King Heroin

Heroin use has been on an epidemic rise in the United States for over a decade.  I once heard its effects being described as feeling on vacation, lying on the most blissful sea breezed beach, having the most intense orgasm of your life. Of Your LIFE!

I was introduced to the James Brown single "King Heroin" by my older brother in the 1970's, a decade that saw drug use and abuse reach record proportions. James Brown might not have been the most drug-free musician to sing an anti-drug song, but how he sang it made the message loud and clear to many of that generation; 
"Get your mind together and Get Away From Drugs."

Here we are forty-three years since Polydor Records released what would reach number six on the Hot Soul Singles chart; and still many of our young people are getting tripped up and turned out learning too late just why Heroin is King.  You don't really need a soulful song to highlight the dangers of Heroin, just find a nodding junkie with vomit-crusted lips after his morning taste and watch, and learn. 

Wonder why they call it Smack? Because it simply smacks you senseless to any and everything in your environment. You have no control over body or mind. You are at that moment of impact a zombie, barely able to stand, much less walk. Bodily fluids may seep, thoughts of any kind cease to materialize. You're as far away from family, friends and loved ones as a space shuttle launched into orbit. And your alone with no guarantee of return.

Sure there are bad environments in our world, but escape through drugs is no escape at all; its condemning yourself to one of the worse hell's on earth. You lose everything. And the sadness of it all is that those addicts who overdose and don't wake up are considered by some to be the lucky ones. To hear fellow addicts tell it, they're somewhere making love, enjoying the sea breeze. In reality they're just dead!

Lyrics to King Heroin

Ladies and Gentlemen

Fellow Americans

Lady Americans

This is James Brown

I wanna talk to you about one of our

Most deadly

Killers in the country today

I had a dream the other night, and I

Was sittin' in my living room

Dozed off to sleep

So I start to dreamin'

I dreamed I walked in a place and

I saw a real strange, weird object

Standin' up talkin' to the people

And I found out it was Heroin

That deadly drug that go in your veins

He says:

I came to this country without a passport

Ever since then I've been hunted and sought

My little white grains are nothin' but waste

Soft and deadly and bitter to taste

I'm a world of power and all know it's true

Use me once and you'll know it, too

I can make a mere schoolboy forget his books

I can make a world-famous beauty neglect her looks

I can make a good man forsake his wife

Send a greedy man to prison for the rest of his life

I can make a man forsake his country and flag

Make a girl sell her body for a five-dollar bag

Some think my adventure's a joy and a thrill

But I'll put a gun in your hand and make you kill

In cellophane bags I've found my way

To heads of state and children at play

I'm financed in China, ran in Japan

I'm respected in Turkey and I'm legal in Siam

I take my addicts and make 'em steal, borrow, beg

Then they search for a vein in their arm or their leg

So, be you Italian, Jewish, Black or Mex

I can make the most virile of men forget their sex

So now, no, my man, you must (you know) do your best

To keep up your habit until your arrest

Now the police have taken you from under my wing

Do you think they dare defy me, I who am king'

Now, you must lie in that county jail

Where I can't get to you by visit or mail

So squirm -- with discomfort -- wiggle and cough (hack!)

Six days of madness, hah! You might throw me off

Curse me in name! Defy me in speech!

But you'd pick me up right now if I were in your reach

All through your sentence you've become resolved to your fate

Hear now! younng man and woman, I'll be waitin' at the gate

Don't be afraid, don't run! I'm not chased

Sure my name is Heroin! You'll be back for a taste

Behold, you're hooked!

Your foot is in the stirrup

And make -- haste!

Mount the steed!

And ride him well

For the white horse of heroin

Will ride you to Hell!

To Hell!

Will ride you to Hell!

Until you are dead!

Dead, brother! Dead!

This is a revolution of the mind

Get your mind together

And get away from drugs!

That's the man!

Back! Back

The Ides of March - Madness

The term "Ides of March" refers to a day on the Roman calendar, March 15th, which corresponds with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.  You know, I've always liked that pre-combat gladiator salute, ("Hail, Emperor (Caesar), those who are about to die salute you").

We modern day sports fans know all too well the relationship between gladiator combat and the month of March.  The NCAA basketball tournaments' Selection Sunday falls on March 15th of this year, AD.  That's when the 68 basketball teams are selected to battle it out for a chance to be crowned champion of the college hard court. 

Not only will there be Spartans and Trojans vying for an invite, but every fighting bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian and a few pesky insects (hornets) representing colleges, will be hoping for a chance to ball and battle their way into the tournament. Last I checked there were 346 Div. I teams and only 68 spots (seeds) making up the brackets.  Once in the tournament, lose and your dead, gone, finished. Win and you move on to your next challenger.

