a "model minority" contest. Let me sleep.)
10.The "Jews" have our money. (Now, I'm asleep and really pissed off with you for four reasons: the comment, your interruption of my sleep, the fact that my last name is Jewish, and that I've dated a few Jewish women. And that comment was actually said to me and posted on my Facebook page.)

The simple fact that I can list a common line of thinking from these conservative Confederate-flag-waving types is proof that America's school system is in the crapper and has been for some time. What in the world were they learning in school? How to get high? Such a constant, unwavering, thoughtless, uninformed, and race-based view is an attack on intelligent, detailed, critical thinking.

If Confederate-flag-waving conservatives are out of work, that stokes the fire which hardens their views. Right now, some of these folks are so far gone – so "mental" – I doubt they can be reasoned with. They must have someone to hate – someone who doesn't look like them. Our ever-more-well-integrated America gives them a lot of choices of color.

What's the future with these hate-mongers? Well, there's not a lot of them, so that's a good thing. It's just that Fox News does a good job of making them seem like a lot more people than the thousands that have time to dump good hard earned tea they bought with your tax dollars because so many of them are drawing unemployment! .

And on that, Fox News is becoming "wingnut central" for America. Having met some of the Fox News anchors, I know its all an act as they're cool, sane, and urbane, but sadly they've figured out that the Confederate-flag-waving conservatives provide ratings and entertainment for America. People who know Fox News is, well, off, tune in anyway just to witness the next level of craziness, then whine about it. I've not watched Fox News in about a year. I'm not missing a funny moment I can't see on YouTube.

The only hope we have is to get this economy moving. Got that President Obama? We need to produce millions of good manufacturing jobs for low-skilled workers, and give a $5,000 check to every American worker under $100,000 in income – I call it the taxpayer bailout.

That will get everyone, especially the Confederate-flag-waving conservatives, back to work. And you know, maybe when they're in those nice, integrated work places they'll slowly dump that racist mental garbage they accumulated over the years and actually think for a change.

Time will tell.