Good Trumps Evil

Well, it's finally over. The drama, suspense, agony, and ecstasy of the professional football season is over. And guess what? The New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl, 17-14. That's right. Perhaps the 'greatest team of all time' with perhaps the 'greatest quarterback of all time' and the 'greatest coach of all time,' lost. And I couldn't be happier.

It's not so much that the good guys won. I mean, other than a New Yorker, who gives a rat's ass about the New York Giants? Other than Eli Manning, a rather bland fellow, and Michael Strahan, who can be marginally annoying, this group of champions are a mostly nondescript bunch. You don't hate them, but you don't love them either. At least, not until last Sunday night. We gotta whole lotta love for the G-Men now.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have provided a fair amount of drama all season. First, the cast of characters. At the helm, you have Tom Brady, the rather goofy-looking poster boy quarterback of the team, equally known off-the-field for dating the supermodel Giselle Bundchen and impregnating actress Bridget Moynahan. At wide receiver, you have the brilliant but previously troubled Randy Moss, who seemed to find himself again with this team, but who will be a free agent after the season. On defense, there is my homey (he hails from the suburbs of Chicago) Rodney Harrison, who was twice voted the NFL's dirtiest player by his peers, and was suspended four games this season for use of human growth hormone. There's also Junior Seau, who announced his "retirement" from the San Diego Chargers in August of 2006, only to "un-retire" 4 days later to sign with the Patriots. This is also the same guy who once jokingly uttered a racial slur against former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson ('the way to stop L.T. is to keep feeding him chicken and watermelon'). Finally, there's Richard Seymour, who was called "a dirty, cheap little pompous bitch" by San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick after the Pats beat the Chargers in the AFC Championship game earlier this year.

The Patriots started the year off with a cloud of shame, after it was revealed that they had been filming their opponents defensive signals from across the field, ostensibly to gain a competitive advantage. Further allegations have surfaced that the Patriots may have been employing this tactic for quite some time, and may have even filmed a practice of the St. Louis Rams prior to the Pats upset victory over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Caught red-handed, the Pats took much umbrage at the notion that they were cheaters (true), or needed to cheat to win (debatable). Their extremely dour and ungracious coach, Bill Belichick, used the allegations as a rallying point for his team, with the Pats being determined to show the world that this was a great team - so much better than the rest of the league that cheating was at best, a superflous activity. The Patriots then proceeded on an impressive and unprecedented winning streak, finishing the season at a perfect 16-0.

It wasn't just that the Patriots won, it was how they won. Simply put, they ran up the score against their opponents. Scores of 38-7, 48-27, 49-28, 52-7, and 56-10 provided ample evidence to the league that the Patriots were indeed, a superior team. Long after games had been decided, the Patriots played their starters, scoring meaningless touchdowns, going for it on fourth downs, eschewing relatively easy field goal attempts. Belichick argued, unconvincingly, that his team needed to play a full 60 minutes of every game to prepare itself for their ultimate goal, the NFL championship.

And there's the rub. Anybody who has played competitive sports on any level at any time, either amateur or professional - or even video games for christ's sake - knows and respects that maxim that you do not rub your opponents face in crap. Now, there are exceptions for excessive trash talkers or to retaliate for a well-documented diss, but as a rule you do show some respect for a vanquished opponent. Once you've conclusively settled the outcome, you ease up and play your second or third units. Come to think of it, this doesn't just apply in sports, this is how civilized people behave generally.

And that's how the Patriots, a previously respected franchise on the verge of acheiving dynasty status, became symbolic of evil and all that can be wrong in the world. They became extremely....irritating. People all over the country suddenly became very interested in Patriot games, and not to see if they would run the table and finish the season undefeated. They wanted the evil guys to lose.

And for one of the few times in recent memory, judgment came swiftly and with finality. The Giants bitch-slapped and smacked the pretty boy QB in the mouth and showed that he too, is human. The Pats defense that was just good enough during the eighteen previous wins showed its age and vulnerability. The Giants played with guts, determination, and the gods were on their side when it mattered. And David Tyree made one hell of a catch.

Even more satisfying, it was a really good game, perhaps the greatest Super Bowl ever. After it was all over, as I watched the post-game stupefied looks of Brady, Belichick, Seau, and other Pats, one of my favorite lyrics from the 70's soul group The Stylistics came to mind:

"Payback is a Dog"

No Diggity

Politics, politics.