If you ask me its the biggest and most exciting post- Super Bowl sporting event to hit the new year calendar. There's enough buzzer beating moments and adrenalin-charged action to drive you .................MAD!

Get ready sporting fans; the Madness of March is about to salute you!

Genetics, Anthropology, Race - Mankind

I finally found online this show I once watched that blew me away. It gives a pretty convincing scientific explanation about where human civilization began and the path of migration it took to populate the globe.  

Journey of Man is a show that educates its viewers with science that is easy to understand.  What'll blow you away is the eyewitness; when you see two persons on different continents with the same gene and similar facial features, you figure there must be something to this amazing discovery.

If I recall, the genetic scientist traces an abnormal gene around the globe and from that is able to put together a path that early man took in his long migration and evolution.

Watch, Witness and Wise Up; We are all from the same seed:

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

Update: 

Thanks to inquisitive minds visiting this post, and someone or something named Godfrey, I was able to update this post with a currently working "Journey of Man" video. In 2015, I posted this incredible Genetic Odyssey video in hopes of sharing its educational lessons with others. I saw the value in it as a tool for teaching and uniting humanity.

In seeing the many grateful comments to the video on YouTube in recent days, it brings me joy knowing this incredible information is still reaching and exciting minds from many lands, young and old. When Man's journey is taught to the masses on earth, the chance for global peace and fellowship becomes that much closer to becoming a reality. Science suggests we all originated from the same source. Yes, we are All Human Beings! Not African, Not Asian, Not Caucasian, Not Greek or Arab. Human Beings! 

Any pathologist who performs autopsies will confirm the fact that regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, language, genetic inheritance, the only differentiation between human bodies is gender (male or female). Although there are some genetic and physiological differences between males and females, the variations are not enough to classify them as separate species. In my experience many women and men would beg to differ. And as the proportion of women in the field of genetics continues to increase, we may finally get data to confirm or refute the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" debate. It was a man who wrote the classic guide to understanding the opposite sex.

It is when we differentiate and sub-divide the human species into races and ethnic groupings that we stop seeing ourselves in all human beings. I mean, how can someone bomb the city or village of his brother and sister? Only by labeling them other, to justify taking their land, freedom, rights, life. Ignorance, unfortunately, seems to be the dish ordered and served to the masses of humanity throughout history. Don't be fooled or misled, we are all brothers and sisters.

I hope to welcome any human being I meet into fellowship, my only criteria for he or she being they bring love, respect and equality to the ship. For those of us with visions of world peace, I believe we have learned it begins with inner self-love and peace, before it can ever be broadened to include human beings outside our own skin. The wise old saying "Know Thyself" was likely given as a precursor to knowing, understanding and loving others. It also enables us to love and respect this big, beautiful world we have inherited.

Raiderlegend 7/02/2025

Hell Yeah I Still Wanna See It! Floyd vs Pacquiao

Its Official! The long awaited boxing match between champions Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is on and scheduled for May 2, 2015.  The young'uns ain't so young anymore, but the fire to face one another still burns bright. 

Forget everything you've heard over the years about these two tigers.  Forget what you've seen them do or not do in the ring in recent bouts.  Forget their ages, their championship belts and their wealth.  When these two step into the ring to face one another in May, no bet is safe as eyes and ears of every boxing fan in the universe will be tuned in to what has to be the most awaited sports event modern day media has hosted.

Between today's announcement and the bell sounding the start of the first round, much will be discussed, debated and disclosed pertaining to these two veteran fighters. Everything about their careers will be put under a microscope and analyzed to help determine who has the edge. 

Well boxing fans, I gotta tell you now, there simply ain't no edge.  This fight just ain't no ordinary championship fight. 

Barring a knockout or draw, the scorecard will likely not produce the actual winner.  The winner of this fight will be determined by the eyes and ears of those watching around the world. We as boxing fans know when a fighter has been beaten.  We hope to be treated to a clean boxing match that lives up to our expectations of these two champions.  We pray that the judges, promoters and gamblers do the right thing and let only the skills of the boxers determine the outcome.   

Professional Boxing has the opportunity to clean up its dirty ways and put on a clean production with the world watching. Don't let us down. Better yet, don't let Boxing down. We've all waited way too long for this one.



Black History Moment:  The first African-American champion of any sport was boxing great Joe Gans; father of the 'sweet science of boxing.'  Kinda resembles the first black President wouldn't you say?

