Rick Smith was introduced as the Houston Texans second GM in its short history today. One can't overlook his success with the Denver Broncos, or the fact that he's got a great relationship with Charley Casserly. I will be happy when someone doesn't ask a "How does it feel to be black" question, but for now it's par for the course.
What Smith does get is the chance to work for a really nice and pleasureable person in Texans Owner Bob McNair. It's not a case of equal opportunity -- Smith's a proven executive -- but of the fact that increasingly the best person for an NFL job may be black as much as white.
I think Smith's master stroke was moving up four spots to get Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler in the first round.
Smith introduction presser
June 05, 2006
HoustonTexans.com
Texans owner Robert McNair
(opening statement) “First of all I thank you for coming out this afternoon. This is a wonderful time for us. We have gone through a period in which we have built a foundation, we’ve made a start and we’ve had an introduction into the NFL. We’ve had some great people working with us and we appreciate very much all that they have done. Dom Capers and of course Charley Casserly in helping get us started. And I feel like we’re sort of like the situation with NASA, where we have liftoff and now we’re ready for the ignition of the second stage. That is what this is all about.
“The first part of this of course was when we brought in Gary Kubiak and Gary put together a fine staff and they are all working very hard and very well together. The second part of it was to bring in a general manager. We have really looked far and wide across the country and looked at all the teams and all of the personnel that were out there. We interviewed some outstanding people but at the end of the day we came to the conclusion that Rick Smith was the man for us.
“Rick has a terrific background; number one he has worked with coach Kubiak, which is important to us. This is a team effort and we need to have people that can work well together. Rick has been a player, he has been a coach, he has been a scout and most recently he has been an assistant general manager at Denver. He has done an outstanding job in all of these areas. He is a young man, 36 years old and I want to keep him looking young, I don’t want him to start looking old. He has had a tremendous amount of experience and he has great energy and enthusiasm.
“He has a lovely wife and child and we’re delighted, Tiffany, to have you all here. I think that we have a winning team that has been put together. We have met today and we’ve discussed responsibilities and how Rick would work with coach Kubiak and Dan Ferens on contract administrations and negotiations and the salary cap and everybody is on the same page and we’re all excited. We’re ready to move ahead and we’ve promised that we’re going to have a winner for Houston and I’ll say I’m committed to that. We are going to win and we’re going to have a great, great time doing it and the city is going to love it. I appreciate the opportunity to bring together fine people like this to work with us and help us with this effort.
“Rick, congratulations on your new position with us and you have my full support and the support of our total organization and we look forward to having you help us as we continue this journey and hold on for the ignition of the second stage. Congratulations.”
General manager Rick Smith
(opening statement) “It’s a little bit thicker down here in Houston than it was in Denver but I think I’ll get used to it a little bit. First thing I want to do is I want to thank Mr. McNair for this opportunity. This man is committed to bringing a championship team to the city of Houston and it is very apparent. When I came down for the first interview and had a chance to interact with him on a personal basis and its obvious he wants to bring a winner here. He’s very committed and I want to thank you for the opportunity to join your franchise and bring a winner to the city.
“The second person I want to thank is Gary (Kubiak). I think this might become a reoccurring theme today, but I’m so excited about this opportunity, particularly the opportunity to work with a guy like Gary, who is just a quality individual and heck of a football coach and a guy that I really, really believe in and I know that his players will play for him and I know that he will put a quality football team on the field so I’m just excited to work with him.
“I want to thank Pat Bolin and Mike Shanahan for giving me an opportunity and showing me what a winning organization looks like. It was a very valuable experience to work in a place like Denver and that organization for as long as I did in the various capacities that I served. And I’m just really appreciative of what they both did for me, particularly what Mike has done for my career. He has been a great friend and I appreciate his friendship as well as everything that he has done for my career.
“When you spend ten years in an organization you develop relationships and friendships and hopefully that is what we’re going to establish here; we’re going to have consistency and longevity. When you do that like I did in Denver, I like to just thank the whole organization from the secretaries to the athletic training staff to the PR staff to the equipment staff, video, everybody, because everybody had something to do with me development as a person as well as a coach and personnel evaluator. So I’d like to thank the entire Bronco organization.
“The one person I’d like to single out who has probably been the most important person in my career is a guy by the name of Bobby Turner, who, when I was a young guy at Purdue University, saw something in me to convince Jim Colletto to give me an opportunity as a graduate assistant and then hire me as a very young coach to coach the secondary there at Purdue. Then talk to coach Shanahan and on his recommendation Mike hired me sight unseen. So Bobby has been instrumental to my career and I’d just like to thank him and his family.
“I’d like to thank my wife, Tiffany, who has become the rock in my foundation in this crazy world of the NFL. We have been on a roller coaster ride here in the last few years, and he has just been a foundation for me so I appreciate that as well as my parents and my family for all their support.
“It’s a difficult and maybe even daunting task to start a franchise. It’s very complicated and very challenging and I think that I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the job that Charley Casserly and Dom Capers did here, in laying the foundation for this franchise. I think it’s important to recognize that there is a foundation that we’re going to continue to build on and we’re going to work hard to get that done. I just wanted to make sure that they understood that we understand what the job that they did and we appreciate the job that they both did.
“We are going to work. There are no geniuses in the NFL; the only real genius that I know of is Albert Einstein. I think he was asked what genius is and he said its one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. That’s what it takes, we’re going to work and we’re going to roll our sleeves up. I worked hard for this ring, but I’m looking forward to taking this ring off and rolling up our sleeves and getting after the job and going about the business of making this franchise a winner and bringing a winner to this organization.
“My father was a coach and coached us when we were very young and I have a brother who is a couple years older than I am and my father was coaching his little league team of nine and ten year olds. I ‘m a little seven year old and I’m out there running around with him. My knee pads are on my shins because I’m so small and I’m just running around and they are just letting me stay out around everybody. The first game of the season we scored a touchdown and my dad turns around and he says ‘Ricky, I right, 22 dive and you are the fullback’. I’m seven years old playing with all these nine and ten year olds and we call the play and I run the play and the guy hits me and my helmet turns this way and the ball flies that way and I get up and I’m so excited about the fact that I had an opportunity to go in and run the football. Periodically through that season he allowed me to go in and run the extra points as the fullback.
“I have been preparing for this job since the day that I strapped that helmet on. I have been the youngest a lot of times and it’s never been a problem for me, in fact, I’ve always looked at it as a challenge. I have never been complacent and I’ve always liked to push the envelop e and I’m always trying to grow. I’m excited about this opportunity. This is going to be a team effort from ownership to coaches to personnel to business operations, everybody, we’re going to forge ahead as a team and I’m so excited about this opportunity and so excited to bring a championship to our city.”
Rick Smith
(on the pressure of being a black GM) “I don’t know that I look at it so much as pressure. I think at the outset it’s important to state that Mr. McNair is a man that is committed to equal opportunity and certainly I don’t think I got this job because I’m an African-American. I think I got this job because I’m the best person for the job and I think that’s why he hired me. That being said, I’m not naive and I do recognize the importance. I’m standing on a lot of people’s shoulders. A lot of people who worked hard for me to have this opportunity and I recognize that and I carry that. I’m going to continue to do what I’ve always done in my life and try to be an example to young kids. I think this is a great example. For any of those kids that are out there, trying to do whatever they want to do with their life, here’s a perfect example to say that you can do it.”
(on why he left coaching for personnel) “For a lot of reasons. My coaching career was going fairly well and obviously, I coached in the Big Ten Conference, I coached in the NFL, we won a championship and my career was advancing fairly quickly. I sat down and tired to make a decision to see if head coaching and that track was something that I wanted and for a lot of reasons I decided that I liked the bigger picture a little bit better. I liked putting the team together a little better and obviously I wanted to stay in the NFL. I had a talk with coach (Mike) Shanahan and we both decided that the general manager track would be a little more in line with what I wanted to do so I switched.”
(on his working relationship with Gary Kubiak and Dan Ferens) “I think all of us are on the same page. I think in these next few days we’re going to sit down. Like Mr. McNair indicated, we’ve already sat down. It’s up to both Gary and I and we both know, we have a pretty good idea from working together for 10 years what we’re looking for, but we still need to sit down and talk about the specifics. Once we do that, we’ll put a plan together from a personnel standpoint and go about the practice of selecting players that will help us.”
(on whether he will be at mini-camp this week) “Absolutely, we’ve got to meet the staff and get to know everyone in the organization and that’s one of the first things we’ve got to do is evaluate this football team. I need to see what Gary thinks the strengths and weaknesses are and see where we are and formulate a game plan and see where we need to go.”
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on the give and take that will exist with Rick Smith) “There’s no doubt about that. You’re not going to be successful in this business if you don’t have people around you that are willing to give their opinion on players and on coaching staffs. When you’re putting a staff together, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for guys that will battle you as a coach, that will help you get better and help the football team get better and that’s one of the reasons that I feel so good about this guy right here because I’ve been with him. I’ve battled him and he’s battled me in a lot of situations and made me a better football coach because sometimes I get a little bit of tunnel vision on some players and things and he would help me see another side. That’s the way we’re going to get where we all want to go as an organization and that’s when nobody’s turf is untouchable. We need to all work together. We need to all listen and that’s how we’re going to get better and get the Texans to where we want to go. Like I said, that’s one of the reasons why I feel so good about this guy right here.”
General manager Rick Smith
(on his draft strategy) “I think what we’re going to do is take the best of what we did in Denver, take the best of what was done here in Houston and some new, fresh ideas from other places and try to formulate a game plan to make sure that on draft day we’ve got all the information we need on all the players in order to make good selections.”
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on what he told Mr. McNair that he would like about Rick Smith) “First off, we had three wonderful candidates come through that all did a super job. But when I talked to Bob about Rick, I said first off, from personnel standpoint we’re looking for someone to evaluate players and do an excellent job in personnel and this guy is as good as I’ve ever been around. The icing on the cake, sort of speak, is the fact that I think this guy is a tremendous leader of people and when you’re talking about a big organization, there’s a lot of people’s paths that you cross every day from a business standpoint to the business side. This guy when he walks in a room, he lights it up. He gets the best out of everybody that he’s around and I think that’s extremely important.”
General manager Rick Smith
(on why he thinks Gary Kubiak will be successful) “First of all, I think the world of Gary as a man and as a human being, and I think he’s an excellent football coach. I think he’s well-prepared, and I think he’s been prepared, and I think he’s already showing it. I think you can watch practice, and I know this not even having been around, but I would suspect that the tempo of practice is a little bit different; the attitude is a little bit different. Gary has a unique ability to endear himself to his players but command their respect that he needs in order to get them to do what they need to do in order to be successful. I think the world of him, and I always said that if I ever got a shot to be a general manager and hire a head coach, I would’ve hired him in a heartbeat, so it’s ironic that he got his shot first, and I’m just happy that we’re together. But this guy’s going to be a tremendous, tremendous football coach.”
(on his core beliefs that go into building a roster) “I think that number one, scouts, we tend to value height, weight and speed. We’ve got position parameters that each individual position needs in order to fit into our system, so that’s the first thing you look for—you look for height, weight and speed. Is a guy fast enough and big enough to play a particular position? But then, the most important thing I think that you look for is what I call football character. Does a guy have passion to play the game? Does he love to play the game of football? Sometimes a guy won’t have the ideal height, weight and speed, but he’s got that special something about him that you can see, and that’s something that you evaluate as a personnel guy. So it’s a combination there. It’s physical attributes as well as passion and intelligence, character—we want to make sure that we put high-character players on our football field, because that right there, at the end of the day, in the fourth quarter, those are the guys that you’re going to be able to count on. So that’s what we’ll look for.”
Texans owner Bob McNair
(on why he elected to hire a first-time head coach and general manager this time after hiring veterans at each position originally) “Well, I think we’re at a different stage of our development, and initially I think we needed the experience. I think it was more important to us because we had nothing. There were no employees, no players, nothing. So you’re starting from scratch. I think we’re at the point now where we’ve been doing this for a few years. I’m no longer a rookie, and I think we have a better idea as to how we want to go about accomplishing our goals.
“I think that there were veteran general managers out there, and I guess we could’ve brought in one of the veteran general managers and he probably would’ve been trying to teach me how he wanted to run things instead of my teaching Rick how I wanted to run things. I think I like the latter better than the former.
“But I think we’re at that stage of our development where we’ve got a lot of good things in place, and we don’t need a whole lot of new things, so I think now we need people who are going to work together, who are smart people, who understand the game and who can work together. I think we’ve got that kind of a group now, and I think they’re the kind of guys—I think either Gary or Rick touched on it—who are flexible, who are willing to—you know, we have new technology today. We have a lot more information today than we had 20 or 30 years ago, and we have to make sure that we’re exploiting that, that we’re using it properly. And these guys are ready to do that because they’re young and they’re still willing to reach out and do things that are different. They’re not concerned about protecting their turf. They’re willing to try things, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll change some of the things, some of the relationships. We want to do what works for the Houston Texans, and that’s what we’re all committed to, and that’s why we’re going to be successful.”
General manager Rick Smith
(on the two or three Denver players that he recommended to Mike Shanahan that he is most proud of) “Hmm, let’s see. I would say the two guys that come to mind, the first one would be a guy by the name of Bertrand Berry, who is a defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals now. Bert was out of work, he had been what we call a ‘tweener’ in our league, if you’re familiar with that. He just never really found a home. I think Indianapolis had tried him at both outside linebacker as well as defensive end, and so he had found himself on the street.
“I had done some evaluation, and I brought him in for a workout, and I sat him down in front of me after the workout and I said, ‘You’re talented enough to play in this league.’ We talked about it and he said he wanted to be a defensive end, so I told him, ‘You’re a defensive end, and that’s what you’re going to play here.’ And he just grew and developed as a player. We were not able to keep him as an unrestricted free agent; he signed a big deal with Arizona, and that was well-deserved, and he went on to earn a Pro Bowl berth the next year, so I’m really proud of him.
“Another kid, and it’s a similar type of story, is guy named Nick Ferguson, who is our starting strong safety for the Broncos now, and Nick was a guy who just worked his butt off and played in Canada and was cut. He actually was cut from the New York Jets and I did a little evaluation on him and liked him and called his agent. His agent’s Pat Dye down in Atlanta. I called Pat and said, ‘Hey, this kid’s got a chance. Let me bring him in and work him out.’ And he said, ‘Well, he’s actually kind of given up on it. He’s going into coaching and he’s doing an internship down in NFL Europe.’ I said, ‘I’m going down to NFL Europe’s training camp, so I’ll work him out when I’m down there.'
