II Young for Excuses

When you've become the first non-SEC QB to win a national championship since Vince Young, the second straight freshman to win the Heisman only 366 days after it had never been done before, projected as a better NFL slinger than those in both the 2013 and '14 drafts--the former including your Seminole predecessor--you're going to be given lots of passes. About as many as you completed in your Heisman/Sears Trophies-winning season.

However, all it takes is one drop for everyone to wonder if you have what it takes.

Jameis Winston already has scrambled from brushes with the law in Tallahassee; sexual assault accusations dropped just before the Seminole quarterback picked up his bronze statue from New York's Downtown Athletic Club.

Now, the school's next Deion Sanders has already garnered more attention from Florida's Finest than his decorated trailblazer ever had in his most flamboyant fashion.

Over crablegs.

Note, he has never been arrested, but cited--a special privilege given to those who break the law, whom authorities feel bad about arresting for whatever reason.

Infamous Jameis will pay a small fine--reportedly all of $30--for stealing seafood. He'll also pull community service. Great. Hang with folks who want to hang with you because you are who you are. Not exactly punishment. Just folks who'll reiterate to you how great thou art, making you forget you did anything wrong in the first place because hey, you're great, right? Twenty hours later, his sins will be annulled.

And even though he says he has no excuse, he (well, the royal he--his PR staff of lawyers put together by the University in conjunction with the sports information department) crafted an excuse-laden apology, citing his responsibility for owning his actions even though it was an honest mistake, and that he's 20.

And we wonder where we get the term "dumb jock"? They're led by enablers who think the public believes this tamahawk chop suey.

Sadly, folks react as if anything that happens now will have any real impact come judgment day (the NFL draft). They must think we're stupid, too.

They're right. We are. That, or we just don't care.

And even if we do, and remember what these pundits tell us now, it won't matter if Winston is on the board and a team out there needs a franchise quarterback. Sure, the Mel Kipers and the John Grudens and Todd McShays will bring up Winton's past for dramatics, but it's moot. It always is when it comes to star athletes. Greatness trumps all.

Just remember this:

When was the last time a quarterback with character issues led his team to a Super Bowl championship?

In case you're wondering, Ben Roethlisberger hasn't won anything since he got slapped for his missteps with women and the law.

It doesn't matter. It never will.

Winston will get his hug from the commissioner. There's no doubt about that. And he should. Criminals can repent. And if they don't, it's irrelevant. The NFL is loaded with these guys. Just like any other profession. If you can do the job and it doesn't affect business, everybody wins.

Winston can play quarterback better than anyone in college football, and better than a good chunk at the pro level.

But if he and his handlers keep making excuses for dumb decisions, he could end up like the last non-SEC quarterback to win a national championship.

Turd Clipper

It's 2014. Yet, in Donald Sterling's eyes, it may as well be 1814.

The embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner has nobody but himself to blame, even if it's not his voice on tapes telling his girlfriend he disapproves of her associating with black people, even though she is African-American herself.

Sounds like one of the Jeffersons. Namely, Thomas.

When your reputation precedes you as a racist, your players won't waste a warm-up dunk to give you the benefit of the doubt when you've bankrupted yourself of good will long before you get mic'd on TMZ.

The Clippers did the best they could to picket their self-proclaimed master, donning black armbands and heaving their warm-up jackets into a pile at center court for kindling. Unfortunately, the only thing L.A. burned in effigy was it's game-opening two-point lead in Sunday's series-evening loss at Golden State, leaving head coach Doc Rivers accepting blame for the 21-point defeat--the third worst in Clips' postseason history.

To add to the "who me?" mess, Sterling's estranged wife, Rochelle, told ESPN's Lisa Salters she is not a racist.

Whew. That's a relief. A denial straight from the Yes, Ma'am! public relations handbook. Salters reported that Mrs. Sterling was advised not to go on camera with her. You can almost picture the sideline counsel from a head-nodding publicist feeding her lines:

Disassociate yourself from your husband's actions immediately. Reiterate YOU are not a racist. 

