An Open Letter to the NBPA

Dear members of the NBPA and players of the NBA alike,

What now? At what point is enough, quite simply enough? What is it that you want? From what we've seen, you want to put tens if not hundreds of thousands of people out of work. People who have families at home just like you. People who have bills to pay. People who aren't necessarily gifted with athleticism or any other talent that led them to a high-paying career. People who struggle to feed their families even when they have a job. The very people who depend on you. People who need you to work in order to make their $8/hr, maybe $9 or $10 if they're lucky. Add in your fans, the fans who have supported you and cheered for you. The very fans who make sacrifices at times just to see you play the game in person. The NBA players used to be about passion of the game, sportsmanship, and competition. Seems lately, the NBA players care more about greed and selfishness, and how much money they can line their pockets with.

Ok, we get it... you feel you're worth more than what you've been paid or are set to be paid. Well let me say this, "In order to succeed, we must first make sacrifices." We understand you have talent, athleticism, and the ability to deal with a lot of pressure and backlash from the media as well as fans. However, is it really worth it to take away from everyone else as well? Is it really important to make a couple hundred thousand, even a few million more, in order to play the game? People depend on the game of basketball. They depend on it not only to survive and feed families, they depend on it to distract them from every day stress. It's a release, as you might say. Another world for some. We don't expect you to play for free, but at what point can you sit back and say, "Is all this really worth destroying the lives of others?". At what point do you step outside of the box and ask yourself, "Is this how we want the children who idol us to feel? Do we want them to constantly want more? To feel like nothing is ever enough? To believe that the players of the NBA care more about monetary gain than they do about the game, about having fun, about giving back to the community. The "NBA Cares", but it's players don't. Have so many of you lost sight of the simplicity of the whole thing? The reality of it all is, every game you play... feeds families. Period. It's not every day someone can go home and say, "I went to work today so others could feed their families." Heck, I would work for peanuts to carry that kind of pride and integrity.

In the end, we're all a system. We're all one giant machine. We depend on each other as co-workers. The most valuable piece of advice I ever learned, was the meaning of "TEAM". Together Everyone Achieves More. Right now, it's more about "I", and the first word that comes to mind for the letter "I" ... is Ignorance. Right now, you're ignoring the fact that you're making your problems, everyone else's. The same people who have supported you, cheered for you, and maybe even some day dreamed of being like you. Until you come back to reality, and realize that your actions are not only having an impact on the league, but also the very people who support you and make possible the very wages you make, the game and everything it represents... will continue to fade into non-existence. And it's fans? They continue to venture off, finding new avenues of entertainment and escape. In the end, that extra 5% or 10% that you seek from the league in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, will be lost in sales. The future of the game is in your hands, whether you choose to dribble out the clock and let the game be over or to take the shot and ultimately win, is up to you.


Sincerely,

Your average NBA fan.

A City Reborn

The battle may be lost, but the war has just begun. I write to you, my fellow Clevelanders, to tell you that this is not the end. Yes, we're hurt, beaten, bruised and heartbroken, but we are not out for the count. We put our hopes and pride into one man, a human being. We've forgotten about ourselves, we've forgotten our own pride. As Clevelanders we will never forget, and this time we may never forgive, but we should also never fail. We should never fail ourselves and believe that one man can bring a city of one heartbeat to it's knees. The man we know as LeBron James, The King of Akron, has turned his back on us, on Cleveland, on his so-called "family". This is where we stand up, we remember who we are, and become stronger as a whole. Never before has one man become a stronger global icon, but also never before has one man brought so much shame. Not shame to himself, but shame to those who followed him. The shame he will endure will come when we renew our pride, and remind him that we were Cleveland before he came along, and we will damn sure STILL be Cleveland without him.

At approximately 9:30pm on July 8th, 2010, LeBron seemingly made Clevelands heart stop beating. However, this city is indestructible. Consider the history, consider the triumphs, and consider the hurt. We as Clevelanders have always come out stronger then when we went in. We will rebound, we will rebuild, and we WILL make it known that the flame on our torch has only been refueled. This dark cloud that looms over our city is but an illusion. Let your pride guide you, let it be your light. This is the day you step back, and remember where you're from. It's time to show those who don't believe and make them understand why we do believe, why we continue to fight. We've never given up before, why give up now? One man can make a scene, but a city banded together can make an impact. So I'm asking you, my fellow Clevelanders, do you have what it takes to revive this machine, to stand on your own two feet, and scream it from the bottom of your lungs, "I AM CLEVELAND!"? Do you have what it takes to look beyond the illusions of a disappearing act, of a betrayal, and remember that before he came along, that we were Cleveland? Do you have what it takes, to remember who we are, stand as one, and say "We're not giving up!"?

