LeGarrette Blount will play for Oregon Football this weekend

Oregon Running back LeGarrette Blount will play for Oregon's football team after he was suspended in September for punching Boise State Defensive End Byron Hout after Oregon's loss to that team to open the NCAA College Football season.



Blount will play against Arizona State this Saturday. Moreover, the action has the full support of Boise State Head Coach Chris Petersen, who said:

"We have tremendous respect for Oregon. Those coaches, we know most of those guys very well. And so, whatever they decide we're 100 percent behind. I think that's good for all involved if that's what they chose to do."

After the punch seen then as many times as New Mexico Soccer Player Elizabeth Lambert's dirty play videos will be seen over the next few months, LeGarrette Blount was the focus of name-calling, ridicule, and just plain hate by members of the media, reflecting the mob-mentality that grew from this incident.

But that mentality was not shared by everyone, especially Oregon Receiver Jamere Holland and his friend and my contact E.J. Prince and those close to Blount who told me that Byron Hout made a racially offensive statement to Blount, the N-word, which is what caused Blount to go off, not just hitting Hout, but attempting to work his way to Boise State fans who were yelling all kinds of things to provoke him.

This is the contents of the blog post I wrote outlining my source's claim that Hout said the N-word to Blount:

Twitter was the source of the latest information torpedo in the (unfortunately) still unfolding story behind the "punch seen round the sports World" by Oregon Running Back LeGarrett Blount to Boise State Defensive End Byron Hout.

Track athlete E.J. Prince used Twitter to blast this:

@realskipbayless Just talked to Jamere Holland (from Oregon WR) said that L. Blount socked dude from Boise State cuz he called him a n_____

Jamere Holland is Oregon's wide receiver.

Prince also tweeted this:

@q17 yeah I just hope the news about LaGarett Blount being censored gets out to people like @jemelehill

@jemelehill is ESPN Columnist and Analyst Jemele Hill.

There's no indication that she responded to Prince's Twitter feed. He also sent a tweet to Skip Bayless; no tweet back to Prince from Bayless. Basically it seems that Prince's story is being ignored by certain mainstream media people. I can't confirm that, but it seems that way.

The main problem has been that none of the main actors in this play are talking. LeGarrette Blount's not moving his lips. Byron Hout's lost his voice. Both schools are silent on the question.

(And on that note, my first blog post speculated on the use of the N-word, not claimed that Hout used it as one blogger inaccurately wrote; this is different.)

E. J. Prince's value in this story rests on his tweet that he talked to (not tweeted) a friend of Oregon receiver Jamere Holland who plays for Oregon and who I will not name here.

I revisit this because since this blog post was issued I've got a lot of negative comments that all follow the same train of thought that I'm "playing the race card" (which the users of the term don't know the meaning of) or that I'm being racist, which is just plain nuts and a "Couch Potato Conservative" mind-trick.

But I do it also because I've received a number of subsequent messages and emails explaining that many Boise State Football fans were referring to Blount using the N-word in online forums. That lends weight to the assertion that Boise State fans uses racial slurs in taunting Blount.

Since Boise State never officially explained exactly what Hout said, the speculation plus the assertions of my sources that he did use a racist term have been given more and more value.

That was bad PR on Boise State's part, plus the news that Hout would not be punished as Blout was and that it would be handled "internally" by the Boise State Football team gave rise to more speculation on what Hout said and did.

I also press this because of the desire by some to cover it up. People need to see society as it is before it can become what we want it to be. We've still got a lot of problems to straighten out. Hiding from the truth in any situation does not allow us to make progress in making ourselves better.

LeGarrette Blount took his punishment and reportedly proved himself in the classroom and in the Oregon college community during his suspension. I welcome him back, but with the sad realization that the "tests" he had to pass to rejoin the team are the same ones that should be applied to many of the people who taunted him in the first place, but they never will be.

New Mexico Soccer Player suspended; Elizabeth Lambert threw fists, pulled hair

Elizabeth Lambert is a soccer player you don't want to mess with. The 20-year old University of New Mexico soccer player was known for pulling hair (thank God I don't have any), and throwing punches at opposing players.

But this time Elizabeth Lambert's act was caught on video against BYU in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament, and now she's suspended from the team indefinitely. Check out this AP video:



Did you see that punch? Elizabeth Lambert drove her fist right into the back of BYU's Carlee Payne (#7).

She then not only pulls the hair of another BYU player, but throws her to the ground, all in one motion.

Who is Elizabeth Lambert?

Elizabeth Lambert is a junior at New Mexico and is 5'8 and her position is "Defender". She was born December 29, 1988 and according to her player bio enjoys camping, surfing, and tacos...in addition to hair pulling and fist throwing. She's majoring in University Studies with a focus on (drum roll please)...Occupational Therapy!

