Much ado has been made about the Knicks recent roster moves to clear out some cap space for the summer of 2010, when Donnie Walsh will undoubtedly sign at least one coveted free agent to a max contract. But, I’m not going to do what our friends Stephen A. Smith and Jalen Rose have been doing on ESPN for the past week- making predictions, flipping coins, and even citing anonymous “credible sources” for their bold claims about who will be coming to New York in 2010.
Fans in smaller markets are angry that the media is glamourizing the “Yankees-esque” big market buying power game. This isn’t the free market MLB- there’s a salary cap in the NBA and everyone’s on an equal playing field. Right?
Well. Ulimately, the answer is, “No,” and I’ll explain why.
First, we cannot dispute the fact that Donnie Walsh will indeed be offering at least ONE (most likely two) max contracts to the field of top NBA free agents on the market in 2010. There’s no getting around that fact.
Additionally, let’s talk about what mainstream journalists like Smith and Rose have failed to provide: evidence and logical reasoning to warrant a player’s desire to play in Madison Square Garden.
So here it is. My list of reasons WHY the 2010 NBA free agent class should call their agents and make it clear – starting today – that they want to play for the New York Knicks in 2010:
1) IT’S THE BIG APPLE: It’s the largest sports market in the world. Your personal fanbase as a player stands to increase substantially, even if your name is LeBron James.
2) NEWS MEDIA: Groveling at your feet (or beating down on your pysche with endless criticism), you’ll have members of the most powerful, most resourceful, and most influential news media market in the world. Despite the slight downturn in public interest that has stricken the NBA in recent years, your name and photo will never be allowed to fade into obscurity as long as you are a member of the New York Knicks.
3) SECURING YOUR FUTURE OUTSIDE OF BASKETBALL: If you’re a current NBA player, you want to start securing your future (and your family’s future) by expanding your potential opportunities in the business world. So, if you’re looking to mingle with the most powerful businesspeople in the world or sell your product in the biggest market possible, where do you want to be? One thing’s for sure (and Kevin Garnett would most definitely agree), it’s not Minneapolis. Also, tell your publicist to turn her ringer off and increase her voice mailbox capacity to 100,000. On second thought, just hire 3 more publicists.
4) ON THE COURT: In my recollection, there are very few basketball players who don’t like to run, shoot, dunk, score a lot, and win basketball games. Well, luckily, Mike D’Antoni is coaching and it’s been widely reported that it is an absolute BLAST to play for the guy. And, his former players love him. There’s no better indicator for coaching success than the respect of your former players.
5) FRONT OFFICE: Donnie Walsh is also a “players’s GM.” Ask Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Mark Jackson, etc. They’ll all vouch for the guy. Total class act and a track record for turning franchises around. Why not live a stress-free NBA life?
6) THE CELTICS EFFECT: “I’m a 25-29 year old highly coveted free agent. I’ve been to the All-Star game a bunch but I haven’t won an NBA title. Last year, I saw the Celtics put together a group of 3 All-Stars who had never won a title and they won it all in their first year. The Knicks have 2 max contracts to give out? So, you’re telling me I’d be able to play with Chris Bosh (or LeBron James) instead of Anderson Varejao or Anthony Parker? Count me in.”
7) EASY TO PLEASE: Let’s face it. Knicks fans are dejected, demoralized, and ready to embrace something new. This also makes them easy to please at the current moment. Anything above 35-42 will suffice. So, basically, for one of the only times in recent history, a big time player with extremely high expectations might get a little bit of a “grace period” before fans start to expect championship caliber play. ”So, I can play in New York City with slightly lower-than-normal expectations? Again, count me in.”
MAKING HISTORY: There’s no better place to make sports history than in New York. Championships make you immortal and your name will be printed larger in the books if you’ve succeeded in a Knicks uniform (as opposed to a Warriors uniform).
The list goes on and on and on. Sorry to all the smaller market fans out there, but even in a salary cap league, New York has a little bit more bargaining power if all other factors are held equal.
It’s time to pre-emptively welcome two big time free agents to Madison Square Garden, where they’ll be running and gunning for Mike D’Antoni in 2010.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have already launched their Change.gov website, which is going to serve as one of the main communication platforms for their “transition” into office.
Unfortunately, Change.gov was having its technical difficulties earlier today, but it’s up and running now.
