St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, Oscar Taveras, has been killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. Taveras’ family has confirmed the accident which also claimed the life of his girlfriend. Taveras was 22 years old and had a bright future ahead of him. Just 13 days ago, he hit a game tying home run against the Giants in the NLCS.
Oscar Taveras was described as the present and future of the Cardinals offense. Today, the baseball world mourns his loss.
Rest in peace Oscar Taveras. 
Derek Jeter officially played his last game as a New York Yankee in Boston and although the New York captain received much respect from the Yankees’ biggest rivals, the decision to play in Boston has not been welcomed by some of the Yankees’ biggest fans.
It’s a pretty big issue in the Yanks community — a lot of New Yorkers believe Jeter should’ve hung up his cleats after his last game at Yankees Stadium last week … and NOT played out the final games of the season at Fenway against the Red Sox.
Clearly, Jerry Seinfeld thinks Jeter chose poorly … saying, “He should NOT have played in Boston. You don’t owe anybody ANYTHING!”
Of course, Jeter got a standing ovation in Beantown … with the crowd chanting his name … but according to Jerry, the storybook ending went on a few pages too long.
There has been a call to change the name of the Washington Redskins because of its obviously racial connotations, but the team’s owner and unbelievably many fans of the team, don’t see a need for the name change. As far as they are concerned, it doesn’t matter that there are people who are offended by the name and the racist foundation of it’s meaning.
Jon Stewart from The Daily Show brought together the fans of The Washington Red Skins and Native American Indians in a segment called, “Catching Racism.” Watch the reactions as the two groups meet, particularly the reaction of the fans.
Another ESPN employee was suspended today, not for saying things that can be interpreted as defending Ray Rice, but for saying things that are definitely very critical of NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.
ESPN commentator and Grantland editor-in-chief Bill Simmons went off on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his podcast Tuesday, lambasting the commissioner for claiming not to have known what the Ray Rice tape contained:
Goodell, if he didn’t know what was on that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie detector test that guy would fail. For all these people to pretend they didn’t know is such fucking bullshit. It really is — it’s such fucking bullshit. And for him to go in that press conference and pretend otherwise, I was so insulted. I really was.
That rant caused ESPN to issue the following statement;
Every employee must be accountable to ESPN and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards. We have worked hard to ensure that our recent NFL coverage has met that criteria. Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks.
The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference today to say that he made a mistake in the Ray Rice situation. “I got it wrong” the commissioner said, “and I’s sorry for that.” With that out of the way, Roger Goodell went on to promise that moving forward things in the NFL will be different.
Goodell mentioned that former FBI director Robert Mueller is conducting an independent investigation into the NFL “to address any questions raised” about the process used in handling the Ray Rice situation, and Goodell “pledged” that any information or recommendation Mueller makes, would “lead to swift actions.”
He also stated that the domestic abuse cases in the NFL could help create change, “not only in our league, but in society.” He listed steps that the NFL is taking to improve the ways they deal with domestic abuse and sexual assault.
The commissioner also stated that the NFL has entered into a “long-term” partnership with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Goodell said that these two agencies “need our help and we’re providing it.”
“We strongly, strongly condemn and will punish behavior that is totally unacceptable,” Goodell said. “Domestic violence, including child abuse, sexual assault, irresponsible ownership or handling of firearms, the illegal use of alcoholic or drugs. These activities must be condemned and stopped through education and discipline.”
He also said that he is bringing together the NFL Players, their Union and the owners, along with outside experts to discuss ways to better improve the standards “and identify the right procedures.” And he promised that the NFL “would implement new conduct policies.” These policies Goodell said, will be in effect by the next Superbowl.
During the questions portion of the press conference, the commissioner was asked multiple times if he would step down because of the way he handled the Ray Rice situation. He answered unequivocally, “no,” saying instead that he should not be fired because he admitted his mistake and is “focused” on doing his job and making the NFL a better organization.
Ray Rice was once a star to the fans of Baltimore. But since a second video was released showing him knocking out his then fiance, Rice has lost its pedestal as the team and fans do whatever they can to separate themselves from any memories of the man they once loved.
