As the Truth sees it…

I knew when the Dallas Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant they were getting the best wide receiver available. But I didn’t know they were getting the recreation of Ghandi.
That is the only description I can give that describes Bryant’s reaction during a pre-draft interview with the Miami Dolphins’ General Manager, Jeff Ireland. According to an article written by Yahoo.com’s Michael Silver, Ireland asked the former Oklahoma State Cowboy if his mother was a prostitute.
I don’t know where you come from, but in my world that is a prescription for a punch in the face, for starters.
Unfortunately for Bryant, he was unwilling to take those steps, and for good reason. The 21-year old came into the draft with baggage and character issues due to being suspended by the NCAA last year. So he was in a spot that any type of justified reaction could be seen as further evidence he was a risk.
“They asked me if my mom’s a prostitute,” Bryant told Silver. “No, my mom is not a prostitute. I got mad — really mad — but I didn’t show it. I got a lot of questions like that: ‘Does she still do drugs?’ I sat and answered all of them.”
Bryant’s mother, Angela, has had a series of run ins with the law, including a 8-month jail sentence for drug trafficking. But, as far as I can tell, none of the incidents involved prostitution. But that didn’t keep Ireland from believing he had a right to bring the subject up.
“My job is to find out as much information as possible about a player that I’m considering drafting,” Ireland said in a statement. “Sometimes that leads to asking in-depth questions. Having said that, I talked to Dez Bryant and told him I used poor judgment in one of the questions I asked him. I certainly meant no disrespect and apologized to him. I appreciate his acceptance of that apology, and I told him I wished him well as he embarks on his NFL career.”
Ireland’s apology didn’t come until after Silver’s story was released Tuesday and reaction started to come in. So from the time the interview took place until then, he must have been under the assumption he did nothing wrong.
There are several levels to this story that bother me. First, you have a young man who has fought to get to this point in his life where he is on the verge of accomplishing his dream and will do anything to make it happen and he is met with a bunch of arrogant bullies in the NFL front offices. And they use the excuse that if we are going to pay him millions of dollars, they can ask whatever they want.
My question to you is, what would your response be? Whether you are interviewing for a $25 million sports contract or a position as an insurance salesman, would you consider the question out of bounds or fair?
Michael Kinney

It took me a while to figure out what the blue flags were that have been flying from seemingly every car Norman, Moore and Oklahoma City. At first I thought it was a handout from a car dealership. But as I got close to one I realized they were Thunder flags.
You would think this wouldn’t be surprising. With the OKC Thunder in the playoffs they are the hottest ticket in town. But what I do find amazing is that two months ago, these legion of blue flags were nowhere to be found. Yet, all of a sudden the Thunder have fans thoughout the Metro and Sooner state. And they act like they have been with them since 1965.
For many years I have always said that outside of OU football, Oklahoma may have the largest contingent of fair-weather fans than any state in the union. And the Thunder have just helped me make my point.
If OKC gets knocked out of the playoffs by the Lakers this week, we will see how strong this fandom is.

I’m still recovering from a impressive showing by Oklahoma in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday. With three of the first four picks, they were the story of the draft until Tim Tebow shocked the world by being chosen way too early.
But something Deion Sanders asked Trent Williams made me take a step back. After Williams was chosen by the Redskins, Sanders asked him “Three of the first four picks and Oklahoma can’t win a National Championship.” In the hysteria of last night, you almost forget that even with four first round selections, the Sooners were unable to bring home the BCS title.
So while Oklahoma will benefit greatly in recruiting from their showing, I just hope the players, coaches and fans do not forget that the may goal is not just to get players drafted, but to also win championships.
Michael Kinney

It was announced today that Ben Rothlisberger has been suspended for six games, depending on his behavior. That is even a little too much for my thinking.
Rothlisberger wasn’t convicted or even charged with a crime. All he did was have, in his words, consensual sex with a woman in a public bathroom. While that may be undignified, it’s not worth a almost half of a season worth of games. Unless the NFL knows more than they are telling.
According to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rothlisberger’s actions violated the NFL’s sacred personal conduct policy.
“The Personal Conduct Policy makes clear that I may impose discipline ‘even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime’ as, for example, where the conduct ‘imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person’,” Commissioner Goodell stated in his letter to Rothlisberger. “As the District Attorney concluded, the extensive investigatory record shows that you contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing (or facilitating the purchase of) alcoholic beverages for underage college students, at least some of whom were likely already intoxicated.”
While I admit, the entire situation doesn’t look good or paint a pretty picture for professional athletes. Yet, what he did is not uncommon in the outside world.
Goodell said that he holds Rothlisberger to a higher standard because he is in the NFL. That makes so sense to me. Just because you make a lot of money and are famous doesn’t mean you will act any better than the man working 9 to 5 at a fast-food restaurant.
I am one of those who wanted to see the league come down on Rothlisberger early on just because Goodell had laid a heavy hand down on non-quarterbacks. I didn’t think he would be as unfair with signal-callers. I was wrong.
But Goodell wasn’t through there. He had to get in a last bit of chastising before he was done.
“In your six years in the NFL, you have first thrilled and now disappointed a great many people,” Goodell stated. “I urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity to get your life and career back on track.”
Michael Kinney