“And I get down there and it’s—I don’t know if you’ve been to training camp, but the fields aren’t the best, and so the grass was thick and it was raining and it’s hot and muggy—and his workout wasn’t the best. In fact, if I had to hire him off his workout, I would not have done it, and I told him that. But what I saw on tapes—one of the things I was saying earlier—was that intuitive thing that Nick had. He’s a physical player, he’s a smart player. I saw enough on film to take a chance, and he has done an outstanding job for us there in Denver as a backup and as a starter. So those two guys really, because they were guys who were out of it, but there was something in them that kept them going.”
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on how he and Smith will resolve conflicts when they disagree) “I think we both have to listen. We have to listen and work through situations, and the bottom line is we have to come to a conclusion on what’s best for the Houston Texans and our football team. That’s the only way we’re going to get to where we want to go, is if we’re willing to sit there and talk to coaches, Rick, trainers, everybody involved. And if we approach each day that way, then we’ve got a chance. We’ve got a good thing going right now; we’ve got a lot of good work going on and a lot of good people doing it, and the players are working hard and we’ve just got to continue in that direction.”
Monday, June 05, 2006
NBA Finals! (Tickets) Miami Heat v. Dallas Mavericks! Yeah for Shaq
I've got to admit I'm realiy happy for Shaq. After his stupid feud with Kobe Bryant and his "ouster" to Miami, he made good on his promise that he would be in the finals before Kobe and the LA Lakers.
(Need tickets? Click on the title of this post.)
(Need tickets? Click on the title of this post.)
Matt Hasselbeck and Nate Burleson Mark 2006 Seahawks Passing Game
Seattle Seahawks install their passing game this week. I think the addition of Nate Burleson will give them the speed at wide receiver they certainly need. I can't remember anyone other than Joey Galloway as a real burner for the team.
Matt Hasselbeck OK, on hand for passing camp
Healthy QB not among questions
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER
KIRKLAND -- The Seahawks open an eight-day passing camp this morning, but will the defending NFC champions have their passer for the final full-squad session of the offseason?
Yes. In fact Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was throwing at the team's facility Friday and will be on the field today.
Hasselbeck's status appeared to be in question after he was spotted on crutches at Sea-Tac Airport 10 days ago. He had bruised a tendon in his foot and the crutches allowed him to keep weight off the inflamed arch.
The passing camp will include four 90-minute practices this week and next, with the players off on Fridays. After that, the next time the players gather as a team will be for the start of training camp practices July 29 at Eastern Washington University.
Here are some of the things the coaches will be watching during the passing camp:
Seneca Wallace: Hasselbeck's backup needs to show continuing growth in running the offense. The club continues to look for a veteran QB, which would allow Wallace to be used as a situational runner, receiver and passer. But with no QBs available at this time, the primary focus for Wallace is assimilating and executing the offense.
Left guard: Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack has stepped in for All Pro Steve Hutchinson, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Rookie Rob Sims was working as Womack's backup at the post-draft minicamp last month. Womack must prove he can stay healthy after missing time with injuries in three of the past four seasons, while Sims' task is to show he can step in if needed.
Nate Burleson: Coach Mike Holmgren's hybrid of the West Coast offense was made for Burleson's combination of skills, and vice versa. The more comfortable Hasselbeck gets with the free-agent addition from the Vikings now, the better their rapport will be during the season.
Defensive additions: Linebacker Julian Peterson. Cornerback Kelly Jennings. Defensive end Darryl Tapp. Each is new, but all are expected to make significant contributions to the Seahawks' improving defense. Peterson, a former Pro Bowl player with the San Francisco 49ers, was signed in free agency to play the strong side -- and make plays from sideline to sideline. Jennings and Tapp, the team's top two picks in April's draft, are expected to fill major roles. Getting comfortable in the defense now will allow them to play more instinctively during the season.
P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com.
Matt Hasselbeck OK, on hand for passing camp
Healthy QB not among questions
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER
KIRKLAND -- The Seahawks open an eight-day passing camp this morning, but will the defending NFC champions have their passer for the final full-squad session of the offseason?
Yes. In fact Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was throwing at the team's facility Friday and will be on the field today.
Hasselbeck's status appeared to be in question after he was spotted on crutches at Sea-Tac Airport 10 days ago. He had bruised a tendon in his foot and the crutches allowed him to keep weight off the inflamed arch.
The passing camp will include four 90-minute practices this week and next, with the players off on Fridays. After that, the next time the players gather as a team will be for the start of training camp practices July 29 at Eastern Washington University.
Here are some of the things the coaches will be watching during the passing camp:
Seneca Wallace: Hasselbeck's backup needs to show continuing growth in running the offense. The club continues to look for a veteran QB, which would allow Wallace to be used as a situational runner, receiver and passer. But with no QBs available at this time, the primary focus for Wallace is assimilating and executing the offense.
Left guard: Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack has stepped in for All Pro Steve Hutchinson, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Rookie Rob Sims was working as Womack's backup at the post-draft minicamp last month. Womack must prove he can stay healthy after missing time with injuries in three of the past four seasons, while Sims' task is to show he can step in if needed.
Nate Burleson: Coach Mike Holmgren's hybrid of the West Coast offense was made for Burleson's combination of skills, and vice versa. The more comfortable Hasselbeck gets with the free-agent addition from the Vikings now, the better their rapport will be during the season.
Defensive additions: Linebacker Julian Peterson. Cornerback Kelly Jennings. Defensive end Darryl Tapp. Each is new, but all are expected to make significant contributions to the Seahawks' improving defense. Peterson, a former Pro Bowl player with the San Francisco 49ers, was signed in free agency to play the strong side -- and make plays from sideline to sideline. Jennings and Tapp, the team's top two picks in April's draft, are expected to fill major roles. Getting comfortable in the defense now will allow them to play more instinctively during the season.
P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com.
Cincinnati Bengals Player Conduct Problems - NFL.com
I don't normally post on matters of player conduct, but they seem to happen at such an alarming rate I've changed my mind. Plus, they seemed to have cropped up over the last week.
I saw the following posts on two Cincinnati Bengals players, Chris Henry and A.J. Nicholson, the latter a rookie with the team. Henry was charged with drunk driving and Nicolson with theft -- stealing. Henry has been arrested three times since December, which means he's due for another scrape in August of this year, then again in October. But I'll discount October under the theory that he's too busy playing ball to get into real trouble.
Henry was a rookie and now Nicholson?
Geez.
Here's the NFL.com article:
A.J Nicolson:
Bengals pick Nicholson charged with theft
NFL.com wire reports
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 3, 2006) -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.
The 21-year-old Nicholson also was charged with grand theft and vandalism. He was being held at the Leon County jail on $16,000 bond, with a first appearance before a judge scheduled June 5, a spokesman with the Sheriff's office said.
Nicholson and Fred Rouse, another former Florida State teammate, are accused of breaking into the apartment of Seminoles running back Lorenzo Booker and stealing $1,700 worth of electronic equipment late last month.
The 20-year-old Rouse, a former wide receiver kicked off the team in January after his freshman season, was arrested May 27 in Tallahassee and charged with burglary and grand theft. Nicholson was in Cincinnati when the charges were filed.
Nicholson has a history of off-field problems, including a suspension for the Orange Bowl in January after he took a woman to the team's Miami hotel in a violation of team policy. She accused him of sexual assault, but Nicholson has not been charged.
Nicholson, a fifth-round draft pick, has been participating in the Bengals' voluntary workouts. Team officials declined to comment. A message left for Nicholson's agent was not immediately returned.
Chris Henry:
Bengals' Henry arrested for third time
NFL.com wire reports
MOUNT CARMEL, Ohio (June 4, 2006) -- Bengals receiver Chris Henry was charged with speeding and drunken driving early June 4, his third scrape with the law since December.
Henry registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.092 on a breath test and was clocked at 82 miles per hour in a 65-mph zone, said Sgt. Craig Cvetan, a State Highway Patrol spokesman. The legal limit is 0.08.
The 23-year-old Henry cooperated with investigators, who issued him a citation and released him into a friend's custody, Cvetan said. The player has an initial appearance set for June 9 in Clermont County Common Municipal Court on the misdemeanor charges.
Messages were left with Henry's lawyer, David Fussell, and his agent, John Frederickson. The Bengals said they wouldn't comment until the case is resolved.
Henry was charged in January with pulling a pistol on a group of revelers in downtown Orlando. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of carrying a concealed weapon and is set for trial Aug. 21.
He avoided jail time on marijuana charges from a December arrest in Kentucky after pleading guilty and agreeing to enter a drug rehabilitation program.
Henry had 31 catches for 422 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie last season, when he developed into the Bengals' No. 3 receiver behind Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Henry's latest arrest came a day after linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged with grand theft and burglary in a break-in at a former Florida State teammate's apartment in Tallahassee, Fla. Nicholson, the Bengals' fifth-round draft pick in April, also was charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and posted $15,500 bond. His initial court appearance was set for June 5.
I saw the following posts on two Cincinnati Bengals players, Chris Henry and A.J. Nicholson, the latter a rookie with the team. Henry was charged with drunk driving and Nicolson with theft -- stealing. Henry has been arrested three times since December, which means he's due for another scrape in August of this year, then again in October. But I'll discount October under the theory that he's too busy playing ball to get into real trouble.
Henry was a rookie and now Nicholson?
Geez.
Here's the NFL.com article:
A.J Nicolson:
Bengals pick Nicholson charged with theft
NFL.com wire reports
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 3, 2006) -- Cincinnati Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.
The 21-year-old Nicholson also was charged with grand theft and vandalism. He was being held at the Leon County jail on $16,000 bond, with a first appearance before a judge scheduled June 5, a spokesman with the Sheriff's office said.
Nicholson and Fred Rouse, another former Florida State teammate, are accused of breaking into the apartment of Seminoles running back Lorenzo Booker and stealing $1,700 worth of electronic equipment late last month.
The 20-year-old Rouse, a former wide receiver kicked off the team in January after his freshman season, was arrested May 27 in Tallahassee and charged with burglary and grand theft. Nicholson was in Cincinnati when the charges were filed.
Nicholson has a history of off-field problems, including a suspension for the Orange Bowl in January after he took a woman to the team's Miami hotel in a violation of team policy. She accused him of sexual assault, but Nicholson has not been charged.
Nicholson, a fifth-round draft pick, has been participating in the Bengals' voluntary workouts. Team officials declined to comment. A message left for Nicholson's agent was not immediately returned.
Chris Henry:
Bengals' Henry arrested for third time
NFL.com wire reports
MOUNT CARMEL, Ohio (June 4, 2006) -- Bengals receiver Chris Henry was charged with speeding and drunken driving early June 4, his third scrape with the law since December.
Henry registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.092 on a breath test and was clocked at 82 miles per hour in a 65-mph zone, said Sgt. Craig Cvetan, a State Highway Patrol spokesman. The legal limit is 0.08.
The 23-year-old Henry cooperated with investigators, who issued him a citation and released him into a friend's custody, Cvetan said. The player has an initial appearance set for June 9 in Clermont County Common Municipal Court on the misdemeanor charges.
Messages were left with Henry's lawyer, David Fussell, and his agent, John Frederickson. The Bengals said they wouldn't comment until the case is resolved.
Henry was charged in January with pulling a pistol on a group of revelers in downtown Orlando. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of carrying a concealed weapon and is set for trial Aug. 21.
He avoided jail time on marijuana charges from a December arrest in Kentucky after pleading guilty and agreeing to enter a drug rehabilitation program.
Henry had 31 catches for 422 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie last season, when he developed into the Bengals' No. 3 receiver behind Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Henry's latest arrest came a day after linebacker A.J. Nicholson was charged with grand theft and burglary in a break-in at a former Florida State teammate's apartment in Tallahassee, Fla. Nicholson, the Bengals' fifth-round draft pick in April, also was charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and posted $15,500 bond. His initial court appearance was set for June 5.
"Bigdaddy" - A New Google Data Center
A friend of mine passed a link to a blog by Matt Cutts who works for Google and currently features a great conversation about a major change in Google's URL search system called "Bigdaddy."
Matt offers great tips on the kind of links one should have and poo-poos the practice of buying links or reciprocal links. Leaving me to think that the best overall strategy is the one I'm doing...
Matt offers great tips on the kind of links one should have and poo-poos the practice of buying links or reciprocal links. Leaving me to think that the best overall strategy is the one I'm doing...
Friday, June 02, 2006
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells On Greg Ellis: His Days Are Numbered
On May 18th, the agent for Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Greg Ellis said the player's worried about his role on the team. Well, his prospects didn't get any better today, as Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells said that Ellis -- who's camp attendance has not been stellar -- was infomed that his days "are numbered." He said this in a press conference I am watching on The NFL Network.
(As a note, I didn't link to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram article that posted the article because it was so poorly formatted the text was in the left margin! Fix it!)
(As a note, I didn't link to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram article that posted the article because it was so poorly formatted the text was in the left margin! Fix it!)
Thursday, June 01, 2006
New Batwoman is a lesbian - DC Comics Rolls The Dice - CNN
Well, she's got great legs! That's all I have to say.
New Batwoman is a lesbian
Editor: 'We decided to give her a different point of view'
Thursday, June 1, 2006; Posted: 8:47 a.m. EDT (12:47 GMT)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet.
DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. The 5-foot-10 superhero comes with flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a form-fitting black outfit.
"We decided to give her a different point of view," explained Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. "We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction."
(DC Comics, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.)
The original Batwoman was started in 1956, and killed off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original alter ego, Kathy Kane. And the new Batwoman arrives with ties to others in the Gotham City world.
"She's a socialite from Gotham high society," DiDio said. "She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya."
Montoya, in the "52" comic book series, is a former police detective. Wayne, of course, is Batman's true identity -- but he has disappeared, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, leaving Gotham a more dangerous place.
The "52" series is a collaboration of four acclaimed writers, with one episode per week for one year. The comics will introduce other diverse characters as the story plays out.
"This is not just about having a gay character," DiDio said. "We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world."
The outing of Batwoman created a furor of opinions on Web sites devoted to DC Comics. Opinions ranged from outrage to approval. Others took a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the announcement.
"Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"
DiDio asked that people wait until the new Batwoman's appearance in the series before they pass judgment.
