More on ACTUAL Sports

Now that the debate has - at least from my end - been posted and recorded, I can move on to everything else.

April is a fucking awesome month. Baseball season begins and, in what has become one of the best years for NBA basketball, the playoffs begin.

I'll start with the playoffs. Unfortunately, I can't celebrate the man at the top of this post anymore this month - on Monday night, the Suns officially knocked the Warriors and B Davis out of the playoffs. Thus the 8th and final spot in the West goes to the Denver Nuggets, on a day when not only did Carmelo Anthony get arrested for a DUI, but he also got a ride to his hotel from the police. (His fiance refused to come get him - luckily the guys who tagged and bagged him where able to get him home safe - fucking ridiculous.

- All of this happens and we're still waiting to hear/understand why Don Nelson sat Davis for the entire second half of Monday's game.

- The Lakers clinched the 1 spot last night and probably a Kobe MVP, while the Hornets and CP3 clinched the 2 spot.

On Facebook right now, there is a new NBA Playoffs application that allows you to predict the playoffs. Mine for this year: Suns vs. Celtics - Garnett brings another Banner to Boston after a 22 year drought. Hoops Addict wrote an awesome futuristic piece about what happens in the 08 playoffs and it's extremely cool. Check it out here.

Of course, with my man-crush on LeBron, I have to give he and the Cavs some hope in my mind, but unfortunately, he still doesn't have the supporting cast. He needs a Pippen and he doesn't have it. With all that being said, I'll be wearing my LBJ jersey on the 19th in the Ozarks no matter what.

Transition: baseball

Yesterday, Jeff Passan wrote a great article on Griffey, Jackie Robinson and the declining number of African American players now in the MLB. Read it here.

It makes some very interesting points about Griffey and how he helped market version as the kid who played for love of the game and all that. (I actually had a poster of him on my wall in the exact pose as the one above, only he was wearing a backwards cap and it said Moonshot at the top. I wish I could find that...)

The article also talks about how Griffey was the first to call Bud Selig and ask to wear Jackie Robinson's number to remember his legacy and continue his legend.

Towards the end however, Griffey talks about the decline of black players in baseball and mentions the treatment of the league and fans on Barry Bonds as part of the reason. Now I love Griffey and we all know my stance on the asterik cheater that is Barry Bonds, but I'm not sure how much I like Grifs comments.

I HONESTLY, 100% DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANYONE WHO HATES BARRY BONDS, DOES SO BECAUSE HE IS BLACK. Once again, race is being made an issue where it shouldn't be. The color of Barry Bond's skin has no merit on the hatred he gets. IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK HE CHEATED.

Obviously there were other who did too, and some people - Griffey being one - may ask, why isn't there any such scrutiny being put on them. The answer is the record.

Before Bonds hit 72 in a season, he was already a guarenSHEED hall of famer. No question. The thing that pisses people off, and me especially, is the fact that he took "performance enhancing drugs" in order to break one of the most coveted records in all of sports.

Towards the end of last season, Hammerin Hank gave a speech at Miller Park commemorating the Milwaukee Braves. He spoke of fans and legacy and when he spoke of all those things, especially the city of Milwaukee and it's support during his own run, there was somewhat of a noticeable grimace. Take it as you will, I'm going to take it as this: Fuck Barry Bonds, not for his race or skin color, but for the blemish he left on baseball and history.

During a week when we do celebrate a man for his skin color in conjuncture with baseball, it is kind of sickening that Barry himself and others still play the race card.

I just wonder what Jackie would say about all of this.