LeBron: A Letter To My Ex-Girlfriend

"I still love you LeBron! I just can't say it out loud!"

 

Dear You,

Hey what’s up? I’m gonna be in town this week on business. Yeah, I got some loose ends to tie up downtown on Thursday night. I haven’t been home since the summer and I haven’t seen you since the break up. I would like to see you, but I hear you still trippin’ off me leaving the relationship. Man that’s been a while and you still acting like that? What’s up with that? I heard that you didn’t take it well but I didn’t think you was gonna lose yo mind, start burning my clothes and cursing me out on national television. I heard you even tore down the mural of me that you were so in love with when we put it up.

After I left for Miami, I heard you went crazy though. Playa hatin’ me to all of your friends. Talking about how I did you wrong and that I was never loyal to you in the first place. Man where did that come from? I gave you 7 years of total commitment. I took you from the slums to the penthouse. When I met you, you had no confidence and no respect for yourself. Boyz were mistreating you out here and you just took it. I even doubled your net worth when we were together. If it wasn’t for me, nobody would even know your name out here in these streets. People started paying attention to you because on me! Now you acting like I’m the worst boyfriend you’ve ever had. Let’s put it like this baby girl. I’m the only boy friend you ever had.

I thought that we could get together for a quiet dinner on Wednesday night before my big game on Thursday. However, I heard that you’re planning to act a fool when you see me. Word is, you got your cousin Man-Man and nem looking for me and who knows what they may be on. So now I gotta roll up with all kinds of security and everything. I can’t even park my ride out front cause your girls may slash my tires and key my joint. I just wanna be in and out. You trippin’ girl! Just let that thing go and move on. You know you ain’t right. You couldn’t have me forever!! I got things to do and I just out grew this situation. It’s that simple.

You know that the relationship had run it’s course. We did all we could do together and it was time for us to go our separate ways. We did some big things together and it was cool while it lasted. You got what you wanted and I got mine. No hard feelings. I hope that at some point you’ll realize that we just weren’t meant to be together and that this was the best thing for the both of us. Tell your moms I said hello and I’m a keep it moving!
Sincerely Yours,
L.J.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Randy Shannon Fired!

The University of Miami has fired head coach Randy Shannon after 4 seasons at the helm. Shannon took over the program after Larry Coker was fired following the 2006 season. During his four years with the Canes he posted a 28-22 record that showed a lot of promise. He went 5-7, 7-6, 9-4 and then 7-5 this year.  Shannon was doing a great job of recruiting the south Florida area and was keeping the local standouts at home. Man this business is tuff. You would think that the university would give a coach the opportunity to get his players in and allow the first set of his recruits to at least graduate before they would fire a guy. However, it just doesn't happen that way anymore.

Everyone wants to win right now. If you can't get it done in 2 years you're on the hot seat. Winning at the college level is all about recruiting. You've got to get the players in order to win. All of the best recruiters are at the top of the pile, year in and year out. Jim Tressel, Mack Brown, Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer etc. These guys win every year because they have better players than everyone else. The X's and O's are important but getting the best athletes will always get you over the top. That's why I'm so disappointed about the firing of Randy Shannon.

He was getting all of the best players in Miami Dade County to stay at home and play at the U. That was going to pay big dividends in the long run. He also had a connection with the kids from broken home's too. Kids that had parents or siblings that were on drugs or had experienced major tragedies in their lives could go to him because he could relate to their pain. He was from the same place both physically and emotionally. Gary Smith wrote about  it best in a September 4th, 2007 Sports Illustrated article. Here's an excerpt from it:

 "Somehow he'd sense what was troubling them, sometimes before even they could. They took things to him that they wouldn't drag into white coaches' offices, not in a million years, nor even the offices of those black assistants who'd been raised by schoolteachers and ministers. Because those guys wouldn't get it, man, couldn't possibly know what it was like for Nanton to have grown up with a mother on crack and a dad missing from his life, or for safety Kenny Phillips to have three buddies who were shot and killed in separate incidents, all within a few weeks. They'd tiptoe around the raw stuff, those assistants, trying to say the correct thing, or spoon out something straight from the coaches' can. Not Randy. Players could take the worst to him, and the worst from him. They could talk to him in shorthand. They wanted what they could smell all over him: survival". I would encourage you to read the entire article to learn of the depth of this man.

We need guys like this coaching at the major college level because not only do our kids need to learn how to win but their character can be built by people like this. Winning is one thing, but being a mentor and teacher is more important. When the mentor and teacher has time to make an impact, the wins are sure to follow. I thought that he deserved at least one more year. What's your opinion?

Jay Graves

KICKED OUT...Literally!!

Finally…we can move on now! The Boise State Bronco’s lost a thriller in Reno last night 34-31 in overtime to #19Nevada. What a great ballgame! Now that’s what I’m talking about. Boise State playing on the road in a hostile environment against a top 25 ranked team. For the first time in five years they had to go on the road and play somebody. Did you hear that Kirk Herbstreit? They had to play on the road in a hornets nest. Kirk is notorious for saying, “I’ll take Boise State on a neutral field against anybody”. It sounds stupid every time he says it. You don’t play your season on neutral fields man! I’m not going to say, “I told you so” because I’ve been saying it for five years now. In order to be worthy of playing for the national title you have to play the same grueling schedule that everyone else is playing. That means going on the road and playing ranked opponents.

Earlier this season three # 1 ranked teams went down on the road in hostile environments. First, Alabama went to South Carolina and fell. The following week Ohio State traveled to Wisconsin’s Camp- Randall Stadium and stumped it’s toe. Then Oklahoma went to Mizzou on homecoming with College GameDay in town and got it’s bubble burst. Playing on the road is the price you have to pay in order to win the crystal ball.

