All he DID was catch touchdowns. All they DO is vote.

With the NFL about to finally put Art Monk into the Hall of Fame I'm reminded why I have so little respect for the Hall, it's voting membership, and specifically how they choose who goes in. The list of players that have waited far beyond a reasonable amount of time to be inducted is ridiculous. The rules state "a player and coach must have last played or coached at least five seasons before he can be considered". Fair enough.

Five years is a reasonable waiting period.Eight additional years on top of that for a player with Monk's credentials is insulting. He retired with more catches (940) than ANYONE in NFL history! ANYONE! It took the legendary Jerry Rice to break that record! You can't pull the winning card; the man has three Super Bowl wins. He did enough to make the NFL 80's all decade team. I suppose that's why the Hall voters made him wait almost a full decade to be recognized. There's almost a insane symmetry to that.

Now that Monk is finally in, it looks like it's part two of the "most deserving player to be denied induction" ( in baseball I call it the Andre Dawson Award). Introducing Cris Carter. You know Cris Carter right? The Cris Carter that is one of only four players ( Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, and Marvin Harrison are the other three) in NFL History with 1,000 or more receptions (he had 1,101). The Same Carter that is the only player EVER to record 120+ receptions in a season twice(1994 & 1995). He also catches touchdowns according to Buddy Ryan ( former Eagles Coach); only Jerry rice has more touchdown receptions than Carters 130 in league history. Oh almost forgot, he ( like Monk) also made an all decade team ( 90's).

This guy did not get elected on in his first year of eligibility. Same player that has the sixth highest receiving yards total (13,899) in NFL history. The case for Carter ( like for Monk and so many others) is overwhelming and frustrating. All I can say is anyone that could not put them in on their first year of eligibility is not deserving of the honor of being a HOF voter. All they did was catch touchdowns...all you have to do is open your eyes.
ESPN article on Carter's snub.
Hall of Fame Selection Process.





4 others that deserve the nod.

• Andre Reed WR eligible since '06

“Andre Reed was one of the greatest and most durable football players that I have ever coached. He excelled in every aspect of the game.”
Marv Levy Buffalo Bills coach

• Derrick Thomas OLB eligible since '05

“He gets slighted because even though he was noted more for sacks, he only did what he was asked to do. If he had to drop into coverage, he would drop into coverage. If he had to play the run, which he played very well, especially away from him, he played the run. If he was asked to rush the quarterback, which he was a lot of the time, he rushed the quarterback. He did a lot of things, but the sacks and forced fumbles create more attention than he did.”
Warren Moon HOF QB

• Ray Guy P eligible since '91

"Our offensive coaches wanted Ray Guy, our defensive coaches wanted Ray
Guy, and the head coach really wanted Ray Guy."
John Madden HOF Coach, Professional Sportscaster

• Terrell Davis RB eligible since '06
  

He was the best running back in football for at least two years. Remember that the Broncos -- and future Hall of Famer John Elway -- never won a Super Bowl until Davis arrived. He was the missing ingredient, and his presence impacted both the team and the NFL.
Dan Patrick ESPN Commentator

Marvel Super Hero movies you won't ever see part 1.

"life is sweet isn't it when you flirt with death? Excitement...beauty? But your not flirting...you're marrying death.Guaranteed. No refunds or exchanges."

Strike Force:Morituri by Peter B. Gillis & Brent Anderson.
Imagine the Earth invaded by marauding aliens. Imagine the Earth is losing badly. Now imagine you could make a difference. Volunteers are given the opportunity to undergo the "Morituri Process" that will give the individual a unique super power; the catch is that the process is fundamentally incompatible with the human body. EVERYONE that undergoes the process WILL die.

The Morituri Effect is completely unpredictable and the lifespan of the recipient is the same. You could live anywhere from minutes to a year. In effect, it's a death sentence. The drama in the series comes from examining the individual reasons anyone would volunteer for the process; patriotism, revenge, immortality, glory, loneliness, naivete' and so many other reasons.

The individual battles within are what makes the series so memorable: the atheist that's horrified that eternal damnation may be his reward for his lack of faith, the born leader that fears he'll die before he does anything to merit being remembered, the female Morituri that hopes to live long enough to deliver the baby she's carrying,and so many others. Compelling stuff.

