Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday 02/15 A.M. Quickie:
Tim Hardaway: All-Star... Bigot

Tim Hardaway: "I hate gay people." Remember when Hardaway's defining quote was from that Nike ad: "I got skills." That's wiped out.

Just in time for All-Star Weekend, Hardaway has revealed himself as an All-Star bigot.

It is the new leader for Knucklehead Quote of the Year. Not just in the NBA, about this Amaechi story, but in all of sports.

Though I'm quite sure Hardaway isn't alone in his bigotry, he is the only one stupid enough to say something so blantantly bigoted.

I hope Hardaway and his extremist views are marginalized where they belong, but I am also quite sure this quote will now define him.

(Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the quote spectrum, there was Amaechi's insightfully magnanimous response: "At least he's being honest.")

Miss yesterday's Valentine's special?

Duke wins at B.C.: Rumors of Duke's death (or, more accurately, NIT destination) were greatly exaggerated.

In a huge statement game (and, yes, I know, I am loathe to use that phrase in a sport with a 64-team postseason championship tournament), Duke went on the road and beat B.C. on national TV.

And so the dream of Duke being shunted off to the NIT might be over... but the dream of Duke being a dreaded 5-seed lives on!

Team Waltrip busted: NASCAR has a cheating problem that, as I said yesterday, makes the NFL and MLB issues with PEDs seem haphazard.

Kudos to NASCAR for delivering its largest fine ever and for sticking to its crackdown on rule-breakers, but the sport has a HUGE problem: Cheating, not just by individuals (as in NFL or MLB) but at the TEAM LEVEL. Let me put it simply:

Injecting your ass with illegal PEDs seems less deliberate and less noxious than injecting your gas with illegal PEDs.

(And, wow: I'm not sure I've ever delivered a Quickie jinx quite like the one I gave Toyota's NASCAR effort. Yeesh.)

More CBB: No. 10 Washington State beats rival Washington in Seattle. How legit is Wazzu? Are they underrated (via East Coast Bias) or overrated (via East Coast Bias)?

We'll find out over the final four conference games, which include at Oregon (which beat WSU already), UCLA (which beat WSU already) and USC.

(Meanwhile, how did WSU lose to woeful Utah?! Northwestern beat Utah by 30 earlier this season. I'm not sure I can give any bracket cred to any team that loses to a team that loses to Northwestern by 30. That's my own special spin on the Transitive Property, as it relates to Wash St.)

For the record, my go-to guy Ken Pomeroy has Washington State ranked No. 23... and Washington a sorry 70th.

Meanwhile, No. 12 Marquette lost its second straight, to NIT-ish DePaul (after being thumped by G'town last weekend). Another loss you remember when filling out brackets in March. (No, I don't care that both Ls were on the road.)

Freshman Greg Oden at Ohio State = Freshman Patrick Ewing at Georgetown? Not a bad comparable, even if Oden is a little bit better individually (but on an inferior overall team than Ewing's '82 Hoyas team, the runner-up for the national championship.)

Oden: 15.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.6 bpg
Ewing: 12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.2 bpg

Oden was right on his average (15 points, 10 rebounds) in OSU's win over Penn State last night.

Speaking of super-frosh, Kevin Durant's dad said his son might not turn pro after this season. Well, that would certainly end the Oden-Durant draft debate.

(Excuse me if I don't buy it, but – then again – I was sure that Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer would leave the Gators a year ago. So stranger things have happened.)

Joe Johnson named to East All-Stars: One of the more universally appealing young NBA players, wouldn't you say?

NBA: Celtics win. (Celtics win?!) Enough said. Meanwhile, the Raptors beat the Nets to solidify their hold on first in the Atlantic. In my Midseason NBA Awards, I forgot to name "Executive of the (Mid-) Year," and there's no question it should be Toronto's Bryan Colangelo: Locked up Bosh, traded for TJ Ford, drafted Bargnani (and pushed Mitchell to play him), recognized value of Calderon.

Will the Sonics stay in the Seattle area? They've found an arena site in nearby Renton, but it will cost the taxpayers $500 million.

I'm sorry: There are better things for a state legislature to spend its money on than an arena to make money for the Sonics' new owners.

(And, yes, I recognize that this is a bit hypocritical of me to talk about, given my enthusiasm for the Nets moving to my town of Brooklyn.)

Mike Singletary interviews for the Chargers job. Isn't that sweet? To let all these guys have these interviews when Pete Carroll will get the job. (I'm kidding: The Chargers insist, Saban-style, they are NOT hiring Carroll.)

If the Yankees don't want to see Mariano Rivera closing games for the Red Sox in 2008, they better give him a deal now.