I thought that it was an absolute joke when Boise State played Virginia Tech the first game of the season in Baltimore and not in Blacksburg. Then I heard the so-called experts saying that it was a Hokie home game because there were more Virginia Tech fans there than Bronco fans. Are you kidding me? Playing down the street from my crib is not playing at my crib. Boise State has systematically played all big games for the past few years at home on the blue turf or at neutral sites. They just happened to be forced into the Nevada game at Reno because the Wolfpack are in their conference and just happened to be ranked this year. No way out of it. I’ve always said that they couldn’t do anything about their conference schedule but they needed to schedule their non-conference opponents to home and home contracts. You can’t play Oregon at home like they did last year and refuse to go to Eugene this year. If that would’ve happen we wouldn’t be talking about Boise State now. Instead they went out and scheduled Toledo this year. What the…?

When you were a kid and you went to your buddies house to play ball and you got beat. What’s the first thing you said to him? Let’s go to my house and were going to play with my ball. Right? It works the same way in big time college and pro football. Boise State is like the kid that doesn’t get loud until his mother comes outside. He really doesn’t want to fight, he just acts like it.

I’ve been saying for years that I thought that the Bronco’s were a very good team but they didn’t deserve to play for the title for those reasons. Would it have been fair if Auburn had lost yesterday at Alabama in a battle, after playing the schedule they’ve had to play all year, only to watch Boise State walk into the title game? Not at all. Do I think that they could’ve won the title game if they had gotten in? Sure! Anybody could have. It’s one game that both teams have a month to prepare for. Anything could happen. We see it happen all of the time during the bowl season. One team comes out sharp and the other regresses over the layoff somehow. I’m just glad to see that it worked out like it always does. I only want to see the two best teams in the country play in the title game. I don’t care about the other teams that are stuck in the queue. What’s your opinion?

Jay Graves

Don't Fall Asleep at the Wheel Now!

It's been a great season so far for the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers. They're sitting at the top of the food chain in college football resting at #1 and #2 respectively. Now I know that there are a number of people that want to see chaos so that the BCS implodes this weekend. I just want to see the best two teams in college football play for the title. That's it! Just the two best and I don't care who they are. I just know who they aren't. Sure, I'd like to see a little drama but this year that would come at the expense of pure foolishness. Here's why? If there were teams sitting behind the top two that were worthy of playing for the title I'd be all for it. However, when TCU and Boise State are the next two in line that is a problem.

In order to play for the title in the college football world you need to play the same level of competition that the big dogs play. You can't consistently play teams that are ranked 71st or higher like Boise State has done this season and expect to play for the crystal ball. I saw them play last week in a what looked like gym against Idaho. C'mon Man! See if LSU were in the cat bird seat I'd be cool with that. They've got one loss and have played a grueling schedule in the process. Even a one loss team from the Big 12 or Big Ten is worthy of playing in the title game, if Oregon falls to Arizona or Bama beats Auburn, which I think will happen in Tuscaloosa today. However, I've got to pull for Auburn for all the wrong reasons. I would love to see some upsets but not at the expense of TCU and Boise State playing for the title because some over anxious sports writer ranked them too high at the beginning of the season. Now he or she can't go back on his vote now that the train has left the building.

What's great about college football is that it's a chess board and all of the pieces are constantly moving. I'm not just watching my team. I'm watching everybody on the board. Here lately somebody has been cheating because they're playing in gyms or at the YMCA to try to get into the title game.  So for this weekend anyway, I've got to go against everything I believe in for the sake of keeping the sport that I love from imploding with a possible national title game with TCU and Boise State. Are You Kidding me!! What's your opinion?

Jay Graves

Momma's Boy

"Man ya'll go get my momma!"

In September of 2008 Vince Young became distraught because the Titan fans booed him after two interceptions during a game against Jacksonville. Later that evening he left home with a gun, according to published reports, and didn’t take his cell phone with him. His mother became worried and later called police and everything got fuzzy from there.

 On Sunday, he injured his throwing hand and was benched because head coach Jeff Fischer was concerned about his ability to control the ball. He wasn’t allowed back into the game for that reason and they eventually lost. While leaving the field Vince threw half of his uniform into the stands and stormed out of the locker room during the team post-game meeting even after he’d been told not to leave.

See the most dangerous man in the world is a man that isn’t afraid of anyone. A man that hasn’t been taught to respect authority and that quite frankly isn’t afraid of anyone at home. There are certain people at home that over the years we’ve been conditioned to be afraid of, like big momma(grandma), our mothers, uncles, coaches and most importantly, our fathers. As we get older that fear turns into respect for those back home.

 When a man respects his father more than anybody he begins to make better decisions as he grows into manhood because subconsciously he’s always afraid of what dad may say. Now dad can be any number of men in a child’s life; his uncles , coaches, and mentors. I can often tell when a man has been raised by a man by the decisions he makes as an adult.

Now there are plenty of men that weren’t raised by their biological fathers but other men have come along side of them during the maturation process. There has to be a strong male influence in a boys life because a mother can’t teach a boy how to become a man. We’ve heard so often that Vince Young was raised by his mother, grandmother and sisters. After a certain age women don’t intimidate young men. It’s evident that Vince was so talented as a child that no one including his coaches ever strongly corrected him whenever he got out of line, whether it was on or off of the field.

 Now because of that he’s been crippled as an adult. He makes emotional decisions that will and have already cost him both personally and professionally. After this latest stunt he’s been stripped of his starting job and who knows where this will land him. A real man understands that he’s got to bite his tongue sometimes to get where he needs to go in life. It’s not always going to go your way. You won’t always agree with your boss but you’ve got to respect his or her position.


