Jason Whitlock's Scarecrow.

I really didn't want to talk about Jason Whitlock again. But alas, I'm merely a moth drawn to the flames of his sagacious observations.

*Via Lion in Oil (He asked the important questions, but I have a few followups....)

Q: What was the impetus that made you call for another civil rights movement and label a certain segment of the African-American community “the black KKK?”

“I think that to some degree and extent people are misguided and think that there is a lack of dissent in the black community. Meaning, basically, that African-Americans are all good with what is going on in the community. But I hear black people having these conversations all the time. I’m aware that we are not all good with it. Yet, we rarely offer any type of dissent. If we ignore it, it’s only going to get worse. We are going down a slippery negative slope. The hip-hop, prison values.... No one is coming out and saying this isn’t healthy for young people and that these aren’t appropriate values. "

So Jason, you're saying that there is dissent in the black community but it's not publicly offered? Are you serious? Maybe if you weren't continually showing us an ostrich impression with that bag of Cheetos you wouldn't have missed the past decade.

Q: Some say that your comparison of what you define as the “Black KKK” to the KKK that most Americans are familiar with is foolish, absurd and even dangerous. How do you respond to such criticism?

“Well, why don’t we count the bodies? Body by body- The tears are the same and the pain is the same. The violence is just so senseless. The fear that the gang-bangers prey on in the community is the same type of fear generated by the KKK. I understand that this is a strong analogy and I knew some people would be offended. But I’m trying to spark a new consciousness. These gang-bangers are alleging to be pro-black when they really are anti-black.”

It's ignorant and disingenuous to just compare body counts Jason, especially if you're not going to even address intent or influence.

Q: I’ve noticed in the last two columns you’ve written involving the African-American community you are quite blunt in describing various problems within it. However, you skirt the issue of offering solutions. What are some solutions that might have a tangible and ameliorating affect?

“I think the most important thing is embracing education. We can’t let kids go to school and continue to be ridiculed for talking properly. Getting an education is not acting white. People are called ‘sell-outs’ for talking properly. Additionally, hip-hop culture has become an expression of prison values. 25% of guys in my generation in the black community are incarcerated because of our country’s punitive drug laws. We can’t keep continuing to build prisons and creating these punitive cages. We have to rehabilitate people. Some people even need to be ‘habilitated.’ Non-violent offenders need to be treated differently than violent-offenders.”

That's your solution Jason? Stay in school, don't do drugs? Inspiring.

Q: Do you think African-American athletes are partly to blame for some of the ills we are now witnessing the African-American community struggle with?


“No, not at all. We can’t single out athletes. A lot of these kids are coming out of hip-hop culture and don’t know any better. But we are now seeing the major sports shop for talent outside of the African-American community. Major League Baseball has made a concerted effort to shop outside. They are in love with foreign athletes and I think it’s definitely an intentional decision on their part. I think there is some racism to it and also some rejection of the culture.

David Stern, who I think is a very, very fine commissioner, has been bending-over backwards to get guys to see the big-picture. But you have league-owners who are very uncomfortable with hip-hop culture. People will be entertained by whatever color athletes are, but this culture has made owners really uncomfortable. We have to learn to accept that people have a problem with this prison/hip-hop culture. Chris Rock, Bill Cosby talk about it. Black people talk about it all the time, believe me. We have to sit down and talk about this in a serious manner. It’s limiting us and our opportunities.”

Again, you're addressing an imaginary mass-referred to as "people". People who are unaware of the uproar in the black community. People who have a problem with hip hop. Prison too. Who are these "people" Jason? White people, black people, you? I thought the masses were unaware of the dissent within the black community, how can you subsequently reference Chris Rock and Bill Cosby, two of Americas favorite comedians? What's with comedians anyway? Why don't you have a bigger frame of reference?

Q: Are there any athletes out there today who are working to make the changes that you think are needed?

“I don’t think it’s possible for one person to be able to change everything. I definitely think there can be guys like Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali. But none of the guys are doing that. Yet, sometimes we forget that charismatic black leaders told Ali, Brown, Tommie Smith and John Carlos (1968 Olympic medal winners who famously raised their fists in a black power salute) what to do. These guys were led. No one is leading them today. It’s a failure of black leadership. But we can’t blame athletes. They are too immature.”

Now you're challenging black leadership as a whole? Athletes are too immature? Perhaps you should pass me the Twinkies and show 'em how it's done.

Q: Have you read Dave Zirin’s, “An Open Letter to Jason Whitlock.” If so, what are your feelings regarding the comments he made?

“I think Dave’s heart is in the right place. But Dave needs to let black people handle this. We need to have this series of arguments and debates. I say this nicely as possible, but Dave just needs to mind his own business. That doesn’t mean non-blacks can’t help. Obviously, some white people played a great role in the civil-rights movement. I don’t know if Dave just wants to draw attention to his blog or what, but he should just mind his business.”

Dave wanted to draw attention to the facts. Given your aversion to logic and research, you might be a bit more niggerish than you thought, Jason.

Q: What is it going to take for African-Americans to have this “conversation” that you consistently bring up?