Name: Joe Gans
Alias: Old Master
Birth Name: Joseph Gant
Born: 1874-11-25
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Died: 1910-08-10 (Age:35)
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5′ 6½″   /   169cm
Reach: 71″   /   180cm
Boxing Record: click

Book of Negroes Mini-Series Begins

In July, 2013, I read one of the best books of that year for me. The title was "Somebody Knows My Name" by Lawrence Hill. I then posted my review on why I liked the book so much.  Well, I just discovered that tonight at 8pm, a mini-series film will begin airing on the BET channel. How can I not watch a film based on such a shattering book.  The film, "The Book of Negroes" is a mini-series that shouldn't be missed.  

The story is about slavery and the struggle to survive all its consequences.  For those of us who remember the social upheaval caused in the United States in 1977, when Alex Haley's book "Roots" was made into a tv mini-series and aired, it opened everyone's eyes to the brutal history of slavery in America. 

For those who know little about how Africans were captured, enslaved, shipped then sold in the America's as slave laborers, here's a chance at educating yourselves.  For others who know much about the slave trade, this story adds a few more pieces to the painful puzzle that was slavery.  

Blacks who chose to fight alongside, as well as covertly help the British during the American Revolution, were given passage to Canada by the British at the end of the war.  The heroine of the story, Aminata Diallo, is enlisted to help document some of the names and descriptions of the nearly 3,000 blacks "Black Loyalists" leaving U.S. ports on British vessels for a new home in Canada.  Unfortunately, their story and travels won't end their.

There are in fact two documented Book of Negroes held in archives to this day; One is in the United Kingdom Archives in Kew, London, and the other is in the United States National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.



   

Steph Curry's All-Star Basketball Skillz

Let's hear it for Golden State Warriors all-stars Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson.  "hip, hop, hooray!"

The two all-stars from Oaktown showed up and delivered in the weekends' NBA all-star activities.

The two went head to head in a three-point shooting contest Saturday night that saw Steph blow by everyone down the stretch to take the trophy. At one point in the competition he had 13 straight shots fall.

In Sunday's all-star game, OKC's Russell Westbrook might have scored the most points (41) and took home the mvp trophy, but Steph was the straw that stirred the western conference win with a dazzling display of ball handling and leadership on the floor.  

If sports fans heard the name but didn't quite know who Dell Curry's son Stephen Curry is; by now they've seen and heard why the raving reviews surrounding Steph continue to echo through the sports world.    On the grandest stage that is New York City, Steph delivered!

Final Score
East 158
West 163

Mammy Pleasant - Mary Ellen to the civilized and uncorrupted

Mary Ellen Pleasant

Don’t call her Mammy

Mary Ellen Pleasant at 87.

By Marian Halley

Nearly a century before Rosa Parks, neighborhood resident Mary Ellen Pleasant sued a local transportation company for not letting her and other African Americans ride. And she won.

Many details of Pleasant’s legendary life are open to question, but what is certain — and recorded in a plaque at the corner of Octavia and Bush Streets — is that she was a tireless worker for civil rights and a great entrepreneur.

The Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial Park, the smallest park in San Francisco, consists of that plaque and six enormous eucalyptus trees that march down Octavia. The site was chosen because Pleasant’s property once occupied all of Octavia Street from Bush to Sutter and included a 30-room mansion and separate stables. It burned down in 1925 and was replaced two years later by Green’s Eye Hospital, which is still there and now known as the Healing Arts Building.

Pleasant was probably born in 1814 in Georgia into slavery, but was bought and freed by someone who recognized her intelligence and talents. She was later an indentured servant in Rhode Island, where she married an abolitionist who worked as a carpenter.

In 1852, Pleasant came to San Francisco, fleeing prosecution under the Fugitive Slave Act for her work leading people from slavery to freedom. She continued that work in California, sheltering people who escaped slavery and finding employment for them. She met at least once with abolitionist John Brown and gave him money to help with the cause. In accordance with her wishes, her tombstone, in Napa, states: “She was a Friend of John Brown.”

Pleasant arrived in San Francisco with a considerable sum of money left to her by her first husband. She invested it wisely: Her businesses here included laundries, dairies and exclusive restaurants — all of which were quite lucrative in a city filled with miners and single businessmen. In the 1890 census she listed her occupation as “capitalist.”

She had been a capitalist from the day she arrived here. According to an article in the May 7, 1899, San Francisco Call, on the day she landed wealthy bachelors came to the waterfront to engage Pleasant as a cook, her reputation for cooking having preceded her. The bidding went high. Then Pleasant added conditions, such as no dishwashing. When the highest bidder accepted her conditions, she changed her mind. The next day, she announced that she would open her own restaurant.