Below is a screenshot of the website that I was able to get from my computer. It’s not the homepage. It’s just their news ticker page, but it gives you a good look at the overall design of the site. A little more “government” and a little less “commercial” than Obama’s campaign website:
Obama
I’m wasn’t surprised to learn that they had this site in production for months. Obama and Biden are, after all, part of the first ticket to really come close to utilizing the full potential of the internet.
Today, Fox News (www.foxnews.com) finally achieved a long-sought milestone: every single headline in the main body of their website homepage was either Pro-McCain or Anti-Obama.
Surprisingly, although Fox News is widely known to be one of the most conservative-leaning media networks in America, they had yet to achieve a 100% lineup of conservatively-biased headlines before today.
I have copied and pasted the FoxNews.com main homepage body below:
Referring to the upcoming U.S. election, a top terror leader prays in Web video, ‘O God, humiliate Bush and his party’
YouTube
A 2-minute video is the most-viewed election-related clip on YouTube — but who does the veteran endorse?
Let’s do an educated breakdown of each headline to discover the manner in which attempts to influence the reader:
Headline #1) Obama Payback Time: Story questions/criticizes Obama for banning three McCain-backing newspapers off of his plane for remainder of campaign. What is Obama trying to avoid?
2) Palin holds rally in PA.
3) McCain enlists Governator: Popular Governor Schwarzenegger is on board the McCain train!
4) Obama Camp Expectations Danger: Obama campaign and supporters’ hopes for change are unrealistic.
5) Rahm Emanuel rumored to be approached by Obama for Chief of Staff job: Obama is jumping the gun, possibly asking a popular democrat to be his C.O.S. before the election is over.
6) Obama lead narrows: It’s getting closer. McCain might have a chance.
7) Main photo headline: War Vet posts YouTube video endorsing McCain. Argues against Obama.
…and the real ZINGER: Al Qaeda wants Obama to win! Oh, no!
Congratulations, Fox News, on reaching 100% Pro-McCain, Anti-Obama status on the home page today. If you’re trying to sway independents like myself, it’s better to try to “mask” your bias a little better.
On October 28, Barack Obama showed up at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania for a long anticipated rally in front of a large crowd. When he stepped onto the stage, what was he wearing?
Levi’s stonewashed jeans, a simple black recreational jacket, and a pair of Asics running shoes.
Obama’s decision to leave the business suit and trench coat on the campaign bus may have been motivated by the inclement weather, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see a candidate campaigning in “everyday” clothes a week before election day.
Regardless, I have a feeling the outfit was a big hit with the Widener University crowd.
If you walk by your local high school on a brisk Friday night this Fall, you might hear quite the commotion. Upon closer inspection, you’ll likely find a mob of mature adults- coaches and parents- screaming at a bunch of 17 year olds. “Hit him!” ”Tackle him!” ”Wrap him up!” ”Take him down!”
It’s no secret- whether you’re playing Pop Warner or pro ball- football is a mean, physical game. Even some of the terminology sounds brutal. All-out blitz. Crackback block. Chop block. Pancake (when you’re dealing with 350-lb. guys, yes, even “pancake” sounds awful).
With such a fundamentally physical game, you’d think it would be the most physical at the professional level. Truth is, professional football does show the game at the peak of its physicality. However, recently, the NFL has been playing the part of “hit police,” going back to gametape and fining players for being a little “too physical,” even if penalty flags were not thrown.
Okay. I’ll agree that Eric Smith’s hit against a defenseless Anquan Boldin deserved a fine and a suspension. When Albert Haynesworth cleated Andre Gurode’s face, he deserved every bit of his suspension and every dime of his fine from the league. I am not arguing that there aren’t reprehensible acts performed on the football field from time to time.
Hines Ward: The "friendliest" blocker in the NFL.
But, a block that was made “too hard?” Receiving a monetary fine because you made it your business to take a linebacker out of the play by planting his back firmly (and legally) into the ground?
Hines Ward has been fined multiple times by the NFL this year for making blocks too agressively. He’s a 6-foot nothing wide receiver (a “finesse” position) who excels at using smarts, leverage, and athleticism to block defensive players. He’s not afraid to get his uniform dirty and not afraid to collide with linebackers who outweigh him by 70 lbs. In fact, he’s worked hard to earn the title of the NFL’s “best blocking wide receiver” by sports experts all over America.