“I think we are already there. It’s been bubbling. There are prominent blacks out there discussing this. Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Juan Williams. They are out there. I knew when I gave the Big Lead interview that people were ready for this. I made the decision to go to AOL because of its association with pop culture. I knew I’d have the freedom to discuss this and spur debate. I knew it was just a matter of time before this conversation could happen. It is taking place right now. And I’m going to continue pushing the need for conversation. But now, I want to take it to another level. People need to really think about hip-hop culture. This stuff is straight out of the penitentiary and you cannot live that way out here in the real world.”

Again with the comedians? Think bigger Jason. Or are you ignoring the efforts of others in a vainglorious attempt to build your own profile? Do you realize you're hindering honest discussion by trivializing our country's past and current ills with your fear mongering? Do you even realize that this issue is rooted in things much bigger than sports, and that it may require analysis by someone other than a fucking sportswriter, especially one as limited as yourself?

Q: While there are prominent African-American sports writers and journalists out there, African-Americans are still under-represented in the field. Two questions:
(1) How did you get your start out of Ball State? (2) What advice would you give a young African-American sports journalist fresh out of college who is hoping to embark on a journalism career?

“Well, I studied journalism in college and worked for the school newspaper. My first job was in Bloomington, Indiana for the Bloomington Herald Times. I made five dollars an hour. Then I moved to South Carolina and covered high school sports for two years. After that, I moved to Ann Arbor, where I covered the Fab Five. As for advice, I would start off by telling the kid to not be afraid to move to another city. Work at a small newspaper and hone your skills. Don’t be afraid to be different and definitely don’t go in with the expectation that the ride will be smooth and easy. You have to be committed.”

Thanks for the advice, Jason. Are you gonna eat that? Ouch! Sorry, stupid question.

Gilbert Arenas should reproduce. Several Times.

Washington Post-Moments after a group of Elvis Presley impersonators finished jumping off trampolines and dunking during a second-half timeout, Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas sneaked off the East bench, grabbed a ball, bounced off one of the trampolines and dunked. According to Arenas, the stunt was the result of a dare by Shaquille O'Neal, who has to donate between $50,000 and $100,000 to a charity of Arenas's choice. "I was nervous," Arenas said. "I was like, 'If I miss this and get hurt, I'm in trouble.'

Arenas said that one of the reasons he decided to terminate his agent, Dan Fegan, was because he wanted to be in complete control of how he was presented, flaws and all.

"I'm not going around saying I'm a good-old boy. I'm just like everybody. I make mistakes. I'm just your average kid. I'm not saying I'm this uppity guy who doesn't do anything wrong, who doesn't eat at Burger King. Hey, I eat Burger King before games." Arenas said. "You have these marketing teams and everyone is trying to create these golden images, these untouchable images -- and all of these untouchable images falter. Why? Because you've [portrayed] yourself like that, that means you're walking on eggshells. If you do anything wrong, you're down the toilet. You can't live your life."

Gil's Blog-We were sitting there in the timeout watching them Elvis guys dunk, and my big mouth, I was like, “Man, I can do that better than them.” And then they missed a couple so I was like, “When they finish up, I’m going to go do it.” Shaq was like, “Yeah, right.” He said, “I’ll put $100,000 in your foundation.” I was like, $100,000 or get in trouble by David Stern? $100,000 or get in trouble by David Stern? Oh man, I’ll take that fine. So I did it for my Zer0 2 Her0 charity. It was great though. Between the legs…Yea-ahhh! I used to practice those trampoline dunks back at Golden State. I can flip and everything. But I didn’t want to flip and crack my neck.

The Steering Wheel of a Maybach....

I already touched on this in my top ten list, but the sound of Nash slurping these days is deafening, so allow me to expand on my distaste for Canada's greatest export. In the summer of '03 practically every basketball pundit was dumbfounded as to why the Suns would offer Steve Nash a max contract. Four years later he's working on his third straight MVP? Ridiculous.

The historical significance of the award is being tainted by naive and biased voters. Of course there are those who will claim that the MVP is decided upon on a year by year basis and that historical context should not be a deciding factor. The previous winners obviously don't reflect that rationale, but I digress. By either definition-best overall player or most irreplacable player-Nash is not MVP. He's clearly not the best player in the league, unless the court is shortened to 45 feet and defense and rebounding are outlawed. More importantly, Nash is receiving a lion's share of the credit that sould be spread evenly amongst his teammates, coaching staff and front office. Colangelo put all the pieces in place, and D'Antoni implemented the perfect system for a roster with two other uniquely talented All-Stars. How many other players in the league can finish off a fast break, rebound & defend like Matrix? Is there a more ideal partner for the pick & roll than STAT?

Why isn't anyone acknowledging that Dallas got better after Nash left? That Dallas is better because of their improved defense? Can we agree that Dallas is better than Phoenix? That it's because of defense? So, can we also agree that Nash is playing in a run n' gun system that inflates his offensive statistics while masking his defensive deficiencies? What makes this completely laughable is the fact that Stephon Marbury-everyone's least favorite point guard-took almost the exact same Suns roster to the playoffs. Granted it was an 8 seed, but they still almost upset the top seeded Spurs. Nash comes in a couple of years later-doesn't win anything either-and is en route to receive the stamp of dominanace that even Jordan was denied? Bottom line is that players don't get that much better at 31 years old. Something around them changes.