TSF NFL Picks Week 10

First off let Diallo Tyson and The Commission take you back

See ya boy getting slammed D?

Last Week: 7-7

Season: 7-7

Friday Fire: Who Is the Best Player In the NFL?

NFL pundits would have you believe Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL because of the Pats current domination of the lig. Yeah his has riiings, but is he or Peyton Manning the best the league has to offer?

Dat Dude! Interview With Former All-Pro Defensive Lineman, Marcellus Wiley

(Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

In this business, every now and again you come across someone with super human people skills. In Vegas this summer for Chris Webber’s Bada Bling, Marcellus Wiley was kicking it with his people in a way you know was sincere. Dat Dude is the type of person who would speak to you in an elevator during the awkward silence or make conversation with a stranger in the streets below. Those who remember him on the field were most likely drawn to his engaging personality even though his play on the field was as vicious as the hit on Joseph Addai in the pic above. Retiring from the NFL this year, Marcellus has his sights set on making a strong impact on the business world with the same intelligence and strength that enabled him to have a standout NFL career.

Michael Tillery: How did you acquire the moniker Dat Dude?

Derek Rose Will Bang it On Ya Pop!

Next years Rookie of the Year (yeah I’m calling it) highlight mix (turn the sound down if at work).

Interview With Jemele Hill: The Kev Dog Special

Do you really think you know me?

Jemele Hill, columnist for ESPN.com, has caught some flack around these parts. This is an age where some media entities represent Disney eared, Aaron McGruder caricatures adorned with extra teenie glasses whose sole aim is to pander to the disillusioned masses–themselves jackasses. You all know where I personally stand with Jemele. Similar to what we have here with the TSF creative, I wanted to engage you with provocative thoughts of visualizing where she stands in OUR collective hearts. There’s no one in journalism like her and she hears it from everyone. Could you imagine being in the center of a room with your eyes closed and wearing headphones? Opening your eyes, you are bombarded with screaming criticism from any and everyone. The faces are Black. The faces are White…Brown and so on and so forth. There are men. There are women and even youngsters.

You stand up with a sista burned fire ready to snap.. As you remove the headphones, the faces and voices fade to black like rescinding fog in a bizarro world. You wonder to yourself , “What the hell is going on?” Thinking aloud… “Is this my professional existence? Is this what I signed up for? Am I supposed to care what these strangers think? Why are they so passionate about the words I write? Do they scream their loved ones way, like they spew hatred and venom in my comment section every day?

Why do all these people want my writing to just go away?

I tell you what, this my destiny. I do this for the love. I’m here to stay no matter what they say….

Read Jemele’s archived work here.

Bonds Will Boycott Cooperstown If 756 Has an Asterisk and It’s Fine With The Starting Five

Barry Bonds will boycott the Cooperstown Hall of Fame if record breaking home run ball is branded with an asterisk.

Good for you Barry! You have TSF’s vote!

Few athletes have the balls to stand up for what is right. Money is king in the eyes of most and the idea of losing it precipitates silence strictly out of fear. Whether or not you agree with Barry Bonds is irrelevant. The fact remains that no one is close to his numbers regardless of how many needles they stuck in their asses. I applaud Barry in this instance, because I do agree with him. The hatred associated with his existence is the most sickening display of humanity I’ve personally witnessed–in sports of course.

Kobe Trade News; NBA Scores; Jackie and Doug Christie Launch Internet Radio Show; Hingis Retires..Again;Jags Take a Hit, So Do the Padres ; Bounty Hunters Use Slurs Too

Lil Stevie swinging like everyone else

Kobe will veto Chicago Bulls trade if Luol Deng is included.

Deng is very much in play in the conversations between Chicago and Los Angeles, ESPN.com has learned.

And it’s mainly because of Bryant’s wishes that Deng is still wearing a Chicago uniform.

A source with knowledge of the trade talks said Deng has been included in proposals swapped between the teams, but Bryant has continually threatened to veto almost any deal in which Deng would be included. Bryant wants to be sure that the team he joins has enough talent remaining to compete for the NBA title.

Good Morning America: Starter Number 4 is Here!

So here I am, ready to roll. I am Anthony CinQue (pronounced sin-kyoo) Carter. This is my first post to The Starting Five. How’d I get here? My man, J.A. Adande set me up with the founder, Mizzo, and the rest was history. I’ve done a little bit in my time; written for a few papers and magazines and sites. But this is EXCITING! I’m really looking forward to a long-lasting relationship with America through The Starting Five. Mizzo told me to just be myself on this site. He told me not to pull punches and not to sugar-coat anything. That’s just my style.

Before I go any further, I need to give shouts to those that directly paved the way for me in journalism: the legendary Brad Pye, Jr., Leland Stein (The Michigan Chronicle), Haywood Galbreath (HGSTAR1NEWS), J.A. Adande (ESPN / ESPN.com), Scoop Jackson (ESPN.com), Howie Evans (The New York Amsterdam News), and others. Thanks fellas. It’s been a long time coming. Big ups to my man Ben Osborne (formerly of KING Magazine), new EIC at SLAM! I used to write for him at KING. Big ups to my man Mizzo for bringing me onboard. Big ups to Michael Smith (ESPN / ESPN.com) for being down to earth and cool when I hung with he and J.A. on Miami Beach during the festivities at Super Bowl XLI. By the way, J.A. had me walking the red carpet at a particular very private affair that weekend. He’s always looked out for me though.