Heavily reminiscent of "V" and countless other alien invasion movies Strike force:Morituri offers a fresh take ( almost 22 years after it's creation by the way). Sadly when Gillis and Anderson left the series the book plummeted in quality and was canceled. Joining the ranks of cult classics Strike Force is generally remembered fondly and hope for a movie version comes up from time to time. Rumor of a Sci fi channel series turned out to be false ( given sci fi's track record that may be a good thing).

A couple of reasons I don't think we'll see a Morituri movie:
The basic story is far more interesting in a episodic setting as opposed to a two hour movie. A Strike Force series ( possibly on HBO ) would be far better suited for the narrative...UNLESS Marvel had the balls to commit to a three picture deal. I doubt they would do that for an unproven and relatively unknown property.Another problem would be getting money for a project that almost demands young unknown actors to stay close to the main story point that the volunteers are between 17-21. Hollywood execs would laugh you out of the building if you requested big money for a three picture deal that included no bankable stars in leading roles.

This train "ain't gettin'" on the tracks

"...games of Deceit and Death"

Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu by Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, Doug Moench, and Paul Gulacy.

A combination of Kung Fu action, 007 spy thrills , and pulp comic villains; it's safe to say that comic book readers had never seen a comic quite like Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu before.What it lacked in originality it more than made up for in a skillful blending of the aforementioned genre's. The basic plot revolves around a core group of British MI 6 agents:Black Jack Tarr (bigoted but heroic tough guy), Clive Reston (who may or may not be the son of the legendary James Bond), Leiko Wu (the beautiful Chinese-British female agent), and Shang Chi (son of the evil would be world conqueror, Fu Manchu).

Both the villainous Fu Manchu and Sir Denis Nayland were key characters created by Sax Rohmer in 1912. Marvel having purchased the rights to Rohmers work decided to mix the key protagonist, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, antagonist, Fu Manchu with their own creation Shang Chi; thus Shang was introduced as the son of Fu Manchu. Raised to be the ultimate assassin by his father, Shang Chi, later turns his back on his father after having his true evil nature revealed to him by Sir Denis. Although disgusted by the "Games of Deceit and Death" involved in the espionage world he is involved in, he decides to join the fight against his father.

Coming straight out of the early 70's Kung Fu craze created by the legendary Bruce Lee, Shang Chi was basically a carbon copy of the "little dragon" but under the skillful hands of Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin and later by the team of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy he became so much more. Running for over 125 issues the original series has attained cult status with fans including many that were not even born when Shang Chi debuted in Marvel Special Edition 15 back in 1972.

Although never popular on the level of the "big guns" like Spider-Man, Batman or even Daredevil, the character has maintained a presence in the Marvel universe to this day ( Moench and Gulacy even reunited to do a 5 issue limited series a few years ago). Unfortunately, due to Marvel no longer owning the rights to Sax Rohmer's characters, Fu Manchu and Sir Denis Nayland Smith can no longer be used by name in any new stories. This legal entanglement AND possible interpretations of racism by people understandably offended by the Fu Manchu character are the main reasons I sincerely doubt this character will ever make it to the big screen, at least as we know him. Our loss. I for one would love to see these "games of Deceit and Death" played out on the big screen.

IMDB (The Internet Movie Data Base) lists a Shang Chi movie in the plans for 2009 but I'll believe it when I see it at the theater. Considering another Martials Arts Marvel character, Iron Fist, has been in development for years I think you would have to be incredibly optimistic to believe we will see "deadly hands" next year. If we do see it, will it have all the elements that make the character so interesting or will it be just another martial arts movie with great action and no plot? I'm betting it'll come up short...way short.

I'm begging Marvel to prove me wrong.

Short interview with series co-creator Steve Englehart
Excellent series overview at Toonopedia

The Star of A Story.

You may not know the name but you know the voice. It's one of those special ones that could belt out a classic ballad or blow you away with searing dance funk. Johnnie Wilder Jr. could do it all. As the lead singer of the seminal 70's band, Heatwave, Wilder blasted out classic after classic: "Mind Blowing Decisions", "Happiness Togetherness", "Boogie Nights", "Star of the Story", "Ain't No Have Steppin", "Groove line", and many others including possibly the all time baby making jam, "Always and Forever".

Together with song writing machine, Rod Temperton, and Keith Wilder ( brother and co lead vocalist ) it seemed like Heatwave was well on their way until one of those terrible moments that happens to famous and regular folk alike... happened. In 1979 Wilder was involved in a car accident when his rental car was struck by a van on his way home to his native Dayton, Ohio. Wilder was paralyzed from the neck down.