Her restaurant attracted prominent men such as Darius Mills, William Ralston and William Sharon — men who made their fortunes in the Comstock lode and who later founded the Bank of California. The young women who worked in the restaurant were told to listen to the dinner conversation and report back the financial gossip of the makers and shakers. Pleasant put the information to use in her own financial investments.

Pleasant's 30-room mansion stood at Octavia and Bush Streets.

While in San Francisco, she married James Plaisance, with whom she had a daughter. Her family relations were not good; she changed her name and had little contact with her daughter. The great love of her life was Thomas Bell, a Caucasian she met on the ship to San Francisco and who became her business partner and almost certainly her lover. Since her gender and race precluded her from engaging in financial affairs, she made her investments through Bell. Their joint fortune reportedly reached $30 million.

Her 30-room Octavia Street Italianate mansion, which she designed, built and furnished, became known as the Thomas Bell mansion. When she moved in, Bell did too, along with a Caucasian wife Pleasant more or less found for him. Because of this living arrangement, and because of rumors about events and underground passages at the house, it also became known as the “House of Mystery.”

Probably out of envy and anger at the enormous success of a black woman, rumors abounded about Pleasant’s manner of making money. For the same reasons, she was referred to as “Mammy” Pleasant, a name that persists in accounts to this day. She detested the insulting nickname, and returned envelopes addressed that way unopened. And when Thomas Bell died after falling down a flight of stairs, rumors suggested that she was responsible — even after the coroner’s jury found that the death was accidental.

Pleasant was on the front page of the San Francisco Call in 1899.

When Pleasant left her house in 1899, following a loud argument with Bell’s widow, the event was the subject of a long article in the Call reviewing her life. According to the article, “her connection with the ‘underground railway’ was an established fact and planters whose slaves she had helped cross the border to the free North demanded her life as a recompense.”

Mary Ellen Pleasant died in 1904, apparently penniless. She is a colorful figure in San Francisco history, but any two accounts of her life contain contradictory facts, and most include racist statements. She has made appearances in recent novels, including “Earthquake Weather,” by Tim Powers (1998) and “The Confessions of Max Tivoli,” by Andrew Sean Greer (2004). The most authoritative accounts of her life are by Susheel Bibbs and include a documentary film, “Meet Mary Pleasant, Mother of Civil Rights in California.”

Mary Ellen Pleasant (in black) is among the notable San Franciscans in a downtown mural.

SHE LIVES ON

Mary Ellen Pleasant’s spirit continues to resurface around the city.

• Pleasant made an appearance at the California Supreme Court in a summer 2010 exhibition in the Archive Room on the main floor of the court’s home at 350 McAllister Street. She is featured in an installment on the state’s early legal history titled “Civil and Uncivil: Constitutional Rights in California.” Her place in legal history was secured when a streetcar conductor in North Beach refused to stop and allow her to board. When a passenger urged him to stop, the conductor replied: “We don’t take colored people in the cars.” Pleasant sued, blazing a trail for civil rights in the state — and earning her another moniker as the “mother of civil rights in California.” She won, but the California Supreme Court overturned the judgment in her favor in 1868. Nonetheless, her case was the impetus for a statute passed in 1893 prohibiting segregation and exclusion on streetcars.

• Pleasant also appears in a mural in the lobby of the Monadnock Building at 685 Market Street. She is depicted in profile in the shadows of a mural titled “San Francisco Renaissance” with other local icons and rabble-rousers. Pleasant (in black) is among the notable San Franciscans included in a mural created by neighborhood artists Mark Evans and Charlie Brown. Others (from left) are politician Harvey Milk, actress Lotta Crabtree, architect Bernard Maybeck and dancer Isadora Duncan.

• And Pleasant is the main attraction in the San Francisco Ghost Hunt, a three-hour walking tour that promises to unveil the city’s “most notorious historic haunted places” and introduce “real ghosts from wild and romantic times gone by.” The tour begins nightly, except on Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. at the Queen Anne Hotel at 1590 Sutter, just across the street from the park in her honor at Octavia and Bush, where Pleasant’s spirit is said to endure.

Organizers of the Ghost Hunt warn: “People who say bad things about her in the park have had objects dropped on their head, or fallen suddenly as if pushed. The sudden appearance of a crow seems to herald Mary’s presence, and she has even taken her human form and walked among the trees and bushes. If you make a respectful request of the voodoo priestess on that corner, and find favor with Mary, it is said that your request will come true.”

http://newfillmore.com/fillmore-classics/dont-call-her-mammy/

Seattle Blackhawks Lose Super Bowl

Someone associated with the Seattle professional football organization, must have enough power and money to dictate the outcome of a Super Bowl.  How else can you explain throwing a gift interception to the New England Patriots in your end zone to seal the loss? 

