Why isn't anyone writing about Myron Rolle?

Earlier this weekend, I wrote a post at ScalpEm.com linking to several articles that discussed Florida State University student-athlete Myron Rolle. Rolle, a starting safety on the FSU football team, recently became a Rhodes Scholar and was awarded a scholarship to Oxford University. Although everyone seems to be agreement that Rolle's achievement is quite the accomplishment, unfortunately, no one is talking about it.

Where are the columns promoting Rolle as a role model? I thought I was sure to find some. When I looked however, there were few to be found. From the African-American community, I found a few blogs that gave Rolle a shout, or a courtesy post, but none that compared his story to that of PacMan Jones, Chris Henry, Mike Vick, or other African-American athletes who have made headlines for the wrong reasons. I would think a post or an article discussing the achievements of Rolle and Barack Obama and why more of the African-American community should strive to be like them would write itself. Maybe I am wrong.

Another group that has failed to live up to my expectations in discussing Myron Rolle is the reporting press of the FSView, the Florida State University university newspaper. If there is any group that could relate to Rolle's workload and the full impact of his accomplishments, it is his fellow students. Yet scrolling through the FSView archives, I only found one article, dated September 4th, devoted entirely to Rolle. Other mentions of Rolle's accomplishments are blended in with overall football team news. With another story that should write itself, I would think the FSView would be the foremost authority in comparing Rolle to some of the more infamous members of the football team, especially in light of a few wide receivers' brawls and battles. I don't think that would be a hard story at all.

On a related note, where are the stories about the people behind Myron Rolle's success? Rolle is the pinnacle of achievement in college student-athletics, yet no one is writing about his teachers, his mentors, or his university program. From the popular writing, Rolle's Rhodes Scholarhip seems to be derived entirely from his own abilities without any help from anyone. Just as a student-athlete could not cheat his way through college without help, Rolle needed a hand to be as accomplished as he is. I find it odd that when a student drastically misbehaves, such as former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, numerous articles are written examining and investigating how the system failed, but when someone does exceptionally right in the same system, who speaks on behalf of the advisors, the professors, or the counselors?

(This video post, for example, I found absolutely deplorable. Apparently, Mark Kriegel of FoxSports believes that Rolle's accomplishment is a great seque into a denouncement of the horrible and horrendous NCAA system, a system that demands athletes be one-dimensional ignoramouses. Note to Mr. Kriegel: Myron Rolle is a result of that very system. He doesn't go to Yale, or Harvard, or some other college known more for its academics. He goes to Florida State University. What Mr. Kriegel doesn't seem to understand is that if given the opportunity, most people will take the easy way towards a goal. That goes for student athletes in Geology 101 "Rocks for Jocks" or writers who mail in 2-minute rambling video diatribes about the horrors of student-athletes using every well-worn argument against the NCAA. Maybe if the system demanded more of the athletes, instead of less as Mr. Kriegel seems to want.)

The bottom line is that Myron Rolle's achievements should not be overlooked. What Rolle has accomplished, as the first major sport student-athlete to receive a Rhodes Scholarship in over 25 years, is an amazing feat. He should be a role model, not only for his teammates, his community, and his school, but for all of us. And hopefully more people understand that, start talking about it, and start pushing each other to be more like Myron Rolle.

Did Joe DiMaggio order John F. Kennedy killed?

This past Saturday marked the 45th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. According to scholars, historians, politicians, The Government, and the History Channel, Kennedy was gunned down by Lee Harvey Oswald, a mysterious goon who was both an ex-Marine and a Communist. These powers that be claim Oswald acted alone, entirely driven by his own delusions of grandeur. Or so the story goes.

Of course, you could believe the conspiracists. The ones who believe Oswald was set up. They believe it could have been any one of the following:

- The Cubans
- The Russians
- The CIA (check out this wild link!)
- The FBI
- The Mob
- Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
- The Israelis
- The Illuminati
- Tonya Harding

But the one person who seems to get off pretty easy on the conspiracy front is the Yankee Clipper himself, Joe DiMaggio. No one seems to question his lack of involvement. Consider this:

Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe in 1954. Despite being divorced only nine months later, for years DiMaggio continuously put flowers on her grave. He had an undying commitment to her. Monroe, who died of an overdose in 1962, supposedly had affairs with both John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. According to this article, DiMaggio truly believed the Kennedys killed Monroe to end some of her verbal transgressions. What Monroe said or learned from the Kennedys is up to dispute, but according to rumor, she told Frank Sinatra about some of the CIA's dealings in Cuba and their actions against organized crime. Her loose lips may have spelt the end for her.