Men, what do we learn from episodes like this? Raise your own children! Don’t let your kids grow up without you. You need to understand this: children can be like weeds, they’ll grow tall even if you don’t water and nurture them; but they won’t be worth a damn. Stop letting your children just get older. If you don’t pour anything into them they’ll become adults that have nothing to draw from. So therefore, they’ll continue to make bad emotional decisions like Vince Young. A friend of mine once told me that life is a thinking man’s game. How can our child learn to think unless we teach them. Life is basic physics, for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Boise State Found Guilty of Fraud!

Yes I’m at it again! I won’t let it go. I’m here to let you know that Boise State is a fraud and it’s a shame that the so called experts won’t call them to the rug. All of the analysts on television keep telling you that Boise State is a great team and that if they run the table that they should play for the national title. They’re scoring 47.9 points per game and they haven’t lost a game in two years. No other team in America has done that recently. They’ve got a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Kellen Moore. Teams aren’t even coming close to beating these guys. They are putting up ridiculous numbers. Why shouldn’t they be playing for the BCS National Title?

Here’s why they shouldn’t even be considered for the title game. They are playing the worst teams in Division 1 or FBS college football. I’m not just going to say it. I’m going to show you exactly who they’re playing. Let’s take a look at their schedule for 2010. Not only will we look at the schedule but I’m going to put the rankings of the teams next to them. According to CBS.com 120 rankings through week 11 these are how the teams stack up. Boise State’s 2010 schedule consists of: 1. Va Tech(16th), 2. Wyoming(112th), 3. Oregon State(71st), 4. New Mexico State(115th), 5. Toledo(60th), 6. San Jose State(116th), 7. La Tech(84th), 8. Hawaii(40th) 9. Idaho(82nd), 10. Fresno State(56th), 11.Nevada(18th), 12. Utah state(89th). That averages out to playing the 71^st ranked team in the country every week.

Now do I think the Broncos are a good team? Yes! However, there are plenty of good teams in the country that haven’t earned the right to play for the championship. The winners of the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and PAC 10 would earn the right to play for the title because they have been battle tested against good teams all season long. The Big East is horrible because Pitt is going to win the conference with 4 losses. So they wouldn’t be considered either and definitely not some guy that shows up with a fake resume. Could they win if they show up? Sure, it’s one game and anybody can win one game. That’s always a toss up. A turnover here or there can cost you just ask the Oklahoma Sooners after the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. They had 4 turnovers in the first half and it cost them an overtime trick play embarrassing loss. I blame them for setting this foolish argument in motion. They are at the root of this problem because Bob Stoops dropped the ball. Now here we go every year. It’s like BYU winning the title in 1984 after beating a 6-5 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl. It was a joke!

How good is Boise State? I’ll tell you how good they are. They are so good that according to the Bleacher Report not a single Bronco was drafted into the NFL in 2009. That was off of a team that won the WAC and went undefeated last year. Now how is that possible if you’re supposed to be so good. Not a single player drafted? Kellen Moore has been getting plenty of Heisman talk because he’s putting up video game numbers. How many potential NFL defensive backs is he playing against? The entire WAC only had 3 defensive backs drafted last year, 2 in the 3^rd and a 6^th rounder. Impressive! I’m not hating. I’m just saying that in order to play for the title you have to play teams that are on your level and win on the road in hostile environments which they haven’t done this year. Kirk Herbstreit constantly says’ “I’ll take Boise State on a neutral field against anybody”. How stupid does that sound! Hey Kirk, “Championships are not won on bowl day. Championships are won during the course of a season, week in and week out”. What’s your opinion?

Jay Graves

The Most Selfish Man in Sports

"Yeah, I know it!"

No, it’s not LeBron James, like many of you have been led to believe over the past several months. How can a man be considered selfish for exercising his right to play for another team after his contract has expired. Lebron played in Cleveland for 6 years and left everything on the court night in and night out. He showed up on time and was a fan favorite during his stretch with the Cavs. He never complained about going to the worst team in the league that he eventually made one of the most popular and productive teams in the NBA.

 When it was time for him to make a decision the Cavs organization made it very easy for him. Within days of their playoff loss Head Coach Mike Brown was fired and within two weeks the General Manager Danny Ferry quit. Cleveland made no attempt to sign free agents to play with James and did nothing in the draft. I know that people were upset with “The Decision”. That was a power move that few players have ever had the opportunity to pull off. The media set that day in motion for an entire year. He would’ve been crazy not to have taken advantage of the build up. Remember ladies and gentleman it’s called business and he did a lot of it that night. He sold a boat load of shoes and jerseys with the Miami Heat’s logo and colors on it. Not all business moves are going to be popular with the general public because not everyone understands business. That’s why we use the term “shrewd". It’s not called basketball it’s called professional basketball. First and foremost he’s got to get paid and that doesn't just include his contract to play basketball. He's got endorsement deals with several companies and they all want to get paid too.

Now Brett on the other hand has violated all ethical sports codes of team chemistry and loyalty among players. Let me explain. After the 2006 season with the Green Bay Packers, Brett told the organization that he was considering retirement. Now just two years before, the Packers drafted a kid named Aaron Rogers to be the heir-apparent to Brett. So if Brett is on his way out they’ve got to get this kid ready, right? When Rogers was drafted, Brett stated publicly that he wasn’t going to bring Rodgers up to speed because it wasn’t his job to baby sit a rookie. Now everyone knows that it’s always been the veterans job to show the rookie how to settle into the NFL, especially when he plays the same position. Nobody paid attention to that but me I guess. So during the spring and summer of 2007 Brett never told the team whether he was playing or not. That puts the organization in a bad spot because they would need to know something before the draft. If Brett’s not going to play they would have to draft a back up or at least sign a free agent, right? Well he said nothing until camp started.