Either way, Mrs. Sterling's comments came-off like a self-centered, self-serving, Real Housewife of Orange County who once loved her husband for his personality--not his money. Uh huh. Back to you in Bristol, Jay Harris.

Back to the real victims--the Clippers. The players won't escape this. Neither will any black basketball player, coach, legend, pundit or personality. But the rest can go about their business, until NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, finishes his first true test--an uncharted one even by Association standards. Then we'll go back to the comment well again and find every black player we know to fill the gaps for the same story repeated in countless papers and websites across the Melting Pot. For the Clippers, winning won't quell the leak in the boat; it'll just add more floodlights to the white racist elephant in the cabin.

Guess we didn't come very far at all in 2008 when we elected our country's first black President--as if we really, really would or could. But some actually believed this. Perhaps Donald Sterling believed this.

Nah.

Six years later, minorities are still authorities on race thanks to the foul mouths of the majority. Every time a racist reveals his inner secret--or in Sterling's case, reinforces his reputation--the media run to the first black personality they can find to comment on the matter. And that myopic Melting Pot idea is as much a lie as the millions of white voters who used that election to prove they're really not racists after all.

See? I'm not a...

A what?

A Donald Sterling?

The Clippers' owner is the big picture of race relations in the Melting Pot. The Clippers are the picture of the victims of racism in the Pot. And the rest of us are the spectators walking inquisitively through the gallery until we pass onto the next frame that grabs our attention. We act concerned. We try to feel empathetic, but we move on, because we can. We'll hear more as we pass through, but we'll continue on as if the problem has been solved, until the next problem arises. Then we'll sympathize. We'll act like we care. And we'll move on again.

America. One giant salad that only comes together when someone craps themselves. Then we flush the turd away until the next time we have to return to the toilet.

Sorry. But it's the truth.

Pineda Tar (#Hack)

New York Yankees pitcher, Michael Pineda, will find himself riding the Pineda for at least one or two starts after his second hit with a banned substance against the same bunch on whom he used it last week at Yankee Stadium.

In the second inning at Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell noticed Pineda going to his neck with his throwing hand after a wild first inning where the Yankee righty foreshadowed reasons for going back to pine tar, the same substance he was accused by broadcasters of using in his previous starts against Boston.

Unlike last night, however, Farrell decided not to have umpires check Pineda for contraband despite it was as much a secret as Jose Canseco opening a Juice bar at The Ballpark in Arlington. 

Could have had something to do with Boston's starter that night; Clay Buchholz has a habit of keeping his hair slicker than Pat Riley's even on chilly nights like last. Funny, because in baseball, players wear hats, so hairdos are usually saved for the postgame show. Instead, John Lackey was throwing--well (11 strikeouts)--so Farrell had little problem trotting to the Boys in Blue and ratting out the guy who got him the time before.

Either way, it's Pineda's problem. It's a Yankee problem. But it's not in the impending suspension or Pineda's missed starts in an already-plagued Bronx rotation. 

It's Pineda's head.

Clearly he doesn't believe he can throw the ball without Stick'em. 

Clearly he's dumb enough to have tried this again after the first uproar. 

Clearly he didn't care that he left a skingraft of goo on his neck much like a burglar posting a score on Facebook.

Clearly Brian McCann couldn't get enough pine tar on his shin guards to make a difference. 

If you're a Yankee fan, you're hoping this isn't a watershed moment early in a season where even the pinstripers could be considered overachievers. With a hodgepodge of aging Hall-of-Famers, old rookies and AAAA-roster fillers, nobody is feeling bad for them despite the losses of Robinson Cano to the Mariners and Mariano Rivera to retirement. 

# # #

The NFL schedule release is the biggest non-story of 2014. But since it's the NFL, it makes headlines.