Come'on Man.  You've got the best running back in the league who can shift into "beast mode" gear whenever the game is on the line. You just got a miraculous catch that equaled or topped NY Giants wide receiver David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII. You have the opposing team on the sideline in shock as they hear yet another championship defeat knocking at their door. Then you dial up a play that has left everyone watching the game simply puzzled and shaking their heads wondering; was the freak'in Fix In?

It had to be less than three yards to the end zone, two at the most. One timeout and three downs with twenty-six seconds remaining in the game.  Did I mention the beast mode factor?  So here you go, second and goal, with the game in your lap. Do you quarterback sneak? Do you hand the ball to the beast? Do you fake the hand-off and throw maybe a fade pass toward the corner of the end zone? No, No and No.  

The Seattle Blackhawks chose to throw a bullet into the middle of a tight Patriots coverage at the goal line. Guess who came up with the reception?  I tell you, if the Fix wasn't in for this game, then it should've been.

Somethings Stinks in Seattle right about now. And all the winter rains in the northwest won't wash away the stench.

Say it ain't so Pete Carroll & Russell Wilson, 

say it ain't so!

Final Score
Patriots 28
Blackhawks 24

#81 Mr. Raider Tribute - (Repost)

Amazon Books

Finally, former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown is deservedly among the Hall of Fame inductees.  For Pride and Poise, no Raiders player past or present can top what #81 brought to the organization both on and off the field.  A family man, a lover of God and a representative of the best that the silver & black has to offer.

In 2005, the year I started this blog, I posted what was just my fifth post, an article about Tim Brown written by Oakland Tribune columnist Monte Poole.  I repost it here, some 1,800 or so posts later, because what was said then about Tim is still relevant today.  The sign of a truly great person is when what people say about them stands the test of time.  

In the article by Mr. Poole, Tim Brown is the shining silver knight that came along and helped change the perception of the Raiders as just a bunch of thugs, renegades and rabble-rousers. Sure, the silver & black continued to carry that dark Raiders Mystique, but Tim exuded a class and style that the media had no choice but to include in their depictions of the new Raiders.

So Thank You Tim Brown for lighting a candle where once only darkness shown.

Congratulations on your induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

{Repost}

Brown helped Raiders grow up | From www.bayarea.com

By Monte Poole

THERE ARE NO snapshots of him in handcuffs in a squad car, no photos of him wearing a silly mask on the sideline, no tales of him walking a lion, holding a cobra or swinging a switchblade.

He did not drink, smoke, cuss or dive headlong into the nocturnal pursuits.

He didn't even wear shades indoors.

How on earth did Tim Brown manage to stay a Raider long enough to challenge Al Davis as the team's reigning icon?

Maybe it's because Brown was the mainstay, producing at a high level for a long time. Or because he spoke softly, thoughtfully and almost always with a purpose. Or because there was a dignity to his carriage.

In any case, it is profoundly appropriate that when Brown announces his retirement this month, he will do so as a Raider.

Not to be lost here, though, is the acknowledgment that Tim was a leader in the movement to get the Raiders to grow up.

The Raiders built a reputation during the 1960s and '70s by doing and saying things that create images. They partied as hard as they played. They were mean and nasty and they'd kick your butt all over the field, laughing at the sight of blood — theirs and yours.

Ted Hendricks and Tom Keating, on the field and off, were wild men. Gene Upshaw's nickname, Uppy, was in lights above a Jack London Square nightclub. Fred Biletnikoff waspart-owner of a bar-restaurant off Hegenberger Road. Ken Stabler prowled pubs from San Jose to Santa Rosa.

Dare we mention the treacherous exploits of John Matuszak and Warren Wells?

The Raiders were a motorcycle club in shoulder pads, defined by swagger, villainy, night life and an assortment of free spirits.

And along came Brown to slowly strip away this Animal House of ill repute.

The kid from Notre Dame wasn't alone; he had help from devout teammates like Steve Wisniewski and Jeff Hostetler. Of the three, though, Brown was the first to wear the uniform, donned it the longest and maintained the highest visibility.

Drafted on the first round in 1988, while the Raiders were in Los Angeles, Brown entered a place annexed from hell. The players openly disrespected first-year coach Mike , mocking him until Davis stepped in and replaced with Art Shell.

Brown, the polite and devout fellow from Notre Dame, observed the madness and took note. As he grew into his career, he presided over a locker room with its share of clowns — none of whom lasted very long.