Johnnie Wilder Jr would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Johnnie, to his credit, refused to let his disability and bad fortune beat him. He stayed with his group and continued to sing on studio tracks for a few more albums ( even traveling with the band, although not performing live). In what had be a bittersweet opportunity, Wilder would turn out to be a friend and confidant for Teddy Pendergrass when he was forced to deal with a similar injury just three years later.

From all reports he found a relationship with God that gave him the strength to lead a full life and even stay involved in music as a producer of acapella gospel and teaching students about the music industry at Ohio Central State University since 1994. He passed away in his sleep at the age of 56 at his home May 13th 20o6.

Heatwave and Johnnie Wilder Jr in particular have been a "what if" scenario that has often popped up in my mind when talking about classic music groups. What if a few of those Rod Temperton written songs from Michael Jacksons solo work had went to Johnnie and the Heatwave instead? "Rock with you", "Off the Wall",and "Thriller" all potentially could have been Heatwave songs; I definitely would have loved to hear Johnnies version of "The Lady in My Life" off of Thriller. What if.

What if Johnnie Wilder Jr never got in that accident? What if Hendrix never overdoses on sleeping pills? What if Sam Cooke never goes into that hotel? What if Otis Redding never got in that plane? What if.

You could go crazy thinking about all these "what ifs" for people you don't even know, for that matter you could for those you know intimately. A hard fact of life is that everyones lives are marked with these seminal events whether it happens to us or just the ones we love.

Wilder will be remembered by his family members for far better reasons than his musical artistry, that is a fact. However, for those of us that did not know him but appreciate pure talent, his voice will be remembered "Always and Forever".

Johnnie Wilder Jr Official Bio
Online Funeral Guest Book for Johnnie Wilder
Rod Temperton Article

You've changed things... forever. There's no going back.

I took the day off to go see the Dark Knight. I did it for you the imaginary readers of this blog. My spoiler free review goes as follows:

All the hype, praise, and kudos regarding this project are deserved. Simply put, this is the finest Super-Hero movie ever crafted. I'll go one level higher: It is the best Batman story told in any format (including, movies, tv, novels, comic books, cave walls, and camp fire stories) this fan has come in contact with. Every aspect of the characters was spot on. Batman and Commissioner Gordan did what men of character do in trying times ...what ever they have to do. Harvey Dent struggled valiantly against the criminal element of Gotham and tried to be a shining example of justice. Lucius Fox and Alfred Pennyworth provide sage wisdom to our war weary Dark Knight at every turn. The Joker ....hmmmm.

The Joker ...the Joker is the embodiment of anarchy and mayhem. Ledger's performance as the clown prince of crime was beyond disturbing. Every moment he is on screen you'll feel uncomfortable wondering what will this psychopath do next. "Some men just want to watch the world burn". Indeed.

The Dark Knight boldly goes where no other super-hero movie has ever come close. Marvel had the opportunity but badly fumbled the final fate of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn in Spider-Man as well as the epic Dark Phoenix storyline from X-men. Long time comic book fans will know exactly what I'm talking about, unfortunately fans of only the movie versions of these characters will not, ignorance is a bliss i suppose. Not necessary in this case.

The Dark Knight takes full advantage of it's chance and we're better entertained for it. The bar has been raised and I really can't wait to see if the big two ( Marvel Comics & DC comics ) will have the nerve to take it to another level. You see, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, the Nolan brothers, and everyone involved with this project ... well to quote the Joker, "You've changed things... forever. There's no going back"!

It's all part of the plan...

With the ultra realistic Gotham news reports online, the numerous websites containing top flight information, the nationwide scavenger hunts, and the brilliant print and video ads can anything stop the Dark Knight?

http://www.whysoserious.com/
http://www.ccfabg.org/
http://www.acmesecuritysystems.com/
http://www.ibelieveinharveydent.com/
http://www.gothampolice.com/
http://www.gpdmcu.com/

Unfortunately the Joker seems to have vandalized all these sites as well as the super cool movie posters above. Seems crazy to me but like the man said:
"It's all part of the plan".

Some of my best friends are ...

