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Black Men Running the Field
This time last year, the number of African-American head coaches in the National Football League had reached an all-time high of 7 out of 32. Then a tumultuous post-season cut that number nearly in half. Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts retired, and two coaches, Romeo Crennel at Cleveland (4-12 record in 2008) and Herm…
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12 Cheeses of Christmas
There’s no such thing as a bad time for cheese, but celebrations and gatherings are prime time for cheese. The quality of cheeses made in America and imported from Europe and Australia has improved exponentially in recent years. New distribution channels enable Americans to eat cheeses from the smallest, great dairy farms in Europe. But…
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What Kobe, LeBron and Dwyane Owe Spencer Haywood
It’s an overstatement to say that the NBA as we know it wouldn’t exist without the pioneering work of Spencer Haywood, but not by much. The Supreme Court helped, too. Forty years ago, Haywood became the first player to leave college early and go to the pros. Just after completing his sophomore year at the…
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Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In
At this point in the NFL season it’s not too early to ask if the New Orleans Saints can run the table. Yes, the Saints. One of two undefeated teams in the league, they’ve only played eight games and have eight more contests to go. But look at the schedule: Their upcoming opponents include four…
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World Series: Can Pedro Bury His Yankee Ghosts?
Unless you have grown jaded by ESPN’s treatment of baseball which places all teams in the northeast corridor on one level and the other 26 teams in some pseudo-minor league, then this is an easy World Series to like. The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies have many compelling story lines, and the two teams…
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Jump Ball: Lakers in the West; Magic in the East
THE EAST Weeks before the Mad Men season premiere this summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic engaged in an arms race that recalled the 1960s, when every spring Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics battled Jerry West’s Los Angeles Lakers for the title, and every summer each team vied furiously for additional talent. The Cavs traded…
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Wade in Hot Water
We’re a quarter of the way through the NFL season and it’s time for the snark to start circling. Aside from jokes about wide receivers who run their mouths better than their routes (yes, we’re talking about you Braylon Edwards late of the Cleveland Browns, now of the New York Jets. I bet no one…
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Bandwagon Season in the NFL
The NFL season is entering only its fourth week, but some key trends are already apparent. Let’s look at the undefeated and winless teams so far. There are seven of each and four of the undefeated teams are going to need really big bandwagons. Consider then Baltimore Ravens. It’s not a big surprise that they…
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JUMP BALL!
First there was the 2007 NBA referee cheating scandal. And now, substitute refs? Looks like it. The NBA and the referees are in the midst of increasingly acrimonious negotiations that may lead to a lockout and the use of replacement refs when the exhibition season begins on Oct. 1. The last set of talks broke…
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Rookie Mistake
Is Michael Crabtree the dumbest player in pro-football? Judging from how he has handled his contract negotiations so far, he might be. He’s left a $26.5 million contract with $16.5 million guaranteed on the table, and he’s not likely to get that kind of offer from any other team. The 49ers have requested a meeting with…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
