Final Four Pre-Game Speech

"It's Game Time!"

"Gentleman, this is the day that you've dreamed of your entire lives. You can't slow it down because God will only give us the same twenty four hours today that he gave us on yesterday to enjoy it. So we must cherish this moment and take full advantage of the opportunity while it's in front of us.

You've dreamed of playing in the Final Four since the day you picked up a basketball. Now God has chosen you out of the millions of kids that started on this journey with you. There have been others that have  possessed far more talent, more athletic ability, more style and charisma; but you are the ones that have made it to New Orleans on this day.

Gentleman, you have been predestined to run out of this locker room to show that world that you belong in the Final Four. Now that you're here, what are you going to do with the opportunity? It's not just enough to show up, to bring your camera or recorder and soak it all in. God didn't bring you here to have a vacation. So fella's, I ask you, what are you prepared to do this evening?

I've always told you that championships are not won of game day; that they are the culmination of events. This championship was won during the off season when the other teams were having a good time and we were putting in work. When everyone practiced for two hours and went home and you stayed and shot 100 more times everyday. It was won when everyone was asleep and you got up at 5am to run 5 miles daily.

The trophy was being engraved when you decided that you weren't going to let others tell you what you couldn't accomplish. Your ring was sized the day you cut off friends that weren't going in the same direction that you were going. Your name and picture was immortalized in the athletic department the day that you bought into our mission. Every diamond in the setting of that ring represents the sweat that you put in to get to this moment.

Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

So as a result fella's, this game is just a matter of formality. It's just another part of what we have to do to get to Monday.

"G.A.T.A."

Who's got the intestinal fortitude to last the forty minutes we've been given to decide this thing? We don't have to be the best team, we just have to be the best team for forty minutes. It's just that simple because nothing has changed. The court is the same 50' in width and 84' in length. The goal is still 10' off of the ground. The refs are still the same guys from footlocker. If you can remember that when you run out of this locker room, you'll return as winners and we move on to the title game on Monday.

However, if you allow the moment to get too big, you'll fail miserably. So how do you want to handle this? I say we go out there and move one step closer to fulfilling our destiny, let's go!"

Holla At Ya Boy!
Coach Jay Graves (today)
Follow me on Twitter: @jayygravesreport
Champions are made not born! Jay Graves

"That's A Real One!"

"Hey Magic? I've got some roller skating unicorns you can buy too!"

Sometimes in sports we see things that just makes us shake our heads in amazement. Most of those are because an athlete makes an unbelievable shot or scores a touchdown with style that makes absolutely no sense. Then we see someone do something so unbelievably rediculous that you can’t process it.

Earlier this week Magic Johnson and some of his buddies paid $2.15 billion for the LA Dodgers. What? No you didn’t read that wrong, nor did I make a mistake in reporting it. That’s why I waited several days before I even commented on it. Now I know that a lot of cats will say, “Jay why you hatin’ on Magic! That’s weak bruh!”

To hate is to criticize when there is no legitimate to reason to do so. I know that Magic was desperate to buy a sports franchise however this wasn’t the one to buy, at least not at this time. All he had to do was sit in the cut and wait. Owner Frank McCourt had to get rid of the joint anyway because he was going through bankruptcy. He could have gotten it on the clearance rack if he had just waited. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100! Magic just paid $500 for a bag of penny cookies, Funyuns and a red pop bruh!

Mark Cuban wanted to buy the team too but he pulled out because in his opinion the asking price was way too high. It wasn’t even worth hollering at them about it. If Magic and Co. ended up paying $2.15 billion for the joint just think about what the asking price was bruh! They negotiated down to $2.15 billion! Are you kidding me? All they did was pay for McCourt’s divorce, future alimony payments and as well as all of his outstanding debt and the guy still walked away with a profit.

"Basically, McCourt took a $430-million asset and turned it into a $2.15-billion asset by despoiling it over a period of eight years," said Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts who has written extensively on the business of baseball.

What were they drinking, smoking, sniffing, injecting, inhaling, and absorbing? They must have been on some of that Jimmy Hendricks head scarf type stuff to sign that deal.

According to Forbes, the Chicago Cubs are valued at $879 million and they’ve got fans that will sale out Wrigley Field every night and they haven’t won a championship since 1908! That was 4 years before they invented the Caddy bruh! Most folks can’t even imagine life without the Cadillac on the road. The Yankees are the best franchise in sports located in the largest media market in the world and it’s only valued at 1.8 billion. Now do you still think I’m hatin’ bruh?

Magic and his boyz pulled a ghetto fabulous move! They went out and bought a Heavy Chevy for $1000 and put $25K worth of rims, TV’s and paint on the joint! They’ll look good rolling through the hood but when they try to sell it they’ll only get $2,500 for it! Like my buddy Lamont Hatcher said, “They keep telling me that Magic is a hellava businessman but the guy that sold him the team is a HELLAVA businessman!



"I say what the heck, go for it!"

Hey when ole boy slid the contract across the table they just knew that Magic was going to reject it in laughter. However, he signed it to their amazement! McCourt looked at his attorney and said, “If this guy will buy this he’ll buy anything.” They started pulling out the old bags of sea monkeys and telling him that in just a few days you’ll see them swimming around in this dirty water. You just gotta stand extremely still on one foot and look closing into the water. If you move slightly you won’t see them at all.

After he bought those joints too, they sold him some beach front property in Nebraska! Magic finally drew the line on Ali Baba’s flying carpets because it was something about Ali’s hat that he didn‘t trust. It’s like when Moe & Larry from The Three Stooges were breaking rocks over Curley’s head and he finally stopped them and said, “Hey that’s a real one! I’m no fool! Yuc, Yuc, Yuc.” So don't call me a hater because I'll  only paid $.75 for 15 penny cookies, Funyuns and red pop! However, in all seriousness I know Magic will do a great job but you know I had to clown him. Thanks for reppin' the brotherhood so well bruh!

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

"Regular Cats!"

Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony & Kenyon Martin out kickin' it!

Have you ever had someone tell you that they met some professional athlete out somewhere that was unbelievably obnoxious? Then they go on to tell you how big of a jerk the guy was because he wouldn't talk to him or that he was too stuck up to take a picture with them. He wouldn't even sign my kid’s jersey or his ball etc. We've all had those types of conversations or better yet some of you were the person telling the story. However, as we all know there are always 3 sides to every story; his, yours and some where closer to his we find the truth.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! The vast majority of the time fans are way too intrusive bruh! Professional athletes for the most part are regular cats that do regular things like regular folks. They just want to live their lives just like you and I. I've got several friends that have retired from the NFL, NBA and MLB that are and have always been just regular cats.

I've been covering the NBA this season so I've been up close and personal with the players in the locker rooms before and after games. It's like going into any other locker room whether it’s high school or college. The guys are still the guys! They joke, laugh and have their quiet time. The major difference however, is that there is more media present and professional athletes make millions of dollars so therefore they’re not very trusting of people that they don’t know.

I remember the first time I set foot in the Pacers locker room! Every player I approached gave me the “What’s this guy up to” look. It’s the same look you give the guy that’s way too friendly to you outside of the grocery store. When you give him the, “he’s about to ask me for some money and I ain’t got nothing for him” look. Yeah that joint!

Eventhough I was "Suited & Booted" with media credentials they gave me the up and down like I was breaking and entering the joint. However, it's taken most of the season for the guys to start opening up to me because they've just now become accustomed to me being there.

With all of that being said, now put yourself in the shoes of the athlete. Everybody recognizes you and knows how much money you make because when you signed the major deal it was all over TV and the internet. Now you’re out somewhere eating dinner with your girl and some one interrupts you and wants an autograph. So you oblige and then they want pictures too. Not only that, they want you to meet their whole family all while your girl and steak are getting cold. Keep in mind this the sixth time it’s happened since you set down bruh. At some point the next guy has to get shut down, right?

"Hey Jay, you're a JERK too!"

