Duke Lacrosse – More Apologies Now!!!!

Wanted to update my stance from yesterday and share some more insight on this matter.

1) One key point to look it is the fact that Attorney General Cooper proclaimed these boys innocent!!! Not only did he drop all charges but he issued a public proclamation of their innocence. This is a class act by him.

2) Here is an interesting approach that some members of the media are taking…Naming the accuser. In rape cases, the victim’s identity is kept confidential. Well since this is no longer a rape case the accuser’s name is Crystal Gail Mangum. What is bizarre is that Attorney General Cooper is not filing any charges against HER!!! Quid Pro Quo. She is actually guilty of a lot, crimes against the three young boys and on a larger scale crimes against all women. I will touch on this next.

3) Where are the apologies? Here is a good one from Jamele Hill at ESPN…Apology to Duke lacrosse players not enough. She writes a wonderful tale of saying that if she wanted to she could blame Nifong or Jesse Jackson for how she thought but the fact is she says she feels stupid and is embarrassed she doubted the lacrosse players innocence. She is a smart, educated woman and got caught up in the media hype, the civil rights hype and all of the social commentaries that go along with this story. The one point she makes is a side bar but very valid. Crystal Gail Mangum, the accuser, has now cast doubt into any future rape allegation charges. If a black woman is raped by a white, male athlete, the first thing people will do is to bring up the Duke case and to question the woman’s story. This is a tragedy. Women are raped each and every day and the last thing people need to do is to rush to label the woman as a potential liar. Rape is a terrible thing.

I want to see accountability and a lineup of all of the civil rights leaders, academics, individuals, media personalities, etc…step forward and issue public apologies to these three young men and their families. Their lives have been ruined, their college life was violently yanked from under them and the entire world laid judgment on them. They deserve apoligies from lots of people and I hope they get them. Shame on Jamele Hill for her initial reaction to this matter but I praise her for her public reversal and for her sincere apology. I hope more members of the media follow her lead.

Update… this just in… Nifong is apologizing as well. A little too late for that Mr. Nifong. D.A. apologizes to Duke lacrosse players. You have go to tbe kidding me. This guy knows he screwed up and screwed up bad and now he is apologizing. Nifong simply read a statement and then refused to comment. It is expected that the Duke lacrosse players’ attornies will be filing some nice civil lawsuits against this guy and other legal experts are expecting Mr. Nifong to be disbarred. Here is a little bit of advice to other DAs out there….do not make a circus out of sensitive race issues for your own political gain…it will come back to haunt you!!!

Dice-K’s Nightmare – Did you get any sleep last night?

After sleeping and reflecting on last night’s game I think it was a nigthmare scenario for Dice-K, the Red Sox and Boston fans. This is the first home start of Dice-K’s career, we have been hearing about it for weeks, we have been blasted with clips of Dice-K striking out Ichiro three times 8 years ago, ESPN was hyping the game for days and the national press descended on Fenway. And what happened…..Dice-K was completely overshadowed by King Felix and he took the loss. Not only was he overshadowed, it left people speechless. The King strutted into Fenway and threw down a one hitter throwing 99-100 mph sinking fastballs, 93 mph sliders that had multiple feet of break on them and a change that was hitting 87 and then even slower as the game wore on. Felix was plain filthy and unhittable. He hit corners, he made batters flinch at his breaking pitches and he made guys swing and miss. He did not throw down 12 Ks but it did not matter…he simply dominated. So now the Red Sox and Boston media are left thinking what did we get for $100 million. Dice-K can beat the Royals easily but can he face established MLB hitters every start and succeed? I for one do not know and will look forward to finding out. What I did learn is the King Felix is an incredible talent and for a kid who just turned 21, I can not wait to watch him more. Dice-K has a lot left to prove…

1) Can he live up to expectiations?
2) Can he face the Boston media pressure?
3) Can he face the Japanese media pressure?
4) Can he learn to control his adrenaline? Dice-K’s pitches dropped in velocity and he became more wild as the game wore on.

And for King Felix? I can not wait to watch you pitch again and I think you need a new nickname…maybe King Nasty will fit for awhile.

Red Sox fans…I would be very nervous if I were you because Dice-K was a bust last night and has a lot to prove to the rest of us.

So what are people saying around the country:

ESPN – http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview?gameId=270412102

MLB – http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070411&content_id=1893414&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Boston Globe – http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/04/12/on_this_night_not_good_enough/

These articles are great. No more hype, no more excuses, no more promotion. Dice-K was outpitched and was the lesser of the two starters. The King reigned supreme and will continue to do so. Now we can move away from the who does Dice-K compare to…a Pedro in his prime, Clemens, etc…and we can wait to see who Dice-K really is in a Red Sox uniform pitching in front of large crowds and a media circus. So lets stop rpoclaiming this guy the next coming and lets enjoy the season and see if Dice-K can pitch successfully start in and start out and see if he can beat lineups that are not the Royals. I look at facts and so far the facts showed a mediocre pitcher.

Flash Flash

MLB & NBA Picks

Yanks and Nats sucked it last night, but the Mariners & King Felix dominated.  Hopefully you pressed the Mariners hard-the payout would be fantastic. So, went 1-2 in MLB last night.

In the NBA, the Mavs and Wizards covered. The Magic lost by 5, so that was a push. The Spurs sucked it. So, I went 2-1-1 in NBA last night.

My record to date is as follows:

• MLB: 6-9
• NBA: 8-2-2
• UFC: 2-1

The lines and match-ups for tonight are terrible. I’m not recommending any picks for tonight’s action. Will be back tomorrow though.

Good luck.

 Runny