"You know what? Judge us by the story and character we create," he said. "We are confident that we are telling a great story with a strong, complex character."
DiDio spent most of the morning fielding phone calls from media intrigued by the Batwoman reinvention.
"It's kind of weird," he said. "We had a feeling it would attract some attention, but we're a little surprised it did this much."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Batwoman is a lesbian
Editor: 'We decided to give her a different point of view'
Thursday, June 1, 2006; Posted: 8:47 a.m. EDT (12:47 GMT)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet.
DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. The 5-foot-10 superhero comes with flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a form-fitting black outfit.
"We decided to give her a different point of view," explained Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. "We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction."
(DC Comics, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.)
The original Batwoman was started in 1956, and killed off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original alter ego, Kathy Kane. And the new Batwoman arrives with ties to others in the Gotham City world.
"She's a socialite from Gotham high society," DiDio said. "She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya."
Montoya, in the "52" comic book series, is a former police detective. Wayne, of course, is Batman's true identity -- but he has disappeared, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, leaving Gotham a more dangerous place.
The "52" series is a collaboration of four acclaimed writers, with one episode per week for one year. The comics will introduce other diverse characters as the story plays out.
"This is not just about having a gay character," DiDio said. "We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world."
The outing of Batwoman created a furor of opinions on Web sites devoted to DC Comics. Opinions ranged from outrage to approval. Others took a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the announcement.
"Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"
DiDio asked that people wait until the new Batwoman's appearance in the series before they pass judgment.
"You know what? Judge us by the story and character we create," he said. "We are confident that we are telling a great story with a strong, complex character."
DiDio spent most of the morning fielding phone calls from media intrigued by the Batwoman reinvention.
"It's kind of weird," he said. "We had a feeling it would attract some attention, but we're a little surprised it did this much."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Carnaval! - My Video Tour Of San Francisco's Carnival (Carnaval?) Steet Fair
"Carnaval" is San Francisco's annual parade and street fair held every Memorial Day weekend in the Mission District and literaly taking over the neighborhood. I love this spectacle of people, sights, and sounds. What I most enjoy is the vast and diverse crowd. It's a reminder of how really very much common we all are.
Take a look here (best quality): Carnaval Tour The YouTube version is below:
Take a look here (best quality): Carnaval Tour The YouTube version is below:
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
NFL To Play Some Regular Season Games Outside US In 2008
I think this is great news, but I worry that football may become too well-exposed. Still, it's the logical next step: Worldwide NFL games.
League eyeing more games outside of U.S.
NFL.com wire reports
DUESSELDORF, Germany (May 27, 2006) -- The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said.
Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City.
The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.
"I will say the reception we got from the owners was incredibly positive -- all the questions were on the practical issues," Waller said.
Plans were also announced to add two more teams to the six playing in NFL Europe by 2010. Last year, owners gave the league a five-year operating license -- ending years of threatening to pull the plug on the operation because of the cost.
"It now gives us a platform to grow the game internationally with a concept of clarity," Waller said.
Outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue said developing the game internationally may rank as one of his top five accomplishments during his 16 years in charge.
"I feel the international initiatives we made, along with the owners, may become more significant over time," Tagliabue said.
The league's effort to make an impact internationally began in 1986, when NFL teams began to play preseason games overseas.
The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.
NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.
"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe.
League eyeing more games outside of U.S.
NFL.com wire reports
DUESSELDORF, Germany (May 27, 2006) -- The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said.
Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City.
The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.
"I will say the reception we got from the owners was incredibly positive -- all the questions were on the practical issues," Waller said.
Plans were also announced to add two more teams to the six playing in NFL Europe by 2010. Last year, owners gave the league a five-year operating license -- ending years of threatening to pull the plug on the operation because of the cost.
"It now gives us a platform to grow the game internationally with a concept of clarity," Waller said.
Outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue said developing the game internationally may rank as one of his top five accomplishments during his 16 years in charge.
"I feel the international initiatives we made, along with the owners, may become more significant over time," Tagliabue said.
The league's effort to make an impact internationally began in 1986, when NFL teams began to play preseason games overseas.
The German cities of Hanover and Leipzig are the leading candidates to get NFL Europe expansion clubs as the league concentrates on Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals are the only current NFL Europe team located outside Germany.
NFL Europe would then be split into two four-team divisions with the schedule expanded from 10 to 12 games. The league hopes to develop local stars for NFL Europe, as well as international stars in the NFL.
"It's clearly critical to the future of the game internationally," said Jim Connelly, managing director of NFL Europe.
John Paulus Thinks Clay Aiken Is Gay, and I Don't Care!
Really. Why should I give a big deal of concern over what Clay Aiken does in his house? I'm still confused by all this. Who does it help to know this?
Well, I guess it's good to know it so you don't have to worry about your girlfriend running off with him, but in this day and age, you never know.
Well, I guess it's good to know it so you don't have to worry about your girlfriend running off with him, but in this day and age, you never know.
I Worked As An Intern For Lloyd Bentson In His Dallas Office...
and never got the chance to meet him. The one day he came in, I had to attend a class. Well, I didn't have to, but I was young and didn't know better. I was a freshman at Texas-Arlington in 1980. Still, working for his staff was fun and I was the receipient of all of his collection of Congressional Records. About 300 books.
"Fight Club" In Menlo Park A Subsitute For Guys Who Can't Find Girls - CNN
So instead of having dreams about a fine lady, they have fantasies about inflicting pain on some guy. It's said that fighting is another form of sex, so I think this kind of nutty practice is not only an admission of not being able to make it with a woman, but in a way seems to demonstrate a desire for other men. Real weird in my view.
Of course, while these guys are beating each other up -- and almost to death -- I'm enjoying the company of a great woman, not to mention women friends.
I must also say this practice is in total violation of any respect for life.
Computer techs turn to fisticuffs for fun - CNN
Fight clubs are chance to be 'a superhero for a night'
Monday, May 29, 2006; Posted: 8:49 p.m. EDT (00:49 GMT)
MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- They may sport love handles and Ivy League degrees, but every two weeks, some Silicon Valley techies turn into vicious street brawlers in a real-life, underground fight club.
Kicking, punching and swinging every household object imaginable -- from frying pans and tennis rackets to pillowcases stuffed with soda cans -- they beat each other mercilessly in a garage in this bedroom community south of San Francisco.
Then, bloodied and bruised, they limp back to their desks in the morning.
"When you get beat down enough, it becomes a very un-macho thing," said Shiyin Siou, 34, a Santa Clara software engineer and three-year veteran of the clandestine fights. "But I don't need this to prove I'm macho -- I'm macho enough as it is."
Inspired by the 1999 film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves.
"This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.
Despite his reserved demeanor, he daydreams about inflicting pain on an attacker. "I have fantasies about it," he said.
In recent months, police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have broken up fight clubs involving teens and preteens who posted videos of their bloody battles online.
Earlier this month in Arlington, Texas, a high school student who didn't want to participate was beaten so badly that he suffered a brain hemorrhage and broken vertebrae. Six teenagers were arrested after DVDs of the fight appeared for sale online.
Adult groups are more likely to fly under the radar of authorities.
Menlo Park police hadn't heard about the local club and said they wouldn't be likely to take action because the fights are on private property between consenting adults. That could change if someone complains or is sent to a hospital, police said.
Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old software engineer and martial arts instructor, started the invitation-only "Gentlemen's Fight Club" in Menlo Park in 2000 after his no-holds-barred sessions with a training partner grew to more than a dozen people. Most participants are men working in the high-tech industry.
"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."
Fencing and hockey masks are the only protective equipment used. Several fighters have suffered broken noses, ribs and fingers.
Men involved in fight clubs often carry bottled-up violent impulses learned in childhood from video games, cartoons and movies, said Michael Messner, a University of Southern California sociology and gender studies professor.
"Boys have these warrior fantasies picked up from popular culture, and schools sort of force that out of them," he said. In these fantasies, "The good guys always resort to violence, and they always get the glory and the women."
There is also a sadomasochistic thread running through underground fight clubs, said Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
"Real-life fight clubs are the male version of the girls who cut themselves," he said. "All day long these guys think they're the captains of the universe, technical wizards. They're brilliant but empty.
"They want to feel differently. They want to get hit, they want to feel something real."
Five-year fight club veteran Dinesh Prasad, 32, a heavily tattooed Santa Clara engineer, said he once broke a rib in a match but never complained to his fellow combatants. He also recently skipped his first wedding anniversary to attend a fight rather than drive to Los Angeles, where his wife is finishing law school.
"I came here to get over my fear of fighting, and it's working," he said. "I'm much tougher than I was five years ago. I'm not at the level of these other guys, but if things were to get tough, I can get tough, too."
Of course, while these guys are beating each other up -- and almost to death -- I'm enjoying the company of a great woman, not to mention women friends.
I must also say this practice is in total violation of any respect for life.
Computer techs turn to fisticuffs for fun - CNN
Fight clubs are chance to be 'a superhero for a night'
Monday, May 29, 2006; Posted: 8:49 p.m. EDT (00:49 GMT)
MENLO PARK, California (AP) -- They may sport love handles and Ivy League degrees, but every two weeks, some Silicon Valley techies turn into vicious street brawlers in a real-life, underground fight club.
Kicking, punching and swinging every household object imaginable -- from frying pans and tennis rackets to pillowcases stuffed with soda cans -- they beat each other mercilessly in a garage in this bedroom community south of San Francisco.
Then, bloodied and bruised, they limp back to their desks in the morning.
"When you get beat down enough, it becomes a very un-macho thing," said Shiyin Siou, 34, a Santa Clara software engineer and three-year veteran of the clandestine fights. "But I don't need this to prove I'm macho -- I'm macho enough as it is."
Inspired by the 1999 film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves.
"This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.
Despite his reserved demeanor, he daydreams about inflicting pain on an attacker. "I have fantasies about it," he said.
In recent months, police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have broken up fight clubs involving teens and preteens who posted videos of their bloody battles online.
Earlier this month in Arlington, Texas, a high school student who didn't want to participate was beaten so badly that he suffered a brain hemorrhage and broken vertebrae. Six teenagers were arrested after DVDs of the fight appeared for sale online.
Adult groups are more likely to fly under the radar of authorities.
Menlo Park police hadn't heard about the local club and said they wouldn't be likely to take action because the fights are on private property between consenting adults. That could change if someone complains or is sent to a hospital, police said.
Gints Klimanis, a 37-year-old software engineer and martial arts instructor, started the invitation-only "Gentlemen's Fight Club" in Menlo Park in 2000 after his no-holds-barred sessions with a training partner grew to more than a dozen people. Most participants are men working in the high-tech industry.
"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."
Fencing and hockey masks are the only protective equipment used. Several fighters have suffered broken noses, ribs and fingers.
Men involved in fight clubs often carry bottled-up violent impulses learned in childhood from video games, cartoons and movies, said Michael Messner, a University of Southern California sociology and gender studies professor.
"Boys have these warrior fantasies picked up from popular culture, and schools sort of force that out of them," he said. In these fantasies, "The good guys always resort to violence, and they always get the glory and the women."
There is also a sadomasochistic thread running through underground fight clubs, said Michael Kimmel, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York.
"Real-life fight clubs are the male version of the girls who cut themselves," he said. "All day long these guys think they're the captains of the universe, technical wizards. They're brilliant but empty.
"They want to feel differently. They want to get hit, they want to feel something real."
Five-year fight club veteran Dinesh Prasad, 32, a heavily tattooed Santa Clara engineer, said he once broke a rib in a match but never complained to his fellow combatants. He also recently skipped his first wedding anniversary to attend a fight rather than drive to Los Angeles, where his wife is finishing law school.
"I came here to get over my fear of fighting, and it's working," he said. "I'm much tougher than I was five years ago. I'm not at the level of these other guys, but if things were to get tough, I can get tough, too."
The Apprentice 5 Nearlng Close - One Blogger Calls The Two Finalists "Buffoons"
With ratings as low as this latest Apprentice has posted, perhaps the best event will be the final show of this season. I'm not excited about the people on the show, and neither are bloggers like this person over at Fresh Inc., who called both Sean and Lee buffoons.
While I wouldn't go that far, I do think it's a mistake to focus on young people all the time in casting for the show. Life begins at 40, and Trump and his crew would have a better show and richer exchanges with a more mature audience. Hey, there are hot women over 40, too!
While I wouldn't go that far, I do think it's a mistake to focus on young people all the time in casting for the show. Life begins at 40, and Trump and his crew would have a better show and richer exchanges with a more mature audience. Hey, there are hot women over 40, too!
Seattle Seahawks QB Gibran Hamdan Named NFL Europe Offensive Player Of The Year
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
SEAHAWKS QB HAMDAN NAMED NFL EUROPE LEAGUE OFFENSIVE MVP; PANTHERS DT BROWN & FRANCE’S GARDENT SHARE DEFENSIVE HONORS
SEATTLE PLACES NFL-BEST FIVE PLAYERS ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM;
GREEN BAY, HOUSTON & MINNESOTA EACH PLACE TWO AS WORLD BOWL XIV KICKS OFF SATURDAY
The NFL Europe League announced its annual awards today at World Bowl Media Day at the LTU Arena in DÏ‹sseldorf, Germany.
Quarterback GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks) of the Amsterdam Admirals was named the NFL Europe League Offensive Most Valuable Player while Admirals defensive tackle TONY BROWN (Carolina Panthers) and French linebacker PHILIPPE GARDENT of the Cologne Centurions were named the Co-Defensive MVPs. Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES was named Coach of the Year.
Hamdan led the Admirals to a 6-1 record before suffering a season-ending injury. The Indiana product led the league in completion percentage (63.0 percent), passing yards (1,629) and touchdowns (12) while posting the highest passer rating in NFL Europe League history (113.4).
Brown helped anchor the Amsterdam defense, registering 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, an interception and five passes defensed. The former Memphis standout also blocked two field goals.
France’s Gardent led the league with 70 tackles for the Centurions and is the first national, or non-American, player to win an MVP award in NFL Europe history.
The league also announced its all-NFL Europe League team. Seattle placed an NFL-high five players on the squad, while Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota each had two. Among the six NFL Europe teams, World Bowl participants Amsterdam (8) and Frankfurt (5) led the way.
Included among the All-NFL Europe League team selections that will play in World Bowl XIV are Frankfurt running back ROGER ROBINSON (Arizona), Amsterdam wide receivers SKYLER FULTON (Seattle) and CHAD LUCAS (Green Bay), and Frankfurt defensive standouts BRANDON HAW (Seattle) and JEROME NICHOLS (Green Bay).