The New Yorker depicts Barack Obama as a muslim extremist ( not to mention his wife as a gun toting zealot). A ( ALLEGED) inbred bar owner, Mike Norman, in Georgia sells t-shirts depicting the presidential candidate as curious George ( a monkey for those of you that are not familiar with the adventures of our simian friend). John McLaughlin ( host of the McLaughlin group) calls Obama a oreo. Yes, that's right a 69 year old white man called him a oreo ...THAT is must see t.v. Ralph Nader first questions Obama's credentials as a black man by calling him "half African-American" and then explains that Barack is "talking white" ( as opposed to just talking shi*t I guess).

Hmmm does race seem to be issue in this?

That was sarcasm.

Speaking about silent protest.

Last night I was reading S.I.s "Where are they now issue",when I came upon a story about John Carlos. Which is to say it was really a story about John Carlos and Tommie Smith, two athletes that are linked historically probably as much as any other pair in history. If you don't know the names you undoubtedly know the picture taken at the 1968 Olympics. The image of Carlos and Smith, shoeless, heads bowed and black gloved fists defiantly raised in the Mexico City air was seared across the world consciousness of that era. Life Magazine actually declared it one of the 20 most influientel images of the 20th Century.

In the S.I. article both men take credit for creating the symbolic gesture of both human and civil rights that night. One thing they both agree on is the turmoil that rocked both their lives immediately after they left the podium. Both Carlos and Smith were given 48 hours to leave Mexico City. Both were welcomed back to the United States with death threats. Both were ostracized and unable to find work. The pressure on Carlos led to a separation and the eventual suicide of his wife, Kim.

Through the years both were able to put their lives back together but a rift developed between the two. The details on both sides are long and at time seem somewhat petty in light of all that's happened since 1968, basically Carlos has went on record saying that he let Smith win the race. For his part Smith has questioned Carlos credentials as a Hall of Fame athlete and considers him far to talkative.

Ironically, two men that united to "speak" in silent protest of the injustice being heaped on their people by their country now no longer speak to each other. There's a sad lesson in this somewhere.

One more footnote to the story:

In 2006 they were forced to get together to serve as pall bearers for Peter Norman, the "other fella" on the stand that day in Mexico City. Norman, to his credit, knew what the two had planned and still stood unwavering by them. That might not seem like much these days but consider that journalist (Brent Musburger specifically)compared Carlos and Smith to "Black Skinned Nazi's". Both men spoke glowingly of Norman and stood side by side while carrying the coffin.

Only they know if anything was said to each other.

UPDATE:
At the 2008 ESPY Awards Carlos and Smith were presented with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. John Carlos took a moment from his speech to address the rift between himself and Smith that has been reported widely:

“I think it was a very important issue to bring up, talking about the unity and love we have each other and tried to expound to the world.To have this divide, and have people think this divide is greater than the energy we created on the victory stand, this is not what I'm looking for. We're trying to have this love and harmony and unity for the sake of ourselves and of the world. They focus more on the pettiness than they do on the goodness.”

It was nice and inspiring to hear and see them together, confronting this issue ( even if only Carlos spoke). While watching this magnanimous statement I really had a feeling Carlos was speaking far more to his old friend Smith than to those of us watching.

At least I hope so.

Not the nuts Jesse!!

Every time I start to think I have seen or heard about every bizarre behavior that mankind has to offer I get unpleasantly reminded that "you ain't seen nuthin' yet". Case in point, the Reverend Jesse Jackson stating ( off the record mind you) that he would like to "cut his nuts off" referring to Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama. To be perfectly honest I was stunned, for a number of reasons. Let us list the ways:

1. Stunned that a so called man of the cloth would say something so vile even IF he thought he was in a private conversation.
2. Stunned that a black "man" could muster that much venom towards another that is trying to do something of such historic significance.
   
3. Stunned that what appears to be nothing more than jealousy spurred on Reverend Jackson, not to mention Reverend Wright to harbor this type of hostility towards Obama. Reverend Jackson...Reverend Wright...hmmm ... Reverend Wright...Reverend Jackson. Do you notice a trend or is it just me?

With all do respect It's time for you so called "spiritual" leaders to take a step in the direction of a mirror for little self evaluation. Perhaps the nuts that need to be on the chopping block are little closer to home than you would like to admit.

Okay but who's 26th?

I know, I know. I was thinking the same thing you are: "Ebony this is a very cool, listing the top 25 coolest brothers of all time but you seem to have dropped the ball. WHERE'S J.D. ?". Am I upset? Nah, I'm too cool for that.

Go over to Ebony and vote for the coolest brother ( it would be nice if you vote me into the ballot, actually it would be nice if my wife would just stop laughing at the idea).