For those of you who were born and raised here, show your pride, let it shine through. Let it shine so bright that it drowns out the lights of any big city in this nation. Let it be known that together we are stronger than any city of individuals. This will not be our end, our demise. This will be our strength, our encouragement, and the start of something new. A broken heart can be fixed, a broken dream can be redrawn, and a broken city can re-unite. Show the non-believers that we are not just a population, that we are, and always will be, a city of one!

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3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland

For anyone who's an avid NBA follower, you know what I'm talking about. If you're an avid follower and you happen to not have a clue, well... you need to get one. Whether you're an NBA fan or not, names like Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant... all stand out. These are some of the basketball players that are above the rest, the ones who make the headlines. Well, what happens when you take two star level players and put them together? You end up with a supernova level performance. For those of you who watched the 2010 NBA All-Star Game this year, you saw the spectacle DWade (Dwyane Wade) and LBJ (LeBron James) put on. Those of us who have been around long enough to witness the era of Jordan & Pippen, know what it's like for two players to be able to feed off each other like that.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing "Jordan & Pippen" to "Dwade & LBJ". It's a whole different ballgame now than it was then, and comparing the two would be like comparing a 1957 Chevy to a Nissan 350Z... they just aren't the same type of machinery. Needless to say you're probably wondering when I'm going to get to the point, well here it is. LeBron and DWade have not closed the door on teaming up. Currently at the time of this blog, the Cavaliers sit atop the NBA with the best record, again... whereas the Miami Heat have sunk to a dismal 29-29 while cliffhanging at the number 8 spot for playoff seeds. LeBron wants rings, DWade wants more rings... see where I'm going?

Cleveland has more than shown LeBron over the past 7 years that they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep him here, as well as surround him with a championship calibre team. Whether this be the year that the Cavs win it all or not, this summer is going to be epic. Consider the fact that LeBron's supporting cast is quite a pick of the litter, what reason does he have to leave. If Danny Ferry was smarter than the average bear, which he seems to be, he'd drop the bomb on LeBron and tell him he's in the market for DWade this summer. I don't just mean for Ferry to "say" he's going after DWade in the free agency, but SHOW LeBron he's going for him, giving LeBron little to no reason to leave.

Let's consider the cast of what makes up this Cavaliers team. You have Mo Williams, able to create plays, drive the lane, a menace from 3-point land (usually), and can make free throws. Then you have Jamario Moon, who's a solid defensive player who's got high-flying ability and is able to shoot the 3-ball. Toss J.J. Hickson into the mix, wow... what a shining star he's turning out to be, able to drive the lane, grab boards, block shots, and he's got the energy to do it all. Once J.J. solidifies his inside post-up game and close-range jumper, watch out. Add Anderson Varejao to the mix and you have a high-energy guy who will dive to the floor to get at a loose ball, who's shown he can make short-to-mid range jumpers, block shots, get down the floor, and isn't afraid to take hard fouls. Quite the cast Danny Ferry, quite the cast.

Add all that together, with a few other essential pieces that are already in place, and you've got one hell of a supporting cast for a duo like LBJ & Dwade. Now, you're probably wondering by now why the title of this blog says "3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland"... well here's your explanation. DWade currently holds #3 on the Miami Heat, whereas LBJ currently holds #23 on the Cavs. However, LBJ has stated that he'll be switching to #6 next year out of respect for Michael Jordan. There's your "3 + 6". As far as what's after the "="... I'm thinking that adds up to the number of years this dynasty would wreak havoc. I'm most definitely not saying they would win 9 championships, but I can guarantee they'd be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Swine Flu? When pigs fly!

"Fear me. FEAR ME!", "No thanks!" I responded. That pretty much wraps up what I have to say about this so-called Swine Flu. It's being reported as a mixture of pig, bird, and human strands of the Influenza virus. C'mon, first it was SARS, then it was Bird Flu, now it's Swine Flu. What next, Sheep Pneumonia? Let's get real folks. Economy in the crapper, health care in the crapper, everyone screaming for change... what better than for some illness to spread and cause people to panic and spend all sorts of money that they DON'T have on doctor visits and hospital visits. Let's just flush the economy now, while it's still in the crapper.

