The Worst Dallas cop ever?

Dallas Police Office Robert Powell announced today he is resigning his current position with DPD following his now well documented encounter with Houston Texans RB Ryan Moats and his wife at a Plano hospital during Moats's mother-in-law's final living moments. Unless you live under a rock, you know the story of Powell's inexcusable actions, where following the Moats' running of red light, Powell refused to allow Ryan into the hospital to be at his mother-in-law's bed during her dying moments.

There are real issues yet to be addressed here, primarily the mistake made in Powell's resignation. Surely, Powell made a huge mistake, and acted in a way not befitting police officers and public servants. Following the incident, Americans and media have laid an outpouring of scorn for this 25 year old officer and his actions. Most called for Dallas Police to fire the 3 year veteran of the force. Even the Dallas police chief, himself a man of little integrity and questionable decision making, acknowledged the actions of Powell made him sick. Remember, the decision making of the Dallas Chief has been in question ever since he outlawed the chasing of fugitives in the Dallas area. Yes, you read that right, our police Chief thinks chasing felon fugitives by police officers is a tactic out of date with community policing. He insists criminals will be found during routine policing, hoping to catch criminals with outstanding warrants in trivial matters such as jaywalking, speeding, or, say running a red light.

But what most people miss here is the learning opportunity this situation created. And no, I am not talking about the learning opportunity for other police officers to understand how to deal with unusual situations like the one Powell and Moats were in. Powell has done nothing but show remorse for his actions since the incident. He has apologized publicly and to the Moats for his disturbing behavior. He has not shied away from the media, nor has he attempted to put the blame for his mistake on someone or something besides himself.

Many people sympathetic to Powell and police officers have claimed the situation escalated based on the training and experiences that many officers encounter - Powell never once excused his actions in the public eye by claiming officer training limited his options. He could have easily argued that a black male driving an upscale SUV in the Dallas area late at night would raise any officer's warning flag. He could have argued that he had no idea about the situation regarding the family death, and that training demands officers assume the worse in order to protect themselves as well as the public. He could have argued that Moats was in fact uncooperative during early questioning, thus raising his alertness level more so. He made none of these excuses, instead he simply stated his actions were wrong, his behavior was wrong, and expressed his regret.

Should DPD have suspended him, docked him pay, made it difficult for him to continue his current rise on the force? Absolutely? Should the public outcry be reason enough to remove a young officer who clearly made a huge mistake from working in one of the most difficult jobs available? Doubtful. The opportunity here existed for a young man to show real character. As they say, character is defined by how one responds when mistakes are made. Mistakes present opportunity to make a person a better man. Powell will miss this chance. He's made a mistake. He's apologized for his mistake. The question now: has his resignation prevented him and the city of Dallas from learning from his mistake?

And will Ryan Moats learn from HIS mistake? There is enormous pressure on a family when a relative is dying. Perhaps next time, the Moats will think twice before running a red light - saving those 60 seconds between red and green ended up costing Moats 16 minutes. Of course, no one wants to talk about his lack of judgment, because then we wouldn't have the opportunity to blast our public servants.

Here's hoping someone gives Officer Powell and his family a chance at the redemption he has shown he deserves.

Tiger. Oh my.

I spent last night in a great battle with my index finger in helping me work to change my tevelision channels. I ran some stupid event called a MudRun and was completely sapped of energy. Knowing full well that a great Sunday of sports awaited me, I finally made it home in time to catch the end of OU getting blasted by UNC, to see Jimmie Johnson grow a set and move someone out of the way to win a NASCAR race, and most importantly to be reminded of the greatness that is Tiger Woods.

Admittedly, I wasn't able to catch NBC's entire final round coverage of the Bay Hill Invitational. In fact, I tuned in prior to Tiger and Sean O'Hare's second shots on 18. As soon as I saw the leaderboard with Tiger tied with O'Hare on top, I knew I'd see history shortly. In fact, if my DVR hadn't been replaced, I simply could have watched last year's final hole at Bay Hill all over again. Same scenario, same outcome. Tiger approaches a final putt with the chance to win it, and he sinks a knee buckler. Unbelievable.

With his 5 stroke come from behind victory yesterday, Tiger reclaims (did he really lose it, knee injury be dammed?) his rightful place as the favorite heading into next weekend's Masters. I'm interested to see how his rivals (I know, I know, what rivals) react to the fact that Tiger is back.