After the Baltimore Ravens announced that they will exchange any Ray Rice Jersey with another Jersey, fans took them up on it and decended on the M&T Bank Stadium at 4am today. The line to get their jerseys replaced eventually stretched half a mile.
Fans are allowed to trade in their jerseys today and tomorrow.
Ray Rice was originally banned from playing with the Ravens for two games after an initial video showed him dragging the body of his girlfriend out of an elevator. But since a second video showed him actually knocking out the lady he eventually married, the NFL and the Ravens have issued indefinite suspension from the team and from the league. Rice has since filed an appeal.
It’s not official until we hear from the most honest man in news, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. And on Wednesday night’s show, Stewart took on the NFL and their horrible managerial skills or lack there of, in dealing with the many domestic abuse cases from the players, and his conclusion is that they don’t have the slightest idea about what they’re doing.
So it’s now official – the NFL is sadly clueless!
Stewart started out his segment Wednesday night going after Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy who is at the center of a domestic violence case. Hardy was convicted of assault and making threatening statements against the victim. But, Stewart said, the Panthers only announced Wednesday that he “is done…until he appeals his misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.”
“It’s the kind of firm decision making we’ve come to expect from people who don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing,” Stewart said.
The NFL has also appointed a group of women to oversee its its efforts to reduce domestic violence among its players.
“You know your business model is in rough shape when you have to appoint your own in-house special victims unit,” Jon Stewart said.
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As seen on America The Not So Beautiful
September 16, 2014
By Mike Caccioppoli
I’ve heard enough excuses when it comes to Adrian Peterson’s beating of his four year old son for which he was recently indicted. No it’s not OK to whip your child with a tree branch or anything else for that matter. It’s not something that is excusable because someone’s father might have done it to them or grandfather or uncle or whomever. The kid is also just four years old. Adrian Peterson is a parent in the 21st century, in the year 2014. He is a millionaire with a good if not great education and he should know right from wrong. His excuses are his own. Same goes for the others who are trying to excuse his vile behavior.
That behavior is unfortunately not isolated in this country. It’s not just blacks and it’s not just in the NFL. It is a mindset that is prevalent. The idea that violence is the way to go. The only way. Your kid doesn’t listen? Beat em. Your wife gives you lip? Beat her. There are some people in other countries that annoy us? Bomb the shit out of them. Spread that capitalism and freedom far and wide. Make em eat it.
In 2014 we are actually talking about how a professional sports league, run by well schooled rich guys, needs to “learn” about things such as domestic violence and child abuse. So they have “learned” about this in other countries but not here? Why are we the last to learn about such things as basic human compassion? The answer is because we don’t want to learn. We want things our way. The only way. The American way.
We are very much stuck in the 1950’s in many ways. As other nations advance we regress. The NFL just symbolizes what is so wrong with this country. The alpha-male, out of control masculinity that we need to flex in everyone’s face on a daily basis. It really is very simple folks. Don’t hit your spouse. Don’t beat your kids till they bleed. Don’t bomb everyone you don’t like. What exactly do we need to “learn”?
If you assault someone in the street, you get arrested, Period. So why aren’t you arrested if you hit your spouse or your kid? Why are these “exceptions”? People say things like “My father whooped me when I was a kid” or “Domestic disputes should be between husband and wife” as a way to excuse vile behavior as the American “norm” and in a way it is just that. As though things that were once acceptable behavior, or behavior that wasn’t talked about in public, is still OK. It’s not.
The idea that the NFL needs a manual to tell its players to not beat their wives or kids is insane. The bottom line is until we really start to admit that we are a violent, backwards country in so many ways, none of this will ever change. I don’t want to hear about “education”, as though we need courses to teach this common sense humanity to people. What does that say about us?
The violence as a cure all that some parents may have passed on to their kids hasn’t stopped with this and future generations because we continue to have that same old world mentality when it comes to just about everything. We want our politicians to “talk tough”, to bomb and fight and use war to get what we want, even though it never does, ever. We let our kids shoot high-powered weapons when they are six years old. That this is what it means to be “respected.”
