Everything Sports

It was every Heat fan's worst nightmare as they watched their star, Dwayne Wade, head for the team's bench clutching his left arm in severe pain.

As Wade made a play for the ball in Wednesday night's game against the Houston Rockets, he slapped his arm against the Rocket's Shane Battier and bent over in pain. Cameras captured a crying Wade on the bench as he grimaced in pain and was carted away in a wheelchair. The Heat went on to lose the game 112-102.

The diagnosis on Wade is a severe dislocated shoulder that would force him out of action for at least six weeks, if Wade decides to prolong surgery and rehab the injury. However, if he opts for surgery, it would be the end of the season for one of the league's toughest players. It appears the star, famous for his "fall seven times, get up eight" ads, may have met his match in a freak accident that did not appear to have been serious in subsequent replays.

The questions on everyone's minds are "What decision will Wade make?" and "Can the Heat make it to the playoffs without him?"

The Heat attempted to answer the latter question with a win over Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier today. The Heat put up a great defensive effort, forcing the Cavs to a poor 36 percent shooting game.

Riding on the coattails of the big man, Shaq, and a great all-round game from Alonzo Mourning and James Posey, the Heat has set out to prove that they can survive the rest of the regular season without their scoring and steals leader; perhaps prolonging Wade's decision to return or not.

Also adding to the importance of Wade's decision is the fact that many believe this might be the Heat's last chance with its current roster of winning a championship. Already one of the oldest teams in the league, it will be even more difficult to imagine Shaq, Mourning, Payton and Walker giving the team this same kind of intensity and production every night, while staying injury free. If the team is going to try to make a run for a second championship, this may be their only window of opportunity.

So until Wade returns--and I believe that he will, in keeping with his tough nature and recognition of the fact that the team will need him if it wants to defend its trophy-- the Heat's role players would have to step up.

As Mourning said today in a half-time court interview with Michelle Tafoya, the team would have to rely on its defensive prowess to give it key stops and spread Wade's scoring amongst its role players.

Eddie Jones, who recently returned to the team after being bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies, is the likely player to replace Wade's production. While not quite the offensive player that Wade is, Jones is one of the better defensive players on the team and is capable of producing on the offensive end as well, having served as team's scoring leader few years back.

Jason Kapono, who has thrived from the open looks that Wade has created, needs to maintain his level of shooting while increasing his scoring and Antoine Walker needs to become more efficient in his shot selection and defense.

The Heat has a longshot to make it back to the finals, but I wouldn't bet against the team--just ask the Ocala man who took to robbing a bank three times to recover the $10,000 debt he incurred from betting aginst them in last year's final-- because no one can underestimate the heart of a championship team, and more importantly, the toughness of Dwayne Wade.

In the wake of the Italian Soccer League's recent law passed saying that football would be played without spectators to curtail the violence and Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy facing criticism for hitting a teammate with a golf club, has football become associated primarily with violence?

The ISL, formerly a football powerhouse haven, passed a law that prevents spectators from watching live matches after a police officer was killed in the midst of a violent riot during a match between cantania and Palermo. Matches were immediately suspended temporarily until a decision could be made.

This is the latest scandal to tarnish the ISL's reputation and probably further reduce its sponsorships. Few months ago, the league was engulfed in a match-fixing scandal involving four major teams.

More recently, the English Premiership League's Bellamy hit a teammate with a club after a dispute over, get this, Karaoke!!! The incident has many wondering if football has become the most dangerous of sports.

When it comes to player on player violence, then soccer isn't the sport to look at, but it has definitely become the sport to point a finger when it pertains to spectator or non-player violence.

Although it isn't quite popular in the United States, football has taken on a life of its own in other countries. Players get taunted with racial slurs by fans, some even get objects thrown at them during play. Referees are mugged for making perceived wrong calls and players are even killed by country-men for scoring own goals. Something needs to be done to curb the increasing number of violent activities related to the sport.

And the ISL's decision may be a starting point. It's hard to imagine watching a match with no fan involvement. There's little or no incentive to perform at your best as a player. From the management's point of view, it is costing teams millions of dollars in ticket and concession sales. But it is the right decision. When lives are being threatened on a match-to-match basis, nothing else should come into play when penalties are being considered. Hopefully, this decision would serve as a warning call to other soccer leagues to enforce better control of their matches.

To update a story I talked about earlier, it seems the two San Francisco Chronicle writers who faced 18 months in jail for failing to reveal the source of their leak in the BALCO investigation will avoid jail time.

Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams may not be headed to prison because the source of their leak has chosen to reveal himself. Troy Ellerman, who briefly represented BALCO founder Victor Conte, struck a deal to plead guilty on the terms that the writers would avoid jail time. He could be sentenced to two years in prison and a $250, 000 fine.

Ellerman had sworn under oath to not being the source of the leak, even going as far as blaming the government as the source to cover his tracks. However, in a turn of events, he decided to face the music and accept his punishment instead of letting the writers suffer for it.