I've also noticed that the world has been hit hardest by the recession in the last few months since Tiger's absence. Does he return signify a jump in the US economy? Not if today's 300 point Dow slide has anything to say about it...

A bit of College Football in March

Joe Schad of ESPN lure just put his top 10 onto SportsCenter. As of now, I've not seen his top 5, but #6 made me sit up. Ohio State. Really? Who have they beat in the last 3 years to warrant a high ranking? Gimme a break - who is Jim Tressel banging to get his team constantly recognized as a top 10 team?

Shows what I know - re: earlier post

Drag your page down - you can see my post regarding BORE-ing NCAA tourney. Well CBS just gift wrapped us a great 30 minute span with Sienna vs. Ohio State and Wisonsin vs. Florida State both going OT and coming down to the final 5 seconds. What a great two games! And to boot, the final two games of days one and two to save my faith in the greatness that is the NCAA tourney! Awesome. Awesome.

And PS - Dear Ohio State - maybe you should guard that really short guy from Sienna...2 threes in 2 separate overtimes to win the game? - Dear Florida State - close the deal, you were up 13. Finish. Finish.

By the way, my bracket is 25-7. Upset picks I got right: Arizona and Cleveland State. Games I missed: Wisconsin, LSU, Marquette, BYU, Dayton, Sienna, Maryland.

15 of my 16 remain for the Sweet 16 (only missing Florida State. Stupid Seminoles)

How can Texas beat Duke>?

For Texas to stand a chance against Duke, the Horns will need the inside out game to be performing at optimal levels with AJ Abrams and Dexter Pittman. Abrams will need to hit every open shot he gets, because you can bet Coach K will ensure the Dukies won't give him too many. Pittman, whose become a beast inside over the last few weeks, will need to be patient against what will likely be some sort of zone defense from the Blue Devils. Pittman, while showing signs of dominance, is still a subpar passer out of the post, and looks flustered and panicked when double teamed down low. He'll need to figure out how to step through the double teams and collapsing D to find the open shooters.

Two key factors that you might not think about - can Dogus Balbay and Varez Ward handle the pressure Duke will apply all game long? If the two headed point guard combo can protect the ball and get Texas into their offense, the Horns might have a chance. If they turn the ball over and get the Devils running, look out. The other factor - can someone from Texas stretch the D with outside shooting? Thursday night it was Damion James hitting a couple of threes to stretch Minnesota across the court, opening the lane for Ward drives and Pittman posts. Preferably, I'd like to see Connor Atchley show his form from last year with some three point bangers. In all liklihood, Duke will put lanky Kyle Singler on Damion James. James should take his off the dribble and attack the basket, letting Connor take the open outside shots while the Dukies work to close out.

If all of those things go well, Texas should win. Of course, I certainly don't expect all of those things to go well. Texas has been too inconsistant this season - but so has Duke.

Prediction (a Duke win) Duke 88 Texas 72
Prediction (a Texas win) Texas 79 Duke 74

My guess - Texas.

BORE-ing Tournament

What a lame first two days of the NCAA tourney this has been. The "upsets" have been lower seeded beating higher ranked foes, sure, but where are the stunners? Certainly #12 Arizona beating #5 Utah classified based on the seedings, but the reality is Utah shouldn't go home TOO surprised. Arizona is clearly a quality opponent.

Western Kentucky's win over Illinois should come as little surprise, because you're talking about a team full of NCAA tourney experience. Michigan as a #10 can hardly be considered a shocker to a Clemson team that entered the tourney stumbling over their own feet, losing 5 of their last 9 games. Maryland, another #10 seed who knocked off 7 seeded California, weathered the ACC this season to build up the strength to take out a team from the pathetic Pac 10.

The closest thing thus far to a stunner would be Dayton knocking off West Virginia, if only because WVU came from the vaunted Big East. As we start the 2nd half of Friday's last games, here's hoping Cleveland State can hold on against Wake Forest to give us our Cindarella story of 2009. If not, we may have to hang our hopes on a deep run by a lower seed on the Arizona Wildcats. Considering this is a team playing in its 26th consecutive NCAA tournament, I'd hardly expect a plethora of Cinarella bandwagoners to jump on board the Wildcat Wagon.