Sooner or later, the NFL needs to lay off guys like Hines Ward and go after the real scumbags in the NFL (as a matter of fact, they should start letting people celebrate touchdowns again, too). Yes, Hines broke Patrick Willis’ jaw last week (refreshingly, he wasn’t fined for it) but, the bottom line is, THE BLOCK WAS TEXTBOOK LEGAL.
Another reason the league shouldn’t interfere is this: if you’re a defensive player and Hines Ward jacks you up, you’re worried about him for the rest of the game. You’re watching out for him on the field and making the necessary adjustments. Often, it makes you less agressive as a defensive player because frankly, you’re a little worried. Whatever you’re doing to adjust, you can’t deny that Hines Ward is making his team better simply by being on the field and making you worry. The NFL shouldn’t be taking away from what Hines Ward does for his team. And, instead of slapping him with fines, they should be showing clips of his blocks to America’s youth.
I’ve collected some of Hines Ward’s all time greatest blocks below. Enjoy:
Bart Scott threatened to kill Hines after this block (Terry Bradshaw is loving it in the background).
This is the most recent mail piece being sent out by the Republican National Committee.
The front cover reads, “Terrorists don’t care who they hurt.”
“Terrorists” is written in stereotypical “mad bomber cut-and-paste text” (as if Islamic terrorists would be sending ransom letters to us before they pulled something) with a picture of people in an airport and an airplane in the background, reminding us all of 9/11 (as if we needed a reminder of what happened that day).
RNC Mailer Front Cover
When you flip this friendly little greeting card open, the inside reveals a large photo of Barack Obama, some quotes representative of his approach to international diplomacy, and the punchline, “Barack Obama. Not who you think he is.”
RNC Mailer Inside Flap
As expected, Barack Obama is never directly accused of promoting terrorism or being an actual terrorist, but the insinuation that he is somehow linked to terrorism or will fail to suppress it is loud and clear. I guess we’re just getting desperate with two weeks to go.
The saddest part about this for independent voters like myself is this: With America gradually moving to the left on the political spectrum, continued use of these “gutter” tactics can only lead to further degradation of the RNC’s credibility. If a promising Republican Presidential candidate emerges in the future, he or she will undoubtedly feel the effect of this self-inflicted drop in Republican political trustworthiness. I guess that’s a price the party is willing to pay.
UPDATE:
Watch this recent news report from KSDK (St. Louis, Missouri’s local NBC television affiliate):
It ends with McCain looking at the “Terrorists” mailer and a reporter asking him, “Are you proud of that?”
As I have said over and over again: John McCain has sold his soul to represent the G.O.P. in this election.
As an independent voter, I am continually irked by the abandonment of his lifelong moderate stances in exchange for this charade of hardcore right-wing conservatism he has been putting on for the past year.
There are many voting records, quotes, audio clips, and video recordings to support the fact that John McCain has been molded into a different man- he has succumbed to the pressures of representing deep red conservatives in this country, simply to get his party’s support and nomination.
Take this clip of a 2000 town hall meeting (McCain’s favorite discussion/debate format) at Michigan State University as one of many examples of McCain’s apparent abandonment of his old moderate ways:
Listen to what McCain is saying. He is saying that those above a certain income level need to pay a slightly higher tax rate. He is saying that the purpose of these slightly higher rates for the rich is to provide “significant relief” for the “middle income, working Americans.”
Yes, the 2008 McCain is trying to draw distinction between himself and Barack Obama, who touts tax relief for middle-class Americans. But, that’s no excuse for what’s going on. He’s never mentioned the middle class publicly, he only advocates an across the board child tax credit increase, and his campaign has begun to label Obama’s middle class tax cut proposals as “socialistic.” Again, clearly what we have here is John McCain the puppet- a man who has abandoned his lifelong moderate approach on many issues simply to appease to his party.
Americans need the old John McCain back. The real maverick. Not the guy who goes out and picks a half-wit, ultra-conservative runningmate simply to “ignite the conservative base of the party.”
These days, if you were to write down a list of John McCain’s 2008 political stances and Sean Hannity’s political opinions, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. What a shame. What a waste of a lifetime of work as a moderate, bi-partisan champion.
So, where’s the old John McCain? He’s long gone, my friend.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to meet T. Boone Pickens at Chadbourne & Parke LLP’s Green Business Summit II, which took place at the New York Hilton in midtown Manhattan. The event- hosted by Chadbourne & Parke LLP, a renewable energy law firm- was moderated by former New York Governor George Pataki and focused on the challenges to the renewable energy industry as a result of the current condition of the U.S. economy. Boone Pickens delivered the keynote address during the luncheon segment of the day.
