Yes, I'm chiming in on the John Amaechi and now Tim Hardaway thing late. 

Actually, Amaechi coming out of the closet barely registered on my personal or professional radar - primarily because someone else's sexuality isn't a big deal to me.  I've been around gay folks all my life.  I had a gay babysitter and to dispel a common stereotype, Skeeter didn't molest me.  I had gay friends throughout college and currently in my professional career and - my gosh - they've never hit on me.  This despite the fact that I think I'm a rather dashing fellow.  So when Amaechi dealt with the issue of being in the closet as a professional basketball player, I shrugged.

And I was perfectly content to never deal with the topic.  Then Tim Hardaway, another former NBA player, had to open his mouth and insert his rather substantial foot.  The comments - the essence of which were "I hate gay people" - were hateful, putrid and almost unbelievable in this day and age.  I have little problem with individuals thinking that homosexuality is wrong, such beliefs are usually a matter of religious doctrine and personal moral code.  What upset me is that Hardaway said that gay people shouldn't be allowed on the planet and especially in the United States.

Those comments brought back a feeling I'd not had since my early teen years - I was actually ashamed of being African-American.  No ifs, ands, buts or maybes.  I was ashamed.  Why?  His comments reminded me of a prominent African-American contributor to USA Today who supported a boycott of Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney Co. because they had a day for gays at the world famous theme park. That and Hardaway's comments make me sad as an African-American because it shows that after 400 years of de facto, de jure and perceived oppression that many black people haven't learned a damned thing when it comes to discrimination and bigotry.

Hardaway suggested that if he knew of a gay teammate, said individual should be traded and most definitely he shouldn't be allowed in the lockerroom with all of his muscular, desirous teammates.   Obviously such an individual wouldn't be able to contain himself, so isolation and exclusion is the only answer.

Just like it was when African-Americans were forbidden to drink from the same water fountains as whites in the South.

Just like it was when African-Americans couldn't eat at the same counters as whites in the South.

Just like it was when African-Americans couldn't use the same bathrooms as whites in the South.

Just like it was when blacks and whites who just happened to fall in love couldn't marry one another.

According to news reports, the NBA, for whom Hardaway worked, have stripped him of his duties and banned him from attendance at this weekend's NBA All-Star Game.

To that I say good.  Now he knows what it feels like to be isolated and excluded.

See Cleveland Browns backers, it could be worse.  You could be a San Diego Chargers fan right now.

And why is a team that was 14-2 and on the brink of a Super Bowl appearance a worse place to be - at least for today?  Because they fired the head coach that got them where they are.  Being abruptly let go is a trademark of Marty Schottenheimer's career.  It happened in Cleveland.  It happened in Washington and now San Diego, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a good coach.   He took a Chargers organization that was in complete chaos five years back and turned it around.  This year they were poised to win it all.  And some would be quick to blame Schottenheimer's inability to coach in big games as a reason, but the last time I checked he didn't turn the ball over four times against the New England Patriots.

Is this a complete disaster for the Chargers?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  However, I tend to think it'll be hard to overcome for the next season.  Why?  Well, who's gonna coach the team?  Who's left out there given that teams looking for leaders in the off season have already chosen the best of the lot?

Let's see.  There's Norv Turner.  Great offensive mind, lousy head coach judging from his record.  There's Jim Mora Jr. That may have possibilities given that he won't have to deal with a player who is increasingly looking more like a gimmick rather than a quarterback.  But beyond that, you're looking at potential rookie coaches such as Ron Riviera, defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears and Mike Singletary, the legendary linebacker of the Bears and current San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach.  Ultimately, either of those guys might just work out.  But…(you just knew that was coming) do you really want to trust a team with a prolific offense and dominating defense to a rookie head coach who will have to hire new offensive and defensive coordinators?  San Diego's offensive guru Cam Cameron went to the Miami Dolphins as head coach and Wade Philips, their defensive guy, found himself recycled once again in Dallas.   Ummmm…no.  Think new offensive system, new defensive schemes and, for now, it looks like little more chaos than when Marty first arrived.