He did the same thing during the off season prior to the 2008 season and finally the Packers got tired of the foolishness and released him stating that they were moving forward with Rogers. He went on to play with the Jets and then contemplated retirement all over again. Now the man has the right to do that. However, he can’t hold teams hostage in the process. For the next two years he’s held the Vikings hostage until midway through training camp. He’s also sat at home until his teammates have flown to Mississippi to beg him to play. Can anybody remember when he showed up to camp in 2009 on a Monday and started on that following Friday? How do you think that went over in the locker room? Selfishness is putting yourself before the team and not doing what’s in the best interest of the organization. Not making a decision on national television to play somewhere else after your contract is up. If it’s constantly about you and the team suffers as a result, then who’s selfish? Just ask the Vikings right now. What’s your opinion?


Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter:@jaygravesreport

Do WE REALLY Love Our Dogs More Than Our Women?

"I'm just asking?"

With all of the excitement surrounding Michael Vick’s come back and his outstanding performance on this past Monday night. I had to ask myself an important question. Do we really love our dogs more than our women? On the surface it seems that way because of the way our society has responded to Vick’s release from prison and his re-entry back into the NFL. Everywhere I go I here people saying that he should never have been allowed to play in the League again. Even though this young man had spent nearly two years behind bars and lost more than $100 million dollars in the process. Now let me be clear, I believe that what he was convicted of was shameful to say the least. However, spending nearly two years in prison and losing a fortune should have more than paid the debt.

I can remember watching the coverage of people protesting him before, during and after his trial and at times it got ugly. Things got even worse once the Eagles signed him to their roster. Folks were standing outside the Eagles practice facility with all kinds of hateful signs and saying things that I care not to repeat. Animal rights groups like PETA and ASPCA were in full protest as well. PETA eventually got Mike to become a spokesman for the organization but that didn’t even get people off of his back. Now I can completely understand why people were upset. There are a lot of dog lovers in this country and around the world for that matter. So I get it. Killing innocent dogs is just ridiculous and inexcusable.

What I can’t wrap my mind around is why there hasn’t been the same type of outcry over the behavior of “Big” Ben Roethlisberger. On more than one occasion he has been accused of sexual assault. Now granted he wasn’t charged with any crime. Not because he may not have done anything but because there wasn’t enough evidence to bring him to trial. Now I can hear those people in support of “Big Ben” saying, “he wasn’t convicted”. You’re completely right about that. However, his behavior was shameful enough for there to be a public outcry especially from women’s rights groups like the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Amnesty International NYC Women’s Human Rights Group. The NFL thought enough of what he was accused of to suspend him for four games this season. You and I both know that where there is smoke, there is fire. He may not have been convicted of any crime in a court of law but someone’s mother, wife, sister or even baby girl was disrespected by Ben. However, no one seemed to care.

Now I’ve got a wife, mother, sister and a baby girl and I love them dearly. Our women are the seeds of life. They are the comforters that allow us to make it in this cruel world. My wife and our women were taken from a man’s rib so they are of man‘s flesh. So when they are hurting we should be hurting. The two can’t be separated. So why have we put dogs before the very one’s that continue to love, support and encourage our dreams and imaginations? Our women should always be respected because they are the very foundation of our existence. Do we really love our dogs more than our women?

Jay Graves

VICKtorious!!!!!!

Vick shows why he deserves a 2nd chance!

Michael Vick completely destroyed the Washington Redskins from the word go last night. It was ridiculous the way he took control of the offense in the first quarter. Vick unloaded for 330 yards and 4TD’s and still no interceptions for the season. He also leads the NFL with a passer rating of 115.1 that’s better than Peyton Manning’s 93.9. My man put on a clinic last night. The Redskins owe him money for that display. The next time they play, they should just drop money in his helmet before they take the field.

This was his opportunity to let the world know that he was back and ready to be considered one of the best quarterback’s in the game today. Monday Night Football in primetime! The entire country was watching because it’s the only game on and he knew it. From the first play of the game when he hit DeShawn Jackson on an 88 yard bomb down the middle of the field it was on. All I could hear in my head was, “I’m Back”. Vick took the biggest stage in the game and performed like Michael Jackson at the Motown 25 special when he did the “Moon Walk” for the first time. All you could do was say WOW!

After all of the turmoil he’s been through with the dog fighting conviction and the subsequent prison time. It’s good to see a young man turn his life around for others to witness. There are so many young people in America that make bad decisions everyday and are told that they will never amount to anything. They are sitting in detention centers all over this country right now and they are hopeless.

 I just hope that by seeing Mike do his thing last night they found hope in the possibility that they to can redeem themselves and make good on the second chance that awaits them. What Vick did last night was about more than football. It was about showing the world that God is good and that he’s a God of second chances. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives and have been forgiven for them. Mike deserves the same compassion that we’ve received in our lives for whatever we’ve done, right? So Mike keep doing your thing so that these young people will be encouraged by what you’ve accomplished so far. Everybody deserves a second chance. What’s your opinion?

Jay Graves

I'm Not Upset With Cam, Just His Dad!

"Getting it done!"

Everybody is upset with Cam Newton because of the potential NCAA violations that are surrounding him for allegedly asking for $180,000 in order to sign with Mississippi State last year. I’m not mad at this kid because children don’t always make the best decisions. Now if this story is found to be true the person that I’m upset with is his dad, Cecil Newton, because he put his child in the middle of all of this confusion.

 Kids all over the country at big time universities are offered money and take it everyday. So if Cam had just accepted money that news wouldn’t have blown me away. In fact, if that were the case we wouldn’t even be talking about it because we never would have found out about it. As a parent Cam’s dad was responsible for being an example for his child to follow. Are you that greedy that you couldn’t wait one year for your son to get paid? He’s a junior and is eligible to enter the NFL draft in April 2011.

 It’s a shame that Daddy Newton has created this mess that his son now has to live through. See Cam’s father isn’t the one on the news all day every day, doesn’t have to answer media questions before and after practice, doesn’t have them following him to class and sitting outside his dorm or apartment.

