Rush Limbaugh was recently pushed out of a bid to purchase stake in the pathetic St. Louis Rams professional football team. This was the accomplished mission of liars, hate-mongers and racists like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the usual cast of brainless clowns who succeeded in attributing racists quotes to Limbaugh, all of which are widely known to be pure fabrication.

If there was any “social justice” in this world, then everyone who attributed a false quote to Rush Limbaugh during October of 2009 would be sent to a work camp where they will be forced to take sensitivity and tolerance seminars during the evenings, and during the day put in several hours of landscaping at the houses of Haliburton exec.

Our free society is becoming a precarious place for dissenting viewpoints. God help us all.

From Rush’s Wall Street Journal piece on this whole tragedy:

…It didn’t take long before my name was selectively leaked to the media as part of the Checketts investment group. Shortly thereafter, the media elicited comments from the likes of Al Sharpton. In 1998 Mr. Sharpton was found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay $65,000 for falsely accusing a New York prosecutor of rape in the 1987 Tawana Brawley case. He also played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot (he called neighborhood Jews “diamond merchants”) and 1995 Freddie’s Fashion Mart riot.

Not to be outdone, Jesse Jackson, whose history includes anti-Semitic speech (in 1984 he referred to Jews as “Hymies” and to New York City as “Hymietown” in a Washington Post interview) chimed in. He found me unfit to be associated with the NFL. I was too divisive and worse. I was accused of once supporting slavery and having praised Martin Luther King Jr.’s murderer, James Earl Ray.

[...]

…Numerous sportswriters, CNN, MSNBC, among others, falsely attributed to me statements I had never made. Their sources, as best I can tell, were Wikipedia and each other. But the Wikipedia post was based on a fabrication printed in a book that also lacked any citation to an actual source.

I never said I supported slavery and I never praised James Earl Ray. How sick would that be? Just as sick as those who would use such outrageous slanders against me or anyone else who never even thought such things. Mr. Wilbon refuses to take responsibility for his poison pen, writing instead that he will take my word that I did not make these statements; others, like Rick Sanchez of CNN, essentially used the same sleight-of-hand.

The sports media elicited comments from a handful of players, none of whom I can recall ever meeting. Among other things, at least one said he would never play for a team I was involved in given my racial views. My racial views? You mean, my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated as a precious human being without regard to his race? Where football players should earn as much as they can and keep as much as they can, regardless of race? Those controversial racial views?

The NFL players union boss, DeMaurice Smith, jumped in. A Washington criminal defense lawyer, Democratic Party supporter and Barack Obama donor, he sent a much publicized email to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying that it was important for the league to reject discrimination and hatred.

[...]

As I explained on my radio show, this spectacle is bigger than I am on several levels. There is a contempt in the news business, including the sportswriter community, for conservatives that reflects the blind hatred espoused by Messrs. Sharpton and Jackson. “Racism” is too often their sledgehammer. And it is being used to try to keep citizens who don’t share the left’s agenda from participating in the full array of opportunities this nation otherwise affords each of us. It was on display many years ago in an effort to smear Clarence Thomas with racist stereotypes and keep him off the Supreme Court. More recently, it was employed against patriotic citizens who attended town-hall meetings and tea-party protests.

These intimidation tactics are working and spreading, and they are a cancer on our society.

The 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics apparently had no players worthy of being sent to China to play for the US… despite spending the 2008 season wiping the court with the rest of the league. Oops… have I forgotten how successful our more flashy players can be in international play. We wouldn’t want to put in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, or Paul Pierce… who collectively surrendered their individual games in favor of a cooperative team-centered style… would we? Do we really want to start winning against those other big-name basketball countries… like Greece, Argentina, and Puerto Rico? Countries who would gladly shove that basketball up your rear if they could score soccer tickets out of the “exchange”. Team-centered play… what’s that nonsense about?