But as surprising as this may be to some, I know a lot of women soccer players who say the kind of activity Elizabeth Lambert is being suspended for is common. It's just that few have captured it on video and in a spotlight game against two major colleges like BYU and New Mexico where such actions are bound to get World attention as this has.

Elizabeth Lambert is now an Internet celebrity, albeit for the wrong reasons. There's a Facebook group called "Ban Elizabeth Lambert From Soccer" and other one called "GO ELIZABETH LAMBERT! that has 2,674 fans.

I'm not one of them.

After her suspension, Lambert issued an apology, stating  "I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary."

Some of the YouTube comments on the video page are equally interesting:

baileyc86 (2 minutes ago)

I'm sorry but I couldn't have been the girl on the ground. I would have jump back up so fucking fast and whooped that ass, she wouldn't have seen that s--- coming.

mfull1991 (2 minutes ago)

She's probably just mad the other girls are so much hotter. She looks like f---ing horse.

To be clear, Elizabeth Lambert remains a student at New Mexico, just no longer on the soccer team.  Man, I wonder what her parents think about this? 

CNN ratings slump cure? Video blogging and i-Report

It's no secret that CNN has faced a massive ratings slide. According to Nielsen, CNN has seen its numbers fall 25 percent when compared to this time last year, when the election season just wrapped up with now-President Barack Obama's historic win.

Many have speculated on what's wrong with CNN, from Lou Dobbs' biased and occasionally racially charged reporting, to some feeling that CNN backs President Obama, while others observe that CNN attacks President Obama. But whatever the case, there's a problem. My read is that CNN's lost its identity.

It's more than having a liberal or conservative view, its the brand. The CNN brand has been and should be one centered around what it was designed for: the presentation of news 24 hours a day. But in this opinion-driven media environment, viewers want something with an edge. CNN's had the answer all along: i-Report.

The i-Report system is a website that allows you to upload .Mov file or MPEG file videos of your comments, events, or interviews. The i-Report staff selects what videos are "tagged" for use by CNN, or called "On CNN."

The i-Reports are primarily used in CNN's event coverage and are especially useful during the reporting of disasters and political conventions. I was one of CNN's featured i-Reporters last year at the DNC convention and made this now famous video called Clinton Delegate Tells Off Clinton "Supporter staring Florida radio talk show host Mitch Mallett (embedable YouTube version shown):



As I told i-Report staffers Lila King (who's the boss) and Henry Hanks and others, including CNN Executive Producer Andreas Preuss, the future of CNN is in weaving i-Reports into its basic coverage more often and even having one show based on i-Reporter discussing the topics of the day.

As I told i-Report staffers Lila King and Henry Hanks and others, including Executive Producer Andreas Preuss, the future of CNN is in weaving i-Reports into its basic coverage more often and even having one show based on i-Reporter discussing the topics of the day.

Here's a video taste of a day at CNN with the i-Report staff:



Moreover the i-Report website should be redesigned to allow and encourage video-bloggers to make videos in response to each other, thus starting a video conversation thread, as happens at Vloggerheads.com, the best site for pure video-blogging content currently available.

With these changes, people will tune in to see other common people on the issues of the day. Moreover, it can be used as an easy outlet for experts to give their opinions on a story, eliminating the need for a cameraperson and reporter while allowing more people to weight in via video.

It would become an American addiction and cause CNN to regain its ratings lead.

Chief's running back Larry Johnson cut by team after blasts

Proving that some celebrities aren't as fortunate as Taylor Swift, Kansas City Chiefs Running Back Larry Johnson was released by the team today.

The online press release reads:

The Kansas City Chiefs released RB Larry Johnson on Monday. In 75 games (55 starts) with Kansas City, Johnson rushed 1,375 times for 5,996 yards (4.4 avg.) with 55 touchdowns. He also registered 151 receptions for 1,369 yards (9.1 avg.) with six TDs. He concluded his Chiefs career with 30 100-yard rushing games and also added two 100-yard receiving games.

Johnson established an NFL single-season record with 416 rushing attempts in 2006 when he set a franchise single-season mark with 1,789 rushing yards. He originally entered the league as the Chiefs first-round selection (27th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft out of Penn State.

What it doesn't discuss is how Johnson insulted (rightfully) his coach Todd Haley and got off f-blasts (wrongly) that were slurs against the homosexual community. While Johnson apologized for his actions (which Taylor Swift has yet to do)

Johnson's Twitter tweets are protected, so no word from that source on his reaction to the news. But it's important to repost his apology:

First of all, I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, Commissioner Goodell, the Chiefs organization, Coach Todd Haley, his staff, and my teammates for the words I used yesterday"

"I regret my actions. The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said. "

"I also want to apologize to all the kids who view athletes as role models. I was not a good role model yesterday and hopefully I can become a better role model. We all make mistakes, and the challenge is to learn from them. I will do my best to learn from this one as I move toward becoming a better person, teammate, and member of the Kansas City chiefs team and community."