On this day 15 years ago, I was a sophomore in college just trying to make it through spring football practice in Missouri. After an early morning workout that had me dragging all the may back to my apartment, the first thing I saw when I turned on the television was the breaking news about the Oklahoma City bombing.
Like everyone else the first thing I did was call my family and to make sure they were fine. Even though they lived in Lawton, I never kept tract of their daily plans or what they did when I wasn’t around. After I found out they were OK, I was glued to the TV the rest of the day. I missed a couple of classes, but didn’t dare miss practice.
Up until that point, I had never been closely affected by any major catastrophe. I have had friends killed through violence, drugs, and suicide, but nothing like that. I didn’t know how to react.
But what made the entire ordeal worse for me, was to hear the reasons why the worst homegrown terrorist attack on U.S. soil it took place. One-hundred and sixty eight people died (19 children) because Tim McVeigh hated the U.S. government.
It now seems like 15 years later we are starting to see the same type of hatred that led to such an terrible moment in our nation’s history. With the rhetoric and allegations that are being levied at our government by certain right-wing groups, it almost feels like something big is on the horizon and no one knows how to stop it from happening, again.
Let’s just hope that it is all talk these days.
Michael Kinney

I have always been a fan of Jerry Jones. From the day he bought the Dallas Cowboys, he has been all about three things: Winning the Super Bowl, making money and speaking his own mind.
No. 3 got him in a little hot water this week when he was caught on a camera phone making comments in a bar after a few drinks. It would have gone unnoticed if he had been talking about his golf game or his new stadium. But since he deiced to take aim at Tim Tebow and his former coach Bill Parcells, an uproar ensued. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixSxPdY9Saw&)
Jones should have known better than to open his mouth in front of strangers about anyone. He is a public figure and in today’s society, that means anything you say is now considered news.
I don’t agree with that way of thinking. Regardless of how much money you make, what your job title is or who you are related to, everyone is due some semblance of privacy. You shouldn’t have to worry that anytime you speak your mind in a private setting, your words aren’t going to be splashed on Youtube or twitter.
But that is no longer the world we live in. Today we live in one in which anyone with a camera phone can call themselves a reporter and there is no one to decide what is news and what isn’t.
If anyone knew this, Jones should have. Whether he was just drunk or didn’t care, his reputation is taking a hit today. While Jones is fixing that, the man behind the camera phone is a local hero until the next celebrity gets caught talking out of turn.
Michael Kinney

Found out today The Jacobson House (609 Chautauqua Ave.) made Indian Tacos every Tuesday. I hadn’t had one since I was a kid in Lawton.
I stopped in to get one and it brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. It’s funny how small things like a plate of food can remind you of things longs forgotten.
Now I know where to go when I want to feel nostalgic.

Out of all the storylines to come out of the 2010 Masters, the most pathetic has to be the fake outrage over Tiger Woods expressing a few profanities after hitting bad shots. Saturday night I heard TV and radio commentators from ESPN to CNN to local news call Tiger a fraud or liar because in their eyes he continues to disrespect the game.
I have never figured out why people feel that their way of doing something is the only way it can be done. Just because some golfers ’say’ they do not cuss or throw their clubs while playing, they feel Tiger must play the same way. And if he doesn’t, he must be disrespecting the game.
I’m sure almost every player on the PGA tour or at the local golf club has reacted at times the same way as Tiger when they are not happy. But none of them have 20 cameras and microphones around them on every shot that will catch the occasional slip up which will be broadcast coast-to-coast. He is surrounded hypocrites and not just when it comes to golf.
Tiger heads into Sunday’s final round tied for third, four shots behind the leader. Regardless of how the Masters turns out, if he doesn’t play his own game, the outcome will not matter.
In many respects I blame Tiger for this. When he gave in to critics and said he would cut out his emotional outburst, he set himself up for failure. He allowed people who have no idea what it takes to be as great as he is to dictate how he should play the game. And he found out early this weekend that in order for him to be the Tiger that has racked up 14 major titles and become the all-time biggest money winner on the PGA tour, he has to be himself. Flaws and all.
Michael Kinney

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell must have decided his name was being announced in the news enough. That has changed now.
This week McDonnell has declared that April will be Confederate History Month in Virginia. It would be an understatement to say it has caused a star. It has been eight years since the state recognized and celebrated the proclamation. It just so happens that Democrats held office during that time.
But McDonnell thought it was time to bring the tradition back.
“Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live, and this study and remembrance takes on particular importance as the Commonwealth prepares to welcome the nation and the world to visit Virginia for the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, a four-year period in which the exploration of our history can benefit all,” McDonnell said in a statement.
While the proclamation was bad enough for many, what really set people off was the Governor’s initial refusal to mention slavery in the proclamation. According to McDonnell slavery was only a small reason for the Civil War.
“There were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states,” McDonnell said. “Obviously, it involved slavery. It also involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.”
After quick backlash from civil rights leaders and Democrats nationally and in his own state, McDonnell changed his tune a day later.
“The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed,” McDonnell said in a written statement. “The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War,” the statement said. “Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation.”
He announced he will add language about slavery to the proclamation.
But my question is, should we honor those who fought to keep a race of people enslaved? I know many in the southern states believed the Civil War was not about slavery. I think they are 100 percent wrong, but they have the right to think what they want. However, when you make this type of a proclamation, you are trying to rewrite history. And nobody has the right to do that.
Michael Kinney

At 1 p.m. today, the most-watched press conference of the year will take place. Tiger Woods will address the media at the Masters, where presumably reporters will try to get him to speak about his affairs in detail.
Along with ESPN, the Golf Channel and the Spanish station, almost every network and cable news channels plans to show the press conference live.
If I was in Vegas right now, I would wager that the first golf question will not come up until at least 10 minutes of Woods bypassing personal inquires has passed.
This was guaranteed with the release of the new Vanity Fair magazine this week. In it, several of Woods’ mistress posed provocatively and went into great detail in the article to let the readers know exactly what type of sexual appetite Tiger has.
If we hear anything besides a couple of questions about his golf game, I will be surprised.
Michael Kinney