Buck Dancing Stars

Of particular interest is the dustup between the Rev. Al Sharpton and the shameless self-promoting Tavis Smiley. In an appearance on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Smiley described Sharpton and others of genuflecting before President Obama and, as such, sacrificing the black agenda. Sharpton, not to be outdone, phoned in expressing his displeasure with Smiley's presumptuousness, accusing him of "buck dancing for the Clintons." The whole matter is rather humorous in that both individuals view themselves as "black leaders" and therefore absolutely essential to the survival of the race. Smiley, as I noted earlier, is a shameless self-promoter with an outsized ego and diarrhea of the mouth. Sharpton, in my view, hasn't a shred of credibility since the Tawana Brawley affair. If Smiley can be said to buck dance to the Clintons, Rev. Al is taking turns on the floor for Barack Obama.

The Apology

The whole thing was a bit surreal. It was a rambling 14-minute scripted monologue running over with mea culpas for cheating on his wife and thus revealing to the world the fraudulent nature of a carefully crafted image of moral rectitude and solid family man. Woods appeared stiff, robotic, and obviously uncomfortable speaking to a pre-selected audience of friends, relatives, and supporters and a worldwide TV audience estimated to be in the millions. In what should be a matter between Woods and his wife, the cynic in me cannot help but think that this orchestrated event was in the main an attempt to refurbish the Tiger Woods brand, which has taken a tremendous battering in the last three months.

Tiger Speaks, Sort Of

Today Tiger Woods broke his silence, announcing that he will hold a press conference, which in reality is little more than an orchestrated event, on Friday presumably to address the sex scandal that has rendered one of the world's most famous public figures persona non grata since last November. If Woods believes he can quash or control the frenzied discussion surrounding his personal life in a controlled environment, he is in for a rude awakening. Nothing short of coming completely clean about the sordid details of his serialized marital infidelities will satiate the media and a public that feeds on this sort of thing.

The Delusional Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. compares himself to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X for insisting on drug testing for his proposed bout with Manny Pacquiao:

“If it was all about money for me, I would’ve said ‘I don’t care what Manny Pacquiao does, just give me the money, I’ll take it. But it’s me taking a stand for something that means something. And it’s for the fighters who are up and coming.

“It’s sort of the same stance Martin Luther King and Malcolm X made, so we could have freedoms, so everybody could tell the world that we’re equal. The only thing I’m saying is that we are equal. So if you’re not on nothing and I’m not on nothing, then let’s go take the test. That’s all I’m saying."

Thus Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is an idiot and an unmitigated fool.

The Palm Pilot

Having ridiculed President Obama for his use of teleprompters, the irrepressible Sarah Palin went decidedly old school in scribbling notes in the palm of her hand. And what was exactly the nature of the notes? Nothing more than "energy", "budget cuts", "tax", and "lift American spirits". Hardly something that should challenge the memory of a former Alaska governor with a penchant for speaking in cliches.

Sarah Palin

In response to a question about whether she contemplates a presidential candidacy in 2012, Sarah Palin said: ''It would be absurd to not consider what it is that I can potentially do to help our country. I won't close the door that perhaps could be open for me in the future.'' It is palpable absurdity that many Americans continue to take this woman seriously.

The Saints

The New Orleans Saints’ dramatic 31-17 victory over the favored Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XIIV was, by any measure, quite an accomplishment for a team mired in 42 years of mediocrity and representing a city devastated 5 years ago by Hurricane Katrina. And the pride and enthusiasm that New Orleans residents feel today over their team’s improbable success is understandable. That said, I cannot buy into the conventional narrative that somehow this is a victory for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. Many economists debunk the popular view that the success of a professional sports franchise has a positive impact on economy of a city or region. Despite the Saints' victory, New Orleans remains a city struggling to recover from the destruction of Katrina.

The Ultimate Game

The Tuesday before the Super Bowl, now known as Media Day, where the media gather around 106 players on the respective teams asking inane questions and filing inconsequential stories about pseudo matters. Former Dallas Cowboys running back Duane Thomas said it best about arguably the most over-hyped sports event extant: "If it's the ultimate game, how come they're playing it again next year?"

Ripped and Torn Up

Actor Rip Torn infuses added meaning to the expressions "ripped" and "tore up" as in inebriation and drunkenness. According to reports, Mr. Torn was arraigned on charges of trespassing, possession of a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and criminal mischief and burglary, all stemming from showing up at a bank in a drunken stupor packing heat.

Punxsutawney Phil

According to the National Climate Data Center, Punxsutawney Phil's accuracy rate at predicting whether winter will last for another six weeks is an unremarkable 39%. Based on that sorry percentage, it is clear that Phil's talents as a weather prognosticator are vastly overrated and the residents of that little community would do well to forgo this annual rite and not summon the groundhog from its burrow.

The Fiftieth Anniversary

Remarkably, today marks the fiftieth anniversary of four North Carolina A & T University students who defied Jim Crow laws in launching a nonviolent sit-in protest of Woolsworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.