Month: February 2022

I’m not even sure if history like this is still allowed to be taught in Oklahoma, parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

You’ll notice I didn’t include Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina on my rant list. That’s because in those three states I think you can still find a reasonable amount of people who can engage in a meaningful discussion as to how the United States became both the largest economy and the most powerful military force in the world from the end of WWII to the present.

Trump has never discussed the Marshall Plan at one of his rallies or on a GOP debate stage because it in no way plays into his plan of dumbing down at the minimum one-half of America’s entitled and lazy white population who aren’t smart enough to vote in behalf of their own economic interest.

This is why eighty per-cent of the whites who voted for Trump will do so again in 2024…maybe more. That being, they’re too transfixed on Birtherism, racism, and guns rights to vote in their own economic long-term self-interest.

Put this in perspective in the form of a trivia question. What are the three most banned books by local school boards in the southern states?

The answer would be… 1 To Kill a Mockingbird, 2 The Diary of Anne Frank, and 3 1984 by George Orwell.

My old American Lit teacher Juanita Elijah assigned all three of these books as mandatory reading back in 1974 at John Marshall High School.

I guess the question now in relation to Putin isn’t if he takes Ukraine back, but whether he decides to go beyond and into Poland.

I don’t think this will happen though more because of China than Putin’s desire to do so.

We’ll see.

From Putin’s eyes how can he not visualize America on January 6th with the Trump-Proud Boy rabble invasion and the fact that in the time since the USA cannot even get a voting rights bill passed like LBJ did in 1965.

From a geo-political standpoint this will be fascinating to witness, but not so fascinating for the Ukranian people.

Pray for the Ukranian people.

This week-end was the least amount of sports I’ve watched since college and NFL football season began around Labor Day. I only listened to the OU basketball game because I’m demoralized the Sooners have lost EJ Harkless to injury for the rest of the season. The Sooners are now officially on the wrong side of the bubble…probably thinking NIT at this point…. if the tournament is even still played after Covid.

I thought the NBA’s All-Star game was trash except for Karl Anthony- Towne winning a spirited three-point shooting contest. The dunking contest was the worst I’ve ever seen. I saw better stuff than that at John Marshall back win Winford Boynes from Capitol Hill was the Oklahoma City Player of the Year in the 70’s.

I caught just the last half of the Michigan vs. Wisconsin game and the ending with a near brawl was almost spectacular.

Just let them fight. That little white coach called a time-out leading by fifteen at home with fifteen seconds left. If he’s going to troll the other coach then turn them loose.

Juwan Howard of Fab Five fame would have killed him. Too much reach for that little white boy. I’ve never heard of him before today…Coach Gard. Whatever. Probably a German.

You know…Madison, Wisconsin I think– isn’t too far from where mentally challenged Kyle Rittenhouse killed those Black Lives Matter people with his AK-15 assault rifle. I guess we’re lucky Kyle wasn’t attending this Badger game and wasn’t near the Michigan bench all things considered.

I have no idea when the Thunder start these last twenty-four games of their season.

My grandson, Little Robert had his first stand-up pee yesterday in the backyard in Denver. If the Mother’s Association at Bonnie Brae Park knew this mu grandson would be in trouble.

He was so proud of it on the video. Just gotta hope he doesn’t do that at recess at school on Monday or he may be sitting a few games with Juwan Howard.

You see how I melded that all together there at the end.

Enjoy Monday because the rest of the week is going to be ice and winter again in Oklahoma.

Can you name the Fab Five without Google?

I’d go in this order…1 Chris Webber, 2 Jalen Rose, 3 Juwan Howard , who actually won an NBA ring, 4 Jimmy King, and 5 Ray Jackson.

If Chris Webber had joined Steph, Klay, and Draymond he would have won at least two rings as well… would be my guess.

I actually like Tim Scott. He’s a moderate Republican senator from the very red state of South Carolina. I believe Tim Scott is the only male African American GOP member of the United State Senate currently.

This video deposition was recorded in July of 2016 when no one thought reality television personality Donald Trump would ever become POTUS 45.

On most lists from people who follow national politics…. Tim Scott is probably third or fourth on the GOP list of possible GOP POTUS candidates in 2024.

I would think he might even be a strong dark-horse, no pun intended, to replace Mike Pence on the Trump ticket if POTUS 45 isn’t in federal prison.

Washington Commanders, right? Sigh.

Mike is a lot of things…politically correct isn’t one of them I’m proud to say.

Since POTUS 45 was elected however, you won’t hear Tim Scott say the things he said on this video deposition a mere fourth months before the Election of 2016.

