Pacquiao talking about suing Mayweather

Wow... I simply knew something was going to put the super boxing match between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in jeopardy. It was almost too good o be true.

I mean, the welterweight title bout scheduled for March 13 at the Las Vegas Grand is reportedly in huge jeopardy after news of steroid usage allegedly came from the Mayweather camp recently.

ESPN.com reported that Mayweather's father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has repeatedly accused Pacman of steroid use because of his rapid success in different weight classes. Now, Pacquiao wants to sue the Mayweather camp and Golden Boy Promotions for defamation of character, which I think is bullshit. And, simply a reason to prolong that a$$ whupping.

"Enough is enough," Pacquiao told ESPN.com. "These people, Mayweather Sr., Jr.,and Golden Boy Promotions. They think this is a joke and a right to accuse someone wrongly of using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs."

The two sides can't seem to agree on the drug testing. Mayweather's camp is all for Olympic style testing, which would subject both fighters to random urine and blood test all the way up until the bout. Both sides have agreed on drug testing, but Pacman's camp is against it leading up until the March 13 fight, which is expected to be the highest grossing boxing match in HISTORY.

My question is: "WHY NOT?"

I really haven't thought too much about the possibility of Pacman using steroids or any other performance enhancing drug until now. It's really starting to look like somebody may be a little scared.

I really hope they square this away.

NBA rookie Jennings becomes latest Twitter victim

I recently wrote a blog/ column about the usage of social sites (facebook, twitter, myspace) by professional athletes, and how some of them get into uncalled for trouble for seemingly innocent post.

I think the blog that I wrote a month ago was mainly about Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard being fine an unreal amount of money for making an innocent remark about fouling out in a game earlier this year.

The latest victim of innocent post seems to be sensational Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings (Twitter name is YungBuck3), who was recently fined $7,500 by the NBA for posting his excitement of making it to the 500 mark (overall record) on his Twitter page.

It wasn't what B. Jennings said. Apparently it was the timing of it. According to the NBA's new social site policy (also known as the Shaq rule), NBA players can't tweet during games. That's defined as 45 minutes before a game starts until after athletes have finished talking to media like me concluding a game.

Jennings said, "You would've thought I said something bad. I mean, that was a big win for us (0ver Portland)."

Indeed... B.Jennings. That's the one problem I have with the NBA, and that's the rules it tries to implement and the fines that it levies on guys that slip up. I mean, really.

NBA D-League owner advertises FAKE Jordan/ Russell game... 50 speaks on Tiger

There was a funny story out of Utah earlier this week.

Apparently, the owner of one of the Utah Flash (Brandt Anderson) tried to fool more than 7,500 fans on Monday night (December 7) by putting on a Jordan v. Byron Russell (Former Utah Jazz player) one-on-one game at halftime of his NBA Development League team's game. Anderson reportedly was going to pay the winner of the game $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Russell was there, seemingly ready to play this fluky game. The lights were dimmed at halftime. So, Anderson thought he was going to trick the fans by halfway seeing a Jordan-look alike on the other end of the court, flanked by bodyguards.

They said that Russell was quick to grab the microphone to announce that the opponent was not Micheal Jordan. The team even made a Youtube video of "MJ" eating at a local Utah restaurant. LOL.

That's funny. I guess that owner was in need of some fans that night. I mean, come on now. I don't even know why anyone would believe a game like that was going to happen anyway. Games like that are usually played by former athletes that need the money or publicity. MJ needs neither, and never will.

Another thing that's funny is the fact that Russell was actually there, trying to re-live that moment in an NBA Finals game from years ago...when Jordan launched a game-winning shot over him to win his sixth NBA title for the Chicago Bulls. That's pretty sad. LOL.

Rapper 50 Cent speaks on Tiger incident

Rapper 50 Cent had to give his opinion of the Tiger Woods news that's constantly being talked about nowadays. Well, 50 was actually sounding like he was giving Tiger advice. Here's some of the things he said during a recent radio interview.

"He just picked the wrong girls, I guess," 50 told radio personality Tim Westwood. "...he might have trust issues. If you have trust issues and you see so many people there, like, you develop a comfort for that person. Even if you don't have a relationship with that person you still want to be around that selective party. You can tell that he was never under those circumstances because he didn't know better than to not do that. Like, even the apology before we knew what was going on. He was saying it was his fault before we even knew what he did..."

"I told ya'll Tiger was hood," 50 said via Twitter last week. "It's funny how Tiger can cheat on his wife and it's a big deal but Hugh Hefner can cheat on his wife on a reality show ere'day and it's nothing. Ain't playing the race card. I'm just saying. The media uses and abuses us over and over again. OPRAH, you all we got now. Don't F$#& up."

50 Cent always has something interesting to say about other people. LOL.

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger...

Woods and his wife and child. Below is Tiger and one of the women that have come out and revealed secret relations with Mr. Woods.

Wow... what can I say about golfer Tiger Woods that hasn't been said a hundred times already?

Most of you have either heard or read the many reports about Tiger's weekend accident. I must admit when I first saw the reports interrupting regularly scheduled programming I was like, "whatever." I thought he had simply hit something outside of his own yard. I had no idea about the details that have come out since the weekend.

And, the voicemail that he supposedly left on one of his women friends cellphone was just crazy. Number one, don't leave a voicemail when you're married. The things he was saying simply sounded nerdy and very amatuear. Seriously. Oh, and don't cheat. LOL.

Then, come to find out Tiger has three women on the side.... whoa. I'm a little suprised. I am not one of the many people that thought Tiger, or anyone else was/ is perfect. But I was just a little shocked to find out or hear that he was getting down like that.

I don't think any less of Tiger. He's a golfer. He just happens to be a super golfer. And, he happen to make the same mistake that many people have made. I hope he and his wife can get past this. I hope the media can let them.

