America's Favorite Pastime is Denial: A-Rod the latest MLB scapegoat

Looks like A-Rod may get a lifetime ban (or "settle" on the side with MLB). 

Ha! -RedSox fan


Either way, it looks like he's now the latest fall guy "villain" for MLB to scapegoat. Meanwhile though there's a much darker side to this picture as shadows have long ago uncovered that the entire league remains corrupted by PEDs from the top on down. But, of course that is not the narrative from ESPN or Bud Selig's legacy spinsters. 


I wonder, will the league push to put a convenient asterisk next to Rodriguez' incredible stats since his rookie season? Are they going to refund people's tickets in New York? Seattle? Texas? Will the league return all of the TV money they made from the regular season, playoff, and World Series games he played in? Will there be a cash exchange for his jersey?


Maybe the league is bluffing to get his settlement? An ultimate power play move in the grand ego contest. And yes, maybe he's a big dickhead like Barry Bonds but that doesn't make him any more guilty than the league itself. They knew about 'Roids and PEDs since at least the 90s and looked the other way. Plus, as I've said before, the pitchers are/were on these performance enhancers as well. So why should Bonds have an asterisk? Why should Sosa or the former league darling Mark McGwire? The league made mega money off all of this. Who do you think made up 'the ball is "juiced"' theory? Yeah, ok. But, let's be honest. The pitches were coming in faster and the balls were leaving the yard harder, further, more frequently. And no, PEDs don't help a normal person become a pro ball player but they clearly can make an average player good, a good player great, and they can make a great player into one of the best that ever lived.

So, are Yankees fans willing to give up their 2009 world series win? Would the Giants give up their world series win in 2012 in which Melky Cabrera led them for half the season? How do we know who else was clean or dirty on those teams or any other squads? Plus, why should those teams give anything up when every team they were playing had users also? It's just like good ol' Lance StrongArmer. Yeah, he was/is by most accounts, a self absorbed, mean spirited, lying piece of shit, who ruined lives, on top of using PEDs to win those races. But so did all of his top competition. I don't think A-Rod ever threatened to ruin anyones life, did he? But yet MLB can freely disgrace players at will. 


Until MLB steps up and implements a level of testing that is even stricter than the Olympics, it can't pretend like its doing all it can to eliminate PEDs but then single out certain offenders as if the league is so much more righteous. Even then you can't completely stop it as we've seen the science is always ahead of the testing. So what should they do, legalize it? Maybe. "A clean league and a juiced league." I wonder which will have better TV ratings?


As far as I'm concerned, at this point the entire league has an asterisk next to it. Especially the commissioners office and the team owners. Indeed everyone who plays Major League Baseball and NFL, we should just assume is on the juice or the dope. The guys that are clean, sucks for them. They may want to consider getting some good shit 'cuz they are cheating themselves playing against a bunch of guys who are on the beneficial end of the needle (or the cream) to the tune of Millions, not to mention wins.

But, a'las... This is America. And baseball is America's "favorite pastime." And both have some serious denial issues (First it was people of color, now its drugs. Coincidence?) Apparently here in the states, we don't racially profile black men, guns don't kill people, marijuana is evil (cigarettes and prescription meds are cool), and major league baseball players are clean (except for a few bad guys, that get caught). Oh, and we don't accept "spics" (from New York) to sing our national anthem at the All-Star game. As if we would tolerate immigrants in this country (unless they're on our favorite teams 40 man roster).

Jay Z's Great Misconception: "My Presence Is Charity"

"This is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am." - JAY Z  

Recently in an interview with Rap Radar, Jay Z offered that his simple presence on the planet Earth alone, as an incredibly successful black man, a mogul, was charity alone. He likened himself to President Obama, Shakespeare, and Jean-Michel Basquiat and dismissed assertions that he was not living up to a larger social responsibility. This was mostly in response to basic criticism he received from legendary activist, actor, musician, Harry Belafonte, in which Belafonte implied Jay Z could do a lot more with his star power.

So, does Jay Z have a valid point, or is he another out of touch super-star with a God complex? 

Personally, my presence is also charity, that is, if I am volunteering, or raising some money for a great cause (like Mural Music & Arts Project). Otherwise my presence is just a voice on the net (or on a rap beat). But, that's not charity. That's just speaking your conscience. Unfortunately, you can't write that off. However, I am no Jay Z. My presence alone doesn't influence millions of people. That being said, what kind of influence is Jigga emitting with his mere presence? And is "charity" alone enough when it comes to larger social responsibility?

Lots of people participate in acts of charity but a lot less engage in social movements for change. It is very popular to send money to Africa but at the same time many people don't wanna think about helping their neighbors down the street, or across the tracks, or the bridge. Folks will gladly give to cancer research but a homeless person with mental illness and drug addiction, "get them bums outta my city! No, you can't have any quarters."