This situation reminds me of how Reggie Bush’s parents got him investigated and he eventually lost his Heisman Trophy and National title after leaving USC. They rented an $800,000 home from some sports agent that eventually blew the whistle because Reggie didn’t sign with him. Not to mention how USC distanced itself from him by removing everything that says Reggie Bush from the athletic department.

 All of the awards that he won as a student there and now he can’t even show his children that he even played there; because his parents couldn’t wait three years for him to turn pro. See, the NFL requires that a kid is three years removed from graduating high school before they can enter the draft. I’m sick of greedy lazy parents taking advantage of their children. It’s not your child’s responsibility to take care of you especially when they are still kids. Stop looking for the big payday and go out and earn your own money. If you’ve raised the kid right he’s going to be loyal to you when he eventually gets paid. Parents, just sit tight. If it’s meant to be, it will be. Don’t throw your kid under the bus like these guys have done. What’s your opinion?

Jay Graves

College Athletes Should be Paid!

 

In the world of inter-collegiate athletics the stakes couldn’t be any higher, literally. Major colleges and universities are making money like professional sports franchises. In March of 2007, Sports Illustrated did a cover story entitled, “The Program, Big Wins, Big Money, Big Spirit”. It examined how big schools like Ohio State, which happened to be on the cover of that issue, and several other big time institutions are making in excess of $100 million per year, primarily with their football and basketball programs. There are a few exceptions to that rule like the Universities of Tennessee and Connecticut because of their women’s basketball programs. Not only are they generating revenue through ticket sales. They are selling ancillary products in the on-campus bookstore's as well, like jerseys.

Now the NCAA says that it’s legal to sell them because the student-athlete’s name isn’t on the back of it. So their defense is that they aren’t selling the kids likeness. Um, I wonder how many #2 jerseys were sold in Ohio before Terrell Pryor showed up in Columbus? Now my problem  isn't with schools making money. It's comes down to how they distribute it. I just believe that the student-athlete should see some of it in the form of a monthly stipend of let’s say $150 to $200.

 I also believe that a percentage of all jersey sales should go directly to the student-athlete when he or she either graduates or leaves school early for any reason. Lets face it, some students have no intention of graduating from college when they enroll. A prime example would be players like John Wall that played at Kentucky last year. He was only in school because the NBA told him that he had to show up for a year. The Wildcats made a fortune in jersey sales with his number on it. That's not fair to the kid or his family even if he is a millionaire today. What if he hadn't been drafted for whatever reason. There are plenty of kids that were standout players in college, have graduated and were never drafted; but their jersey's were sold for four years. Don't even get me started on the video games that depict the players likeness.

I can hear the naysayer’s now, “They’re on scholarship are you kidding me! It’s a free education!” Well is it? Sounds more like a job to me. The other students don’t have to manage the load of going to class and practice. Most importantly, the student-athlete is making the university rich. It isn't the students tuition that builds all of the fine structures on campus. It's money generated from the athletic departments that allows the schools to flourish. Tuition simply pays the bills. When was the last time 100,000 people paid $78 per ticket and $20 to park to see a kid take a Chemistry test. Have you ever seen the schools Rhodes Scholar's button down and pocket protector sold in the bookstore.

Let’s look at what a full athletic scholarship really is. It pays for tuition, books, room and board. Sounds like enough, right? Wrong. What happens when the student-athlete needs clothes, a pair of shoes, toiletries or something as simple as pizza money on a Saturday or Sunday evening when the cafeteria is closed. The average student can go get a work study job etc. Ballplayers can’t because it’s an NCAA violation for him or her to work during the school year. Even if they could work, when would they find the time? I can hear you saying, “that’s when they should call their parents”. Well, not everyone has that luxury.

 Some kids come from very poor backgrounds and their parents simply don’t have the money to send them. Many times the parents think that the university is taking good care of their child. The coaches did tell them that they would look after of their baby boy or girl during the recruitment process didn't they? I realize that the coaches do as much as they can for these kids but their hands are tied to some degree by the NCAA. So now what?

Well, that’s when the “hundred dollar hand shake” comes into play. For those of you that aren’t familiar with that term. It’s when a big time booster or alumni of the university shakes a players hand after the game and the kid walks away with a folded bill or bills. Now I’m not saying that by paying the athlete we will stop the illegal exchange of money all together. However, I do believe that we would see a decline in kids getting involved with agents or shady boosters because very few of these kids are looking to get into trouble. They have simply gone into survival mode and many of them feel like they are being taken advantage of. What’s your opinion?

Jay Graves

Wade Phillips Wasn't the Problem in Dallas!

"Man this is some....!"

Unfortunately, Wade Phillips wasn’t the problem in Dallas. The Cowboys can’t fix their problem because it owns the franchise. Jerry Jones is the puppet master that wants complete control. Wade was destined to fail when he accepted the job. If you can remember Jerry Jones hired Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator before he even hired Wade. Now we all know that the head coach hires his own staff. You couldn’t expect Wade to have success in Dallas with guys that he didn’t hire.

Jerry has always been in the way, even when the Cowboys were winning. In 1989 after purchasing the team for $140 million from H. R. “Bum” Bright he fired legendary coach Tom Landry and replaced him with his college roommate Jimmy Johnson the former head coach at the University of Miami. Jimmy was a proven winner at Miami after going to back to back national title games in ’86 and ’87. He won the title in ’87 with Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irving who later played for him in Dallas. Can a man be fired after winning two straight Super Bowls’? Well Jimmy was let go after winning titles in ’92 and ’93. Remember that? Or maybe you can remember a guy named Barry Switzer from the University of Oklahoma that was hired after Jimmy Johnson was shown the door. Now once again Barry was a proven winner at OU. He’d won three national titles (’73,’74,’85) during his tenure with the Sooners. All Barry did was come in and win the Super Bowl in 1995. Guess what? He was fired too.