Johnson leaves a Chief's team that's one of the worst in the NFL with a 1 and 7 record as of this writing. I'm not a fan of Chief's Coach Todd Haley because I do not like the way he treats his players. He talks down to them, argues with them, and lords over them, and its no surprise they don't perform for him.

Former Coach Herman Edwards may not have been an "X's and O's" guy but the players wanted to win for him - they could have bounced back from a 2 and 14 record under Edwards if he were retained.

I like Haley's offensive schemes but he's got to really change the way he relates to players. Why Chief's GM Scott Pioli thought he was the best choice is beyond me.

Meanwhile Larry Johnson is off to a better place with a number of NFL teams, like the San Diego Chargers, who could employ his talent. Stay tuned.

Would Senator Joe Lieberman choose Iraq War death over Health Care life?

Senator Joe Lieberman 

The Iraq War costs almost $700 billion since 2001 according to the National Priorities Project, and that cost is still climbing. There have been an estimated 1,033,000 violent deaths because of that war.

During that time Senator Joe Lieberman (I - Connecticut) never once expressed a concern for war spending and the national debt. In fact, he was at odds with Democrats on the Iraq War and never mentioned a concern for spending on it.

Joe Lieberman's 2006 Democratic Senate challenger Ned Lamont compared his support-with-caveat stance on the Iraq War with Richard Nixon's position on the Vietnam War and found striking similarities. Even then Lieberman never expressed a paramount concern with war spending and the National Debt.

Why then does he raise the issue when reforming Health Care is the subject? It's no wonder there was this protest in front of his office last week:



It would be great to see Senator Lieberman do the right thing for America and back a Health Care bill with a public option.

Rep Anh "Joseph" Cao on CNN: Only GOP To vote for Health Reform

Senator Joe Lieberman should take note of Republican Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, who became the only House member of the GOP to vote for Health Care Reform on Saturday, after passage of the historic bill. Now, it's on to the U.S. Senate, where rather uninformed folks like Senator Joe Lieberman reside. What can Rep. Cao teach Senator Lieberman?

How to think about his constituents.

On CNN, Rep. Cao said he "had to make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people in my district."



Can Joe Lieberman put the needs of Connecticut residents ahead of his own? Almost 30,000 people in his state lost health insurance in 2009 because of job losses.

Lieberman must prove he cares about Connecticut's people and not Aetna Health Insurance Corporation, who reportedly gave him $65,000 in 2005 and he's gotten more than that from other firms over that time.

Does Lieberman care about his people, or himself?

We will find out, soon.

Oakland Adams Point residents concerned about Round Table Pizza

Business is vitally important to the energy and safety of Oakland's Adams Point / Lake Merritt neighborhood (defined by Grand Avenue, Harrison Avenue, and the I-580 Freeway) but it's a two way street: the retailers must take steps to maintain a safe district too.

Pizza's great; is the car double parked?  

Round Table Pizza on Grand and Staten Avenues does well with the pizza delivery side of its business. But that success, and the need to keep the facility's carpet clean, has caused a parking and street traffic problem on Staten. Solving the issue was the objective behind two messages left on the Adams Point Action Council Yahoo Group forum:

Hi Name Withheld,

I wanted to bring to your attention that Round Table Pizza on Grand @ Staten is in a pattern of ordering steam cleaning of its carpets every few months that is very loud and goes from about 10:00-11:30pm. They have a truck come that parks on the street and runs a loud generator out of the truck. I brought the issue to the manager a few months back and he told me he would "look into" having the cleaning happen at a different time (although I got the impression he was just blowing me off). I went just now as I noticed again a loud humming in my apartment and the manager on site said he didn't know how to change this (he also didn't seem very accomodating) . He told me the place opens at 11:00am after he told me they couldn't steam the carpets in the morning. I don't think I am getting anywhere going directly to them, so your assistance in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Name and Address withheld

This was the "Friends Of Lake Merritt Response":

Posted by: "Friends of Lake Merritt" friendsoflakemerritt@yahoo.com friendsoflakemerritt
Sun Nov 8, 2009 7:48 am (PST)

The carpet cleaning must be a nuisance to those who live nearby - but there is an ongoing problem with the Round Table on Grand that impacts on a much larger population, and is potentially fatal: The Round Table delivery cars double park in the middle of Staten, which means that part of Staten becomes a one-lane road for a big hunk of the evening. This is especially dangerous because people turn right off of Grand with very little warning that there might be an oncoming car trying to get around the delivery vehicles by going into the "wrong" lane. I wonder why the army of parking citation vultures that our City Council unleashed on the populace this past summer missed that lucrative little corner, and how many accidents this has already caused.

The best answer is for the Round Table Pizza delivery drivers to park in front of the establishment on Grand Avenue, where there's a larger lane for parking and three lanes, than on Staten Avenue, which isn't designed to handle the constant double parking practice. Let's see if the Round Table Pizza franchise manager now responds to the resident's complaints.

I hope so.