Robinson, allocated by the Arizona Cardinals, set the league’s single-season rushing record with 1,087 yards (MIKE GREEN, 1,057; Barcelona 2001) as the Galaxy had the top-ranked offense and rushing offense.
Seattle wide receiver Fulton led the league with 53 catches and 992 yards, the third best single-season total in NFL Europe history. Amsterdam teammate Lucas, allocated by Green Bay, topped the league with eight touchdown receptions, including an Europe League-record four in one game (April 8 at Berlin).
Safety Haw and defensive tackle Nichols were key components of Frankfurt’s top-ranked defense. Seattle’s Haw led NFL Europe with five interceptions while Green Bay’s Nichols had a league-best 7.0 sacks.
Yello Strom World Bowl XIV between the Admirals and Galaxy will be played this Saturday, May 27. The NFL Network will broadcast the game in the United Stats at 12:00 PM ET with CURT MENEFEE and BRIAN BALDINGER calling the action.
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
SEAHAWKS QB HAMDAN NAMED NFL EUROPE LEAGUE OFFENSIVE MVP; PANTHERS DT BROWN & FRANCE’S GARDENT SHARE DEFENSIVE HONORS
SEATTLE PLACES NFL-BEST FIVE PLAYERS ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM;
GREEN BAY, HOUSTON & MINNESOTA EACH PLACE TWO AS WORLD BOWL XIV KICKS OFF SATURDAY
The NFL Europe League announced its annual awards today at World Bowl Media Day at the LTU Arena in DÏ‹sseldorf, Germany.
Quarterback GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks) of the Amsterdam Admirals was named the NFL Europe League Offensive Most Valuable Player while Admirals defensive tackle TONY BROWN (Carolina Panthers) and French linebacker PHILIPPE GARDENT of the Cologne Centurions were named the Co-Defensive MVPs. Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES was named Coach of the Year.
Hamdan led the Admirals to a 6-1 record before suffering a season-ending injury. The Indiana product led the league in completion percentage (63.0 percent), passing yards (1,629) and touchdowns (12) while posting the highest passer rating in NFL Europe League history (113.4).
Brown helped anchor the Amsterdam defense, registering 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, an interception and five passes defensed. The former Memphis standout also blocked two field goals.
France’s Gardent led the league with 70 tackles for the Centurions and is the first national, or non-American, player to win an MVP award in NFL Europe history.
The league also announced its all-NFL Europe League team. Seattle placed an NFL-high five players on the squad, while Green Bay, Houston and Minnesota each had two. Among the six NFL Europe teams, World Bowl participants Amsterdam (8) and Frankfurt (5) led the way.
Included among the All-NFL Europe League team selections that will play in World Bowl XIV are Frankfurt running back ROGER ROBINSON (Arizona), Amsterdam wide receivers SKYLER FULTON (Seattle) and CHAD LUCAS (Green Bay), and Frankfurt defensive standouts BRANDON HAW (Seattle) and JEROME NICHOLS (Green Bay).
Robinson, allocated by the Arizona Cardinals, set the league’s single-season rushing record with 1,087 yards (MIKE GREEN, 1,057; Barcelona 2001) as the Galaxy had the top-ranked offense and rushing offense.
Seattle wide receiver Fulton led the league with 53 catches and 992 yards, the third best single-season total in NFL Europe history. Amsterdam teammate Lucas, allocated by Green Bay, topped the league with eight touchdown receptions, including an Europe League-record four in one game (April 8 at Berlin).
Safety Haw and defensive tackle Nichols were key components of Frankfurt’s top-ranked defense. Seattle’s Haw led NFL Europe with five interceptions while Green Bay’s Nichols had a league-best 7.0 sacks.
Yello Strom World Bowl XIV between the Admirals and Galaxy will be played this Saturday, May 27. The NFL Network will broadcast the game in the United Stats at 12:00 PM ET with CURT MENEFEE and BRIAN BALDINGER calling the action.
In Video, CNN's Lou Dobbs Uses White Supremacist Group As News Source For Immigration Story
In an earlier post, I asked if CNN's Lou Dobbs was racist. Well, this new information is really making me think the saying "where there's smoke there's fire" is very true. Here's the smoke.
Surely CNN's Lou Dobbs knew what he and his staff were doing. A news segment not only features the use of a map that was obtained from a white supremacist organization called The Council of Concerned Citizens , but that organization featured the Lou Dobbs story on its website (scroll down the front page to see the map.)
More disturbing is the segment seems entirely based on information developed by The Council of Concerned Citizens. So Lou Dobbs seems to be practicing a form of racist activism that hides as television journalism.
Here's the video:
The CNN Lou Dobbs segment has the name of the source -- The Council of Concerned Citizens -- right on it. Now, how do I know it's a white supremacist group? Well, they say so on their site. To see the long-winded viewpoint, cick here or read this crap from the page:
A Statement of the Principles
of the
Council of Conservative Citizens
The American men and women who make up the Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC) believe in, commit themselves to, and pledge to work for and support these fundamental principles of American civilization, liberty, justice, and national safety:
(1) We believe the United States is a Christian country.
We believe that the United States of America is a Christian country, that its people are a Christian people, and that its government and public leaders at all levels must reflect Christian beliefs and values.
We therefore oppose all efforts to deny or weaken the Christian heritage of the United States, including the unconstitutional prohibitions of prayers and other religious expression in schools and other public institutions.
(2) We believe the United States is a European country and that Americans are part of the European people.
We believe that the United States derives from and is an integral part of European civilization and the European people and that the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character.
We therefore oppose the massive immigration of non-European and non-Western peoples into the United States that threatens to transform our nation into a non-European majority in our lifetime.
We believe that illegal immigration must be stopped, if necessary by military force and placing troops on our national borders; that illegal aliens must be returned to their own countries; and that legal immigration must be severely restricted or halted through appropriate changes in our laws and policies.
We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called "affirmative action" and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.
(3) The United States is a sovereign and independent nation.
We believe the United States is a sovereign and independent nation, that our independence as a nation is the most precious legacy of our Founding Fathers, and that all treaties, agreements, conventions, international organizations, and institutions must recognize and respect our national sovereignty and independence.
We therefore oppose the so-called "New World Order" and its attempts to abolish national sovereignty and independence and to construct a one-world state in which America would vanish and Americans would be enslaved.
We call for the U.S. government to withdraw from membership in the United Nations, the World Court, the International Monetary Fund, NAFTA, and the World Trade Organization.
We oppose any attempt to place American military personnel under foreign command. We oppose any effort to place Americans, military or civilian, on trial before, or subject them to legal punishments by, international courts or organizations.
We oppose, and we support official U.S. renunciation of, any treaty, agreement, or convention that seeks to dictate law to the United States or any state, that violates national sovereignty, or denies or violates the constitutional rights of Americans.
(4) The United States is a constitutional republic.
We believe the United States is a constitutional republic, governed by law and by the original intent of the United States Constitution and of the men who framed it. We believe the Constitution can be changed only by the proper procedure of amendment or constitutional convention and not by court decision, popular majority, political whim, or legislative fiat.
We therefore oppose the "imperial judiciary" in the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal courts that has usurped more and more power to itself in the last century and has imposed on our country the most odious and harmful rulings.
We reject the legitimacy and constitutionality of the rulings handed down by the imperial judiciary; we support the appointment of judges and justices who are qualified to interpret the Constitution and the laws and are committed to their proper interpretation; and we support the impeachment of judges and justices who usurp or claim powers not granted them by the Constitution.
We also oppose the "imperial bureaucracy" that imposes unconstitutional administrative decrees in such fields as business, agriculture, labor, and education that tyrannically interfere with personal liberty and dignity, private property, the sanctity of the family, and ethical conduct.
We support the abolition of those government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels that have no constitutional foundation, including the U.S. Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Health and Human Services, and similar agencies.
We support the separation of powers that is a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution and of basic human liberty. We support the restoration of the constitutionally proper balance among the three branches of the federal government and the reduction of their powers, size, personnel, and costs to the limits intended by the Constitution.
(5) We believe in States' Rights, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Bill of Rights.
We believe in states' rights, as guaranteed by the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution; in the individual right to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution; and in all the rights and liberties guaranteed by the body of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
We therefore oppose all efforts by the federal government to dictate to the states and local governments and communities, and we oppose federal efforts to engineer or impose behavior and beliefs on citizens and communities. We oppose "gun control" in all forms and demand that all such legislation and policies be repealed.
We also oppose all such legislation as so-called "hate crime" or "bias crime" laws. Such laws merely penalize thought and expression rather than genuinely criminal action and are a dangerous and frightening step toward government Thought Control. Similarly, we oppose all so-called "politically correct" speech codes and "sensitivity training" in schools, colleges, universities, and businesses that punish free expression, restrict thought and study, intimidate dissent, and generally demean and diminish human communications and community.
We also oppose, as stated, all efforts to deny Americans their rights of religious expression and worship as guaranteed in the First Amendment, as well as efforts to deny rights of assembly and association.
(6) The traditional family is the basic unit of human society.
We believe in the traditional family as the basic unit of human society and morality, and we oppose all efforts by the state and other powers to weaken the structure of the American family through toleration of sexual licentiousness, homosexuality and other perversions, mixture of the races, pornography in all forms, and subversion of the authority of parents.
(7) Private property and free enterprise are the foundations of our economy.
We believe in private property and free enterprise as the foundations of our economic life and the basis of American wealth. We oppose efforts by the state to regulate, plan, manage, control, or nationalize private property in any form. We oppose the ruinous taxation that government has imposed on working Americans and we call for real tax reform that will allow working men and women to retain what they have earned. We support the repeal of the estate tax. We affirm that the best economic decision-maker is the individual acting in what he believes is his own best interest.
We believe that tax policies and other economic legislation and policies should reflect the importance of small businessmen, the family farm, and other independent, locally and privately owned and operated enterprises.
While we accept the need for some public welfare, health care, unemployment, and old age assistance, we believe in such programs only as a last resort for those who truly need them.
We believe tax laws should encourage private charity rather than public support for the poor, the disabled, and the sick and elderly who are unable to care for themselves. We support welfare programs that seek to return recipients of welfare to productive work as soon as possible. We oppose all welfare for immigrants, whether legal or illegal.
(8) Cultural, national, and racial integrity.
We support the cultural and national heritage of the United States and the race and civilization of which it is a part, as well as the expression and celebration of the legitimate subcultures and ethnic and regional identities of our people. We oppose all efforts to discredit, "debunk," denigrate, ridicule, subvert, or express disrespect for that heritage. We believe public monuments and symbols should reflect the real heritage of our people, and not a politically convenient, inaccurate, insulting, or fictitious heritage.
(9) A Strong National Defense.
We believe in the strongest possible defense for the United States. We oppose the presence of homosexuals and women in the military services and especially of women in combat roles.
(10) America First Foreign Policy.
We believe that in the aftermath of the U.S. victory over Soviet Communism, the United States has little need to retain the political and military commitments to allies made during the Cold War. While we wish these allies well, we believe we cannot continue to support their defense budgets, guarantee their security, fight their wars, or finance their governments and economies through foreign aid. We therefore call for a comprehensive review of all U.S. diplomatic commitments and U.S. withdrawal from those alliances and commitments that no longer serve our national interests or that threaten to entangle us in unnecessary foreign wars, conflicts, and quarrels.
We therefore oppose continued membership in NATO and similar outdated Cold War alliances; we oppose sending American troops on U.N. peace-keeping missions or into similar unconstitutionally undeclared wars under the names of "police actions." We oppose sending American military personnel into wars and conflicts that do not concern our national security and interests. We oppose ever sending American military men into combat without the intention to achieve victory. We oppose using American prisoners of war as diplomatic "bargaining chips" under any circumstances, and we oppose abandoning American POWs to merciless enemies after the cessation of conflict to suit the political interests of office-holders. We oppose all foreign aid and call for its termination.
We support the investigation of lobbying groups that represent the interests of foreign states or foreign powers and the enactment of legislation that will outlaw lobbying Congress or the executive branch on behalf of foreign states.
(11) America First Trade Policy.
We believe that just as our nation has legitimate international political and military interests, so it also has a legitimate international economic interest. We believe our trade policy should reflect our national economic interest and that the protection of our economy, including the jobs of our workers, our farms, and our manufacturing industries, is a vitally necessary duty of our national government.
(12) Traditional Education under Local Control.
We believe that education is primarily the concern of parents and families and local communities and therefore we oppose federal aid to education and federal efforts to control or direct education. We believe that education should inform and build the mind and character, not brainwash children with political propaganda or "liberate" them from the traditional values and loyalties their families have taught them.
We therefore oppose all "sex education" as well as so-called "multiculturalist" and "Afrocentric" curricula, "Outcome-Based Education," and similar radical indoctrination in the schools. We oppose all efforts to inflate grades, adulterate or "dumb down" tests and examinations, and introduce irrelevant and wasteful courses for the purpose of advancing some backward students over others more talented or more productive. We believe the schools, public, private, and parochial, should teach students to be proud of being Americans and proud of their national and local identities, and that they should instill in them the values of Western, Christian, and American civilization.
We support the authority of teachers and school administrators to discipline students, including the authority to expel them from school if students will not abide by the rules and laws of the community.
We support the right of parents to send their children to private schools or to educate their children at home if they so desire, without government intrusion or control. We support the right of private schools to select their own students, faculty, curricula, standards, and methods of administration.
(13) Strong and Just Law Enforcement.
We believe in the moral and legal responsibility of the individual and therefore that good behavior should be rewarded and bad behavior should be punished. We believe the most effective and most just response to crime is swift, certain, and morally appropriate punishment. We believe in capital punishment for the crimes of murder, rape, treason, and espionage. We oppose the substitution of the pseudo-sciences of psychiatry, sociology, and "rehabilitation" for real justice.
We believe law enforcement should be mainly a function of local and state government, and we therefore oppose all efforts to establish a national police force or to nationalize law enforcement; we oppose similar efforts to create a global or international police force and to "globalize" law enforcement. We oppose the extradition of law-abiding American citizens to trials before foreign courts under laws to which they have never assented. We oppose all international criminal tribunals and all efforts to diminish national sovereignty through the internationalization of criminal law. We support the termination of all international trials for "war crimes" and "genocide."