So, here we go.

More Stuff From Last Night’s TNT Coverage

After each TNT telecast, I’ll be posting notes from that nights show. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Barkley is off the hook. There’s nobody better in sports. He gives it to you real and raw.

Commissioner David Stern joined the show via satellite from San Antonio.

Stern on the new measures concerning the game officials: “All I can tell you is that we’ll be posting the (names of the) referees each morning so no one has any special information about our games. We’ll be doing deeper security checks. We’ll be putting in new rules to make sure referees don’t make calls from the locker room and the like. A series of things, but I would not be truthful with you if I didn’t let you know that if someone wants to engage in criminal conduct in violation of the law, it’s kind of tough. I often talk with FBI agents, rogue CIA agents and the like. It’s hard work, but we’re going to satisfy ourselves that we have the best mechanisms in sports. And I must tell you that other leagues and other conferences are coming to us and saying, ‘Ok, tell us what you’re doing and let us follow on.’”

Interview with ESPN.com Editor In Chief Rob King

 

Simply put, the reason why there is a TSF is because of ESPN.com. There’s no denying such a significant fact. In saying that, we also want an alternative to what has become almost a singular voice in sports. ESPN has a stranglehold on the way sports is packaged and the only way that grip changes is for sites like TSF and others to consistently speak out and offer a substantive check and balance. ESPN has hired numerous minorities as of late and Rob King is most likely ESPN’s most significant addition in quite some time. Just as some of you have questioned ESPN.com’s writers I’m sure some of you will question the hire mainly because of King’s graphic artist background. I had the same question and when contacting ESPN, John Kosner Sr., Vice President and General Manager, ESPN Digital Media responded with this statement via email: “Rob is a true leader. He is uniquely qualified to take ESPN.com to the next level bringing together a talented team to serve sports fans with the best in sports writing and reporting, audio, video and photography. It’s a dream assignment and he was born to do it.” Judge for yourselves what type of impact Rob King will have on MSM. He holds the keys to an organization that shapes the way we visualize and read sports. I must say that Rob King is one of the most intelligent people I have ever come across. The way we view sports is morphing just as fast as the technology that’s readily available. What’s your opinion and where do you see sports heading?

Read very carefully.

Flight of the Phoenix: Interview with Grant Hill

Many athletes are not afforded a second chance and ultimately languish among the has beens and what ifs. Grant Hill has become the soul model for athletes that haven’t the courage to fight and find their true sense of career satisfaction in the midst of adversity. He’s overcome injuries that normally cause freakishly talented pros to run from the sights, sounds and once in a lifetime heights of glory associated with super stardom. Legends primitive who become hood stars that saunter apprehensively and settle diminished into a lost world of sitting on stoops and embellishing past stories to any admirer who used to love them.

A new day has dawned. The signing of Hill by Phoenix proves how serious the Suns are in their quest of obtaining the title forever elusive. Playing at Duke, where his Blue Devils were the first team to go back to back since Walton dreams and Kareem teams energized the UCLA dynasty, Grant was able to perform in a comfort zone that most athletes only dream of.

Initially when Grant entered the NBA, he was one of the most gifted ballers to grace the scene. His unique combination of athleticism, intelligence and modesty was instrumental in Grant becoming the first rookie to lead any American sport in fan all-star total balloting. It wasn’t anything unusual for Grant to rack up multiple triple doubles per week as he positioned himself to become a true basketball icon. He was one of the first to be proclaimed the next Jordan and had the classiness and ambassador like presence of one Julius Erving.

GHill was the truth before this generation’s definition of truth ever existed. His African American art has been on tour to give those not accustomed an inspiring renaissance of cultural thought. Grant and his R&B songstress wife Tamia are fam first, and committed to giving back to raise up those who live by means less amid socially distorting life distress.

Simply put, Grant is a winner. This cannot ever be questioned.

Star Rising: Interview with ESPN NFL Analyst Michael Smith

Michael Smith is mos def a rising star in today’s media. He brings a very informed and easy style that is refreshing in this age of talking heads screaming and hollering NFL points so irrelevant and utterly ridiculous. Mike’s cool. The following conversation is reminiscent of the one Scoop, Dwil and I had in Vantage Point. It’s not as political, but it definitely lends itself to the constant and ever evolving discussion about the current tenor of sports reporting. Coming out of Loyola University (LA), Mike migrated north to the Boston Globe after interning there two previous summers. This was during the time the New England Patriots franchise initialized stamping the bully presence it now has on the NFL and Michael Smith was there to document it all. His attention then shifted to ESPN to realize a dream. The interview itself is a monster in size because Mike and I touch on a variety of subjects. As Mike calls, I am just finishing Bill Rhoden’s 40 Million Dollar Slaves for the third time (Go get it!). I thought it was apropos to ask Mike what Mr. Rhoden means to him personally. Enjoy.

Michael Tillery: Do you consider Bill Rhoden an inspiration?