Getting Back On Track

Not to get too personal here, but a while ago, my life became a little... or a lot... more confusing. Up became down, right became left, and I found myself making priorities out of the wrong things. I took a time out in December 2007 and January 2008, and I'm now finding myself TRYING to get back on track. It's not an easy process, but it's necessary... for a lot of people.

I was cleaning my place this morning, and came across a poster that used to be my favorite. I don't know how, but I somehow lost it in the disaster zone, also known as my apartment. It's a poster by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. The title of it is "21 Suggestions For Success." I wish I had framed this poster and hung it on my front door a long time ago, because remembering and living out a lot of the pointers would've made life so much easier.

Anyway, I know some of you aren't crazy about quotes and snippets, but Brown's suggestions can be useful if you want them to be. So without further ado, the 21 Suggestions For Success.

1) Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.

2) Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.

3) Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

4) Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

5) Be forgiving of yourself and others.

6) Be generous.

7) Have a grateful heart.

8) Persistence, persistence, persistence.

9) Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.

10) Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.

11) Commit yourself to constant improvement.

12) Commit yourself to quality.

13) Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.

14) Be loyal.

15) Be honest.

16) Be a self-starter.

17) Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.

18) Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.

19) Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

20) Take good care of those you love.

21) Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day meant a lot to some people. For some, it's an unneeded and unnecessary version of Singles Awareness Day. For others, it's a day that businesses use to sell more candy, romantic comedies, and sexy see-throughs. For even more, it's a day to express your love and affection for that person who has caught your attention. Whatever it means to you, I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Poetry

Black History Month, Part II

(I know this will be a long blog. I know that I could lose some friends over this. But I don't care at the moment. Maybe tomorrow, I will. But not now.)

Ever heard of the CHL? I hope so. Whether you have or not, I'll get back to that in a minute.

The American professional sports world consists primarily of four sports - the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League... and in some parts of the US, a lot of people would argue that the sports world is five strong with NASCAR. In each of the sports, blacks were not allowed to play during the league's inception. Jackie Robinson, who became the first black MLB player in 1947, is the only one who is widely recognized as a pioneer in sports. Not much recognition goes out to Fritz Pollard or Bobby Marshall, who became the first black players in the NFL in 1920. And not much recognition goes out to Chuck Cooper, Nat Clifton, or Earl Lloyd, who became the first NBA players to be drafted, sign a contract, and play in a game, respectively, in the 1950-1951 season. Does it matter that these men are not as recognized as Jackie Robinson? On some level, it does. They experienced the same racism and circumstances as Jackie Robinson did. But maybe it doesn't, because those three sports have been accepted as the unofficial American sports and American pasttimes. That's up for debate.

But what about hockey?

Hockey is the Canadian pasttime. The NHL has a number of American teams, but most of the players are either Canadian or European. The NHL lockout did a lot of damage to the fame that the league was already lacking. The NHL players aren't commercial successes like the big players in the other leagues. So hockey is not as popular as the big three. That makes it easier, but not necessarily more acceptable, to make assumptions about who should and shouldn't be playing. But does that mean that we should pay less attention to the black players in the NHL?

DOES THAT MEAN WE SHOULD PAY LESS ATTENTION TO WILLIE O'REE?!?!

Willie O'Ree was the first black player in the NHL in 1958. That's right. He was the first black person to get paid to strap on some skates and hit a puck while occasionally literally fighting white people during the game. Imagine how tough that would be. In the NFL, fighting is against the rules. But cheap shots and fighting happens. In baseball, fighting is against the rules, but cheap shots happen. In hockey, back in those days, they played without the facemasks and helmets they wear today. With less padding and protective equipment, those guys were EXPECTED to fight! This man not only had to deal with racism and circumstances outside of the hockey arena, but he had to worry even more about his physical well-being during the game. His career was not an exceptional one, but he was the first. He's currently the director of the NHL diversity program. But he doesn't get enough props. And why not? I would argue that it's because of the Cedric the Entertainer perspective, where he says during Kings of Comedy something along the lines of, "I know there are black people that play hockey, but not REAL black people."

What...

The...

F*CK?!?!

Yeah... real f*cking funny, Ced.