Unfortunately, that’s the guy telling all of his co-workers the next morning how much of a jerk you were to him last night at dinner. He’s never going to support you again and he’s thrown your jersey away etc. Now ya’ll know how I feel about grown men in jerseys anyway so that’s not a bad thing if he throws that joint out.

I'm not saying that you can't ask a boy for an autograph or a picture but as a fan you've got to be able to read the situation and understand that just because you're in front of the guy it’s not always appropriate to climb all over him. Remember what I said earlier, he's a regular cat! It's OK to give him a pound and keep it moving bruh! Before I go any further, what are you going to do with his autograph bruh? Unless you’re a kid you can’t ask another man for his autograph bruh, I’m sorry.

You don't have to hold a conversation with a dun just because you think you need to. You don't even know him bruh! So what do you have to talk to him about other than saying, "Keep up the good work!" or "Hey man good luck next game?"

How would you like it if some cat that you already KNEW ran up on you at dinner and wouldn't stop talking? You'd get irritated right? We'll pro athletes are regular cats and they get irritated too, regardless of their celebrity. So the next time you want to jam a boy up think about what Ya Boy just broke down to you, give him a pound and keep it moving! How would you like it if I went to work today and told everybody that you were a jerk because you interrupted my dinner!

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

"TALL Respect!"

"There's no way Michael Jordan would have gotten in this photo!"

Last summer I wrote a Hot Joint entitled "I've Got No Respect For Jordan" that started with this paragraph: "The most powerful and influential person in the history of sports has been Michael Jordan. However, he's never used that power to do anything but play basketball and sell shoes. If life were only played on the court he'd be a national hero. Unfortunately, life goes well beyond the game of basketball." I went on to say that "throughout our history in this country especially during the civil rights movement guys like Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Muhammad Ali put their careers on the line daily by supporting the civil rights movement and other social issues in this country."

Well, I'm proud to add Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and the entire Miami Heat roster to that list of athletes that have used their influence for more than the game itself. Dwayne Wade changed his Twitter avatar, or profile picture, to a shot of himself in a hooded sweatshirt on Friday, Miami's WFOR-TV reported. "He also used the hashtags hoodies, stereotype, trayvonmartin in the post with the photo. Soon after that at 1:30 p.m, the entire Miami Heat team followed suit and posted a picture of the team in hoodies on LeBron's Twitter account.

Michael Jordan would have found an excuse to miss the photo shoot! Keepin' it real, you wouldn't have gotten him on that picture even if you would have promised him three more championships bruh! Tiger Woods would have found some broad to distract him for the afternoon and Kobe would have just flat out said no,  but not the Miami Heat.

I've got TALL respect for this group of athletes because they could have joined Tiger, Mike and Kobe in the sand box and never acknowledge the situation. Hey, in their minds it has nothing to do with them.  However, LeBron and Company realized that it has everything to do with them because Trayvon Martin could have easily been anyone of them. We all have been Trayvon at one point or another in our lives and it's only by the grace of God that we didn't die during those episodes.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been pulled over for no reason only to be harassed by the police. I was pulled over in a rural Indiana town and held up for a half hour without being given a ticket just two week’s ago bruh. While in college parked in front of the student center with the fella’s waiting for the guy to open the door for us because we were going to DJ the party in that building later that evening. Someone called the police with the description of  four suspicious black guys. The police pulled up with guns drawn and here we were strapped belling down on the squad car to later be released to go on our way. I can remember shortly after graduating from college, driving a new car only to be pulled over with the police drawing their guns again never to be given a ticket. I could easily have been Trayvon Martin and my teenage son could be him now.

LeBron and the rest of the team can probably share those same experiences with you as well. Whether we knew Trayvon or not we all share a common brotherhood with him. Both Jordan and Kobe have that killer instinct as I wrote about in my recent joint " The Infamous Trait" because they both are naturally selfish. So it's easy to take the last shot even when some one else is open.

LebBron on the other hand, isn't naturally selfish as I explained in that same article and that's why he's more likely to make the right basketball play as opposed to just taking the shot. Just like he made the right social play and encouraged his teammates to represent for our fallen brother. I’ll take the guy that embraces the folks that support him when he doesn’t have to. Sometimes it’s bigger than the game bruh. It‘s times like these that we NEED our celebrity's power of influence to shine the light brighter on the very injustice that affects us all.

Ya'll can support Jordan all you want but I'll continue to go on record saying "I've Got No Respect For Jordan!" However, guys like D. Wade, LeBron and the rest of the Miami Heat get TALL Respect from Ya Boy!

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

"The Secret Society"

McDonald's All-American guard Gary Harris

When I pledged Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. 23 years ago I learned secrets that only the members of the organization knew. I learned what to do or say when approached by other members no matter where they were from in the world. There was even a secret hand shake that went along with it that sealed the bond. It was great to become a member of an organization of men that put such high value on service and scholarship as I'm quite sure all other fraternities do. However, the fraternity of fatherhood among black men is 1000 times more precious for those of us that have crossed those burning sands because the world refuses to acknowledge our existence.

It's always been disturbing to me when I see our big time athletes get up to receive an award only to thank Momma, Big Momma or Madea for being there for them. I'm always looking for pops to be standing there but most of the time he isn't. I've lost count of the number of times a college or pro athlete has reached the pinnacle of their career only to shout out mom. So I applaud mothers and grandmothers all over the country for doing what they've had to do in raising these kids alone. It seems like finding fathers is like looking for "Big Foot." However, this week we'll get a rare glimpse of a member of "The Secret Society" of black men that ARE raising and nurturing their kids every step of the way.


On this coming Wednesday the McDonald's All-American game will be held in Chicago and my homeboy (from Gary, In) Gary Harris will be front and center supporting his kid of the same name. Lil' Gary will not only play in the McDonald's game but he's been invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic next month because he's the 11th best recruit in the nation according to ESPNU. The 6-5, 180lb guard averaged 25.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.7 assists as he led the Hamilton Southeastern Royals from suburban Indianapolis to a 22-3 record and the #1 ranking in the state of Indiana before being knocked off in the state tournament. Gary will play for Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans in the fall. Not only is this kid a great athlete but he has a 3.55 grade point average.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! My man Gary isn't the dad that will be front and center because his kid is on television now and the world wants to interview him. Naw bruh, my man has been there every step of the way. First of all, he's married to ALL three of his son's mother let's get that straight. Secondly, he has always been the guy hurrying home from work or even changing clothes in the car trying to get kids to practice or games.

I know because we've been doing the same thing for years together. However, the world refuses to believe that fathers like us exist. I know what the numbers say bruh! I've heard them my entire adult life and they keep me motivated. According to the Morehouse Statement, new statistics show that an estimated 80 percent of all African-American children will spend part of their childhood living apart from their fathers. Seventy percent of African-American children are born to unmarried mothers and 40 percent of all children regardless of race, live in homes without fathers.

Also according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 70 percent of juveniles in state reform institutions grew up in single-parent or no-parent situations, and 53 percent of state prison inmates grew up apart from their fathers. I get all of that bruh, but we refuse to allow those numbers to become real in our homes because the God that I serve says, "A man that does not take care of his family is worse than a non-believer.” 1 Timothy 5:8.

 Gary & his wife Joy on senior night!

 So my man Gary Harris, not the basketball player but the dad, will represent for ALL of the black men in this country that the world refuses to see on Wednesday during the nationally televised McDonald's All-American Game. Yeah, I know that the camera's will be on the players but every now and then they'll pan over to the parents and they'll show all of the Big Momma's and Madea's but they won't show fathers like Gary. So I'm telling you right now that my man is in the building like he's always been since Lil' G started playing.

This may be a rare sighting to the rest of the world but I see it daily because birds of a feather flock together bruh! We're out here even though the world refuses to see us and we praise God that Gary has been chosen to represent the brotherhood because his son is so talented. God is awesome the way he sets things up. Thanks Gary for doing an awesome job with your children and it only motivates the rest of us to continue to do the same.

Don't get it twisted, it shouldn't ever matter whether your child is a McDonald's All-American or not. All that matters is that you support them every step of the way because they all are special and it‘s God‘s mission for us to head our households and be the examples that we‘ve been ordained to be. Also thanks to all the mothers out there that have to be both parents because some cat refuses to join the "The Secret Society" and learn the hand shake.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Photographs provided by Steve Risley

Shot!