MY THOUGHTS

I think Tiger is simply taken advantage of opportunities with women that he didn't get as a youth. Face it, Tiger was a nerd when he was growing up. He was also consumed with golf. He wasn't getting girls. Hell, not that many girls probably thought anything of Tiger when he was coming up.

It's a totally different story now. Women thinks he's sexy. A lot of women thinks he's sexy. And, a lot of women push themselves on Tiger. So, it really didn't suprise me to hear that he's allegedly been cheating on his wife. Not at all.

I did notice one thing about the three women Tiger was messing with on the side. They all have darker hair than his wife, who's a blonde.

What's also interesting is the fact that Tiger re-did his prenup. It now looks more like a sports contract. IF SHE STAYS MRS.WOODS CAN COLLECT AS MUCH AS $80Million. IF SHE STAYS FOR TWO YEARS SHE CAN COLLECT $55Million, and get a $5Million signing bonus.

Nothing like Alabama/ Auburn rivalry

I've seen countless sporting events and numerous rivalries during my years as a sports journalist.

I can easily say that there's no rivalry like the Auburn versus Alabama football game. I know many of you will mention Duke and North Carolina basketball. Some of you will say Michigan v. Ohio State or Florida v. Florida State football. Or, maybe even Oklahoma versus Nebraska. There are a lot of great rivalries and games in college athletics. I simply don't know of any that take over like Alabama versus Auburn.

I haven't been in Alabama for an Iron Bowl in years, so I honestly forgot the intensity of the situation. I was in Enterprise, Alabama for during the Iron Bowl this year. Every other car I passed either had an University of Alabama or Auburn tag, Roll Tide or war eagle flag, or license plates and stickers to show support. Sure, most people see things like this in the same city the game is taking place. But I am talking about just about every city in Alabama. Did I mention that everyone was seemingly wearing Alabama and Auburn paraphernalia on the day of the game?

I can honestly go on... but I won't. I simply wanted to blog about something that was on my mind for a minute.

Roll tide... 26-21.

Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard fined for comments about refs

Professional athletes have a HUGE price to pay. Many of them make a lot of money, but get fined unreal amounts of dollars for breaking minor rules.

The one that gets me the most is being fined for talking abour officials or referees... especially in the NBA. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who's a great guy off the court, was recently (Nov. 11) fined $15,000 for comments he made about some calls on HIS BLOG.

Now, I can see maybe punishing him for telling me or other members of the media some things he didn't like about an official or some calls. But I was really surprised to see him being fined for something he wrote on his PERSONAL blog.

The comments Howard made were after a loss to the Detroit Pistons last week. He only played 16 minutes that game.

"I haven't played that little in a game since I was 10 years old, in pee-wee ball," Howard posted on his blog after that loss. "What really bothers me is they are letting guys hammer me on one end of the floor, yet I am being called for everything."

Howard also wrote: "How can that be ya'll? It was crazy. They called me for a charge on a flop, a push off when the defender was on me and two fouls on blocked shots."

And... those are the type of comments that got my boy fined 15 stacks. Crazy. That's kind of like punishing someone for something they may have written in their diary or something. I guess the biggest difference is that most diaries are private and blogs are sometimes available for many to view.

I simply find it odd and unfair to punish professional athletes for expressing themselves, whether it's through a diary, twitter, facebook or rap albums. What's up with freedom of speech?

Then again, there's seemingly a HUGE price to pay when you PLAY and make a lot of money.

Shaq still trying to serve & protect... in Cleveland

According to the Associated Press, big Shaq is looking to continue a sideline career in law enforcement since he's living in Cleveland playing for the Cavs.

Spokesperson John O'Brien of the Cuyaohoga County sheriff's office said that Big Shaq has applied to become a special deputy in Ohio. If he's approved, he'd have to complete 30-something hours of police training within six months and take an Ohio police exam.

Oh, I heard he'd also have to pass a shooting test at the range from about the same distance as the free throw line. LOL.

"He would have the right to carry a gun and make arrest," O'Brien told the Associated Press. "... but not be a paid, formal employee."

Shaq previously served in Florida, Arizona and Virginia. That's what's up, Shaq. He doesn't let the millions of dollars he's stealing from the NBA (because he's half the player he used to be) slow down his ambitions to fulfill his dreams in law enforcement. I think that's great.

I can't sit here and say that I'd still be trying to work for someone if I had cashed in millions of dollars in professional sports checks. I mean, I definitely wouldn't be trying to be a police.

Pro athletes have to watch what they SHARE

The newest craze is facebook and twitter... especially twitter.

Everybody is either doing one of the two, or both. Personally, I don't tweet. I don't even have a twitter page. But I do spend quite a bit of time on facebook, where I keep in touch with friends and family. I do all of the updating I need to do while I'm on facebook. Several friends and I send messages back and forth all of the time. Sometimes we give our opinions on athletes, teams and other issues.

But professional and collegieate athletes don't have the freedom that is shared by us regular folks. It really seems like most of the twitter mishaps are taking place when certain athletes choose to share their thoughts on twitter. LOL.

For instance: Packer linebacker Nick Barnett told fans to "Kiss My Ass" if they booed him after he celebrated tackling Cincinatti Bengals running back Cedric Benson in the backfield. The Packers ended up losing that game, and Barnett closed his page.

Texas Tech linbacker Marlon Williams tweeted, "I'm wondering why I'm still in this meeting room when the head coach can't even be on time to his own meeting."

Note: Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach then banned twitter for the whole team.

Kansas City Cheifs running back Larry Johnson was fined and suspended two weeks by the Cheifs earlier this week for making a few gay slurs or comments on his tweeter page recently. He's reportedly going to lose about $600,000 and two weeks of work.