Not that honest charity isn't a great thing, it's awesome. Especially when regular folks give money, or time, or items, even when they themselves don't have much. Even if its just a few bucks here and there, that's a great practice. But charity from a hundred millionaire or billionaire, that writes it off, and makes themselves feel grandiose in gesture, but remains disconnected from the people... to quote Shania Twain, "that don't impress me much." 

So, when one of these elite of the elite, says their mere presence alone is charity, well, just comes off as pathetically pompous. But, when that same "charitable" person happens to be the one and only JAY-Z, a black man in America that was once a crack dealer in the Marcy projects, and is now one of the most influential, most famous human beings on the planet, its more than pompous, its sad and to some it is infuriating and disrespectful. If Jay, took some time to reflect on those that came before him, who gave so much more than charity, he'd be better served personally but so would our poor communities of color, and the greater American conversation in general. 

Imagine Muhammad Ali, in 1966 standing up and saying, "my presence is charity" in a serious sense… right before he took no position on the Vietnam war. It may not seem like a big deal (that he did quite the opposite), as Ali's legend is now romanticized but back then it was a heroically bold and risky move, not just in solidarity with the peace movement, but more so with the plight of black America in the 1960's. The champ was subsequently labeled a fool, arrogant, treasonous, traitor, and as a famous sportswriter said, "he became a nigger again." He never ended up doing jail time, but he was sentenced to 5 years (which he appealed repeatedly and was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court), and he was then stripped of his heavyweight title in his prime, lost big sponsor dollars, and couldn't find work. He was the greatest boxer alive (arguably of all-time) and he wasn't allowed to fight because he opted to fight for a bigger cause. He was broke, written off by much of America, and essentially left for dead. He would ultimately overcome all of the hatred and opposition and return to greatness, knocking out the unmovable young George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire in the "Rumble of the Jungle" in 1974. Today, in a much different America he is considered one of the greatest Americans to ever live, and was honored as such in 1996 (only 30 years later) when he lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta. 

As Ali once said though, he was only accepted with open arms at a distance by white America as long as he was declaring to be "the greatest alive" and knocking people out inside the ring. As soon as he became Muslim, and voiced opposition to going to Vietnam because "no Vietcong ever called me nigger," he was suddenly demonized and hated. But that was the 1960's, and Ali didn't have hundreds of millions of dollars and a seat next to the President. He had so much more to risk than Sean Carter (Jay Z), yet Carter seems to feel no need to step out of bounds these days. He's quite comfortable representing "Tom Ford" and staying in his lane. To me, he is the exact opposite of the great Ali. He hoots and hollers that he's the greatest of all-time like Ali but he doesn't stand for much more than that bombastic bravado. He may indeed feel good about himself because he "drops a jewel" here and there and gives anonymously large sums of money but I think there's a larger responsibility. He's sort of the Malcolm X of our modern times. Except in 2013, Detroit Red rises to fame for his quick wit and sharp tongue and ultimately opts to hang with the elite bourgeoisie instead of calling out the injustices of the status quo and demanding more from everyone across the board. Indeed the man has a 5 Million dollar watch (his wife gave him), but doesn't seem to know the time. 

Just recently, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Belafonte moved to quash all the rhetoric between himself and Jay Z, and called upon Jay and his wife to a sit-down to clear the air and attempt to come together to use their collective star power for the greater good of Black America. Belafonte has also recently added his presence to the "Dream Defenders", a group of young people seeking social justice in Florida whom are currently occupying the state Capitol building, demanding that they will not leave until the state rethinks its "Stand Your Ground" laws. Since the George Zimmerman trial, these laws have been exposed as biased in favor of whites and to the violent detriment of blacks. In the interview, Belafonte stated that he was lending his voice, wisdom, and star power to the "Dream Defenders" cause and made light of the massive star power that black America currently holds but does not fully utilize. He referenced the difference between this usage of star power today and decades prior when there was a larger sense of social responsibility and unity within the black community. In regard to Jay Z, he swiftly stated that he wasn't going to comment on what Jay Z should do (in response to calls for him to boycott concerts in the state of Florida) but that he could only comment on things Jay Z is NOT doing. 

Ironically, in the very same Rap Radar interview in which Jay exclaimed his presence is charity, he also oddly commented on the verdict of the Zimmerman trial. He appeared to be very surprised by the ruling and strangely remarked that he knew there was still "a bit of racism" in America but was shocked by the outcome. It is very telling that a man who once sold crack cocaine in the Marcy projects because he saw no other way out, and would later rap about being racially profiled by police in "99 Problems" would somehow in 2013 be suddenly surprised by the Zimmerman verdict. Not to mention the fact that he actually used the language that America still has "a bit of racism." This disconnect with his own past, let alone his neglect and disrespect of the greats who came before him truly exposes Jay Z as an out of touch super-star with a very shallow vision, emptied it seems by the pitfalls of success and his love affair with capitalism. How else do you explain such naivete? Because one would think that a man as street smart, business savvy, and lyrically adroit as Jay Z could be enlightened enough to connect the dots between the profiling and murder of Trayvon Martin, the systems bias treatment of the case, the subsequent not guilty verdict, and the necessity for someone as influential as himself to give a little more than merely his grand presence. 