It’s like a woman that keeps saying that her last 4 husbands were crazy but she can’t wrap her mind around the fact that she’s the common denominator. Jerry will fire Jason Garrett and the next coach because he wants complete control. That’s ok Jerry because you own the team and you can do with it what you like. Just remember that your fans are suffering at the expense of your ego. Stop beating around the bush and promote yourself to head coach because that’s what you ultimately want. You’d just look stupid at this point doing it. What's your opinion?

Jay Graves

Don't Feel Sorry for Boise State!

I can hear the “it’s not fair” cries coming out of Boise at the end of the 2010 season when the Bronco’s are left out of the title game. “We ran the table and that’s still not good enough. We can only play the teams on our schedule. We can’t help that we’re in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference). We’ve played the games on our schedule and won them all. What else do we need to do?”

Well Bronco nation you need to man up and play big boy ball and stop beating up on the kids in the neighborhood and play against real football team’s week in and week out. It’s not enough to train all spring and summer to play Virginia Tech at a neutral site. Yes it was a neutral site because it wasn’t in Blacksburg. That factor makes a huge difference. Then the following week you took the day off with a bye to prepare for your grueling road test against Wyoming. Then a home game with #24 Oregon State on the blue turf. Win that one and your season is over. Not a ranked opponent the rest of the way. It’s like boxing at the recreation center and going 32-0 and screaming to the top of your lungs, “I’m ready to fight Manny Pacquiao”.

 Kirk Herbstreit is constantly saying that I’ll take the Bronco’s on a neutral field against anybody. Well Kirk, you don’t win championships playing on neutral fields all season long. Real champions have to go on the road during the season and play ranked opponents. Over the past three weeks we’ve seen 3 number one ranked teams go down on the road. Let’s take a look at them; Alabama has 6 ranked teams on their schedule with 3 of those games on the road, Oklahoma has 5 ranked opponents with 4 of them as true road games and Texas in Dallas and Ohio State has 3 ranked opponents with 2 of them on the road. Not to mention the level of competition that they have to play week in and week out in their respective conferences.

You could at least schedule teams from major conferences in a home and away series, therefore, you will have played a better schedule by seasons end. At the very least you could schedule teams that are at the bottom of those conferences like Purdue, Ole Miss, Clemson etc. You won’t schedule those games because you want the money from the BCS Bowl more than you really want to play for a national title. By running the table every year, you to get to be the BCS buster and that will allow you to make $15 million with the invite alone.

 You know that if you schedule Texas home and away you wouldn’t survive. Don’t keep saying that no one wants to play you when Ohio State played Miami or Oklahoma played Florida State during non-conference match ups at the beginning of the season this year and they’ll play again next year. If those guys are willing to play these types of games, no one is afraid to play Boise State. They just aren’t stupid enough to go to the blue turf for a one off. Florida would like to get some of you at the Swamp too.

As we all know football is a game of attrition. That means that during the season you will most certainly have guys go down with injuries and you’ll have to play with back ups when your starters are out. For example, Alabama had to go without Mark Ingram the first two weeks of the season. Tre’ Richardson had to carry the load without missing a beat until Ingram was ready to play. Boise State doesn’t have to worry about guys going down because they rarely play an entire game because they’re blowing everyone out. Pull their injury list why don’t you. They’re healthy all year long because they play such a soft schedule. Meanwhile the Bronco’s expect for the college football world to anoint them King. Anybody can show up and win one game on a neutral field.

If you want some respect follow Utah’s lead as they will join the PAC 10 or 12 as it will be later called. I don’t feel sorry for teams that do it with smoke and mirrors and Boise State is a fraud. If all you want to do is make the BCS money just come out and say it. I’ll respect you in the morning but stop saying that no one wants to play you. There isn’t a team in the top 10 that wouldn’t love for you to visit them on a fall Saturday afternoon just to close your mouth. What's your opinion?

Holla At Ya Boy!

Jay Graves

Keep the BCS:No Playoff Needed in College Football

"You better recognize!"

All we ever wanted to see was #1 play #2 and until 1998 we didn’t have that luxury. Previously #1 Alabama would have played in the Sugar Bowl and #2 Texas would have played in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day. They both would’ve won their respective games and we’d have Co-Champions. The next morning we all would sit back in our recliners and say, “Man I wish that #1 could’ve played #2.” That’s all we ever wanted. Now that we’ve got it no one’s satisfied. The BCS has solved that dilemma. I here you in the background saying, “We need a playoff like the NFL.” That sounds great but it doesn’t make sense and here’s why. There are 120 teams in the FBS division formally known as Division 1 or D1.

 Within the D1 ranks there are 3 or 4 levels of competition, from the very best teams #1 Alabama and #2 Texas, using the 2009 rankings for example, down to the worst, #119 Eastern Kentucky and#120 Western Kentucky. The NFL has only 32 teams and 12 of them (37.5%) get to go to the playoffs. If we did the same thing in college football we’d have to put 45 teams in the playoffs if we want to be fair, right? That would be impossible to do because this isn’t basketball. You can only play one game a week not 2 like they do in the NCAA Tournament. I here you saying, “We only need the top 8 to play”. Well… 9, 10, 11 and 12 would be upset because we would still be voting on who gets to play and who doesn’t. So we really didn’t accomplish anything. All we want to see is #1 play #2, right? We’ll we’ve got that. You’re saying if we get rid of the bowls at the end of the season we could have a playoff. You’re right, but that would be unfair to 105 schools because there are only 15 schools that will ever win the national title. I’ll name them: USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Florida St, Miami and Notre Dame if their administration ever wakes up. So what do you tell the other schools? It was nice doing business with you. See schools like Purdue, Indiana and Arizona will never even play for the title because they don’t get the players those schools previously mentioned get. If there isn’t a bowl for Purdue to play in after they’ve won 6 to 8 games on a good year what are those kids even playing for. Sure every 30 years or so they’ll get a player that everyone slept on like Drew Brees or Bob Grease and win the Big Ten Championship. However, they won’t ever play for a national title. It is what it is.

