Ron Artest Misses MJ, Too

I don't normally post stuff like this because I try to keep it PG, so you have been warned that there is strong language that some may find offensive.

But Ron Artest has the right to give Michael Jackson a tribute, which I happened to have discovered on the eve of MJ's memorial service. Ron has never disappointed me. Ever.

GYGM: Who's Bad?

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted at all in the month of June...

Well, now is as good a time as any to post a GYGM (I know it has been a long time). I promise I'll be back to posting in the near term (even though NBA is done, I have some thoughts on the trades and draft picks...and what I think will continue to be an interesting summer for all of those...)

But I had to give all due respect to what I can safely say is the greatest entertainer of all time. Everything else has already been said.

It's funny that LeBron mentioned during the BET Awards last night that MJ did a lot for basketball, as he may have not considered the veracity of his statement, but he is right. Michael Jackson's influence across all forms of entertainment certainly paved the way for others (black, white and other) from sports to music to movies and television.

Thanks for the memories, MJ.

A (Derrick) Rose By Any Other Name *Is* Just As Sweet

I'm working on very little sleep but had a few things on my mind and needed to vent (I have the good fortune of needing to unwind and watch TV when I get home, no matter how late it is...), so here goes:

As we all suspected, the University of Memphis basketball player whom the NCAA is investigating about his involvement with some academic integrity issues (i.e., having someone else take the SAT in his stead and changing a high school grade from a D to a C) is none other than your now-NBA (Sprite? KIA? Quicken Loans? (not just yet)) Rookie of the Year, Derrick Rose. Of course they're interviewing everyone under the sun from the NCAA to students at Memphis to the NBA to discuss the potential impact of this. I just heard a lawyer explain why all of his endorsers are watching this closely and yada yada yada. I don't have the time to get into this like I'd like to so I may need to revisit, but needless to say if you've been here before, I find this all to be a bit ridiculous. Rose actually seems reasonably intelligent and learned, but even given that, let's be honest: did Memphis really recruit him for his academic prowess? Is he the only athlete who has ever had a grade changed? Sure, it's not a good thing to have someone take the SAT for you, and there should be punishment for that.

But that's not what this is about. I don't know if people truly understood the great lengths that the NCAA goes to pursue their goals of free labor and higher revenues. They have succeeded in convincing people that they have a genuine interest in the education of their athletes and that playing for nothing more than the "love of the game" (while the schools and the organization rake in millions of dollars every year) is sports at its most "pure." And, oh yeah, that "one and done" rule the NBA adopted? Well, one year of going to class and socialization is better than none, right? Two years would just be overkill.

When I was in law school, having played college sports myself, I considered filing a lawsuit on behalf of other NCAA student-athletes to get the organization to change its oppressive system but then I realized that I wasn't the first person who had tried nor would I be the last. Instead, I settled for writing a paper on the topic. And, thankfully for the NCAA, I'm not a big fan of litigation. Ha.

But the point remains the same: Everybody in and around basketball knows the deal. It's not that these kids are dumb, it's that people don't even want them to try for fear that they won't succeed and, therefore, won't be able to play. (Then we wonder why they have trouble trying to balance life as an adult...) How genuinely surprised would folks in the NCAA or NBA, or companies handing out these millions of endorsement dollars really be if it turned out that every single NBA star had received a grade they didn't deserve at some point in their scholastic careers? Considering that people representing each and every single one of these groups have been following these kids since they were in 7th and 8th grade, I'd have to say not many. No one can claim they were left in the dark, and in many cases, these same folks now crying foul (no pun intended) were the ones providing the "light." After all, the [insert name of basketball shoe/clothing company] guy who came to all of their high school games is the same guy who connects the kid with his college team, which team often leads him to his NBA agent, who leads the kid back to the shoe/clothing guy. Given all of this, I find it hard to believe that the NBA, NCAA and endorsers are banking on the fact that these kids are actually doing their own work; rather, I'd say they're banking on you and I not thinking about that.