Two nationally televised games and two victories.

Yes, that's a good thing.  In dismantling the Miami Heat this past Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers accomplished what they should have in the prior week - they spanked Dwyane Wade and his crew.   In the prior meeting, the Cavaliers gave the game away.  In Friday's they chilled the Heat.  LeBron outplayed D-Wade and all is right with the world.

Sunday LeBron lost the battle to Kobe Bryant, but the team beat the Lakers 99-90.  It wasn't a dominating performance, but it was - for the most part if you don't count the third quarter - consistent basketball.  LeBron didn't play particularly well and that's a good thing because we're finally seeing other players - Booby Gibson, Anderson Varejao - step up.  What has been most noticeable, however, is two things.

First is the fact that after begging Coach Mike Brown to allow them to play a more uptempo game, the players' instincts appear to have been dead on.  And then there's Sasha Pavlovic, who has displaced Damon Jones as the first ''small" off the bench.  Pavlovic, whose play lacked consistency in the past, has been the epitome of it in recent games.  He hit for 21 against the Lakers and over the past seven, he's averaged 14.3 points per game. 

What the Cavs have been showing in recent games is that they can win when LeBron isn't at his best.   That is something they will need if they're going to go as deep or deeper into the playoffs this season.

I love my new job.  I really do, but some things just don't change between covering movies and sports.  It my estimation they're essentially the same gig - entertainment - but fans of local sports teams have a deeper attachment than some piece of fluff that shows up in movie theaters for an average of six weeks.

And how do things not change?  Oh, I still get snarky, anonymous e-mails from readers who are offended by something I wrote.  Take this one for instance:

"Feel free to tell me everything I need to know about sleaze right after you convince your employer to stop running ads from nude dancer bars and happy ending spas."

The reader was talking about a recent column of mine regarding a couple of sleazy stories that appeared on WKYC and WOIO respectively.  Ummmm…this blog entry is meant as little more than a public service announcement.

I am but a mere journalist.  I get paid to express my thoughts in a way not meant to put people asleep.  Although it's becoming less and less the case, there is this invisible line between editorial and advertising departments.  In short the rule is: they're not supposed to bother us and we're not supposed to bother them.  I kinda like that little agreement.  It keeps people from stifling my voice.  And for that rare privilege I do them the courtesy of not telling who they can sell advertising.  It's a simple plan, but it works for us.

Some people want to moralists.  I'm not one of them.  You wanna booze it up, I say have at it (just make sure you invite me).   You wanna smoke, go for it (just don't sit next to me and do it) and if you want to visit a massage parlor (I'll pass on that one), enjoy.

The point is they're all legal and therefore advertising for them is legal.  Tada.  In short: leave me out of it.  Of course, considering the email came to me from a webmail account and was unsigned, I'm inclined to believe that it came from the staff of one of the parties I offended.  Naaaahh…they wouldn't do that.

Just like they wouldn't delve into the life of a superstar athlete without facts or continue a vendetta against the owner of the Cleveland Browns.

It's said that coveting is a bad thing.  Apparently Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner covets JaMarcus Russell, that's the word that came from the lips of WKYC (Channel 3) news anchor Romona Robinson Monday night.

In a phone conversation, Lerner said that he would love to see Louisiana State University quarterback who lit up Notre Dame in this year's Sugar Bowl in a Cleveland Browns uniform.  The thought of it made me wretch.  Made me cry.  Made me want to root for the Stillers.  OK, so it's not quite that bad.  And it's not because Russell wouldn't look great in a Browns jersey.  It's because it would seem that the Browns haven't learned anything.

Remember 1999 when they wasted the opportunity to trade down, gather more picks and build the team the way it should have been?  Football games are won at the line of scrimmage with big men groveling like beasts of burden to gain or protect precious yardage.  The Browns could have easily traded down and built the future the way it should have been - on the offensive and defensive lines. Instead they took Tim Couch and - by the way - they didn't bother to build a line that could protect him.