Since so many Americans are caught in this sick mindset it allows the NFL and the Vikings to continue to play a guy like Peterson when he has been indicted. You think your boss is going to keep you if you are indicted for ANYTHING? The NFL knows that enough Americans will excuse Peterson, will “pray for him”, so they can get away with allowing him to play. Just as Ray Rice will now appeal his ban. As I said before, Rice should not have been banned because of a video, he should have been banned because he beat his wife. Nobody should be able to enjoy a millionaire’s life, a star’s life, when they are beating their wife or kid. Nobody.
This country’s gun obsession, or jingoistic mentality goes hand in hand with its high tolerance for domestic abuse, and child abuse, since the psychological factor is the same. Dominance. Using the fist to get our way. It can be an actual fist, or it can be a gun, a drone, or the whipping device of your choice. The child can get a beating from his dad then turn on the television and see how his/her country is about to give the middle east another beating.
No manual is going to help them. Or us.
Mike.Caccioppoli@yahoo.com
@CaccioppoliMike
Visit America The Not So Beautiful
The Baltimore Sun is reporting since former Ravens running back Ray Rice’s $35 million contract has been terminated and he’s indefinitely suspended by the NFL, the NFL Players Association and Rice are poised to appeal by filing a grievance as soon as Monday, according to sources.
Due process and the precedent for other players facing increased punishment are among the reasons for appealing the increased punishment Rice received, the sources said.
Rice is also considering potential legal action with all options remaining on the table following his increased discipline from the league, according to sources, who noted the potential “double-jeopardy” aspect of the former NFL player being punished twice for the same offense.
Sources indicated that Rice is also regarded as likely to hire a crisis management firm to offer him advice.
On Friday, the NFLPA got a letter from commissioner Roger Goodell explaining the increased punishment. The union has three business days to file an appeal, according to the NFL collective bargaining agreement
When it rains, it pours, and it’s thunder and lightning, and tumultuous rain in the NFL right now.
A grand jury has indicted Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson with reckless or negligent injury to a child, and will not play in this Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
The team tells WCCO that Peterson had been deactivated.
Police say Peterson told them he “whooped” his 4-year-old son with a switch earlier this year.
Photographs obtained by CBS Sports Radio 610 in Houston show a number of cuts on Peterson’s legs and thighs.
Police say the injuries took occurred in Texas in May when Peterson’s son was visiting.
When the boy returned to his mother in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, she took him to a doctor.
Police say the 4-year-old told the doctor Peterson had punished him for pushing his brother off a bike by hitting him with a switch
I was talking to someone this morning about this whole Ray Rice incident that captivated the nation. And this person said something to me that I hadn’t thought about before and that is, “if Ray Rice could come out in public and knock his then fiancée unconscious, then only God knows what goes on behind closed doors.”
And that thought came back to mind again after reading that Rice’s wife, Janay Rice, is upset. Not at her husband and the fact that she almost lost her life at his hands no, she is angry at the media for reporting on the incident.
Classic battered woman syndrome – protect the abuser!
A day after TMZ released the full video showing exactly how Ray Rice knocked her unconscious, Janay Rice took to her Instagram account to not only defend her husband, but also to express her utter frustration with the media for covering the incident.
“I woke up this morning, feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare itself. No one know the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.”
No, don’t try to view the Instagram post, Janay’s profile is private. But a screenshot of the post was captured by Jeff Zrebiec, a Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun, and tweeted out on Twitter.
Here is the screenshot of Janay’s full message;
Ben Carson is a Republican and has been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for President in 2016. Make no mistake, Ben Carson will never get the Republican’s nomination for president in 2016 or any year after, because Republicans are simply not ready for Carson’s real shade of gray… you know what I mean?
But following what happened today when TMZ released the full video of Rey Rice’s knockout punch on his then fiancée, Ben Carson jumped to the microphone to make his feelings known, and he doesn’t want anyone “demonizing” Rice for his knockout punch!
When asked if he agreed with the Baltimore Ravens and NFL’s decision to release Rice from his contract and suspend him indefinitely, Carson answered, “I’m hopeful they will get some help for him. I mean, obviously anyone who would do something like that needs some help.”
He continued;
“And let’s not all jump on the bandwagon of demonizing this guy. He obviously has some real problems, and his wife obviously knows that, because she subsequently married him. So they both need some help. So rather than just jumping on a punitive bandwagon, let’s just see if we can get some help for these people.”
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