Absolutely, Positively, Fearless.

I want to introduce you to somebody. He's a friend of mine and once you meet him, he's sure to be a friend of yours. Ladies and Gentlemen meet Fearless, Fearless Jones. Fearless is unquestionably the baddest black man walking the streets of Los Angeles since Raymond "Mouse" Alexander. If you don't know Mouse that might be for the best. People that "knew" Mouse have a way of ending up dead. The same could be said for Fearless but at least he'll feel bad about.

Both characters mentioned above are from the mystery fiction of the great Walter Mosley. Featured in the best selling "Easy Rawlins Mysteries" and the "Fearless Jones Mysteries". The Easy Rawlins books are more well known ( partially due to the outstanding movie adaptation of the first book in the series featuring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle), they include "Devil in Blue Dress"(1991), "A Red Death"(1991), "White Butterfly"(1992), "Black Betty"(1994), "A Little Yellow Dog" (1996), "Gone Fishin"(1997), "Bad Boy Brawly Brown"(2002), "Six Easy Pieces"(2003), "Little Scarlet"(2004), "Cinnamon Kiss"(2005), and "Blonde Faith"(2007). The Fearless Jones books include "Fearless Jones" (2001), "Fear Itself" (2003), and "Fear of the Dark"(2006). To say they are classics is a borderline understatement.

These books are pure noir. Hard living, two fisted, detective novels from the same cloth as Raymond Chandler ... with one major difference. The hero's of Mosley's novels are black in a time when America considered that enough of a crime to find a man guilty. Mosley blends the genre with equal parts pessimism and hope for future. To qout Easy himself "A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not?".

Amen to that brother.

Powell Books Interview with Walter Mosley
NPR Interview with Walter Mosley

The Dark Knight. Why not go opening day?

If your alive and your heart pumps anything stronger than Kool-Aid you have got to be planning to be at your local theater for this flick on July 18! I could go on and on about all the things Batman Begins got right, about the Oscar buzz regarding the late Heath Ledgers performance as the Joker, but I "digest".

Just go.

This looks like a job for ... Obama!

One of my favorite comic artists, Alex Ross, painting of soon to be President Obama on a t-shirt available now. There's cool and then there's cool. This is COOL.

Graphitti Designs is selling these. I'll be picking one up. If you find the work of Alex Ross as eye catching as I do I highly recommend his coffee table art book Mythology: The DC Art of Alex Ross.

Sly Stone gone bye bye.

When diving in the funk the Doughboy often wonders what happened to Sylvester Stewert AKA Sly Stone. Sly was ( as anyone that has ears and aural sensation should know) a pioneer in the musical arena of funk on par with likes of James Brown. That only begins to touch the musical legacy this guy left. The Family Stone exploded in 1968 with Dance to the Music ( their second album) and never looked back. Hits and more hits followed album after album. The biggest ,1969's STAND!, included four hit singles ( including Everyday People, Stand, I want to take you higher, and Sing a Simple song)! This guy was Prince before Prince realized he was Prince! He was that good.


And then came drugs.


If you doubt the esteem this guy was held in heres a few qoutes from his peers.

• "He's my idol; forget all that peer stuff.I heard 'Stand!,' and it was like: Man , forget it! That band was perfect. And Sly was like all the Beatles and all of Motown in one. He was the baddest thing around"

George Clinton

• "he took music in a new direction, another step forward. He definitely had some potent stuff, and some new stuff, in a new voice. It was this funky, street-y, but pop R&B music. I was very much a fan."

Lamont Dozier

• "He was so creative, one of the most talented guys I've ever met. It was inspirational being around him. He made some great music. He just wasn't happy in his personal life. He got to the point he wouldn't even listen to his own stuff. That's paranoia. As the drugs set in, the warm, creative side went away. And then it got worse and worse. He was a person out of control."

Bobby Womack

Hundreds of books and articles ( like this Vanity Fair story) tell the story better than I can. Basically disillusionment with the 60's and heavy drug use lead to Sly becoming a recluse on level that even Howard Hughes would have said "damn brother, you need to get out more".

As fan of the guy it does warm my heart to think at least he did not pull a Hendrix or Joplin. He's not with us but at least he's still WITH US!

Sly go bye bye.

LIVE EVIL

Here at the Dough-verse the universal healing tonic, Soul, will be discussed. To start this properly let's step into the time variance machine and see what's happening in 1973 courtesy of the elements.