Now, the NCAA wants to strip Memphis of the games they won (including their tournament run) if they find these allegations are true. But even if they take away the games from the "record books" (they must be kept in a library and not on the Internets), there will always be an asterisk there, not to mention that people have memories - they can't quite erase those.

So if the NCAA, the NBA (the "A" apparently used to stand for "academia"), and Rose's endorsers decide to distance themselves from him now that he (and more likely, if this is true, the others around him) allegedly had low academic integrity a few years ago (he is a pro now, last I checked), that's fine. As long as they don't mind being called on the hypocrisy.

I've got at least one more bone to pick this week. Stay tuned . . .

MYSM . . . A Little Bit Late

Funny stuff. Congrats to King James on the MVP award.

Title This One: "And Sometimes She Blogs, Too"

So many of my convos involve sports these days, I am starting to believe that it's just a more enjoyable forum to do what I like to do most: analyze things. Here are a few things I've been talking about:

1. Kudos to those of you who correctly guessed - on the blog and off - Ray Allen, aka Jesus Shuttlesworth, as the "smart guy" in Saturday's Quickie. I wrote the Quickie after finally seeing his PSA with his wife and son who has diabetes about the JDRF, which I thought might help you all figure out who I was talking about, but what do I know. If you read the blog, you know that I don't often support "hype" but trust me when I say this guy is the real deal . . . and rare. First Kevin Garnett, then Ray Allen. Who's next?

2. Carlos Boozer just said he would like to be a Utah Jazz next season. HA. I will believe it when I see it. It's funny because people had him going to the Pistons when they seemed like a title contender but now that they've effectively blown themselves up, he probably feels he's a lot closer to winning in Utah than he is to winning one in Detroit. I can't say I blame him since he isn't getting any younger and the Pistons are at least a few years away from a championship . . . yet I'm not certain Jerry Sloan can get over the "always a bridesmaid" hump with Utah, but some people feel better about at least coming close even if they never win. Not me. When my team gets to the finals and loses repeatedly, it's bad for my blood pressure, and it just plain sucks. I don't know how Portland Trailblazers fans did it back in the day. If they just stink, then at least I know what I'm getting. I can't be alone in this . . .

3. Unless you're a sports writer/reporter, a prospective player (or a member of said prospective player's massive entourage . . . ) - basically, employed in some way by the NFL either indirectly or directly, the NFL draft is somewhat of a snooze fest. How anyone can retain interest in watching 240 guys get picked is beyond me. Most people I know don't watch past the first 10 to 15 picks, and only listen out for their own teams picks. I mean, there are so many people to choose from, let's just admit this is sort of a random crapshoot after the first round or so, eh? Or admit that the way the players in the later rounds are picked is based on some criteria like, say, "finished 2nd in the 40 behind the guy who tested positive for weed during the combine." And these late picks may well be the guys who mean the most to the team in the long run. I think any GM who continually makes successful picks in the draft deserves a bonus just for that.

4. Derrick Rose! Show them why you were #1! I'm happy to see him rising to the occasion in his first playoff series, especially after the way he and Memphis let the championship slip from their grasp in the '08 NCAA final. Perhaps that was just a freshman mistake . . . only time will tell.

5. They're still showing Michael Vick's rescued dogs in segments on national news shows. The one I just watched (no idea what channel it was) featured a woman who was taking her Vick rescued dog to a trainer to help with its behavioral problems. And while this is still ongoing, she's bringing the dog around her small children. The interviewer asked her about this and she indicated that she wasn't concerned because of all the love and attention the dog was now receiving. Well, here's an anecdote for her: Recently, I was running out the door and left some chicken out on my stove in an aluminum tray. When I returned home, I discovered that my small-ish dog somehow managed to jump up on the stove, knock the tray down, and eat all of the chicken and most of the aluminum foil that was underneath it . . . all of which she managed to expel over the course of the next twelve hours. This is only the second time this has happened in the time I've had her, the first being nearly four years ago when she and her partner in crime jacked a Christmas ham. The moral of the story is this: dogs will be dogs so watch your back. . . and at least wait for the dog to complete the training before you loose it on your kids. I'm certain she wouldn't have allowed it around her kids if we were talking about a human who was trained to only kill people . . .