So here is what I believed happened:

For whatever reason, the Kennedys, possibly through the FBI, had their hand in the death of Marilyn Monroe. After her death, DiMaggio immediately accused the Kennedys and plotted his revenge. Knowing he couldn't possibly get even with John Kennedy by himself, DiMaggio talked to Sinatra and his entourage of seedy elements and garnered their support. Of course, being the most famous Italian in New York for nearly a decade, DiMaggio had to have ins with some of the more powerful families in New York.

So after a year and half of plotting and planning, DiMaggio decided to have Kennedy killed in Dallas in November, 1963. For DiMaggio, Dallas was the perfect spot. It was far away enough from New York or DiMaggio's home city of San Francisco to cause heat. All DiMaggio needed was a patsy, someone to take the shot.

According to court records, Oswald spent a short time during his childhood living in Texas, where he was the captain of his local baseball team. Shortly thereafter, he moved to New York City to live with his half-brother. During this time, DiMaggio was wrapping up his legendary career. If Oswald kept the passion for baseball, whose to say he didn't ever attend a Yankee game and grow to admire the great Joe D?

Fast-forward to 1963. DiMaggio, with his mind set on revenging Monroe's death, learned about an impressionable young ex-Marine who has travelled the world supporting Marxism and the Cuban Revolution. DiMaggio ordered one of "his guys" to talk to Oswald, convincing him that the murder of the President would not only be good for the world, but also would ease the pain of his former baseball idol. As needy as he was for admiration, acceptance, and attention, Oswald would have been an easy sell. He had the tools, the how-know, and now the incentive. The rest, as they say, is history.

Oh, and in case you are curious as to why DiMaggio was never really considered a suspect in Kennedy's death, just imagine the fear a few visits by New York's most friendliest families would have had on the members of the Warren Commission. There was no way the Yankee Clipper was even going to be questioned, capiche?

The Devil Still Wants My Money

Quick post today:

Last week I charged a down payment on a 2009 Tampa Bay Rays season ticket package. Today, the payment showed up on my bank statement. Oddly, it says "Devil Rays" as the recipient.

I guess the Devil must still run the accounting over at Tropicana Field.

Wouldn't you think that would be one of the first things the organization would change? They have changed everything else. Or do they still use the Devil to collect? After all, according to this youtube clip, money is the root of all evil, and if the Devil is evil personified, then shouldn't the Devil and money have some sort of symbiotic relationship?

I can only imagine the conversation the Rays front office had when they decided to keep the Devil on the payroll.

Although, come to think of it, I'm sure he enjoys his work in financial collection. He probably works for free. I bet he is like the mob in GoodFellas:

By the way, I'm sure the title of this post has been used in a divorce court somewhere. And it would make a kick-ass song or album title too, I'm thinking something blues-related.

Now I am talking Seminoles here, there, and everywhere

Admin note:

I am on yet another site, one of my longtime favorites, Florida State Seminole blog ScalpEm.com.

Check it out:

Will The Bad Economy Mean a Quicker End For Bobby Bowden?

On a related FSU note, check out this video of a guy Free Boarding through FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium:

Back in the day, during my wild and crazy college days, I went down a ramp or two in an office chair. Yeah, it's fun. You should try it sometime.

Populating your Internets with more me

I've been keeping it brief around here of late. But that doesn't mean I have been penning prose in other places.

Thanks to Jay Busbee (another guy who writes seemingly everywhere), I was recently able to talk about Mr. Larry "Chipper" Jones over at Atlanta Magazine. For those unfamiliar with Jay, he regularly writes at Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR blog From The Marbles.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned before, I am teaming up with the guys who brought you Thunder Matt's Saloon at a new blog called Pomp Culture. I posted my first entry over there, a piece on representing the Afro-Squad at last week's final Southern Championship Wrestling show.

Oh, and here is a new pic of your humble blogger from the mind of the Snowman:

Hold up, Wait a Minute: What Happened to Sirius 43 Backspin?

Like nearly everyone, I am a creature of habit. I get up in the morning, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, brush my teeth, etc, etc, before I head to work. And in part because my office does not allow us to bring in radios or anything that might entertain us, I have to listen to a few good tunes on the drive to the daily grind.

Unfortunately, my music selection has taken a horrible turn for the worse. Sirius Satellite Radio, for some inexplicable probably profit-driven reason, decided to cut their old-school rap station, Backspin. Totally not cool.

Granted, I understand Sirius is in the final stage of merging its programing with XM Satellite Radio. They have integrated several stations, dropped some redundancies, and attempted to streamline their offerings. But in a lot of these cases, they've always made sure the genre was in some way, shape, or form covered. But in the case of old-school hip-hop, they have well ... nothing.

