Greed and contentment. I’m thinking about these two words and I’m curious about your thoughts…

Recently, a boxer was robbed and killed in Atlanta. Vernon Forrest, a former boxing champion, was murdered senselessly because of greed. A guy robbed Forrest at a gas station, took off with his wallet, and shot him repeatedly from the back. I literally have to ponder on this murderer’s actions because it is just so random. I’m captivated by the notion and the obvious reality that I can choose to kill you because I want what you have…

What’s hard for me, I think, is the very public life of Forrest outside the ring. He resounded contentment as a humanitarian and lover of life. I mean, this guy wanted to change the world and imparted into children this same desire.

Why is this okay? I’m not really asking about the murderous aspect of it all because, unfortunately, stealing lives is very much a reality in this world. I’m more referring to the disproportionate meeting of greed versus contentment. I asked Hubby to give me an example of my lack of contentment so I could share it with you guys… He said that situationally, he felt that I am always content with where I am, good or bad (Stop buttering me up, Honey! LOL!). But he then continued by saying that regarding greed, I am quite greedy with my time (Don’t judge me… Crack up! And hey, he didn’t expound and I didn’t ask.)…

I’m showing my greed/contentment contradiction because I think we all possess it… That innate contradiction, that is. Well, don’t we?

A friend of mine called me today to get some advice on how to help his wife better understand sports. He and I had discussed the subject several times before, but he was at a record high on irritation and needed some answers. I had to think about his questions because it was paramount to gage whether he was frustrated with his wife for her lack of knowledge on the subject or whether he felt she didn’t care about understanding the subject.

I asked him for an example and he said she asked questions like, “Why is the point guard so small? Shouldn’t he be bigger? Isn’t he suppose to guard the other team from getting points?” These questions made him angry and resentful, and we eventually pinpointed why… It wasn’t so much the questions, although he did ask her if she was serious (LOL!). It was more about timing. He said it was during the Finals (NBA, people, for those who aren’t aware) and the game was close, and now she wanted to have this conversation.

It’s timing… with everything that we endeavor, timing is one of the most important facets of a situation. Now, with training camp (NFL yall… Go Ravens!!) in full force, he wanted to be sure that he could stop the questions before they started and before the season started. I recommended asking her to learn one thing a week (You can choose the range.) about the particular seasonal sport that he’s watching. All the while letting her know that this is the type of gift he wants to receive and how important it is to him. I conveyed to him from a woman’s point of view, that one of the more difficult things about relationships is understanding what your partner REALLY wants… You know, instead of trying to guess in the dark.

So, instead of telling your significant other to zip it… just relay that it’s about timing.

I know this is a common reality, huh? I’d love to hear yours…

I was lying awake in bed and just had to get up to write this story… It’s a story that I seriously cannot get my head around because it involves so many facets of life that it is incredible.

One of the all time hitters in the game of baseball name just resurfaced as a possible candidate for Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, a former Cincinnati Reds, was banned from the game 20 years ago for gambling on the game—his own team to be exact. Apparently, he never wagered against the team, as he believed in their victory, but it was an obvious flaw in judgment since it was a known rule within the sport. Now, with all of today’s scandal and outcry that has whirlwind out of the sport, baseball fans and the powers that be are now asking themselves where does Rose fit in all this…

The grounds for being inducted into the Hall of Fame are pretty clear. It is based on the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. But wait, this is where I am totally dumbfounded because some of today’s elite Major League Baseball players who are being considered for the Hall are involved in using steroids, corking bats, serving jail time, spousal abuse, and the list goes on and on. So, I simply ask, what is the difference? I mean, put any of the offenses that I just listed up against gambling within the sport and it comes out the same—amoral, illegal, unethical, criminal, and just wrong.

I’m telling you, I’m drained by it all (drained!). There just appears to be no way to gage it. I mean, black is black and white is white, but when you’re dealing in muddied waters, you have to consider gray, right?

No, not that Michael…

NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell, reinstated former quarterback, Michael Vick, back into the NFL… with conditions. This means Vick is free to play if he is picked up by a particular team. There are also stipulations that Vick would have to adhere to in regards to when he can start playing. Vick hasn’t responded to this recent decision, but man, it seems like everybody has.

I mean the comments have varied from being glad that he’s being allowed to play again to only those who unknowingly do wrong should be allowed to get a second chance. I don’t know what to think because we are all flawed and deserve grace, but where is the balance, you know?

Where exactly do you stand?…

It seems that we hear story after story about professional athletes being where they shouldn’t, doing what they shouldn’t, saying what they shouldn’t, and just a whole litany of ’shouldn’ts’ that grows, seemingly, daily. Are they always at fault?… I don’t think so, but a good number put themselves in situations that, unfortunately, breeds confusion and accusations. What’s you take on this one?…

Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is involved in a civil lawsuit, where a 31-year-old woman alleges that the quarterback raped her in a hotel penthouse in July 2008. Now, I don’t even question why this is coming up a year later, because often times rape victims will wait years later to come forward. Now, Roethlisberger isn’t married, so there isn’t the question of why he was where he was (well, maybe, maybe not!). Anyway, my question is if these similar topics resurface time after time, why would (yet another) athlete put themselves in that predicament? A predicament to be judged, exposed, accused, and just downright inconvenienced, if they’re innocent…

Roethlisberger is denying the accusations and wants to focus on football and the upcoming season… But, why? Why and how did we get to this point? The plea is that athletes learn from other incidents and not put themselves in questionable situations where an accusation can even arise. Stay around those who have as much to lose as you and find someone to be accountable to… I don’t think this is rocket science.