So by taking the bowl games away we cheat college football of the pageantry that is college football. It’s a playoff starting week one anyway. I still here you saying that those bowls are meaningless, we’ll… not to the kid playing at Missouri, Ole Miss or Western Michigan. The bowl game is their Super Bowl not to mention the revenue that the schools receive as a result of playing in those bowls. Do you realize that each bowl has a guaranteed payout for just showing up? If you’re fortunate enough to get to a BCS bowl it’s a $17 million payday whether you’re playing in the title game or not. The mid level bowls like the Chick-fila-A, Cotton and Outback pay $3 million each. The Sun Bowl which Purdue has participated in previous years pays out $1.9 million. Even if you play in a bottom tier bowl like the Emerald it’s worth $850,000 to your school.
So if you were the presidents of Fresno State and Wyoming would you have voted for a playoff or accepted the invite to this year’s New Mexico Bowl to make $750,000 just for showing up? See the greatness of college football is the pageantry and the excitement of the regular season and the culmination of events with the bowls. If I’m a Texas fan I’m not only concerned with the Longhorns, I’m concerned with all the chess pieces moving around it. Now really… did you want to take all that away just to see Alabama and Texas anyway? What's your opinion?

Jay Graves

Why Pro Athletes Shouldn't Get Married

"Bad move bruh!"

“Young, Rich and Dangerous” was the title of the last and final CD of the famed hip hop rap group Kriss Kross in 1996. It should however, be the soundtrack of your life, at least for now. You’re 25 years old and you’ve just signed a brand new 5 year deal worth more than 80 million dollars. The “Young and Rich” part you get, but “Dangerous” you don’t agree with, right? See, you’re not the one that’s necessarily dangerous, however the world that you’ve just been thrown into is. Look into my crystal ball young brother. You still can’t wrap your mind around just how much 80 million dollars is, but you have a pretty good idea of what you can do with it. Just about anything you’ve ever wanted to do.

See money is like alcohol it doesn’t change you, it just brings out what’s already inside of you. In 2005 B.M., that’s “Before Money”, you were the big man on campus (BMOC) with a girlfriend. However, the coeds just kept finding their way into your dorm room uninvited. That’s what happens when you’re the most popular guy on campus. Now that you’ve got the money and fame the campus just got bigger. You travel from coast to coast playing ball and in every night club you hit, every guy in the place wants to be you and every woman in the place wants be with you.

 That’s a drug all to itself and it’s easy to overdose on that combination. Now I’m not saying that all men cheat, what I am saying is that all men are human. So if you’re away from home 30 out of the 52 weeks in a year for sometimes weeks at a time, with women doing everything they can to get at you, that becomes a bit too much to handle bruh. I’m not talking about your everyday women. I’m talking about cosmetic 10’s, the movie star types that follow you around like a puppy.

See we can’t compare a pro athlete to the normal working class family man because he has to typically initiate contact with a woman. So he has to at least be mischievous enough to play with the matches. However,  a pro ball player is running through the forest while it’s already on fire. Women are constantly following these guys from city to city and many times even making their way into hotel rooms uninvited. Sound familiar? Now I’m not saying that all women are groupies, I am saying that all of the women that are constantly in your face are. It’s like being a drug addict and saying that you’re going over to the drug house just to play dominos.

Let’s face it, some lifestyles aren’t conducive to having monogamous relationships. I don’t care if she was your college or high school sweetheart. When you guys met you were broke and women weren’t showing up at all hours of the night uninvited and undressed. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100 which ever comes first. The woman that you decide to marry knows full well that she isn’t the only one. So who’s fooling who, especially if she met you in 2010 A.M. (After Money).

 Even if you think that you love her you aren’t mature enough to handle what’s coming your way on a daily basis. I just think that you should wait until after you retire when you’re settled enough to be someone’s husband and father. Your lifestyle will have changed by then and you won’t be in the hot spots all over the country every night. By the time you’re in your late 30’s or early 40’s you’ll be ready.

There’s no rule to say that you have to marry young Kobe etc. If you wait you’ll  meet women that should be well into their careers by then.  Ladies that have more to lose than some young groupie trying to get pregnant and paid at your expense. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s some old groupies out there too but when you’re older you’ll at least be able to recognize the game bruh. That'll at least keep you from getting caught up at the minimum.

 I strongly believe in the full sanctity of marriage and it should never be disrespected. So before you try to join my frat and cross those burning sand’s bruh. You’ll have to get rid of all the girlfriends and be able to keep your butt at home. However, in the mist of being a professional athlete that’s virtually impossible. So your application has been denied bruh.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Boise State Exposed as a 14-0 Joke in 2009!

We’re all familiar with the classic film The Wizard of Oz. The 1939 musical of how Dorothy is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to meet the Wizard with whom she thinks has the power to return her to Kansas. When I think of Boise State I’m constantly reminded of that old Wizard, of how he had the entire Land of Oz fooled into believing that he was some great being that had the power to do the impossible. He was able to pull it off with smoke and mirrors by hiding behind a cover until Dorothy’s dog Toto pulled it back to see a scrawny old man that simply had no power at all. “You’re a fake, just a fake that’s what you are, how could you do such a thing?” said Dorothy. I’m going to play the role of Toto and pull back the covers on the Wizard known as Boise State’s 14-0 season.