So in remembrance of the songs I won't be hearing on Satellite Radio again, here is "Tearz" by the Wu-Tang Clan, re-written to reflect my recent musical loss:

Yo check yo yo, check the script
Yesterday my satellite radio flipped
Got in my truck, hit the switch, and started to trip
Had a box, 'Boom Boom' Backspin would blast
Pumping Run, KRS, PE, and Skee-lo to all who passed
Heavy rotation, kickin' the crates with the dust
Hey yo, you know playing Dana Dane is a must
Aw yeah, I'd play it every time I got in the car
Reciting rhymes on my way home from the bar
Not knowin, exactly what lied ahead
Just making sure my old-school memories were fed
I never wondered that one day in the fall
Didn't expect, I wouldn't hear old-school beats at all
"We are sorry, but your Backspin station had to go"
Despite my shock, I called up Sirius and said "No!!"
Money I was giving them, BOW! I snatched it back
For my pockets, and to the record shop down the Ave.
I'm steaming, with no noise up and down the block
(Hey, Sirius!) What? (Your new programming sucks c**k!)
I stopped frantically, then I dropped down to my knees
Like Bushwick I started punching the hard concrete
I looked to the heavens and put together my hands
Where else can I hear old school beats throughout the land?
Aw man! How do I say goodbye?
It's always the good stations that have to die
Memories in the corner of my mind
Flashbacks, of me listening all the time
That sound was as nice as the bees and birds
Now I have to conclude with these three words:

Bring back Backspin!

And while we're at it, how about a channel dedicated just to the Wu-Tang Clan and their 5,000 disciples? I know they have more songs than Elvis.

The Saloon is closed

Not since the final episode of Cheers have I been so distraught over the closing of a establishment of fine spirits. Today marks the closing of Thunder Matt's Saloon.



It is a sad day obviously, but like many closings it is the start of a new beginning. This Friday I will be making my debut on Pomp Culture, the new site featuring myself and some old friends from El Saloon de Thunder Matt.

A canned image that makes me smile

I'm sure hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow Florida State alumni received this image in their e-mail boxes recently. And of course, the company probably uses the same image to pitch their product to other universities. I just think it's great, being that Erin Andrews is a former Gator dancer and all. If I ever needed something for her to autograph, it would be this.



By the way, I know I haven't written much about the Seminoles of late. In my effort to propogate the entire blogosphere with my literary seed, I should be popping up on a popular Nole-centric blog with some writing soon. More to come later.

What I have learned: The Fundamental Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives

The hands have been shaken, the babies kissed, and the speeches given. Today is the day. Today is the day America will elect a new president. Plenty of people have said the two main candidates can not be further apart. I agree. There is no mistaking Barack Obama as anything but a liberal and John McCain as anything but a conservative. There is no middle ground this year.

Throughout the campaign, and by watching people and hearing their opinions, I have settled on a few key definitions of liberal and conservative political thought in America. The problem with these philosophies is they have different beliefs in regards to man and society, and because of this, there is little to no middle ground, making compromise nearly impossible.

Conservative thought:

Conservatives believe in the evil intentions of Man, especially of those outside of their borders. They believe conflict between nation-states lead by Man is inevitable, no matter how much diplomacy is conducted. By nature, they do not trust treaties and alliances and hence preach the need for a strong common defense.

Conservatives also believe in the right of private gun ownership. This supports the idea that Man is again by nature an untrustworthy, evil creature who will eventually attempt to take his neighbor's resources. Positive relationships among neighbors are a condition of social environment, not natural evolution.

(Continuing with gun ownership, however, I would argue that the idea of a strong military and private gun ownership are contradictory. Private gun ownership supports a belief in the ability of the people to provide their local (household) defense as well as cumulatively provide a national defense through militias and national guards. A strong military takes away one aspect of the need for private gun ownership, while at the same time reducing the ability of the people to overthrow the government with their private arms if at any time they deem the government has become corrupt.)

Conservatives believe in the goodness of neighbors to take care of each other. This is contradictory to the idea that neighbors are not to be trusted. But within the conservative ideal there is a sense of community, where small, strong family units are encouraged. Here conservatives believe Man will take care of his fellow Man, ensuring for his well-being.

Conservatives believe the role of government should be minimal at best, except for in the realm of the common defense, where bigger is better. Conservatives do not trust the large government mechanism, instead relying on the smaller unit to police and care for itself.

Liberal Thought:

Liberals, on the other hand, believe in the overall goodness of Man. Underlying liberal philosophy believes it is Man that is good and it is society and Man's environment that makes him do bad things. Liberals believe that by tinkering with or altering the environment of Man, they can produce positive societal results in the action of Man.

Liberals believe that Man should be evolved from the conflict of animals. To revert to violence and conflict is to revert to the ways of ancient Man and to learn nothing from the history of civilization. Strength in the belief in Man fosters the liberal belief in treaties, organizations, coalitions, conferences, and allegiances.