Miami Heat second-year player Mike Beasley was also a victim on sharing a lil too much on twitter. In August, he posted a seemingly harmless photo of a his newest tat, "SupercoolBeas." The art stretched across the top half of his back. The controversy came when it appeared to be a couple baggies that many associated with weed in the background. Beasley later closed his twitter account.

Several athletes are doing well on twitter, though. NBA star Chris Paul has several innocent and funny conversations with friends on twitter each day. Shaq has over 2 millions followers. And, Terrell Owens told me that he enjoys tweeting when I talked with him after the Buffalo Bills beat the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 25.

It's all a matter of realizing that everything is public on the social sites, and all comments can be harmful if not worded correctly. One thing that is slowly being realized is that words can hurt. Maybe not everyone's feelings. But they can definitley hurt the pockets of some pro athletes if they don't watch what they say or write.

Quick... can you name three pro athletes that don't have twitter or facebook pages? LeBron James, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

MJ can say what he wants to say

I thought I would touch on Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame 23-minute speech for a second. I'm not going to say much because the issue is rather old news to me. But I talked about it on a Charlotte radio show earlier this week.

So, I thought I would blog about it real quick. A lot of talk has been made of MJ's speech, and how Jordan talked down on former rivals, poked fun at his old high school coach that cut him, his old college roommate, his pro owner, general manager, the guy presenting him and his kids.
He apparently decided that this was the perfect night to list all the ways everybody sitting in front of him had pissed him off over the past 30 years.

But it was still cool. I thought there were a lot of good parts of his speech. The fact of the matter is that it was MJ's speech. He was the greatest basketball player of all-time. He was probably the biggest star to play any sport. How many times have you heard someone say that someone was the Michael Jordan of their sport. Rapper Jay-Z once said that he's the Michael Jordan of recording. And, we'll probably always compare the next great hoops star to Jordan. He's just that great. Jordan will always be the greatest to me, no matter what he said

The problem is that people wanted him to talk about history, and say what they wanted him to say. A caller even hit the radio show up with, “How many times have you heard a hall of fame speech like that? He should have been humble and gracious.”

See, that's an example of someone wanting MJ to say what they wanted him to say. How many times have you seen an athlete take over a sport, nation and culture like Jordan? His shoes are still the hottest sneakers available. His Airness won just about everything there is to win -- six NBA titles, five MVP awards and two Olympics golds. I haven't talked to Jordan about this. I haven't even tried to call him or catch him at the links to get a quote either. I personally think that he was just trying to have fun with the speech. And, he seemed to be coming from the heart. So many people apparently had a huge problem with what MJ was saying, especially media guys. But no one seemed to be offended during the event in Springfield last week. That's one of the things I scanned for as I watch YouTube footage.

Michael was seemingly trying to make light of the whole situation. Anyone that's ever asked MJ about being the best ever could tell you that he's not comfortable proclaiming himself the greatest ever. We could also tell you this was kind of a sad time for Mike. He still wants to play. He realized that being in the hall of fame means that his career is really over. No more dropping 55 on the Knicks. No more people questioning his legacy. No more dream match ups with some of the younger guys. I would've loved to have seen my main man Chris Paul try to cross MJ up and then toss and alley-oop to Emeka Okafor (his new Tyson Chandler). We all would've liked to have seen a seasoned Kobe or LeBron get it in against MJ too. But those match-ups will never happen.

REAL QUICK NOTE:
What in the hell were the Carolina Panthers thinking this week? So many fans and experts have bashed them and quarterback Jake Delhomme this entire week. The Panthers looked awful in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during week one.

Jake accounted for four interceptions. He's still that sorry quarterback I've been bashing for the last three years. I bashed the Panthers for signing him to an extension during the off season – $20 million guaranteed. Then, the team signs Jay Feely (a kicker) and allows the Eagles to pick up seasoned quarterback Jeff Garcia.

Boy, it's already a long season in Charlotte.

Chris Brown incident bringing attention to domestic violence

I got into an argument about the Chris Brown incident with a friend of mine last night. It was a friendly argument, of course. It was more like a disagreement, really. I had no idea Chris Brown was going to be on Larry King (Wednesday night) last night before our dispute.

Anyway, my friend was telling me how much of a monster Chris Brown was after what he'd done to then-girlfriend Rihanna (last February). During the Larry King interview, Brown admitted guilt and apologized for assaulting Rihanna (Robyn Fenty). He also said that he didn't remember hitting ole girl.

That's one of the things I told my friend last night. I was like, "He was drunk," I said. "Chris Brown had no idea what he was doing. Some people do unbelievable things when they drink too much." I also asked if everyone that made a mistake after being under the influenced should be crucified. Chris Brown wasn't the first, and unfortunately won't be the last person to physically abuse his or her significant other after losing control during a heated argument... while under the influence.

"I'm in shock, because, first of all, that's not who I am as a person, and that's not who I promise I want to be," Chris Brown told Larry King in an exclusive interview that aired Wednesday night. I just don't know what to think. I'm just like, wow. It's crazy to me."

I also said that I didn't condone what Chris Breezy did on that night in February. I don't agree with hitting females at all. Just walk away... I also don't want to say Chris Brown's career should be over because of his mistake.

Could've done more for his cause

I thought that Chris definitely could've said more to defend his side. I don't know if we wasn't allowed to talk about that night. But I do know that he repeatedly told Larry that he respected Rihanna's privacy, as well as his own, too much not to discuss that night at all.

According to a sworn statement by Los Angeles Police detective DeShon Andrews, the incident began when Rihanna found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with." The pair argued while in a sports car driven by Brown, the police statement said. It went on to describe the assault in great detail, saying Brown punched Rihanna -- identified in the statement as Robyn F. -- numerous times and put her in a head lock, restricting her breathing and causing her to start to lose consciousness.

