I hope that over this break the owners and players union get down to business, and I hope that you all have as much fun as my friend Jordan is having…

Fingers crossed that this TMZ.com rumor is true…

Probasketballtalk.com reported today that our beloved RonRon Artest could be entering the reality TV world, quoting tmz.com’s story:

“Artest — who is no stranger to getting second chances — is helping mentor a group of parolees as part of a show called, “Last Second Shot.” Ron Ron will work with a team of mental health experts and life coaches to help the parolees take control of their lives.

We’re told the production company, 44 Blue Productions, hasn’t pitched the show to any networks yet … but they’re “very high on it.”

I had the privilege of sitting in on an interview with Ron Artest (conducted by Shelley Smith of ESPN)  last Fall.  He spoke very openly about his experience in therapy and the positive impact it has had on his life.  I think it’s great that Ron Artest has stepped up to encourage people to seek help when needed.  There is such a stigma around going to therapy.  The brain is the most complex organ in the body, it deserves attention.

Can’t wait until this project gets the green light.

probasketballtalk.com article

A boy holding an American flag during the 2009 National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol

Wherever you may be or wherever you may travel, I wish you a safe and funfilled Memorial weekend.

Watch out Mel Kiper.  Mike Mayock… you think you’re the top draft expert out there?  Think again, sir.  Bocephus Turner is on the scene.

Rather than waste his time analyzing the specifics of each team’s needs, Bo said “Lay out the National Football Post’s Top 10 and I’ll rank them in the order in which they’ll be picked.”  So I said, “Ok player.”

Here is a clip of Bo picking his Top 3.

Bocephus knew that Carolina was the last in the league in scoring in 2010. He felt strongly that they needed an explosive player on offense.  He says Julio Jones Number 1 for the Panthers.

Then, onto Denver.  Bo stuck with offense and gave Tim Tebow an explosive weapon. AJ Green to the Broncos.

Oooohhh boy, looks like Buffalo gets what they want…. Bo has Cam Newton going at 3.

Then Bo says, Von Miller to Cincinnati…

Robert Quinn to Arizona…

Tyrone Smith to Cleveland….

And Patrick Peterson to San Francisco…

Then things took an unexpected turn…. Bocephus first went with Blaine Gabbert for Tennessee (notice the slight lick mark on Gabbert) and then panicked and chose Marcell Dareus instead.  (I mean I don’t really know what he was thinking, we all know Tennessee needs a QB, but hey, it’s HIS mock draft.)

Then Nick Fairley for Dallas.

And, finally, back to Blaine Gabbert for the Skins.

I dunno Bo… These are some risky picks. We’ll see how you do on Thursday.

All Mock Draft photography by Johnny Nicoloro — nicolorophotography.com

CONNECTICUT

Quick Facts About UConn

Jeremy Lamb, do you have a pulse?

VCU

VCU Silences the Skeptics

A Loss for VCU

Butler

“Weirdest person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

Kentucky

Surprising Hero For Kentucky

The Best That Never Was: The story of Marcus Dupree.  This one will make you want to lock yourself in a closet and cry for an hour.  However, it is also very inspiring and heartwarming.

Once Brothers: The story of basketball players Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac. Heartbreaking. Tragic. Great story.

The U: The story of the University of Miami.  Awesome.

And one of my new favorites and the latest installment in the series:

The Fab Five: The Story of Michigan’s 1991 freshman recruiting class.

FabFiveHuddle

The Fab Five documentary aired last night. The film told the story of how this great college basketball team was built, and, the scandal that resulted in an attempt to remove the team from the Michigan history books.  I felt it was an unbiased portrayal of the events that took place.  Both the players/coaches that were accused of being involved in the scandal, and the University officials that punished them were given opportunities to voice their opinions on what went down.  If you are not familiar with the University of Michigan basketball scandal, here is a very brief explanation:

A man named Ed Martin was accused of giving money to various Michigan basketball players over the course of many years. It was a six-year investigation involving Michigan, the NCAA, IRS, FBI, and a few other organizations. The investigation resulted in various punishments and fines to individual players, coaches, as well as the University of Michigan. The University also imposed it’s own sanctions, such as: vacating every game in which the players involved in the scandal participated, and removing the banners commemorating any titles won by said players from the Crisler Arena.  If you want more details here is the wikipedia link.

University of Michigan Basketball Scandal

As much as I enjoyed the 2-hour film, I was also upset by it. Can Michigan please put the banners back up?  Does anyone else think it’s absolutely ridiculous that they were removed? How does a few young players accepting small amounts of money from the time they were in junior high school to college have anything to do with the achievements made by their college basketball team? I understand that there are NCAA rules that must be followed, but I believe that you should punish the individuals for infractions, not the team. The young men on those teams worked very hard to bring a lot of attention and money to your University and you’re going to attempt to erase them from your school’s history?  Is that how NCAA sports work…as long as you’re getting something from your athletes, you like them? But, as soon as they aren’t offering you anything you turn your back on them?

The University of Michigan used the talents of Chris Webber and all the young men on those teams to sell tickets and apparel. And now, they won’t even claim them as being a part of their history.  In the investigation of Chris Webber, they were never able to prove an exact amount that was given to him. However, members of the Detroit media that participated in the 30 for 30 film, stated that no one on the Michigan basketball team was ever seen to be “living large”. And, that if there was money changing hands, it must have been very small amounts over a long period of time for things like new basketball shoes or food.  I believe the Detroit media in this situation, they spent a lot of time with the players both at school and in their homes.

This whole situation upsets me. You want to ban Chris Webber from any affiliation with the University of Michigan until 2013? Fine. I personally think that’s a bit extreme, but I can accept it. But, let’s put those banners back up.

So, as I wait (with bated breath) for this Friday evening to arrive – I would like to share something that I find interesting.

I was riding the train this weekend and was very confused by the comfort level felt by my fellow passengers, to chat loudly on their cell phones.   I don’t ride the train that often, but, isn’t there a rule about that?  Should there be a rule about that?  I’m not an expert on what’s appropriate in these situations but my first instinct is that it’s a tad disrespectful to be conducting long, personal conversations in a public setting. Especially a public setting in which people are trapped in a small space and can’t avoid hearing your personal dilemmas.

On Sunday, I saw this article from GOOD.com, touching on the social appropriateness of public chatting and the forever-looming question of health risks.  It’s something to think about. And if you watch Mad Men you’ll appreciate the comparison that GOOD makes.

GOOD: Are Cell Phones the Cigarettes of the 21st Century?

My favorite sports moment of the weekend. Oh RonRon…