I guess I can put the "Free 'Game of Shadows' Guys!" T-shirt away. They won't be doing any jail time, because the lawyer who leaked them the grand jury info 'fessed up.

Let's hope that the NCAA wises up and makes the proposed rule changes (or rule reversions) finalized to get the clock crap back in order.

American Idol: I have held off from commenting on Idol during the audition rounds, but now that it's down to 24, I'm in. Where is this year's Katherine McPhee? Haven't seen her yet. (But Chris Sligh has Taylor Hicks-style populist potential -- meaning: He's an ugly dude the rest of us can relat to.)

NBA All-Star Madness in Las Vegas starts tomorrow. Full coverage coming tomorrow a.m., with complete previews and picks of the Skills comps, the Scene, the City, the Kicks, the Game and more.

Finally, in case you're curious, here's an interview I did at the excellent blog, The Big Picture.

-- D.S.

53 comments:

Unknown said...

DS - don't overestimate the value of beating BC in Conte Forum on National TV.

That game last night on paper seemed like an easy win for BC, on ESPN, in front of a home crowd - all of those factors combined meant that everyone in the Boston area knew the Eagles would lose. This is the MO for Boston College sports teams, they win and win and win and when a big game comes up they lose and shoot themselves in the foot.

Now that they've already dropped the game they were supposed to win easily - expect the Eagles to come out strong against North Carolina who they should probably lose to.

nep1293 said...

Hating all gay people is a bit extreme. A lot of the times you wouldn't even know the gays if you were around them. Hating their lifestyle is probably more acceptable. I wonder how Hardaway feels about 2 hot lesbian women in the VIP room? As far as I know, no straight male ever has a problem with that. I'll admit that I get a little freaked if the "gayness" of 2 men is out in the open, but hating them is just ridiculous. It is just a little uncomfortable.


Also, I really like Washington St, they're a Final 4 contender in my book

Patriots64 said...

Thanks for the Raps recognition Dan!! Colangelo has done a great job and CB4 is MVP material.
Vince Carter showed his true colours tonite, what a moron.!!

Unknown said...

'I hate gay people'
It always brings joy to my heart when a person, especially a person belonging to a group of people that has been and still is demeaned and ostracized for one aspect of their physical or mental being, decides to demean and ostracize another person based on one aspect of their being.

As for hating the gay 'lifestyle'. Being gay isn't a lifestyle. It's not like any gay man or woman just woke up one day and said "Ya know, I know the in-thing is to be a vegan, but I'm going to just be gay!" To think that anyone would choose to be marginalized and hated like that doesn't make sense.

Durant's dad is just setting up the Texas fanbase for a huge let down...and maybe nudging NBA teams to think of ways to entice Durant out of college.

Shouldn't be surprised by Duke winning last night. Do marquee teams ever get long losing streaks?

Natsfan74 said...

One of the best interviews this basketball season was when Durant was talking about the value of being in college. He recognized then that one year of college will definitely help him. He said he realized when he moved away from home that he realized he wasn't mentally prepared to handle instant millions and spending his life entirely around adults. Further, he has committed to his coach that he will continue in class and will remain academically eligible, even in the spring semester (which will help their athletic academic progress report). I would not be surprised to see him, or even Greg Oden, spend one more year in college refining the game. They are both in good situations, Oden with an energetic young coach and playing with his HS best friend, Durant a dominant player on a young team that has potential to compete for the NC next year. I guess we'll see how tourney time goes (both players leave with great tourney runs -- leaving nothing more to accomplish).

OSU keeps getting a 2-seed in these mock brackets. Last night, they definitely looked like a 1 seed!

Josh said...

Is it bigotry when people hate Christians and the "religious right"?

Love Wazzou, by the way, but they seem like a team headed to a second round flameout. Do they have a player that can take over a game when their offense starts to struggle? Part of me doesn't know, since their games are never freaking on.

Unknown said...

I agree with 3rd String JD on BC. Won't be surprised if they pull it out against UNC this weekend.

Big D said...

/begin rant

Straying from all sports-related talk this morning, since my brain is completely fried by watching inferior drivers try to navigate icy roads...

Re: American Idol (?!?!). I only watch 2 "reality shows" - Survivor and Amazing Race. So imagine my surprise when I read in the local paper about a contestant on American Idol that I actually know.

I went to school with him for about 6 years. Scary. Looks like I can't go to my 10-year High School reunion and claim to be the most famous person in the class...

Of course, this now makes three friggin' "reality stars" that are friends of mine. Rob & Amber Mariano (Survivor, AR) are both friends of mine as well.