Bless my soul, I thought basketball was a still a team sport!? Instead of sending the so-called all-stars to showboat, trip all over each other and screw up another year of international play (a far cry from the Bird, Magic, Jordan days)… why not send an actual team? Why not send the NBA championship team? That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. China baby! Someone said tea… I heard you ask for a little Boston 3 Party to march all over your misshapen paint!

The “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and team captain Paul Pierce proved an unstoppable force this season in the NBA. I have waited since the 80′s to see my team back in its glory. Indeed, with all the flash-slappy style of play since the 90′s I haven’t watched much pro ball… but this whole series felt like a nostalgic blast from the parquet past. What a treat… and what a sweet victory!

From FoxSports:

Boston Celtics claimed their 17th NBA title, and first in 22 years, with a stunning 131-92 blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

On a new parquet floor below aging championship banners, the Celtics won the first title — at last — for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — their Big Three for a new generation.

Lifted by ear-splitting chants of “Beat L.A.” from their adoring crowd, which included Boston greats Bill Russell, John Havlicek and JoJo White, the Celtics concluded a shocking rebound of a season with a resounding win over the Lakers in Game 6.

The darkness closes in on me. Torment. Confusion. Bewilderment. Despair.

All that was glory enters decay. All that was good has turned evil. The very seas bellow their discontent. The beasts will not rest. The toils will not cease. Let all taste wrath and flame and fire.

Let everything that has breath fear. Let everything that hath life fear. May the sun scorch the very earth. May the air chill the very bones of the strong and the meek. Let all abominations have this day.

Hope is lost. All hope is vanity. All sport is vanity… a chasing after the win. May it be vanity now and forevermore. May the very waters turn to blood. May the wind blow a poisonous fume over all.

Absolute horror.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Perfection comes down to one game now. Despite a shaky Tom Brady, the New England Patriots were still too much for the banged-up San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game Sunday, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sent them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons.

[full article]

The Patriots beat the Jaguars on Saturday making their season record 17-0, matching that of the 1972 Dolphins who ran the table that year (14-game schedule). Tom Brady completed 92.9 percent of his passes (26 completions in 28 attempts) setting an all-time NFL record for the highest completion percentage in a game, including regular-season and playoff games (minimum 20 attempts). His passer rating was 141.4 which is an NFL playoff record.

In addition to the aforementioned Brady being selected the league Most Valuable Player, and Bill Belichick being selected Coach of the Year, the Pats’ VP of Personnel – Scott Piolo – was selected Executive of the Year, and Randy Moss was selected Comeback Player of the Year.

Two more games left.

Patriots quarterback Brady rides records to MVP Award

Add Most Valuable Player to all the other accolades Tom Brady has been collecting.

The New England Patriots’ record-setting quarterback drew all but one vote Saturday in romping to The Associated Press 2007 NFL MVP Award in the same manner his team romped through its schedule, going 16-0. On the way to the first unbeaten regular season since Miami went 14-0 in 1972, Brady put on a performance for the ages.

[Full AP Article]

I love this! I’ve heard so much belly-aching by a few vociferous sour-pusses whose teams chilled in the shadow of the mighty New England Patriots this year. Spygate this… spygate that. Well, I think the Associated Press said it best, “Spygate be damned!”

Below is an excerpt from the Associated Press story.

Spygate be damned! Bill Belichick of the unbeaten New England Patriots is The Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year.

With the Patriots motivated by a spying scandal – and owning the deepest talent base in football – Belichick guided his team to the first 16-0 regular season in league history.

That was enough to offset the major blemish on Belichick’s resume: a $500,000 personal fine, $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a first-round pick in the upcoming draft after the Patriots were caught videotaping New York Jets coaches during the season opener.

Spygate didn’t stop 29 of the 50 voters on a nationwide panel of media members who cover the NFL from voting for Belichick on Thursday. In a season highlighted by many strong coaching performances, Belichick beat out Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy, who received 15 votes for leading the Packers to a 13-3 record and the NFC North title.

“This is definitely a team recognition, but one that I appreciate very much on a personal level,” Belichick said in a statement issued by the club.