Quickie: The Smart Guy

It's nice to be able to write something positive about a superstar.

I don't know why all of the ones I've been running into are basketball players but maybe football players aren't as visible to me (although come to think of it, I did see one of those, too, but I didn't talk to him so it's not worth mentioning). Anyway, on with the story.

I've never been a huge fan of him, not because of his personality or anything like that, but just because he has been on team(s) I could never root for (not if I wanted to go back home, that is). But I had the absolute pleasure of randomly chit-chatting with this NBA superstar and I must say, he was quite impressive. He seems like an intelligent guy on TV, even in his "holy role," but he's not just smart, he puts his money and time where his mouth is, and encourages his teammates to do the same.

In a 20 minute convo with him and another sports figure, basketball was not on the agenda. Instead, we discussed topics such as why our society is in poor health. By all accounts, he is a rare breed indeed in any sport, but every team could use a guy like him in their locker room.

The sky is definitely the limit when it comes to his post-NBA vocation.

If this isn't easy enough, I'll add that he and his team are in the playoffs.

MYSM: Walk-In Closets

As one might imagine, as a chick who really likes sports, I'm not a fan of stereotypes but this is pretty amusing.



Happy Monday!

She Tweets!

As you may have noticed, I haven't had much time to blog these days. But I have plenty of time to Twitter (if Shaq does, then so can I). I am still trying to figure out how to use this thing, but please sign up to follow me as I comment on sports topics throughout the day.

I'm actually hoping to post something this week because so much has gone on that people keep asking for my opinion (aww, I'm touched), and I do have some things to say.

If you want to follow me as I twitter, tweet, twit, whatever, you can find me at twitter.com/pleatsncleats.


See you soon!

MYSM: Is This Phelps Also On That Stuff?

ESPN's Digger Phelps sure knows how to . . . move. I can't really call this dancing or cutting a rug, it's more like a performance . . . of some sort. Hey, at least he knows how to have a good time!



This is not his first time . . .

Monthly Rundown

It has been about a month since the last time I posted. Time is at a premium these days, but here's a little something something so it can't be said that I've abandoned my blog:

1) Tiger Woods can be defeated. Score one for the senior citizens!

2) So Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids. I still don't quite understand why this is a big deal . . . obviously, these guys are huge. Truthfully, I'd be more surprised if he wasn't shooting up. If I see one more story about how disappointed some writer is that some would-be-Hall-of-Fame-bound baseball player did steroids, I'm going to start writing letters to the editor. Maybe I'm too cynical, but I think these guys are approaching this with a tad too much naïvete. I mean, you've seen that guy who goes to your gym every single day and takes protein intravenously in the locker room - he STILL doesn't look like Mark McGwire!

3) The NBA All-Star game is this weekend. I've listened to the commentators debate over the past few weeks whether all-stars should come from subpar teams. My take on it is this: this is a popularity contest, folks. If you're putting up the numbers, have a top-selling jersey, or are good enough to have one of the Big 3 (now refers to Nike, Reebok, and Adidas) throw piles of money at you to sell their stuff, then you should be on the roster. I don't think the quality of your team should really count for much. This is a celebration of individual play, not the ability to make their bad teammates better. If I have to play alongside [insert names of four other guys who, if not for the right connections, would be playing overseas right now] (I'm turning over a new leaf and not calling anyone out), then I don't think I should be punished for it. That said, I am happy that the Cleveland Cavaliers' Mo Williams finally gets his chance to shine. Of course he was passed over twice (really, three times) and had to wait for guys (Jameer Nelson first and now Chris Bosh) to go down with injuries, but things have a way of working out exactly how they are supposed to.

