Thank you President Obama. Thank you for your courage, your commitment and your compassion as a leader. Thank you for your humanity, your humility and your humbleness as a man. Thank you for your understanding, your knowledge and your wisdom as a black man. And, thank you for your power, your purpose and your patriotism as a President.

President Obama, my family may never get the opportunity to meet your beautiful family, and you may never get to read this post, but nonetheless I write because it needs to be told. I know that I am not the first to express these thoughts and words. Hopefully I am not the last. From almost as far as I can remember, I’ve been of the belief that there is far more “good” than “bad” in the world we are so fortunate to live in. I believed it yesterday, I believe it today and will believe it with each tomorrow. Others may view the world differently, especially in these times, but I’ve always leaned toward optimism. My feeling is that if those whom are capable of “doing good” would DO so as often as possible, the good deeds would surpass or at least balance the the scale against those who are more apt to do “bad”. And thus, I offer my apologies.

President Obama, my apology for not doing more to support you during your tenure. Oh, believe me, I ABSOLUTELY voted for you! In fact, I cast 20 ballots by myself in each election of “08 and “12. LOL! Now let somebody say sump’m……I’m in a “wishful” mood these days! (See Cedric the Entertainer in Kings of Comedy). I should have voted for you as a “write in” candidate in ’16………...Voted, yes, but voting is the “beginning” of democracy, just one small, however important, ingredient. I assure you that my family will never forget this. There is work to be “done” once the election is over. Not only by the candidates, but more so by the “people”. As we are currently mired in the administration of “true lies” and “alternative facts”, I have been forced to accept the fact that I did not “do” enough in support of your presidency. President Obama, the feeling of pride, euphoria, excitement, astonishment, reality, and yes, disbelief and surprise made me numb to the fact that I, as Black American, had a responsibility beyond witnessing the inauguration of the “first Black President”. WE, AS A PEOPLE, HAD WORK TO DO! Twelve years since and I still see the faces of the older generations witnessing something that they thought they would never live to see. Thank you again sir.

So Mr. President, I have compiled a list of things that “I” could have “done” to help my little piece of America be better. These were all inspired by you and I will honor your legacy throughout my family as you will be undoubtedly remembered for being on the right side of history.

1. Pursue a higher level of education
2. Become more active in local politics
3. Contribute more to HBCUs
4. Support a worthy charity
5. Volunteer for a non-profit that directly benefits the local community
6. Support the community where I grew up
7. Visit and support African-American monuments/museums
8. Learn/share the historical relevance of my home state
9. Greet and acknowledge each other positively
10. Celebrate/acknowledge Barack Obama’s Presidency beyond the Oval Office

There is so much more I could say, but even more I must do. Thank you Mr. President, for the inspiration. See you in ’21………..

June 27th 2020. Saturday. Do you know where your Friday night went? Hope you enjoyed it. I listened to some music, did a little writing, relaxed. Ate at home. Got up at 7 this morning. Cut my grass at 8. My neighbors were soooo “happy”. Sorry, I like to be done by 10. You know the saying, “Do what you HAVE to do first and then do what you WANT to do”. Now I have the rest of the day to do what I WANT to do, like CREATING some music. And maybe get some bass practice in. Trying to remain focused in these times. That being said, I have a question for you. How many days during the week are you able to do exactly what you want to do? No compromises. No questions. No concerns. How many? I’ve thought about this recently and wanted to share my thoughts.

I have two kids aged 21 and 19. For the past 20 years I’ve done my best to put my family first. My wife and I worked to provide as many opportunities as we could for them. Hopefully we are giving them a pretty good foundation to start from. As a father I NEVER wanted my kids to miss out due to my over indulgence. So I always put them first. Food, clothing, leisure time. I compromised a lot and denied myself plenty along the way. And I’m good with it. No regrets on that! However, as my sons have gotten to a level of independence that does not require the same level of “parental guidance”, it has been an eye-opening experience as we try adjust to some new found freedoms. It has taken awhile to realize that my schedule does not revolve around their daily activities. They drive so I don’t have to chauffeur them around. They work so I get to keep SOME of my money….! We all have different tastes so I don’t have to share every meal (my sons AND my wife still like me to cook, though). Our schedules allow me to have the house to myself a little more, but somehow I still have to share my “studio” with the fellas and EVERY other room with my wife……(?) Point is, I have days where I wake up and am fortunate enough to do whatever I want to do at that moment.