Larry even asked Brown what caused him to threatento beat her and kill her. He also asked him about at least two other domestic violence incidents before the February attack for which Brown was sentenced. Breezy didn't want to talk about that either.

I just thought he could've made things a little better by telling more. He didn't have to discuss everything. Just something... beside apologies. I don't know. I just know that he made a mistake. He will probably never make that mistake again.

I'm just wondering if this would be as big of a deal if it were Rhi-Rhi from Michigan that got beat up that night, and not superstar Rihanna.

Baller quits HS to play overseas

Well, it's official.

San Diego High's Jeremy Tyler (rising senior) shocked the world after becoming the first American born student athlete to leave high school to play professional ball overseas. That definitely surprised me to hear that. I originally read a story and saw a report of Tyler thinking about the move earlier this year.

The 6-foot-11, 260-pound baller announced in the spring that he was going to forgo his senior season at his prep school because it had become boring.

The whole time I was shaking my head, saying to myself, "This kid better not quit high school with only one year left." But news spread quickly when the 18-year-old kid from Cali signed a $140,000 contract to play pro ball with Maccabi Haifa weeks before the school year began. That's a team in the Israeli League. Tyler averaged 28.7 points per game as a junior.

"I think I made the right decision," Tyler told The Associated Press on Wednesday evening. "I think this team is a good fit for me and it's the right country. I feel good. I feel blessed. I got past the easy part. Now the hard part is to perform and show the world I got a contract for a reason. Now I can play against grown men."

That transition isn't as easy as some ballers may think. Former Oak Hill Academy baller Brandon Jennings found out last year when he signed with an overseas team after not academically qualifying to play for Arizona. His stats dropped tremendously overseas, compared the numbers he put up in high school. And, Jennings was considered to be the number one senior in his class.

So, it's simply hard for me to believe that some kid I hadn't really heard about until a couple months ago is ready to play pro ball after his 11th grade year in high school. I personally thought he should've just put up crazy numbers and perfected some things this year before jumping to the next level.

Plus, he's going to have to miss out on games like the McDonald's All-American game, the Jordan Classic and several of the other prestigious all-star games due to the fact that he's going to be a pro baller already.

It's completely his decision. And, his family seems to be with it. I only hope he didn't rush things by trying to get the MONEY too early.

"It's a huge step for him and his family and the things he's about to get into," Tyler's agent, former NBA player B.J. Armstrong told the Associated Press. "The basketball will be the easiest part in this equation. Now he's got to get things adjusted off the court to what a professional does, how he lives. It'll be a challenge. The rest will take care of itself."

Maccabi Haifa opens its season on Oct. 25.

DO SECOND CHANCES WORK?

Some of us are guilty of being the cause of the end of a relationship. I'd be telling less than the truth if I didn't admit to messing up a few times during my younger days. Some of us have had to leave a relationship prematurely for one reason or the other too.

Sometimes we feel that the grass may be greener on the other side. Sometimes we take our significant others for granted. And, other times we simply want to move on. There's countless reasons to feeling the need to move on.

My question is: When is it cool to give it another try? Or, should a sequel to a relationship even be visited? Sometimes people actually learn from their mistakes after a period of time. Sometimes people even realize that things weren't what they thought when they left a good relationship.

With sites like myspace, twitter and facebook -- there's countless ways to reconnect with someone from your past. Sometimes you see how well things turned out for people in your past. You also get a glimpse of what your life could've been like. That's when you have to keep smiling and giving compliments on their life... knowing you'd love to switch places with their husband or wife ... to prove that you were the man or woman they once thought you were.

People even have a chance to run into ex-lovers that happen to be single or divorced. They may begin conversing again... and realize that they miss one another, or what they had once upon a time. Should that even be re-visited?

I don't know. I feel like a lot of relationships end for a reason. Maybe that reason won't be the cause for an doomed part two of a relationship. But something usually is. Like I said earlier, though. Sometimes people learn from their mistakes... and sometimes it's a mistake to end certain relationships in the first place.

P.S.: I am obviously not talking about EVERY failed relationship. We all know that EVERY relationship doesn't need to be re-visited. I'm talking about the one or two special relationships that ended before they probably should've. You know what I mean?

Former NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden chats

Former Miami Dolphin and Winston-Salem State receiver Oronde Gadsden used to be one of my favorite wide outs years ago simply because I liked the Dolphins. I was a huge Dolphin fan until Dan Marino retired.

I actually didn’t know that Gadsden played his college ball at Winston-Salem State University (an HBCU in North Carolina) until I moved to Winston in 2002. I met Gadsden for the first time after he was inducted into the WSSU athletic hall of fame in 2006.

I was interested in finding out what has been going on with Gadsden since he retired. Oronde was busy in ’06. He was the partial owner of the Florida Frenzy, a National Indoor League Football (Arena) team in central Florida. He was also dealing with the launch of his own clothing line, and dabbling with a new meat product.

Check out some of the other things Oronde and I talked about during a recent interview.

Anthony: Oronde, what’s going on?
Oronde: What’s happening with you?
Anthony: Nothing much. It’s good to see you. I used to be a big fan.
Oronde: (Smiles.) ‘Preciate it.
Anthony: I’ve asked you this before. But for the fake of this interview I need to ask you again.
Oronde: It’s cool.

Anthony: It’s not even that serious. I’ve built it up as if it’s some question about drug use or something. (Both laugh.)
Oronde: We both know better than that.
Anthony: (Laughs.) OK. Kind of tell me how special it was to be inducted into the Winston-Salem State University Hall of Fame a few years back?
Oronde: You know it was real special. It’s definitely good when your peers recognize you for what you have done. It’s like family. I came to Winston as a young man that was trying to get a degree. I just feel fortunate that they felt like I was worthy of going to the hall of fame.
Anthony: You weren’t even a football player at first, right?