By the time the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995, they were barely recognizable. There was a distinct shortage of influential characters. They were a football team, nothing more, seeking respect in a new NFL.

Brown, by then 29 years old and a four-time participant in the Pro Bowl, was the epitome.

He was the team's primary spokesman, in baseball cap and uniform before practice and always — always — in a suit and tie after games. He generally was about as open and honest as good judgment would allow, whether offering an assessment of Davis or administering a

velvet-hammered lashing to the broad backside of wayward kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

Immaturity or inattention among his teammates was an affront to Tim's sensibilities.

Unless there was a specific inquiry, Brown made no more than veiled references to his Christianity. He's the guy who once reminded former teammate Napoleon Kaufman that it's fine to read the Bible, but he also had an obligation to study the playbook.

Don't get me wrong. Even if by established Raiders' standards Brown was downright saintly, he was not perfect.

Though he could twist cornerbacks into the turf with his footwork, he also could drop the easiest of passes. Like many stars, he could be transparently self-centered. He also could be sensitive to slights; we've had numerous discussions over some of the more critical content of my columns.

And though he deserves induction into the Hall of Fame, Brown never got his elusive championship ring.

Almost never, though, did Brown drop his core professionalism. Guys like Brown and Wisniewski made the Raiders a more palatable destination for dedicated pros like Lincoln Kennedy, Rich Gannon and Jerry Rice.

An old Raiders slogan refers to "pride and poise." No Raider ever symbolized these virtues to a greater degree than Brown.

He was not, however, the Ultimate Raider. He was his own man, conceivably the first and most enduring of the great anti-Raiders.

NBA Best GS Warriors 32-6

Because It's All Our Turf ! Can You Dig It? 
(The Warriors 1979)

The Warriors continued their dominating drive through the regular season in a 131-106 blowout of the Rockets in Houston.  The story, which never gets old to us long suffering Warriors fans, was the splash brothers; Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.  The boys have grown into their roles as leaders on the basketball court. 

Ask any Warriors fan who's been watching the team for the past say, 20 years. This is the best Warriors team we've ever seen.  They've had some good runs in that time, but never have they looked as ............Unstoppable as they do right now.

Klay Thompson shutdown Rockets offensive star James Harden tonight, keeping him 15pts below his average, while Curry simply took control of the game, lighting up the joint in a now all too familiar Warriors run that put them up by at least 20pts.   And the beauty of the splash brothers style of play and explosiveness is that's its addictive; the rest of the team feeds off the energy of their two stars, producing what looks like an all-star chemistry every time they take the court.

The Golden State WARRIORS are bopping their way through the best efforts of opponents who want to put a stop to their magical, mystical season.  So far they've been bested only six times in thirty-eight match-ups, Wow!

If you're old enough to remember the 1980's movie "The Warriors", then you know how this script plays out. 

Yes, the WARRIORS have come out to play. And this time the train leads to Oakland. Can-You-Dig-It!

Eve - A Novel Of The First Woman

Yes, even a boisterously swaggering Raiders fan likes a good book that features a female heroine every now and then.  In reading the book Eve I have to say I was shown parts of the many women I've been blessed to have had as a part of my life, with my mother at the top of the list. Mom was the first woman in my life.

The story speaks to you through female voices that are all too familiar. As a man, I found it fascinating how this book reminded me of the man I once was and the man that I've become.  The saying is so true, that it takes a good woman to bring out the best in a good man. And I'll add that it takes an understanding man to realize all that he has in a good woman.

My Amazon Review of the book:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Keep Coming Back, December 8, 2014

By 

W. Powell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eve: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

This book just will not let me go. Its one of those books I started while reading something else. It seems the book beckons me back every time I'm away from it for awhile. So now that I've finished the other book(s) I hope to make Eve my reading mate for awhile. I'd originally bought it for someone else, that's how enticing this story of Eve and Adam is. And though the writing is contemporary and gives no feeling of ancient mysticism being imparted, the book has a way of engaging the reader with its Garden of Eden tone and grace. There's an eternal peace flowing through this book that is familiar and pleasant to the touch.

To Be Continued......

And what a reading mate Eve turned out to be. Even with all the turmoil that arises from bad decisions on the part of some family members, the story flows along with a grace that only an all-knowing Creator could imbue. If you've ever finished a book and just wanna immediately share with others the companionship it brought you, then you know the feeling this book has given me. Yes, I really enjoyed the novel of the first woman Eve and the murder of her favorite child. I am one of six siblings and I confess here with a resounding no, I was not my mother's favorite. There were times that we all wanted to, to put it mildly here, vote the favorite off the island.  And yet my mother taught all of us the equality of God's love for us and the love we share for one another. She was an amazing woman, with all her faults, just as Eve is here. Thanks mom.