This sucks - I hate the reality TV culture, yet I think I'm obligated to embrace it. If this kid wins American Idol, I give up. I'll only watch reality programs from now on.

/end rant.

jhawkjjm said...

I was flipping back and forth between the BC-Duke game and the KU-CU game. From what I saw, seems like whenever BC went on a little run, they'ld get whistled for a cheap foul or they'ld get fouled with no call. There was a stretch where BC went on a 10-0 run to cut it to 12 with about 10 mins left and they got a steal and the guy was hit going to the basket...no call. A minute later, the Duke guard drives get's it cleany blocked and they whistle another BC player for a foul. That sequenced summed up one reason why people hate Duke so much. And remember, Duke was playing on the road.

The heroin sheik said...

I don't hate gay people as my cousin who I am very close to is gay, but I do hate when gay men hit on me. My cousin says to look at it like having a really grossly fat chick hit on you, but then again I hate that too. Just curious but does anyone know if Meech is the pitcher or the catcher. I have no idea why I want to know this but I think it makes a difference. In some cultures you are not considered gay if you are the pitcher.

Man if the gators could just play a solid 40 minutes every night they is no way they could be stopped. I was convinced that we were going to choke last night. If we play like we have in the last few games we are going to be the first 1 seed to lose in the first round.

Although this relates to yesterdays posts I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good book to try to teach my fiancee about football. I have bought her holly robinson peete's book as well as the idiots guide to football. My girl truly wants to understand football so that we can share in it together as it is my favorite sport next to the other football. She gets basketball and baseball but football is like trying to figure out the rosetta stone.

Nep I think for the most part men have no problem with lesbians but for myself I really am not into it. I dated a bisexual girl one time who was always wanting to bring girls home and it drove me crazy. I won't even watch the girl on girl scenes in pornos anymore. I just think that men are meant to be with women but to each his own.

Brian in Oxford said...

I think I got an error message, so now I have to remember my comment again (damn this moderation!)

1. I agree, BC was going to lose last night....southeastern school suckers!

2. NASCAR guys are what, "corking their cars?"

3. The Yanks won't get outspent by the Red Sox for Rivera. You think Damon was overpaid and blown out of the water by NY? That would be nothing. Although it would be amusing if, during the last Sox-Yanks series at Fenway, Sox fans try to play up some extra respect/love to try to sway Rivera!

4. What's the deal with the Bonds thing? Was it HIS defense lawyer who leaked the testimony? Doesn't that seem to indicate he could declare a mistrial of some sorts? And if he hired incompetent representation, why *should* he be allowed a do-over?

5. College football should just go with NFL clock rules. Especially not stopping the clock after every first down. Networks really should block out a full three and a half hours for college games at this point, they're pretty damn long.

6. Does anyone know whether sending a team from the west, like a Wash St., back east for first round games, leads to more upsets? Or is it even worse for East Coast teams going to Idaho?

Aitch said...

I don't agree with Hardaway's views or comments, but I do agree that at least he was being honest. This country has become too PC and its good to see someone who states their real opinion, even if it is bigoted and ignorant.

Mega said...

If Hardaway said he hated the lifestyle then this wouldn't even be an issue. But he let his sheer idiocy show when he said he hated the person.

Hate a person for their actions, not for who they are.

Matt T said...

Hooray for Joe Johnson.

I'm wondering if everyone who was on the Hawks case about that trade last year are starting to rethink that.

This Hawks team is still bad, but is improving. Josh Smith is not getting enough pub either.

Mills said...

Rudy Cardenas (sp?) is your front runner on Idol this year. Dude is legit, and his [former?] group is really good actually. M-Pact is there name.

Mills said...

What else was Amechi suppose to say re: Hardaway's comments? His response was just as political as most of the NBAers quotes we have heard thus far.

Unknown said...

So I guess I shouldn't name Tim Hardaway as my man-crush.

Anonymous said...

Haley. Scarnato.

pv845 said...

I know there is a lot of money waiting there for Oden in the NBA, but he could definately use another full year in college. It is a training ground where the competition is not as tough, but it is marketedly better than HS. It isn't like he won't be a top 2 pick, but for him, maybe the improvement in his skills is worth another year in college?

Roge said...

If working at ESPN writing the Quickie was your dream job, why did you leave it?

You still have to get paid something for writing this blog, right? In that interview you made it sound like you weren't getting anything for this.

Unknown said...

The NASCAR cheating statement really doesn't fly with me. Now I have never watched even 2 minutes of any NASCAR event but having too high a compression ratio, too powerful fuel or not having enough damping on a spoiler or something to that effect doesn't faze anyone.

