Nicki is a Monster

Just heard that new Kanye joint "Monster". Nicki Minaj is a problem with a capital "P". I haven't stopped what I was doing to listen to a verse in a long time. I have to admit Nicki's voices are very entertaining and make her stand out not just amongst women, but the guys as well. Anyone on a track with Jay-Z that rhymes after him (even though he has rhymed first or seond on a few memorable super posse cuts - i.e. "It's Murder" by the defunct "Murder Inc." of he, DMX and Ja Rule, and "Swagga Like Us") has got something special. Next thing you know she will be rhyming after Busta Rhymes on a posse cut.

She might be bigger than Drake when her album drops in November.

It kinda feels good to say that about a female MC. With Lauryn Hill reportedly getting back to her "Miseducation" swag and Lil' Kim reportedly signing to Roc Nation, and Foxy Brown ready to break out with new music, the femcee could be back in effect.

The Knicks front office = a joke

For some reason I never knew Knicks owner James Dolan existed in the 90's when the Knicks were winning games and making yearly playoff appearances with the likes of Pat Riley and jeff van Gundy coaching and Ernie Grunfeld and Dave Checketts running the front office. Since all the aforementioned people left the building, van Gundy being the last to go, the Knicks have pulled off an unprecedented string of ineptitude and embarrassment on the court and off.

The team became a laughing stock after hiring Isiah Thomas who immediately made his mark giving bad contracts to the likes of Eddy Curry, Jerome James and others. When he landed Stephon Marbury, a point guard known for destroying teams (the Nets suddenly got healthy enough to make the NBA Finals when he left town) the excitement of Marbury's homecoming quickly dissipated in a fog of clashes with coach Larry Brown, and sex scandals.

Former Indiana Pacers GM Donnie Walsh came in and has done a decent job purging the roster to return the team to some form of respectability, but somehow Isiah Thomas has managed to weasel his way back into the fold via James Dolan. Dolan, whose picture would be right next to the word clueless in the dictionary, seems to think Isiah Thomas is a great basketball mind. Maybe if he were still playing basketball, not trying to run a team. Two totally different situations ENTIRELY.

I bring this up after recently hearing some news that makes me go "what the f...??!" Bad enough Dolan just totally went over his GM and coach's head by sending Thomas to Cleveland in a last ditch effort to lure LeBron James to NY, a move we now know was assinine because James never planned to come to New York,  but having Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni thank Thomas at a press conference for helping to lure Amare Stoudamire? Stoudamire said that he never had any contact with Isiah Thomas and is not sure if he has ever met Thomas.

What the hell is going on? Walsh is a Brooklynite, a man with pride, a distinguished business man who has experience running a franchise (the aforementioned Pacers). It must be killing him to go along with a charade like this. Ironically Walsh hired Thomas in the past to coach the Pacers.

There is nothing worse than a person with deep pockets owning something he/she knows nothing about and compounding the ignorance by trying to tell the people that know what they're doing what to do. We see this with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, Daniel Snyder and The Washington Redskins, George Steinbrenner (R.I.P.) and The New York Yankees. The only difference is that those teams won their respective league's top prize numerous times in the past 20 years. The Knicks have not won anything in 37 years now.

David Stern has obviously seen enough of the destruction of one of the core franchises in his league, ruling to keep Thomas away from any position in the NBA while he has a job in the college ranks. Good for Stern. Now if only he could do something about Dolan.  

Brett Favre returns (surprise, surprise)

Almost a year to the day (with coverage worthy of the President of the United States - replete with aerial helicopter views of him stepping off th airplane ), Brett Favre returned to Minnesota Vikings training camp after another summer of "will he won't he". This year it was his ankle, injured in the NFC championship game that served as his excuse to avoid two-a-days and other pre-season formalities. There was added drama this year with a purported "text message" sent by Brett to certsin team members saying he would not be coming back. These "sources" set off a media blitz of Favre career breakdowns and narrated sequences reserved for a newly retired legend.

Only thing is three of his Vikings teammates flew to Mississippi, unbeknownst to Favre, to get clarity on what he was going to do. Now this can't sit well with Tavaris Jackson. He has a right to be upset. He has been waiting in the wings and Favre's waffling has to drive him crazy. On the other hand, you are clearly not as good as Brett Favre. If you are a team guy and you want to give your team the best chance to win and Brett Favre gives that opportunity, you have to go along with it. The team is clearly not confident in your ability to lead the team. Just take the money you are getting paid and quiet down.

It would have been a nice story if the Vikings would have won the SuperBowl last year with the season Favre had, but New Orleans deserved the win as well. If Favre could pull off a SuperBowl this year, that would definitely cement his legacy. Seeing that he gave my New York football Giants a ticket to SuperBowl 42 with one of his trademark interceptions, although I am still rooting for the Giants, it would be nice to see Favre get one for the Vikings.

Welcome back, Brett.

Let the Fish burn

Ok, so Larry Fishburne's daughter Montana thinks making an X rated movie can help her break into show business. Her inspiration? Kim Kardashian. Kardashian, Fishburne says, made it big via the blue movie route. What the naive mini-Morpheus fails to realize is that Kim Kardashian did not want or plan for her escapade with Ray-J to see the light of day. It was Ray-J who reportedly sold the video of their bedroom mambo to Vivid Pictures against Kim's wishes.

Granted Kardashian has taken advantage of the spotlight, but I mean you are Laurence Fishburne's daughter for crying out loud. I am sure he could have put her in a bit role in one of his movies, or even show extreme nepotism a la Will Smith and put her in a starring role along side him. I  bet Laurence did not even know his daughter was interested in acting.

How embarrassing. How does Laurence show his face around fellow actors (who no doubt will try to search the flick and see his spawn in the buff)? I can imagine the fights breaking out over stupid comments being made from hecklers.

It has been my experience that people that make pornos never crossover into serious acting roles. In this regard Montana is not too bright if this is her idea of jump starting her acting career.

Career suicide is more like it.

Big Shamrock???

Shaq is really taking this ring competition with Kobe Bryant seriously. O'Neal, who had his glory years with Bryant and the Lakers at the turn of the century, has signed with the hated rival Celtics, no doubt to win that fifth ring to pull even with Kobe.

And I ask... would Magic join the Celtics? Would Jordan join the Pistons? Would Kobe have joined the Celtics when he was not-so-quietly demanding a trade before hijacking Pau Gasol from Memphis. No, No and Heck no.

Where's the pride, Shaq?