Let's take it back even further. Willie O'Ree wasn't the first black man on the ice. There is a very long history of black hockey players, and the NHL, or even hockey anywhere in the world, wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for the CHL. The CHL, or the Coloured Hockey League, was founded in 1894, and had up to twelve teams and had over 400 black players from all over Canada. Even though the league lasted only 30+ years, it is credited for a number of innovations that are STILL being popularly used by the NHL, such as the slapshot.

Still think that black people don't belong on the ice? Tell that to my dog, Jarome Iginla, a 4-time All-Star in the prime of his career who may well be on his way to the NHL Hall of Fame. Better yet, tell that to George Laraque, the protector of Sidney Crosby. Laraque is so tough, that if you told me that I had to fight him to save my life, I'd say I liked my chances better in a fight with Suge Knight and his crew with one hand tied behind my back and see if Knight was available instead.

People, this is the point. Black History Month is a lot wider than the things that are popular among black people right now. It's about history. It's about breaking barriers. It's about thinking so far outside the box, that no one should be criticized for doing something that someone else thinks s/he should not be doing. The barrier breakers, the ones who turned their backs to the crowd... THOSE are the real barrier breakers. THOSE are the REAL black people. This month is about Jackie Robinson. But it's also just as much about Mr. Iginla and the CHL, even if you don't think they should be on the ice.

So keep this in mind when I say that the next time someone says that a person is less black if he is from Iowa than Detroit, plays hockey instead of basketball, speaks the Queen's English instead of the Queen B's English, listens to classical music instead of hip-hop, or is a vegetarian that hates beef, I will slice them up like a package of Louis Rich turkey.

Now excuse me while I step off of my soapbox to see when the next Columbus Bluejackets game is.

Valentine's Day... Who's It For?!?!

Ah yes... Valentine's Day is quickly approaching us. In the days before February 14th, men and women invade nearly every store and restaurant that has some type of aphrodisiac. And on February 14th, the trips and purchases will be exchanged. People will get to see their significant others in that hot see-through bra they saw in the window at Victoria's Secret... or those silk Calvin Klein boxers from JC Penney. Maybe they will take each other out to a nice, romantic restaurant, drink some wine, do some playful flirting, then go home, and eat dessert... off of each other's belly buttons. Ah yes, Valentine's Day. The holiday for the grown and sexy. Mmm hmmm...

Wait a minute...

Ummm...

Is the special day of love really primarily geared toward adults?

Hmmmmm....

I'm not sure that Valentine's Day is only for adults... or maybe it is... I don't know...

Do you remember when you were in elementary school? There were a lot of little boys and girls that were learning what to say and what not to say when they were expressing their affection for a hottie in their class. Do you realize that kids actually get nervous about the holiday too?! All around the country, kids are buying up those cards that come in packs of 30 or 100. And then they take that one card and write their honey's name in extra big letters... and spell "LOVE" with a heart instead of an O, and put extra candy in the envelope. And if they aren't putting their hearts into that envelope, kids are hoping that someone did that for them too! This is puppy love! This is where it starts!

So who is it really for? The history of Valentine's Day is greatly disputed, so it's hard to tell from that. But what we see on TV and in the media is a Valentine's Day geared toward adult expressions of love and "romance." That ignores what the kids are doing and feeling at the same time.

Once again, I have mixed feelings about this. So who do you think it's for?

Black History Month

The history of black people in the US of A is a colorful history that tends to get overlooked in common history textbooks and by people who were part of "The Greatest Generation." (By the way, Tom Brokaw is probably one of the most arrogant people on the planet if he thinks his generation is the greatest. In his book, he selectively forgot the negativity brought upon non-whites by whites born during his generation - those born between 1900 and 1925) And, in a sense, that's understandable. I don't agree, but I understand it. We tend to look at history through our own perspective, even if that means overlooking or marginalizing someone else. It's human nature.

However, I'm growing increasingly frustrated with black people. And it's coming to a boiling point. So now is a good time to express myself. Black History Month is all about recognizing the accomplishments of black people that get overlooked. It's about the realization that the "definition" of being black is not really... well... a black and white issue. Black people should know this. So if Black History Month is about recognizing accomplishments and re-definition, why do we do a better job than anyone else in putting each other down?!