Sadly, there have always been leaks that never come to fruition, which is OK since nothing is official until the schedule itself is released. But when teams offer contests to pick the schedule and offer prizes like $100,000 (St. Louis Rams) or season tickets for life (Buffalo Bills) and a story comes out that one of these two teams may play on Thanksgiving, it sours the sentiment of fans who entered these longshot contests thinking they'd get at least one freebie. 

No. The Bills will not play the Lions on Thanksgiving.

But they will end another regular season in Foxboro. 

As of right now, the Raiders have the toughest schedule based on last season. The good news for Oakland is that never holds once the season starts.

Meanwhile, fanatics are penciling-in wins and losses like spoiled 16 year-old girls on YouTube filming their Christmas present requests. 

Hopefully, they'll remember to bring this list and check it twice after their team's first preseason game when their favorite player is lost for the season and we revisit another redundant NFL topic: Why we should cancel the preseason.

# # # 

Hershel Walker says he can still play in the NFL at 52.

Great timing for a league who has had it up to their Riddells in class-action concussion suits.

Then again, you can just blame this on one of Walker's 52 personalities.

Or, then again, you can blame those on the concussions, too.

# # # 

Anyone in Buffalo actually following the NHL playoffs? No, not the Blackhawks-Blues series. The whole thing?

# # #

Hope

For the sake of these athletes, let's hope.

Let's hope if Andy Dalton truly IS the face of the Cincinnati Bengals, that he doesn't morph into Josh Freeman quicker than he's depreciating into Carson Palmer.

Let's hope Colin Kaepernick doesn't turn into Ben Roethlisberger.

Let's hope Ronaldo McClain isn't cloned into any more Raiders draft selections. The NFL is better when the Silver-n-Black are back.

Let's hope for baseball's sake the NBA doesn't eliminate half its playoff teams like it should or else the Association will easily become the second-most popular sport in America.

Let's hope the next owner of the Buffalo Bills not only keeps them in western New York, but gives fans more than a CFL product to watch.

Let's hope A-Rod loses hope.

Let's all hope we accrue some common sense when it comes to "student athletes" and paying them. Stipends? Sure. But labor unions? Oh, puh-lease. Trust this writer: they're all taken care of. Education: Check. Injuries: Check. Room and Board: Check. Free sneaks and gear and enough stuffed envelopes to wreck the silver wings in Paulie Walnuts' 'do?

Check.

Is Shabbaz Napier an effing liar?

If he isn't, then everyone should forgive Chris Webber, too.

Let's hope Buffalo Sabres fans pick one side or the other when it comes to rooting for or booing their ex players in the Stanley Cup playoffs. No, you no longer reserve he right to jeer those who choose not to return to Buffalo even after they were traded.

Let's hope the NFL Draft really is worth the extra two-weeks' wait. Because the mock drafts certainly are not.

Let's hope ESPN stops headlining the Oscar Pistorious trial simply because he once medaled without feet.

While we're at it, no more force-feeding us soccer, either. Nobody knows. Nobody cares. And come June, when the US is euthanized in the Pool of Death, let's hope we never have to hear excuses. It's a crap sport with an awful infrastructure run by an organization of ambassadors who make the UN look competent enough to bridge peace between Arabs and Israelis.

Let's all hope the college football playoff gives us reasons to get excited for New Year's again.

Let's hope baseball follows suit with other sports and fixes replay, but unlike the other major sports, keeps its brawls. Otherwise, it'll be another long summer of dipping ratings.

And finally, let's all hope the Buffalo Bills of past, present and future, circle the wagons like they did in the 1990s because there's more than just the playoffs at stake in 2014. And beyond.

Excluding OJ.

Why God?

"Why God?"

This Christian has been asked this a lot. Especially the word "Christian" is fused to your name as part of a morning show for six years. The warnings were there from family members and fellow Christians alike to be become part of The Break Room, despite the fact that none of them offered a gainful employment alternative. 