When is someone going to notice that there is a medication, vaccine, or antibiotic for EVERYTHING? If you're wondering why I ask this, you might want to think about these little tidbits of fact:

1. I haven't had the flu (Influenza) since I was 14 years of age, I'm now 26 about to be 27 years old. In fact, I haven't had more than the common head cold, and I'm lucky if that's once a year.
2. I haven't been to the doctor since I went to have my work physical at the about the age of 16.
3. I don't get flu (Influenza) shots.
4. I don't exercise daily, but I do walk just about everywhere I go.
5. I don't freak out if someone coughs or sneezes around me.
6. I don't eat a healthy diet regularly, in fact... I very RARELY get my daily recommended vitamins and minerals. (However I do drink a lot of Vitamin C enriched orange juice, since it's been stated that smoking depletes your Vitamin C.)
7. I do nothing special other than stay active. Laying around all day and sitting on your, excuse my French, ass all day... does nothing but make you a petri dish for illness.

Take all that and put it together, and I'm just your average every day human being. Doing normal day-to-day activities. I work, I tinker around on the computer, I eat food, and I sleep. Occasionally I will take a late night stroll around the city and take in the finer things in life, like... peace and nature, but we're all human, and we all need a release at some point in time. I guess you could say that basically what I'm getting at, is... if you stay active, don't rely on medication to make you feel better or prevent sickness, and tough it out when you get sick... well, your body's immune system will adapt and strengthen over time.

Let's take a second to step back and look at some the following things:

1. Getting vaccinations and such is a generic way of introducing your body to illnesses. Your basically training your body for concentrated amounts of whatever the vaccination may be for. It doesn't allow your body to adapt to the illness in increments. It also only attempts to prepare your body for that single type of illness whatever it may be
2. Taking antibiotics doesn't allow your body to build it's own antibodies and defenses, all it does is give your immune system a temporary boost and in turn disallows it from adapting to fight it off on it's own. Call me a quack, but I see friends of mine who visit the doctor regularly and get flu shots and blah blah blah... and would you believe that 95% of them get sick WAY more often than I do? It's like almost every week I talk to a friend and I hear "I'm sick." or "I don't feel good."

Now don't take this to some extreme level that I am not intending it to be, I'm not saying you'll be superhuman and be able to fight off cancer or AIDS. Nor am I saying that taking the occasional TheraFlu or NyQuil when you're ill is bad. I'm talking about prescription drugs and such, not over-the-counter medications. Over-the-counter medications simply mask the symptoms, allowing you to function in every day life. Not necessarily a bad thing, because they allow you to remain active. When I get a cold, I get out of bed and do more... and when it's time to sleep I wrap up nice and warm and pass out. It makes no difference to me how ill or sick I feel... best believe I'm going to stay active and fight it off on my own. Body aches? I'll take an Aspirin or two, which has been proven good for the heart, and deal with it.

Take all this with a grain of salt if you wish it doesn't matter to me, but should you choose to make use of any of this info... do so at your own discretion... and work your way into it. A sudden change in your own health habits can play back very negatively... so heed that warning, act carefully, and think smart. Those of you who ignore all this, you have fun visiting the doctor, and I'll continue to not get sick.

Search & Seizure? Not on their watch!

The Supreme Court has decided that the 4th Amendment is now even more strict when it comes to the search & seizure of a person's vehicle. No longer can a Police Officer search a vehicle once the suspect is detained and out of reach of the vehicle's passenger compartment or other such similar areas of the vehicle. In other words, a Police Officer can no longer pull a civilian over for a tail-light and have it turn into a drug possession charge or other hard offense. This is basically what the Supreme Court is saying. Why don't they just buy up 10,000 billboards across the country and have them plastered with "Attention criminals! It is now easier to get away with transporting your illegal drugs and weapons!" Thanks, but no thanks. For those officer's of the law who I hold with a higher standard, I offer you some cupcake tiptoe solutions to this.

Think back to your academy training. Those long, tedious, brain-wrenching days spent listening to your Commander or Instructor speak to you about laws and rules and regulations and you can do this but you can't do that. Think back to when you had that all fresh in your mind, and remember those special words... "Plain View Doctrine" and "Reasonable Suspicion".