What I'm talking about is nothing new. It's been going on for a very long time. Black people are the first to talk about how important black people are in sports, politics, and mass media. But black people are the first to yell venom-filled language at other black people when someone doesn't fit the mold. If they don't dance right, talk right, hang out in the right places, play the right sports, watch certain movies or tv shows, or have a certain job, all of a sudden, they are Uncle Toms or Snowflakes... REGARDLESS of how successful they are. So Wayne Brady is trying to be white. And J.C. Watts is an Uncle Tom. And no REAL black person would buy music from Cowboy Troy.

WHAT...

THE...

F*CK?!?!

Whatever happened to the diversity and glory of ALL aspects of black expression?!?! Whatever happened to blackness being defined as the ability to think for yourselves, instead of being constrained by boundaries... ESPECIALLY those set by your own race?!?! Black people, if you don't agree with someone of the same race, that DOES NOT mean they are sellouts! So this month, I'm going to highlight people who were considered innovators in their day, but would probably be considered sellouts IF people didn't know who the hell they were. To be continued...

Never Count Out the Underdogs!

You know I have to do it...

I know I shouldn't...

But I have to...

Maybe not...

Okay... I will...

I CALLED IT! YEAH! I got everything but the score right!

The stars were aligned, and the Giants defense put it on the Patriots like I knew they would! That defensive line was in Brady's face ALL F*CKING NIGHT! It's hard to put up points when you can't stay upright for more than two seconds! That defensive line deserves an MVP award too! Not to take anything from Eli... I also said he'd finally become a man like his older brother, and he did exactly that! And they used every weapon at their disposal to beat the unbeatable!

If there is any lesson to be learned, it's that we should not crown a team as the greatest ever until they WIN WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO WIN!

Let's see... the Giants won the time of possession battle, had more sacks, more turnovers, and led in running hards and passing yards. If the "greatest team ever" loses every single major battle, they are proving that they aren't even the best team on the field that day, much less the best ever!

To be fair, the Patriots will be back. And Eli will too. But for now, I can take pride in being one of the very few to predict a classic Super Bowl that would fall to the Giants!

Super Bowl Prediction

Less than a week to go to the big game... and the hype is starting between the two teams. A lot of trash talk, a lot of commercials, a lot of food, a lot of money being spent. Only the Super Bowl can produce a game where one team is a two touchdown favorite, but the whole country will watch anyway. Of course, the underdog wins every now and then.

So who will win? I don't know. You don't know. Ms. Cleo doesn't. No one does. All we can do is pretend to be football commentators and piece together some analysis and make a semi-educated guess. So here goes. Giants win. There. I said it. And I'm one of the very few that will say it twice. Watch. Giants win. Told ya.

Why do I think the two touchdown underdog will win? Let's break this down. Yes, the Patriots have Tom "GQ" Brady. But the Giants have Eli Manning. Eli, the man who is on one of the biggest hot streaks in recent history. Eli, who is ready to get out of his brother's shadow. Eli, who has thrown more post-season passes with no interceptions in NFL history. He's due. And no one knew it until he shined in the last game of the regular season.

I believe that they are equal on most fronts. They are equal in the running backs, because Jacobs and Bradshaw have been as good of a 1-2 punch as the Patriots backfield. Both offensive lines have been excellent. Boss has overperformed with Shockey out and has been better than Watson has for the Pats. Receivers... okay... Pats have the edge with Moss and Welker and Stallworth... BUT... as a unit, the Giants showed that all of their offensive stars can put up Patriot-like statistics. The Giants defense has improved more than any defense this season from the beginning to the end. They have a better defensive line by far, and the sackmasters will put pressure on Brady. Pressure from the front four will make life much easier on the Giants linebackers and secondary. The G-Men linebackers are faster, but lack in the experience that the Pats use as an edge. The secondary groups are also about equal. The Giants D has shown that they can handle the Patriots offense (remember, the Patriots were held down for the majority of the game last time), and the Giants offense has enough firepower to put up points AND keep the Pats offense off the field (The Giants scored 35 points on the Pats, and I believe that is the highest total allowed of any team this season). The secondary groups are also about equal. Pats have the edge in special teams, especially in kicking, which will be extremely important (ask Tynes how lucky he is to still have a job). BUT... the G-Men have more to prove, have more momentum than an undefeated team, have a quarterback who is showing he is really elite, and almost beat them the first time. Both teams will come with different looks, but the Giants have improved more. This game will be a classic.

Final Score: Giants 31, Pats 30

Let's see on Sunday...