Tim Scott is in a group of bipartisan senators along with Oklahoma’s own James Lankford who have a senatorial breakfast club of sorts in D.C.

Anyway, here’s Tim Scott before Donald Trump became the face of his party describing what it’s like to be a black man serving in the United States Senate circa 2016.

So… like with every Republican male senator left standing…it will be up to you to decide if Tim Scott was suffering from delusion on this video or is simply avoiding the truth now to stay on the pleasant side of the Trumplicans.

The truth can be such a difficult concept at times. It’s not easy.

I like Tim Scott, but he ain’t no Liz Cheney…that’s for certain.

LeBron has made some very interesting comments this week-end at the All-Star Game in reference to Sam Presti.

He made note of some of Sam Presti’s first round picks over the years and then went on to praise Josh Giddey’s rare skill of seeing the floor at NBA warp speed.

He didn’t mention some of the things which went the wrong way in Oklahoma City, but instead was extremely kind in his comments to Sam Presti. He didn’t mention Russell Westbrook’s destructive effect on the Lakers this season but went out of his way to praise Sam Presti.

LeBron said he wants to play his last NBA season with his son when that time comes which I would think would be two years from now.

He said money wouldn’t be a factor and I’m guessing that to mean he’d play for the vet minimum if that’s what it would take for him to play on the same team as his son Bronny James.

Maybe LeBron is recruiting Sam Presti to replace Rob Pelinka kind of like USC lured Lincoln Riley to USC. Like reading the Grapes of Wrath twice in the same sports years.

I don’t know.

Presti has always puzzled me in this respect because I think he’s an intelligent man even though he’s still paying off Kyle Singler’s contract and Andre Roberson still can’t shoot a basketball.

He has a history degree like I do. I think he went to Emerson College if I remember his resume correctly.

I cannot imagine a proud man like LeBron James playing his last NBA season in Oklahoma. To me, that would be like Hillary Clinton running to be the governor of Mississippi.

Some things are beyond changing.

There are some things which aren’t changing in my lifetime. Maybe not even in my son’s lifetime.

I would love to talk to Sam Presti sometime off the record to know his true inner thoughts on subjects like race and social inequality in our country.

If LeBron wasn’t the most famous athlete in the world…would anyone even give a second thought to what he’s trying to say.

Or would he just be another ‘nigger’ like George Floyd who needs to be shown his place in America?

By the way, this just doesn’t seem to be a problem in the South. Every time we turn on the news white policemen are killing a black person in Minnesota.

Sam Presti comes from the San Antonio-RC Buford NBA tree. I would guess he and Greg Popovich have some commonality in their views of our country.

LeBron James to Oklahoma City?

Nah.

That makes less sense than Hillary Clinton to Mississippi.

Because in the end… I don’t think LeBron wants his legacy to be that he’s just perceived as an uppity ‘nigger’ who never learned his place in America.

Instead, I would think LeBron just wants his son to remember his father as a man who spoke his mind and his heart, even in a country which has regressed on racial issues in recent years.

Or…maybe not regressed per se, but with the words of Donald Trump, just feel very comfortable in openly making their inner views be known in public. instead of keeping their thoughts private.

Next up on Black History Month on my blog…. Tim Scott the GOP black United States senator from South Carolina.

It seems like yesterday Chris was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets around the time Hurricane Katrina struck and thus caused Oklahoma City to somehow land an NBA team.

Chris’s older brother in fact did act as his little brother’s agent and almost leased the house across the street from us here at the gated Deer Springs mental institution which I will not refer to my name so as to not affect real estate values.

It is a lovely house. I think they call it French Colonial or something as far as the style.

The young couple across the street were going through a bizarre divorce. She was a very nice-looking woman and as the marriage got progressively worse… she would start up their John Deere tractor wearing a scant negligee and mow their acreage at about three in the morning.

I never knew watching a neighbor mowing could be such a sensual experience. I started playing Ravel’s Bolero every time the mowing began. I almost made a video of it to send to a couple of my friends, but my wife gave me a look which pretty much suggested that wouldn’t be a wise move on my part. That same look she gave when I caught the lawn divan on fire smoking a pricey cigar. My video would have gone viral…no doubt.

Who mows like this in a populated neighborhood?

Who could make this up? Only in an Edmond, Oklahoma zip code could this shit happen. These wild and crazy Donalt Trump Christian evangelicals. Bless their hearts.

So after the couple vacated the house…CJ came on Chris Paul’s behalf and almost rented it. But in the end, they decided to move into another home in Edmond.