"They're atheists." 

"They're agnostics."

"They take the Lord's name in vain." 

"You're working in a lion's den, Daniel."

Yes. All those things were and are true. It's funny when people think they know better than you do what you should and shouldn't do based on their own prejudice--something that should be as foreign to the faith as the Sixth Commandment. And when you do anything outside the Christian comfort zones, the same Christians whom are marred by Bill Maher and Jesse Ventura for being simple prove their critics right by their absolute warnings. 

How did we get this far? 

In fact, how did we go from a resurrection nearly two millennia ago, a baker's dozen of apostles (Paul came later, and thank God he did or else Christianity would have evaporated), the Feast of Pentecost to a Pope (word and office never found in the Bible), the term "Easter" (found twice, unrelated to Christ's miracle), thousands of denominations and hundreds of translations of The Book--all in English?

There are probably just as many reasons, vanity being the source of all of them. And that's just the problem with Christianity today: our own vanity. 

Instead of just reading The Book and taking it for what it is, we develop our own ideas on how God should run things. Then we get to days like today when churches are packed with folks genuinely interested in the Old, Old Story and today's disciples can't even pass the test.

Here's a couple of examples:

An usher walks to a family member attending a Baptist church for the first time on Resurrection Sunday and offers this before he walks through the door:

"Happy Easter. Where's your Bible?"

Yeah, that should set the tone for a morning altar call, right?

Here's another one from a Pastor to a member who had reasons for his or her absence:

"Hey, ________. Haven't seen you in awhile. How long as it been? Yes, it's been awhile, huh?"

Yeah. If I didn't know Christ as my Savior and put my faith solely in Him instead of his flock, I'd rather hang with the atheists, too.

Unfortunately, Christians are the only Bibles some people read. Sadly, that goes for even Christians. We're not allowed to screw-up, as unfair as that sounds. Christians are like restaurants--you're only as good as your last meal. If it doesn't go well, the customers aren't coming back.

This Christian screws-up a lot. But offering the "I'm not perfect" excuse is as hallow as blaming the devil. You just have to fess-up, apologize, and move forward. 

That's where that whole Lion's Den idea comes into play.

Every Christian should have non-believers to keep them in check. Having fellow Christians do it is imperative, but it's not enough. Fellow Christians are supposed to keep each other honest, but that's like having sixth-graders check each other's math homework for mistakes: they need the perspective of a teacher. 

Not so much as an authority, but a fresh pair of eyes.

This Christian, still worthless save for the Blood of Christ, would be even more useless if it weren't for The Break Room, or The Lion's Den as one fellow Christian called it. Because you can't tame lions without proper training.

Which brings us to today: the celebration of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. A story told in all four gospels and repeated throughout the New Testament. Unlike the over-celebrated Christmas story--albeit, still important--the Resurrection is told in all four gospels. 

How do you know this? Read The Book.

The show Cosmos on Fox is a great example of the work God has done throughout the universe. If Christians think he stopped with us sin-stained wretches, clearly they've spent too much time in the chapel. Instead of fighting it and accusing it of tearing-down the idea of a supreme being, Christians should embrace the idea of how great God truly is and how much thought he put into the idea of the Universe. 

How would anyone know this? Read The Book.

Laws of Thermodynamics? Read The Book.

Pathways in the seas? Read The Book.

Blood being the source of life? Read The Book. 

The world being round? Read The Book. 

Nah. We just take what the pastors give us, and repeat it poorly. And if they're not doing their homework, then we end up with thousands of denominations and different English versions of The Book, bastardized and diluted.

It's a real simple question: Why God?

Well, look outside.Let's start there. It's huge. Simple enough? It had to be created by somebody.

Either there is a God, or not. If you want to believe this all came from an accident, stop reading here. If you're still curious, keep reading.

(You're curious, huh? Probably just wanna see what's in print, but that's fine.)

Let's continue saying there IS a God. 