Well, here we go. The election season has officially kicked off with the Iowa Caucus, where Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were the winners. What's in a name? Apparently, nothing. Conceivably, we could wind up with either a President Obama, or a President Huckabee, or even a President Rudy or Hillary. (Sorry, no President Joe or Chris). We've come a long way, to our credit.

So far, I've nothing to be irritated about, other than that politicians and politics are global irritants to begin with. What has been funny is Hillary Clinton's behavior since Barack Obama gave her a beatdown in Iowa. It is so interesting that after only eight years as a roommate in the White House and a few years as a United States Senator, she seems to think that she is the most experienced and capable candidate and is somehow entitled to the Democratic presidential nomination. Where do they get this stuff?

In a classic player hater's move, Ms. Clinton admonished voters not to get "false hope" in Mr. Obama, insinuating that she was the only candidate prepared to deal with a grueling general election and the vitriol and enmity of the Republican party.

Huh? How about a little personal responsibility for your loss instead taking yet another negative swipe at Obama? He kicked your ass, your campaign organization failed in Iowa, end of story. Iowans liked him (and Edwards) better than you - move on.

Polls now show Obama with a 10-point lead over Clinton heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, with things getting very interesting.

As we move into the season, I have a host of considerations before I can make up my mind about these candidates. Do I have to prefer Barack Obama because I am Black? While I have an enormous amount of respect for him, he hasn't moved me personally. I read his book "The Audacity of Hope," and while his message may have been heartfelt and sincere, I found it at times obvious and cliched. If George W. Bush was ultimately elected because he was the candidate that you would most like to go out with and have a beer, I guess Obama would be the candidate I would most like to go to the club with or perhaps shoot some hoops. Not necessarily the criteria I'd use in selecting a presidential nominee.

And just who the hell is Hillary Clinton? Is she our best hope for a brighter future, or is she just plain scary, willing to do anything to be elected President? Who knows what direction she will take us President? Her specious argument that she is more experienced and qualified than anybody in the Democratic field for the job is both troubling and off-putting. Can you even trust somebody that wants the job that badly?

Finally, am I naive in the fact that John Edwards' message, with his stated intention to help those less fortunate in this country and his promise to take on the corrupt and powerful interests than currently control our government and our society, resonates so deeply within me? That I see him as the best hope for this country during this divided, ineffectual period in our history? Or is he just another pretty boy in a suit, full of promises and low on delivery? Time will only tell. In the meantime, I'm going to sit back, take it all in, and try to make an informed decision. More on this campaign stuff later.

To alleviate my winter doldrums, I'm really amped about the premier episode of (regrettably) the final season of The Wire, the best show on television. The fact that this show has never been recognized for its brilliance with any awards is both a badge of honor and a disgrace.

May the writer's strike last forever.

No Diggity

Hollywood, give us a break!

Happy New Year!

My wife, the beautiful Mrs. Diggity, asked me recently if I want to see Denzel Washington's latest film, "The Great Debaters." Ms. Diggity is an ardent supporter of Black cinema, however you define it, and we routinely rush to see most films with either a Black theme or starring Black actors. "No" I replied with a sigh. "Why not"? she inquired. Having been down this road before, I tried to be as succinct as possible, not wanting to get into an extended discourse with her regarding the subject. "It's just Hollywood on its latest uplifting, inspirational Black folks jag," I answered. She smiled and said no more. That's my girl.

For reasons unknown, other than that the film industry to a great degree is woefully lacking in creativity and original ideas, Hollywood revels in the making of the biopic and the "true" (or based on a true) story. Particularly, when making films concerning or depicting African Americans, the industry loves nothing more than an uplifting puff piece about Blacks challenging and overcoming the conventional and often racist obstacles imposed upon them by American society, past and present. Lamentably, when Hollywood enjoys success with a story that appeals to the Black community, it will try to milk the cow for as much as it can. Perhaps two objectives are achieved - 1) the industry taps into the consumer surplus of the Black community with a niche product, and 2) by presenting these "feel good" stories about the plight of Blacks, White America is given at least an opportunity to feel something positive about the Black socioeconomic existence, and can place its collective head another foot deeper into the sand. On both counts, it is an extremely manipulative course of action.

The latest round of this pap has come in four installments - "Akeelah And The Bee," (April, 2006) "The Pursuit of Happyness," (Dec. 2006) "Pride," (Mar. 2007) and now "The Great Debaters." (Dec. 2007). With the exception of 'Debaters,' I have seen all these films due to the persuasive talents of Mrs. Diggity. I'll take a flyer on 'Debaters' until it gets to cable. You could also include "Remember The Titans" and "Antwoine Fisher" in this genre," but those two belong to another point in time. All are variations on the Black "rags to riches" or '"overcoming all obstacles" themes, and represent the film industry at its most trivial (other than appealing to the prurient interests of post-pubescent males). The mantra: If it works (or even if it sometimes doesn't), let's make the same movie, over and over again. Especially for Black folks.

