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I have made the claim for the last few years and I'm not sure if the comparison has been echoed publicly before or not, but the first time I saw ESPN basketball reporter Stephen A. Smith (who had a failed talk show on ESPN 2),
(photo courtesy of ESPN Media Zone)
looked a lot like one of my favorite rappers of all time ... Ludacris, also known by his actor and actual name, Chris Bridges.
(photo courtesy of AP)
Do you agree?
NCAA Southland Conference Results
Mar 17, 2008 | 12:24 AM PST
Category:
Sports
In all the excitement over the Rockets winning streak, I forgot to post the results of the men's Southland Conference basketball Tournament which would ensure the champion a berth in the NCAA tournament. The conference tournament took place at the Merrell Center in Katy; it started Wednesday, March 13, and ended Sunday, March 16.
Two colleges within the conference that are closest in proximity to Houston are Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and Lamar University in Beaumont.
Lamar failed to advance past the first round, losing Thursday to University of Texas at Arlington.
Sam Houston State made it to the second round after a 64-62 overtime win over McNeese State, but lost Friday to eventual champion UT Arlington.
Below is the Associated Press summary of the championship game that took place Sunday between UT Arlington and Northwestern State University.
UT Arlington Wins First SLC Tournament In School History And Earns First Ever NCAA Tournament Berth
KATY, Texas (AP) - Anthony Vereen scored 25 points to lead UT Arlington to an 82-79 victory over Northwestern State in the Southland Conference title game Sunday and the school's first NCAA tournament berth.
Vereen's two free throws with 11 seconds left sealed the win for seventh-seeded Mavericks (21-11), who set a school record for victories. Roger Guignard added 17 points for Texas-Arlington.
Trey Gilder had 20 points and Gerrell Thomas added 14 for Northwestern State (15-18), the tournament's fifth seed which was looking for its third NCAA berth and first since 2006.
Texas-Arlington used an 11-5 run to take a 62-54 lead with 12:21 to play. The Mavericks led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but Northwestern closed within 78-77 with 2:22 left on three free throws by Colby Bargeman.
2008 All-Tournament Team
Matt Kingsley, Stephen F. Austin
Trey Gilder, Northwestern State
Larry Posey, UT Arlington
Ro'ger Guignard, UT Arlingotn
Anthony Vereen, UT Arlington (MVP)
As I watched some Astros post-game coverage with outfielder Chris Burke I noticed something.....
Honestly, still photographs don't do the comparison justice.....it's more evident with post-game video compared to the morning weathercasts.
I hope you appreciate the comparison with a World Series player Mike!
In an interview that took place on Monday, February 5th (2007), the "round mound of rebound" admitted that during a gambling stint in 2006, he lost more than 2 million dollars in a six-hour period. He claimed he has a problem but that he likes to gamble and refuses to quit since he has the means to do so. That's not an unreasonable conclusion, but I can't help to feel that his statement minimizes the importance of self-control with respect to those who don't have the means to lose a mass quantity of money in a short period of time.
I must declare that I am not personally against gambling altogether. As a matter of fact, I am looking forward to celebrating the 21st birthday of my brother in Las Vegas on December 2008. I also want it known that a close relative of mine has struggled with a gambling addiction for most of his life and continues to gamble presently but not to the degree that he once did.
Now with that said, I consider the revelation from Barkley irresponsible and almost a form of bragging. Let's face it.....he is no longer an active player - he makes T. N. T. money now and the occasional commercial profits and if he continues to gamble away his money the way he has, he will be in just as bad a situation as former Detroit Tigers first baseman Cecil Fielder who dealt with some gambling problems of his own recently.
Of course don't forget that Charles Barkley is the man who was featured in commercials where he said "I am not a role model". Right now I would have to agree. If he chooses to lose 10 million dollars over the past several years as he says he has, that is his business.....but when he divulges this information to the media, it should be as a cautionary tale and not to remind readers/viewers that he has the disposable income (currently) to waste. He may be a well-known sports celebrity, but I doubt he counts as a "high roller" which carries a special set of privileges. Most "high rollers" tend to have a more substantial and continuously renewable fortune that tend to start in the hundreds of millions of dollars.....as wealthy as "Sir Charles" is, I doubt he counts in this category, therefore shouldn't drop 2.5 million dollars in a six-hour period.
I listened to an overnight sports talk radio program this past week that welcomed calls about this topic. A good point was brought up - gambling not only affects the gambler him/herself, but his/her family as well. Even if thousands of dollars aren't lost, time with family often is.....these words came from a confessed gambler. Once again I am not condemning occasional wagers and recreational gambling, but I am definitely opposed to compulsive gambling and its effects.....I have seen its results. Finally, I have to laugh because at one time Barkley announced he was interested in running for governor of Alabama.....I don't think he is fiscally responsible enough to even consider it!!!!!