First off, in the NFL, outside of place kickers and punters, 99% of the players have taken an illegal performance enhancing drug - and the coaches and owners all know about it and look the other way. The drug testing policy is designed to catch one or two over the top cheaters to be able to pat each other on the back and say, "We are against illegal drug use."

But as a non-athlete, you miss the major point why PED are illegal. They are dangerous to the health of the athletes. When you don't stop PED use, you basically say to anyone who wants to earn a living playing football or baseball for that matter that you have to dope to compete. Players are forced to choose between their health and their job.

Of course when race cars go too fast, then they become dangerous as well. The real solution is to test the cars of the top 3 finishers and DQ an illegal car and suspend them for the next race. I am not talking about suspending the crew chief but the whole team from entering a race. They won't do that though since it hurts the sponsors.

There is total hypocrisy in catching cheats just as there is in stopping illegal immigrants from entering our country. We need them!

One Shining Moment Bloggers said...

I think it's extremely early to be forecasting Final Four teams. With most teams having 5-6 conference games, plus the conference tourneys, there is too much time for injuries, as well as teams coming together.

Maryland, for instance, is going to be one of those teams that only gets better since they're starting two freshman point guards; where a team like UCLA/Florida could be playing their best basketball now, instead of next month.

-JH, One Shining Moment

mark said...

Hating all gay people is a bit extreme. A lot of the times you wouldn't even know the gays if you were around them. Hating their lifestyle is probably more acceptable.

I don't know why I even bother, but...

(1) Hate is never acceptable, man.

(2) Given that gay and lesbian people are something like 10% of the population, and given that it's a genetic trait that seems to pop up without regard to race, ethnicity, or any other associated factor, the odds are excellent that you know some gay people. (Which ones? They're not telling, probably because they've heard you make remarks like this.)

(3) Don't call us "the gays." It's not like we're some army or movement or something.

DP said...

See, while I do not agree with Tim Hardaway about homosexuals, I feel he is entitled to his views. Here you are calling him a bigot with no knowledge of how or why he formed these views. We are all making judgements on a guy who is entitled to his opinions. We are all expected to worship at the altar of any athlete who comes out of the closet because they are brave. So why is Hardaway not brave? He admitted his honest thought to the public knowing that there would be a backlash. Now people are insulting his IQ, his life, and anything else they want to. They guy is entitled. He isn't going around kicking homos in the face. He just has an opinion. We can criticize it, but trying to act as if he is a villain is making us bigots as well for trying to silence the voice of those who disagree with us. It is what it is. He for whatever reason does not like gays> We need much more info before we decide that this makes him an asshole. He may have a good reason.

chitown italian said...

I am fine with him saying he doesn't like gays.

I am NOT fine with him taking his words back. If you are going to say something be a man and don't back pedal.

See Michael Richards and now Tim Hardaway. Dumbasses. Sissies. Morons.

That's my rant for the day.

IkeKrizzule said...

Bryan Colangelo deserves plenty of respect, and if they give out the Executive of the Year today he wins it in a landslide, but he had nothing to do with Jose Calderon. Calderon was an excellent Rob Babcock move, but since Babcock is universally slammed for the Carter trade and Calderon is European it seems easier to lump him in with a Colangelo move.

Unknown said...

OSU's not a 1 because they lost to Florida and UNC. Unless they win out from here on in (including the Big Ten tourney), they won't and shouldn't be a 1.

Unknown said...

osm: do you really think UMD is going to dance this year? They didn't have a great nonconference schedule, haven't been lighting the ACC on fire, don't have that big nonconference win (@Illinois is close, but the Illini aren't too special). The win over Duke is good, but the Clemson win is fast becoming insignificant. The ACC is a top conference, of course, but this year it's not like the ACC is going to have 9 bids in (despite what Lunardi said last week). They'll be lucky as a conference to get 6 (UNC, BC, VaTech, Duke, UVa, Clemson/GaTech/UMd).

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

jhawkjim I do not even know were to start with what you wrote. I guess you missed it when Jared Dudley threw Dave McClure to the ground and did not get whistled. How about all the jaw jacking that Sean Marshall and Jared Dudley were doing the entire game to the refs. Everytime there was a whistle blown those two were in a refs ear. You would assume that Duke built that big lead by camping out at the free throw line and you would be wrong. BC attempted 28 free throws and Duke attempted 10.

I knew when I was watching the game last night that somebody would say that the refs favor Duke. You know why BC got beat, they made stupid mistakes and did not play with any urgency until it was to late. There were a number of times that Duke had a break in which only one BC player was back to defend.

Natsfan74 said...

