The king is back! Where my crown at.

What is up people The Constant Truth has taken a slight step back for a while but now it returns with the truth on what is going down in the world of sports. So without further ado here comes the heater.

The NFL needs to Breathe, Stretch, Shake and Let It Go

The National Football League has made a couple things that make no sense.   Pat Tillman died last year and the league paid tribute to him earlier this season by starting off the season by wearing the number 40 decal on all NFL teams helmets.   Then when Tillman's former teammate Jake Plummer wants to continue wearing the decal to honor his teammate for the rest of the season the NFL says no citing uniformity as the reason.   Please NFL get a grip! Do you have to control everything going on?  

Everyone would understand if a teammate of the player lost but you! What is really good? You have to allow players to play with emotion it is worth makes the league the best in sports.   If you continue to nickel and dime the player by not letting them pay tribute of even do a dance with giving out fines or excessive penalties the games will suffer.   If the fans had a major problem with things of this nature you would certainly let you know in the wallet but this couldn't be further from the truth. While I respect the league for keeping certain things in line please recognize that players play with passion and after playing for years it is hard to give it up.   This is a game, a professional game, but still a game not a boot camp and lets keep it as such.  

This leads me to my second problem with the NFL, which is penalizing Jamal Lewis for a mistake before he even entered the league.   Jamal Lewis if you didn't know is the Baltimore Ravens running back who recently plead guilty to using a cell phone to help set up a cocaine deal when he was a running back at the University Of Tennessee some four years ago.  

While I agree this was a terrible move by the man he was a college student and believe you me college kids (and many others) make mistakes.   He got a reduced sentence and probation instead of a minimum of 10 years in federal prison for a federal offense (dealings on federal airwaves) but that wasn't enough.   The NFL in the name of protecting its image as judge, jury and executioner decides to further penalize Lewis by suspending him for two games.  

While the penalty itself could have been much stiffer it shouldn't matter because Lewis wasn't in the league yet no matter if he fell under the current collective bargaining agreement or not! I don't think anyone who watches the league thinks this is a great stand against bad behavior but more of the same image saving and it is unnecessary.   The league want too much control over players life if you penalize players for things they do before the come into the league.   What is this the NCAA?

A Significant Moment In Sports That Some Will Try to Fly Under the Radar

I know some think the WNBA isn't "real basketball" but they would be wrong and in this eighth season you saw the best product ever.   You can see the difference in the games of the women now compared to then and with better college players entering the league you will see an even better show but that's not the only thing I'm happy about.   I'm happy for a proven coach like Anne Donovan being the first women to win the WNBA Title as a head coach.   Donovan, a great coach at Old Dominion for years in the college ranks took the Seattle Storm, a team that didn't make the WNBA Playoffs last season, to the annals of WNBA lore as the beat the Connecticut Sun in three games.   I know as a minority that this is a major accomplishment because it proves that men are special in bringing a team together on the professional level.   This progress is great because women like black men in professional sports fail to accept that we can play the game but can't coach or be an administrator in the game.   I give mad respect to Donovan for breaking down another wall in the world that shouldn't have been there in the first place! Ignorance and denying people need to hit the wall and break into pieces.

Please Stop The Madness, You Clowns

Here in Philly we are used to losing (sorry, sad but true) but we are not used to a lack of effort and that is what we have with the Philadelphia Sillies (Phillies).   No one wants to hate their home team but with this franchise it is easy to do because they do everything wrong! Teams that don't takes chances don't win it is as simple as that! When you have an opportunity to finally win and you make nothing happen (or little significant) don't expect people to believe you when you make decisions.  

You see the Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros in the playoffs and it rots your stomach out because you know it could have been Philadelphia's baseball club winning a playoff series with some additions and admitting when you are wrong.   Curt Schilling, Carlos Beltran, and Steve Finley could have all been Phillies this past season and off-season and this losing ass franchise (The worst team in professional sports history I might add) decides they can't afford to lose their top prospects that historically have never panned out anyway!

I'm so sick of being cautious how about running that stop light sometimes and running through the mother!    We want the Athletics back in Philly this team isn't trying to win they are just trying to tread water!

Tiger and His New Reality

Eldrick Woods a.k.a. Tiger recently got married and congrats to him but I don't think it is a coincidence that when Tiger gets occupied in other endeavors his game suffers.   This young man is just that: a young man and he has thought of dominating golf since he came out the womb.   It is totally understandable that now that love has come into his life the his life has changed.   No matter what Tiger says his priorities have changed and people need to accept that and move on!   Do I think Tiger will be the underachiever most thinks he is forever? Hell no! But I do think that once he gets readjusted he will learn to balance his life on and off the course better and he will dominate once again.   Tiger is special and that doesn't leave after a couple of bad outings! The great ones adjust their games and move on up the ladder! Oh, don't even let me elaborate on how the courses are built towards Tiger's weaknesses.

Stop The Clock and Give Vick Some Time

Michael Vick is a physical specimen and a great talent on the field but don't be so quick to put him in the top ten of NFL quarterbacks. The arm is amazing, the speed and the cuts on the run are already legendary but he hasn't proved that he can run an offense and sustain drives.   Learning a new offense is hard. Learning the offense when you make mistakes like fumbling is shooting yourself in the foot and Vick has been doing it since he was in college.   He must grab the basics before he can grab the torch from players like Donovan McNabb, Brett Farve, Steve McNair, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.   Highlights mean nothing without results and while the above five aren't perfect they know that.   This isn't hate just The Constant Truth and while it may not be what you want it is what you need!

Peace and remember to speak loud and proud in these coming days and for the rest of your life!    

 
Any comments, questions and/or suggestions give Clayton Ruley an email at clayton@geoclan.com.