OK. Look at examples of world leaders of yesteryear and today. They don't like competition. They want to own everything and be all-powerful. Do you think a God wants to share His power with other gods? Based on that example, it's unlikely. 

So say there's One. Either he's identifiable, or he's just lazy.

Let's take the latter. Too many young men and women in this country are born fatherless to deadbeats. Sad. Yet, when it comes to God, folks either think he's one of those deadbeats, or he just doesn't care and let's you do your own thing. This writer would hate not having a father, so why would anyone enjoy the idea of an absentee God?

Again, if you prefer that idea, you can stop reading. The rest of us will continue.

It would be an atrocity to think God is out on an eternal lunch. And if you go by the World Leader Theory, no leader puts his position in auto-pilot. He wants total control. He wants to be involved because his ego tells him he should be.

Well who would have a bigger ego than God himself? He created everything. God is where all other egos go to die. When Moses asked who he should tell Pharaoh sent him, God responded by saying "I AM sent you." You don't get much bigger than that.

So, God must be identifiable. He must be tangible. He must be in control and He must want people to come to Him and worship Him and honor Him like a king or a president. They all do. Don't kid yourself.

That must mean He has identified Himself somehow...

Well, if God hates competition, then we can rule out Buddhism because there's no god in that faith; Hinduism, because there's too much competition, and any other polytheistic "deity."

That leaves the three major world religions, all based in the Middle East: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Take your pick. Want some help?

Jewish people don't proselytize. Either your born Jewish or not. So if you're not Jewish, you'd better find your way into a temple and get accepted and find a way to sacrifice those animals at The Temple--wait, you can't. It's been destroyed. Good luck there.

Islam: really? Terrorists are being used by the religion to recruit. It's sounds dumb to say, but Osama bin Laden was not a man of faith simply based on his non-terrorist actions, let alone 9-11. Al-Qaeda uses Islam as a recruiting tool. However, since there is no dispensation in the Qu'ran, all the rules in that book apply. So if it means "kill the infidels," so be it. 

Wanna try that one? Save your money to fulfill those five pillars.

Or, Christianity. 

Yes, this writer will admit it: there are way too many churches and sects. It's sad. And even those who get it right get it wrong, too, at the worst possible moments like today.

That's why you need to read The Book. 

It has the Old, Old Story.

And it's the only Way to get into Heaven where you'll never have to account for your mistakes, even those on "Easter" Sunday.

A guy with no infrastructure, who never led and army or a country, who created the universe, felt every temptation humanly possible and lived a perfect life to offer Himself a sacrifice for the sin of everyone else. No strings attached. No pillars. No temples. No more Passovers. He WAS the Passover.

That's WHY, God. 

Sound the Trumpet

Trump for Buffalo Bills owner? Why the Trump not?

Since the death of the franchise's sole owner, Ralph Wilson, Jr, the clock in fans' hearts ticks like a trident's steady poke to the chest. Fans lay collectible Tarot cards--memories of Kemp, Ferguson, Juice, Kelly, Thurman and Bruuuuuuuce--on their tailgates foreseeing the day when Mayflower trucks come to seize the cornerstone of an otherwise nondescript piece chunk of land, shelved between two of the largest cities in North America like an obligatory piece of iceberg lettuce in a Buffalo Chicken sandwich.

Welcome to Buffalo: An All-America City. Home of two sports franchises who have never won and enough snow to get sidetrack Santa on Christmas Eve. Despite the fact that both the Bills and the NHL's Sabres have combined for six championship whiffs since the latter's inception, three more conference title fails, and enough losing seasons to cancel a network, someone with cash and cache believes he can circle his own wagons and head west--or north--and make the Bills winners anywhere. Well, except Buffalo.

People love spending everyone else's money. We all do it. "Tax the rich" is a common cry, especially in the fall. In western New York, Bills fans have created fantasy teams of owners just to keep them here.

"(Tom) Golisano will buy 'em."

