Congressional Hearings on Coaches Way Out of Bounds
Random thoughts while the Daisy Sour Cream Jingle has me in it's grips:
Boondoggle Dept.: Why is the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection even wasting tax payer money holding hearings on why there are so few black head football coaches in college football? Why aren't they debating the "surge" or doing something that really matters like debating rising cable prices or energy prices or consumer ripoffs from spammers?
Oh wait. The committee chairman, Bobby Rush, is a friend of Jesse Jackson's from Chicago and both Jackson and Miles (zero tolerance) Brand appeared before the committee. The members of this committee read line a "C" list of congressional members (except maybe for former speaker Dennis Hastert) and includes Sonny Bono's widow.
Most D1 football programs need to win now and, if you have the opportunity to hire an established coach (like Nick Saban) you do it and you don't worry about whether he is black, white, purple, green or chartreuse. Do you really think Alabama should have called him up and said "Nick, we really like you and you have a great track record and won a national championship at LSU, but Miles Brand and Jesse Jackson called and they really want us to hire an African-American, so stay with the Dolphins and we'll continue our search.
Should there be more African-American head football coaches? YES. And, there will be in time. But if there is a Butch Davis or Nick Saban or John L. Smith out there, they will be considered and rightfully so. And neither liberal guilt or a strong sense of entitlement or a misguided bunch of congressmen is going to change that.
Lovie At Last Dept.: The Bears opened the vault and took care of what needed taking care of. The debate is finally over as Lovie Smith gets a four year, $22 million dollar contract extension and General Manager Jerry Angelo gets extended through 2013.
Now Bear fans can return to doing what they love most: Taking shots at Rex Grossman.
Journey of 1,000 Steps Dept.: Two injuries, really bad pitching and an eight run loss to a doormat. Yup, this should be a bang up year for the White Sox.
Cool Cat Dept.: I told you in January that Tubby Smith's job may be on the line. It looks like I may be right.
Pursuit of Liberty Dept.: Here's an opportunity to combine right wing fanaticism with basketball. Praise the lord and pass the clipboard.
Injustice Correction Dept.: Here's a far more eloquent argument for Ron Santo being in the hall of fame than I could ever make. That's why Gene's a real writer.
Testing Testing Dept.: Maybe players should submit to a behavior test before joining the NFL. In any case, the league needs to get a handle on guys like Tank Johnson and Pac Man Jones. I mean, toss their sorry asses out of the league if necessary.
I know that there is drinking and carousing and such among professional athletes. When it leads to gun arrests and people getting killed, the league needs to take a strong stand. The players, their agents and enablers and the teams need to know in no uncertain terms that this behavior is unacceptable and if convicted for a felony, you get a year off.
Head of the Class Dept.: Dr. Elliott Pellman has resigned as the NFL's chief concussion consult. Well, ain't that a kick in the head.
Court Date Dept.: Broadcasters for years have been hamstrung with a decades old definition of indecency. Although the current FCC statute is clear about violating "contemporary community standards" I have always believed that this area is very gray because what is acceptable in my house may not be acceptable in yours and nether of us most likely are the same as the guy across the street.
In this age of squeaky wheels getting greased not only by the government but by the media, it is important to take into account that people need to take some personal responsibility for their choices and the choices of their children and not expect a government agency, which frankly isn't qualified to make such decisions, to tell them what decent and indecent is.
Since the Bush administration and the radical Christians manipulated the FCC into fining CBS for the Janet Jackson incident during the Super Bowl, there has been talk about the commission getting out of the morality business. It's about time that the commission became more of an organization that regulates frequencies and lets individual stations and companies deal face to face with their communities.
The majority of broadcasters know where the line is and will never intentionally cross it. Living in fear of being fined thousands of dollars because somebody accidentally left a microphone on and swore is a bit over the top. Again, let the market decide to do and not the federal government.
One of my favorite things that people would say when they would call the station and complain was "If you don't help me, I'll call the FCC." I would encourage it, knowing full well that most listener complaints were out of the commission's jurisdiction. So too should be indecency.
Speak Up Dept.: Apparently, the two guys in the truck across the street from your house can hear your private conversations through your cell phone even though it is off. I'm getting real tired of my privacy being violated, how about you.
Swear Out a Complaint Dept.: While I agree using coarse language in the proximity of children is in bad taste, giving someone a ticket for freely expressing themselves is worse. The new way to combat obnoxious people is to issue them misdemeanor disturbing the peace citations. When does government end and the constitutional guarantee to free speech begin? And no, the Oliver Wendell Holmes parable does not apply here.
