As the Truth sees it…

If a poll was taken right now, the most despised person in the NFL would be Jay Cutler. The 27-year old Chicago Bear quarterback didn’t earn this distinction for spousal abuse, taking steroids or dog fighting.
In many respect’s Cutler’s sin was even greater. He has been accused by fans, current and former players and the media of quitting on his team Sunday during the Bears 21-14 loss to Green Bay in the NFC Championship. If it’s true, that’s something that will dog him the rest of his career.
Michael Kinney

The winningest team in the history of sports will utilize the tactical skills of another big-time winner on Sunday, Jan. 23, as Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops will coach the world famous Harlem Globetrotters for their widely popular Globetrotter Football skit when the Globetrotters take on the Washington Generals at the Oklahoma City Arena at 2:00 p.m.
 Stoops will also have some young fans in tow, as he is donating 100 tickets to Sunday’s game to the OU Children’s Hospital.
Tickets for Sunday’s game start at $19.00 are on sale at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, the Oklahoma City Arena box office, or by phone 800-745-3000. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com. 

My favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quote is “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
It’s a quotation I’ve used and leaned on several times during my lifetime as I’ve dealt with various obstacles. It also personifies everything MLK’s life. When tough times arose, he didn’t run from controversy and hide in the shadows to let others do his work. He jumped on the front line and was the first to be beaten and arrested as he ushered America through the civil rights era.
That is what stands out to me today as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of MLK Day.
Michael Kinney

The NFL says Brett Favre didn’t violate any league policy when he sent pics of his manhood to Jenn Sterger. But fined him $50,000 Lack of cooperation with the league’s investigation.
It’s weak and Roger Goodell knows it. It’s basically a slap on the wrist cause they seem to be scared of Favre and his following.
Hopefully, Favre will just go away now knowing he got away with simple fine for sexting. He will have to deal with his wife and kids now. That is a worse punishment than the money.

The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks tonight for good old fashioned Midwest battle. It’s not the Red River Rivalry, but the Thunder and Mavs are starting to take on the feistiness of the college football counterparts.
OKC is two games behind Dallas in the win column. A victory tonight would pull them to within one of the, a team the most NBA analyst believe is a title contender.
However, OKC has shown they are not afraid to take on the top teams. After beating the Denver Christmas night, the Thunder racked up their eighth win against teams with a record over .500. Only the Mavs (12) and Boston (11) have better numbers.
The matchup to watch is an obvious one. The Thunder’s Kevin Durant vs. the Mavs Dirk Nowitzki. Both are in the top-5 in scoring and can both get hot quickly. They are also competing for the leagues MVP and the best way to earn that trophy is to out-duel another MVP candidate. We will see what happens tonight.
Game time is 7 p.m. at the Ford Center.
Michael Kinney

The OKC Thunder are about to take the court against the Houston Rockets. The crowd here at the Ford Center is late arriving, but that should be expected considering who the opponent is.
This home stretch the Thunder have this week can be described as the dog days of the season. But that doesn’t mean OKC has been making news.
Kevin Durant was named the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Check out Friday’s Norman Transcript for the story. Durant also played in his 250th game in the NBA and has scored 6,360 points. Only Shaq (6,830) and LeBron James (6,638) scored more points in the same time span.
The Thunder have been feasting on teams from the East this season. After defeating Cleveland Sunday, OKC is now 8-3 versus the Eastern Conference.
The Thunder duo of Durant and Russell Westbrook are looking to join some very elite company. If Westbrook and Durant each average more than 24 points for the entire season, they will join Carmelo Anthony and Iverson (2006-07) and Shaq and Kobe (2000-02, three consecutive) as the only teams to have two players average that many points in the past 10 years. Durant is scoring at a 27.3 points per game clip, which leads the NBA. Westbrook has risen to a strong 23.6 average.
Michael Kinney

It took exactly 20 minutes from the time it was announced Florida coach Urban Meyer was quitting again that I got my first text from someone asking me if Bob Stoops will be replacing him at Florida. I think I may have wrote a similar column or blog last year when Meyer decided then that he had enough of college football and stepped down only to step back up a day or two later.
I can only imagine Stoops’ office whenever there’s a rumor about Meyer, Pete Carroll or any big name coach changing jobs. I would bet they already have a standard announcement already written out and ready to be released. He just has to insert the name of the other school he is not interested in.
I’m not saying Stoops will never leave Oklahoma for greener pastures. At some point he will most likely depart for the NFL or even another college. The idea of being like Joe Paterno doesn’t excite him.
However, when he does go, I don’t think it will be as a replacement for another big name coach. He turned OU around when it was at its worst and transformed it into a national power again. I don’t think he wants to just hand that over and go on to become just another SEC coach.
Michael Kinney

For those who will be attending the Big 12 Championships Saturday, expect to see a few uninvited guest. The Westboro Baptist Church has decided they need to picket the game because of wickedness of Oklahoma and Nebraska.
For those unfamiliar with Westboro, they are the ones who have made a name for themselves by picketing the funerals of servicemen who are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and any school that they believe has homosexuals.
What are their reasons for coming to the game you ask? Well, I will let them tell you below. It would be impossible for me to explain.
— WBC to picket the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship featuring Oklahoma University vs. University of Nebraska. Two peas in pod. These two evil states have set upon the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ declaring war on God! One set about to charge God’s people for preaching. The other, led by their mayor, thought to set the mob upon the faithful servants of WBC, ignoring the commandment of God, and proving that you will not have that man Christ Jesus to rule over you. He commands,
“Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Psalm 105:15
Instead of obedience to God, instead of obeying His commandments, instead of listening to the only words of life and health presented to you in this earth you have put yourselves in the crosshairs of a raging mad God. You can thank your leaders for telling you lies and leading you to your destruction. We wait upon the Lord to whom vengeance belongeth.
“To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” Deuteronomy 32:35.”—
And then, we will rejoice in that destruction.
“The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth the earth.” Psalm 58:10
The WBC will not be very hard to notice. Even though their groups are small and filled with ignorant, backwoods fools, they will be carrying signs that have the most hateful rhetoric.
If you see them, just ignore them. All they want is attention. And if you get into a shouting match or fistfight with them, they will have accomplished their goal.
So give them what they deserve. Your pity.
Michael Kinney

Cleveland fans are actually making me feel sorry for LeBron. I didn’t think that was possible. He made some foolish mistakes and was pretty arrogant about it. But these people are going overboard. Most of the stuff they claim he has done, 75 percent of the superstars in the NBA have done. He brought it on himself, but this is crazy.
ESPN is blowing the return game out of proportion, as usual.

Ever since Michael Vick’s amazing performance on Monday Night Football, a debate has been taking place over the airwaves and social networks. Has Vick gotten a free pass?
To me, it’s the most ludicrous question I’ve ever heard.
When Vick first got in trouble, everyone knows I was against him being punish severely. There are much worse crimes in this world than the ones he was convicted of. A six game suspension from the NFL would have sufficed instead of taking away his freedom.
Regardless, he has paid his dues and did his time. Time for people to roll on and find another athlete to hate.
Michael Kinney