The presentation given by Pickens during the luncheon was very similiar to the markerboard talk on his website, www.PickensPlan.com. Please view the entire markerboard video before continuing to read.
Let me start by making one key statement about the conference: the majority of the audience at the New York Hilton last Friday were capital management firms, investment banks, and other financial institutions, who were clearly looking for new ways to speculate on renewable energy technologies. After all, with every viable energy technology, there is big money to be made.
I also know that many are concerned that since Pickens is a big investor in natural gas and wind power, he is just running his energy campaign to fatten his own pockets- to promote an individual agenda. Boone argues that he is old, has no reason to earn more money, and simply wants to pass on a better America to his children and grandchildren. What do I think? Yes, I think he is oddly predisposed to natural gas and promotes it a bit too heavily, but his ideas for wind and solar infrastructure are legitimate.
As someone outside the financial community and outside the Pickens Plan campaign, I did my best to maintain a keenly objective viewpoint as I listened to all of the discussions and presentations.
Both in his video and at the conference, Boone Pickens cited some statistics that have become well known in the last few months, as both Presidential candidates have referred to these numbers in debates and on the stump.
These key statistics are as follows:
The U.S. currently imports 70% of its oil.
The U.S. spends $700 billion dollars per year on this imported oil.
Much of this oil is being purchased from unstable regions where we have some supply agreements with the people in power and even from some countries who, to put it politely, don’t always wish America well.
The U.S. consumes 25% of the world’s oil supply, yet it only produces 3% of the world’s oil.
As Pickens points out in his markerboard talk video, the percentage of oil imported by the U.S. has skyrocketed from 24% in 1970, to 42% in 1990, and now 70% in 2008. This is an alarming trend, and our politicians have made it well known that we must start investing in solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, and other technologies to help bring that 70% down. But, there is no concrete plan in place. During the recent Presidential debates, all candidates have done is name off a few renewable technologies (“Solar, Wind, Hydro, Geothermal, etc.”) and even put a timeline on energy independence (“We will be energy independent in ten years!”). But, as Boone Pickens repeatedly says, “What good is a timeline if we HAVE NO PLAN?”
The fact that we import 70% of our oil is a frightening situation. However, what makes this bad situation worse is that Americans still don’t understand the urgency we need to place on reversing this trend. This is because we lack a clear plan and we lack strong leadership in Washington- plain and simple.
Let’s discuss the facts. We, as Americans, have been spoiled rotten for decades. We been spoiled rotten by dirt-cheap oil. Growing up in the 1990’s, I remember driving up to the station and seeing my dad get full tank of gasoline for $15 dollars. Older folks tell me that in the 70’s and 80’s, you could fill up the old Grand Wagoneer in exchange for a five dillar bill. Of course, while we were getting bargain basement prices, most of our foreign counterparts were paying two to four times that amount. This disparity between U.S. oil prices and oil prices for non-U.S. markets remains true even today. Americans are complaining that their gasoline costs have gone up to $3 per gallon, but in most other countries, gasoline retails for the equivalent of $6 or $7 per gallon and upwards.
As someone who has worked in the energy sector, I know that my logic and explanations may not translate well to people who don’t have energy expertise, so I want to make an analogy to illustrate the problem we face as a result of becoming totally reliant on cheap oil.
Let’s use a nice mainstream example and do our own little “markerboard presentation” of sorts. In this analogy, we’re going to compare the U.S.A. to celebrity heiress Paris Hilton (I know some of you are saying, “How appropriate!”:
Americans rely on cheap oil to sustain their economic activity, which helps to produce goods and services that Americans can either export or provide domestically. We’ve had cheap oil our whole lives and structured many of our businesses (trucking, contracting, construction, rail, power generation, manufacturing, etc.) in a way that takes fullest advantage of low-cost gasoline, diesel, and crude.
Paris relies on her no-limit, American Express Black Card to sustain her shopping and travel activities- activities which allow her to perform her “duties” as a big-spending celebrity heiress. She’s had her Black Card since she was ten years old and used its unlimited buying power to build her reputation and career as a wealthy heiress/model who people pay attention to simply because she’s a good-looking girl who spends a lot of money.
A large majority of America’s cheap oil is supplied by foreign countries, including nations in the Middle East, Russia, and Colombia.
A large majority of Paris Hilton’s AMEX Black Card bill is paid by Mommy and Daddy Hilton (and her big trust fund).
