The LA Clippers have suspended play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith for one game.
Why? Here’s the transcript of the conversation between Lawler and Smith, which occurred late in the game, was printed on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site:
Smith: “Look who’s in.”
Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”
Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)
Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.
Smith: “He’s the only one.”
Lawler: “He’s from Iran?”
Smith: “I guess so.”
Lawler: “That Iran?”
Smith: “Yes.”
Lawler: “The real Iran?”
Smith: “Yes.”
Lawler: “Wow. Haddadi that’s H-A-D-D-A-D-I.”
Smith: “You’re sure it’s not Borat’s older brother?”
Smith: “If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I’m going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part.”
Lawler: “Here’s Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball.”
Smith: “Especially the post players.
Lawler: “I don’t know about their guards.”
Is this racist? Nope.
Is it offensive? Nope.
Is it appropriate though? Probably nope as well.
Still, pretty funny… (and I’m Iranian, but regardless of that, I can see that broadcasters shouldn’t start to make comments on Blacks, Jews, Chinese, Spaniards, Iranians, Eskimos, etc).
The team agreed:
“We regret the remarks made by Clippers announcers Michael Smith and Ralph Lawler during Wednesday’s telecast,” Fox said in a statement about 2½ hours before the game. “While we believe that Michael and Ralph did not intend their exchange to be offensive, the comments were inappropriate.
“We extend our apologies to Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and to anyone who was offended. We have addressed the situation with Michael and Ralph and have taken appropriate action.”
Hmm… if only they can now apologize to their fans for sucking for so long… Worth noting LA has a huge Iranian community, but they probably root for the Lakers.
Most shocking of all is the realization that people listen to Clippers’ broadcasts. And if you want to see what a 7 foot 2 Iranian basketball player looks like:
The play in question,
From ESPN.com:
DUBLIN — Ireland appealed to France and FIFA on Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff after an obvious handball by Thierry Henry set up the deciding goal.
Ireland’s government and soccer association asked for Wednesday’s 1-1 draw in the second leg at Stade de France to be replayed. France advanced to next year’s World Cup in South Africa 2-1 on total goals.
FIFA said it received Ireland’s request for a replay, though it was unclear if the governing body of soccer would seriously consider it.
Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni called the prospect of a rematch “impossible.” Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said he would “have a chat about it” with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a meeting of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels.
“Fairness is part of the game,” Cowen said.
FIFA declined to comment specifically on Ireland’s protests but pointed to its rule forbidding second-guessing of on-field decisions by referees.
John Delaney, the Football Association of Ireland’s chief executive, said he doubted FIFA would respond positively unless French soccer authorities agreed to Ireland’s call for a rematch.
“It’s up to them, in particular the French, to recognize there was a travesty last night, an injustice,” Delaney said.
Learn more about the Body Issue Here.
This is pretty impressive control by the skydivers… not to mention a badass extended nose-dive by the pilot!
It looks like some of these guys may have not put a whole bunch of thought into their permanent! tattoos. If you don’t believe me decide for yourself.
Stephen Jackson
Tattooed hands on his chest and stomach, holding a handgun, praying. I am not kidding — two hands praying with a gun between them.
Kenyon Martin
Kenyon has fire-engine red lips painted on the side of his neck. They’re a tracing of his girlfriend’s lips, the rapper Trina. I hope they stay together.
I Shall Fear No Man But God” scrawled on his back…umm God isn’t a man Kenyon
Washington Wizards G/F DeShawn Stevenson
He has a Pittsburgh Pirates “P” on his cheek. The only problem is, it’s backward.
Orlando Magic guard Jason Williams
Has “W-H-I-T” on the knuckles of his right hand and “E-B-O-Y” on the left
Continue for more…yes there’s more.
At the Montreal Canadiens fan practice the players all took part in a Skills Contest and 3rd line grinder Glen Metropolit stole the show with his 4 for 4 slap shot accuracy shooting. Mike Cammalleri goes first, but be sure to watch Metro, its awesome:
It’s stories like this that really make me love Chad Ochocinco! You never know what he’s going to pull next.
Last week against their division rivals the Baltimore Ravens Ochocinco “playfully” tried to bribe an NFL official with a folded dollar bill!!
With the Cincinnati Bengals up 14-3 in the third quarter, Ochocinco caught a 15-yard pass near the sideline. The side judge ruled it a catch, but the Ravens argued that Ochocinco’s foot was out of bounds. While the ref looked at the replay, Ochocinco borrowed a dollar bill from an assistant and playfully tried to pass it to the official.
The receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals is always stealing the show. That’s why you either love him or you hate him.
“He is in the middle of doing a cleansing process to his skin. The picture is deceiving. He said, ‘If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.’