I was going to say to disregard previous post about OSU being a 1. I turned the game off with a 20 point Buckeye lead and didn't realize until this morning that they nearly blew it. I guess I should check ESPN before checking this BLOG.

But seriously, they are the #2 team in the nation, they have 3 losses, all on the road, and all to teams that were top 5 at the time. Losses to Florida, Wisconsin, and North Carolina -- two without Oden, and one when he was just back and not in a groove yet, should not keep them from being a # 1. But to say they shouldn't be a #1 unless they win out goes for just about anyone. If Florida loses in the first round of the SEC tourney, should they still be a # 1? That's just ridiculous!

Big D said...

By the way, I'll be chiming in on Hardaway later today. But let's just say my views haven't changed much since Ozzie Guillen caught a bunch of crap for doing essentially the same thing.

Very glad to see BC trip over their own feet last night. I was admittedly flipping stations between the Eagles looking like a bottom-dwelling team in the MVC rather than the #1 team in the ACC, and the Celtics finally remembering how to hold a lead. But i did see enough of the BC game to know that they were pretty much out of the game, mentally and physically, from tip-off.

Funny - lot of talk today in Boston about the Celtics making a trade to acquire a veteran player, meaning they'd have a worse shot at the Oden/Durant lottery...? Does this make sense to anyone?

rudapswon said...

When I first heard this radio segment I thought wow he must either be retarded or just British. I mean the reporter gave him the out and he still insisted that he should make a fool of himself. The subject is of non of my concern because "not that there is anything wrong with that" and also because "everyone one of us has a gay uncle. You know from that part of the family that nobody wants to talk about. I got a gay uncle we call him Aunt tom."( For those who didn't get that it's from a Chris Rock skit. I also really didn't know it was possible for someone to put both of their feet in their mouth at the same time. Apparently you can and now I can positivly say that Hardaways's IQ is about as high as the number on the back of his Jersey

kway34 said...

OSU's not a 1 because they lost to Florida and UNC. Unless they win out from here on in (including the Big Ten tourney), they won't and shouldn't be a 1.

OSU lost to the consensus #1 team in the country and a top 5 team and because of that they're not a #1?? OSU probably has the best 3 losses in CBB at the moment (AT UNC sans Oden, AT Fla, AT Wisky). They didn't lose to Va Tech (twice!) they didn't lose to Stanford or WVU, they didn't lose to Florida State and they didn't lose to Missouri State. If they win out regular season they're a #1 easily.

Unknown said...

Tim Hardaway.

The guy is an idiot but so are the majority of pro basketball players. I realize that people are born gay and that 3 or 4% of our population are probably homosexual. They have a right to do what they want.

That being said, I find seeing two men kiss kind of repulsive. I am not really into the whole lesbian thing either. Some guys get the impression from watching porn that most lesbians are hot babes wearing high heels and garters. Most are butchy looking women who look more like Rosie or Ellen than Brittany Spears.

I think most heterosexual men have a primal inherent disgust at the thought of any sexual contact with another man. I know I do. From an intellectual point of view, I will defend any gay person's basic rights but that doesn't mean I want to watch them.

jhawkjjm said...

future,

I started off by saying I didn't watch the entire game as I was flipping back and forth. But in the parts I did see it seemed to me the "typical" Duke game where they get all the calls despite being on the road. I wasn't making any comments on the game at a whole because I didn't watch the game start to finish. I also saw BC playing extremely sloppy at times as well. Did the officating affect the outcome? who knows. All I said is the parts that I saw seemed to be the "typical Duke officiating". That's it. I wasn't making any statements about whether BC was robbed or not.

And what does it say about the officiating at Duke games that you knew someone would comment on it?

Trey (formerly TF) said...

What Tim Hardaway said personally disturbs me and actually upset me quite a bit. He had every right to make those comments, it’s his right as an American, and if that is his actual feelings then he’s entitled.

However, what upsets me is the fact that he “hates all gays”, prejudging all homosexuals before even meeting them. As an African American, his people were subjected to a high level of prejudice and treatment that still exists in some parts of this country. Fortunately, homosexuals are not treated with the same degree of oppression and hatred African Americans had to endear while this country came to their senses.

No matter who you are; race, religion, national origin, sexuality, etc should never be your sole basis for hatred of a human being.

The sad reality is that all these prejudices still exist. Unfortunately we haven’t ridded them, and there are many people that find homosexuals appalling or bad merely because they are associated with not being manly or what a “normal” person should be.

Last year my brother, during his senior year of high school, came out. Never have I seen such horrible the treatment of someone that I have been close to. He remained strong and endeared the horrible treatment of some classmates whose actions were more cowardly than his courageous decision to be himself at a time in life when being yourself is something that most people don’t do in fear of not being accepted.

