Celevision

NO SNITCHING I don't know whether to hate on the dude or not. So Coach Rich Rodriguez denies cheating, which we know is probably a flat-out lie. Of course he's gone over the allotted time of 20 hours per week of practice. And of course I believe that his players were indeed there for 10-12 hours on a Sunday. I was a college athlete and one thing I know is that most coaches, if they can get away with it, will stretch the rules. Am I mad at Rodriguez? Hell no!!! He coaches at MICHIGAN!!! He was 3-9 last year at MICHIGAN!! He's in the same conference with Ohio State. There is no way 20 hours per week is enough. I know this. What I also know is that he's not the only coach that is doing it. Who I am mad at are the "punk" players who spoke on the conditions of "anonymity." Then you have former players who aren't there anymore snitching. Again, I was a college athlete, I know what it entails, and sometimes you may not like it, but snitching and putting your program in a position like this is unacceptable. Especially when the only reason your really telling is because you had to do a few more squats or possibly run a few extra wind sprints. It's like marriage, you better know what you're signing up for before you commit!!!

GANGSTA How “gangsta” is Brett Favre? You don’t have to like him but you have got to respect him. On Monday night the 40-year-old Favre threw a crack block on the Texans’ Eugene Wilson and almost took him out. Yes, it was a dirty play. I don’t think Favre was trying to hurt anybody. It is just Brett Favre being Brett Favre, throwing his body around out there like a rag doll as if he's still 21 years old. It was a psycho move, no doubt, but he wouldn’t be who he is today if he had always played it safe. Favre is so “gangsta” and when we say that we mean he just does things that the average man wouldn’t think about doing. He just shows up in Minnesota and takes starting spots without even attending a minute of camp. Then last night after only about a week of practice he goes out and plays three quarters completing 13 out of 18 passes. You may not like him, but you have to sit back and say wow at what the man has accomplished. Doctors do what they do, lawyers do their thing, and so do gangstas! Brett Favre is out there moving to his own beat, while playing his own damn drum.

THE HEAT IS ON I think Donovan McNabb is one of the most underappreciated players, not just in the NFL, but in sports in general. McNabb is an outstanding passer and has been getting it done for years. In my eyes he can cement his legacy this year by having an outstanding season because the pressure is on. I don’t care what McNabb says about it being no pressure with Michael Vick there. This is manure from a bull. Michael Vick, before going to prison, was the most exciting player in the NFL. He was a human highlight reel. There are some in the city of Philadelphia that don’t like Dononvan McNabb. I’ve heard it all, from him being an “Uncle Tom” to him being a kiss up to management. I have to admit that McNabb is a twisted ankle or pulled groin away from losing his spot. We all know that Vick will be rusty but his playmaking ability has to make McNabb think. Injuries happen all the time in football, especially at the quarterback position. We have already seen Coach Andy Reid pull McNabb before. You have to think if McNabb struggles even a little this year, the fans, the management, the city will be antsy. They’ll be wanting to see the backup quarterback take the field and we're not talking about Kevin Kolb.

PATIENTLY WAITING So if you’re the Minnesota Timberwolves you can’t be too happy. Ricky Rubio has decided that he is going to spend the next two years in Spain before joining the NBA in 2011. Can you blame the guy? The amount of money he was going to lose by coming to the NBA would cause anyone to defer their dreams a little. But if you're a Timberwolves fan, that’s a long time to wait for a guy who could change your franchise immediately. The Wolves do have Jonny Flynn who also should be ready to play instantly, but how great would it have been to have a guy like Rubio who would really sell tickets? If you’re Wolves GM David Kahn, how mad are you right now? All the frequent flyer miles that have been tallied going back and forth to Spain for nothing!! But I really feel like this kid may be a star. For everything he lacks physically he make up for in the mental understanding of the game. He understands tempo, he understands the point guard position and how to run a team, which is lacking in this day and age from the point guard position. I guess we all just have to just be patient. They say the best things come to those who wait.. But this ain't no Heinz commercial from back in the day. I, for one, am extremely disappointed.