4) So Plaxico Burress has a history of not paying his bills on time. The folks in the article seem to be blaming this on "he thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's a professional athlete." Except that not paying the bills on time makes him exactly like 90% of the attorneys I know (because they know the laws on debt collection, after all) and probably a solid percentage of the American public. It's amazing how quickly people will forget your game winning Super Bowl touchdown after you shoot yourself in the leg at a night club.

5) Pretty funny.

New Year, Same Run

I heard you can only say happy new year for a week, but I think it's allowed whenever you haven't spoken to someone since last year. So,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thanks to all who have sent me stories and said they missed me. I missed you, too. Without further ado, let's jump into the first run of the new year:



1. Donovan McNabb can really be a beast sometimes. And sometimes he can really be a fool. I've said before that winning covers up a multitude of sins. For those who didn't see it, near the end of the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New York Giants, a game in which Eli Manning completed his return to earth after last year's Super Bowl win, McNabb ran out of bounds on to the Giants sidelines, picked up the phone customarily used to communicate with the coordinators looking down on the game, and acted like he was making a phone call. That little antic cost his team a 15 yard penalty. And earned him a nice rebuke from former fellow QB Troy Aikman: "Sometimes I just don't know what's going through that guy's head." McNabb acknowledged it wasn't the smartest move after the game, and luckily for him the game was pretty much out of reach. But that's the kind of stuff that makes Iggles fans dislike him. McNabb's a veteran and he knows officials don't put up with any shenanigans. Completely ridiculous, that's all I have to say.

2. So Tim Tebow decided that it's better to play college football than to make millions playing for the Detroit Lions. Even in this economy, he wasn't willing to possibly ruin his career. Smart man.

3. My how the might have fallen. The Boston Celtics went from amazing to awful in the course of a month. Now, they're just happy to get a win over the Toronto Raptors, which is really no win at all. Although the Celts finally snapped their losing streak, Kevin Garnett managed to go an ice cold 3-16. This is a prime example of how the mental side of the game is often more important than being physically talented. This is not a different team from earlier in the season, this is the same team who is now not disturbed by the idea of losing. I'm still not a Celts fan but I'll do just about anything to not have to see the Cleveland Cavaliers coming out of the East. And it's not that I don't like the Cavs (Ok, it's not just that I don't like the Cavs), but I just don't believe they're talented enough to go all the way in the playoffs, despite this recent ride. I just don't see all the tools there that typically comprise championship teams. LeBron James is talented enough for sure, but every superstar needs support to get over the hump. While his guys are playing well now, I have a feeling they'll be playing nearer to their historic averages (read: not quite as hot) come playoff time. We'll just have to wait and see . . .

4. University of North Carolina men's basketball team is 0-2 in ACC play. Maybe now this will end all of that Tyler Hansbrough/Naismith player of the year talk . . . at least for a few weeks. I'll take what I can get.

5. I thought about discussing the other NFL games, but you've probably seen SportsCenter twelve times since then like I have. This is a little video montage passed along by a faithful reader. He likes #3, I'm still blown by #4. Although #3 is kind of hilarious, it doesn't quite count as a MYSM so it's rounding out the top five.




Happy Monday!

MYSM: RV Improvements

This is the commercial I was looking for before.

I'd like to know where I can buy that 24-second clock . . .

GYGM: Sesame Street Rocked

Stevie Wonder visited Sesame Street and it was never the same again. I love the kid rocking out at :39.

Barney was never quite as dope.

Two Days For Tuesday

This post took me two days to finish writing, but like I always say, better late than never. It makes me feel better about being late.

1. O-town! I guess it's kind of a big deal about the Detroit Lions going 0-16. I like the post-game quotes about how much this sucks. I don't know what changed between 0-15 and 0-16, and hey, at least they were consistent. I don't really see why you go down in history for losing all of the games vs. going 1-15. They're equally as awful, just the one loss doesn't get as much press (or puns). Look at the Miami Dolphins, they were 1-15 and now they're going to the playoffs. Miracles do happen. Maybe not on the Lions, but they happen to other people . . . (On a sidenote, I know my blog has infiltrated my mind because I hear the words "playoffs" and "practice" and automatically think of Jim Mora and Allen Iverson, respectively. Am I alone in this?)