 Collegefootballnews.com published the college football rankings on December 6^th prior to the bowl season. They did a great job of listing them from 1 to 120. Now I’ve cross referenced that list with Boise State’s 2009 schedule. Now let’s go down the list and keep in mind that these are the final rankings: Game 1. Oregon (5), 2. Miami of Ohio (118), 3. Fresno State (61), 4. Bowling Green (93), 5. UC Davis (not a D1 school), 6. Tulsa (87), 7. Hawaii (84), 8. San Jose State (115), 9. Louisiana Tech (102), 10. Idaho (96), 11. Utah State (95), 12. Nevada (30), 13. New Mexico State (112), 14. Fiesta Bowl TCU (4).Now that comes an average rank of 77^th out of a possible 120 teams(UC Davis doesn’t count towards that average). Oregon was the home opener and they had a month to prepare for it as well as for TCU which was the bowl game. Keep in mind that TCU is Boise State’s twin. We didn’t learn anything by watching these two teams play each other. Now that doesn’t mean that Boise State isn’t good. It just means that they don’t deserve to be mentioned in the national title talk. See they’re like the guy that fights at the YMCA and is 32-0 and says that he should be fighting Manny Pacquiao in Vegas for the title. It doesn’t make sense when you look at their body of work. It’s a joke really. The teams that show up to the BCS title game every year are at least battle tested. They play good teams weekly from major programs to get to the promised land of the BCS.

 You can’t keep beating up on the neighbor’s kid and then show up wanting the crystal ball. It doesn’t work that way. Everyone keeps bringing up the 2007 Fiesta Bowl when they beat Oklahoma in overtime with 2 trick plays. That was an outstanding win, however, that was the only real team they played the entire season and they had a month to prepare for it. Oklahoma was ranked 10^{th in} the country coming into that game not #1 or #2. It’s hard to beat any team that shows up 12-0. It’s like stopping a runaway train going down hill at that point, for example, Utah beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year. If you only have to prepare to play one game all season long, it’s always a winnable game. If the Bronco’s want to be taken seriously, they should man up and make a bid to enter the Pac-10 and take Utah with them.

While were at it the Big 12 should get rid of lowly Baylor and add TCU. Now all the players would be at the table. There would be no more arguments about who belongs and who doesn’t. When Boise State, Utah and TCU have to play exceptional team’s week in and week out and go 14-0 they would deserve to play for the national title. So until then stop wining and complaining that you don’t ever get invited to the prom because everybody knows that you’re just some dirty old man hiding behind the cover. What's your opinion?

Jay Graves

Shame On You Cleveland!

Remember back in high school when you broke up with your girlfriend. You were cool with the break up and all of the possibilities that would lie ahead. You thought that you guys would be good friends because the two of you had simply grown apart. She was the girl that nobody wanted until you started dating her because you were the big man on campus.
 You were the trend setter if you will. On your strength she instantly became the most popular girl in school and the envy of all of her classmates. You took her from the quiet little girl that nobody paid attention to, to become homecoming queen and being voted most likely to succeed. However, when you decided that the relationship had run its course she flipped out. She told all the girls that you weren’t any good from day one.

 She said that you constantly cheated on her and never gave 100% to the relationship. At some awful turn she talked her friends into helping her key your car and flatten all of your tires. She even went all “Waiting to Exhale” on you and burned your clothes. However, in the movie the wife actually helped her husband come a successful businessman. You gave this woman your soul for years and this is how you were treated. Does any of this sound familiar, Cleveland? You’re simply that ungrateful little girl that just needs to say thank you for helping me become relevant.

Lebron carried you on his back for seven years professionally. Not to mention the four years prior to that while he was in high school. You took advantage of this kid and didn’t for once feel bad about it. You moved his high school games to larger arenas like Cleveland State and increased ticket prices by 100%. Sold his likeness on T-shirts etc and didn’t give him a dime of that money.

 He still became Mr. Basketball of Ohio 3 years straight. He was drafted to the worst team in the NBA at 18 years old with the hopes of an entire city on his shoulders. He didn’t fold under pressure though. He just went out and under promised and over delivered like a seasoned veteran. LeBron became the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2003-04. In every season that he played for you he became an All-NBA performer and was selected to the All-Star team. In 2007 he took your franchise from being the door matt of the NBA to the Conference Finals for the 1^st time since 1992 and then to the NBA Finals for the 1^st time in franchise history. He won a Bronze Medal in 2004 and then went back in 2008 and won the Gold.

Oh yeah, did you completely forget about the $150 million annually that he literally chauffeured into your local economy. Let’s face it you’ve been taking advantage of this guy his entire life. How many of you attempted to save him from a broken home before he became a phenomenon. All you did was climb on his back and paraded around the country like you were the superstar. You thought they were called “scrimps” before the King showed up and took you out to dinner.

 If you wanted to keep him you should’ve put in the same amount of work that he put in for you, but you didn’t. You sat back and took this kid for granted Mr. Gilbert. You fired Mike Brown obviously without Danny Ferry’s(GM) consent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have quit shortly thereafter. You made no effort during the offseason to acquire players that would make it attractive enough for him to stay. Then you wrote a letter to insult the one guy that put the Cavaliers on the map.

 You could learn a thing or two from my hometown of Gary, In., the home of the greatest entertainer to ever live, Michael Jackson. He made billions of dollars for people all over the world and became known as one the greatest philanthropist ever. Yet he didn’t give a dime of that money or his time to Gary. Yes we were disappointed in him but we loved him because he was family. The people in the “G” as we so affectionately call it, stayed by Mike’s side with whatever he decided to do or more importantly decided not do for us because he was one of our own. When the media turned against him we defended him because he was blood, family. How dare you curse King James; spit venom at him and have the audacity to burn his jersey when you all but owe the city’s mere financial existence to him. Shame on you Cleveland! What's your opinion?

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter: @jaygravesreport