Beyond upsets, we've yet to see the buzzer beater. We had a few chances in Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee (a wildly entertaining game that was a final shot away from being an instant classic) and Clemson vs. Michigan, but both games ended on shots that were barely a prayer, with no real drama as to the outcome of the shot. The game of the first two days thus far has been VCU's heartbreaking loss to UCLA, where after making an amazing comeback in the waning moments, the Rams all everything Erik Maynor (he of knocking Duke outta the first round in 2007) came up just short on a last second jumper that would have sent the Bruins home to LA.

Instead, we'll have to hope for some kind of stunner in the next few days...Does Texas knocking off Duke tomorrow night count?

A bit about Race and Sports

Liberal media bias permeates the fabric of our sports world. This fact is something we’ve come to accept. What I refuse to accept is the idea that the general population’s election of Barack Obama has given the national media free reign to bash university and college administrators in their sports coaches hiring processes.

The argument national media makes has been consistent for the last few years, especially in regards to NCAA Division I football. Basically, the argument goes that college and university Presidents are all racist, and refuse to hire African American coaches to run their big time football programs. This past year alone, Turner Gill became the new Martyr of Black Coaches when white coaches “leapfrogged” him for some high profile jobs (notably Auburn, Washington, Tennessee). Especially infuriating to the press was Auburn’s choice to bring Gene Chizik in as head coach after 2 miserable years at Iowa State. Whether Auburn will be vindicated for bringing Chizik home or not will take a few years to play out, but I’m hear to announce, “Enough of the bitching!”

Simply put, the media takes the issue of race to the opposite extreme in perpetuating racism in this country, and sports has finally joined in the fray. For too long, people have worked hard to avoid “offending” minorities by being political correct and “sensitive” to the plight of the black man. Affirmative action became commonplace around 15 years ago in many states as well as on University campuses nationwide. You rarely find someone willing to venture out on a limb to criticize blacks for fear of being called a racist. Rush Limbaugh was fired from ESPN for making the statement that Donovan McNabb received unfair credit for the success of the Philadelphia Eagles because he was black (Limbaugh explained the credit belonged to the defense). Whether the statement held truth or opened dialog, ESPN feared the backlash such a “controversial” statement might bring, and forced Limbaugh’s resignation. The University of Texas is threatening to end varsity sports because a state law requires that a student who finishes in the top 10% of his senior class can attend any state school he chooses. This law is adamantly supported by the likes of the NAACP and other minority interest groups because it allows, in theory, minorities access into a top public institution. In reality, the school acknowledges that over 85% of all incoming freshman are admitted based on this law – leaving well deserving, well rounded individuals heading to Lubbock, College Station, Dallas, and well, not Austin. The President warns this could include football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, and other athletes in the near future.

Let’s look at the college football landscape specifically. Turner Gill may have had a successful season at Buffalo (7-5) last year. Certainly the turnaround Gill led should be admired. But does that qualify him to be a big time college football coach? Not sure. The real question – should race play a role at all? The media would have you believe they say, “No.” But what they are really saying is, “No, so long as you hire more black coaches.”

You see, anytime you use race as a factor in determining a hire, you are being inherently racist. By giving the benefit of doubt to a black head coach candidate, you automatically assume he is more qualified for the job than a white counterpart. Is it the job of Athletic Directors to push social justice? Not really – it’s their job to build successful football programs. This means hire the person they feel would be most successful in their current open position, REGARDLESS of race. When I say regardless of race, I mean regardless of whether the candidates are white or black. ESPN talking heads arguing that the NCAA needs to do something to get more black coaches hired is simply instituting a racist tinge on every major program hire.

Look at the flip side argument. Would you call me a racist if I said that 75% of all college scholarships for basketball should go to white players? I mean, the population in this country is 75% Anglo, so it makes sense this number would equate on the basketball court for scholarship offers, right? No – this is ridiculous. Universities and coaches work their hardest to get the best players for their programs, regardless of race. Why can’t administrators do the same without media crying foul? If you accept that black athletes make better basketball players than whites, then you can’t cry foul when people claim white coaches coach better than blacks. You’ve set a double standard whereby it’s OK to be racist against whites on the field of play, but certainly not OK to be racist against blacks off it.

I’m not saying it’s OK to select coaches based on the fact that white coaches are better suited for success than blacks. That’s stupid. Ask Mike Tomlin and the Steelers if they think a black man can be a successful head football coach. I’m saying, stop bitching about University selections of coaches because schools refuse to buy into your media bias toward social justice. Hiring a black coach instead of a white coach simply because a coach is black is as racist as refusing to hire a black coach at all.