• The World Series starts tonight and odds are against Colorado 2-to-1. It’ll be tough to pick against Boston, considering they have the complete package with hitting, pitching and experience. America loves an underdog so if Colorado can muster up any of the fire that kept them rolling through 21 of their last 22, this could be a good series. Pulling for the ‘do but will place zero dollars on it.
• Dave Zirin writes that Jason Whitlock’s latest piece justifying “whitening” the NFL is wrong as hell, and racist.
• Chad and Keyshawn Johnson go toe-to-toe in an interview on Sunday Countdown and the blogosphere reacted quite strongly. Chad dominates the interview, while Keyshawn looks more and more like he’s just another hypocrite ex-player now that he’s got a tie on.
• Donovan McNabb let’s everyone know, just in case they didn’t already, “I HATE LOSING!”

The boys at TheBigLead.com have one of the most polarizing figures in sports journalism back for the 1-year anniversary of their last interview where Jason Whitock accused Scoop Jackson of “bojangling for dollars,” and blamed rap culture for being the “new Ku Klux Klan.”

Not sounding the least bit regretful for granting the sports blog site the interview before, Whitlock goes on to march to a similar beat in his interview but he seems more reserved this time around and less inclined to belittle his ideas by using name-calling and slights toward the colleagues he feels did him dirty. I respect that more than anything else.

Whitlock has many great ideas — wanting black foks to look inward before blaming society for racism, second-guessing stories no matter how close to the subject matter he is by way of geographic location or race, and most of all he seems to have hope a difference can be made, but more work needs to be done — and I wish he weren’t so polarizing in the black community. I have taken heat for being on his side with a lot of issues, the Imus situation especially, but I feel he’s on the right track but needs a forum to address his ideas.

I’d rather have someone like TheStartingFive or someone else put together a large discussion with Whitlock where argument points are dished out and received equally, as opposed to the ESPN-compiled panel with an audience. He has great ideas, but like most of the greatest ideas, they need to be molded into a message that can be accepted by his intended audience every black American. The thing is, he is aiming his ideas mostly at this “black America” that, after reading Eugene Robinson today, I have to ask the same question Robinson asks: Is there really one, unified Black America? I don’t think so. That could help explain why it’s hard for Whitlock to get his point off, when he is speaking to a varying group of individuals but putting all black Americans down as if they’re all part of the problem. Not the case.

At any rate, glad to see Whitlock’s still out and about preaching his message, and, at least for the moment, held out on calling out people in a rudimentary way and instead seemed thoughtful and insightful in the interview.

Kudos to TBL for the interview round-up.

• My prayers have been answered… Todd Wade, back to the bench! The Washington Redskins trade for New York Jet Pete Kendall to play left guard.
  

• Former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller has decides to stay retired. Spike Lee exhales…
• Is Asante Samuel considering ending his hold out?
• Larry Johnson has ended his hold out signing a $43.25 million dollar contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. They sure could have used him in their 30-7 preseason lose to the New Orleans Saints last night. Unless Larry Johnson can also play quarterback the Chiefs are in for a long season.
• The Cincinnati Bengals sign released Redskin linebacker Lamar Marshall. Thanks for the hard work Lamar and we wish you the best.
• Why is Kobe better than Lebron? Because Kobe is on a mission to bring home the Gold.
• Marbury how’s your crow?

Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to dog fighting conspiracy charges. More from Mindrite to come, but until then here’s what has been said around the water cooler;

• Vick had it all — except character by Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal
• The rise and fall of Michael Vick; Falcons QB can’t scramble out of dogfighting troubles by Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal
• Brought Down By Arrogance By Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post
• Vick lacked the courage to help by Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star

  Other News:

  Jeremiah Trotter was released by the Philadelphia Eagles. Do you think it hurts more the second time?

  Have you ever wondered what Washington Redskins owner Daniel Synder has going other than football?

• Wednesday, Michael Wilbon wrote an article about Big John Thompson’s son, Ronny, and his departure from the Ball State basketball program amid racial tensions.
• Thursday, newly minted Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock refuted Wilbon’s article, adding that Wilbon was irresponsible for what he wrote.

Honestly, seeing as how there’s two sides to every story, we’ve still got some research to do here at MindRiteSports, but as the jury deliberates, you can read two other sites who are discussing the topic:

• Scott Van Pelt Style’s JC chimes in, saying with Wilbon’s reputation and consistent work through the years, we owe it to him to respect his judgment.
• Dwil over at The Starting Five lays out a timeline of the incident, including the point where Jason Whitlock chimed in with his ever-so-dividing opinion.

I’ll discuss this further next week.

Since we have yet to score any notable interviews — most likely due to not actively reaching out for them as we remain rooks to this online sports talk world — it only seems fit to point out other interviews that took place by folks with better connections who put in the work.