This is very new to me. My wife often reminds me that I can “do something for myself sometimes”. She encourages me to buy for myself, or take time for myself. This is good. It is quite a refreshing feeling to know that, while still a dad, I am not tethered to every move my family makes. For those of you who have already been in this place in your life, good for you. If you are still working to get to this place, you’ll get there. For now, it is Saturday and everybody is entitled to do something they want on this day. Make the most of it because as you know we are already half way through the weekend! And be ready for church tomorrow………….

That is the question. At least it is for me. As we all know, the Corona Virus altered our lives in ways we probably would not have imagined had it not happened. Shut downs, closed schools, closed businesses, quarantines, masks, etc. Not to mention the impact it had on our time. Me personally, I found that I had more time to think and reflect as I was on administrative leave for some days during March, April and May. During my time of reflection I thought about the current state of my professional life and how it may have been altered (for better or for worse…) had I made different choices over the course of time. At different stages of life I had thoughts of pursuing specific career paths, but admittedly became distracted by comfort, complacency and some early financial success. As I thought, I asked myself the question: do I have regrets? Absolutely! Some may say that having regret is looking into the past. And you are right. I like to use my past as a reference to make wiser choices in my future. Just the way I think, that’s all. You do what works for you. Hopefully you don’t have any regrets in your professional life. That is a blessing.

There are three instances where I wonder how my life would be different if I’d made a different choice. One, I wish I had followed my ultimate dream to become a fighter pilot. I love military fighter jets. My real, real dream was to be an Air Force F15 pilot. I had a good start too. Was supposed to spend a couple of summers in the Naval Academy JETS program while in Junior High School. But girls came calling……..Two, I often envisioned myself as a college professor. I’ve always enjoyed engaging in conversation and sharing information with people. I’m a decent verbal and written communicator and think I could connect with students to inspire them. But I let music (my mistress) get in the way. Three, I love science/technology and have always been intrigued by computers. I am so fascinated by the history of computers that I could read the same information over and over and not get bored. There are times when I read hour upon hour day after day learning about hardware and networking. I finally got past my fear and lack of on hand experience and decided to really study hardware, networking and cloud computing. Thanks to my son Rashon for the inspiration! No longer letting missed time get in the way!

So yeah. I have a regret or two. Or three (don’t judge………) but I am gonna use them as motivation as I move toward the next level in my professional life. U.S. Air Force F22 here I come…………By the way, anybody know the maximum age limit for fighter pilots?

Friday. June 26th 2020. Another Friday night in my life. Let’s see. If my math is correct, I’ve been blessed to live through 2500 or so Fridays. With each passing weekend and subsequent Monday morning (seen about 2500 or so Monday mornings too) I’ve come to the realization that Friday nights are invaluable slices of time that can determine how much I get accomplished during my all-too-brief Saturday and Sunday. Anybody out there know what I’m talkin’ about? It’s like the time evaporates. When you really think about it, the weekend is actually only about 60 hours, depending on how early that Monday morning alarm sounds off for you. So make the most of Friday night. Start on Thursday if your schedule (AND JOB) allow. No matter how you celebrate your Friday, kick it off early. My wife and I don’t party often, but she likes to dance. I do too, but I’m not as good as she is. So, I have been secretly practicing Hip hop Dancing. Yeah that’s right! Whatchu say? That’s what I thought……Remember, old dogs can learn new kicks! So enjoy your Friday night! Get it all in whatever it is. Get up and get to it RIGHT NOW! Don’t forget, Monday morning is already waiting for you……………….

The United States was founded on the principle of “We The People” more than 250 years ago. Today, June 25th, 2020 “We The People” are faced with voter suppression in the “greatest democracy in history”. If America is ever going to be it’s greatest, it has to be great for “all of the people”. Who is up for the challenge? I knew Donald Chump was not……

I have a question for all Donald Chump supporters. All kidding aside, could any Trump supporter please tell me how your life has benefited from his Presidency? I really would like to know. I don’t see any improvement in my daily life resulting from his policies. I genuinely would like to hear from someone who has. I’ll be waiting…………..

As the saying goes, you cannot know where you are going if you do not know where you have been. So America, as a society we have come a long way, but where are we going? Why and how is racism still the proverbial “elephant in the room”? We all know it exists, it always will. But do we have to be a lesser species for it? Have we gotten to a place where we can talk honestly about it? Are we willing to work to create a better society for us all? I am optimistic about the positive protests after the recent police killings of more black Americans. Hopefully we turn the protests into policies for change.

Continue reading ““Where Do We Go From Here?”” →

Enjoy your day, dads. You have earned it!