Oronde: Right. I played basketball coming into Winston-Salem State. Playing football was a big change. But they (football program) made a difference in who I am today.
Anthony: I bet. You still look like you can play today. Do you have thoughts of getting back on the field today?
Oronde: Uh, people ask me that from time to time. At 36, it’s tough. I don’t think you’ll get a good contract. But if the situation was right I’d take it. If I could just come in on third down, and not have to do training camp and all of that other stuff – I’d do it. (Both laugh.) I couldn’t make it happen if those things weren’t in place.

Anthony: I hear you. How much football do you watch nowadays?
Oronde: I watch it all the time. I’ve even in three fantasy football leagues and everything. So I pay close attention to what’s going on.
Anthony: I can’t believe you’re on the fantasy football thing.
Oronde: Yeah, I’m big into that. This is my second year. Each year I grow into more leagues.
Anthony: I simply do the PlaySation. But I’m honestly thinking about finally doing some fantasy football.
Oronde: I used to be heavy into that when I was playing. But I haven’t picked up a joystick for the last two years.
Anthony: You played with Dan Marino, so you’ve got to give me a Top 3 of players you’ve played with in your NFL career.

Oronde: I went to Dallas and won a Super Bowl my first year in the league. There were a lot of great players on that ’96 team. I played with Prime Time (Deion Sanders), Michael Irvin. He’s probably my top choice because he taught me everything I know about the position. He’s my mentor.

Anthony: OK. What’s your favorite television show?
Oronde: “Sanford and Son.”
Anthony: What about music? What’s your favorite CD to pop in nowadays?
Oronde: I have quite a few that I like to pop in. I have to go old school and say, “Zhane.” Do you remember them?
Anthony: (Smiles.) Yeah.

Oronde: Yeah. They give me everything. They give me fast, slow and old R&B. If I’m just riding I know I’ve got to ride to “Reasonable Doubt.” (Jay-Z’s first album)
Anthony: Cool. What do you think about T.O.? (NFL receiver Terrell Owens)
Oronde: Good show. (Both laugh.) He is who he is. He’s a great athlete. Obviously he does some questionable things, but hey… think that’s just who he is.

Anthony: True. Let’s finish with free association.
Oronde: OK.
Anthony: Winston-Salem State.
Oronde: The Rams, baby.

Anthony: Miami Dolphins.
Oronde: Football team that gave me a chance.
Anthony: Dallas Cowboys.
Oronde: Super Bowl.

Anthony: Deion Sanders.
Oronde: The best corner to ever play the game.
Anthony: Oronde Gadsden.
Oronde: I got it done. Like Larry the Cable guy says, “Get ‘Ur Done.” My dad always told me there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I wasn’t the fastest, but I got the cat’s skin.

Anthony: No doubt. Best WSSU receive of all time.
Oronde: Probably Yancy (Thigpen). But I am going to have to go with myself. I think I have more touchdowns than him. (Both laugh.)

What's the REAL key to sustaining a relationship?

I hear select friends talk about the secret to staying together all the time. Some of those same friends are single now. I'm not throwing a shot at them. I'm just sayin.'

How do you really sustain a good relationship, whether that be a marriage or a serious dating situation? I was recently communicating with the mother of an ex-girlfriend of mine. I consider her to be like a mother to me. Anyway. I was going to ask her what the secret was, being that she's been married to the same man for many, many years. Then I thought about it. That would be unfair to ask her that because she's truly married to a very great man. He's got many sides to him too. So, I'm sure there is never a dull moment in their marriage. I know there was never a dull moment when I was around. Plus, a lot of older couples were able to stay together because times were different back in the day.

That was before facebook, twitter, email, myspace and so many other things that tend to play as a distraction in certain relationships these days.

But I'm really talking about the countless relationships that don't make it after a seemingly long run. Everyone isn't a great communicator. Everyone doesn't like to party or go out a lot. Bascially, everyone isn't into the same type of things. Most people act as if they can deal with select differences when meeting someone interesting at first. Actually, most relationships start out relatively well...mostly because a lot of people ACT the part of the significant other well.

Then, time goes by and the real THEM comes out. Sometimes that means that they have a bad temper. Sometimes one realizes that their significant other isn't the smartest or most romantic person around. That doesn't mean those men or women don't have other great qualities.

So, what keeps people from seeking what's missing in their relationship? I don't mean cheating either. I mean, what keeps a people from thinking they need to be with someone else after being with the same person for a seemingly long stint?

How do you look at the same person for years and still want to see them for another 20 or so years? A lot of people have a hard time keeping an old relationship new. I guess the real key is making sure you know a person before you begin to think about marriage or the years to follow.

All right, I'm through rambling for now. What do you think?

Women love harder than Men

I've come to the conclusion that women love harder than men.

What I mean by that is: MOST Women will remain with a man through a lot more bullshhh than most men will tolerate.

Let me give an example. A lot of women have either been cheated on, or knows of someone that has. More times than not the woman or women that were cheated on took their significant others back.

I think it's deep and genuine love that probably pulls a lot of women back to their man when something like that happens. On the flip side, there's many men that have called it quits and never really opened that door again after his lady cheated on him. Some men might still have sex with their ex-lady after something like that occurred, but the trust and deep affections slowly slip away or get hidden.

My mother took my father back after he had a child outside of their marriage. I can't say that my dad would've done the same if my mother had flipped the situation. (Note: I'm glad my mother was strong enough to remain in the marriage.)

I can't even say that I would remain in a marriage if that had happened to me. But I know of many relationships and/ or marriages that have remained after incidents like that have occurred on the men's side.