And so the rape saga continues…

So, one good thing came out of the Michael Vick, dog fighting conviction and jail time… I mean, you know, outside of him being rehabilitated and the possibility of him getting his job back….

The exposure of this crime leads to the extreme exposure of the lucrative dog fighting industry around the country. Above that, over 150 leaders in these multiple rings have been arrested, saving over 500 dogs. Can you believe it? When I heard this, I was just taken aback by it all… Why is this pastime so big AND why is it so fun and interesting?

I’ve seen snapshots of what is done and it is the most devastating and gross thing I’ve ever seen (I wanted to say something outside of inhumane.). It just has me in this mind loop.

So, I’m glad that at least this awful act was brought to the forefront and animals were saved.

Today I was watching Sports Center… nothing abnormal… but, then a story came across the screen that made me ask, ‘When is it okay?’.

So, I ask you, when is it okay to call your stepmother a whore (close your collective mouths…)? I just sat there and although the story was so much more than that, that’s where I stopped.

Jeremy Mayfield, a NASCAR driver, just lost his father and now the poop has hit the fan between Mayfield and his stepmother. She obviously said she witnessed Mayfield’s meth use and he hit the fan (Aside, he is in the media about allegedly using meth.). Along with calling her a liar and indicating that he doesn’t even spend time around her, he called her a whore.

I just thought, when is there ever a time to go there? Even if a person is totally justified, to me, it just makes that person look bad… especially when it’s on air. I feel like a person should think of the bigger picture and, in Mayfield’s case, remember the whole public relations part of it. How are you looking? It’s all about perception. Perception is, indeed, reality.

So, as I got off the couch to get something to drink, all that stayed with me in that story was someone’s mother (step… okay) was a whore and it just didn’t settle well with me.

OMG! Derek Mason, the Baltimore Raven’s #1 wide receiver, has retired…

I couldn’t believe the headlines and the stories, but it is true. The thing is, it is so late in the season for such a dramatic change. This retirement will no doubt impact the Ravens like crazy. The truth is he was headed towards the end of his career, but I can’t believe he made this decision right before training camp.

The first thing I thought, including other analysts, was that he made this decision based on the recent loss of his close friend, recently retired Steve McNair. Mason spoke at McNair’s memorial and took the entire situation very hard and very personally.

Even with all of this, the really messed up part to this is the hole that is being left on the team. Mason was the best the Ravens had and now what?… The free agents and trade season has passed and whats left is probably slim pickings… I guess I can’t be too surprised by the decision. I mean, how many times do we make decisions that impact those other than ourselves? And although this might be on a bigger scale, it is still all so relative and therefore, the impact is the same.

I know this site is about professional athletes and the stories surrounding their lives, but I have a personal story that I want to share…

We had to put my long-haired Persian, Camry, down. For me, it was unexpected and happened so suddenly. I can’t believe the pain that I’m feeling. Camry was 13… Yeah, I know she was really old. But, I just thought she’d be around for much, much longer. This past weekend we’d just had a cookout and she seemed fine… She was hanging around all the guests and wanted to be part of the party. Then, for the next couple of days she was really lethargic and anti-social (more than normal). She didn’t want to be held and she wasn’t eating or drinking. When we got to the vet, they told us she was experiencing liver failure and that it had progressed so far that her other organs were beginning to fell. Her eyes were cloudy and she wasn’t responsive at all… She would, however, move her tail a bit when I called her name. Of course, seeing that just broke my heart.

What happened?… That’s all I could think. The doctor then said that we could spend the money on x-rays and blood work, but that she was so advanced that recovery wasn’t unlikely and that the only other alternative was to put her down. I immediately fell apart (This evening Hubby said I was at Level 10. He was trying to make me smile.). The thought that consenting to kill her was more than I could bear and leaving her in this place all alone just took me over. We were both glad that my mom was there with us… She encouraged me to let her go. She said that she was in pain and that it was cruel to allow her to go on the way she was. I knew in my head, but my heart just couldn’t conceive losing her. I asked Mother later why she didn’t cry… she said that she was, but she couldn’t let us see it because someone had to be strong for us. I’m thankful for her strength. Obviously, we went ahead with the procedure, but it took some time and lots of tears. Mother and Hubby were so strong for me throughout the entire process and I’m so thankful to them.

You know, it might seem weird that all of these feelings are being experienced over a cat, but I tell you, you never know until you go through it. She was part of the family and we loved her so much. She’s been there for many stages of my life and there are so many memories that have over taken me. Right now it’s really hard and I am just too exhausted to put much energy into other areas, but I know this will soon pass.

I just wanted to share…

When I heard the former NFL quarterback, Steve McNair, was killed over the weekend in Nashville I was shocked. But, then when I heard he was found near his dead girlfriend’s body, shocked didn’t even encompass it any longer.

Why… That’s all I could ask myself. It is such a waste. McNair was married with four boys. But then he was named on a Cadillac truck along with his girlfriend. Why?… (You see why I ask this, huh?)…

There are many details and so much to still be exposed, but my focus is on the children. They will be forever associated with the scandal of their father. How can this situation be explained to the children and who will be the brave person to explain it to them? The other sad part to this is that McNair’s on-the-field excellence is going to pale once compared to this turn of events.

Children never get a choice in these matters. They’re just collateral damage. My thoughts are definitely with the family and I hope any emotional scars the children incur will be healed and their lives restored.