Today’s group of interviews are interlinked in some way, shape or form. You’ll notice early. As we round up more, we’ll post more “Interview This” spots through the summer.

(If you have any noteable interviews you’d like to point out, go ahead and drop a comment off or send us an email us at mindritesports@gmail.com)

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Jason Whitlock via TheBigLead
This interview, once it moved down the line from web reader to web reader, proved that even the largest powers-that-be do, in fact, read your blogs. The boys at TBL squeezed this interview out of the self-proclaimed “Big Sexy” and the rest is history. Already having removed himself from ESPN’s Page2 for what he viewed as greener pastures with AOL Sports, ESPN removed Whitlock from their network TV shows (The Sports Reporters and guest-spots on PTI… although the most recent rumor was that he guest hosted Rome Is Burning a week or two ago).

His riff with Scoop Jackson and hip hop music was nothing new, but in this interview he was very candid with both, as well as adding that his fellow coworker was “bojangling” — a word that makes people of all sorts, especially big networks, uncomfortable. He’s since taken to a higher platform, appearing on CNN and Oprah, accusing people across the country of bojangling. Also, let’s clear this one thing up — Whitlock is not “the voice” of Black America. Rather, he is “a voice” of Black America. His views are just one of millions but he seems to make the most noise by calling people out — rightfully or not — from his sports platform, either by way of his Kansas City Star post or AOL Sports.

This initial TBL interview was, in my opinion, life-altering. But he has since done multiple interviews, including one with Michael Tillery (first appeared on BlackSportsNetwork.com but now available on MichaelTillery.com).

Etan Thomas via TheStartingFive
Not a big fan of Whitlock, Etan Thomas is one of those athletes who isn’t afraid to speak out about his feelings of societal issues. More athletes should follow suit and take Etan as a shining example. He writes for SLAM magazine online, and at one point wrote an open letter to Whitlock addressing the Don Imus issue and how he felt Whitlock’s methods were hurting Black America (my words, not his). Athletes are on a unique platform to speak out and be heard and Etan risks hearing the infamous words, “don’t quit your day job,” by separating himself from every being called a sterotypical jock, but instead shows off that he has no time to bite his tongue — he has a world to save.

Dave Zirin via TheStartingFive
Zirini knows how impactful Etan Thomas is — he sang Etan’s praises back in ‘05. Of course, mixing sports and politics makes people uncomfortable, but so does mixing politics and air. Zirin is a white man who deals with issues combining sports, society and politics — an atypical assortment of topics to constantly focus on for for the typical white journalist. Zirin’s no average journalist, as he has written a number of books, including “Welcome To The Terrordome” and “What’s My Name, Fool?” He can also can be found at The Nation or his own site, Edge of Sports.

Scoop Jackson via TheStartingFive
Jason Whitlock seems to hate this guy. A lot. Called him a “bojangler” even. What did Scoop do after reading the aforementioned hate in the TBL.com interview? He wrote a wonderful, tame yet thoughtful piece in his ESPN Page 2 spot, called “The importance of being civil.” (unfortunately, it’s insider-only) Among all of the words he spoke, my favorite were: “Regardless of how I personally feel about another brotha, I understand that the first step in creating a Civil Rights Movement is being civil.”

He’s disliked in circles both black and white for his unorthodox writing voice that is definitely his own, but he’s been around the writing game for many, many years, notably moving from a big-time spot at SLAM magazine notably before he moved over to ESPN.com. Say what you will about Scoop’s presentation or laid back, conversational style of writing, but he does have his own voice. Much of the debate surrounding him tends to be whether or not he is a “representative” of Black America, or if he’s being stereotypical by adding an atypical voice to a very popular network’s site. He’s unorthodox and although he may not be universally loved, he does his thing regardless of any dissenting opinions.

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Until I read otherwise, the biggest interviewer right now is Michael “Mizzo” Tillery, currently of TheStartingFive. He’s scored some of the best, most insightful and mature interviews seen anywhere in the sports world. Among notable the noteables: David Aldridge, John Cheney, Dan LeBetard, Jason Whitlock, Scoop Jackson, Dave Zirin, Jemele Hill and the Christies (Doug and Jackie). You can find them all at his personal website, MichaelTillery.com and TheStartingFive where he currently posts.

Jason Whitlock, from the sports media point of view, is the latest whistleblower from the black community. As you can imagine, as with most whistleblowers, he’s catching a lot of heat. As it goes, he knew this would be the case, but what gets lost in the heat is the topic he’s speaking of. People dismiss his argument altogether to personally attack how they believe Whitlock himself is “bojangling” for the white media he speaks to through the Kansas City Star and AOL Sports.

A common misconception tends to be that Whitlock is clearing Don Imus of wrongdoing. This is most definitely not the case. Imus should be (and has been) held accountable for what he’s done. Albeit a slow response, MSNBC removed Imus from his simulcast and hopefully sponsors will continue to drop and WFAN will follow suit.