Okay, I’m gonna get right to it.  Michael Jordan is NOT the greatest basketball player of all time.  He is certainly ONE of the best, but not THE best.  For you die hard Jordan fans this may come as a surprise, maybe even as a shock.  But it is true, at least if you take an objective, FACTUAL look at the history and statistics of the game.  Funny thing is, I am genuinely surprised that so many fans, NBA analysts, sports commentators and TV experts have allowed their perspective to be skewed by what they witnessed Jordan do on the court.  He was exciting, captivating, brilliant, competitive, dominant, elegant and beautiful to watch.  I agree.  However, don’t let your eyes fool you.  Let the FACTS “show you”.

Every time the next “best ever” player comes along, the inevitable comparisons are soon to follow.  No surprise that Kobe Bryant was supposed to be the “next” Jordan.  Then along comes LeBron James.  Gonna be better than Jordan some said.  Sports fans naturally tend to focus on their favorite players almost with tunnel vision, hindering said fans’ ability to “see” the whole picture.  It is for this very reason that the debate about “who’s the best” will never be resolved.  No one will allow themselves to be “objective” enough to accept statistical FACTS.  That being said, the recent “The Last Dance” series has the debate back in full swing.  LeBron or Jordan?  Most say Jordan.  OK.  As the title says, it’s a matter of perspective.  Follow along.

Biggie or Tupac?  Or Jay-Z?  Drake?  LL?  Beyonce or Mariah? Ledisi? Jennifer Hudson? Future or Khalid?  H.E.R or SZA? Or Lizzo?  Burger King or McDonald’s?  Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris? Beatles or Rolling Stones?  Alright enough.  My point?  How do you measure who is better?  Popularity, sales, attraction, style, taste, vibe, game, talent?  How? Impossible.  So, the only reasonable way to measure is by the most relevant metrics possible.  All of us use our personal viewpoints to gauge what we like, what we consider better or best.  Well, the more facts we use, the better answer we get.  Modern sports uses the word “metrics”.  Everywhere you turn you hear this word.  Metrics, which are “statistical facts”, are a better barometer than “optics”, which can cause your eyes to “play tricks” on you.  Don’t pretend like it has never happened to you before…………yeah, I know right?

In the “Jordan vs LeBron debate, there are some clearly obvious reasons why Michael has been “more successful” than LeBron.  And he has been more successful.  But is he, individually, better?  The answer is no, especially if you use metrics as opposed to optics.  You don’t have to (and probably won’t) agree, but stay with me and at least read until the end.  According to the metrics, there are five advantages that Jordan benefited from that LeBron did not have during his career. These are so plainly obvious it is easy to look past them, but they must be considered if you want a truly complete and fair comparison.  We’ll go from fifth to first.

5. Chronology – Folks, Michael Jordan had the benefit of playing BEFORE LeBron James. The comparison ALWAYS favors the standard bearer.  The “standard” is how all else will be judged.  This is scientifically true in every aspect of life.  Sports, purchases, achievements, relationships, love, sibling hierarchy.  Don’t wanna get too deep here, but think back for a second.  Remember how your “firsts” became the gauge for how you made future decisions.  Older siblings, for better or worse, set the standard for younger siblings.  As for Jordan, no player before him had as complete and dynamic a game as he. True.  Now, let’s see how Michael looks if LeBron had played in the NBA first.  LeBron went to the finals in his fourth year, Michael took eight.  As for style of play and athletic ability, Michael would not have been as much of an anomaly in 2003 as he was in 1984.  Now imagine LeBron playing in 1984 pre-Jordan.  Getting to the finals in 1988.  Straight out of high school……I know.

4. Expectations – Fact.  Michael Jordan was not expected to be the next Magic Johnson, or Larry Bird (two best players at that time) for that matter.  Compared to LeBron, he had lower expectations and therefore more room for error, more time to develop and, more importantly, less criticism for failure.  Remember, as great as Jordan was, he was criticized for selfishness and was not considered a “winner” in his first six years.  Look it up.  LeBron, on the other hand, was called “the greatest” before he ever played in the league.  No benefit of three years of college experience.  Eighteen years old.  He was being compared to the “G.O.A.T” before ever playing one game.  LeBron had to combat pressure and scrutiny that Jordan NEVER did.  

