THE BREAKS

"These Are The Breaks" was a song that Kurtis Blow made in the early '80s, and almost as soon as that song became popular, sports fans in Detroit have been craving for said breaks. Even though the meaning for "breaks" in Kurtis' opus implied a negative connotation, the "breaks" Detroit fans desire are those plays or situations that occur in a game that drastically change the outcome of not only one game in particular, but for a city's legacy and identity.

Like most midwestern blue-collar cities, sports in Detroit is received passionately and is closer to a pseudo-religion (imagine a mega-church cult following on steroids) than a past-time recreation. Detroiters are as competitive, proud and loyal for their teams as any fan-base across the nation. People from Detroit take pride in themselves for having the ability to take control of situations and resolve problems accordingly. So when it comes to sports let-downs its especially disappointing because as a fan, you secretly feel there was something you could've done to aid your team. "Yo Chris, we have no time-outs…make a play." Or "Zeke, settle down. Don't rush, Bird is creeping." But I dream. In fact I'll do more then dream. I'll chronologically cite transgressions, tersely examine plays, and lament over repressed (biased)memories that absolutely make Detroit the epitome of a city/team consistently getting the short end of the stick.

Circa 1980 is when Kurtis Blow dropped his afore-mentioned classic and that was also the same year the U.S.A (led by Ronald Reagan) withdrew themselves from Olympic competition. A young guard from Indiana University (coming off a national championship) was picked as a starter for that Olympic team but didn't get a chance to win gold. Instead he entered the 1981 NBA Draft and was selected with the second pick to the Detroit Pistons. Of course that young player was the greatest point guard not named "Magic". His name was Isiah Thomas aka " Zeke."

Fast -forward six years and the same downtrodden Pistons team Isiah was drafted to lead out of the abyss found themselves on the brink of going to their first NBA Finals. It was Game 6 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals versus the Boston Celtics at Boston. With less than 5 seconds to go and the Pistons clinging to a one point lead AND possession of the ball, Detroit seemed to have the game in the bag. The only thing the up and coming Pistons team had to do was cleanly inbounds the ball and the game was over. Thats when Larry Bird decided to add another highlight to his legendary resume by stealing the ball and passing to Dennis Johnson who scored the series-winning basket.

Hard knocks were still to be endured in subsequent years for the Pistons and mainly Isiah. The year after the Boston debacle the Pistons found themselves in the NBA Finals, this time against Magic Johnson and the mighty Lakers. Despite having a career defining performance by scoring 25 points in the third quarter of Game 6, Isiah badly sprained his ankle and the Pistons lost by one point. Showing affects from the Game 6 injury, Isiah wasn't quite the same explosive player and the Pistons lost the championship in 7 games. Of course Isiah would eventually overcome the hurdle and win two championships; but if Zeke doesn't inbound the pass to Bird in 87 or doesn't sprain his ankle in '88, who knows if the Pistons would've won 4 titles in a row. Yes 4!

They say you don't make a lot of friends on your ascension to the top and that couldn't be more true for Isiah. During his run to the top Isiah happened to inherit the leagues brightest star, Michael Jordan, as an adversary. Dating back to All-Star Games and alleged "freeze-outs" to Civil-War-esque playoff battles between Chicago and Detroit (If you're from the Chi or the D and witnessed that era, you know how heated that rival was), there was always tension between Mike and Isiah. When it came to selecting the initial NBA featured Olympic Team in 1992 aka the "Dream Team", it was almost a cinch that Isiah would make the cut. But bad blood with the leagues "Golden Boy" wasn't a good PR move for Isiah, and he was coldly left off the greatest basketball team ever assembled.

Bad luck in hoops didn't stop there. If UM's Fab-Five would've won the title their Freshman year of 1992 or at least the following "Time-Out" year, they would've been mentioned amongst UNLV and other teams as the greatest college team of all-time. (One of those greatest teams were the Duke Blue-Devils of the '90s led by Grant Hill. Once maligned as a villain, Hill was embraced as a hero playing for the Pistons but he even broke hearts when he decided to leave via free agency). On the football side, UM had many of blue chip athletes to make plays at "The Big House" in the '90s. Names such as Tim Biakabutuku, Tyrone Wheatley, Desmond Howard, Tom Brady, and Ty Law come to mind. With all that talent, Michigan only won one title in the '90s? In that era, perennial powerhouses such as Miami, Florida, Florida State and Nebraska were dominating collegiate football. So if you were a top team in contention and suffered an early season loss, you were pretty much done. No early season loss was more memorable then Kordell Stewart's heartbreaking last second Hail Mary that theoretically ended the Wolverines season and title aspirations. And if you want to add an "insult to injury" highlight for Big Blue, they were the first BCS team to lose to a SubDivision team in Appalachian State University 2005.

Michigan Wolverine Football is a big deal in Detroit. If they're not doing well, then it's not going to be a good or happy football season in the city because when Barry Sanders left (i'm still waiting for a comeback or apology to fans from Mr. Sanders) the Lions, it's been one horrible season after another. But when one speaks of Michigan Football, you have to trace their successful roots to a coach named Bo Shembechler. Bo installed a mentality, way of winning and tradition that endured to his last day, which was November 17, 2006. That same weekend a top-ranked and undefeated UM team were scheduled to play equally undefeated and 2nd ranked Ohio State University at Columbus. In a story-book ending, the Wolves beat their arch-rivals and win the championship in honor of Bo. Instead reality dictated we lose the game and get a new coach (Rich Rodriguez) who cluelessly and arrogantly changed generations worth of tradition that have resulted in 3 losing seasons. And my superficial side is still upset he switched our endorsement contracts from Nike to Adidas. What a failure (I'm a firm proponent in 'When you look good, you play good').