Ultimately, the right decision was made. If the writers hadn't been sentenced to serve time, the genesis of their source would probably have remained unknown until the issue was irrelevant. Ellerman clearly abused the power that was given to him and should be punished justly. Maybe this may serve as a deterrent to other lawyers or officials of the court who want to get involved in illegal activities pertaining to their jobs from doing so.

Former NBA star and ESPN radio analyst Tim Hardaway revealed on the Dan Le Batard show on a Miami radio that he is homophobic.

After answering a series of questions from the Miami Herald and ESPN writer, Hardaway was asked how he would deal with a gay teammate, to which he answered:

"You know I hate gay people, so let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic... It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

He went on to say this about having one in the locker room,

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would...really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right." He continues on to say, "...I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that."

Hardaway's comments sent a wave of shock around the league culminating in NBA Commissioner David Stern asking for Hardaway to be removed from this weekend's All-Star festivities. Stern said the league would not entertain Hardaway representing them in anyway since his comments are not in line with what the league agrees with. Hardaway promptly left Las Vegas, where the All-Star weekend is taking place. ESPN has also tried to distance itself from him saying that he would no longer be making comments on ESPN radio.

Hardaway immediately issued an apology saying he is committed to examining his feelings and will "recognize, appreciate and and respect the differences among people in our society."

However, his comments come a little too late to save his current career. He should've known better than to make such a type of comment on air. The manner in which he spoke his opinion was riddled with hate. And he should know better as a black athlete who's aware of the history of black people in the United states.

After decades of facing racial discrimination and being denied the same rights as other races in the U.S., blacks can empathize with gay people, even if some may be against homosexuality. It is obvious that while there are laws protecting people of color from discrimination, there are still some people who smile in our faces, but discriminate against us behind closed doors. As a Christian, I was brought up to believe that homosexuality was wrong. However, I was also brought up to believe that judgement should be left to God. I have worked with some gay people who I had no issues with. On the contrary, the few I know were extremely friendly and kind. But when I interacted with them, they were just people to me. Just as they didn't look at me and comment on the fact that I was heterosexual, I didn't look at them as being homosexuals.

For us to come as close to ridding this nation of discrimination of any kind (race, sex, gender), we need to start looking at each other as people and not what we look like or what lifestyle we choose. On a recent trip to the UK, I spent a couple of days in a small town called Kings Lynn. While I was there, I observed that besides my friend--who I was staying with-- I was the only other black person in public. I asked my friend how comfortable he felt living in a place that had less than 1 percent of his race and he said that he hardly noticed it. I came to understand what he meant because, when he went to work on one of the days, I went out for a little shopping trip and it was the most comfortable I had felt shopping before. There were no eyes darting at me like I was an alien as I walked the streets and no sales associates casting furtive glances of apprehension at me. If anything, I felt at home in the town. By the end of the trip, I shed a few tears because I knew I was going to miss the innocence of the town, knowing that I was coming back to the reality of my color in the United States.

I don't know what kind of actions Hardaway plans to take to put a little damage control to the negative publicity he has drawn with his comments, but he needs to do it quickly if he ever dreams of getting another chance in the sport that made it possible for him to live the lifestyle that he does right now. It's going to be very difficult for him to get another chance, even at the lowest level, but if he doesn't do something quickly, he may not get a chance anywhere.

What has become of America's favorite pastime? I'll tell you what has happened. Baseball has lost its lustre amid the growing concern of steroids among players.

The Associated Press has reported that MLB's Player's Association has asked a federal appeals court to reverse its decision allowing investigators to probe into the 2004 positive steroids test of over 100 players. The court's 2-1 decision was instrumental in helping to expose the major source of steroids distribution in the U.S.

The MLB obviously stands to plunge further into the depths of irrelevance and plummeting ratings if several of its stars are suspended or, at the very least, thrown into clouds of suspicion so it isn't surprising that the league is fighting to keep the identities of these athletes private. Several names have already been leaked, but since there is not proof of certainty, we can only speculate and not convict. But Barry Bonds shouldn't have to bear the weight of this steroids issue on his aching knees and back. The public deserves to know who these people are and leave them with the choice to convict or give any athlete a second chance. Afterall, the NFL's Shawn Merriman made it to the Pro Bowl after serving a four-game suspension for testing positive to steroids this past season.

Several months ago, I blogged about the fight two San Francisco Chronicle writers were undergoing to avoid prison time (the appeal is still ongoing) and addressed some of the comments that portrayed these writers as investigative heroes. This is a perfect way to expose these mess called steroids. Revealing these athletes proves that the MLB is ready to revamp its image and promote a drug-free sport. The MLB needs to take a cue from Track&Field. No one should be above reprimand. By protecting these athletes, the league is saying publicly that it is more interested in revenues and financial success. The problem is very soon, there just might not be any revenues coming in from the mostly empty stadiums.

Apparently it is. As yet another former ball player has declared his homosexuality to the public, saying he is tired of living in the closet.