While we support and deeply respect all law enforcement officers, we also insist that law enforcement at all levels operate within the law, that law enforcement respect the rights of all citizens, and that spying on and harassment of loyal and law-abiding citizens by law enforcement agencies, by the military services, or by intelligence services at any level of government should be strictly forbidden and severely punished.
(14) Protection of the Environment and Natural Heritage.
We believe that the natural environment and resources of a nation are among its most precious, valuable, and irreplaceable treasures. We believe in the protection of the environment from reckless greed as well as from irresponsible government. We support the protection of truly endangered species of wildlife and areas of natural beauty.
Surely CNN's Lou Dobbs knew what he and his staff were doing. A news segment not only features the use of a map that was obtained from a white supremacist organization called The Council of Concerned Citizens , but that organization featured the Lou Dobbs story on its website (scroll down the front page to see the map.)
More disturbing is the segment seems entirely based on information developed by The Council of Concerned Citizens. So Lou Dobbs seems to be practicing a form of racist activism that hides as television journalism.
Here's the video:
The CNN Lou Dobbs segment has the name of the source -- The Council of Concerned Citizens -- right on it. Now, how do I know it's a white supremacist group? Well, they say so on their site. To see the long-winded viewpoint, cick here or read this crap from the page:
A Statement of the Principles
of the
Council of Conservative Citizens
The American men and women who make up the Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC) believe in, commit themselves to, and pledge to work for and support these fundamental principles of American civilization, liberty, justice, and national safety:
(1) We believe the United States is a Christian country.
We believe that the United States of America is a Christian country, that its people are a Christian people, and that its government and public leaders at all levels must reflect Christian beliefs and values.
We therefore oppose all efforts to deny or weaken the Christian heritage of the United States, including the unconstitutional prohibitions of prayers and other religious expression in schools and other public institutions.
(2) We believe the United States is a European country and that Americans are part of the European people.
We believe that the United States derives from and is an integral part of European civilization and the European people and that the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character.
We therefore oppose the massive immigration of non-European and non-Western peoples into the United States that threatens to transform our nation into a non-European majority in our lifetime.
We believe that illegal immigration must be stopped, if necessary by military force and placing troops on our national borders; that illegal aliens must be returned to their own countries; and that legal immigration must be severely restricted or halted through appropriate changes in our laws and policies.
We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called "affirmative action" and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.
(3) The United States is a sovereign and independent nation.
We believe the United States is a sovereign and independent nation, that our independence as a nation is the most precious legacy of our Founding Fathers, and that all treaties, agreements, conventions, international organizations, and institutions must recognize and respect our national sovereignty and independence.
We therefore oppose the so-called "New World Order" and its attempts to abolish national sovereignty and independence and to construct a one-world state in which America would vanish and Americans would be enslaved.
We call for the U.S. government to withdraw from membership in the United Nations, the World Court, the International Monetary Fund, NAFTA, and the World Trade Organization.
We oppose any attempt to place American military personnel under foreign command. We oppose any effort to place Americans, military or civilian, on trial before, or subject them to legal punishments by, international courts or organizations.
We oppose, and we support official U.S. renunciation of, any treaty, agreement, or convention that seeks to dictate law to the United States or any state, that violates national sovereignty, or denies or violates the constitutional rights of Americans.
(4) The United States is a constitutional republic.
We believe the United States is a constitutional republic, governed by law and by the original intent of the United States Constitution and of the men who framed it. We believe the Constitution can be changed only by the proper procedure of amendment or constitutional convention and not by court decision, popular majority, political whim, or legislative fiat.
We therefore oppose the "imperial judiciary" in the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal courts that has usurped more and more power to itself in the last century and has imposed on our country the most odious and harmful rulings.
We reject the legitimacy and constitutionality of the rulings handed down by the imperial judiciary; we support the appointment of judges and justices who are qualified to interpret the Constitution and the laws and are committed to their proper interpretation; and we support the impeachment of judges and justices who usurp or claim powers not granted them by the Constitution.
We also oppose the "imperial bureaucracy" that imposes unconstitutional administrative decrees in such fields as business, agriculture, labor, and education that tyrannically interfere with personal liberty and dignity, private property, the sanctity of the family, and ethical conduct.
We support the abolition of those government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels that have no constitutional foundation, including the U.S. Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Health and Human Services, and similar agencies.
We support the separation of powers that is a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution and of basic human liberty. We support the restoration of the constitutionally proper balance among the three branches of the federal government and the reduction of their powers, size, personnel, and costs to the limits intended by the Constitution.
(5) We believe in States' Rights, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Bill of Rights.
We believe in states' rights, as guaranteed by the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution; in the individual right to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution; and in all the rights and liberties guaranteed by the body of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
We therefore oppose all efforts by the federal government to dictate to the states and local governments and communities, and we oppose federal efforts to engineer or impose behavior and beliefs on citizens and communities. We oppose "gun control" in all forms and demand that all such legislation and policies be repealed.
We also oppose all such legislation as so-called "hate crime" or "bias crime" laws. Such laws merely penalize thought and expression rather than genuinely criminal action and are a dangerous and frightening step toward government Thought Control. Similarly, we oppose all so-called "politically correct" speech codes and "sensitivity training" in schools, colleges, universities, and businesses that punish free expression, restrict thought and study, intimidate dissent, and generally demean and diminish human communications and community.
We also oppose, as stated, all efforts to deny Americans their rights of religious expression and worship as guaranteed in the First Amendment, as well as efforts to deny rights of assembly and association.
(6) The traditional family is the basic unit of human society.
We believe in the traditional family as the basic unit of human society and morality, and we oppose all efforts by the state and other powers to weaken the structure of the American family through toleration of sexual licentiousness, homosexuality and other perversions, mixture of the races, pornography in all forms, and subversion of the authority of parents.
(7) Private property and free enterprise are the foundations of our economy.
We believe in private property and free enterprise as the foundations of our economic life and the basis of American wealth. We oppose efforts by the state to regulate, plan, manage, control, or nationalize private property in any form. We oppose the ruinous taxation that government has imposed on working Americans and we call for real tax reform that will allow working men and women to retain what they have earned. We support the repeal of the estate tax. We affirm that the best economic decision-maker is the individual acting in what he believes is his own best interest.
We believe that tax policies and other economic legislation and policies should reflect the importance of small businessmen, the family farm, and other independent, locally and privately owned and operated enterprises.
While we accept the need for some public welfare, health care, unemployment, and old age assistance, we believe in such programs only as a last resort for those who truly need them.
We believe tax laws should encourage private charity rather than public support for the poor, the disabled, and the sick and elderly who are unable to care for themselves. We support welfare programs that seek to return recipients of welfare to productive work as soon as possible. We oppose all welfare for immigrants, whether legal or illegal.
(8) Cultural, national, and racial integrity.
We support the cultural and national heritage of the United States and the race and civilization of which it is a part, as well as the expression and celebration of the legitimate subcultures and ethnic and regional identities of our people. We oppose all efforts to discredit, "debunk," denigrate, ridicule, subvert, or express disrespect for that heritage. We believe public monuments and symbols should reflect the real heritage of our people, and not a politically convenient, inaccurate, insulting, or fictitious heritage.
(9) A Strong National Defense.
We believe in the strongest possible defense for the United States. We oppose the presence of homosexuals and women in the military services and especially of women in combat roles.
(10) America First Foreign Policy.
We believe that in the aftermath of the U.S. victory over Soviet Communism, the United States has little need to retain the political and military commitments to allies made during the Cold War. While we wish these allies well, we believe we cannot continue to support their defense budgets, guarantee their security, fight their wars, or finance their governments and economies through foreign aid. We therefore call for a comprehensive review of all U.S. diplomatic commitments and U.S. withdrawal from those alliances and commitments that no longer serve our national interests or that threaten to entangle us in unnecessary foreign wars, conflicts, and quarrels.
We therefore oppose continued membership in NATO and similar outdated Cold War alliances; we oppose sending American troops on U.N. peace-keeping missions or into similar unconstitutionally undeclared wars under the names of "police actions." We oppose sending American military personnel into wars and conflicts that do not concern our national security and interests. We oppose ever sending American military men into combat without the intention to achieve victory. We oppose using American prisoners of war as diplomatic "bargaining chips" under any circumstances, and we oppose abandoning American POWs to merciless enemies after the cessation of conflict to suit the political interests of office-holders. We oppose all foreign aid and call for its termination.
We support the investigation of lobbying groups that represent the interests of foreign states or foreign powers and the enactment of legislation that will outlaw lobbying Congress or the executive branch on behalf of foreign states.
(11) America First Trade Policy.
We believe that just as our nation has legitimate international political and military interests, so it also has a legitimate international economic interest. We believe our trade policy should reflect our national economic interest and that the protection of our economy, including the jobs of our workers, our farms, and our manufacturing industries, is a vitally necessary duty of our national government.
(12) Traditional Education under Local Control.
We believe that education is primarily the concern of parents and families and local communities and therefore we oppose federal aid to education and federal efforts to control or direct education. We believe that education should inform and build the mind and character, not brainwash children with political propaganda or "liberate" them from the traditional values and loyalties their families have taught them.
We therefore oppose all "sex education" as well as so-called "multiculturalist" and "Afrocentric" curricula, "Outcome-Based Education," and similar radical indoctrination in the schools. We oppose all efforts to inflate grades, adulterate or "dumb down" tests and examinations, and introduce irrelevant and wasteful courses for the purpose of advancing some backward students over others more talented or more productive. We believe the schools, public, private, and parochial, should teach students to be proud of being Americans and proud of their national and local identities, and that they should instill in them the values of Western, Christian, and American civilization.
We support the authority of teachers and school administrators to discipline students, including the authority to expel them from school if students will not abide by the rules and laws of the community.
We support the right of parents to send their children to private schools or to educate their children at home if they so desire, without government intrusion or control. We support the right of private schools to select their own students, faculty, curricula, standards, and methods of administration.
(13) Strong and Just Law Enforcement.
We believe in the moral and legal responsibility of the individual and therefore that good behavior should be rewarded and bad behavior should be punished. We believe the most effective and most just response to crime is swift, certain, and morally appropriate punishment. We believe in capital punishment for the crimes of murder, rape, treason, and espionage. We oppose the substitution of the pseudo-sciences of psychiatry, sociology, and "rehabilitation" for real justice.
We believe law enforcement should be mainly a function of local and state government, and we therefore oppose all efforts to establish a national police force or to nationalize law enforcement; we oppose similar efforts to create a global or international police force and to "globalize" law enforcement. We oppose the extradition of law-abiding American citizens to trials before foreign courts under laws to which they have never assented. We oppose all international criminal tribunals and all efforts to diminish national sovereignty through the internationalization of criminal law. We support the termination of all international trials for "war crimes" and "genocide."
While we support and deeply respect all law enforcement officers, we also insist that law enforcement at all levels operate within the law, that law enforcement respect the rights of all citizens, and that spying on and harassment of loyal and law-abiding citizens by law enforcement agencies, by the military services, or by intelligence services at any level of government should be strictly forbidden and severely punished.
(14) Protection of the Environment and Natural Heritage.
We believe that the natural environment and resources of a nation are among its most precious, valuable, and irreplaceable treasures. We believe in the protection of the environment from reckless greed as well as from irresponsible government. We support the protection of truly endangered species of wildlife and areas of natural beauty.
The Rolling Stones - The Rain Fell Down - A Great Video
Of all of the videos, this is the clearest one by far. It's "The Rain Fell Down" and it's a pretty interesting, if racy, number. I like the guitar play here, as well as the urban colors and dense feel of the production. I've also included the lyrics below the video.
Rain Fell Down Lyrics from http://www.sing365.com
It was a filthy block of flats
Trash was on the floor
The stink was in my nose
Hinges off the doors
She took me in her room
All was spick and span
Fixed me up a drink
Turned down all the lamps
And the rain fell down
On the cold hard ground
And the phone kept ringing
And me made sweet love
Why do we live in this strange grey town?
They build it up and let it all fall down
Feel like we're living in a battleground
Everybody's jazzed
Why do we live in this strange grey town?
The paint is peeling and the sky's turned brown
The bankers are wankers and every Thursday night
they just vomit on the ground
And the rain fell down
On the cold grey town
And the phone kept ringing
And we made sweet love
And we made sweet love
Everybody's dreaming
Everybody's scheming
Watching the rain fall down
She cooked me up some eggs
Then she made some tea
Kissed me on the cheek
Then I turned on her tv
It was all the usual crap
All the usual sleeze
For 10,000 quid
Some bimbo spilled the beans
And the rain fell down
On the cold grey town
And the phone kept ringing
And we made sweet love
And we made sweet love
Rain Fell Down Lyrics from http://www.sing365.com
It was a filthy block of flats
Trash was on the floor
The stink was in my nose
Hinges off the doors
She took me in her room
All was spick and span
Fixed me up a drink
Turned down all the lamps
And the rain fell down
On the cold hard ground
And the phone kept ringing
And me made sweet love
Why do we live in this strange grey town?
They build it up and let it all fall down
Feel like we're living in a battleground
Everybody's jazzed
Why do we live in this strange grey town?
The paint is peeling and the sky's turned brown
The bankers are wankers and every Thursday night
they just vomit on the ground
And the rain fell down
On the cold grey town
And the phone kept ringing
And we made sweet love
And we made sweet love
Everybody's dreaming
Everybody's scheming
Watching the rain fall down
She cooked me up some eggs
Then she made some tea
Kissed me on the cheek
Then I turned on her tv
It was all the usual crap
All the usual sleeze
For 10,000 quid
Some bimbo spilled the beans
And the rain fell down
On the cold grey town
And the phone kept ringing
And we made sweet love
And we made sweet love
Rolling Stones - Paint It Black Video - 1966
The Rolling Stones are captured in this black and white video singing their now iconic hit "Paint it Black." Here's the video, folloed by the lyrics:
I see a red door and I want it painted black No colors anymore I want them to turn black I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black. With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away. Like a newborn baby it just happens ev'ryday
I look inside myself and see my heart is black. I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts. It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue. I could not forsee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun. My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm...
I wanna see it painted black, painted black. Black as night, black as coal. I wanna see the sun, blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black. Yeah
I see a red door and I want it painted black No colors anymore I want them to turn black I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black. With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away. Like a newborn baby it just happens ev'ryday
I look inside myself and see my heart is black. I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts. It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue. I could not forsee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun. My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm...