And most recently the baseball team has gone thru a rough patch. After failing to win the World Series in 2006 and imploding in an unprecedented way last year by losing the division title on the last day of the season to the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers bad luck would be summed up in one play. Of course that play would be the missed call by the Umpire to grant Tigers pitcher Andres Galarragga baseball's 20th perfect game in history. I guess the umpire of that game sent a memo to the ref of this years Lions-Bears game to screw the Lions, because the outcome of that game was tragic. There has to be a way where the NFL can employ a rule that allows common sense to supersede the letter of the law. Anyone with eyes saw that wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught the potential winning touchdown, broke the plane and secured possession. As soon as he broke the plane with possession of the ball, it should've been a touchdown! All of that "you must finish the catch" mess is BS especially when the ground can't cause a fumble. But I digress.

I don't want to come across as Detroit campaigning for a pity-party. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But if a team called the "Patriots" can win a Super-Bowl out of nowhere following '9/11', why can't Detroiters expect the Spartans to win the championship during the first year of the Recession? That's because we don't get breaks. And it makes Detroit fans numb now. It's sad, but when bad things happen to Detroit sports teams, it's almost expected and uneventful. How many times have you seen the sports hilightes tapes, and the victim of someone's good game represented Detroit? Hell, Larry Bird's top ranked play was the "steal", the Kordell Stewart Hail Mary always ranks in top 10 Lists, and every other Mike Jordan highlight (or any NBA star) is against the Pistons.

But just as Detroit was once known as a prominent automobile industry, its sports teams will be just as flourishing. A vital part of an automobile are the "brakes." And once we use our "brakes" to put a stop to the bad luck , then we will see signs of us getting the "breaks."

MO and KITA

First off let me start by saying I had no mental or physical outline for this blog. This was more of an obligation to aid 2 of my sisters at a time when their names are being driven under the bus. This bus is marred with criticism, assumptions and speculation and the driver(s) rotating shifts for this bus are mostly a collection of black women.

And not just the typical black woman who's getting her pedicure while gossiping with her girlfriends and talking about everybody who passes her by. These are your rational, just, fair, ethical, and sensible black women (and not to say they're not gossiping and clowning folks neither-just on a classier, higher level lol).

I acknowledge this distinction because most times superficial and judgmental women will criticize and deconstruct any little thing or flaw. So it was to my surprise that a bulk of the criticism aimed at Mo and Kita weren't materialistic or anything to do with some bad yakki (weave my brother, weave).

To paraphrase the sentiment from my female friends at Mo and Kita is as follows: "I can't stand them; they annoy me....I can't watch a show seeing two girls obsess over a man who clearly hates himself.....they're so unprofessional." That's just a smidgin of the shots fired at the controversial publicity firm duo.

Now don't get it twist, Dice is the first person to call someone out and respond to things objectively. But something doesn't sit well with me taking shots at my sisters publically, especially when they haven't done anything to me that warrants this type of response.

What I have seen is two sisters defy the odds and become successful in a male-driven entertainment society. Yeah their methods are unconventional, but are they as wild as the Kardashians when it comes to taking care of business? You can say what the Kardashians do and what Mo/Kita do are different, but at the end of the day it's publicity, and any publicity is good publicity. With that said, they've done a good job of maintaining a professional image.

If anything they're doing damage control. Terrell Owens was once a lightning rod of controversy and suffered miserably to stabilize a consistent team (or advertisements) because Corportate America was scared to touch him. Thanks to Mo and Kita, they've helped TO become approachable and pleasant; to the point a friend of mine said "he has no personality" (ask Dallas about his personality in 2000 when he disrespectfully spiked the ball midfield on their logo, or Donovan Mc Nabb when they publically feuded).

'Who are their other clients?' is a half sarcastic question they ask? I'm sure they do have other clients, but obviously TO is their biggest one. Sure there were other artists on the Roc in '96, but who do you think Dame Dash was pushing the most? And lastly, before I get off my soapbox, I want to point something else out. Despite all the criticism they receive, you would think they'd be heroes amongst black women for riding TO for not preferring sisters and advocating he become more active in his children's lives. Though they support a colorblind love, there's been numerous times I've heard them clown TO for loving the "Beckies" or say something like ..."I just won't stand here and let him not be in his son's life." That's courageous and admirable for them to publicly take on those stances. I can't forget to mention also their selection of an assistant for him. They didn't get the hot modelesque chick (that I'd prefer). Instead they chose an older woman who has TO's best interests. And in regards to how they are perceived to be kissing TO's butt or seducing him, that's part of what the job entails.

Hell I'm nobody in the big picture, but I still like to be coddled a little here and there. You've seen Jerry Maguire and all the ass-kissing he did. That's just how it is with the client-agent/manager/publicist relationship. Sometimes I need some love from my Facebook constituents to keep it moving; even if it's condescending or pacifying! lol There's nothing evident or suggests that TO smashed any of the homies. I just see 3 people who have fun at what they do, and have fun doing it together because they know, love, and trust each other platonically. My only concern was with Mo's husband appearing to be soft and always emasculated.

Like why does your wife seem more concerned about TO then you? Or why is he doing LaMas class with your pregnant wife? But that's probably another topic of male/female roles in relationships...and that can probably be summarized as this: The Bread Winner calls the shots. Love it or Leave it.

There you have it Mo and Kita. I salute what ya'll doing. You guys are keeping it professional while still being yourselves and bringing flavor to the show. I ain't mad at ya'll!