Statements by an All Star basketball player like Tim Hardaway, who still can be impressionable on today’s youth, only impede the acceptance of homosexuals in society. As a public figure he should be careful in how he states his views, no matter how heartfelt they are.

Joe (Dayton)

ToddTheJackass said...

Alright, I'm a huge BC fan, who is now ready to come out of hiding for the day...

Dudley was sick, or there was something bothering him. I realize for most casual fans this was the only time they've seen him play this year, but there was something clearly wrong with him. He usually outhustles everyone, misses his free throws long, and runs the court on transition D. He did none of that last night, and there's a rumor around BC that he was sick.

As for the refs, I thought they weren't great. But as a BC fan, we didn't lose the game because of the refs, we lost it because John Oates can't play defense in the post.

And by the way, calling the BC kids thugs is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard (and in my experience usually rooted in racism). If you ever actually met Jared Dudley, listened to him talk, or knew anything about him, you'd know he's about the furthest thing from a thug as it gets. Just because people have tatoos, aren't white, and don't go to Duke doesn't make them thugs.

Dudley and Marshall may have been complaining to the refs, but if they crossed the line, they'd have been T'd up. Having gone to BC and seen them both play numerous occassions, usually when they talk to officials (especially Dudley), they are just presenting their case in front of the ref, nothing that most head coaches don't do). I thought on most of the calls they complained over, they had a valid point, and I applaud the refs for at least hearing them out.

As for Tim Hardaway, he's a fu**ing moron, but sadly I know there are a lot of people out there who think just like him.

I just don't get it, what's the problem people have with gay people? Seriously, all this talk about it "destroying the family," etc. is ridiculous. For those who are married, has your marriage been ruined since gay people can get married in Massachusetts? Of course not. What's the problem?

Unknown said...

Bluebird, I understand your points but...
what, exactly, could have possibly happened for Hardaway to hate all gays?
There's no reason for that.

And I don't know that the 'religious right' is hated. Definitely pitied. It does cause a large amount of bewilderment to see adults acting with no minds of their own.

Unknown said...

How would Tim Hardaway have responded if a former white player (Danny Ainge - if Ainge wasn't in a management position) came out and said he "hates all blacks."

Say what you want about gays and how uncomfortable you feel around them, but the fact remains that it's not a lifestyle choice. You don't go into your closet and decide - today I'll wear the blue suit and like cock.

You don't get to chose your race, and you don't chose your sexual identity either. So yeah Hardaway is entitled to say he isn't comfortable around gays - but saying you hate an entire group of individuals is inexcusable.

This wouldn't fly if it was Curt Schilling saying he couldn't pitch for the Red Sox anymore because he "hates the Asians."

Sorry I'm a proponent of free speech, but not of hate speech and that's what Hardaway did there.

And yes the same thing applies to Michael Richards.

Mega said...

I just love it how people are incorrectly assuming that Tim Hardaway part of the Religious Right because of his comments. Stereotypes are for bigots.

oasiserfede said...

I swear, if I see the words "choice" and "gay" in the same sentence again, I'm gonna break something.....

ToddTheJackass said...

Who said Tim Hardaway was part of the religious right?

Look, people are entitled to their views. That's not the problem, the problem is when these views are based on hate.

I'm not so much angry at Tim Hardaway (he was being honest... dumb, but honest)... I'm just sad that we still live in a culture where people feel this way (you know Tim Hardaway isn't the only one who feels this way).

The problem of the extreme homophobia in sports seems to me to be a sad catch 22, in that because there is such a culture of homophobia, that a culture of homophobia is allowed to exist.

I just don't get WHY people have something against gays? I always hear people saying they feel awkward seeing two men or two women showing affection for each other in public. Well you know what, I come from an interracial family, and no doubt that made people uncomfortable back when my parents were dating. Also, don't you feel a little uncomfortable seeing anyone making out in public?

I've never had anyone, ANYONE, tell me that their quality of marriage has decreased since gay marriage was allowed in Massachusetts.

So I ask again, WHY, in this age, do people hate gays?!?

Brian in Oxford said...

You know what's also kinda weird....we're talking about "Christians" and "the religious right", and yet we're making blanket statements about them just as people were making blanket statements about gays.

And not just in the "a real Christian would be accepting of a person for who he is, gay, straight, or tax collector." In fact, we're led to assume the opposite, that the Christians are the ones hating the gays.

Either way, it's like the word Christian is being turned into a stereotype, too.

How's that for some weird shit?

Anywayzzz....Amaechi seems like a nice guy. Hardaway seems like a jerkoff. Nevertheless, that's only two people....not a blanket description of homosexuals or black people in general. Gee, how difficult was that?