"Yeah my tatts are looking good on TV tonight bruh!"

March Madness has lived up to the hype in every sense of the phrase! Chaos is more like it bruh! If you wanted excitement you got it! If you wanted a bracket that was shot to pieces you got it. If you wanted the idiot co-worker that's always lying about his bracket screaming that he picked Lehigh to upset Duke on the first week end or Norfolk State to beat Mizzou you got it.

While you're at it get Michigan State going down to Louisville in those hideous uniforms. What was that bruh? They may as well have been playing in Zips or Pro Keds with those ugly socks. Both Dieon Sanders and I have always lived by the mantra, "If you look good you play good!" but that definitely wasn't the case for the Cardinals. They looked a hot mess on Thursday night and still knocked off the first #1 seed sending them to the crib early.

My bracket is so shot I've thrown it in the garbage bruh. I had Michigan State, Duke, Florida State and North Carolina in the Final Four with the Spartans winning the whole thing. Now that Izzo and company are back in East Lansing licking their wounds. I can sit back and enjoy the rest of the tournament because I don't have to think about my stupid bracket.

The problem that I have in doing a bracket every year is that once you pick certain teams to win. Then you tend to root for the bracket instead of rooting for the underdog to win that all of a sudden goes on a run during the game. I feel conflicted and can never really enjoy the tournament, so with boyz going down early I'm off of the hook.

What's also shot are the job opportunities for many of the Cardinal players. I just hope that Louisville has a tattoo removal department in their athletic facility. Those kids were tatted up from head to toe and everybody's not going to the league bruh! I'm blown away by the amount of college athletes that have tattoos all over their bodies. Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! I've got a tattoo and multiple Sigma brands but when I suit and bow tie up you can‘t see them. Also, I was a grown man before I got a tattoo and knew where to put it based on what type of clothes I wear to work. If you're still in school you have no idea how you'll have to dress for work some day.

Unless some of these kids plan on wearing a hijab to the interview and to work for the rest of their lives they're in trouble. The hijab is the outfit that Muslim women wear to cover their bodies where only their hands, face and feet are visible. They need to start selling them joints at Louisville in the athletic department now.

What's the point in pursuing a college degree if you want to look like Delante West, Allen Iverson or Lil’ Wayne bruh? I mean if you don't make it to the league you’re shot unless you've got enough bread to get the tattoos removed. If you walked into my office looking like a retired gangsta rapper or a member of the Sin City Motorcycle Club you’re shot.

My mind just went blank and you may as well have been Charlie Brown's teacher bruh! All I’m hearing during the interview is, “Wa Wa Wa.” Yeah it was great to see you, don't call me I'll call you type joint. Shot! I put the blame of these parents because you've got to have some ground rules for your child. If your kid is still in high school with a complete sleeve and a joint on his neck you need to get in the cut right now. Kids can’t see into the future but you can at least see up to your age and you know just how difficult it is to make it out here, especially as an African American male.

"It's tough out here young blood!"

Stop me when I start lying bruh! During this most recent economic down turn the black unemployment rate averaged 16.1 percent in April, May, and June 2011, compared to an average of 7.9 percent for whites in the same period. However, the unemployment rate for black males is as high as 17.5%.

According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older in 2009 has been nearly twice that of white male college graduates at 8.4 percent compared with 4.4 percent. Now ask yourself what happens to those numbers when you show up with tattoos all over your body bruh. I’m just sayin’! We’ve got to want to do more than just look cool on TV during the NCAA Tournament.

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

"Not Gon' Cry"

"I know exactly how you feel Tebow!"

Tim Tebow did everything that the Denver Broncos asked of him. He never believed the hype and just went to work everyday trying to make the team better. He was like the girlfriend that came along side of her deathly ill boyfriend and nursed him back to health. The Broncos were 1-4 and on a respirator when they called on Tebow out of desperation. He was the girl that showed up at the hospital when no one else would. She stayed by his side until he could finally breathe on his own.

She remained loyal even though ole boy kept telling folks publicly that she wasn’t the one but the next thing you know she helped him to become better than his old self. The Broncos were suddenly winning 7 of 8 games and were in the playoffs. They told that world that they were going to get marry him because it was the right thing to do. Well even the word of God says, "It's better to marry than to burn!" So Elway and company promised to put a ring on his finger and commit to him.

However, on Wednesday the Denver Broncos traded him to the New York Jets for a fourth and sixth round pick in the upcoming draft in April. Hey, it was like ole boy in the Tyler Perry's movie Diary of a Mad Black Women when he revealed to his wife that he was ending the marriage and she said, "Charles you're not leaving!" and he responded, "You're right! You are!" Her things were already in the U-Haul out front with a driver! Straight gangsta move if I should say so myself!

Tebow however, handled it with class by saying, "I'm thankful they stuck with me through this whole crazy process," he said during a call late Wednesday night, repeating several times that he was "excited" to be a member of the Jets and to play for coach Rex Ryan." When you know he really wanted to go Angela Bassett "Waiting to Exhale" on them and burn all of their clothes and the ride for hooking up with the new chick after saving their season and taking them to the playoffs!

You now he was bumpin' that Mary J. Blige joint "Not Gon' Cry" all the way to the airport bruh! I can hear it now:
"I was your lover and your secretary
Working every day of the week
Was at the job when no one else was there
Helping you get on your feet"

Now these boyz are leaving with the other woman that we still don't know if she can cook or be loyal when times get tough. Is she really going to be there through the thick and thin? Everybody keeps telling us that the doctor's are saying that Peyton's good to go but let me tell you something about medical care bruh. There are two categories of people that get the worst medical attention in this country, the extremely poor and the extremely wealthy.

Poor folks get only what people are willing to give them and that's the bare minimum. Wealthy folks get whatever they want even if it's not the best for them because they can always find a doctor that’s willing to say or do whatever they want them to do for the right price. If you don't believe me bruh holla at Dr. Conrad Murray and ask him if Michael Jackson got enough Propofol!

If the Broncos were only going to get a fourth and a sixth round pick for him they may as well have held on to him! Why not keep the guy and let him learn from the best brain in football? Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! How long is Peyton Manning going to be there bruh? Or better yet how long will he be healthy? The Jet's got over like a fat cat because the media attention alone will profit the team big time. All of that for a fourth and sixth round pick? It makes sense to me!

Even if Peyton goes down early Tebow could have taken advantage of having a guy that knows how to play the position better than anyone else. Elway wasn't even thinking bruh! What ever happened to building for the future as well? Having Peyton for a short period of time would have been helpful for a young quarterback!

Hey I just hope the Broncos don’t end up like Charles, temporarily unable to walk when it’s all said and done!

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

"This Ain't That!"

Peyton Manning: "I got these boys right where I want 'em!"

In the famous words of my wife, "This ain't that!" This ain't whatever you thought it was bruh! This ain't the 25 year old healthy Peyton Manning. This ain't the 4 time NFL MVP! This ain't the 11 time Pro Bowl quarterback! This ain't the 6 time AFC Player of the Year! This ain't the 2007 Super Bowl MVP! This ain't the 5 time first team All-Pro! Well... it's the same person but it ain't the same football player bruh! This ain’t that!

The Denver Bronco's have been in the famous words of Malcolm X, "hoodwinked" by the biggest hustler in the game! The Mile High City is preparing for the arrival of Peyton Manning the all-world quarterback when in all actuality it's Peyton Manning the 36 year middle age father of two with a bad neck that's on his way to town! It's Jordan playing for the Wizards bruh! It's Emmitt playing for the Cardinals! It's Jerry Rice playing in Seattle! Ya'll just fell for the Axel Foley banana in the tail pipe bruh!

John Elway was so desperate to find a quarterback that he fell for the Peyton Manning hype and will from what I understand pay through the nose to get him! Some sources close to the situation are saying that they are working on a 5 year deal worth $90 million dollars! C'mon Bruh! That's like paying full price for a ten year old Range Rover with 250K miles!

