ESPN Benches Bob Griese Over His Montoya Remark

Current NCAA college football color commentator and former Miami Dolphin great Bob Griese has been suspended for one game by ESPN over an off-color remark he made Saturday. During ESPN's telecast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game, a promo for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ran with a graphic showing the top 5 drivers in the points race. When fellow ESPN analyst Chris Spielman asked where was Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya, Griese replied, "He's out having a taco." Hmm... I didn't realize the taco was a Colombian food, I guess that's because it's not. At the end of the game, Griese apologized for his comments (he offered a 2nd apology later).

A one-game suspension is sufficient. It'll give Griese time to reflect on his offensive remark and maybe brush up on Colombian cuisine.

The clip below includes Griese's remarks during the game and his apology:

Costco Produces the Lil Monkey Doll

I haven't been posting lately, but I received this email about the Lil Monkey doll that is for sale at your local Costco. Sometimes I need to do a reality check to determine if anyone else is offended or am I just trippin'. Monkey, ape, baboon, etc. are derogatory terms used to humiliate people of African Descent and for Costco to be so insensitive makes me very angry. Here is a little black baby, with a monkey, banana and all!

I hear that Costco, after being besieged by complaints has began the arduous task of pulling the dolls off the shelves in their Greensboro store, but the dolls are most likely on sale in other location. Even if and when they pull the dolls off from all of the stores the damage has been done. What would possess the powers that be at Costco to think this would be alright?

Bum Rushed!

It's official... Rush Limbaugh has been dropped by the Checketts group, the individuals attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It's funny how karma can quickly bite you in the ass. Less than 2 weeks ago, Limbaugh and scores of others on the right put on a disgusting display by laughing and cheering over Chicago's failed bid to land the 2016 Summer Olympics. Do you think Rush and the rest of them are laughing now?

Update: Here is a clip from the talk show "The Young Turks" which includes segments from "The Rush Limbaugh Show". In it, he discusses being denied by the NFL and attempts to explain the 2007 "Bloods and Crips" comment he made about NFL players. As I said in the previous post about Limbaugh's bid to purchase the Rams, part of me hoped he did get rejected because it would show that being a race-baiting, sexist scumbag has its consequences. The Young Turks do an excellent job of elaborating on this point.




For more on Limbaugh getting drop kicked from the Checketts group, click here.

Limbaugh's NFL Bid In Limbo

As many of you know, Rush Limbaugh is part of a group attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. If the bid is approved, it appears that Rush would be a limited partner who wouldn't be actually running the team. However, due to the fact that Rush is such a polarizing figure who's made several controversial statements, many people are opposing his bid to buy the Rams. Over the past few days, there have been racist quotes attributed to Rush that many (including him) are deeming false. Since there appears to be no way to prove their validity, I'm not including them here. If someone has planted racist quotes and falsely pinned them to Rush in an effort to smear him, that's flat out wrong and unfortunate because there are plenty of statements made by him over the years that can't be denied. Below are just a few of the gems that have come from the mouth of Limbaugh on his radio show:

Limbaugh's 2003 comments about Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb:

"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

On the recent beating of a white kid by two black kids aboard a school bus:

"It's Obama's America is it not? Obama's America white kids getting beat up on school buses now. You put your kids on a school bus you expect safety but in Obama's America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering 'yeah, right on, right on, right on right on.' And of course everybody said the white kid deserved it he was born a racist, he's white.




On why blacks have failed to progress in the U.S.:

"We thought that it was just liberal welfare policies and all that that kept blacks from progressing while other minorities grew and prospered, but no, it is these wackos from Bill Ayers to Jeremiah Wright to other anti-American Afrocentric black liberation theologists with ACORN, and Barack Obama is smack dab in the middle of it, they have been training young black kids to hate, hate, hate this country, and they trained their parents before that to hate, hate, hate this country."