#MyPresenceIsCharity

White Hispanics, Black Irish, White Trash, and the evolution of Race in America

Interesting read this morning about "white Hispanics" by CNN contributor Roland Martin. 

I think it's also important to note that race in America has always evolved and changed, especially in regards to "whiteness." 

"Black Irish" was a term used for some Irish immigrants (not in a nice way) and Italian immigrants were once Lynched by white Americans and the KKK. 



Also, in the early days of the state of Texas, after it was taken from Mexico and became a slave state, there developed an environment where even whites were not white. That is, extremely poor share-cropping whites were labeled "trash" and "off white" and even persecuted by the authorities and the Klan. Instead of joining forces with Mexicans and Blacks however they chose to go it alone. Many of these lesser than whites saw those races as their enemy because of job scarcity. This benefitted the white ruling class in Texas to retain control and thousands of these "off what" "trash" Americans would end up leaving Texas to seek work & life elsewhere.

Race has never been that simple in America. Although if you were white, or could "pass" as white, it has steadily evolved in your favor. The largest disconnect still remains between the poor white working class and poor people of color. If these groups could ever find common ground in their struggle, the elite at the top of the heap would shake in their designer shoes.

I believe Johnny Cash sang about a "white trash" heaven where we are all equal under God. What we need to do is work on that whole equality and unity thing here on Earth, while we are still breathing.

The Acquittal of George Zimmerman: A Bigger Picture of America

For those of you who'd simply like to chalk up the Zimmerman trial as the result of "Florida law" or a basic case of "self defense", you are quite welcome to your opinions. I would definitely agree that the state's prosecution was ineffective to say the least. 

But for millions of Americans, its much bigger than all of that. 

It is much more about the value that is placed on a White Life in this country, versus a Black Life. It should not be that way, but it is, and there is no denying it. All we have to do is look at conviction rates (and disparate sentencing) nationwide of blacks vs whites, for the same crimes. For example, us white people love our drugs just as much or more than brown or black folks, yet we do not often receive the same life altering punishments for drug crimes at the hefty rate that black and brown people experience. 

Still though, even bigger than the two separate systems of justice in this country are the entirely separate inalienable rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Looking at the #1 cause of death among young Black males in America, we see that it is homicide, gun murders. If you leave your house each morning and being shot to death is the most likely thing that is going to prevent you from coming home at the end of the day, what does that do to your outlook on the present tense, let alone the future? This is partly why much of this violence comes at the hands of "black on black" crime, a direct result of systemic poverty, massive inequity, and an American life filled with daily violence that looks much more like Afghanistan than the United States. 

But, above all of the inequities within our nations justice system, and our unequal distribution of "inalienable rights," it is the pervasive levels of injustice with regard to the stigma of skin color. Forevermore in this country there has been deeply insidious levels of prejudice, hatred, and violence perpetrated against Black people simply based upon genetic pigmentation. It's totally outrageous! It began before the founding of our nation and is a false theory known as "Scientific Racism." The majority of esteemed white "Thinkers" back in the day perpetrated these accepted beliefs that Black people were not capable of equivalent IQ's to Whites --and among other made up shit-- that they had an entirely different kind of blood, like an alien. There were then laws created like the "One Drop" rule that stated if it could proved that a given person had "one drop" of Black blood, that they were not to be considered white, nor equal. Over time this definition of "whiteness" would be altered and would evolve to the benefit of many whom were once considered non-whites. Such as the Irish, the Italians, and Armenians. All of this racist and ignorant "scientific" hoopla has had devastating psychological affects that carryover today. 

When a young black boy walks down the street (be they Emmett Till or Trayvon Martin) there is an instant reaction that takes place in the brain of whites (whether we like it or not) due to generations of racist stereotyping and fear-mongering by the mainstream. This is above all the biggest and most impactful injustice that circulates daily throughout our world regardless of whether or not we want to admit it, acknowledge it, or accept it. Sadly though, it is because so many of us are either unaware or in denial of this overtly damaging force, that it continues to do so much harm to us all. So, while one may make the seemingly sound argument in simplistic legal terms for the acquittal of George Zimmerman, I would argue that we really need to step back much further and look at the bigger picture if we care to actually move forward as a people. Doing so is much more scary, and much more ugly, but it is the hard truth and it is not going away anytime soon. 

Know justice, know peace.