Elway got turned out when he saw Manning workout for the team! The problem was, nobody was trying to tackle the guy while he was throwing the football. The neck is cool if he’s not being hit! It’s called football bruh and it’s a violent game. It’s not called workout in shirts with no defenders on the field ball.

Now Denver’s got to trade Tebow now and even though he wasn't the most efficient quarterback in the league. He was young, had the "it factor" and the work ethic to go along with it. Sure he needed work but he was willing to do all of the necessary things needed to improve his game. One thing about it bruh, he was going to give you everything that he had and most importantly he was durable!

Elway pulled a Jermaine Dupre' on us! He had Janet Jackson, "Miss Jackson if ya Nasty", at the crib and went out and had a baby by a stripper! Janet wasn't going anywhere and wasn't down for any more games in her life so she was a keeper and he fell for the "Poison"! Hey, Elway was like ole boy Ritchey in Harlem Nights when Sunshine turned him out and he called his wife and said, "Hey baby girl! Put ya mommy on the phone! Yeah Barbara, it's Ritchey! Look-ed I ain't never comin' home no more. Take it easy!"

This ain't that bruh! Like I've been saying since last August, Peyton Manning is one missed assignment away from being crippled! All it's going to take is the left tackle or a young running back to miss on a pass blocking assignment and here we go! If he gets blind sided who knows where that neck goes bruh! Now you've got a high priced race horse that has to go to the glue factory!

I know Tebow wasn't what Elway wanted but you can't go out and pick up the old stray dog and bring him to the crib just cause you got lonely! If Peyton goes down early in the season, all of those folks that are singing Elway's praises now will run him out of town. At least Tebow breathed life into a team and fan base that was on life support a year ago. He took over when they were 1-4 and won 7 of 8 and made it to the playoffs! I don't how he did it but he did it!

If Denver wanted to go in another direction I completely understood but Peyton Manning isn't the answer and surely not at 25 year old Peyton prices! Now if he's willing to take a very incentive heavy contract then it makes since to pick him up. However, if they're willing to pay 1st round 1st pick in the draft type money for an ole timer, that's bananas! I just hope that Sunshine doesn't leave Elway with a bag full of confetti at the end of the day! I just can't believe that John Elway went "the old pull my finger" joint! Sad bruh!

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

No Harm No Foul!

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do bruh!

Last week I wrote a joint entitled "Class? What Class?" where I laid out instructions for Kentucky's Anthony Davis and kids just like him not to waste time in class this spring semester if I were his dad. My reasoning for those instructions were because he is going to be a lottery pick in this June's NBA. He'll be the #1 pick in the draft God willing if he's still breathing on draft day.There's no other way he isn't going to be the first off of the draft board bruh!

The NBA rule that forces these kids to even go to school is a joke. Derrick Rose had no intention of going to class when he went to Memphis. So therefore, he was forced to cheat on the SAT to get into the joint and as a result Memphis ended up having to forfeit all of the games that they won in route to the National Title Game in 2008, his only year in school. Now I'm not in favor of a kid cheating at all but he was backed into a corner and it was fight or flight bruh! You already know once he got there he had some girl doing his work for him that first semester and he never even saw a class in the spring. So why not give that scholarship to a kid that really wants to go to school bruh?

People that are phenoms don't need to finish college! Bill Gates figured out that after three years of college that he didn't need it. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and the inventor of the IPhone that you're probably reading this joint on dropped out of school too. Neither Venus or Serena even enrolled. Beyonce' nor Justin Bieber even thought about it. I hear you saying, "Man their talents are 1 in a million so they could afford not to go to school!" My point exactly bruh!

The "One and Done" athlete falls into that same category. The only difference is that the NBA contracts are guaranteed bruh. That's why it makes even more sense to go pro ASAP if you are one of those guys! They don't need to waste time taking classes because the world says that they should. Why do we continue to lie to our kids by saying that EVERYONE NEEDS to go to college? If everybody went to college we wouldn't have plumbers, electricians, carpenters, barbers, beauticians, mechanics, brick masons etc. We wouldn't have construction workers or most importantly we wouldn't have a military to keep us safe if everyone went to college bruh.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! After about eight grade kids shouldn't be forced to take all of the same courses in order to graduate from high school. Why does a kid need to take biology or chemistry if they aren't interested in a field that requires a science background. They'll realize by middle school whether or not they like science. I agree that they need to be exposed to everything but that's why they go to elementary & middle school bruh.  For that matter, why are they even teaching kids to write in cursive any more. Other than teaching them how to their names it's a complete waste of time! Some school districts have already begun to phase it out. I call on doctors daily that just make their mark on persciption pads that you can't figure out what it is. I write my name everyday and you can't recognize anything but the J. So what are we talking about bruh? I believe that everyone should have to take a key boarding class because it's necessary.

 Remember when you were forced to learn all of the state capitals in 4th grade? That was a complete waste of time! If you need to know that information you can just look it up. Why do you need to know what the capital of Vermont is? Henry Ford once said, "I don't need to know everything but for the things that I don't know I can just ask some one!" Therefore, every kid needs to learn how to use search engines.

Let's say that everyone did go to college. All we'd be doing is resetting the scale! The guy that is the janitor would still make less money than the guy in sales or in management. The doctor and lawyer would still make more money than the social worker or teacher etc. So why run a game on folks and tell them that college is mandatory when it's only necessary for certain careers?

If institutions of higher learning really wanted to  help these "One and Done's" they would put together a curriculum that would be specific to them since they're only going to be there for a year anyway. The NFL and NBA both hold rookie symposiums right after their respective drafts that teach these kids how to adjust to being a professional athlete. They teach them how to handle their money and how to look out for shady characters as well. They even go as far as teaching them how to stay away from certain types of women and how not to get caught up with multiple baby momma's etc.  Why not offer those types of classes and make them mandatory for your elite athletes on campus. Of course, the regular students could take those classes too but the "One and Done" kid would have first dibs on them.

Guys like Anthony Davis are doing more for schools like Kentucky in the one year that he'll be there than the kid that stays four years and graduates. Why? Because he's bring massive exposure to the university that is unmatched. When a school makes a run to the national title the following year freshman enrollment is typically up by 20%. Not to mention the millions of dollars in revenue that the school brings in for even being in the NCAA tournament as well as all of the ancillary products sold in the bookstore. Did I mention all of the licensed merchandise sold nationwide like his jersey that he doesn't get squat for. So if the kid is smart enough to use the school at the same time he's being used by them, then I say no harm no foul bruh! Don't feel sorry for Memphis because they made a fortune off of Derrick Rose and to this day they're still getting paid off of his name bruh.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Block Party

"Where da party at bruh!" 

Imagine that it's 1975 and the whole country is the Bronx, New York. DJ Hollywood and his boy Cool Herc just pulled up and started pulling speakers, two turntables and a mic out of the trunk and plugged into the nearest light post on the block! The next thing you know the whole neighborhood is jumpin' and everybody is in the middle of the street gettin' it in! You pull up late and ask the question, "Why is everybody so happy and partying like it's 1999?" Some kid walks up and says, "Duke just got beat bruh!"

Every hood in America is wearing Lehigh jerseys today! The hood's most hated team went down last night at the hands of a bunch of engineers! Folks in the ghetto don't even know what an engineer is but today they're going to be rockin' brown and white flat bibs, coloring their sneakers brown and lookin' for Lehigh jerseys in Footlocker! They don't even carry them joints but Lil' Mooky down the street will be selling them out of his trunk come Sunday morning!

C.J. McCollum scored 30 points as Lehigh upset Duke 75-70 to become the second No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 during a wild Friday in the NCAA tournament. The other 15^th seed, Norfolk St., reppin’ the HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) knocked off #2 Mizzou earlier in the evening.

"It means a lot as a team, a family and as the Patriot League in general," McCollum said. "We wanted to come out here and protect this team and this family, get the win and we did that tonight."