That’s my Chris Paul story.

So here are my NBA mid-season nominations with twenty-five games left in the regular season.

NBA Man of the Year Monty Williams

NBA Coach of the Year East…Billy Donovan, West…Taylor Jenkins

Player of the Year East… Joel Embiid, West…Chris Paul

Rookie of the Year East… Evan Mobley, West… Josh Giddey

Comeback Player of the Year East…Tyler Herro, West…Klay Thompson

Most Improved Player of the Year East…entire Cleveland team, West…Desmond Bane and Jordan Poole

NBA Executives of the Year….Taylor Jenkins and Zach Klieman

Should Be Fired Award…. Rob Pelinka, LA Lakers GM

Beyond Needing an Intervention Citation…. Russell Westbrook

My Most Exciting NBA Player Award….Ja Morant

That’s it from me. I don’t watch any all-star games…period. But I will watch the three-point shooting contest and the dunking contest later tonight.

This week’s question comes from Eva in Manhattan:

Michael,

For the most part I enjoy your somewhat unusual blog. I never know what to expect on here from reading to reading. One day high level NBA content…the next day is like watching Chris Cuomo on CNN.

Bravo.

Surely you jest when you say someone as interesting as you could live in godforsaken armpit Oklahoma. It must be the Cali in you in which I’m reading.

Just so you know…like Donalt’s little paid Princess Melania…I too was once a Slovenian high-fashion model. Your intuitions and writings in regards to Donalt are right on the spot as you Americans sometimes say.

Donalt is a pathetic pimp and a creep with genitals befitting a gerbil. Enough on Donalt…may he rot in hell.

I know…I’m rambling you need a basketball question.

I’m a Nets fan. Who do you think came out the best on the Harden for Ben Simmons trade?

——————————————————-

Eva,

Thank you for being a devoted reader of the blog. Funny you mention Chris Cuomo. I think I would be perfect for that time slot on CNN. It’s always been my dream at some point to stop blogging about sports and be like my idol at the NY Times…Maureen Dowd.

If you could please write the editor at the Times and put in a good word for me…. that would be extremely thoughtful of you.

Okay. Like with the LA Rams both the Nets and Sixers have somewhat limited windows with their current superstars. If you’re asking who becomes a contender immediately…I would say Philly with MVP Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey become very relevant in the East if Harden can stay healthy and completely realize he’s the second fiddle to the superstar Joel Embiid. Embiid on my list is the current leader for the MVP of the entire NBA.

I’ve never liked Ben Simmons as a player dating back to his college days at LSU. He can’t a shoot basket or make clutch free throws coming down the stretch. So why would anyone consider this guy a max level player?

It amazes me still Sam Presti never acquired this guy because he fits the mold of past Thunder player minus Durant who can’t shoot a basketball.

So while I hate the Sixers gave up Seth Curry…they did what they had to do to give Joel Embiid a chance to advance in the East.

Milwaukee has some problems. Brook Lopez is still not back. PJ Tucker is now a Miam Heat and Patrick Connaughton fractured his wrist. That’s not good for the Bucks’. The East is wide open.

Anyway…thanks for the note and take care.

Mike

I’ve never met Monty Williams, yet I love him for the example he has given to me as a man.

He’s so much more than NBA Coach of the Year…I’m not sure I can even articulate it here on the blog.

He’s my Time Magazine Man of the Year given the turbulent times we live in.

This goes beyond what the Phoenix Suns have done on the court these past two basketball seasons. This transcends winning and losing basketball games. This goes beyond getting to the NBA Finals and being the favorite to win it all this season.

To me…Monty Williams is a calming, quieting voice amongst the den of insanity I witness every day in our country.

My wife is a retired dental hygienist. While Monty and his family lived in Oklahoma City…my wife was their dental hygienist. She would come home and tell me these stories about Monty and his family in the hope I could become more like Monty at some point in my life.

I would roll my eyes and tell her to tap it down with the shade. But still listening all the same.

Then the tragic accident happened and like most in Oklahoma City, I began to marvel at this man’s grace and presence in the aftermath of his family’s personal tragedy.

Monty Williams may not know this, but he in a sense has become a mentor of mine even though he doesn’t know me.

Mike Jackson loves Monty Williams. There… I said it. He may not know it, but he has been a part of me and what I hope to be moving forward.

I don’t see Monty Williams as a black man…just a man.

And for that reason… I can’t make Monty Williams my NBA Coach of the Year.

Because for a guy like me at this stage of my life…. Monty Williams is my Man of the Year.