A Delacort Press Hardcover Edition / February 2009

New Coach

Is it me or does newly acquired Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio look like a Raider?

I know this much, he's the first hire in a long time that comes with some head coaching experience.  I can't say for sure what Del Rio will bring to the Raiders, but anything resembling a winning season will be cheered. 

Its said that when he became head coach in Jacksonville he placed a wooden stump and axe in the locker room as a symbol of his then rallying cry "Keep chopping wood."  Its a good mantra coming from someone who played in the league for 11 years; keep swinging the axe and the obstacles, both personal and professional, individual and team, are whittled away leaving you with a sense of pride and accomplishment. 

'When you place it on the chopping block and swing the axe, it cleaves. '

I like that our Raiders will be led by a man that's been in the wars and walked the walk.  I also like that he hails from the hills of Castro Valley, a stones throw away from the Oakland Coliseum. And I like that he was a recipient of the Glen "Pop" Warner Memorial Trophy presented annually on the west coast between 1950-2004. 

Most of all, I like that he knows what it means to have the right tools and skills at your disposal and wielding them just so to produce the results intended.

Just Win Jack! Just Win.
Welcome Aboard

Courtesy of Raiders.com

Just Wait Until Next Season!  Its Gonna Be Our Turn To Rise.

REAL MEN WEAR BLACK

Oakland Raiders 2015 Opponent Capsules
Home		Away
The Ravens make their first trip to Oakland since a 21-13 Ravens victory in 2009. Baltimore leads the all-time regular season series 6-1 with the only win for the Silver and Black coming at home in 2003.		The Silver and Black fly back to Pittsburgh for the first time since a 35-3 2010 loss to the Steelers. The Raiders have won four of the last five match-ups and lead the all-time series 12-9.
The Raiders host Denver in the hopes of snapping a four-game losing streak against the Broncos at home. The Silver and Black last defeated Denver at O.co Coliseum in 2010.		The Silver and Black fly to Colorado in the hopes of winning their first game in Denver since a 20-19 2009 win over the Broncos. Although they lost both meetings to the Broncos last season, they still lead the all-time series 59-48-2.
The Raiders in-state rivals fly north to take on the Silver and Black after close victories in both 2014 match-ups. Although the Chargers secured two victories last season, the Raiders still hold the edge in the all-time series, 58-50-2.		The Raiders take on the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium looking to snap a two-game losing streak in San Diego. The Raiders lead the all-time series 58-48-2.
The Chiefs return to Oakland to take on the Raiders after splitting the season series in 2014. The Silver and Black defeated the Chiefs 24-20 on Thursday Night Football. The Chiefs lead the all-time series, 56-51-2.		The Silver and Black return to Arrowhead Stadium trying to snap a two-game skid against the Chiefs in their home stadium. The Raiders last road victory against Kansas City was 26-16 in 2012.
The Jets and Raiders square off for the third-consecutive year in 2015. Although Oakland flew east and lost to the Jets in the opening game of the 2014 campaign, they still lead the all-time series 21-17-2.		The Raiders and Titans meet for the first time in Nashville since a 2010 contest that the Silver and Black lost 38-13. The Raiders least beat Tennessee in 2005, but lead the all-time series 23-20.
The Bengals travel west to Oakland for the first time since the Silver and Black bested them 20-17 in 2009. The Raiders have won four of the last six match-ups and lead the all-time regular season series 18-9.		The Raiders return to Cleveland in 2015 to take on the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium for the second year in a row. In Week 8 of 2014, rookie QB Derek Carr threw for 328 yards and a touchdown although the Raiders fell to the Browns 23-13.
The Raiders and Packers will square off in Oakland for the first time since a 2003 meeting that Green Bay won 41-7. The Silver and Black have lost their last six meetings with the Packers, with their last win coming in 1987.		The Raiders and Bears meet for the first time since 2011, and in Chicago for the first time since 2003. During their last match-up in the Windy City, the Raiders fell to the Bears 24-21, but still lead the all-time series 7-6.
The Raiders host the Minnesota Vikings for the first time since a 2003 meeting that the Raiders won 28-18. Oakland has won three of the last four match-ups with the Vikings, and lead the all-time series 9-4.		The Raiders and the Lions square off for the first time since 2011, and in Detroit for the first time since 2003. The Silver and Black came up short on their last trip to Ford Field, but still lead the all-time series 6-5.