3. ESPN/Cable TV – By now I’m quite sure that you have either told this story, or have been told this story, “I remember when TV used to go off at 2 am. The National Anthem would play as the flag was shown.  Then static. Broadcasting would resume at 5am.” This was really how it was pre-cable TV. Cable TV became available to my community in the late 70’s. ESPN followed in 1979. ESPN was considered a novelty station in the early days. None of the major sports were broadcast on the network until a few years later. At the time, sports programming was limited to the actual games played and then limited post-game coverage with some local news coverage. No top 10 plays, no Sports Center, no 24-hour programming. As a matter of fact, I recall some NBA regular season games being on TAPE DELAY. Between 1983-1985 as college basketball grew in popularity so too did ESPN. They had achieved some level of legitimacy and started to air pro sports and major college sports. They were trending upward. Along comes Michael Jordan, complete with 24-hour coverage, Sports Center and Top 10 condensed highlights courtesy of ESPN’s new found popularity. The timing was perfect, each benefiting the other. No other player before Michael had received as much coverage, support, hype, access, or viewership than he.  Earlier I mentioned the Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones comparison.  Can you name any other British rock bands? None are more “famous” than these two. Why? Because these two were the best of the first generation “British Invasion” rock bands.  They had the benefit of being the “first”. Certainly among the most popular, but are they the best ever? Better than Hendrix, James Brown, Michael Jackson or Prince? How do you decide?

2. Nike – Synergy. There are times in life when, as they say, the stars line up for you. The stars definitely lined up for Nike, ESPN and Michael Jordan. Jordan provided the talent. Nike provided the vehicle. ESPN provided the cameras to show the world. Nike’s role in helping to establish Michael Jordan as the most popular athlete in the world cannot be underestimated. Their marketing campaign that not only targeted, but included, urban (say black…) America coincided with the rise of Hip Hop. With rap music living in it’s golden age, Nike planted Jordan (and itself) right in the middle of the modern BLACK RENAISSANCE, catapulting him to the stratosphere.  Or as we used to say, Nike and Jordan “blew up”! So did ESPN! Take a look at the Converse commercials pre-Jordan if you want to see just how revolutionary Nike was.  Michael Jordan would have been marketed as “one of the guys” had he signed with Converse.  I doubt that we would have seen tie-ins with Spike Lee movies and hip hop culture had he done so. Nike marketed Jordan as the best so they could sell his shoes.  ESPN claimed him the best to feed their viewership. Michael Jordan became the most popular pro athletic because of the timely and successful relationship with ESPN and Nike. More people were exposed to him due to vastly increased coverage. This became the norm for all star athletics that followed.

1. Phil Jackson – Why people are reluctant to accept this fact is puzzling to me, but Phil Jackson is the #1 reason why Michael Jordan is considered the best player ever. And the metrics here, the real true numbers, are hard to ignore. I haven’t done any deep research so my numbers may not be exact, but they are correct. Fact: Michael Jordan NEVER went to the finals without Phil Jackson. Fact: Michael Jordan never went to the finals AFTER Phil Jackson. Phil has 11 rings, 5 without Jordan. To my knowledge, Michael Jordan had 8 seasons to prove that he didn’t need a “HALL OF FAME” coach to get to the NBA finals. Eight! What is his record in those seasonS? Somebody talk to me? Without Phil Jackson, Jordan’s record looks a lot like the other 6’5 shooting guards who were great, but not champions.  See for yourself.  Now Phil won 5 titles without Jordan! Ok. Now you say, “well he had Kobe!” Right. Exactly! So how many did Kobe win without Phil? Zero! Again, without Phil, Kobe’s record looks a lot like all of the other 6’6 shooting guards who were great but not champions. See for yourself. Two great players, 0 titles without Phil Jackson.  How do you dismiss this? One coach with 11 championships, but two of the greatest players of all time win none without him. Hey, there are many great players who’ve never won titles. No shame to them. Their greatness is still intact. However, they are not champions. So in the case of Michael, we have verifiable, documented proof that he would not have won titles without Phil because he DID NOT win without Phil. So if we’re truly objective about this, the answer is really clear. KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR IS THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME IF WE GO BY THE NUMBERS. He has 6 NBA titles (same as Jordan). HE HAS MORE POINTS, REBOUNDS, ASSISTS, AND BLOCKED SHOTS THAN JORDAN. HE HAS 3 NCAA TITLES, JORDAN HAS 1. KAREEM HAS A HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. MICHAEL HAS NONE. YOU GOOD? BY THE WAY, KAREEM HAS 2 NBA TITLES AS AN ASSISTANT C0ACH. MICHAEL HAS NONE AS AN OWNER. KAREEM HAS A CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE (SIT DOWN MICHAEL, LEBRON, KOBE AND MAGIC….). ONE OF YOU GUYS MAY BE SECOND ON THE LIST BUT REMEMBER BILL RUSSELL HAS 11 TITLES…… Jordan looked cooler doing it, but Kareem did it better. If you still want to think Jordan is the best. Fair. We like what we like. But now you know the fact. A matter of perspective.