With this current O-line do we dare believe it would be any different with Russell?  The Browns will choose third or fourth in the upcoming draft.  The best thing about that is the teams ahead of them - Oakland and Detroit - both need quarterbacks.  Russell will likely be taken by one of them.  What's scarier is the prospect of the team wasti…errrr…trading selections to move up to get him.

Lerner has been knocked for his laissez-faire attitude when it comes to the Browns.  Personally, I wish he'd not said anything about who he liked in the upcoming draft.  He said that he has a qualified team in place to make draft decisions for him.  Let's just hope they are independent enough to not let that statement influence their thinking.  If they are not it appears that coveting, in this case, is definitely a bad thing.

The Super Bowl is finally over and I have to admit that I'm glad it's over.  The hype over the two African-American coaches is done.  We should never have to address the issue of a coach's ethnicity again.  By the way, anyone remember how much media coverage there was of Tom Flores, the first Hispanic head coach to win a Super Bowl, and his ethnicity when the Raiders beat the Eagles in the early '80s.

I was extremely happy to see Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning finally get what they richly deserved, but there was a moment that made me cringe.  When Dungy was talking about being the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, he said that it was more important that he and his friendly adversary Lovie Smith were Christians and there were several mentions of the Almighty and the Lord. 

Yes, I consider myself a Christian, but one thing I don't do is put that on display for everyone to see.  I would never deny anyone the fundamental right to worship as they choose fit, but by the same token, I don't expect to have to listen to them testify about their beliefs either.  Religion - like politics and sexual preferences - is a private matter. 

Besides with the problems in this country and on this planet, I don't think God much cares about football.

Gene Hickerson, regarded as one of the premier pulling guards of his era, finally received his just reward with election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, today.

Forgive me for saying this: but it's about damned time!   Hickerson's list of accomplishments in the NFL is vast and impressive according to a release from the Browns:

Hickerson, who played 15 seasons (1958-60, 1962-73) for the Browns, appeared in six Pro Bowls (1966-71) and was voted an all-league selection on five occasions (1966-70).  Hickerson was also named the NFL’s most outstanding blocker in 1969.  

Hickerson, 72, joined the Browns as a seventh-round draft choice out of

Hickerson played in every game during his career, except for the 1961 season when he missed the year with a broken leg.  Known as a versatile lineman, he broke into the starting lineup at right guard his second season with the Browns in 1958 and remained at right guard through the 1971 season.  Hickerson moved over to start at left guard for the final two seasons of his career from 1972-73.  Hickerson helped running back Jim Brown lead the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons and also helped Leroy Kelly lead the league in rushing in 1968.

And he should have been in years ago.  Comedian Richard Pryor, a friend to Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, used to have a line in his stand-up routine to highlight the racism that existed in the era in which Brown played.  He essentially said that Brown was really the best because he didn't have anyone blocking for him.  Brown knew that wasn't true and said as much in numerous print and electronic interviews over the years.

But what troubles me about his long wait is that he was nearly forgotten.  While tooling around my car this week and listening to ESPN Radio on XM Satellite Radio, I heard numerous hosts reel off the names of who should get in:  Art Monk, Derrick Thomas and others.  All great in their own right, but it showed that some of these hosts lack any semblance of perspective and appreciation of the game's history.

Hickerson blocked for not one, but two Hall of Fame running backs. The other:  Leroy Kelly.  The HOF is about the best, not the very good.  My fear was that because of a more recent history, some of the very good would make it ahead of Hickerson on what was reportedly his final opportunity. 

They say that those who forget history are destined to relive it.  It's good to see that the 39 individuals who have voting power for the Pro Football Hall of Fame haven't forgotten that today's NFL was built on the blood, flesh and pain of previous players.  There are some out there who still deserve this recognition.