Since the U.S. only produces 3% of the world’s oil (and has limited reserves), yet consumes 25% of the world’s oil supply, if the price of oil supplied by foreign countries were to skyrocket one day, Americans would be completely caught off-guard and our economy put at the mercy of foreign powers who control oil prices. Americans would be left desperately scrambling for new ways to sustain the economy and its position as a world power would be greatly diminished.
Since Paris Hilton’s annual income is greatly overshadowed by her massive annual spending, she must rely on her huge trust fund (and Mommy and Daddy) to help pick up some of her expenses. If Mommy and Daddy Hilton were to lose all their money and die, and her trust fund was lost, she’d be left helpless and unable to support her lifestyle as a big-spending celebrity heiress. Her celebrity would undoubtedly suffer and she might be forced to resort to making horrible new sex videos at age 40.
I hope this silly analogy was helpful in helping everyone to understand that we have a big energy problem.
We can now move on and draw the following conclusions:
We have a growing need for energy, which will only grow bigger as our population increases.
To feed this growing need for energy, we have been importing the extra oil we need (70% of it) from foreign countries, leaving us more and more at the mercy of these foreign countries as we become more reliant on this imported oil.
Our reliance on these external, unreliable foreign countries (many of them in the Middle East) who supply our oil leaves us at great risk, since we are essentially giving up control our own economic destiny. Time is ticking until the day when these powers decide they want to cut the supply of oil to the world, raise prices, or simply not sell to us because of a conflict.
As a result of our continually increasing reliance on foreign oil, we are sending $700 billion dollars a year (and growing) to foreign countries. This is $700 billion dollars a year that could be used to improve our infrastructure, our schools, our healthcare system, etc. Not only is our monetary cost huge, our opportunity cost is also huge.
The summary above is a great description of the problem, but it stops one a few facts short of completing the picture:
Fact 1: No world power can expect to see an improvement in national security during a time of economic downturn.
Consequence 1: If we do not control our energy situation and reduce our reliance on foreign oil, we’re putting our economy, national security, and well-being as citizens at great risk.
Fact 2: Our dependence on foreign oil will only grow in the future, if renewable technologies are not largely implemented within 5-10 years.
Consequence 2: As a result of our increased dependence on foreign oil, we will risk losing the security of our borders, our status as a world power, our economic well-being, and our ability to promote democracy all over the world, all because we fell in love with cheap oil.
Many people today have priorities backwards. Some people say that our ailing economy needs to be fixed first- they want to rescue the banks so that we can begin lending money again to spark business. Others say we need to reform the Healthcare system because too many hard-working citizens are being forced to declare bankruptcy due to high premiums and copays after falling ill. There are also those who say we’ve got to focus on the military and focus our troops on taking down Islamic extremist groups all over the world. From improving education to making college affordable, the American people have a number of different priorities, which are all worthy of our leaders’ time and efforts.
But, to all of these people with varying opinions on what our nation’s priorities must be, I say this:
Energy independence must be our first priority. The economy rests on energy, our everyday life rests on energy, our national security rests on energy, and our sovereignty as the United States of America rests on energy.
What good is an improved healthcare system if our government suddenly has no money to support it? What good is making college more affordable if we can’t protect our borders and the entire nation becomes unsafe for our children? What good is bailing out our economy now if we are going to face inevitable economic doom 20 years from now?
We must make energy independence our first priority and the reason it has not been our first priority is because our government is stuck in the past. Partisan bickering only delays the important federal decisions that must take place in order to implement our proven renewable technologies.
First, we need a President and a government with a plan. Find out which of these technologies make the most sense and start to make investments to grow these technologies.
Next, the federal government needs to help implement new power transimission systems. Our wind farms and solar farms cannot simply be “plugged in” to our current power grid. They need new lines to transmit this energy and proposals to build these new lines have been shut down by suburbs who say “Why should I be the one who get’s the line passing through MY back yard?” and farmers who say, “Why should I allow these wind farms to be built on MY land in South Dakota, when the main beneficiaries of this new energy supply are those metropolitans in Minneapolis and Chicago?” Figure out a way to share the cost and get everyone to agree on a way to get this power infrastructure built because our need is urgent.
Finally, we need more investment into ongoing research into technologies like batteries, fuel cells, and biofuels to help address our need for transportation power. Natural gas is an emerging source for transportation energy, but its supply can only be sustained for so long- therefore, it is simply a bridge to the next generation of transportation energy.