Ohio State Buckeyes Are Champions

OSU Mascot Brutus Buckeye

(a buckeye is a nut)

The first National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Playoff Championship went to the Ohio State Buckeyes. They played their style of rugged, hard-nosed football that the Oregon Ducks could not match up with in a thousand years.

I missed the first Oregon drive where they zipped down the field and scored to lead the game 7-0. What I arrived to was a Buckeyes offense revving up its engine as it honked and gronked its way to a tying touchdown.  Now it was the Ohio State defense revving up and adjusting to the flash and slash trickery of the Oregon offense. 

When the Buckeyes got the ball back you saw a big, bruising locomotive rolling down the tracks with little Ducks bouncing off its sides unable to stop it. The Buckeyes pounded there way to a 21-7 second quarter lead before allowing the Ducks to squeak out a field goal before half-time.

The Ducks would edge there way closer to the eventual champion, mostly on gift turnovers from the Buckeyes, but everyone knew that barring a complete collapse, Ohio State was heading toward victory.

Sure enough, when the final whistle blew, the Ohio State Buckeyes were National Champions of college football.  The college football world was shown exactly what throwback football looks like in 2015.  The run and gun style of the Ducks was simply bowled over by a stronger team that executed the basics of football to precision: Quarterbacking, Running, Receiving, Defense.

We've gotten accustomed to seeing and hearing about all the grace and creativity in today's football game.  The pretty catches, the slice and dice running, the fast paced greatest shows on turf.  Ohio State reminded us that Football is, and always will be, a punishing and brutal sport that requires "beast mode" style strength and "go the distance" determination to win.

Congratulations Ohio State Buckeyes

Final Score

#2 Oregon 20

#4 Ohio State 42

In The Act of Catching A Pass - Someone Got It Wrong

frame-by-frame look at Bryant's dive for the goal line

The reason Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant's catch should have stood is in the rules.  The rule states: 

"If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.  If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete.  If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete."

I believe Dez was in the act of running and not catching the ball, thereby negating the rule. He became a runner once he hauled in the pass and turned to lunge toward the goal line for extra yardage and/or a touchdown.  He had complete control of the ball tucked firmly against the inner part of his left arm. 

Dez caught the ball, turned, took steps, dove forward with the ball in his left arm while using his right hand against the ground to catapult his body forward, hoping to break the goal line.  His right elbow and knee hit the ground before his left arm with the ball did.  That alone constitutes a down by contact call as he was making a football move, not falling after the catch.   

Comparing Dez Bryan'ts play to the  Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson play is comparing apples and oranges.  Johnson's reversal was a first game in September, whereas Bryant's was within the final 5:00 minutes of a January divisional playoff game.

Calvin Johnson was falling to the ground, off balance after the catch, in premature celebration mode, and the ball slipped out of his hand when it hit the ground. That was a catch, fall and ball pops out.  Bryant's was a catch, football move lunge and the ball comes out after his knee and elbow were down. The rule clearly states, 'going to the ground in the act of catching a pass', there lies the controversy in Dez and possibly Calvin's reversals. There lies the blunder.  

Sometimes, in big games such as divisional playoff games, you gotta defer to the spirit of the rule. The rule is there to make sure a receiver falling to the ground after a catch has and maintains possession of the football. The NFL is truly losing its football spirit.

Final Score
Cowboys 21
Packers 26

College Football Playoff Delivers

When the smoke cleared from yesterday's NCAA football playoff semi-final round, everyone watching knew that the better teams had won and were advancing to the championship game.  There was no second-guessing, no controversial calls and no last minute miracle plays that would have fans of the games debating whether this team or that was deserving of a championship game appearance.

The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes convincingly beat their opponents and earned outright, the chance to play in the first playoff era championship game.  The two teams did it by dominating two teams' that have been hard to bet against in recent bowl games.   

Watching the Ducks unleash that high-scoring offense on the defending champion Florida State Seminoles was confirmation enough, but when Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott broke off an 85-yard TD romp in the fourth quarter against the tough defense of Alabama, he broke more than the spirit of the Crimson Tide team, he shattered our fairytale belief in an unbeatable Alabama juggernaut that hardly ever gets beat in bowl games.

If you're a college football fan, yesterday's two playoff semi-final bowl games were treats to be chewed on and savored right up until kickoff on Monday, January 12, 2015 @ 5:30pm pacific time. Because that's when the Ducks and Buckeyes meet to settle just who's the best team that beat the best.  So enjoy these upcoming first two playoff rounds of NFL fooball, then get ready for that Monday night showdown in Arlington, TX., where the college championship playoff game comes to town; and may the best team win.