**UPDATE** - Lions' coach Rod Marinelli got the boot on Monday. But Marinelli still managed to sound as positive and upbeat as the day he took the job. He truly seems like a good guy, and I wish him all the best down the road. As for the Lions, I'll deal with them again right before the next season.

2. Speaking of being in need of a miracle, WHAT was that crap the Dallas Cowboys laid on the field today against the Philadelphia Eagles (aka, the Iggles)? So you have a golden opportunity to get into the playoffs (via the wild card game, and after several other improbable wins by other teams) and what do you do? Get blown out, and help some guy (or gal) clean up in the final week of fantasy football. It appears the Lions loss made enough headlines to knock the Cowboys off of the front page, despite the colossal failure that was this game. But if I had to choose to be a Cowboy or a Lion . . . well, I'd still be a Cowboy because who the heck wants to be in the Hall of ShFame for losing every game in a seaon, but the Cowboys is a close -- nope, it's still a distant second, but it's fairly embarrassing and it also sucks. To add insult to injury, Tony Romo collapsed in the shower after the game following a rib injury sustained during the game that affected his breathing. Hmm . . . well, I guess if your team is going to have as many turnovers and mistakes as the Cowboys had, then it softens the blow to get your own butt individually kicked, too. Way to take one with the team.

3. One team might be slightly more pissed than the Cowboys: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who fell in fantastic form to the Oakland Raiders. A game which even very-involved Raiders owner Al Davis skipped because he thought it was a lost cause. Maybe it doesn't matter if you lose every game or if you win most of them if you both end up sitting at home in January . . .

4. Mike Singletary now has a permanent home (well, through the first few games of next season) with the San Francisco 49ers. Congrats to him. It's nice to know that mooning your employees is not fatal to one's career advancement.

5. Moving away from football for the moment, my "friend" - I use that term loosely because he is a fan of both LeBron and the man I am about to mention - put me on to this video of Kevin Garnett being interviewed by John Thompson. It's no secret that I have never been a big KG fan, mainly because he seemed to be a whiner, which is the quickest way to get yourself on Pleats 'n Cleats' Least Fave 5. But after watching this, I'd have to say he is either a really good actor or has the heart of a lion. I certainly can't hate on that.



Maybe he's not so bad after all . . .

Running Through My Mind

A few random musings (I wrote this several days ago and just never got around to posting):

1) NBA firings are apparently at an all-time high for this point in the season. Six coaches have been given their walking papers and we're barely 1/4 into the season. The chopped list includes: Reggie Theus by the Sacramento Kings, Maurice Cheeks by the Philadelphia 76er's, Eddie Jordan by the Washington Wizards, Sam Mitchell by the Toronto Raptors, Randy Wittman by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and P.J. Carlesimo by the Oklahoma City Thunder. I agree with cutting off the head sometimes, but for most of these, I really think they coach was a scapegoat, covering up the real, massive problem: the team sucks. I won't elaborate on which coaches I think needed to go (to protect the innocent) but suffice it to say that this is a short term solution to a problem that goes way deeper than the head coach. Almost all of these teams are underachieving, and one literally just started a few months ago. Is it the economy? Lack of fans? Whatever the reason, firing the coach this early is akin to throwing in the towel for the year, and, frankly, it's just not very creative . . . especially the Kings who waited for five other heads to roll before he got the boot in the back. What followers.

2) Have I ever mentioned how much I love Stephon Marbury? He is the only guy in the league who would buy a front row ticket to a game in which he is being paid to play but the team doesn't want him. Seriously, the only one. Maybe Latrell Sprewell would have pulled such a move back in his day but other than that, I can't think of anyone. I caught his interview at the game, and he did one of my favorites: "me, myself . . ." I never understood what that means, I guess it's sort of like "um" for the urban set. He really keeps things interesting.