Yeah homeboy, you protected the hood without even thinking about it. See everything about the ghetto hates Duke because it doesn't ever take a chance on it's players! Even when a kid does have the grades to get into Duke they don't come calling. For the most part, the only African American kids that play at Duke are those that come from wealthy families that grew up with both parents. Guys who's dad's played professional sports or kids that went to prep schools etc. Now the hood isn't mad at those kids for coming from well to do families, maybe a little jealous but not mad.

However, they're MAD that Duke doesn't acknowledge the value of the ghetto kid! Now I get the fact that by recruiting kids from upper middle class or wealthy families you eliminate the risk of having to deal with foolishness by 85%! It's the only program in America that can compete for national titles every year and not have to get boyz out of jail Wednesday night before the big game. I get it bruh but what‘s wrong with sometimes seeing the diamond in the rough and polishing it off! Let's keep it real though, a kid with the grades to get into Duke won't come with problems no way. Tupac talked about the rose growing out of the concrete and it’s more than one out there! Hey don‘t get mad at me. I'm just telling you why me, Jalen Rose and the rest of the hood grew up hating Duke!

Naughty By Nature once said in the hot joint Ghetto Bastard, "If you ain't never been to the ghetto, don't ever come to the ghetto, cause you won't understand the ghetto and stay out the ghetto! Aight!” Duke's never been there so they can't even apply for a hood green card at this point! However, the officials from Lehigh will always be welcomed in the grimiest part of the ghetto for life! Thanks for inspiring some kid in the ghetto to find out what an engineer is and then dreaming of becoming one simply because you beat the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament!

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

Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'!

"They let you go too huh? I tried to tell you bruh!"

In 1990 MC Breed & DFC released the hot joint "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'" off of their debut album that would later be released in 1991. Breed is known as the first commercially successful rapper to come out of the Midwest (Flint, Mi.). So I've always had love for him. No, it wasn’t Bone Thugs- n-Harmony from Cleveland bruh! It was my man Breed! Way back then he was telling folks not to get fired for being stupid today and tomorrow.

I know many of you have gotten up with the intent to blow off work today because of the start of the NCAA Tournament. These next two days, in my opinion, are the most exciting in sports. The games tip off at noon and go on until midnight. It's a sports fans dream. The only problem is that boyz will be stupid enough to call in sick/skip and front like they're working these next two days. C'mon bruh!

I know cats that will just straight up play hooky and post up in a sports bar all day when they should be in the field. Oh yeah, they’ll be serious about faking it today. Then you've got the idiot that goes to work and tries to look at the games on his computer after the company has sent out the policy last week stating that you would be in violation if you did. But you know some rebel has figured out a way to do it anyway.

Hey bruh, let me break it down to you like this! The economy is way too bad for you to go home this evening and tell your wife that you got fired for trying to watch the game! "What?" Yeah bruh, that's her screaming at the top of her lungs going at you hard! It's just not worth you showing up at my house looking for a place to crash 'til you get on your feet because my wife's gonna answer the door!

As big a sports fan as I am, I simply won't take the chance. I'm way too responsible to let a simple basketball game get in the way of making money. So I'll just take the next two afternoons off by using vacation time! I'm not gonna lie and say I was working when YOU KNOW I wasn't! Everybody that knows me knows that I’ll be posted up at the crib with my feet kicked up eating and having a good time soaking it all in.

 Hey bruh, I don't need any help watching the games, eating and drinking my Diet Coke! So don't come through and get me caught up in your foolishness. Because I know you told the wife that you were at work or told your boss that you were being productive. Either way, I'm not testifying on behalf of your foolishness! My name is Bennett and I ain't in it! Holla At Ya Boy!

How can you enjoy the games having to look over your shoulder all afternoon? I want to be comfortable in my big chairs and if I decide to shoot over to the sports bar I can. Everything is legit and I'm not hiding from my boss or most importantly, my wife! MC Breed broke that joint down over 20 years ago and boyz still haven't figured it out. Hey when they start letting people go today the HR department will be giving out that single in exit interviews to bump all the way to the crib! “To the beat ch’all!...” That was the joint!

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

Why Playa's Play!

"I'm a hustla baby, I just want you to know!"

A few weeks ago a wrote a joint entitled "The Firm" which explained how players don't win titles, organizations do. My Twitter and Facebook pages went nuts with people telling me that I was completely off base and that I was crazy. My stance was and will always be that it's up to the owners and front office to put the right combination of players on the floor at the right time in order to win championships. The Lakers and Celtics have been better at doing that over the years that's why they've won more than 50% of all of the NBA titles.

The Orlando Magic is proving my point all over again. With the trade deadline looming on Thursday afternoon they are falling for the Oakey Doke with Dwight Howard. It's clear that he's not coming back next year because he won’t commit to a long term deal. Yet he's telling them that he wants to stay with the team for the rest of the season.

"We've been talking, like I said, for a while," Howard said after leading the Magic to a 104-98 overtime home victory against the Miami Heat. "I told them I want to finish this season out and give our team, give our fans some hope for the future. But I feel they have to roll the dice. It might be tough, but I feel we've got a great opportunity. But they've got to roll it."

Roll the dice bruh? Rich DeVos, owner of the Magic, reminds me of Cleveland owner, Dan Gilbert. He gambled as to whether LeBron would stay and didn't make a move to trade him and was left holding an empty Funyun bag. It doesn't make any sense at all to keep Dwight in Orlando. From an organization stand point he leaves them no choice but to trade him.

Sure, you're not going to get equal value for him if you trade him but you'll get something. You can’t just let him walk bruh! Most importantly, you don't let some lil' young cat hustle you at your own game. Dwight's smart because he's trying to convince the ole timer to keep him for the next couple of months so that he can become a free agent and CHOOSE where he'd like to play next year instead of being traded. I completely get what he's trying to do. He's like the cat that wants to break up with his girl but wants her to do it so that he doesn't look like the jerk!

However, as an organization it's a terrible move because they're going to get nothing for him at all if he becomes a free agent. Then DeVos will be writing ex-girlfriend letters like Dan Gilbert did while trying to rally the Orlando fans to hate Dwight too. C'mon bruh! We've seen this movie before and usually the second time around it's not as good. The fans won't be outraged because they've seen it before and the Orlando fans aren't as desperate to win as they are in Cleveland.

Sure, they've never had a championship team either but they don't care. It's Florida for crying out loud! There are too many other things to do and their lives aren't centered around hoping that they win a title. Let's keep it real, they've got great weather, Disney, Universal Studios, great golf, beaches within an hour’s drive, great night life etc. They could care less about whether Dwight Howard stays or leaves and the only person that will feel betrayed is DeVos!

Cleveland on the other hand, has diehard sports fans cause there's nothing else to do in that place but hope for a winner which they'll never have because the franchises are poorly run. I gotta give it up to Gilbert for diverting all of the blame to LeBron when he left. Had the locals been smart enough to figure out that Gilbert was at fault he would have had to sell the joint and move out of town ASAP! Luckily for him they couldn't see the forest for the trees and fell for it hook, line and sinker!

Hey, if I’m gonna to get played it’s got to be by some ole player that’s been around the block a few more times than I have. I’m not going to get hustled by some young cat that specializes in basketball bruh! Both Gilbert and DeVos should be ashamed to call themselves businessmen.

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

The Most Important Game Ever Played!

1966 National Champions Texas Western

As we kickoff the greatest two weeks in sports, I'm reminded of the greatest game ever played. On March 19, 1966 the University of Kentucky and Texas Western University met in the University of Maryland's Cole Field House for the national title. There was very little hype surrounding the game, in fact, that it's starting time was 10 p.m., it wasn't carried by a major network, and it was televised only on a tape-delayed basis in several American cities. Director James Gartner produced the highly successful film "Glory Road" about this historical game in 2006.