Liberal belief in the goodness of Man also explains the liberal tendency to support a smaller military organization. Liberals believe the threat of aggression begets more aggression and that a less aggressive pose negates the need for a large military.

Liberals believe a government made of Men is the most efficient way to help Man. Through the mechanism of government, more people can be helped and aided than without the ability of government. Liberals believe we have not yet reached a point where Man will help his fellow Man without the facilitating reach of government. Liberals believe that if government were to withdraw itself from providing a social safety net, Social Darwinism would occur and the poorest and less fortunate among us would be left behind.

In closing, I am sure there are plenty of other fundamental differences. These and other basic philosophies drive most people's choice for the two major political candidates. Although in some years the differences are slim, this year they are quite drastic. Personally, although I see some merit to conservative thought (especially in regards to a strong family unit that could eventually govern itself), I believe the liberal platform, the liberal philosophy, and the belief that Man is by nature good is what is best for America at this point.

That is why I am voting voted for Barack Obama.


P.S. Check out this article by a heavy metal guitarist on his views on the election, the political process, and how he defines the differences between liberals and conservatives. Very well written.

To quote:

"The fact is that I am no more qualified than anyone else to be given the soapbox to ventilate my views. What I, and other working artists like me, do have is a slightly altered paradigm than the average Joe. Artists get to spend their time creating with the sole purpose of sharing their work with others. My band and I spend months creating a piece of music, and than (sic) spend months or years traveling the world, symbiotically connecting with other people with purely positive energy, or taking negative energy and channeling it in a positive way. This exchange is highly emotional and, some may say, spiritual. I’ve had conversations with friends where I’ve compared the concert going experience to the church or religious experience. The emotional expenditure and purged release leave one feeling powerful and cleansed afterward.

This frame of mind can free one from the worker bee, consumerist, capitalist ideals that are beaten into our heads in school and reinforced when we grow up and enter the workplace. When you (are) able to go to all the corners of the planet, you see that there is much more that binds us together than divides us. When your life revolves around creation and positive exchange, you tend to open up and see the potential of humanity. I think this is why most artists tend to be liberal, which is why supporting Barack Obama or being anti-Bush might be seen as a cliché at this point."

Another broadcasting adventure featuring The Afro-Squad and The Serious Tip

I had the honor of broadcasting another wrestling match with not only Snowman of the Afro-Squad, but also his long-time associate in funkiness, KrazyMan. This match featured Southern Championship Wrestling's Bryan Maddox and Neil Faith. Best of all, I think the match was done backwards.

Check it out.

Did the Cowbell Kid hurt the Rays?

Normally, I like the Cowbell Kid. He is the ultimate cheerleader. He has excited Rays fans for many moons with his eccentric personality, his wild hair-dos, and his persistent cowbell banging. He is an icon among Rays fans.

Lately, however, the Cowbell Kid has worn out his usefulness to the Rays. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say he was a burden to the Rays' success this postseason. Perhaps, just maybe, the Cowbell Kid did more harm than good.

On October 20, the Cowbell Kid made his first World Series video. For nearly four minutes the Cowbell Kid talked his drivel about how great the Rays were and how the World Series was just a "formality" after the Rays beat the Red Sox in the ALCS. He then predicted the Rays would win the Series in 5. Unfortunately for Rays fans, the opposite was true. Strike 1, Cowbell Kid.

On October 24, the Cowbell Kid made a video of himself on the toilet, spewing trash talk about the Philadelphia Phillies. In this video, which has since been removed from YouTube, the Cowbell Kid made fun of Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who at that point had not hit a home run during the postseason. After the Cowbell Kid's video, Howard hit three home runs against the Rays, including two in Game 4 of the World Series. If there was ever an example of letting a sleeping dog lie, that was it. Strike 2, Cowbell Kid.

Lastly, on November 2, the Cowbell Kid showed up on yet another video, this time ridiculing Phillie fans and linking them all to all social disturbances that occurred the night the Phillies won the World Series. Another poor showing. In this video, the Cowbell Kid proclaims that he is glad the Rays lost, so the world can see that all Phillie fans are horrible, "homeless, soup-kitchen dwellers". I am going to go out on a limb and say that is not true. This blog has been linked to by sites of Phillie fans, who might I add, happened to be pretty cool people. Strike 3, Cowbell Kid.

By making videos like this, The Cowbell Kid is showing the worst of Rays fans. As the video ambassador to the Rays, he is displaying Rays fans as classless, arrogant, and sore losers. For an organization that had enough negativity surrounding it for the first 10 years of its existence, the Rays don't need the Cowbell Kid undoing all their positive work. Here's hoping 2009 brings a more mellow and more mature Cowbell Kid. One who doesn't provide the opposition and their fans bulletin board material.