3) Allen Iverson was fined for "making inappropriate comments" to a fan during a Detroit Pistons visit to the Charlotte Bobcats, a game which the Pistons eventually won. I wonder if these guys budget for fines and suspensions . . .

4) So the Atlanta Hawks weren't a fluke and really do have something close to a legitimate response to the Boston Celtics. I will admit that the Celtics have really been impressive. I didn't like the idea of throwing a bunch of superstars together just to win a championship, but by golly, it worked. Two stars may not be enough, but three is solid, especially if one of them is a 7 foot shooter. But the Hawks almost beat them and looked good doing it. I'll have to continue to monitor this as the season develops . . .

5) I've been saying this for a long time, and now I'm finally going public with it. Twins?

Stuart from Mad TV:




Tyler from UNC:

GYGM: Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes

In honor of our current-soon-to-be-former POTUS, I present you with . . . Footloose.

I couldn't resist.

MYSM: W's On My Dodgeball Team

I've made a poor showing these past few weeks. This week should be better, today not included.



Today's "make ya smile" offering made me cry the first time I saw it. I assume you've all seen it but there's no way that I could let this go without posting it here.

Some of you may be saying, "Hey, PnC, this is not sports related. What's it doing on MYSM?" Ah, I'd have to disagree. While Dubya's quick moves were not part of a sporting event, this is easily one of the most athletic moves that I've had the pleasure of posting on a Monday - or maybe that I've ever seen. That shoe was going at a nice clip, Bush could have been bloody if not for his cat-like reflexes. I especially like how the second shoe didn't phase anyone.

The Secret Service must have been asleep at the wheel.

Happy Monday!

Running Back

So I've had quite a last few months, hence the lack of posts. I responded to a comment on my Plax post so check it out and jump in the conversation if you feel so inclined.

I have a few moments so I thought I'd do a little running on some random ruminations:



1) Joey Porter came to the defense of Plaxico Burress. During an interview that's set to appear on ESPN tomorrow (but I found it for you), Porter says that carrying a gun is essential as an NFL player, and when asked whether he carried a gun, he stumbled a bit over the answer but he admitted that he did, and that his interviewer should, too, if he cares about his family. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's take on it? He says (I'm paraphrasing) that if you're in a place where a gun is necessary, then you should leave that place. Hmm . . . so does that count for what happened to Sean Taylor? I might need to do a separate post on this, but I think his statement's a tad ignorant, in the truest sense of the word. I guarantee the same people coming after Goodell aren't coming after Porter and Burress.

2) This Stephen Curry kid (how the heck do you pronounce his name, really? Found it: STEFF-in) is just about the sweetest looking basketball player I've ever seen. By sweet, I mean like nice and sweet - not "sweet," but he is that, too. (And not that kind of sweet). He doesn't even look like he's trying and then he just launches these shots from out of nowhere. I always wonder about guys who are wildly popular in college (i.e., J.J. Redick) and whether translate into NBA success (no). It's a possibility but for some reason, I can't picture him in an NBA uniform. I think it's the face.

3) Going back to the NFL for a moment - I'd heard that sports probably wouldn't be safe during this recession. Now, the NFL is laying off 150 folks. What, not enough fines this year to keep your people employed? The "funny" part is that the layoffs are due to an anticipated downturn in ticket sales for next season. I'm all for forecasting and all that jazz but I think this might be a little premature. Of course, I'll concede the NFL has tracked ticket sales in recessions and might know more than I do . . . but a lot can happen in a year. It's almost Christmas! And we thought NFL = "not for long" referred to just the players.

4) I missed the Oscar De La Hoya fight (he fought alleged marquee boxer Manny Pacquiao . . . I concede the boy is good. Happy?) on Saturday night but from all accounts, that should really have been the Golden Boy's swan song. I caught a little bit of the bout and he looked pretty slow and tired out there. Although he rallied against Floyd Mayweather last year, he clearly has lost the goods that warranted him even a decision in the Felix Trinidad fight (wow, that was nine years ago - I remember where I was when I watched it). Now, he's just messing with his legacy. I know he'll miss the money, but he's still a young man, and I think still pretty enough to sell more than just grills and get paid handsomely (no pun intended) for doing so.