I know there are a number of women that are quick to say they'll leave their man if he cheated or had a baby outside of a marriage or deep relationship. Some of those same women would be right back with him by the end of the week after he pleaded his case, and announced his stupidity. I'm not saying that's wrong. A lot of guys make mistakes in relationships. I'm included.

I'm simply saying that women seemingly put up with more. Maybe it's the idea of living a fairly tale life, or having that happy ending with a big, happy family.

I personally just believe that women love harder than men.

Roethlisberger in major trouble

Don't let the "side bar" (weak) coverage or short reports of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben "Big Ben" Roethlisberger being accused of raping a Nevada woman take away from the severity of the incident.

I've been watching the slow news coverage of this ordeal, and I'm wondering why it's just now being talked about freely. Roethlisberger supposedly raped a 31-year-old (a Lake Tahoe casino hostess) woman last year. She filed a civil lawsuit saying that the Steelers QB raped her in a hotel penthouse last year.

Roethlisberger held a press conference today (July 23) at the Steelers practice complex to announce his innocence. He called ole girl's allegations "reckless and false."

According to Associated Press reports, the woman was working as a VIP casino host at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe at the time, and claims in the lawsuit the rape took place in Roethlisberger’s room after he called her on a bogus complaint.

“Saturday was the first I heard of her accusations,” Roethlisberger told the Associated Press. “Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever force myself on a woman.”

Roethlisberger vowed to fight what he called “outrageous allegations.”

He said he would remain focused on the upcoming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending Super Bowl champions. The Steelers open training camp on July 31.

WHAT ABOUT THE REAL ISSUE?

The real issue here is that Roethlisberger is getting wonderful treatment by the NFL commish and the mainstream media, because no one has hammered him yet.

Kobe Bryant was immediately dropped from numerous endorsements after he was ACCUSED of raping a young lady. Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended from the NFL after being investigated for numerous crimes or incidents. Jones still has yet to be convicted of any crime. Here, Roethlisberger is being accused of raping a woman and he's still able to promote a reality TV show appearance he's making with Shaq. Isn't that some shhh?

There simply seems to be a lot of sypathy being shown for BENNIE. That's just wrong. This almost feels like it did when everyone was seeming doubting that Roger Clemens took steroids, but would bet their houses that Barry Bonds was guilty of cheating.

I'm not wishing any harm or hateful reports about Roethlisberger. I'm only saying that news coverage or bashing should be fair. This is no different than the Kobe incident. It's going to take quite a bit of luck and money to get Big Ben out of this one.

Forget what the news is talking 'bout. Big Ben is in trouble.

Throwback interview with my boy Chris Paul

Note: This was my first interview with NBA star Chris Paul. We've done numerous interviews and other things since then. But I thought I would post a real "throwback" interview. This is from Paul's senior year of high school. This was before the NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up honors. Take a look.

(From 2003) It seems like everyone across the country is talking about St. Vincent- St. Mary's phenomenal high school player, LeBron James. Well, West Forsyth has an incredible player of its own in senior guard Chris Paul.

Let's be honest. Chris is the man around here. And, every fan that has seen him play thinks he is one of the greatest high school players to perform in this state. He hit up an opponent for 61 points earlier this season, along with a stellar performance in the Frank Spencer a few weeks ago.

I caught up with Mr. Paul moments after he put on another impressive show in an 84-47 victory over South Rowan last Friday (Jan. 2003) night.

Anthony: What's going on Chris?

Chris: I'm all right. I'm just chillin'.

Anthony: Man, it looked like you simply exploded on those boys tonight. You must have been feeling it.

Chris: Well, South Rowan has always been a team in our conference that has played us real dirty by applying a lot of hard fouls. So, I was real pumped for this game.

Anthony: Speaking of hard fouls. I saw that guy come up under you before you "yoked" (dunked) on him. It looked as if you got a little mad and had a choice of words for him. What were you two jawing about?

Chris: I ain't say nothing. (Laughs.) It's just all in the game. I just want to win.

Anthony: What exactly did he do?

Chris: When I went up for the dunk he came up under and acted like he didn't do anything. I don't remember what I said. I don't even remember what he said. They were talking so much tonight.

Anthony: Man, it doesn't look like you even get tired out there. What kind of fuel are you running on?

Chris: You know what? I just wanna win so bad that I don't really get tired. That's just the emotions of basketball. This is what I do.

Anthony: Now, you scored 61 points on a team earlier this season. Is that the most you've ever scored in a single game.

Chris: Yeah. That was the most.

Anthony: What motivated you to score so many points?

Chris: My grandfather was murdered on Nov. 15. I signed to play with Wake on the 14th. My grandfather was my bestfriend and he was 61. After his funeral I felt like I was going to score those points for him. I had know idea I was actually going to score that many points though. Someone said something to me about it before the game. I just got on the court and started to do some things and then I felt like I could do it.

Anthony: Wow. That was truly amazing. Let me ask you this, Chris. You're one of the premier players in high school basketball. What made you commit to Wake so early?

Chris: I had offers from every team in the ACC and other teams that I liked. But, I knew where I wanted to play. I figured I wouldn't waste any other colleges time by recruiting me.

Anthony: You have a catalog of sick moves on the court. It looks like you've been watching a few "And 1 Mixtapes."

Chris: Yeah, I watch them. But, some of that stuff I wouldn't try in a game. I have full-court basketball court at my house and me and brother used to always play one on one everyday. I got most of those moves from him. He and my dad are definitely the reason I'm the player I am today. My dad used to make me and my brother put our right arms behind our backs so we would have to use our left hand to shoot.

Anthony: Let me ask you this: What are your interest outside of basketball? What are you going to pursue in college?

Chris: I'm going to Wake and I'm not really sure what I'm going to major in. I was thinking about computer science or something like that.

Anthony: Answer this for me. Which is better — a thunderous dunk or an embarrassing block?