In 2012 when the Sabres were purchased by Terry Pegula from the aforementioned billionaire, fans figured the pair could team-up and buy the Bills and keep them in Buffalo forever. Just more regular folks dreaming big with other people's money. Throw-in Jeremy Jacobs, too, right? But, the NFL is all about making the best deal for the most revenue possible.

Enter: Everyone else.

Jon Bon Jovi. KISS. The hated Rogers family of hosers from up north. Why not Magic Johnson's Dodgers group? While all of these names, publicly or not, have entertained the idea of owning an NFL team, none of them would ever think twice about keeping it in Buffalo.

There is just once catch, however. And it's worth about $400 million if the next owner of WNY's crown jewel decides to pull-up FieldTurf and carpetbag like state tax exiles.

Yes, there's the seven-year (b)itch of a $28 million out clause. But even that isn't as easy as it sounds.

Buffalo Bills fans have a lot to fear right now. On top of the fact the team has just lost its owner, there's Jim Kelly's health, 14 straight losing seasons (a non-playoff season is a failure in the NFL), and a first-round, franchise-pegged quarterback whose injured as often as Dwyane Wade, whose injuries appear like unicorns or UFOs.

So what's the huff over Trump?

When the guy says he wants to keep the team in Buffalo, who knows if he's telling the truth or not? But it makes sense for a guy who lives in New York and wants to expand his empire, particularly in the Empire State. He has a lot of powerful friends (Patriots owner, Bob Kraft for one; the Steinbrenners for another) and would spend money to win. Why? The guy is highly competitive and isn't interested in backing a loser. He's also very influential with the politicians who want to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Perhaps they were the ones approaching him about buying the team. Maybe it was his old New Jersey Generals QB, Jim Kelly. Again, it's all speculation at this point. The only things we DO know for certain are:

1) Mr. Wilson is deceased.
2) Mary Wilson, his widow, is selling the team.
3) Mr. Trump says he's interested, and would like to keep the team here...if everything is viable.

Nobody else is publicly waving the flag to keep the team here, except Trump. Maybe he's just saying this. Maybe he's serious. Either way, he's saying the right things. And so is the Bills' current lease agreement with Erie County and New York State.

The Bills can do a lot worse than an owner like Donald Trump. Not to blaspheme a dead man, but Mr. Wilson didn't exactly delegate responsibility very well in the football department his last decade-and-a-half, either. Not to mention, this "old guard" of decision makers at One Bills Drive have come under fire publicly in the months approaching his death, and there are finally coaches and a general manger who aren't afraid to let people know exactly what they think.

Head coach, Doug Marrone, coached under Bill Parcells, and alongside Bill Belichick and Sean Peyton. GM Doug Whaley came from a Steelers franchise that won two Super Bowls while he was employed in Pittsburgh. And CEO Russ Brandon put his stamp on both of these hires knowing they hold the keys to the Bills' future.

Bills fans have enough to fear right now. The idea of Donald Trump buying them is NOT one of them. The New Stadium Working Group is exploring the possibilities of building a brand new, NFL-caliber arena that will make the Bills viable for decades to come--not just seven-to-10 years.

Think about the last seven-to-10 years: Tom Donahoe, Drew Bledsoe, Tom Modrak, Mike Mularkey, Marv Levy, Dick Jauron, JP Losman, TrINT Edwards, T.O, Toronto, Aaron Maybin, Marshawn Lynch vs. Law Enforement, Ryan FitzPatPick, and Chan Gailey.

Feels like yesterday, huh? Yes, even an eternity of torture can evaporate like a lead over the Patriots on a Monday night after a Leodis McKelvin fumble.

The next seven-to-10 will fly as quickly as a Flash Goodwin kickoff return. The Stadium Group better get it's playbook out and study it's tape.

No, the fear shouldn't be in Trump buying the team.

The fear should be the reason Trump decides NOT to buy this team.