If you examine the grainy film closely, the crowd is white, so are the NCAA officials, the referees, the coaches, the cheerleaders and almost all the sportswriters on press row. High in the bleachers, Kentucky fans wave a Confederate flag as the Wildcats' five white player’s line up for the opening tip. Nothing out of the ordinary during that period of time in American history. (1)

Then five black players showed up in their orange uniforms and white Converse All-Stars, to start for Texas Western. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college team had ever started five black players in an NCAA championship game. In fact, until Texas Western coach Don Haskins did it earlier that season, no major-college team had ever started five blacks in ANY game. For the first time that night, on the edge of the Mason-Dixon Line, a major American sports championship would be contested by one team that was all-white and another whose starters were entirely black.(1)
 If you haven't seen the movie it would be well worth your time even if you're not a die hard sports fan. No.3 Texas Western beat the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats 72-65 to win the national title. After that ball game colleges and universities all over the south and for that matter, all over the country, began to recruit black players at a staggering rate.

In 1966, American cultural and sporting mythology insisted at least one white starter was necessary for success. Black athletes, prevailing wisdom implied, needed the steadying hand of a white teammate. Otherwise, games would dissolve into chaos.(1)

The game has dissolved into the chaos of run and gun and above the rim play that we all have come to enjoy. However, great defense is still the key to winning championships. Yes, that game in 1966, just one year before I was born, changed the landscape of basketball forever. We take for granted that major college teams are predominately black now.

I'm thankful that guys on the Texas Western team endured the racism of the time and pushed in the door to prove that African Americans could compete and win at the highest level. That has given way to the opportunity for other blacks to go on to college and earn degrees that for many, without sports would have been simply unattainable because of the mere cost of an education. As I look around the country at our major institutions there are so many African American athletic directors, coaches and administrators that have come up through the ranks by having the opportunity to play intercollegiate athletics.

Yes, in my opinion that was the greatest game ever played because it opened the door to greater diversity on college campuses all over this country. Schools that wanted to win were forced to recruit black players even when they resisted, but winning became more important. Isn't God good the way he'll force your hand?

Sure, we enjoy watching our kids succeed on the athletic fields of play. However, more importantly it's given them a sense of pride in who they are and what they can accomplish if they are passionate about what they're doing. Many times we just look at sports as something that's fun to play but in my opinion it's more than that. I wrote an article entitled “Why All Children Should Play Sports” that talks about the lessons that are learned through these trivial games and how sports can transform lives.

Who would have ever thought that a basketball game in 1966 would have changed the world? Well... it did and I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful to all of those people that came before me that endured the bigotry in this country and were still able to succeed. It's inspiring to know that even when the odds are stacked against you God will make a way if you would just trust and believe in him. Thanks again. Now let’s play ball!!!! Let the games begin MARCH MADNESS IS HERE!!!!!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Excerpts were taken from "Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy"(1) By Frank Fitzpatrick Special to ESPN Classic

Top 10 Rules For March Madness!

"Let's get it in!"

The brackets have been released and March Madness is officially here. The greatest two weeks in sports are upon us. Regardless of whether you agree with me or not, it's a good time bruh. Folks all over the country will be unproductive at home and at work and it is what it is.  Before we get started I just want to lay out some ground rules for the next couple of weeks.

1. You can only fill out one bracket!
I hate when people show up to work with 10 brackets filled out and look to win the office pool. That's shady and you now it. When the tournament is over this person gallivants around like they really knew something about college basketball. Sorry excuse for a sports fan!!!

2. Don't fill out your kids bracket! If he or she can't talk or walk they can't participate. That's final. I get tired of losing to some kid that's 13 months old.

3. Don't pick the freaking teams based on the uniforms! If you haven't watched the games to this point just say that you don't know and bow out gracefully.

4. Don't try to change your bracket once your final four teams lose! I get tired of the guy that picks a certain team to make it to the Final Four and then on Friday he's got somebody else on his bracket because they didn't make it out of the first round.

5. Don't show up to the sports bar on Thursday talking trash or wearing your team logo if your school isn't even in the tournament. You're on punishment and anybody affiliated with your school is too for crying out loud!! If your school sucks then you have to stay at home.

6. Don't install that stupid software with the fake graphs on it to try to fool your boss when he walks past your computer. He knows that you're watching the games because he's watching them too. Just keep it real, order pizza and go to the conference room and watch it together.

7. Don't get on Facebook or Twitter lying about being at the games when you're at work. Who cares?

8. If you win the bracket challenge and get the traveling trophy don't try to keep the stupid thing! Return it next year and I mean it!!

9. Don't call in sick this Thursday and Friday because you'll look stupid bruh! Trust me bruh every knows that your watching the games.

10. Finally, don't spend the next twenty four hours asking folks who's your Final Foul teams so you can pick yours because you don't have a clue. This is an independent project and you've got until Tuesday to make your final selections. No cheating!

Now let's get out there and have some fun!!

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

Class? What Class?

Kentucky's Anthony Davis: "Dude, take that backpack off and go work out!"

Ya'll already know how I get down. I'm gonna keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first. If a kid is good enough to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft this year there is no way he should be in class right now. Indulge me for a moment, if you will, while I explain. Don't get it twisted, I believe in the value of post secondary education because both my wife and I have degree's. As a matter of fact, both of my parents and all but one of my siblings have them too. My wife is a former high school teacher, my sister currently teaches middle school and my mother is retired from the profession as well. So I believe in it's value bruh. However, the sole purpose for going to school or pursuing any type of  post secondary education is to prepare yourself to make a living for the rest of your life.

If you can make a living without having to go to college then it's not necessary. My sibling that doesn't have a degree doesn't need it in his profession and he's doing just fine without it bruh. So to tell a kid that he NEEDS to go to college in order to be successful is a lie. I know a whole lot of unsuccessful folks WITH  college degree's.

 Let's take a look at Kentucky's freshman phenom, Anthony Davis. He was the #1 player in the country according to ESPNU's Top 150 coming out of high school in 2011. The only reason he's even in school right now is because the NBA established a rule in 2005 that requires players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school before they can be eligible for the draft. With the talent that he possesses there is no reason for him to remain in school beyond this year. Some people are born with something that very few have. It's like winning the genetic lottery. My instructions to him as a father would've been clear when he enrolled at Kentucky.

"Son, during this first semester I need you to take all of your classes pass/fail. Don't worry about getting a grade in any of them because you won't need it. Next, I need you to take classes in personal finance, interviewing and public speaking. Those types of classes will help you next year in your professional career. Also during the spring semester just enroll in class but it won't be necessary to attend ANY of them because the draft is in June. This season is your final exam and the NCAA Tournament is your job interview. We'll get a personal trainer to work with you during the day to keep your body in the best shape possible so that you'll be ready for the draft.

We'll also take out an insurance policy on you that will protect you in the event that you get hurt before the draft. Lloyd's of London does it all of the time. Cats take out 6 month policies that cover like $2 million dollars for $10 to 15 grand all of the time. Willis McGahee had one when he got hurt in the national title game against Ohio State in 2001. Fortunately, he didn't need to use it. Andrew Luck took out one last year when he decided to stay in school his senior year. Banks will loan potential NBA lottery picks and NFL first rounders money because they know they're good for it."

I know that there are people cringing at what I just said because they believe that everyone should go to college and get a degree. Well, that's simply not true. Most people that go to college go because they don't have other options at the time. If I had an option to make several million dollars at 18 or 19 years old. I wouldn't have a degree today bruh. It's like telling Beyonce' or Chris Brown they need to go to college. They're able to do something that very few people can do and some athletes fall into that same category bruh! When you've got a special talent you've got to use it I don't care what it is. Some people find it early in life while others like myself find it later.

According to simplyhired.com the average salary of an orthopedic surgeon is $232,000 per year. Let's say the surgeon works for an entire career of 35 years. He or she would've only made $8.1 million (subtract the several hundred thousand in student loans) and they're still behind the eight ball relative to pro athletes. What folks don't realize is that the money in the NBA is all guaranteed. That means if a kid gets hurt, the team has to pay him the balance of that contract. There is no risk in leaving school early if he's a lottery pick. All first round draft choices sign a 3 year deal worth $10 million guaranteed. That's not to mention the $50 to $60 million they'll have the opportunity to earn in endorsements if they've got some charisma bruh. There isn't a degree in the world that pays that type of money. If he gets hurt he can always go back to school with the  minimum $10 million that he just made off of his NBA contract if a degree is important to him.