Whitlock’s argument is meant to get people to focus less on Imus as the ultimate, end-all problem. Imus is one of many “shock jocks” who gets his popularity by speaking his ignorance and bigotry. For every Imus there are many, many others waiting in the wings to overtake his old “throne” on-air (Not to mention the countless others without radio time).

It would be more ideal for Whitlock to sit down in an open forum with various other well-respected journalists and leaders and discuss the issue at hand. He had this forum at the World Wide Leader (WWL) but following his interview with TheBigLead.com, he was removed from the best current sports forum.

Another common argument I’ve heard has been that Whitlock is voicing his outrage through the wrong medium. He’s on a popular, national stage with AOL Sports, as well as the KC Star, where he repeatedly writes about how he things the gangster culture is destroying the black image. People in hoods and impovershed neighborhoods cannot always access his work.

Whitlock is speaking through the medium that will access the most people. His medium speaks to many of the leaders and idols kids look up to. He’s speaking a lot to those players in the league who work side-by-side with those 2% of trouble-makers giving the rest a bad rep. Athletes and leaders of communities who have access to Whitlock’s work can make a difference. More importantly, his focus is specifically at the persons who he is particularly angry at — the media who chooses to cover that 2% with all their resources. Why are they giving coverage to these few bad seeds?

The answer is simple: Consumers love to hear about it. We pay more attention to lead stories covering more wrongdoing than charity work.

Whitlock stepped up and takes the heat from the black community as the lead whistleblower. Because of this, he’ll catch heat from various persons and groups, but after more Imus-like issues arise, people will begin to see the light. I don’t doubt he’s went to hoods, suburbs and all types of communities to speak his message, but it doesn’t matter. People will ridicule him and say he’s not “down” enough and hate will follow. And, just like with the Imus, everyone will again stray from what should be the primary focus.

Have a better method for what Whitlock is trying to do? If so, feel free to let the rest of us in on your solution. Sometimes the bold method, with a whistle in hand, is the right path to take.

Don Imus isn’t smart enough to understand the wave his ignorance started.

But do realize that this is not a new issue. For years now, and most notably ever since his interview with thebiglead.com, Jason Whitlock (Kansas City Star, AOL Sports) has been the ring leader for the main issue people are just now starting to focus on.

The terms Whitlock use to make his argument, however, tend to make people of every race, religion and color extremely uncomfortable. When a person refers to a group of people as the “black KKK,” expect for hate and insecurities to follow. JWhit just simply refuses to bite his tongue — ironically, much like most shock jocks — pointing out that it is the black community who should be looking inward and not outward in searching for a way to start solving racial inequality issues. The same issues we keep focusing on when idiots like Imus show off their inner bigot.

And the leaders first to lend their voice for the community in cases such as this one, when ignorance is heard ‘roun the world, are more than susceptible to losing focus on the real issues at hand.

Which is why, using his AOLSports stage, Whitlock calls for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to step down.

From his Kansas City Star platform, Whitlock pointed out the most overlooked issue: Don Imus isn’t the real bad guy.

Leave it to JWhit to say the words no one else has been willing to say. And, not to overplay the cliche but, no truer words have been spoken.

What started as a few ignorant words over the airwaves became a complete storm overnight. Rightfully so.

The issue at hand is larger than a decaying old radio voice, and can only be solved with the cooperation of not only black society, but the all others. People who support and celebrate rappers and gangsters who degrade their own culture are in the wrong. Hip-hop culture, specifically, needs to reassess itself.

More importantly we, as consumers of all types of degrading mediums, need to have higher standards for what we support. Years ago, when Imus first uttered ignorant remarks, people should’ve been outraged and demanded his ouster.

Instead, we see everyone just now catching up and showing outrage for an issue that, as Whitlock has repeatedly said, should have been addressed long ago.

Here are some selected, related Whitlock columns:
*Note: Most of these are from AOL Sports, but his KC Star collection can be found HERE*

• End Welfare for Non-Revenue Sports
  
• NBA, NFL and NCAA Must Get on Same Page
  
• Pro Football, Basketball Drawing Line
  
• Basketball, Football Rotting As We Watch
  
• Vegas Backlash Misses Point
  
• Time to Stop Looking Past Black KKK
  
• Hip Hop Serving Up Plan for Failure
  
• Mayhem Main Event as NBA All-Star Weekend
  
• Black Community Must Combat Gun Violence
  
• Vick Standing Pat With Enablers at His Side
  
• Irvin Joins Ranks of ‘Bojanglers’
  
• ‘The Wire’ Calls Out Destructive Culture
  
• Welcome to Real Talk With Jason Whitlock
  
• 10 Rules for Rolling With Big Sexy