“People who saw him in person did not react the same way. He can’t believe it is such a big deal.”
Read more. Worth nothing this comment from a reader:
Whats wrong with you people!! I am a cosmetic surgeon and do Chemical peels and laser rejuvenation on a regular basis to all nationalities and skin tones and what it does is help to get rid of scarring left from acne etc… and helps to make skin smoother. The process removes layers of skin leaving fresh LIGHTER skin underneath for a few months until natural pigmentation comes back. Have you ever seen a scratch on an african american? it’s tan and alot lighter than there skin tone for a few weeks until it’s healed! Same principle. If his skin tone does not get darker in a few months than he is bleaching, otherwise his skin looks exactly like a resurfacing. He even still has spot pigmentation which is natural and means he had this done just a short time ago, in my guess about 10 days ago.
Maybe he’s right.
According to ESPN:
Hours after guiding the New York Yankees to a World Series championship, manager Joe Girardi stopped along a suburban parkway on his way home to help a woman whose car had crashed into a wall, The (Westchester) Journal News reported.
Early Thursday morning, Westchester County police officer Kathleen Cristiano congratulated Girardi on the World Series win as he passed through a drunken-driving enforcement checkpoint, according to the newspaper. Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte, who had started in the Series clincher, had passed through the same checkpoint earlier, she said.
About 15 minutes later, Cristiano was among the first responders to a one-car accident on the Cross County Parkway in Eastchester. She was surprised to again see Girardi, this time trying to flag down assistance, according to the report.
Here’s the final out from the stands,
Although it seems like the Yankees win too many World Series titles the team actually hadn’t won in all since their string of 3 consecutive ending in 2000. 9 years is a long time for a team as stacked as the Yanks have been the last few years. I suppose its nice that ARod finally won a World Series… but I still think the guy is a douchebag! Read more about the victory from TSN.ca:
The New York Yankees bolted from the dugout even before the last grounder was scooped up. After waiting nine years for championship No. 27, no one would dare hold them back.
“It feels better than I remember it, man,” captain Derek Jeter said. “It’s been a long time.”
Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive title — the most in all of sports.
Nearly a decade after their dynasty ended on a blooper in the desert, the Yankees are baseball’s best again.
Matsui, the Series MVP, powered a quick rout of old foe Pedro Martinez. And when Mariano Rivera got the final out, it was ecstasy in the Bronx for George Steinbrenner’s go-for-broke bunch.
What a way for Alex Rodriguez and Co. to christen their US$1.5-billion ballpark: One season, one World Series crown — the team’s first since winning three straight from 1998-2000.
“The Yankees won. The world is right again,” team president Randy Levine said.
The season certainly ended a lot better than it started — with a steroids scandal involving A-Rod, followed by hip surgery that kept him out until May.
“My teammates, coaches and the organization stood by me and now we stand here as world champions,” said Rodriguez, who admitted using steroids from 2001-03 while with Texas. “We’re going to enjoy it, and we’re going to party!”
For Chase Utley and the Phillies, it was a frustrating end to another scintillating season. Philadelphia fell two wins short of becoming the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.
Utley tied Reggie Jackson’s record with five home runs in a Series. But Ryan Howard’s sixth-inning shot came too late to wipe away an untimely slump that included 13 strikeouts, also a Series mark.
Meanwhile, Phillies pitchers rarely managed to slow Matsui and the Yankees’ machine.
“I told them that I loved the way they played. We’re fighters and never quit,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. “We want to keep what we got as far as attitude and chemistry.”
For second-year manager Joe Girardi, a three-time Yankees champion as a player, it was the fulfilment of a mission. When he succeeded Joe Torre in October 2007, Girardi chose uniform No. 27, putting his quest on his back for all to see. His tenure didn’t start out so well, with New York missing the playoffs in its final season at old Yankee Stadium following 13 consecutive appearances.
“To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere he has created around here is very gratifying for all of us,” Girardi said.
In a fitting coincidence, this championship came eight years to the day that the Yankees lost Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in Arizona on Luis Gonzalez’s broken-bat single off Rivera.
Steinbrenner spent billions trying to win another Series. At long last, his team did.
Fittingly, it was dedicated to the 79-year-old owner, who has been in declining health and didn’t make the trip from his home in Tampa, Fla.
Still, his presence was felt.
“Boss, this is for you,” the giant video screen in centre field flashed during post-game ceremonies while his son, Hal, the team’s managing general partner, accepted the championship trophy.
For the Four Amigos, it was ring No. 5.
Jorge Posada, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera came up together through the minors and were cornerstones for those four titles in five years starting in 1996.
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