People, as an episode of "Seinfeld" reminded us, they're the worst.
The updated: They're the dumbest.
This has nothing to do with Octo-please-tie-her-tubes-and-jaws-shut-Mom, or Ron Artest, or the Parents from Hell with a TV show and eight poor kids, or American Idol stalkers, or any dingbat in public office or on a cable talk show or the sheep that obsess about them.
Joakim Noah of the Bulls and Josh Smith of the Hawks recently chimed in with critiques of Cleveland and Milwaukee, the cities, based on their vast experience of flipping past the Travel Channel and going to parks and museums, and to concerts that didn't stretch woofers to the limit.
From Noah on Cleveland: "I don't know about Cleveland, man, there is nothing going on The streets are kind of bare. It's bad, man.
Regrets after trailing 2-0? "Not at all. You like it? You think it's cool at all? I never heard anyone say 'I'm going to Cleveland on vacation.' . . . My whole life I've been booed. It's OK. I have my friends, I don't care."
From Smith on Milwaukee: “There’s pretty much nothing to do. Miami has some really good restaurants. I never really did anything in Milwaukee. I would be happy to just find a restaurant. I’m not bashing the city but I’ve never actually did anything in Milwaukee so I really don’t know what is around there.
"“Would you go there? Everybody knows there ain’t nothing to do in Milwaukee, man. Everybody knows that, (even) the people that live there.”
OK, well that's kinda stupid, considering A) more people live in Milwaukee than Atlanta, and Cleveland's not far behind; B) if there's nothing to do, why do so many people live in Milwaukee (604,000) and Cleveland (440,000)? C) Milwaukee and Atlanta each have have 10 professional sports teams, including independents and minor leagues, while Cleveland has fewer, in large part because Akron (215,000) is only 40 miles away has two more.
So yeah, Gomer and Goober, people live there and like it because a city offers them something and they have something offer the city other than sitting in a mansion playing Madden and Halo and Gears of War and texting people all day before heading to work.
Neither player did anything to improve stereotypes.
A nincomtwit story-commenter in the AJC snapped: "Josh is ignorant because he expressed his opinion?"
No, but an opinion can be based in some ignorance. Or narrow-minded. Or from being substance-challenged. Or from being a simple person. Increasingly, most are.
Let's be honest. When an athlete says there's nothing to do, we're going to assume they're talking about neon clubs with Tiger Tail wannabes, and there will be an inference that it need be a club that caters more to the black athlete.
And frankly, until that pigeonhole is proven completely wrong and misguided more often than not, at least perception-wise ...
Let such babblers actually answer the question: "What would you like to do? What do you do at home? What did you do in Miami/Houston/Charlotte?"
Of course, here's a tidbit. The city of Milwaukee is 43.6 percent white and 39.5 percent black. Cleveland is 41 percent white and 54 percent black. Atlanta? It's 38 percent white, 56 percent black. That's not exactly a huge difference.
Yours truly has never been to Cleveland or Milwaukee. And absurd city- or state- or region-bashing by the one-dimensional and intellectually stunted remains highly annoying.
It's the same thing with most everybody who says any town - helloooo, Macon - is dead. Basically, that's code for "not enough bars cuz really all I got going is drinking a lot."
Really. (Whining is the No. 2 pastime).
Just because it's cold doesn't mean there's nothing to do.
Just because you've never been there for any period of time doesn't mean there's nothing to do.
Just because it's not filled with more people like you - whoever you are - doesn't mean there's nothing to do.
Just because there's little going on upstairs for ya doesn't mean there's nothing to do.
And exactly how much time does, say, an NBA player have during a normal road trip to explore a city? Get in at 3 a.m., sleep until whenever, grab some food and head to the arena.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Say it's during the playoffs when there is more time. What was Player doing at home?
"So Joakim, what did you do at home during the playoffs?"
Chillin' is likely the answer.
"Josh, what do you like most about living in Atlanta?"
It ain't Piedmont Park and the aquarium.
The world isn't about beaches. Fact is, there aren't many big-time beach cities in the country aaaaaand let's see, how many hundreds of millions more people live inland than on the sand?
All that said, we pay way too much attention to the misguided, uninformed and irrelevant views of simpletons. Then again, we are a nation of simpletons.
Remember: we thought Ben Roethlisberger was an OK guy.
LOUGHDMOUTHINGS
Jason Heyward is batting .246. Damn global warming. …
Demaryius Thomas has some skeptics to turn around, some preconceptions to erase after being a first-round pick by Denver.
Dude, the guy was the only real target on a team that didn’t throw much, so he was double-teamed every down that was remotely near a passing down. He’s a physical player, has speed, good hands and hunger.
If the former Dublin and Georgia Tech standout doesn’t make a name for himself in the NFL for at least awhile, I’ll be pretty surprised. …
Friend and West Virginia grad was at a racetrack in Louisville, and noted that “Not sure what I enjoy more: sunny morning on the backside at Churchill Downs or getting the stink eye from all the Kentucky fans back here while I rock the WVU pullover.”
One man’s reply: and at the end of the day: "It's time to play Calipari and vacate this place." …
Dear Coach Weis, thanks a lot. Sincerely, Jimmy “Second round” Clausen. …
And don’t be surprised that if being part of the haunted Raiders doesn’t do him in that Jason Campbell doesn’t show what he’s always been capable of.
But poor Campbell has never been in anything resembling a stable coaching situation. He’s played for as many offensive coordinators as Jerry Jones has had facelifts.
When Campbell is part of a real system, he’s thrived.
His biggest worry may be avoiding JaMarcus Russell. Not talking to the soon-to-be-former-Raider quarterback, avoid Russell falling on him.
Reports are that Russell is up to 300 pounds. And in this case, no, black will not make him any slimmer. Or better. …
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Why did God decide that the people who knew the least would have the strongest vocal chords?
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