Chris: Dunk. A "facial."

Anthony: What? But, you just started dunking this year.

Chris: True. I don't know. I guess I will say a good pass is the best feeling. (Both laugh.)

Anthony: Did you ever think about playing another sport? Or has basketball always been your main concentration?

Chris: I was the back-up quarterback for varsity my sophomore year. Everyone thought I was gonna drop basketball to play football.

Anthony: Really?

Chris: Yeah. I played football for 10 years.

Anthony: So what made you decide to play hoops?

Chris: (pause.). It was more fun to me. I started to think about which one I would rather do in college. So, I chose basketball.

Anthony: Let's switch this interview up a little bit. (Pause.) Did you have a favorite cartoon when you were growing up?

Chris: Woody Wood Pecker.

Anthony: (Both laugh.) Is there an athlete in which you've looked up to your entire life?

Chris: Oh yeah. Definitely, Michael Jordan. I used to watch him and see all the amazing things he's done throughout his career. So, I would say him.

Anthony: I'm sure that you have a lot more people claiming to be your friend now that you're getting all this media attention and praise. How rough is it having all kinds of strangers acting as if they know you?

Chris: It's rough, but I know who the people are that were with me from the beginning. Family comes first for me.

Anthony: Let's jump into something I like to call "free association." I say one word and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

Chris: All right.

Anthony: Josh Howard.

Chris: Incredible defense.

Anthony: R.J. Reynolds Demons.

Chris: (Pause.) Rivalry.

Anthony: Favorite class.

Chris: Math.

Anthony: Dream date.

Chris: Halle Berry. (Both laugh.)

Anthony: Kobe Bryant.

Chris: One of my favorites.

Anthony: One final question. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

Chris: 10 years from now, HOPEFULLY I'LL BE IN THE NBA.

Anthony: Good luck with that, Chris.

Chris: Thanks a lot man.

So many distractions these days

I would love to be married someday. I envy my male friends that are HAPPILY married.

I also wonder how some of them remain totally honest with their wife. The same can be said about some of my female friends and family that are married. It seems there are so many distractions these days when it comes to marriage and relationships. I'm serious.

I'm not talking about glancing at a nice ass, face or body in the mall. I'm also not talking about wishing you could hook up with Gabrielle Union or Halle Berry after watching their latest movie. Those aren't really distractions for a relationship.

I'm not even talking about working in an office full of beautiful and smart women. That is a helluva distraction, though. Some of those honest lunch dates do tend to make co-workers a little closer than normal. But I'm not really talking about that either.

I'm talking about the reckless flirting, constant conversations and occassional lusting that goes on when using sites like facebook or myspace. I've lost a girlfriend over things she didn't like about my myspace page a few years back. I still can't help but shake my head at that. I will admit that I wasn't keeping it completely real with her. At the same time, I wasn't considering what I was doing as cheating either.

I was talking with a friend of mine about this the other day, and she said that she and her man would have a page together. That's cool, I guess. But what about when he or she misses having their own page? Then, they create another one under a fake name or whatever.

I don't want to go on and on about this. I'm just saying that there's a lot of new distractions these days that can end something special. A distraction is all it takes to end something good most of the time.

I want to have what my parents had. Real love that kept them together to this day. Something tells me those days are over... especially with technology of today.

P.S.: This blog is not directly talking about anyone or everyone. It's just a little something that was on my mind the other day.

Why is breaking up hard?

Breaking up is definitely a difficult thing to do.

Even relationships that aren't quite working out are hard to say goodbye to sometime. Maybe it's the fear that one might be making a mistake by letting the other person go. Or, maybe it's the fear of starting over or having to learn someone new that makes breaking up so hard.

And, why is it hard to see the person you broke with having a good time with somebody else even when you're the one that broke up with them? Another one of the crazy facts about most break-ups.

What's even harder is breaking up with someone for no apparent reason other than you've lost interest. We've all been in a relationship that we just weren't quite feeling anymore. You start to look at the other person and just make faces and think about how much you don't like him or her anymore. Then you start to look for reasons to break up.

You're like, "Why did you slam my door? See, that's why we can't be together. You don't respect my things." LOL. Or, you might say, "You don't give me enough space. This just isn't working." Seriously, you tend to look for the smallest things and make them out to be huge.

In an ideal situation, one simply explain to the other person that things aren't quite working out and they would understand. They might even hit you with a, "I'm glad you broke this off before we invested too much time. I respect that." Instead, it's usually, "So, who are you f'ing now or what did I do or what can I do to make things better?" At that point, you simply don't want things to get ugly.

I don't know. Why can't breaking up be easier? Better question: why is it so hard to meet someone that is really right for you? Sorry, I am simply rambling through this blog.

Note: Can you believe that Kelis wants fap star Nas to pay $80, 000 a month after their divorce is final. He only earns a little over a 100,000 a month reportedly. That's when it's CHEAPER TO KEEP HER. LOL.

Panthers' DeAngelo Williams chats

I may not have met a cooler pro football player than Carolina Panther running back DeAngelo Williams. He and I met during his first year with the Panthers.

Williams was drafted 27th (first round) by the Carolina Panthers in the 2006 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of Memphis. I was at the press conference to welcome Williams a couple days later. I instantly gravitated to the speedy running back. I think it was because how low key DeAngelo is most of the time. He's simply a funny and cool dude.

Williams also does cool things on the football field. He finished with his best statistics during the 2008 football season, where he rushed for 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns. It seemed like just yesterday he and I were talking about how cool it was to be playing with and against guys he used to play with on video games and watch on television.

Take a look at some of the things DeAngelo and I discussed during a recent interview.

Anthony: What's good, Dee?

DeAngelo: I'm doing all right, man. I'm hanging in there.

Anthony: First, you did your thing last season.

