Gov. Crist: you win some, you lose some

It's been an interesting week for Florida governor Charlie Crist.

On Monday night, he attended the Miami Heat's game to make a few remarks in honor of their retired star player, Alonzo Mourning, whose number was raised to the rafters that night. The always classy Miami crowd booed the governor.

Now, I'm no huge fan of Charlie Crist ... but I'll acknowledge that he's a damn sight better than his predecessor. (Of course, a bag of dirty diapers would be preferable to Jeb! Bush.) However, I can't help but wonder whether the Heat fans booed him because he's Republican or rather, as I suspect, because he's not Republican enough.

As you may recall, Gov. Crist accepted on behalf of the state of Florida (properly, in my opinion) federal stimulus money that some of his fellow GOP governors refused, and he's played nice with Democrats from Washington to Tallahassee. This is, naturally, treasonous behavior in the eyes of the wingnuts who disproportionately fill the stands for professional sports these days, since they believe anything that smacks of cooperation with that dirty black Muslim Obama represents the purest form of evil.

But today, Charlie got a little redemption, in the form of an ever-widening door to a U.S. Senate seat in 2010. Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) sent a letter to the governor today that reads in pertinent part:

Based on ongoing press speculation, I know that you are giving serious consideration to the question of whether to seek re-election, or whether to instead seek election to the United States Senate.

As you contemplate this decision, I want to let you know that I have decided not seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2010, and that I will instead seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I also want you to know that, as you contemplate your own political future, I will be your strongest supporter and champion -- regardless of whether you seek re-election or election to the Senate.

I'm on record as saying that Charlie Crist will win whatever office he seeks next year, whether it's reelection as governor or a trip to D.C. Rep. Mack likely knew this, but he still stood to gain a lot of far-right support in a primary contest against Crist and, depending on how things went between now and next summer, he still had a decent shot at the nomination. Mack's stepping aside now leaves an unencumbered path for Crist to gain the GOP nomination for the Senate -- and likely election two Novembers from now.

So, Charlie, you may have been booed by a bunch of fat cat hoops fans ... but you can probably laugh about that all the way to the U.S. Capitol.

Bonus schadenfreude: Gator tastes like chicken

As someone who is firmly in the "anyone but the Gators" camp, I find it delightful that UF men's basketball coach Billy Donovan (right), fresh off back-to-back national championships, is bolting Gainesville and heading down the Turnpike to become the coach of the Orlando Magic.

I'm surprised at this, coming so soon after Donovan rejected overtures from the University of Kentucky to coach the Wildcats. I imagine all of "Gator Nation" thought they'd have Billy for a long time. Alas, it's not to be.

It's purely speculation, but I have a feeling Donovan's going to regret his decision someday. College coaches historically have a hard time successfully making the transition to the pros (see, e.g., P.J. Carlesimo, Jerry Tarkanian, and of course Donovan's own mentor Rick Pitino), and I always thought Billy was the consummate college coach in terms of recruiting ability, rapport with his players, and his credibility as a former Final Four player (under Pitino at Providence). Time will tell ... but in the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy a little extra schadenfreude today. Sorry, Gators.*

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* Not really. ;)

UPDATE (11:38 am 6/4/07): Looks like Billy might be heading back to Gainesville after all.

When I said he was going to regret his decision someday, I didn't expect "someday" to arrive so soon ...

Number 66 gets no respect

So, you're West Virginia University. Your men's basketball team was robbed of a bid in the 65-team NCAA tournament, but you go on to win the NIT. And all you get is this lousy T-shirt.

Do you think they'll misspell "Florida" or "Ohio State" tonight? Yeah, right.

Hardaway redux

Remember Tim Hardaway? He's getting what he deserves: contempt.

Tim Hardaway's anti-gay comments are forcing him out of this weekend's NBA All-Star activities in Las Vegas, but it landed the former Miami Heat guard in the center of a debate Thursday over how open-minded sports is compared to society in general.

[...]

Criticism of Hardaway arrived from both near and far:

• NBA Commissioner David Stern canceled the remainder of Hardaway's appearances in Las Vegas, where Hardaway participated in an NBA Cares outreach event Tuesday. "It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and our views," Stern said.

• Heat President and Coach Pat Riley said he was "shocked by some of the words" Hardaway used. Riley, speaking on Miami radio station WQAM-560 AM, said he intended to talk with Hardaway and that attitudes like that "wouldn't be tolerated in our organization."

He added: "We as a country have realized that throughout the course of our problems, it's always been something that had to do with discrimination or bigotry and judgments and we've got to get that absolutely out of our psyche."

But Riley also said Hardaway had a "good spirit and I'm sure now he wishes he could take all of that back. I hope he's not so severely judged by the spewing of some of those words."

• Hardaway was fired as chief basketball operations adviser of Trinity Sports, owner of the Indiana AlleyCats of the Continental Basketball Association. Former Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler, Trinity's majority owner, said Hardaway's comments "in no way reflect my views or those of anyone else in our organization."

• Former NBA player John Amaechi, whose new autobiography, Man in the Middle, initiated recent discussion about gays in sports, said Hardaway's comments should be a wake-up call.