5) I'm cheating, I know, this isn't a story, but I missed MYSM, so I'm sharing. The move or the commentating - I'm not sure what's better. Please, Derrick, don't hurt 'em!

WTH: Plax Doesn't Just Kill Germs

Man. So I finally have a chance to write and this is what I'm given? You mean another football player shoots himself in the legfoot and potentially ruins his career?

Football is an unforgiving sport for a lot of reasons. One, the contracts are not guaranteed. Two, the playing-life span is incredibly short. And three, your career can end in a matter of moments. Unfortunately for several players in recent years, it's not just because of the hard hits.

It's amazing to me how your whole life can change in an instant. If you think back, there are probably only one or two pivotal moments in your life where if things had gone differently, you would not be where you are today (for better or for worse). The tough part is that you never know until it happens when you're having one of those moments.

So here we have Plaxico Burress - and potentially Antonio Pierce - who shot himself in a night club. Allegedly, the gun fell out of his pant leg after it accidentally went off, and Pierece tried to help him hide it - which seems to suggest they knew he wasn't supposed to have it. Considering that Plax's not even walking with a limp, this wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that he allegedly had an expired, out of state (this latter fact is all that matters in NY) permit for the gun. Now, he's being charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon that carry a minimum sentence of 3.5 years per count.

Here's my lawyer break down for those who want to know: Under New York law, he could be found guilty if the prosecution can prove that he knowingly possessed a loaded firearm with intent to use the firearm unlawfully against another (one count) or if it can be proven that he knowingly possessed a loaded firearm outside of his home or place of business (second count).

Well, Burress did one smart thing: He hired the lawyer who got Sean "Diddy" Combs off on his night club weapon charges. That lawyer is Ben Brafman, a.k.a. this generation's Johnnie Cochran.

From what I know of the facts, I don't really see the first charge sticking. Was he really trying to hurt someone else? I don't see this being proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The second one seems more uncertain. Although Mayor Bloomberg is talking big talk, I believe in this Brafman guy, and I'm not sure that this should be the "set the example" case that the mayor would like it to be. That law is pretty tough on its face with its minimum 3.5 year sentence, and this is not really the type of situation it was meant to prevent. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Alright, kids, this one is not quite the same as the Michael Vick situation, because I understand the need to carry a weapon when you're a high profile athlete out and about, and this wasn't a case of hanging out with the wrong crowd (unless being bad for your own health counts). But there is still a huge lesson to be learned. If you're carrying a weapon outside of the state where you got your permit, you really ought to know the laws because every state (and even some cities within a state) is different, and it's quite likely that you'll end up in a situation like this one, even if you don't literally shoot yourself in the process.

The other lesson here is that nothing "good" happens when you're out after 1 a.m. You can continue to stay out later all you want . . . just know this is true, especially if you're married with children. And if your wife and child are going to be affected by your actions, then all I'd ask is that you please think three times (once for you, once for her, and once for the kids) before you decide to take a risk. It's probably not worth it.

I haven't even covered any potential NFL sanctions. Right now, he's facing some serious state charges, and, as with Michael Vick, what happens in the NFL will be dependent upon what happens in court. The Giants didn't seem to miss him too much on Sunday, and they will probably go on without him, although maybe with not as much "gusto."

And as for Antonio Pierce - well, he got to play on Sunday, and hopefully for the Giants sake he will continue to have that opportunity.

To all the other professional athletes out there - you've been warned. Again. You spend your entire life working for this dream. Don't kill it with one thoughtless decision.

Let's raise the level, folks. Our President-Elect is counting on you.

GYGM

Prince Rogers Nelson. "Kiss." He is truly the only man in the world who could ever get away with this and still be considered straight. Ever.

Ever.

Turn it up!

Prince - kiss