Boondoggle Dept.: Why is the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection even wasting tax payer money holding hearings on why there are so few black head football coaches in college football? Why aren't they debating the "surge" or doing something that really matters like debating rising cable prices or energy prices or consumer ripoffs from spammers?
Oh wait. The committee chairman, Bobby Rush, is a friend of Jesse Jackson's from Chicago and both Jackson and Miles (zero tolerance) Brand appeared before the committee. The members of this committee read line a "C" list of congressional members (except maybe for former speaker Dennis Hastert) and includes Sonny Bono's widow.
Most D1 football programs need to win now and, if you have the opportunity to hire an established coach (like Nick Saban) you do it and you don't worry about whether he is black, white, purple, green or chartreuse. Do you really think Alabama should have called him up and said "Nick, we really like you and you have a great track record and won a national championship at LSU, but Miles Brand and Jesse Jackson called and they really want us to hire an African-American, so stay with the Dolphins and we'll continue our search.
Should there be more African-American head football coaches? YES. And, there will be in time. But if there is a Butch Davis or Nick Saban or John L. Smith out there, they will be considered and rightfully so. And neither liberal guilt or a strong sense of entitlement or a misguided bunch of congressmen is going to change that.
Lovie At Last Dept.: The Bears opened the vault and took care of what needed taking care of. The debate is finally over as Lovie Smith gets a four year, $22 million dollar contract extension and General Manager Jerry Angelo gets extended through 2013.
Now Bear fans can return to doing what they love most: Taking shots at Rex Grossman.
Journey of 1,000 Steps Dept.: Two injuries, really bad pitching and an eight run loss to a doormat. Yup, this should be a bang up year for the White Sox.
Cool Cat Dept.: I told you in January that Tubby Smith's job may be on the line. It looks like I may be right.
Pursuit of Liberty Dept.: Here's an opportunity to combine right wing fanaticism with basketball. Praise the lord and pass the clipboard.
Injustice Correction Dept.: Here's a far more eloquent argument for Ron Santo being in the hall of fame than I could ever make. That's why Gene's a real writer.
Testing Testing Dept.: Maybe players should submit to a behavior test before joining the NFL. In any case, the league needs to get a handle on guys like Tank Johnson and Pac Man Jones. I mean, toss their sorry asses out of the league if necessary.
I know that there is drinking and carousing and such among professional athletes. When it leads to gun arrests and people getting killed, the league needs to take a strong stand. The players, their agents and enablers and the teams need to know in no uncertain terms that this behavior is unacceptable and if convicted for a felony, you get a year off.
Head of the Class Dept.: Dr. Elliott Pellman has resigned as the NFL's chief concussion consult. Well, ain't that a kick in the head.
Court Date Dept.: Broadcasters for years have been hamstrung with a decades old definition of indecency. Although the current FCC statute is clear about violating "contemporary community standards" I have always believed that this area is very gray because what is acceptable in my house may not be acceptable in yours and nether of us most likely are the same as the guy across the street.
In this age of squeaky wheels getting greased not only by the government but by the media, it is important to take into account that people need to take some personal responsibility for their choices and the choices of their children and not expect a government agency, which frankly isn't qualified to make such decisions, to tell them what decent and indecent is.
Since the Bush administration and the radical Christians manipulated the FCC into fining CBS for the Janet Jackson incident during the Super Bowl, there has been talk about the commission getting out of the morality business. It's about time that the commission became more of an organization that regulates frequencies and lets individual stations and companies deal face to face with their communities.
The majority of broadcasters know where the line is and will never intentionally cross it. Living in fear of being fined thousands of dollars because somebody accidentally left a microphone on and swore is a bit over the top. Again, let the market decide to do and not the federal government.
One of my favorite things that people would say when they would call the station and complain was "If you don't help me, I'll call the FCC." I would encourage it, knowing full well that most listener complaints were out of the commission's jurisdiction. So too should be indecency.
Speak Up Dept.: Apparently, the two guys in the truck across the street from your house can hear your private conversations through your cell phone even though it is off. I'm getting real tired of my privacy being violated, how about you.
Swear Out a Complaint Dept.: While I agree using coarse language in the proximity of children is in bad taste, giving someone a ticket for freely expressing themselves is worse. The new way to combat obnoxious people is to issue them misdemeanor disturbing the peace citations. When does government end and the constitutional guarantee to free speech begin? And no, the Oliver Wendell Holmes parable does not apply here.
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