A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

May 15th, Friday/ Uh... What size bubble do you wear Mr Phelps? I just saw a news cast about Michael Phelps' life after the Olympics. Here we have the most glorified swimmer in Olympic history being picked apart for his choices on how to live his life. Apparently he likes hookers, bonging cheebah, and knocking down shots... My bad! I thought that was what it was all about when you conquer your world? "To the victor goes the spoils" n'est-ce pas? I guess not in "double standard" land. There is a concensus that wants their heroes lean and clean and Phelps, apparently, has not gotten the memo.So now he is under the scrutiny of the moral police and he just does not seem to be able to navigate those waters.

C'mon baby, get it together... Get with the program! If you wanted the everyday, teenage, stonner, boozer lifestyle, you should have not chosen to be "the man!" (Did you freely make that choice?) If you keep this sort of behavior happening, you may end up having to melt down your gold medals to support your munchies habit. Now suck it up, get it together and get your ass back in the pool!

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 3rd, Tuesday/ Okay, now that the reality of having a Black president has set in, let's get back to reality. When are we, as a society, going to get off the deal of having a surrogate image raise our children? I am talking about this Michael Phelps person (character, caricature, whatever...). Olympic swimming champion? Right. Multiple gold metal winner? Right! Role model? Wrong! Don't get me wrong. What Michael Phelps has been able to accomplish is remarkable. It's damn near unbelievable! I'm thinking that it will be quite some time before we see another human being even come close to what he has done in a swimming pool./ That being said, he is also a drinker and a pot smoker. Now I raise the argument: Should he be allowed to just apologize for his transgressions and go on his merry way and be allowed to maintain his role model status in good standing, or should he be recognized for who he really is and afford the same scrutiny like everybody else? OR, should alcohal and canabus be reevaluated and reclassified as a necessity in the spirit of athletic achievement, therefore allowing the "average joe" to live his, or her, wildest dream of being super human in the pool, or on the court, or on the field? I mean, is apolgizing in an appropriate time frame (You know, like the five second rule when you drop food on the floor and be able to pick it up and eat it in five seconds) enough time for him to be able to repeat an offense out of the eye sight of a camera or video recorder to be posted on You Tube for the world to see? If image is driving sales of whatever product other than alcohal and weed, should he still be allowed to sell whatever product and rake in millions of dollars in the process while others his age be burned at the stake for the same offense?/ My bad! Maybe what I should be asking is could someone please explain what "double standard means?"

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

August 24th, Sunday.../ I just flew back from NYC today and, man, are my arms tired! (Rim shot right here!)I'm sick of basketball camp so, consequently, I'm sick of basketball, period! I don't care about the "Redeem Team..." (Sure I'm glad that they won the gold! Hell,they should have!) I don't care that Spain gave them a hell of a game! (Hell, Spain should have given them a hell of a game!) All I can think about is how the game gave me tendinitis in my knees! (Hell, it should have! I had sex with basketball and it gave me a basketball desease!) I've been thumping around the game since I was seven years old. (I'm now 107 years old... in basketball years!) I don't care if I don't know who the top 100 high school players are. I don't care who the pundits think will make the Final Four. So what if Dwayne Wade is back from all of his injuries! I have tendinitis and no health plan! So what if some think that I can motivate a 15 year old to play hard... It never translated into a great college job for me. I've won nothing. I am not in the Hall of Fame! (Shit, I've never even been in the building to see the space where my bust might have gone!) I know, I know... I sound bitter. Shit, I AM bitter! All that work I've done over the years and no payoff? I could have coached DUKE to a championship! ("...I know Mike Krzyzewski...Hell, I'm no Mike Krzyzewski!) So what now? Do I watch basketball on TV during the season or do I watch The Apprentice? Should I go to live games or do I stay home and watch The Apprentice on TV? Should I stay in touch with the coaches I've met over the years or do I watch The Apprentice on TV? Should I continue to work with kids and help them with their game, or, should I just point my fingers at them and say, "You're fired?" I don't know... I'm so confused! Hell, don't worry about me... I'll put my degree to use. I know... I'll become a black Donald Trump. I majored in English Literature so I'll sell words to the illiterate... I'll corner the market and become "king of the world!"

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

Saturday, July 26th... I watched the American Olympic basketball team play Canada last night and I got to thinking... They keep making a big deal about who is on the squad and how big a marquee player that player is for his respective NBA team. Then I realized that each player is one of the main players on the offensive side of the ball. That's cool... Gotta have fire power! But the problem for the Olympic team, over the years, has never been on the offensive end. The problem has always been the defense! Then I got to thinking... The NBA always recognizes 15 players at the end of the season for their defense... And... None of the 15 players recognized are on the Olympic team (I don't think. My bad, Kobe is on the team!). Where is Bruce Bowens? Where is Tim Duncan of KG? Okay, they don't have to play if they don't want to but come on! Why are we being forced to believe that a leopard is going to change its spots? Kobe Bryant is the only player that WANTS to play defense. Last time I checked the big men had a problem playing defense on the perimeter (and ALL of the Euros can SHOOT! All of them!)There is definitely a problem with the basketball terminology. There is no pick and roll in the Euro game... It's pick and flare and shoot the jumper! Our players seem to wait for the roll part and it hardly ever happens. Maybe it's the widened lane that eliminates low post play but whatever it is, the Americans need a basketball shrink as well as a good coach on the bench./ It looks like the NBA is responsible for the latest malfunction. They do not market defense, therefore it is not really encouraged to play and the style of play is dummied down to fit into the frame work of the time constraints. 24 seconds per possession is not a lot of time to get a shot off, so forget the fundamentals and shoot off the wrong foot; and, if you are a 2 or 3 position player, stay out of the 4 or 5 position to get your shot and vise-versa. If Michael Jordan or Allen Iverson or whomever is designated to handle the ball 98% of the time, is playing, make sure he gets to shoot 9 for 30 a night! Movement of the ball and the players is only encouraged until the designated shooter gets the ball... Then it's "get your ass out of the way and let him do his thing because we are paying him 1 million dollars a minute!"/ Hey, trust me, I get it! "It is what it is!" Just stop trying to feed me this BS of offense heals all basketball wounds. Offense fades from one minute to the next in a basketball game... But defense? Defense is nothing but hard work and hard work is the American way! If you don't believe me, ask all the the hard working people that work for minimum wage! (And also ask them how tired they are, especially when they get their check at the end of every 2 week pay period! It's damn sure not 1 million dollars a minute!)