Lebron hadn't even graduated from high school when he signed a 6 year/ $90 million deal with Nike and then a month later he was drafted into the NBA. Derrick Rose just made at total of $279 million in guaranteed bread between his new Bulls deal and the Adidas contract. Now, this argument only applies to about 10 people in the WORLD every year bruh. I'm not talking about some kid that's just playing college basketball and thinks that he's good enough to go pro. I'm talking about Anthony Davis and kids like him.

I had this same argument with friends when Greg Oden was in high school here in Indy. They said I wasn't making sense when I told them about my instructions. Oden hasn't played in the NBA yet because of knee injuries. Had he listened to them, he'd probably have his degree from Ohio State by now but he wouldn't  have $15 million in the bank and last I checked it costs money to live bruh! Ask all the folks that have been laid off during this economic down turn if their degree is feeding them right now! Understand this, bread is always edible bruh!

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

Where YOU From?

  "Don't get it twisted, I'm a billionaire for a reason bruh! Well.. cuz my daddy was."

When I was in college there were always kids from small back woods towns that couldn't see the forest for the trees that were always getting hustled by the kids from urban areas. I tried to look out for them but they just couldn’t help themselves because they would always fall the Oakey Doke! My famous question was always, "Where YOU from bruh?” That's when I realized that the best place to be from, is from the ghetto, because I was trained from birth on how to watch out for slick talkers and con artists. If you can survive in the hood you can make it anywhere in the world.


Back in September I wrote a joint entitled "Everyday I'm Hustlin!" about how both Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay ran game on the fans of Indianapolis when they signed him to the 5 year $90 million deal with a one year opt out. Nobody recognized the game but my fellow hood alumni and current hood dwellers. Why, because of our extensive training on how to dissect a hustle before getting your lunch money taken in 2^nd period near the band room came in handy! That experience alone made it easy to spot Peyton and Irsay coming a mile away. Like the boyz on the block used to say, "Man you gotta come better than that"!

Like I explained in that article, Peyton hid the injury and the May surgery from everyone until training camp. He went into negotiations with the team in August knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to play last season. Now I’m not mad at him for it. However, it was too late for Irsay to pull the contract off of the table because the season was about to start and he needed a security blanket. If he doesn't sign Peyton, these iffy wanna-be football fans will be upset and not buy single game tickets and advertisers would pull out etc. So therefore, the hustle was in bruh!

Let's keep it real this is Indianapolis, not Chicago, Pittsburgh, Dallas or Cleveland where fans will support the team regardless. Indy is one of the worse cities when it comes to promoting concerts etc because it’s known as a walk up town. That’s means people walk up and buy tickets and don’t usually purchase them in advance. That’s why so many shows get cancelled and so many promoters hate putting Indy on the tour schedule. It‘s just as bad for sports too. If you're not winning they ain't coming. The Pacers are and they still ain't coming bruh and this is supposed to be a basketball state. Lucas Oil will be the same way if the Colts continue to lose. In my Men Wearhouse voice, "I guarantee it!"

Now folks are up in arms because they believe that Irsay screwed Peyton by cutting him and not paying him the $28 million dollars. Those same folks missed Peyton hitting Irsay for $20 million for not playing a down last season? He made more money than Tom Brady and he went to the Super Bowl bruh! That was the ultimate hustle move and nobody saw it but those of us that took "Traits of a Hustler 101” when we were 10 years old!

Both Irsay and Manning got up in front the media and had an emotional tear or two during the press conference and the fans in Indy fell for it hook line and sinker. These boys have been plotting this move for months. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100 which ever comes first! Would you car pool to work with your boss if you thought that he owed you $28 million dollars and was about to fire you? These cats car pooled or should I say private jet pooled from Florida together the night before and he gave Peyton a ride to the crib as the media filmed them driving away. Now I could be wrong but I thought I heard that Rick Ross “Everyday I’m Hustlin” bumpin’ in the Range Rover as they pulled off!

I'm still asking the question "Where YOU from?" because everywhere I go people are feeling sorry for Peyton Manning because he got fired. Wait a second bruh! This dude made more than $170 million dollars in contracts over 14 years with the organization not to mention all of the endorsement money that’s literally making his pants bruh! I can't feel sorry for that brother at all. He had a Hall of Fame career and has more money than he can count. I'm not flying my flag at half staff at all. He was a great competitor, a great ambassador for the city but he was an even better hustler.

We’ll see just how good of a con man he really is if he can convince some lame to give to him big money somewhere else being 36 years old with a bum neck! It's not a knee or an ankle sprain bruh, it's a neck! Where he's one missed assignment away from literally being crippled. At least Irsay understand the ghetto creed “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me three times then I gotta cut you!” So Irsay followed the hustler’s protocol and handled it in a professional manner! I’m just glad that this wasn’t street business because it would have gotten ugly bruh!

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

Mic Check!

"You gotta know when to say when bruh!"

If Joe Montana can be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after winning 4 Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49'rs nothing surprises me. If the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game, Jerry Rice, can be cut only to go across the bay and wear a Raiders uniform anything is possible. If the all-time leading rusher in NFL history, Emmitt Smith, can end up in Arizona with the ole timers and snow birds anything is plausible. If Michael Jordan can retire and then show up in a Washington Wizards uniform and not a Chicago Bulls joint. I'm quite sure the good people of Indianapolis can get used to the fact that Peyton Manning will be playing somewhere else next season!

The Colts have chosen to release the 14 year veteran quarterback and move on as they have pretty much gutted the joint after a dismal 2-14 campaign in 2011. They've already fired the chairman Bill Polian, his son general manager Chris Polian, head coach Jim Caldwell and most of his assistants. Anyone with half a brain could see that Peyton didn't stand a chance of making it out of that tornado unharmed.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! The Colts would have been crazy to keep Manning around! They've got the first pick in the draft coming up in April which will be quarterback Andrew Luck and they've got to pay him ridiculous guaranteed money on GP (General Purposes). So like I've been saying since mid-season, you can't pay Peyton $28 million and Luck at least $22 million in guarantees (that's what Came Newton got last year) and they play the same position. Somebody's got to sit on the bench bruh!

It's called professional sports for a reason! It's all business and never personal. Pro sports is like the rap game, it's strictly a young man's game with the exception of JayZ! Peyton, let me holla at you bruh! After 14 years behind center and 3 neck surgeries later, in my opinion, it's time to put the mic up! I know that you want to continue playing somewhere else, but why? Remember how embarrassing it was to see Jerry Rice in a Seattle Seahawks uniform? C'mon bruh, put the mic down and back away slowly!

There's nothing else to do but ride off into the sunset and in five years you'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame! Don't do this to yourself. Don't become a laughing stock and a Saturday Night Live punch line! Remember when Air Jordan was in Washington and would get the joint in transition and he couldn't dunk anymore. C'mon bruh don't do it. It never ends good. You'll go to another team and after a year or two of mediocrity you'll retire only to be re-signed by the Colts for one day so that you can retire a Colt anyway. Just pull the trigger now and save us from having to listen to the album that never should have been recorded.

Holla At Ya Boy!

The tragedy in pro sports and in the rap game is when guys stay too long! Remember how LL Cool J just kept making records and nobody was interested even though the joints were hot! Don't sleep because that "G.O.A.T" joint released in 2000 was blazing! I hear you young boyz in the background saying, "LL?" Don’t get it twisted, L was on the of the baddest battle emcee’s to ever hold a mic. Ya’ll just got turned on to him after he calmed down, start licking his lips and taking his shirt off. I've got five words for you bruh, "Cool Moe Dee and Cannibas!" He single handedly destroyed their careers. The only problem was that the record buying audience never grew up. It always remains 14-24 years old bruh! So whatever you've got to say you better be able to say it to a kid or that joint isn’t going to sell. JayZ has survived however, because he's talking the universal language of money and hustling! It’s time to pull a Snoop Dogg and “Back up off of it and sit yo cup down!”