"I think people look through rose-colored glasses when we start talking about bigotry, racism, sexism and homophobia," Amaechi said on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning. "The number one thing that people say is, 'It's 2007. These things don't exist anymore.' "

Read the whole article for more. I think this is going to lead to more inquiry into and consideration about the role of gays in sports ... and in society. And, assuming the consideration is legitimate, honest, and open (yes, a big assumption), that's a good thing.

Okay, this time, hate the player

Since I first heard it, I liked the saying, "Don't hate the player, hate the play." But former NBA player Tim "I'm Not Penny" Hardaway took hate to a new level yesterday, in an interview on Miami radio.

With former NBA center John Amaechi disclosing last week that he's gay, Hardaway was asked by host Dan LeBatard on 790-AM The Ticket how he would have handled having a gay teammate. Hardaway said gays don't belong in the locker room and would destroy a team's chemistry.

"You know that what you're saying there, though, Timmy, is flatly homophobic?" LeBatard said. "It's bigotry."

Said Hardaway: "Well, you know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people. I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

First off, good for Dan LeBatard to point out Hardaway's blatant bigotry. It's not hard to imagine how different the reaction might have been had Hardaway been talking to, say, KSFO.

And regarding a guy named "Hardaway" saying he hates gay people, well, insert your own joke in the Comments below. Sure, Hardaway later apologized, but it's hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube, as Rush Limbaugh, among others, has discovered in similar situations.

When John Amaechi came out last week, I wrote that perhaps it was emblematic of a burgeoning acceptance of all people in sports, regardless of their race, color, creed, or sexual orientation. Yes, I know there's still a long way to go, but Hardaway's screed just reminds me that we're probably going nowhere fast, with the hate and misunderstanding and stereotyping that long has been a hallmark of the American (usually male) locker room.

It's a shame that people like Hardaway think the way they do ... but even more of a shame that their fame allows them a forum to spew their hateful message.

Bravo, John Amaechi

I was heartened to hear the news yesterday that former NBA player John Amaechi (right) is coming out as gay in his new book, Man in the Middle, to be released February 20. He is the first NBA player, current or former, ever to make such a revelation.

I always followed Amaechi since meeting him during his days with the Orlando Magic (1999-2001), at which time I lived in central Florida. His charm, erudite wit, and intelligence endeared him to the Magic fans, and while I never really have followed pro basketball, I always felt he was something more than "merely" a basketball player.

Tragically, being gay in certain segments of society remains an enormous and perhaps insurmountable stigma. Not being gay myself, I cannot say firsthand, but I have known many men and women who have struggled with this issue in their own lives, and I can only imagine how much of a challenge it must be to have to hide one's identity while existing in the testosterone-fueled lifestyle of a major professional athlete. John Amaechi is demonstrating tremendous personal courage that I hope will serve him well as the spotlight shines on him in a new and different way from this point forward.

UPDATE (2:14 pm 2/8/07): The Orlando Sentinel today has an article on the subject that provides a little more insight. Perhaps we aren't far from the day when an active player can come out and not be ostracized for it ...

In basketball today, David School leads Racism, 2-0

In light of the latest load of shit from Virgil Goode, this is somewhat sobering:

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A high school basketball team has voted to boycott a game against an opposing team that waves the Confederate flag, adding fuel to a debate over what is appropriate behavior at sporting events.

The team of eight male players, including one black student, at the private David School in Floyd County unanimously decided this week to boycott a Jan. 19 game against Allen Central High School, said Ned Pillersdorf, the David School's athletic director and boys basketball coach.

Taunting is forbidden in Kentucky high school sports, and the David players allege that the use of the Confederate flag is taunting - particularly when used like this:

Especially upsetting to the David School's team, Pillersdorf said, was when a black player was up for a foul shot and "they were waving the Confederate flag at him."

It's appalling, I know, but here come the really foul shots (pun intended):

Pillersdorf sent a letter to Allen Central officials, stating in part, "David has the only basketball team with black players in Floyd County, we want to assure you that the decision was made by all of our players."

Allen Central Principal Lorena Hall and her students have defended their Confederate emblems, saying they symbolize strength, independence and pride.

"It has nothing to do with racism," Hall said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "It's a part of us." She declined to comment Thursday.

I don't know which shocks me more: the fact that only one high school in the entire county has black basketball players, or that the principal's attitude is that the Confederate flag "has nothing to do with racism."

My high school mascot was, and remains today, the "Colonels." We used a logo not unlike that used until 2003 by Ole Miss (a/k/a the University of Mississippi), of an old "Rebel" plantation owner. The University of Nevada-Las Vegas has a somewhat more westernized Rebel representation. I'm pleased to see that apparently my high school no longer uses the "Rebel" logo, opting instead to go exclusively with the simple Chicago Bears-like "C" that has appeared on our football helmets for years.

I was in marching band. Our signature show closer was a fanfare that included a solo trumpet playing the 12-note motif of "Dixie." We had Confederate insignias of all types all around the school. And it never even occurred to me at the time that the message sent with all this might be one of racism ... and that's to my profound regret today.

It's unbelievable to me that, in 2006 (almost 2007), we're still dealing with the same issues of racist symbolism and ignorance. But, then again, I don't live in rural eastern Kentucky.

Kudos to the players of the David School. I hope others will stand with them in the weeks and months to come.

UPDATE (3:18 pm 12/22/06): Thanks to jeffraham prestonian, who led me to a PBS documentary film/series, viewable online, about the David School.