Since the start of the Plain View Doctrine, it has been ever so conveniently expanded to include plain smell, plain touch and plain hearing. We aren't going to go into the details of the three (3) requirements that an officer must have in order for an item seized under the Plain View Doctrine to be admissible in court and used as evidence, simply because any officer who knows about this doctrine knows exactly what I'm talking about. So let those bloodhound senses go to work, put a little extra "umph" into sniffing out that bag of marijuana, or catching a glimpse of that little bit of cocaine on the floor or seat. Use it to your advantage. Don't let the Supreme Court take away what enables you to clean the streets, just don't abuse it. Lord knows what they'll try to take from us next.

Next, Reasonable Suspicion. Oh this is a good one. Is it just me, or did every Law Enforcement Officer in the United States of America just become a little bit more suspicious of what's really going on in that vehicle? I think they did. "Why?", you ask? Simple. I think it's going to be to the advantage of every Officer to find suspicion beyond a reasonable doubt to search just about any vehicle that they deem necessary. From a simple hesitation out of a civilian/suspect to put their hands up or comply to a safety command, to a civilian/suspect tussling under a seat, it all sounds like "reasonable suspicion" to me.

Not trying to test the waters and end up with a Civil Rights violation and end up in Federal Court? Than take all this with a grain of salt, but I'm not going to let the death of someone else or the sale of drugs to a minor (or anyone for that matter) rest on my conscience, nor let it happen on my watch. If you're understanding the points I am trying to make, and you're not going to sit around and let that #1 leading method of turning a good ol' fashioned "traffic stop" into a merit earning drug bust, than feel free to leave me a comment and support your fellow officers in cleaning up the streets of America and say "Not on my watch!"

Looking for more info on the Supreme Court's ruling? Go here:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article994500.ece

Reformed and revised?

It's 6:58pm, or should I say 1858? I ask only because I am at work and we use Military Time. I'm on one of those duties that requires my attention for all of about 30 seconds every few hours. So here's what I've thought up in the other 9 hours and 56 minutes of my time.

Have you ever wondered what has happened to the English language? What direction it's headed... what changes are yet to come? So many terms and phrases have been turned "politically correct" or "socially acceptable". When did society become so insecure about the language we use that we have to stop, think and maybe revise what we say? I understand that over time society is susceptible to change due to the influences and events that humans face every day, but when did our so-called "freedom of speech" become not-so-free?

When the words that we say today can affect what we do or encounter tomorrow, are we still free to say what we want? These days one simple word can put you in a position to face repercussions. We now live in a world where a few words spoken between two people can turn into an altercation, or even worse, legal matters. One word typed on a computer for the public to see can turn to a webpage being shut down, or it's owner being sued. Where's the freedom in this?

I speak my mind here only in opinion, and I'm sure most of you have figured that out by now. I don't defame any one person... or any one thing for that matter. I may attack a group as a whole, but never without purely expressing it as an opinion. This somewhat reminds me of a situation that my father faced not too long ago. He was pulled over by a police officer for crossing railroad tracks as the gates were coming down, and after the officer wrote and issued him his citation... my father proceeded to say "I think you're a revenue collector." to which the officer replied with a stern voice "What did you just say to me!?". My father responded with exactly what he said the first time at which point the officer retorted "Have a nice day... sir!". You might be asking yourself, "Why is he telling us this?", and I only have one answer. One simple word prevented my father from being written another citation, or worse thrown in jail. That one word was "think". My father made it a clear point that he was only expressing his opinion, and nothing more. Without this one simple word included in his statement it could have been considered slander. Just some food for thought.

I can't stress enough how impatient I am to see what further changes will come of the English language. In fact, I'm willing to bet that many people of many foreign nationalities face the same issues that we face... what to say and how to say it. Don't get me wrong, some punishments for things said are justified. I recall when Don Imus said something along the lines of "nappy-headed ho's" on live AM radio. That... didn't fly over so well, nor should it have. I directly agree with the criticism he faced for that statement. If you ask me, it was racist and showed signs of bigotry. However... that's just my opinion.

So I leave you with an "opinion" or two, take them with a grain of salt if you so choose:

1.) Watch what you say, and who you say it to.
2.) Those who are so uptight about what is said to them, lighten up a little... it's only words.