The New England Patriots just swept their entire regular season – all 16 games – by beating the New York Giants in a come-from-behind nail-biter. They make me so nervous when they get behind by multiple scores in the second half… I need to start taking blood thinners before these games.

The Patriots set the NFL regular season record for points scored in a season (589). Tom Brady completed two touchdowns to Randy Moss, giving Brady the record for passing TDs in a season (50), and Moss the record for receiving TDs in a season (23).

You might think that sitting pretty well atop the entire rest of the league is a non-stressful position… but it’s not. Much is at stake beyond this single season. The Patriots have a chance to establish themselves as the best team of ALL TIME! Those chances come once every few lifetimes for a team. This is beyond trying to win the Superbowl. This is big.

So every game from now on (and there’ll probably be four of them) will be a stressfest. I can only hope that the Pats put up enough of a lead early on so that I can actually enjoy these games in their second halves.

Greece bumped the US Team (filled with NBA players) out of gold medal contention… Greece having only a single NBA player on its roster. This feels just like the 2004 Summer Olympics where the US got bumped from the gold medal round by Spain (I think). Geez… in the 2004 Summer Olympics we couldn’t even beat Puerto Rico, one of our own territories?!

Face it… United States basketball, embodied by the NBA, has become a spectacle… a spectacular exposition of attitude and showiness performed by grown, whiny children. We care more about dunks and 3-pointers than any of the fundamentals of the sport. Our fast-food entertainment culture desires the flash and sizzle of hard drives to the hoop and aerial acrobatics… not the mundane execution of 12-foot pullup jumpers and dependable foul shots. The NBA suits, knowing flash equals cash, restrain their own refs from calling the two-step rule on the big “playmakers” as they take 3-and-a-half steps to the hoop. Hey, if the crowds sing then the registers ring – somebody show me the money.

But alas… this perverted form of basketball encounters the truly objective challenge in the face of international competition. Are the NBA tricksters the best? Are the US court magicians superior? Nope. It turns out that a basket made from a 15-foot jump shot is worth the same as one made in a spectacular alley-oop. Without the Figure Skating judges giving points for “Artistic impression” the US style of flash over substance gives no advantage… and is possibly a disadvantage.

Things weren’t always like this. Remember the 1992 Summer Olympics? Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and the rest. We utterly cremed the opposition. But these players listed were the best. They had the fundamentals of the sport down cold. They knew (even and especially Jordan) that flash was great, but it was SECONDARY to getting the basketball in the basket. People like to say that today’s players are the best there ever were. *cough* What?! I think not… just look at how they do against other countries whose teams aren’t filled with cash-pumped players and whose people would rather watch soccer.

Now you may also say, “Hey, this is all because so many of today’s NBA All-stars refuse to play in non-cash events.” It is true that today some all-stars duck out of representing their country in international competition (which is a blog post for another time), but that is only a further testament to their selfish, glitzy mentality… and probably reveals a deep fear of being embarassed by teams they outwardly perceive to be inferior. Do you really think that these results would be any different if there were different US players there? Not in today’s NBA. We’d be better off using our college team all-stars.

Here’s an excerpt from the article linked at the top:

As they warmed up before Friday’s semifinal against Greece, the U.S. players put on a jam session for the fans.

Dwight Howard dunked emphatically. Dwyane Wade bounced the ball off the backboard, caught it and stuffed. Elton Brand jammed an alley-oop pass. Finally, LeBron James flew down the lane for a tomahawk.

As the crowd roared, the Greeks lined up at the other end and shot free throws. The moment foretold Greece’s 101-95 victory in the semifinals of the world championships.

The U.S. has dazzling skill; the Greeks are a dazzling team.

“We have to learn the international game better,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We learned a lot today because we played a team that plays amazing basketball and plays together.”

[emphasis added by Negative99.com]

You have to learn the international game better?!? If that means you have to learn how to score more points than the other team, then YES, you’re right. Bless my soul, though, but I thought scoring more points was the key to American basketball as well.

This is why myself, and a growing number of others, don’t watch the NBA. How long until March Madness 2007?