The Owner MJ

Michael Jordan's stints as NBA executive with the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Bobcats were less than overwhelming, so there is nothing in recent history that suggests he will fare any better as the principal owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. It is said of Jordan that the singleness of purpose and focus that so characterized him as a player are qualities noticeably absent from his front office roles.

Tough Shit Bunning

Republican Senator Jim Bunning, who single-handedly blocked funding legislation for extension of unemployment benefits and transportation projects, has agreed to end his one-man filibuster. Bunning's actions as well as attitude - he callously dismissed a colleague's concerns about the negative impact as "tough shit" -has not endeared him to the public or senators on both sides of the aisle. That said, Bunning is not totally to blame because the United States Senate arcane rules, under the conceit of being a great deliberative body, make it possible for one individual to stymie legislation and thwart the will of the majority.

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.