What's up UrbanPeephole! It's been a little bit slow on the sports side of things, but there are a few topics that I'd like to discuss...

I know I shared my opinion on this last week and it seems like a topic that people are getting tired of discussing. And frankly, I am too. But it seems like it's new insight coming out everyday regarding this. I'll address some of the things I've heard in the last week or so and I'll probably just leave it alone until basketball season nears. That topic is Lebron James.

Dan Gilbert

I want to start with Dan Gilbert the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and I'm sure most of you know that he had some very harsh words for his former superstar Lebron James. As an NBA owner, you have to act with a sense of integrity and accountability and many people felt Gilbert did neither. A lot of people were pretty offended by what he said and I would agree that his words were a little over the top and harsh. But it was some truth behind all the madness. Lebron did handle this thing very selfishly, and we all know that. Dan Gilbert maybe should have slept on it first and let his emotions subside a little bit so he could just state the facts. I'm not really mad at Gilbert...he sounded like a guy who was lied to and lost millions of dollars. He put a lot of trust in Lebron. He gave him a lot of freedom and let him and his friends run wild. I think years down the road, Dan Gilbert and Lebron will both regret how they handled this situation.  

Jesse Jackson

I guess Jesse Jackson was one of those people who was offended by Dan Gilbert's comments. The problem I have with it is that he's seems to be speaking for everyone and I don't feel the same way. He said that Dan Gilbert's actions toward Lebron resembles a "slave master"? Come on Jesse. Were Dan Gilbert's comments a little rude?....yeah. Could he have worded it better?...yeah. But I don't feel it was racist. I'm a black man, and I didn't feel offended by it at all. Racism is a very sensitive topic nowadays and Jesse should know that. Besides...I never knew a slave that was a "multi-millionaire" and that had options to go to any franchise he wanted. Lebron wanted to be in Miami and that's what he did. So do me a favor Jesse....put a sock in it man.

Stephen A. Smith

First off I'd like to say that Stephen A. Smith is a very well respected journalist and knows his stuff when it comes to sports. I admire his work and I'm a big fan of his. I usually agree with a lot that he has to say, but not this time around though. He's apparently tired of all the backlash that Lebron is taking and he spoke out a comment that the great Michael Jordan made. At celebrity golf tournament, Jordan was asked about Lebron being in Miami and he responded by saying that "He would never call up Larry or Magic" to "team up" "He wanted to beat those guys". So on his radio show, Stephen A. then says that if Jordan didn't have Pippen, then he would have left too.....really? You believe that Steven A? I kind of felt like that was a disrespect to Jordan's competitive ability. Don't ever confuse Jordan's competitive nature with Lebron James. Jordan would have MADE the Bulls get him some help. He's not going to play on another superstar's team. It wasn't going to happen. Charles Barkley touched on this topic also and said that, if it was an opportunity for him to pair up with Karl Malone...he would have had to come to Philly, because I ain't going Utah. I applaud Jordan and Barkley for speaking out and bringing some credibility to the argument. Right on.
 
I'll never understand why somebody like Lebron James with such an impressive skill set would settle for being a "Pippen" He'll probably win a few championships down in Miami, but it won't be looked at the same because he couldn't lead a team himself. Some people play in the NBA for money, some for fame. But the great ones do it for the legacy, and to me, your legacy is defined by the way you are perceived. I don't think that this was a good move at all for Lebron's legacy. In the words of Dan Gilbert....I guess some people think they can go to heaven and not have to die first....it just simply doesn't work like that.





Ok yall, shifting gears a little bit...let's talk boxing. It's the big fight everybody's been talking about, everybody's been hoping for, everybody wants to see. I'm talking about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In all my years of watching the sport, I've never seen so many politics tied to one fight. On one end, you've got Mayweather who wants Pacquiao to agree to Olympic-style drug testing. I personally don't see what the big deal is for Manny, if you don't have nothing to hide...then take the test man. The fact that Pacquiao started boxing at 106 lbs and went all the way to 147...and knocking everybody out along the way would raise suspicion for me that he may be using steroids too. I mean, who does that? I've never seen anybody plow through the ranks like that. I'm not accusing him...I'm just saying.



If Floyd calls himself "Money" Mayweather then he shouldn't look any further. This is the biggest payday that he'll ever see. He recently destroyed Shane Mosely in impressive fashion, but Pacquiao is much younger and quicker than Mosely...posing the greatest challenge that Floyd has faced in his career. We all know Floyd speaks his mind, and that's cool. But if you're going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk....I'm just saying. 

So what's holding up the fight? I guess that's the question that no one seems to have an answer to. Manny Pacquiao's camp allegedly gave Mayweather a deadline this past week to fight Manny on Nov. 13th. The deadline came and went with no comment from Floyd and his camp. Floyd's camp is even denying that there was even a "deadline" in the first place. There are a lot of rumors out there about Floyd not wanting to fight this year because of his uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather's legal trouble and Floyd's own IRS issues. Who knows. I think that I'm in the overwhelming majority of fans that just want to see the fight. So take the drug test, split the money 50/50 and make it happen. That's how I feel.



George Steinbrenner

I just wanted to give my condolences to the Steinbrenner family. "The Boss" as some called him, was the owner of the legendary New York Yankees. He died of a sudden heart attack last week. Even though he wanted things to be done his way, he took care of his players and gave them everything they wanted. R.I.P.

Brett Favre

I'll get in to this more as we get closer to football season, but it's pretty much the same thing every year. Brett Favre doesn't know if wants to play football or not. My guess is he will, but not before a big media circus. Great player, but just not handling this the right way. Sounds very similar to another athlete in a different sport.....hmmmm.

Ok everybody....till next time!




D.Goard Jr.