The problem with guys like Peyton is that they can't come to grips with their mortality. I'll tell you this; if he doesn't want to accept it now he will the first time his left tackle misses an assignment. He's going to break a record trying to get that uniform off bruh! He may sprint off of the field butt naked if he can still walk. I'm no doctor but a neck injury isn't something to play with bruh! He's got a wife and two kids to think about. Michael Irving didn‘t hesitate to take that joint off! At the end of the day it's just not worth going back into the booth to record an album that nobody is interested in listening to especially when they‘ve got the new Drake on deck!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Check out my hilarious Youtube clips: http://bit.ly/yN9sF8

The Real Definition of a HATER!

It's funny to me that in this country people always talk about the problem of racism but no one ever admits to being the racist. We realize that it still exists but the only way that it can be cured is for those that are racist to admit to being a bigot. The first step towards recovery, in any sense, is to admit that you have a problem. It's not until that point does a person start to recover from whatever problem they may have whether it's being a racist, a drug addict, an alcoholic etc. 

Unfortunately, it works the same way with being a hater. Everybody talks about folks hatin' but nobody will ever admit to being the hater. Why is that bruh? How is it that everybody has haters but no one will admit to being on the other side and being a citizen of Haterville? I'll tell you why, because no one has really analyzed the whole concept. That's why I'm here and I'm Ya Boy!

There is a huge difference between hatin' on somebody and just plain disliking them. For example, if you have a legitimate reason for disliking some one then it's completing permissible to feel that way. However, if you say that you don't like them and can't explain why you don't like them then you're probably just hatin'.

Hatin' and dislike are two different things bruh! I DON’T LIKE Kobe Bryant however, I RESPECT his game because he‘s a beast on the court. I can’t take that away from him. The reason I don't like him is because he's a selfish person as I explained in "The Infamous Trait" joint. When he violated the code by throwing Shaq under the bus during his sexual assault case I was off of Kobe Bryant for life. Please don’t get it twisted, I believe in the sanctity of marriage and would never justify some one cheating on their spouse. However, I live by the code that Big Mamma taught us all in the hood, “Mind your own business!” Simply because he showed me who he was as a person in not having any loyalty my reason for disliking him is legitimate. That's not hatin'!

However, to be a hater is to admit that you dislike some one without reason bruh! For example, there a millions of folks that say that they don't like Lebron because he left Cleveland or because of "The Decision" or because he hadn't won a title before last year etc. That's not dislike bruh that's hate because real cats don't dislike people for making moves and trying to being successful at what they do. Now don't get me wrong bruh you can dislike LeBron or however you like  for that matter, just have a legitimate reason!

Let's speak on a level that we all can understand. The more successful a person becomes the more haters they pick up along the way, right? Why, because it's normal for people to be jealous of them the more they make moves. Why is it that you didn't have any haters when you were on the bottom of the pile! Why was it that cats called you to go out to dinner or wouldn't hesitate to come over to your house when you had less money or the smallest home in the crew? The simple reason is that you weren't a threat to their ego when you were broke bruh!

As soon as you started to make moves by building your resume, home and portfolio you all of a sudden acquired haters! Now boyz don't want to ride in your car or come by the crib anymore. Why, because you're winning and haters don't won't anybody to win but them. If you've got a friend that is never happy about your success that's not a friend! That's a hater that you didn’t have the courage to shake off when you were going through the transition!

So the next time someone asks you why you don't like LeBron and you say things like, I don't like him because of the way he walks or that he thinks he better than other players you're a hater. Straight up, those are some of the reasons that I get from people for not liking this cat. If some one asks you why you don't like Jay Graves and you say cuz I don't like the way he walks or the way he ties his tie, you're a hater too.

Real cats don't have time to hate on others if they're about making moves and trying to be successful. The hustler’s brain can only concentrate on being the best that it can be and it can only tolerate so much hustling stimuli at one time. Trying to be successful and hating can't occupy the same space at the same time bruh!

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

Clinical Studies!

"Do your homework bruh before you start talking about rings!"

During my extensive career in the pharmaceutical industry, I've read countless medical journals and hundreds of clinical studies. What I learned early on in my career was to never read the conclusion or results section before reading the study protocol, participants and analysis sections. The conclusion doesn't tell the complete story. It only tells the what and never explains the why! Results can be deceiving if you don't know how they actually came up with them.

Well, it's the same way when looking at sports especially when we're talking about Kobe vs. Lebron or Jordan vs. LeBron in terms of titles. The first thing people pull out are the results section of the clinical. Kobe's got 5 rings, Jordan's got 6 rings and LeBron doesn't have any. By throwing those numbers out we're simply looking at the results of the study and not the entire process.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! For the sake of this argument let’s compare Kobe vs. LeBron. LeBron was drafted #1 overall and Kobe was drafted 13th overall. That is significant because that tells us that LeBron was drafted by the worst team in the league whereas Kobe wasn't. Also the fact that LeBron played seven years for an organization that pretty much left him on an island without any help. Kobe on the other hand, was drafted by the 2nd best franchise in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers, that have won 16 titles overall. The best being the Boston Celtics that have won a league high 17 titles. Keep in mind that those two franchises have won more than 50% of all of the titles in the history of the league.

Surely, you couldn't have expected LeBron to show up in Cleveland and win a title when they've never had a history of winning. However, he did take the worst team in the league to the finals within 5 years. Kobe on the other hand was blessed to have had the opportunity to play for the best coach to ever walk the sideline in the history of the NBA and he played with Shaq while in his prime. Therefore, giving him the opportunity to win his first 3 titles. Ya'll do realize that Kobe wasn't the first option while Shaq was with the Lakers, right?

Sure, he won two more titles with Phil only after they all but stole Pal Gasol from Memphis to help them get back on top. Can you remember Kobe begging to be traded the year after Shaq left when they were terrible? Did you ever hear LeBron crying to be traded while he was in lowly Cleveland? So when you open up the clinical data bruh, Kobe has been put in a much better situation to win titles than LeBron has up to this point.

The only real opportunity that LeBron has had in his career to win a championship was last year and they made it to the finals in his first season with Miami. Do you really think Kobe or Mike would have won multiple titles playing by themselves and without Phil? Ya'll do know that Phil was the only one that could have coached and coddled Mike, right? I'm just saying bruh!

Nobody has ever won a title playing alone bruh. Open the data if you don't believe me, Kareem had The Big O in Milwaukee before going to LA and later playing with Magic and Worthy, Jordan had Pippen and Rodman, Bird had McHale and Parrish, Duncan had David Robinson, Shaq had Kobe or vice versa, D Wade had Shaq, KG had Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and so on and so forth! So I think that it's completely unfair to just look at the rings and draw conclusions that the guy isn't a great player because he hasn't won a title yet. He's only 27 and up until last year he's been playing solo. Remember, Jordan was 28 before he won his first title bruh! I'm just sayin'!

So when folks throw out titles it only tells me that they skipped all of the clinical data and just read the conclusions section. If championships told the complete story then Robert Horry with 7 rings would be considered the 2nd best player of all-time behind Bill Russell with 11, right?

Stop reading the cliff notes and look at the circumstances by which these guys have gotten to in their careers. I'm not taking anything away from either Jordan or Kobe but they played for better coaches and organizations than LeBron has had the opportunity to play for. Let's sit back and watch his career as he continues to develop as a player and leader now that he's in a better situation.

Now after you've read the complete set of data and all you can still say is LeBron doesn't have any rings then you're riding the short bus with a helmet and diaper on. I can't help you bruh. It's like saying a person is less intelligent because it took them 10 years to finish college because they had to work and go to school at the same time. Whereas, the kid you're comparing him to grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and his parents paid for every aspect of his education and he finished in 4 years. On the surface it's looks like the kid that finished in 4 was smarter and the other kid wasn't focused or just plain dumb. However, by reading all of the data you found out that their circumstances were different and that it's completely understandable as to why it took so long for the other kid to graduate.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Check TheJayGravesReport in Hilarious Youtube clips! Holla At Ya Boy!
http://bit.ly/xdx0S3