"Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t like them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won ... So if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, when we can move on to March Madness — for God’s sake, let the games begin."

That was the ever 'too' outspoken  American sportscaster Bryant Gumbel prior to the opening of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. This is unfair, but the emergence of African-American speed skating sensation,  Shani Davis, reminded me of Gumbel's foolish words.  Don't blame me, blame Gumbel.  By all accounts, Davis seems like a nice guy trying to stay focused on his quest to become the first African-American to win a Gold medal in the Winter Olympics. I'm just wondering whether Gumbel will tune into this year's edition of the Winter Games in Vancouver...?  I know I will tune in to see Davis, and I will also be watching the Canadian squads, and other athletes from other countries, from various ethnicities.

Arenas fires Washington Bullets

 'What'd I do now coach?'

Just when the dust had begun to settle from New York Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress' (accidentally) self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg last year, NBA guard Gilbert Arenas has stirred the pot once again.  The Washington Wizard pulled two handguns on teammate Javaris Crittenton in a heated dispute over a supposed gambling debt Crittenton had incurred during a card game on a team flight.

I really don't want to spend much time on this one except to say that I hope NBA Commissioner David Stern throws the book at Arenas.  Make an example of him, because the NBA cannot afford another similar occurrence.  Arenas has to be suspended at the very least for the remainder of this season. And if it were up to me, I might suspend him for life for putting other players in harm's way.

From every angle, this looks terrible. From a league perspective with regards to marketing, professionalism and sportsmanship. Furthermore, racially, as there countless young upstanding Black basketball players who will inevitably feel the racist tremors from the shock-wave that Arenas' embarrassingly idiotic actions will invoke in the United States.  You know, they'll go something like:  "Oh, the NBA has gone too Hip Hop" or "Just more Black men shooting at each other".  Way to go Arenas!