Boone Pickens’ plan says we can reduce our 70% foreign oil percentage to 38%, which makes us stronger ans dafer. But, I also understand that there might be a better plan. Boone’s plan may not be the best in the end, but by running his campaign, he is making a subtle much needed point: We need to come up with a plan soon and act on it fast, or we risk losing everything.
It’s time for our media to bring the urgency of our situation to light and it’s time for our politicians to re-prioritize. We need to educate our citizens on the energy independence issue and the dangers we face. Hell, we might even need a president to do what Eisenhower did when he built our interstate highway system in the interest of national security- take power and mandate improvements in infrastructure- because we need this infrastructure to transmit power from new renewable sources to our towns and cities.
Let’s educate ourselves on the need to become energy independent, pressure our politicians, and get a plan moving fast. We should learn from the recent economic crisis. The banks bet all their chips on easy loans and paid a severe price because they did not act fast enough to correct the problem. If we don’t stop betting all our chips on cheap oil, we risk going under as a nation, just like the banks.
There is a new video sensation on YouTube: bloggers and reporters going to McCain/Palin events to ask their followers what they think of Barack Obama. They go there with the specific goal of generating a greater characterization of these Republican rally-goers as ignorant, willfully manipulated, and full of hate. It seems like there is a never ending supply of people willing to appear on video, protesting against Senator Obama’s background as a Terrorist, a Muslim, or an Arab. These videos are definitely achieving the desired effect – forcing John McCain to try and assuage his supporters’ ferocious claims and instilling a sense of moral superiority in Obama supporters. However, they also raise a key question that few are addressing: So what if Obama is an Arab/Muslim?
A typical response to the people who appear on these videos is dismay at the factual inaccuracy of their claims. If you spend time browsing the comments posted to these videos, you will find lists made of the false statements of these supporters, arguments about Obama’s association terrorists, and discussions about John McCain’s role in fostering these ideas. These comments mostly focus on the contents of the video, not the context in which they are being made.
What these these videos and comments surrounding them tell us is how being Muslim and Middle Eastern in the United States means that you are the new American pariah. Our shock should be how the statements made in these videos are now acceptable insults, not about how they are being made in error. A great fear among Muslim American leaders after 9/11 was that Americans would hold the whole of their people accountable, a reaction they attempted to avoid through vehement condemnation of the attacks and voicing of their solidarity with the greater American community against extremism. However, as time has passed, fewer and fewer people are looking at the lingering cumulative effects of 9/11 on the perceptions of Muslim Americans and Middle Easterners. Now, we find ourself in the situation where cultural and religious descriptors have devolved into slurs.
When a lady at John McCain’s rally eccentrically expressed her fear about how Obama was an Arab, John McCain responded “No, Ma’am. He’s a decent family man… citizen.” I do not believe that Senator McCain was trying to imply that these claims are mutually exclusive – he is sincere in his attempt to correct this woman. However, his response should have been followed immediately by “but it shouldn’t matter if he is,” just as if her claim had been that Obama was Chinese or Eskimo. This is an issue that neither candidate is doing an appropriate job of addressing. By allowing the argument to continue to be about the falseness of these claims rather than their audacity, they are expressing their silent acceptance of the argument that being Muslim or Arab in America means that you are inherently disqualified from ever becoming president.
I realize that the vast majority of Americans are exceptionally accepting of other cultures and would voice their disagreement with that previous statement. However, in the heat of this fierce presidential battle, the paucity of people standing up against these veiled attacks on a certain ethnic and religious group should be noted. We are a country of people who have fought so hard to overcome racism in its many forms. It would be a tragedy to say we just stood by as it sprouted up in front of us in such plain sight.
Colin Powell eloquently addresses this issue on Meet the Press at the 4:28 mark.
Much ado has been made about the Knicks recent roster moves to clear out some cap space for the summer of 2010, when Donnie Walsh will undoubtedly sign at least one coveted free agent to a max contract. But, I’m not going to do what our friends Stephen A. Smith and Jalen Rose have been doing on ESPN for the past week- making predictions, flipping coins, and even citing anonymous “credible sources” for their bold claims about who will be coming to New York in 2010. 
MAKING HISTORY: There’s no better place to make sports history than in New York. Championships make you immortal and your name will be printed larger in the books if you’ve succeeded in a Knicks uniform (as opposed to a Warriors uniform). 