I wanna see it painted black, painted black. Black as night, black as coal. I wanna see the sun, blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black. Yeah
Monday, May 29, 2006
"Net Neutrality" Lining Up As Battle Between Old Economy (AT&T, etc,) and New (Google, Microsoft, etc.)
The matter of the maintenance of "Net Neutriality" is growing to massive proportions in the online world. On May 26th, the US house passed legislation that should keep the flow of online information unfettered by price gouging.
The basic objective is to make sure that the free flow of data remains just that -- free. There's legislation presented and backed by a set of large, old economy telecommunications firms, and led by AT&T, such that faster connection speeds would require payment of a fee. It's believed that this cost is large enough to essentially divide the Internet into "haves and have nots" and hamper the ability of small web-based companies (like mine) to grow. Indeed, the simple application of a charge of any size splits the Internet into two economies. It's for that reason -- to start -- that any user fee proposal should be rejected.
Look, we're not talking about an Internet tax; this is a way for the Old Economy companies to make money. The AT&T's of the world are upset that the small firms like Vonage and Skype are able to undercut their business by offering free long distance service using your computer and their phone lines (!) through the Internet, thus reducing the need for the services offered Old Economy firms.
The Old Economy firms are threatened by the continuation of a process that started almost 20 years ago: the constant and inexorable decrease in market value that they have suffered since the mid-80s. A chain of events started when the Federal Government forced the then-powerful AT&T to share its cable lines with other long distance providers. Ever since that point, the "Baby Bells" have been trying to slow the rate of decrease in market share and in any way.
Now, the only proof I have of this is rather powerful. In 1988 I was to be hired as part of a consulting team led by The San Francisco Consulting Group. I was to constuct a System Dynamics model of the US long distance telephone industry. That team was to determine how the market for long distance service was changing and how the client -- GTE -- should respond to this change. In other words, how they should achieve "a soft landing" as their market share decreased. The schematic I created for the model was formed to have a pattern of numerical behavior such that each long distance company was losing market share as new players arrived on the scene.
That was before the emergence of the Internet, which didn't become a major factor in how we communicate until 1995. But after that year, the number of Internet-equipped computers increased dramatically, as did the number of Internet-based services and companies. In 10 years, we've went from dial up to DSL to Broadband, and the one constant in this process has been the use of phone lines used by companies like AT&T.
Ever hungry for new forms of revenue generation, the firms that provide Broadband service -- and standard telephone service -- saw a way to cut off competition from the "Vonages" of the World: force them to pay for faster Internet speeds.
In this, they found the perfect driver to increase revenues and at the same time hamper the growth of the Global Economy. It's easier now than even before in our history for a small business to have a global reach using the World Wide Web. The cost barrier to entry for many is close to zero if one knows how to find the free services needed.
But from the perspective of thee AT&T's of the World, their revenue gain would be unescapable; absent a way of hacking the system, billions of users would have to pay them for faster access, thus introducing a new barrier to entry for small companies in the Global market.
As I think about it, such a move isn't even good for the AT&T's of the World.
Why?
Hackers and Viruses.
The incorporation of such a fee -- an economic tax -- would invite the anger of geeks everywhere. And when geeks get angry, they don't pick fights, they change systems. AT&T would be the target of every geek hacker in the World. Eventually -- I believe -- there would be a set of gates or holes that would eventually hamper the collection of fees for faster access. But I give this process ten years to unfold and another five to render the fee system useless. Meanwhile, the World's economy would stuffer from the delayed birth of the next Vonage, Google, or Sports Business Simulations.
Thank god Congress made the right step toward net netrality.
The basic objective is to make sure that the free flow of data remains just that -- free. There's legislation presented and backed by a set of large, old economy telecommunications firms, and led by AT&T, such that faster connection speeds would require payment of a fee. It's believed that this cost is large enough to essentially divide the Internet into "haves and have nots" and hamper the ability of small web-based companies (like mine) to grow. Indeed, the simple application of a charge of any size splits the Internet into two economies. It's for that reason -- to start -- that any user fee proposal should be rejected.
Look, we're not talking about an Internet tax; this is a way for the Old Economy companies to make money. The AT&T's of the world are upset that the small firms like Vonage and Skype are able to undercut their business by offering free long distance service using your computer and their phone lines (!) through the Internet, thus reducing the need for the services offered Old Economy firms.
The Old Economy firms are threatened by the continuation of a process that started almost 20 years ago: the constant and inexorable decrease in market value that they have suffered since the mid-80s. A chain of events started when the Federal Government forced the then-powerful AT&T to share its cable lines with other long distance providers. Ever since that point, the "Baby Bells" have been trying to slow the rate of decrease in market share and in any way.
Now, the only proof I have of this is rather powerful. In 1988 I was to be hired as part of a consulting team led by The San Francisco Consulting Group. I was to constuct a System Dynamics model of the US long distance telephone industry. That team was to determine how the market for long distance service was changing and how the client -- GTE -- should respond to this change. In other words, how they should achieve "a soft landing" as their market share decreased. The schematic I created for the model was formed to have a pattern of numerical behavior such that each long distance company was losing market share as new players arrived on the scene.
That was before the emergence of the Internet, which didn't become a major factor in how we communicate until 1995. But after that year, the number of Internet-equipped computers increased dramatically, as did the number of Internet-based services and companies. In 10 years, we've went from dial up to DSL to Broadband, and the one constant in this process has been the use of phone lines used by companies like AT&T.
Ever hungry for new forms of revenue generation, the firms that provide Broadband service -- and standard telephone service -- saw a way to cut off competition from the "Vonages" of the World: force them to pay for faster Internet speeds.
In this, they found the perfect driver to increase revenues and at the same time hamper the growth of the Global Economy. It's easier now than even before in our history for a small business to have a global reach using the World Wide Web. The cost barrier to entry for many is close to zero if one knows how to find the free services needed.
But from the perspective of thee AT&T's of the World, their revenue gain would be unescapable; absent a way of hacking the system, billions of users would have to pay them for faster access, thus introducing a new barrier to entry for small companies in the Global market.
As I think about it, such a move isn't even good for the AT&T's of the World.
Why?
Hackers and Viruses.
The incorporation of such a fee -- an economic tax -- would invite the anger of geeks everywhere. And when geeks get angry, they don't pick fights, they change systems. AT&T would be the target of every geek hacker in the World. Eventually -- I believe -- there would be a set of gates or holes that would eventually hamper the collection of fees for faster access. But I give this process ten years to unfold and another five to render the fee system useless. Meanwhile, the World's economy would stuffer from the delayed birth of the next Vonage, Google, or Sports Business Simulations.
Thank god Congress made the right step toward net netrality.
"Oilers Rap" - An Example of The Worldwide Spread Of Afro-American Culture
This fan was captured on camera "freestyling" -- coming up with rap lyrics on que without notes -- after an Edmonton Oliers NHL Hockey playoff game. His girlfriend provides the "beat box."
Now, if I told you this happened, you might assume the people were black and American. You'd be wrong.
You might think they were wearing "hip hop" clothing. Wrong again. (They're well dressed.)
Marketers should take note of this video, because it's a shining example not just of the Worldwide spread of African American culture, but of how the music tastes of young people have changed. Think about it. The guy rapping in this video probably practices this daily. It's not bad.
Here's the video I call "Oilers Rap."
Now, if I told you this happened, you might assume the people were black and American. You'd be wrong.
You might think they were wearing "hip hop" clothing. Wrong again. (They're well dressed.)
Marketers should take note of this video, because it's a shining example not just of the Worldwide spread of African American culture, but of how the music tastes of young people have changed. Think about it. The guy rapping in this video probably practices this daily. It's not bad.
Here's the video I call "Oilers Rap."
Saturday, May 27, 2006
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter - A Classic Song
If you want to feel the cultural impact of the Rolling Stones, just play the video below and give a listen to "Gimme Shelter". You'll come away saying "I know I've listened to that tune tons of times -- in movies, grocery stores, and bars...wow." It's another song from the greatest rock band in the World.
Here's the video:
Here's the video:
The Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
It's amazing to think this single song is as old as me, and it still rocks. The Rolling Stones are a band that comes along perhaps once in a millenium. Artists who bring people together regardless of age, race , or sex. They're still playing "Under My Thumb" -- live.
Check out this black and white video for a blast to the past. For more on the Rolling Stones, see Wikipedia with a click here.
Check out this black and white video for a blast to the past. For more on the Rolling Stones, see Wikipedia with a click here.
Sarah McLachlan - Building A Mystery - Almost 10 Years Later, It Still Endures
I'm not an expert on the analysis of music, but it's amazing that Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery" has lasted so long beyond its 1997 introduction. I even found an interesting technical analysis of the song.
Whatever the reason it is -- to me -- a haunting song about a woman talking about the reasons she both loves and lothes her male lover. Still, it can be quickly turned around to apply to a male thinking of a female lover. I remember playing this song over and over again while driving from Oakland to Pasadena in 1998, and to see a woman I cared about very much, but seemed a little bit distant emotionally. So, at least the song seems to apply in my life -- but that's not the subject here.
I think this video helps to communicate her song by simply playing her song.
Here's "Building a Mystery"
Whatever the reason it is -- to me -- a haunting song about a woman talking about the reasons she both loves and lothes her male lover. Still, it can be quickly turned around to apply to a male thinking of a female lover. I remember playing this song over and over again while driving from Oakland to Pasadena in 1998, and to see a woman I cared about very much, but seemed a little bit distant emotionally. So, at least the song seems to apply in my life -- but that's not the subject here.
I think this video helps to communicate her song by simply playing her song.
Here's "Building a Mystery"
Friday, May 26, 2006
Anna Kournikova Ranked 21st On Lycos50 - Tennis Player Still Popular After Inactivity - Video
As of today, Anna Kournikova, the popular and sexy tennis player is still a popular lookup on the Internet, and she's not even playing tennis. As of today, she ranks 21st on the Lycos50 -- a website that tracks what people search for online. Paris Hilton's still number one, but she does things to keep herself in the public eye. Anna hasn't done anything.
One view of Anna I find real and interesting is this Adidas commercial, which I learned was banned, but I don't know why. Check it out:
One view of Anna I find real and interesting is this Adidas commercial, which I learned was banned, but I don't know why. Check it out:
Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and New Stadiums Give Saints and Cardinals Fans Hope - NFLMedia.com
But the jury's still out for the Cardinals, who were the favorite of many last year, before they actually played a regular season game.
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
NFC NEWS 'N' NOTES
FOR USE AS DESIRED
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
NFC-N-2 5/18/06
CONTACT: MICHAEL SIGNORA (212/450-2076)
HOPES HIGH FOR SAINTS & CARDINALS
AS FANS CAN'T WAIT FOR 2006 KICKOFF
The calendar may read May, but it's football season year-round for legions of passionate NFL fans from coast to coast.
And on the heels of an NFL Draft that was watched by a record number of TV viewers, among those most excited for Kickoff 2006 Weekend are fans in America's Gulf Coast region and Arizona. Bring on the season!
After a year of unprecedented challenges, the New Orleans Saints welcome a youthful, energetic new head coach in 42-year old former Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach SEAN PAYTON.
"I hope that in some small way the effort of this team will represent the city and region well and show the country that New Orleans is back and a team to be reckoned with in the NFC South," says Payton.
Sharing that enthusiasm is the club's new quarterback DREW BREES, one of the most sought-after free agents in the league who elected to bring his talent to New Orleans, where he continues his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.
"I feel great right now and I'm way ahead of schedule," says Brees of his rehabilitation. "I've been throwing for almost five weeks and I'm looking forward to being 100 percent by training camp. I'm just so excited to be a part of this team and this community. New Orleans and the region are very alive, and you have a lot of great citizens who are very committed to rebuilding the city and are excited about Saints football."
That excitement reached a crescendo on draft day on April 29 when the Saints used the No. 2 overall selection on Heisman Trophy-winning running back REGGIE BUSH of USC, one of the most dynamic players in college football history. Bush joins a backfield that includes a two-time All-Star in former Mississippi standout DEUCE MC ALLISTER.
"Everybody is excited," McAllister says. "The highlights of what Reggie has done at USC show that he can really add a dimension to our offense. We have two different games and I think we'll create mismatches for teams defending us."
Adds Bush, "It's a blessing to be here. I think I can do a lot not only for the organization, but the city itself. I can't wait to get started."
That start before the hometown fans will come on Monday, September 25 in a restored Louisiana Superdome against the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons. The Saints have already broken their season-ticket record with 54,969 sold.
The theme of excitement is echoed approximately 1,300 miles to the west of Louisiana in the Valley of the Sun, where fans of the Arizona Cardinals are thrilled by the prospects ahead for the team. And much like in New Orleans, that excitement was stoked by the signing of a prized free agent – and cemented with a draft class loaded with potential.
"The Cardinals were the right situation for me," says running back EDGERRIN JAMES, who joined the club this spring after seven record-setting seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, sparking a ticket-buying frenzy that helped the Cardinals sell out their season ticket allotment for the season. "The sooner we get going, the better."
The team will "get going" in the brand-new Cardinals Stadium this season. The state-of-the art facility, which will open in August and host Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, has received global media attention for its innovative design which features the first fully retractable grass surface in North America.
Adding to the high hopes for 2006 was a draft class that includes a pair of USC Trojans in quarterback MATT LEINART and guard DEUCE LUTUI.
"We are really gaining new fans every day," says Cardinals head coach DENNIS GREEN. "We have sold out season tickets and we will have a packed stadium. It's going to be a terrific atmosphere and we are all looking forward to it."
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
NFC NEWS 'N' NOTES
FOR USE AS DESIRED
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
NFC-N-2 5/18/06
CONTACT: MICHAEL SIGNORA (212/450-2076)
HOPES HIGH FOR SAINTS & CARDINALS
AS FANS CAN'T WAIT FOR 2006 KICKOFF
The calendar may read May, but it's football season year-round for legions of passionate NFL fans from coast to coast.
And on the heels of an NFL Draft that was watched by a record number of TV viewers, among those most excited for Kickoff 2006 Weekend are fans in America's Gulf Coast region and Arizona. Bring on the season!
After a year of unprecedented challenges, the New Orleans Saints welcome a youthful, energetic new head coach in 42-year old former Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach SEAN PAYTON.
"I hope that in some small way the effort of this team will represent the city and region well and show the country that New Orleans is back and a team to be reckoned with in the NFC South," says Payton.
Sharing that enthusiasm is the club's new quarterback DREW BREES, one of the most sought-after free agents in the league who elected to bring his talent to New Orleans, where he continues his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.