DeAngelo: (Laughs.) I tried. Last year was a good one.

Anthony: (Smiles.) Let me ask you this. Is the league everything you expected it to be?

DeAngelo: Yeah, it's all right. You remember...coming in, I thought it was going to be extremely fast, the guys were going to be extremely big. I overemphasized the characteristics of the NFL so it wouldn't be as bad as it would've been if I had underemphasized it. It's just about how fast you make your decisions. Plus, speed kills in this game. But you still have to know a lot about what's going on on the field. There's more to this league than being fast.

Anthony: I remember you were almost shocked during your first preseason game a few years ago. (Smiles.) I think it was against Buffalo.

DeAngelo: (Laughs.) Yeah. You still remember that?

Anthony: (Smiles.) No doubt.

DeAngelo: I wasn't ready for it. I was like, "Wow." I even had to pinch myself a couple time on the sidelines to make sure it was real. I mean, those were the guys that I used to watch on TV for years. After the game, you walk to the middle of the field and see some of those guys and you realize they're celebrities. But it's nothing now.

Anthony: (Smiles.) I feel you.

DeAngelo: I'm going to tell you what got me. The fact that there were so many guys willing to help me when I first got into the league. I thought things were a lot rougher in the league. Even my coaches at Memphis told me not to make many friends, and that everyone is competiting. But everyone wants to win.

Anthony: No doubt. Did you feel like you were better than Reggie Bush? I mean, it seemed like he was the big talk coming out of college -- for obvious reasons.

DeAngelo: It's not even that, man. We're in two different offenses and we both do our thing for our teams. The same about when we were in college. I don't compare myself to him. I'm sure he doesn't compare himself with me.

Anthony: How much have you enjoyed living in Charlotte?

DeAngelo: It's been all right. It's different, man. I don't go out much. I'm not a go-out-much person. I like to sit at home, or go bowling. Or, I'll watch a movie.

Anthony: We'll need to get you to come bowl during Chris Paul's celebrity bowling event for charity.

DeAngelo: (Smiles.) Yeah. I'd love to come get down.

Anthony: What do you listen to before games?

DeAngelo: It's strange,but I don't even listen to music.

Anthony: Whatever.

DeAngelo: Honestly. I don't. When I'm in the car I'm usually on the phone. I'll hear something on the radio and be like, "That's hot." My girl will probably download it to my iPod, but I will probably only listen to it two or three times a month.

Anthony: Why did you keep No. 34? I thought you would go back to your college number (20).

DeAngelo: I like 34. I wore that number in high school.

Anthony: Oh, OK. I didn't know that. What's your favorite television show?

DeAngelo: (Smiles.) I like the Boondocks and The Family Guy. I've even got the Boondocks box set.

Anthony: How long do you see yourself playing in the league?

DeAngelo: I honestly don't know, man. I'm still excited. I have a strong passion burning inside of me for this sport. I don't know anyone that can foreshadow my career. I don't take that many hits. I get tackled. There's a difference between getting tackled and getting hit. My running style helps me. I think that will further my career in the league.

Anthony: Do you have any nicknames?

DeAngelo: When I first got into the league DeShaun (Foster) called me Dark Wing, Bojangles, Razzle-Dazzle. He told me that I'm not Bo Jackson. He said that I'm Bojangles. (Both laugh.) You know I've got a little shake to my game. DeShaun used to call me anything, though.

Anthony: (Laughs.) I see. Let's finish with free association. Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

DeAngelo: OK.

Anthony: Wynne, Arkansas (DeAngelo's hometown).

DeAngelo: (Laughs.) Next question.

Anthony: (Smiles.) Memphis.

DeAngelo: Beautiful. I love it.

Anthony: DeAngelo Williams.

DeAngelo: A sight to see.

Anthony: Carolina Panthers.

DeAngelo: A team to be reckoned with.

Anthony: T.O. (Terrell Owens).

DeAngelo: A beast.

Anthony: Steve Smith.

DeAngelo: Ultimate game breaker.

Anthony: I agree. Well, we're done. I will see you later on this summer. Good luck to you this upcoming year.

DeAngelo: All right, bruh. Thanks.

Football player dies at Western Carolina

Ja'Quayvin Smalls

Western Carolina reciever (freshman sensation) George Richardson called me on Wednesday evening to tell me the sad news. He told me that a freshmen cornerback had passed away after workouts on Wednesday.

But Western Carolina released a statement saying that junior football player Ja’Quayvin Smalls of Mount Pleasant, S.C., died unexpectedly Wednesday evening after collapsing during conditioning drills as a part of voluntary off-season workouts.

Smalls collapsed while running as a part of the evening workout session. Wednesday’s workouts were the first with the team for Smalls, who was enrolled in the second session of WCU’s summer school that began this week.

Observers on the scene say that Smalls was complaining about cramps during the beginning of sprint exercises and was removed from the lineup to be stretched. While being treated, Smalls quit breathing at which point athletic training personnel administered CPR until emergency medical personnel from WestCare arrived at the stadium. He was transported to Harris Hospital where he died at approximately 7:30 pm.

Members of the football coaching staff and the team traveled to the hospital to be at Smalls’ side, and university student affairs and counseling staff were on hand to provide support.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy, but it is especially tragic when someone is taken from us at such a young age," said Chip Smith, WCU director of athletics. “Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of Ja’Quayvin, and with his coaches and teammates."

Richardson added: "I feel really sad right now. I feel bad for his family. How's coach supposed to call his mom and tell her that her son is dead. We just got here on Monday. This is just really sad. This is the type of thing that could either ruin a season, or motivate you to do better. It's all about how guys take this. Right now it's just a shock."

Smalls, who transferred to WCU after two seasons at Georgia Military College, was a part of the Catamounts’ 2009 signing class.