Period.

Whoa… this was interesting to witness right now during black history month.

Just looked like a normal day in the halls of John Marshall back in the 70’s to me. When your name is Michael Jackson and you look mixed there were a couple of moments like this. But not to this extreme for certain…. because I played sports there’s this kind of unspoken code which protects you from too much of this.

You look at the video here and it appears the white kid is actually larger. It appears to me they mutually engage punching like they’re in a hockey brawl. It appears they for whatever reason don’t like each.

I have no idea what was said to ignite all of this, but on film it looks like it was a mutual decision by the two young men.

It didn’t really appear the smaller black kid had the larger white kid in a prone position like when they step in to intervene in a cage brawl.

Not at all. They should have turned them loose a little longer just to see what would have happened to the white kid.

Isn’t it interesting though… they gently placed the larger white kid on the sofa. I’m amazed the female officer didn’t go get him a banana slurpee and give him a neck massage.

Then the smaller black kid was treated like he’d assaulted a police officer like all of those white Trump deadbeats did back on January 6th, 2021. Those white people who in essence were responsible for the deaths of five law enforcement officers.

And you white people wonder why every black person in America comes to understand there are two sets of rules in this country from the moment you’re born till the moment you die.

No matter what code of conduct you live your life by.

Simply amazing.

Tomorrow I’ll do all of my All-Star break nominations heading into the final twenty-five games of the regular season.

Today…just to kind of get in that mindset before I help Adam Silver move the Thunder back to Seattle…I’d like to start with two finalists depending on how the Chicago Bulls close their regular season.

But right now… I’m at two…Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies and Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.

I’ll get to Monty Williams tomorrow because he’s one of the really good guys in the NBA and someone I look up to as a fan of the league.

But for today…I’ll start with Taylor Jenkins. He’s a very interesting guy if you don’t know his entire story. These things don’t just happen by accident. Most really good head coaches have to work their way up the food chain before they’re allowed to be the head coach of an NBA team.

So… here’s the very bright Taylor Jenkins. Hope you enjoy the video.

This kid plays hard with a chip on his shoulder. You can tell he hates losing. I love that in a player in any sport. When he made that turnover against the Knicks at the end of regulation, he was disgusted with himself. He reset himself, then basically beat the Knicks on the road in overtime.

I love that. That’s TSN (Toughness, Smarts, Nasty) flowing over the rim of the cup.

He’s not Larry Bird or Magic, but perhaps a taller version of Pete Maravich. This is a guy you could build your team around in either Seattle or Las Vegas. A team which will have the city culture to attract that occasional free agent or late season difference making veteran addition.

I actually hope Shai doesn’t play again this season so as we don’t see Giddey’s usage diminished by making sure Shai gets his little stat padding touches.

I’m getting ready to do my All-Star break awards finalists since we’re now down to the last twenty-five games of the season.

This would be my top four right now for Rookie of the Year:

1 Evan Mobley, 2 Josh Giddey, 3 Cade Cunningham, and 4 Scottie Barnes.

I primarily give Evan Mobley the edge because he’s on a team playing real games and Cleveland is one of the very positive NBA stories this season.

If OKC was playing real games — I would probably have them 1a and 1b right now. Because when you’re tanking shamelessly, the other teams often sit some guys themselves and don’t really come to the arena mentally engaged to play a real game themselves. Yeah, tanking can be a double-edged sword.

Let me be clear on all of this. I’ve been a passionate NBA fan since I was seven years of age. Long, long before Hurricane Katrina blew into New Orleans. I love the game. I don’t want to see another potential star player enslaved here by a GM who can’t put the right pieces around that star.

And the truth is…it might not be Sam Presti’s fault. It might just be the fact Oklahoma City is perceived as a Proud Boy …redneck destination by the elite black players in the NBA.

If the latter is the case…. then the team should be moved to a city where ownership can maximize winning.

To fill those forty-one home dates the good people of Oklahoma City could schedule…tractor pulls, rodeos, motor-cross events, NCAA events, Big 12 and SEC events, maybe find a beer league brawling minor league hockey team, Trump evangelical rallies featuring Marjorie Taylor-Green, a lingerie girl’s football team, etc, ect.

Oklahoma City could find a way to schedule forty-one dates with a level of entertainment which is more in line with the culture of Oklahomans.

So, yeah—it’s kind of exciting watching this kid. Stay put, Shai. Don’t ruin this for me. Let’s watch Josh Giddey the rest of the way. Rest your body, Shai…you’ve almost played half a season…again.