"I feel great right now and I'm way ahead of schedule," says Brees of his rehabilitation. "I've been throwing for almost five weeks and I'm looking forward to being 100 percent by training camp. I'm just so excited to be a part of this team and this community. New Orleans and the region are very alive, and you have a lot of great citizens who are very committed to rebuilding the city and are excited about Saints football."
That excitement reached a crescendo on draft day on April 29 when the Saints used the No. 2 overall selection on Heisman Trophy-winning running back REGGIE BUSH of USC, one of the most dynamic players in college football history. Bush joins a backfield that includes a two-time All-Star in former Mississippi standout DEUCE MC ALLISTER.
"Everybody is excited," McAllister says. "The highlights of what Reggie has done at USC show that he can really add a dimension to our offense. We have two different games and I think we'll create mismatches for teams defending us."
Adds Bush, "It's a blessing to be here. I think I can do a lot not only for the organization, but the city itself. I can't wait to get started."
That start before the hometown fans will come on Monday, September 25 in a restored Louisiana Superdome against the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons. The Saints have already broken their season-ticket record with 54,969 sold.
The theme of excitement is echoed approximately 1,300 miles to the west of Louisiana in the Valley of the Sun, where fans of the Arizona Cardinals are thrilled by the prospects ahead for the team. And much like in New Orleans, that excitement was stoked by the signing of a prized free agent – and cemented with a draft class loaded with potential.
"The Cardinals were the right situation for me," says running back EDGERRIN JAMES, who joined the club this spring after seven record-setting seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, sparking a ticket-buying frenzy that helped the Cardinals sell out their season ticket allotment for the season. "The sooner we get going, the better."
The team will "get going" in the brand-new Cardinals Stadium this season. The state-of-the art facility, which will open in August and host Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, has received global media attention for its innovative design which features the first fully retractable grass surface in North America.
Adding to the high hopes for 2006 was a draft class that includes a pair of USC Trojans in quarterback MATT LEINART and guard DEUCE LUTUI.
"We are really gaining new fans every day," says Cardinals head coach DENNIS GREEN. "We have sold out season tickets and we will have a packed stadium. It's going to be a terrific atmosphere and we are all looking forward to it."
Reggie Bush Pays To Wear Jersey #25 - Darren Rovell, ESPN
I'm not sure Reggie Bush's marketing guy Mike Orenstein is ready to work with the number 25. I gave him the answer; for Bush to have #25 and do a "5 to 25" campaign. I guess he didn't see it!
Bush to wear No. 25 this coming season
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
Reggie Bush will get to wear No. 5 after all. There will just be a "2" in front of it.
Bush's marketing agent, Mike Ornstein, told ESPN.com on Thursday that his client will wear No. 25 next season for the New Orleans Saints.
Bush will get the number from Saints running back Fred McAfee. Ornstein said that rather than directly pay McAfee a fee for the use of the number, Bush will give half the money he had earmarked for charity to McAfee to use for the charity of his choice. Bush has pledged to donate 25 percent of his jersey sales royalties to Hurricane Katrina-related causes.
"We all went and dug into our pockets, and the city is as devastated today as the day it happened," Ornstein said. "And now, everyone has gone on to the next disaster."
To get No. 5, which he wore in high school and college, Bush needed the NFL Competition Committee to change the league's numbering rules. Currently, running backs are allowed only to wear numbers between 20 and 49. Earlier this week, the committee decided not to change the rules.
"Hopefully, they will change the rules next year so that Reggie can go back to wearing his old number," Ornstein said.
The delay of the decision might have hurt sales of Bush jerseys in the weeks since he was chosen second overall in the NFL draft. Eddie White, a vice president at Reebok, which makes the league's jerseys, said Bush's jersey had ranked first in preorders but is now in second place behind Vince Young's No. 10 for the Tennessee Titans. Young, who wore No. 10 at the University of Texas, has had that number with the Titans since draft day.
"It was a bunch of baloney that not having the No. 5 would hurt his sales," White said. "He could have worn any number, as long as we could have sold it that [draft day] Sunday, like we did for Vince Young and A.J. Hawk and Matt Leinart. But because he didn't have anything, he's behind Vince."
Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at Darren.rovell@espn3.com.
Bush to wear No. 25 this coming season
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
Reggie Bush will get to wear No. 5 after all. There will just be a "2" in front of it.
Bush's marketing agent, Mike Ornstein, told ESPN.com on Thursday that his client will wear No. 25 next season for the New Orleans Saints.
Bush will get the number from Saints running back Fred McAfee. Ornstein said that rather than directly pay McAfee a fee for the use of the number, Bush will give half the money he had earmarked for charity to McAfee to use for the charity of his choice. Bush has pledged to donate 25 percent of his jersey sales royalties to Hurricane Katrina-related causes.
"We all went and dug into our pockets, and the city is as devastated today as the day it happened," Ornstein said. "And now, everyone has gone on to the next disaster."
To get No. 5, which he wore in high school and college, Bush needed the NFL Competition Committee to change the league's numbering rules. Currently, running backs are allowed only to wear numbers between 20 and 49. Earlier this week, the committee decided not to change the rules.
"Hopefully, they will change the rules next year so that Reggie can go back to wearing his old number," Ornstein said.
The delay of the decision might have hurt sales of Bush jerseys in the weeks since he was chosen second overall in the NFL draft. Eddie White, a vice president at Reebok, which makes the league's jerseys, said Bush's jersey had ranked first in preorders but is now in second place behind Vince Young's No. 10 for the Tennessee Titans. Young, who wore No. 10 at the University of Texas, has had that number with the Titans since draft day.
"It was a bunch of baloney that not having the No. 5 would hurt his sales," White said. "He could have worn any number, as long as we could have sold it that [draft day] Sunday, like we did for Vince Young and A.J. Hawk and Matt Leinart. But because he didn't have anything, he's behind Vince."
Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at Darren.rovell@espn3.com.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Enron CEO Ken Lay and President Jeff Skilling Guilty - CNN
Lay and Skilling's day of reckoning
Enron ex-CEO and founder convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges; sentencing slated for September.
By Shaheen Pasha and Jessica Seid, CNNMoney.com staff writers
May 25, 2006: 3:49 PM EDT
HOUSTON (CNNMoney.com) - Enron former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay were both found guilty Thursday of conspiracy and fraud in the granddaddy of all corporate fraud cases.
On the sixth day of deliberations, a jury of eight women and four men convicted the former executives of misleading the public about the true financial health of Enron, whose collapse in late 2001 symbolized the wave of corporate fraud that swept the United States early this decade.
Ex-Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling walks away from reporters in Houston after a jury found him guilty of 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, false statements and insider trading.
Skilling was found guilty on 19 counts of conspiracy, fraud, false statements and insider trading. He was found not guilty on nine counts of insider trading.
Lay was found guilty on all six counts of conspiracy and fraud. In a separate bench trial, Judge Sim Lake ruled Lay was guilty of four counts of fraud and false statements.
Both Lay and Skilling could face 20 to 30 years in prison, legal experts say. And Lay will also face an additional hefty term in prison for his conviction in the bank fraud case.
"I think absent a successful appeal, they will both die in prison," said Jamie Wareham, global chairman of litigation at the international law firm Paul Hastings. "When you're a judge that's concluded that two men have lied to you for hours and hours and hours, light sentences aren't going to flow."
Judge Lake set sentencing for the week of Sept. 11 and ordered Lay to surrender his passport and post a $5 million bond. No home confinement was ordered but homes owned by Lay and his children were used as an assurety for the $5 million bond.
Skilling's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, told reporters outside the courthouse, "We will have a full and vigorous appeal."
"The jury saw it differently," Petrocelli said, referring to his client's maintaining his innocence. "We'll take it from here."
Wareham said the defendants don't have a large amount of appeal platforms, but he expects lawyers will try to raise the issue that both men were tried in Houston, the epicenter of Enron's implosion. Defense attorneys had attempted unsuccessfully to have the venue changed prior to the trial saying it was impossible to get a fair trial in Houston.
Jurors react
All 12 jurors and three alternates speaking to reporters after the verdict insisted that the decision was one of the hardest they had to make, given compelling arguments from both sides. But ultimately, they agreed that the evidence, corroborated by the line of witnesses presented by the prosecution, proved too strong to ignore.
"This is undoubtedly the most difficult, heart-wrenching experience I've ever had in my life," said Kathy Harris, an elementary school teacher who served on the jury. "I performed my duty as an American citizen. I've never fought on a foreign battleground (but) I fought on this battleground for American justice."
Jurors said of the 22 witnesses for the prosecution, the first witness, Mark Koenig - who served as Enron's head of investor relations - and Ben Glisan, the former treasurer of Enron who is the only executive currently serving time in jail, were the most persuasive given their knowledge of details at the company.
But Andrew Fastow, Enron's former financial chief who was long considered to be a star witness for the prosecution, was less effective, jurors said.
"Fastow was Fastow," said Donald Martin, an electrical designer who served on the jury. "We knew where he was coming from."
The defense has long contended that Fastow's treachery brought down the company and he cut a deal with the prosecution, requiring him to testify against his former bosses, to receive a lighter sentence.
Wendy Vaughn, a juror who owns two businesses, said that from the beginning she admired both Lay and Skilling's brilliance and talent as businessmen building up Enron. But she said "it was sad to see in the end, it wasn't accomplished in a respectful manner."
She added that Lay's demeanor on the stand ultimately worked against him.
"He seemed very much wanting to be in control," she said. "He seemed to have very much of a chip on his shoulder... it made me question his character."
And the jurors said both men seemed to be hands-on executives, making their testimony that they relied on the advice of others questionable.
"Both said they had their hands on the wheel," said Freddy Delgado, an elementary school principal. "I can't say I don't know what my teachers are doing. To say that they didn't know what was going (on, it) wasn't right they said that."
Delgado added that the jury pored through the facts and he didn't believe anyone could question the fairness of the Houston jury.
"Houston should be proud," he said.
Tears in the courthouse
Skilling stood stone-faced as he was convicted on most of the counts he faced. Skilling's wife and children were notably absent.
Petrocelli had his hand on his client's shoulder, bracing him.
As Lay's verdict was read, his daughter Elizabeth Vittore, who has been one of his attorneys during the case, began to sob uncontrollably. His wife, Linda, clutching his hand, wiped tears away silently. All of his children sat in the front row with other members of the family. One of his sons put his face in his hands and wept.
Lay clutched his wife's hand and looked straight ahead.
Outside the courtroom after court was adjourned, Skilling said, "We fought a good fight. Some things work. Some things don't."
"Obviously I'm disappointed, but that's the way the system works," he added.
A huge scandal
The verdict is a major victory for the government, and marks the end of one of the most scandalous chapters in the history of corporate America.
The Enron government task force exited the courthouse at 2 p.m. ET and was greeted with applause. In a statement to the press, lead government prosecutor Sean Berkowitz said, "The eyes of the world have been on this courthouse and they have seen the justice system at work."
"No matter how rich you are, you have to play by the rules," he added.
Berkowitz said that he was proud of everybody on his team and the personal sacrifice they had made, adding they would all "go out and get a drink."
In Washington, Department of Justice officials praised the Enron prosecutors and said the conviction will encourage the government to go after more such cases.
"Our laws will be enforced just as vigorously against corporate executives as against street criminals," said Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. "No one is above the law."
The White House had no comment on the verdicts except to congratulate the Justice Department for winning convictions in a "highly complex" case. Lay was a major fund-raiser for President Bush, who gave him the nickname "Kenny Boy."
"The administration has been pretty clear - there is no tolerance for corporate corruption," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
Houston-based Enron, once one of the hottest companies on Wall Street, imploded in a matter of months after Skilling abruptly resigned as CEO in August 2001. Lay, who was chairman at the time, postponed his retirement plans to return to the helm.
Enron's collapse marked the first of the high-profile corporate scandals that rocked the nation, followed by WorldCom, Global Crossing, Adelphia and Tyco. The wave of fraud led to passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley law that tightened oversight of how American companies are audited.
After a government investigation that took 4-1/2 years, prosecutors presented evidence that Lay and Skilling orchestrated a conspiracy to artificially inflate profits, hide millions in losses and misrepresent the true nature of the company's finances.
The long-awaited trial began Jan. 31 in Houston.
Enron's bankruptcy, the biggest in U.S. history when it was filed in December 2001, cost 4,000 employees their jobs and many of them their life savings. Investors lost billions of dollars.
Over 16 weeks, the government presented 22 witnesses, including former top executives, who testified that Skilling and Lay fostered a culture that put the company's image and stock price above everything else, at any cost.
Sixteen people pleaded guilty for crimes committed at the company, and five others, including four former Merrill Lynch employees, were found guilty at trial. Eight former Enron executives testified against Lay and Skilling, their former bosses.
But it was Enron's former finance chief, Andrew Fastow, who was thought to be the star witness for the government.
Fastow, who pleaded guilty to wire and securities fraud in 2004 in exchange for an expected 10-year sentence, testified that special partnerships were created to help the company hide millions of dollars in losses.
But defense lawyers dismissed the testimony of Fastow and other witnesses, saying that not only were Lay and Skilling innocent, but that no crimes were committed at Enron, except for the shady deals that enriched Fastow.
As for those other than Fastow who testified against Lay and Skilling, defense attorneys said they were strong-armed by the government and compelled to lie on the stand out of fear for themselves and their families.
In an attempt to explain away the company's aggressive accounting and the optimistic comments executives made to Wall Street, both Skilling and Lay testified during the trial.
But that yielded decidedly mixed results.
Skilling, known for his harsh attitude, came off in a mostly positive light, though he did lose his temper on the stand. But Lay's congenial reputation took a blow as he appeared confrontational and irritable at several points during his testimony.
Enron ex-CEO and founder convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges; sentencing slated for September.
By Shaheen Pasha and Jessica Seid, CNNMoney.com staff writers
May 25, 2006: 3:49 PM EDT
HOUSTON (CNNMoney.com) - Enron former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay were both found guilty Thursday of conspiracy and fraud in the granddaddy of all corporate fraud cases.
On the sixth day of deliberations, a jury of eight women and four men convicted the former executives of misleading the public about the true financial health of Enron, whose collapse in late 2001 symbolized the wave of corporate fraud that swept the United States early this decade.
Ex-Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling walks away from reporters in Houston after a jury found him guilty of 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, false statements and insider trading.