British-raised basketball player John Amaechi, who ended his career with the Knicks--he never played a game for them-- has become the first NBA player to make the revelation that he is gay.

While I applaud Amaechi for joining the list of professional athletes to come out of the closet and share their lives with the world, I question his timing to do so. It ties in nicely with the release of his strictly-for-profit book, "Man in the Middle". No one had heard from Amaechi since he retired until the pre-release of his book, so his revelation has made him somewhat popular and will undoubtedly help him sell copies.

It is becoming redundant to hear former athletes come out well after their careers have ended while several members of the media and other gay athletes commend him/her for his brave actions. Where are the current athletes who admit to being gay? Besides Houston Comets star Sheryl Swoopes (female athletes aren't subjected to the same perceived treatment as males if found gay) and Martina Navratilova, who is perhaps the most notable athlete to announce she was gay, and until last year, played as a semi-pro, no one else in all the major sports has admitted to being gay as a current player.

Amaechi has hinted that there are a few gay athletes currently playing in the NBA, but has refused to name them because he wants to leave their revelation to them to make; and rightfully so. However, we need one or two of them to come out of the closet, become true heroes for the next generation of high school athletes who are confused about making that decision. It is easy to laud these past athletes for "doing the right thing", but I fail to see how it really helps younger athletes. The only message it sends besides saying that it is OK to come out as a gay person in the 21st century is that you should do so when your playing career is over.

Swoopes' revelation was no doubt instrumental to girls around the world who have struggled with their sexuality, especially amid the recent settlement between Penn St. and ex-player Jennifer Harris. For those who are unaware, Harris sued Penn. St. along with the women's basketball head coach Rene Portland, for racial and sexual discrimination. Harris said she, and some other players, were kicked off the team because Portland (who doesn't condone homosexuality)thought she was a lesbian. Harris has said she's not a lesbian. This incident may have influenced high school players who may have thought about revealing their homosexuality.

But we need a current player in any of the major sports to come out while playing, so we can observe what kind of treatment he will get after his revelation. Amaechi said he got acceptance from some of his Utah Jazz players such as Greg Ostertag and Andrei Kirilenko, so why can't we assume that other players will? While reaction to this news have varied, most players--maybe from not wanting to be labeled a homophobe or who simply don't care either way-- have stated that as long as a person brings his game to the court and doesn't hit on them, they are fine with it. So why can't we give them a chance to prove it? We would like to see how they react in the locker room to knowing that a teammate is gay. We are dying to know.

We are in the day and age where there are many gay personalities receiving support and patronage from legions of fans. Isaiah Washington (black actor on Grey's Anatomy) caught some flak for calling a castmate a derogatory f word (rhymes with maggot) that is used to refer to gay people. His castmate was forced to come out as a homosexual and Washington has been forced to go into rehab.

It is no more accepted to discriminate, at least publicly, against gay people as it is to discriminate against blacks, so why are people still afraid to reveal their sexuality? If public figures can't come out, knowing the tremendous amount of protection they'd garner after that, then how much harder must it be for ordinary folks who no one cares about? We need a current male ball player to set the tone on how gay athletes would be perceived from here on. His decision to do so would be a life changing experience for him and many others world wide.

It is never an issue when I look at the lives of two of the greatest tennis players in history: Navratilova and Billie Jean King. When their names are mentioned in a conversation, I don't think about the fact that they are lesbians, but I definitely think about their legacies and influences on tennis as a sport. No one ever took away from the legacy of Bill "Big Bill" Tilden, one of the earliest true tennis champions that existed, so I don't see how being a gay athlete would take away from any player's legacy.

I called it. I did. I said if the Bears get the ball in the opening possession, Hester would return the opening kick-off for a touchdown.

You can imagine how excited I was when he did. Truth be told, I didn't really know who I was going to route for because I liked both teams almost equally. I was swaying toward the Bears, but I said if Hester scored on the opening play, I'd definitely be routing for the Bears, by way of routing for that score.

Anyways, it was a well played game, but it came down to Manning doing enough to keep his offense on the field for long periods of time, which meant the Bears defense were working overtime for most of the game. While not trying to take any kudos from the Colts offense, I have to admit that it was impossible for the Bears defense to play at their best for the whole game because they barely got any rest.

Marred by plenty of turnovers by both teams, especially in the first half, Manning stepped up his passing rate and carried his team to the win to avoid having to answer questions about his inability to win "the big one". The score ended at 29-17.

It was a fitting way to cap his run to the championship, and by winning the MVP honors Manning has closed the chapter to the book that compared him with the likes of Dan Marino, who wasn't able to win one in his illustrious and Hall-of-Fame career. For Dungy, it was good to not have to watch the agony on his face (think back to last year's loss with Vanderjagt's missed field goal)and even better to see him make history as the first black coach to win a superbowl. He has overcome a lot of adversity in his life (Bucs firing him, robbing him of his ring, death of his son by suicide) and truly deserved to be the one who made history.

Congratulations once again to Tony Dungy and the Colts for being the 2007 Superbowl XLI champions.