These films have enjoyed varying degrees of financial success. Lionsgate, the distributor of 'Pride' and 'Akeelah', must have figured it was on to a good thing when 'Akeelah' grossed $18.846 million, at a cost of only $8 million to make. However, their success was not repeated with the Terence Howard vehicle 'Pride', which grossed only $7.057 million. Lionsgate, incidentally, is the distributor of the latest installment in the repetitive "Rambo" series. Sony/Columbia garnered the box office powerhouse Will Smith to carry 'Happyness,' proving itself infinitely more savvy in marketing the genre, as it grossed a whopping $163.566 million versus a cost of $55 million. Not to be outdone, MGM collared megastar Washington (and Forrest Whitaker) to carry 'Debaters.' In its first week alone, the film grossed an eye-opening $5.674 million. All figures, Box Office Mojo .

Hollywood's insistence in making these films over and over again is personally irritating. The films are mediocre, the messages are trite, and the alleged morals of the stories misleading. I guess if Akeelah can win the Bee and Denzel can assemble a Black debating team that can beat "Harvard" (not historically accurate - it was USC), then we really don't have an educational crisis among the majority of Black children in the country today, do we? If Terence Howard can create a fine inner-city swim team out of whole cloth, then maybe resources and programs to divert urban Black youth from the perils of drugs and gangs aren't all that essential. Finally, if a homeless Black man can pull himself up from his bootstraps and become a millionaire who owned his own financial services firm, why can't other Blacks do the same?

Of course, there are some good reasons for making these films. The films provide jobs and work for Black (and white) actors. They tell stories, however fictionalized, of Black successes in White society. They can even provide a history lesson for the masses, no matter how dubious the source. And of course, they make MONEY. But these films are are simplistic in their fairy tale portrayals of Blacks. Blacks in America have a diversity and richness in their stories which takes on many shapes, forms, textures, and complexities, and Hollywood rarely times the time, expends the effort, or spends the money to tell these stories.

I'm also aware that Hollywood doesn't reserve this repetitive sledgehammer technique just for Black movies. How many iterations of Rambo, Die Hard, Halloween, etc., have we all become just damned tired? It's just that there's so little quality cinema either for or about Blacks (for example, there's the annoying and seemingly ubiquitous Tyler Perry) that I find it irritating that precious resources are being used on this mainstream pablum.

A few questions before I leave: 1) Why does the cable television industry seem to produce more quality features about Blacks than the film industry? I point out such notable examples as HBO Films "Lackawanna Blues," "A Lesson Before Dying," "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," "Something The Lord Made," and even "The Tuskegee Airmen," just to name a few; 2) Why is Denzel Washington involved in so many of these mediocre films, and 3) When is "Fridays 4" coming out? Love that Ice Cube.

No Diggity

Inaugural Post - "This Irritating Life"

The reason that I've decided to start blogging is that I'm an extremely opinionated person, but not too many people, other than my closest friends, have a clue as to my thoughts, ideas, and opinions. By nature, I'm reserved, and I've learned the wisdom of keeping one's mouth shut until one really has something to say. I'm an excellent listener, but most people would say that I'm a rather quiet person. Well, no more.

"This Irritating Life" will attempt to share my thoughts about a variety of topics - politics, race, sex, music, sports, movies, etc., and why I find so much of what goes on in this world to be so damn irritating - not to mention unfair, unjust, stupid, ignorant, sloppy, and so on. I don't want to come off as bitter, I just want to put it out there and perhaps see how others either agree or disagree with me. A journal and a journey of the soul, so to speak.

For now, my plan is to remain anonymous in posting - hence the moniker "No Diggity." However, for informational purposes, I can tell you that I am a Black (moving away from the term "African American," for reasons to be disclosed later), 50-something, Liberal (ugh!), professional, NBA-nut. If any of those rather limiting characteristics turn you off or lose your interest, well I guess you won't be reading this blog.

The title of this blog, while self-explanatory, is also derivative of the excellent Chicago Public Radio show "This American Life", hosted by Executive Producer Ira Glass. I love that show and listen to it as many times as I can, albeit on far too few occassions.

Well, that's it for now, talk to you soon.

No Diggity