DP said...

@ rafael, thanks for being more inquisitive as to my reason for defense than dave was. He seems to think you can judge a person by one statement (by his implication that I am ignorant because of a post). I do not.

It COULD have something to do with his past. We don't know if someone made a pass at him as a child or whatever. But we are so quick to call him ignorant just because we disagree with him. This is the weak man's defense if you ask me. There is nothing wrong with not liking someone because of their sexuality. If you find it morally reprehensible it doesn't make you ignorant or stupid. It simply indicates that you have a different moral standard. While others like to pat themselves on the back and give all their support to gays, Hardaway does not buy that ideology. And do not be fooled: blind faith in someone because of their sexual attraction makes you and buy into an ideology. The media says: if you do not like gays , you are ignorant, when really, if you do not like gays, it is your opinion and you are entitled to it. Just because someone does not abide by your standards does not make them ignorant. It makes them opinionated. EVERYONE is entitled his or her opinion. I believe in God, but I do not believe that someone who doesn't is ignorant. But if they attack my belief, I feel they are being a menace. Hardaway was attacking no one's belief, but just stating his own. He acknowledged that his nature is different than the main stream and he knew it would stir up some people. Not everyone does exactly what society wants them to and if anything Hardaway is doing his own thing and not going into the gay-worship that many in society are doing. Personally, sexuality means nothing to me, but some people get offended by it.

DP said...

@oasiserfede

Why would you break something over something that is unproven. Sexuality has never been proven choice or science and never will be. If you want to break something over someone expressing a different view then you then you might want see a pyschologist.

alhajir said...

I dont understand how you guys believe people are born gay. You are born with being a certain race, with being tall, having blue eyes, etc. What do all these traits have in common? IT COMES FROM YOUR PARENTS. Being gay is certainly a choice. I am not looking down on homosexuality nor do I treat them differently. But please, dont tell they are born gay. Many people, in fact probably all, chose to be gay becuase they are attracted to the same sex.

kway34 said...

I swear, if I see the words "choice" and "gay" in the same sentence again, I'm gonna break something.....

Gay people face a difficult choice in whether to come out or not...

Sorry...couldn't help myself.

oasiserfede said...

I guess I should have been a little clearer. You do not choose your sexual preference. It is not a choice of lifestyle. I suppose one could choose to hide or repress it, but why should homosexuals in particular have to do that?

Kurt said...

Dan, nice interview, I learned a lot of things I didn't know about you. You mention that your biggest dissapointment is that your blog doesn't see nearly the amount of traffic the DQ did. You attribute it to people not "knowing" about the blog, but I don't think that is the case. The people who read the Quickie and are still following your Blog, either enjoy your writing or they want to be you (danmega, bigd, cmfost). Many people I'm sure followed the Quickie because it was something to do from 9-10 everyday that made their 9-5 job one hour shorter. With the blog it takes 2 minutes to read your daily post and then they have to find something else to keep them occupied. People enjoyed talking about sports but the name Dan Shanoff meant nothing to them, you could of (and have been) replaced by anyone (Buzzmaster) and they would of followed all the same. To you the writing on the Blog feels like the same as the Quickie, but it's totally different. People could post and see responses by you and others seconds later directly to their comments. On the blog you post at 7am and people can post whenever they want throughout the day, and maybe once every 100 posts, you will respond to someone, most of the time hours later. People got used to chatting between 9-10 everyday to kill time, with the blog they can't do that. People like to feel that others are reading what they have to say and responding realtime. 99.9% of people who make blogs, post for a few days/weeks/months before they come to the realization that nobody gives a shit what they think. The other reason why people don't follow the blog is that many don't like your writing style. With the Quickie it was a quick sentence here or there in response to posts. On the blog they read paragraphs of your writing and are turned off because frankly at times you come off as a cocky son-of-a-bitch. My buddy who used to follow the Quickie religiously tried out the blog for a few weeks before telling me he was "tired of your condescending style". Of course he doesn't enjoy talking about TV shows or food on Buzzmaster chats either so he's kind of still hanging out there waiting for something better to come along. I know this turned into a really long post, I just wanted to provide you some insight as to why the blog is totally different and why your readerbase has dropped off sharply.

mark said...

Yow. What a day. I'm going to respond to several things here all at one go.

1.
Is it bigotry when people hate Christians and the "religious right"?

I've never understood where this comes from. Why do people always assume that if you call homophobia bigotry, which it is, that therefore you are also anti-Christian? No one hates Christians, except possibly certain terrorist cells. In all my years of going to gay-related events, I've never heard or seen one single anti-Christian message. (I have, however, seen more than my share of "God Hates Fags" signs. Everybody understands, however, that those folks are fringe and don't represent mainstream Christianity.)

