I have ESPN on in the background as I'm checking my email, and I've been listenting to Steven A. Smith rant about whatever he's ranting about now. These are the noble truths I've learned:
Barry Bonds got indicted because he's black.
Barry Bonds gets all the steroids attention because he's black. (I thought it was because he just broke the most holy of all sports records.)
They should indict Mark McGwire instead of Bonds.
Kansas doesn't deserve to be in the national championship discussion because they've played cupcakes. (Unlike LSU or Ohio State, who have only played ranked teams all season.)
If you're loud and yell a lot, you can get a job on ESPN.
Many ESPN personalities are loud or obnoxious (or in Stephen A.'s case, both). Look at Skip Bayless or Woody Paige! I guess they feel that's the only way they'll get noticed there (look at how Skip rags on LeBron and TO!). As far as his rant goes, you're right; Bonds didn't get indicted because he's black, it's because he lied and cheated to get the HR record. And how will SAS feel now that Oregon is, well, gone!
The value of what Steven (we all know what the A stands for) Smith says, as far as I'm conserned, you could fit into a gnats-#### and still have room for Skips brain.
jdcross
I liken Smith to his counterparts Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton . Often opinionated and individuals who think highly of themselves and their opinions. As an on air personality he's one of the more obnoxious that's in the employ of ESPN. But then again they no longer purport to be truly a sports oriented news gathering organization. The majority of their work now is merely about puff pieces and the idiotic rants of their on air sport's personalities. The unfortunate thing here is that this case will be seen in the different factors as one of pure racial persecution. Rather than it being judged on the merits of what it's about. The fact that the defendant allegedly lied to federal investigators in pursuance of justice.
The last time I heard that was infact a crime. What the hell do these people want ? For it all to go away ? If that's the case then the whole of MLB ought to be up there on trial as well. As they too have been complicit and duplicitous in all of this.
Fair is fair. I am black and asian to be exact. What #### me off is there are marches for justice and equality. We as blacks are saying we want equality. That is fine, but I am sick and tired of using our past as a crutch and excuse for today. I was never a slave and adopted into a loving white family. I was told to not judge the skin color and accept each as one. I was never allowed to forget that I was black and my parents made sure I rose above the stuff we couldn't afford and to succeed.
What upsets me is that the excuse as SA smith says, it's because he is black he is being targetted. He also said it was a BS call on Vick and his pressure to confess. Bottom line is, Bonds and everyone else that used it, black/white/pink/yellow or green were adults. Quit being an instigator for Bonds and accept the fact he got caught. And SA Smith, there is no staute of limitations for perjury.
Your dead on target with all five points. My wife was the computer yesterday when he was doing a Bond's rant. She bellowed out, "who is that #### talking?"
I stopped paying attention to the NBA some years ago so I was spared from having to listen to Steven A. Smith's ravings. I am not so fortuate anymore since ESPN has expanded his role. There is always ESPN News. He is never heard there
I've never been a big fan of Stephen A either. The same goes for Skip Bayless (or however you spell it). They are both pretty annoying. However one thing we cannot ignore is how much baseball has failed in this case. Yes Bonds is probably guilty of perjury (if the grand jury can prove he lied under oath) and it has nothing to do with race. However, baseball did not so much as blink an eye when McGwire and Sosa "saved baseball" after the strike. They loved the increase in ticket sales that went along with the huge increase in homeruns every year. But then the whole Balco thing began to bring negative press, and the two guys that had to be the biggest scapegoats were Giambi and Bonds. Giambi did the smart thing and admitted his steroid use. McGwire would later somewhat admit it through his tears and silence on the question. But Bonds persisted in his denial, and now he is feeling the heat. Again, I'm not saying he isn't guilty because he probably is, but I feel Major League Baseball is the biggest to blame here. The sport is starting to get out of hand, and it saddens me because it was always my favorite.
SAS is a loudmouth ####. He always uses the scowl and elevates his voice to being obnoxious. As long as he is on ESPN, I will turn the channel and watch reruns of Roseanne before I listen to him rant. He's the biggest user of the race card but when Palmeiro was pointed out, he also said it should be the end of the investigation since he was the biggest fish they would catch. Knowledge will never be an asset for him.
Smith is just the latest in a long line of irritants employed by Every Sports Partisan's Nightmare, along with Chris Berman, Kenny Mayne, and Sean Salisbury. Good post.
My 2 cents:
Espn should be ashamed of themselves for allowing the overt racist comments of Steven A Smith and others. In the days after the indictment we heard from Kevin Blackistone. Joe Morgan, Charles Barkley, Steven A Smith, And i am sure a dozen other african-americans. All they did and all they have done is enable Barry Bonds. Using the color of ones skin as a question to the integrity of the indictment is irresponsible and racist. Racism goes both ways. Protecting an alleged criminal because of race is quite the polar opposite of firing an old #### radio talk show host because he said something stupid. ESPN and the people who work for them had better start understanding that their job is to report. Being fair is not only appropriate but responsible. If ESPN is going to give the names above a forum in which to give personnel opinions, they should do it with class and decency. Accusing the Justice Department of coming down on Bonds because he is black is classless aand indefensible.
Just my 2 cents.
Hey there - the sports talk lunacy is my playground! All kidding aside, do you wonder if ESPN tracks who streams them and when. How many click the red x as soon as the d in goodbye escapes Mike Tirico's lips? I sure do!
Thanks for all the comments everyone. Sorry I haven't the time to respond to each individually, but the holidays and all that have me pressed for time now. Thanks for reading.
What, not Steven A. Smith apologists amongst us? I'm shocked. I was afraid I would be called a racist for mocking the man. That's probably what he would call me. Because, of course, we don't dislike him because he's pompous, loud, obnoxious, and an ####. No, we dislike him because he's black, because that's what every one of the world's problems boils down to.