A CHRONIC PROBLEM? I usually like to have a lot of fun on CELEVISION but I have to say that the situation with Micheal Beasley is not a joke. You never want to see a guy so talented, with so much of his career in front of him check into a rehab facility. I really enjoyed watching this guy play in college and I thought he would be a great offensive threat in the NBA. But I have to admit a few of my basketball buddies told me the writing was on the wall. It's been known around the NBA that Beasley's character was questionable. It's known that he has a fondness for the "CHEEBA" The dude was a loose cannon and could go off quicker than a Plaxico Burress gun (that wasn’t right). Ok so you say it’s only marijuana, not a big deal. "Beas" will check in and check out and get back to work right? Let’s hope so, but it’s usually not that simple. And we also have to find out if he really checked in because he thought he had a problem or if he was coerced to check in by the Heat so he wouldn’t get caught later resulting in suspension. Now THAT, is the million dollar question. But it already seems like this may be a "CHRONIC" problem. I don't want to see another Isaiah Rider! Please no.

SWEAT PANTS Ok, I have to admit, I was very upset with Plaxico Burress during this whole process. I really attributed it to the now possibly “false” reports that he wore sweat pants to the club. I had really blamed this whole thing on his choice of dress. I remember being in the NBA and going to clubs seeing other players in sweatpants. Why? I would always ask. Then I realized what it was. It was an act of defiance. It was to say, “Hey, I am a star and I don’t have to follow the rules.” So while everyone else dresses up, you the superstar do what you want. You can stand out and look like a pure rebel. So I really felt that Plaxico brought it on himself. Because of the sweatpants the gun slipped, firing the gun and wounding himself. I really felt like it all started from arrogance.

But last night, Burress said he didn’t have on sweatpants. He had on black jeans and for the first time I felt somewhat sorry for him. I realized that I really shouldn’t judge him so harshly. I wasn’t there, I didn’t know the facts. I didn’t know his life. Frankly, Burress is just another misguided young man from the ghetto who just made a bad decision. In no way shape or form am I defending the young man, but athletes ARE sometimes targets and I can understand the fear. If you don’t understand, just imagine what it was like to be Eddie Curry from the New York Knicks or Antoine Walker a former NBA player, duct taped in your own house. Or how about Stephon Marbury back on his own home turf of Coney Island, Brooklyn being robbed at gunpoint? Wish we could ask Sean Taylor formerly of the Washington Redskins how he felt, but he’s gone, shot in his own home in Miami. I WANT TO SAY that athletes carrying guns doesn’t seem to solve the problem. I WANT TO SAY they usually only compound them as with Stephen Jackson from the Indiana Pacers and now Burress. I REALLY TRULY WANT TO SAY AND MEAN THAT! But I’ve never had a gun waved in my face. I've never been duct taped to a chair. I've never had to fear for my life, while so many others have. I'll never forget the time when I was in New Jersey Nets camp and Chris Childs, the former Knicks point guard, came in and told us he was robbed the night before at gunpoint outside of Justin's in Manhattan, a restaurant owned by Sean "P-Diddy" Combs. He said the robbers just stuck the gun in his face calmly and said, "Come on man, give it up, you know what it is." Unfortunately too many athletes do know what it is. I now ask you the reader. "Do you?"

"I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY'S WATCHING MEEEE ...." Wasn't that a great song back in the day? Well, it might be Michael Vick’s theme song this year. Better get used to it, Mike. Reports came out today that Vick was caught drinking a Grey Goose Vodka and Pineapple juice at a Philadelphia Airport bar. Damn Mike! You ain’t gonna be able to do diddly squat this year and you better get it straight! It’s the closest thing to still being on house arrest. Come on people, he’s a grown man. Can’t he even have a drink? How sick are we? But Tony Dungy doesn’t agree. Vick’s mentor reportedly said “You can’t do that Mike.” And as much as I want to disagree with Dungy, he’s actually correct. Unfortunately, in this world we live in people are looking for Vick to slip up. They want him to fail. The “I told you so” people are out in full force and Vick has to beware. I mean damn Vick, they even knew so much as to what kind of Vodka you were drinking! The Goose!! The blitz is on this year for Micheal Vick. I hope he can still scramble.