Skilling was found guilty on 19 counts of conspiracy, fraud, false statements and insider trading. He was found not guilty on nine counts of insider trading.
Lay was found guilty on all six counts of conspiracy and fraud. In a separate bench trial, Judge Sim Lake ruled Lay was guilty of four counts of fraud and false statements.
Both Lay and Skilling could face 20 to 30 years in prison, legal experts say. And Lay will also face an additional hefty term in prison for his conviction in the bank fraud case.
"I think absent a successful appeal, they will both die in prison," said Jamie Wareham, global chairman of litigation at the international law firm Paul Hastings. "When you're a judge that's concluded that two men have lied to you for hours and hours and hours, light sentences aren't going to flow."
Judge Lake set sentencing for the week of Sept. 11 and ordered Lay to surrender his passport and post a $5 million bond. No home confinement was ordered but homes owned by Lay and his children were used as an assurety for the $5 million bond.
Skilling's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, told reporters outside the courthouse, "We will have a full and vigorous appeal."
"The jury saw it differently," Petrocelli said, referring to his client's maintaining his innocence. "We'll take it from here."
Wareham said the defendants don't have a large amount of appeal platforms, but he expects lawyers will try to raise the issue that both men were tried in Houston, the epicenter of Enron's implosion. Defense attorneys had attempted unsuccessfully to have the venue changed prior to the trial saying it was impossible to get a fair trial in Houston.
Jurors react
All 12 jurors and three alternates speaking to reporters after the verdict insisted that the decision was one of the hardest they had to make, given compelling arguments from both sides. But ultimately, they agreed that the evidence, corroborated by the line of witnesses presented by the prosecution, proved too strong to ignore.
"This is undoubtedly the most difficult, heart-wrenching experience I've ever had in my life," said Kathy Harris, an elementary school teacher who served on the jury. "I performed my duty as an American citizen. I've never fought on a foreign battleground (but) I fought on this battleground for American justice."
Jurors said of the 22 witnesses for the prosecution, the first witness, Mark Koenig - who served as Enron's head of investor relations - and Ben Glisan, the former treasurer of Enron who is the only executive currently serving time in jail, were the most persuasive given their knowledge of details at the company.
But Andrew Fastow, Enron's former financial chief who was long considered to be a star witness for the prosecution, was less effective, jurors said.
"Fastow was Fastow," said Donald Martin, an electrical designer who served on the jury. "We knew where he was coming from."
The defense has long contended that Fastow's treachery brought down the company and he cut a deal with the prosecution, requiring him to testify against his former bosses, to receive a lighter sentence.
Wendy Vaughn, a juror who owns two businesses, said that from the beginning she admired both Lay and Skilling's brilliance and talent as businessmen building up Enron. But she said "it was sad to see in the end, it wasn't accomplished in a respectful manner."
She added that Lay's demeanor on the stand ultimately worked against him.
"He seemed very much wanting to be in control," she said. "He seemed to have very much of a chip on his shoulder... it made me question his character."
And the jurors said both men seemed to be hands-on executives, making their testimony that they relied on the advice of others questionable.
"Both said they had their hands on the wheel," said Freddy Delgado, an elementary school principal. "I can't say I don't know what my teachers are doing. To say that they didn't know what was going (on, it) wasn't right they said that."
Delgado added that the jury pored through the facts and he didn't believe anyone could question the fairness of the Houston jury.
"Houston should be proud," he said.
Tears in the courthouse
Skilling stood stone-faced as he was convicted on most of the counts he faced. Skilling's wife and children were notably absent.
Petrocelli had his hand on his client's shoulder, bracing him.
As Lay's verdict was read, his daughter Elizabeth Vittore, who has been one of his attorneys during the case, began to sob uncontrollably. His wife, Linda, clutching his hand, wiped tears away silently. All of his children sat in the front row with other members of the family. One of his sons put his face in his hands and wept.
Lay clutched his wife's hand and looked straight ahead.
Outside the courtroom after court was adjourned, Skilling said, "We fought a good fight. Some things work. Some things don't."
"Obviously I'm disappointed, but that's the way the system works," he added.
A huge scandal
The verdict is a major victory for the government, and marks the end of one of the most scandalous chapters in the history of corporate America.
The Enron government task force exited the courthouse at 2 p.m. ET and was greeted with applause. In a statement to the press, lead government prosecutor Sean Berkowitz said, "The eyes of the world have been on this courthouse and they have seen the justice system at work."
"No matter how rich you are, you have to play by the rules," he added.
Berkowitz said that he was proud of everybody on his team and the personal sacrifice they had made, adding they would all "go out and get a drink."
In Washington, Department of Justice officials praised the Enron prosecutors and said the conviction will encourage the government to go after more such cases.
"Our laws will be enforced just as vigorously against corporate executives as against street criminals," said Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. "No one is above the law."
The White House had no comment on the verdicts except to congratulate the Justice Department for winning convictions in a "highly complex" case. Lay was a major fund-raiser for President Bush, who gave him the nickname "Kenny Boy."
"The administration has been pretty clear - there is no tolerance for corporate corruption," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
Houston-based Enron, once one of the hottest companies on Wall Street, imploded in a matter of months after Skilling abruptly resigned as CEO in August 2001. Lay, who was chairman at the time, postponed his retirement plans to return to the helm.
Enron's collapse marked the first of the high-profile corporate scandals that rocked the nation, followed by WorldCom, Global Crossing, Adelphia and Tyco. The wave of fraud led to passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley law that tightened oversight of how American companies are audited.
After a government investigation that took 4-1/2 years, prosecutors presented evidence that Lay and Skilling orchestrated a conspiracy to artificially inflate profits, hide millions in losses and misrepresent the true nature of the company's finances.
The long-awaited trial began Jan. 31 in Houston.
Enron's bankruptcy, the biggest in U.S. history when it was filed in December 2001, cost 4,000 employees their jobs and many of them their life savings. Investors lost billions of dollars.
Over 16 weeks, the government presented 22 witnesses, including former top executives, who testified that Skilling and Lay fostered a culture that put the company's image and stock price above everything else, at any cost.
Sixteen people pleaded guilty for crimes committed at the company, and five others, including four former Merrill Lynch employees, were found guilty at trial. Eight former Enron executives testified against Lay and Skilling, their former bosses.
But it was Enron's former finance chief, Andrew Fastow, who was thought to be the star witness for the government.
Fastow, who pleaded guilty to wire and securities fraud in 2004 in exchange for an expected 10-year sentence, testified that special partnerships were created to help the company hide millions of dollars in losses.
But defense lawyers dismissed the testimony of Fastow and other witnesses, saying that not only were Lay and Skilling innocent, but that no crimes were committed at Enron, except for the shady deals that enriched Fastow.
As for those other than Fastow who testified against Lay and Skilling, defense attorneys said they were strong-armed by the government and compelled to lie on the stand out of fear for themselves and their families.
In an attempt to explain away the company's aggressive accounting and the optimistic comments executives made to Wall Street, both Skilling and Lay testified during the trial.
But that yielded decidedly mixed results.
Skilling, known for his harsh attitude, came off in a mostly positive light, though he did lose his temper on the stand. But Lay's congenial reputation took a blow as he appeared confrontational and irritable at several points during his testimony.
Charlotte Quan Passed Away - Mom's Good United Airlines Friend Introduced Me To Glide Memorial Church
When we relocated to California from Chicago, I missed the church I went to as a small boy: Park Manor. As I grew, the desire to find a spritual home grew. But I didn't want to just go to a black church. I came to believe that my experience in church should be interracial.
Mom worked at United Airlines with a very lovely woman named Charlotte Quan, who told her "Send Zennie to Glide!" And so she did and I found my home. But in seeing Charlotte on Sunday's I also found a person who had in a way become a mother to almost everyone at Gilde.
She was the new member coordinator and as such was the first person everyone would see when they joined Glide. She had a great smile and hug for everyone, and always stayed in touch with my Mom, and always asked me about her -- heck she'd ask me when I was going to get married!
The last time I saw her was last year when she had breakfast with Mom and I at the Hilton Hotel next to Gilde. Wow. It's hard to believe she's gone. I just got the call from my Mom's friend Dee. She had a heart attack.
There's a wake today and the funeral at Gilde at 11 AM Saturday.
Mom worked at United Airlines with a very lovely woman named Charlotte Quan, who told her "Send Zennie to Glide!" And so she did and I found my home. But in seeing Charlotte on Sunday's I also found a person who had in a way become a mother to almost everyone at Gilde.
She was the new member coordinator and as such was the first person everyone would see when they joined Glide. She had a great smile and hug for everyone, and always stayed in touch with my Mom, and always asked me about her -- heck she'd ask me when I was going to get married!
The last time I saw her was last year when she had breakfast with Mom and I at the Hilton Hotel next to Gilde. Wow. It's hard to believe she's gone. I just got the call from my Mom's friend Dee. She had a heart attack.
There's a wake today and the funeral at Gilde at 11 AM Saturday.
WR Ashley Lelie May Be Traded By The Denver Broncos Before Season's End
Wow, what a waste of a 4-3 forty guy. He's one of the best young receivers in the NFL.
Broncos could look to deal unhappy Lelie before camp begins - Profootballweekly,com
Denver
WR Ashley Lelie said he has no problem playing for Mike Shanahan, nor does he hold any grudges toward the team for trading for Javon Walker, his friend and workout partner in Arizona. It’s the desire to compete for a No. 1 spot elsewhere, as opposed to serving as Denver’s No. 3 option, that has him skipping out on the team’s offseason workout program and asking for a trade.
Even if he were to return to the team, the Broncos figure there is no chance Lelie will stick around once his contract is up after this season. So, in an attempt to get something in return for a former first-round pick who has been targeted by critics for his inconsistency and lack of toughness, we’re told to expect the Broncos to shop him around in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July, much as they did with CB Willie Middlebrooks, a former first-round bust who was shipped to San Francisco for DE John Engelberger last year.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
"LA Raiders?" S.I.s Mike Silver Reports Ex-49ers Execs Eddie DeBartolo and Carmen Policy Working To Make This Happen; Cowboys' Jerry Jones Backs It
Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Michael Silver was good enough -- not that not doing so would have been bad -- to provide me with this email copy of his article that's in the latest Sports Illustrated. For the hard copy read, get S.I. in a store.
As to the story itself, remember, that LA and the State of California have been forming a good plan to make this happen.
Meanwhile, is Raiders CEO Amy Trask going to NFL New York?
Here's Michael Silver:
By Michael Silver for Sports Illustrated
In the eight years since Eddie DeBartolo gave up his ownership interest in the San Francisco 49ers, Niners fans have fantasized about his possible return. The once lofty franchise has foundered under the reign of DeBartolo's brother-in-law, John York, whose condescension and cost-consciousness have alienated employees and inspired the website dumpyork.com. Meanwhile DeBartolo, the anti-York, evokes images of gregarious generosity -- and success. The three-day Super Bowl reunion gala he threw for hundreds of former employees in Las Vegas in March was a reminder of happier times.
Now how's this for a surprise twist: DeBartolo and former 49ers president Carmen Policy, together again, presiding over ... the revived Los Angeles Raiders?
It would rank as the Bay Area's biggest sporting nightmare -- not to mention a seismic shift in California's football landscape. But the scenario has been broached by DeBartolo and Policy, and the NFL's desire to break back into the nation's second-largest media market could help make it a reality. Most owners are reluctant to disrupt the league's 32-team symmetry or further split up TV revenue, making an expansion team in L.A. highly unlikely. Instead, an existing franchise will probably relocate under new ownership, with the Raiders, Saints, Chargers, Vikings, Bills or even the 49ers as the leading candidates.
DeBartolo and Policy, the duo whose bold leadership helped bring five Super Bowl titles to San Francisco, have heard the rumors that Raiders boss Al Davis is in declining health. That, plus attendance problems in Oakland, are why they have Silver and Black on the brain. "Carmen and I have discussed different things, and that's one of the teams that intrigues us," DeBartolo told SI. "L.A. is a costly situation, but it's wide-open, and I think the right group could make it work."
Given the nature of his exit in 1998, DeBartolo's potential NFL reemergence is something of a shock. A year after becoming embroiled in a Louisiana gaming scandal (then governor Edwin Edwards elicited a bribe in exchange for a casino license), DeBartolo pleaded guilty to not reporting an extortion attempt, a felony. He was given two years probation, and the NFL fined him $1 million. He then gave his half of the 49ers to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, in exchange for their late father's real estate holdings and moved to Tampa. He was in NFL exile, an untouchable because of his legal issues and their gambling overtones.
But time has revitalized DeBartolo's image, not to mention his portfolio. He has quietly built up his real estate empire to a reported net worth of $1.4 billion, and last September Forbes rated him the 235th-richest American. Several of the old-line NFL owners who were eager to see him go are now out of the league, and two prominent owners told SI they believe DeBartolo would be approved should he attempt to purchase a team. "His accomplishments in the NFL are significant," says the Cowboys' Jerry Jones. "A progressive owner is priceless."
DeBartolo, 59, says buying the Buccaneers would be his first choice. (He looked into purchasing them three years ago but was rebuffed by owner Malcolm Glazer.) But he and Policy -- they had a falling out shortly before DeBartolo left the 49ers but have repaired their relationship -- have contemplated other teams, including the Saints, and their interest in the Raiders is piqued by whispers that Davis, 76, is ill. He has been using a walker because of a leg ailment and did not show up at February's scouting combine or a recent minicamp. "For Al Davis to miss the combine, that's unusual," DeBartolo said.
The Raiders, for their part, say that everything is status quo. "Al Davis is as vital and vibrant as ever," says CEO Amy Trask. "The closest Eddie and Carmen will come to taking a look at the Raiders will be watching them on TV." Still, however Oakland plays out, it will take someone like DeBartolo to make things work in L.A. He's charismatic and emotionally invested, the type of personality needed to sell football in what has been a lukewarm market in the past. And given the resistance of Southern California politicians to financing stadium projects, it will take deep pockets. The cost of the team and a new venue or a refurbished Coliseum could be $1.5 billion.
DeBartolo believes that he and Policy could find the partners to pull it off. Jones, one of 15 owners who participated in a May 17 conference call that detailed L.A. stadium proposals, thinks DeBartolo and L.A. would be a perfect fit. "To me, L.A. is about the ownership," Jones said. "Money alone won't get it done. It's going to take some serious talent and passion, and boy, when it comes to passion, inevitably you think about someone like Eddie."
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