On feminism and Hillary Clinton's 2008 Presidential bid:

And if they -- you know, if Hillary doesn't get it -- you have to understand the mindset of a lot of these feminists and women. They think they're owed this -- just like Obama supporters think they're owed this. These women have paid their dues. They've been married two or three times; they've had two or three abortions; they've done everything that feminism asked them to do. They have cut men out of their lives; they have devoted themselves to causes and careers. And this -- the candidacy of Hillary Clinton -- is the culmination of all of these women's efforts. And if it gets stolen from them, in their minds -- not actually stolen, but if the country or if the Democrat [sic] Party rejects this wonderfully great, lying woman in exchange for a rookie, radical black guy who can't tell the time of day, they are going to be so miffed.

On Michael J. Fox's 2006 appearance in a political ad:

Now, this is Michael J. Fox. He's got Parkinson's disease. And in this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He is moving all around and shaking. And it's purely an act. This is the only time I have ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has. I know he's got it and he's raising money for it, but when I've seen him in public, I've never seen him betray any of the symptoms. But this commercial, he -- he's just all over the place. He can barely control himself.

Here are a couple of quotes from NFL players on the prospect of Limbaugh becoming an NFL team owner.

New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott:

I know I wouldn't want to play for him. He's a jerk. He's an ---. What he said (about Donovan McNabb) was inappropriate and insensitive, totally off-base. He could offer me whatever he wanted, I wouldn't play for him. ... I wouldn't play for Rush Limbaugh. My principles are greater and I can't be bought."

New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka:

All I know is from the last comment I heard, he said in (President) Obama's America, white kids are getting beat up on the bus while black kids are chanting 'right on. I mean, I don't want anything to do with a team that he has any part of. He can do whatever he wants, it is a free country. But if it goes through, I can tell you where I am not going to play."

"I am not going to draw a conclusion from a person off of one comment, but when it is time after time after time and there's a consistent pattern of disrespect and just a complete misunderstanding of an entire culture that I am a part of, I can't respect him as a man."

To the best of my knowledge, none of the St. Louis Rams have come forward with their thoughts on the possibility of Limbaugh purchasing the team.

Of course, Rush has the right to purchase the team. Having said that, the NFL also has the right to block his bid. Part of me hopes the NFL does reject Rush because it would show him and the world that being a race baiting, sexist scumbag has its consequences. On the other hand, there are a couple of reasons why I hope he is allowed to buy the Rams. For one thing, we'd see whether or not any current or future St. Louis Rams who are anti-Limbaugh are willing to put money aside and stand up for their principles. Secondly, if the NFL does block his bid, it would allow Rush to pull the victim card out of his stacked deck and starting ranting about how he was done such a great injustice. The bottom line is that however this story plays out, Rush wins.

Mattel Introduces the "So In Style" Line of Black Barbies

'Barbie So In Style' designer Stacey McBride-Irby. Photo courtesty of AP

In an effort to inspire young black girls and promote their self-images, Mattel launched its "So In Style" line of black Barbies last month. The dolls come in varying skin tones, have fuller lips, a wider nose and more pronounced cheek bones and two of them (Trichelle and Kianna) have curlier hair. This is a vast improvement over Mattel's previous attempts at creating a black Barbie (Francie and Christie were basically white Barbies painted brown). The designer of the dolls, Stacey McBride-Irby, said her goal was to address the needs of the African-American community.

While many black women have praised Mattel for the "So In Style" line, the dolls aren't without their detractors. There are some who have expressed concern over the fact that none of the dolls have shorter, natural hair. The thin frames of the dolls have also raised eyebrows (the unrealistic body image issue has been an ongoing criticism of Barbie, regardless of skin color).

Although the criticisms leveled at the "So In Style" line are valid, Ms. McBride-Irby did get many things right. In addition to the varying skin tones and facial characteristics, the line also stresses the importance of education/career aspirations and promotes mentoring among females.

The dolls are experiencing success already and there are plans to expand the line. Hopefully, the concerns raised will be addressed and we'll see "So In Style" dolls that look like this:

and this:

For more on the "So In Style Line", please click here to read the story by Megan K. Scott.

If you'd like to hear Barbie designer Stacey McBride-Irby discuss the "So In Style" line, you can do so by watching the following videos:

So In Style 1

So In Style 2