In any case, this world contains a very large number of gay Christians. Christianity is possibly the least monolithic religion in the world--think about how dissimilar Pentecostalism and Russian Orthodoxy are. Therefore, saying anything about "Christians" in general is folly. Ditto for gays and lesbians.

2.
Just curious but does anyone know if Meech is the pitcher or the catcher. I have no idea why I want to know this but I think it makes a difference.

If you promise never to ask this again, I promise not to ask if you lick your girlfriend's privates. It's just rude, dude.

3.
I dont understand how you guys believe people are born gay.

Your body makes these things called "hormones." Perhaps you've heard of them. Your hormones make your body go into "Sex!" mode when you see a hot woman. Sometimes they do that, as I'm sure you've experienced, without any input from your brain, and at exceptionally inconvenient times. Well, mine do the same thing, only for a hot man. Do you remember choosing which hormones you got? Neither do I. Honestly, if I could have, I would have put "return to sender" on the ones I got--I like children, and women seem to like me, and I find gay culture tedious sometimes.

The Rover said...

Not to beat a dead horse, but...

Shadi, do you know any gay people? If so, did they "choose" to be gay? I don't know of one gay person that I've ever met that has "chosen" to be gay.

I can't really applaud Hardaway for "being honest" because he used the word "hate". I don't have a problem with anyone expressing their opinion, as long as they don't use loaded or inflammatory phrases.

Other topics:

Wouldn't it be awesome if Oden and Durant got together and BOTH decided to stay for another year? And then OSU and TX could schedule each other?

The Hawkins thing was hilarious.

For me, American Idol is like alcohol - using it alone indicates that you have a problem...it should be reserved for social setting.

Unknown said...

a couple of things...

1. You don't choose sexual preference.
If you woke up and decided to be heterosexual please tell me, cause you'd be the first. I don't think that homosexuals should hide it because they are ashamed, but being discriminated against is another story. This is way Tim Hardaway's comments are stupid. It IS LIKE SAYING "I hate Jews/Asians/Mexicans/Klingons" because it is how they were born.

2. this quote...
"I dont understand how you guys believe people are born gay. You are born with being a certain race, with being tall, having blue eyes, etc. What do all these traits have in common? IT COMES FROM YOUR PARENTS."
...was a top 10 dumbest thing I've ever read

Seriously. Have you ever seen a person who is tall and both of their parents are short??? Or a person who has blue eyes but their parents have brown eyes??? Blonde hair when they're dad has black and their mom has brown???

Wow. Did you take 7th grade Biology? Don't even get me started on the idea that your dad could be gay and just be too scared to come out andyou'd never know. YOU CAN HIDE BEING GAY. UNLIKE BEING TALL.

And by the way, gay people can have kids and never tell anybody.

3. I'm a pretty religious Jew and when the bible says that homosexuality is an abomination to G-d it means only for men, and only the act, not the thoughts. The Torah takes into account that you can't control the thought, but that you can restain from the act. For religious Jews, homosexuality is looked on as being a great challenge that G-d chose for you to try to overcome. You can say that that's unfair but no one cares what you say.

FreKy J said...

Something I wanted to add in the wake of the Tim Hardaway idiocy.

Discrimination and hatred are two things that will never, ever go away. Regardless of what any of you think about whether it's right or wrong, or your opinions of what was said or implied, this is something that is ingrained into the human subconscious on differing levels. While some people are better suited to suppress their natural human tendencies, others aren't, and in fact, some are more susceptible to these tendencies.

People will always be uncomfortable around people that are not like them, and will flock toward people who *are* like them. This also crosses racial and sexual preference barriers, as it spans across race, class, gender, sexual preference, entertainment, skill-set, lifestyle, and the list goes on and on. Every group of people that can be classified in any form is discriminated against by some other group, and also has a group that they discriminate against. Let's not forget that discrimination can be as simple and juvenile as "No, all my friends seats are saved at this table," and as complex and delusional as genocide.

That being said, there are also always going to be some that take their discrimination to the extreme, as they are unable to cope with and control their subconscious thoughts. These are the people who commit hate crimes and stir up others who are easily swayed into doing things they would otherwise not do.

So remember while we all debate about Tim Hardaway, and we attempt to eliminate discrimination and bigotry in our society, it's certainly not going anywhere. I, for one, will continue to behave in a way that I was taught to be right to the best of my ability, and hopefully I won't discriminate against someone I'm uncomfortable with, because they're different.