Audio Podcast – Dante Stallworth’s sentence unjust, Sammy Sosa steroids, Kevin McHale finally gone, Shaq’s move.
Dante Stallworth’s sentence unjust, Sammy Sosa steroids, Kevin McHale finally gone, Shaq’s move.
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32 Responses to “Audio Podcast – Dante Stallworth’s sentence unjust, Sammy Sosa steroids, Kevin McHale finally gone, Shaq’s move.”
The hypocrisy of our democracy. There is no consistency in this world anymore. We live in the moment these days. So, people don’t use the same criteria across the board…especially if it doesn’t serve their purpose. They treated Vick like he was a cruel villain. But he served his time and people need to move out of his way and get him back in the NFL.
Speaking of villains, Barry Bonds is who they want as the steroid symbol as if he was the Lex Luthor of this Legion of Super(Steroid)-Villains. I just assume everybody did it in baseball. I am no longer shocked.
I agree McHale should have been gone. And I hope Shaq gets to Cleveland. LeBron and Shaq! Celtics back! Lakers going for Back-to-Back! WOW!
I posted a comment to an NFL blog about Dante Stallworth. Because Jamie Dukes seems to think suspending him from the league for one year demonstrates a human life is more valuable than an animal’s. If gambling gets a player banned for life, why the hell does manslaughter only get a person a one year suspension? His jail sentence should have been around 10 years. This is why I’m not a big fan of society. And I hear he may do PSAs or give talks about not driving drunk as a part of community service. As if it took a DUI manslaughter felony to make a person realize drinking and driving is wrong. Maybe he is a good guy. But come on, that’s not a factor in fairness. I’m a good guy and I’m not making millions a year. People want to talk about value? Why is football valued over justice? No average person would get away with so little penalization. We shouldn’t be assessing Stallworth’s punishment based on Vick’s. That’s crazy.
Oh. Also, I agree with Skip Bayless that if Cleveland gets Shaq, we really need a different coach. I desperately hope that the Danny Ferry realizes that.
Stephen A is the Man.
Mr Smith,
Thanks again for sharing with us all. I look so forward to listening to your Podcast. I would love to have Shaq here in Phila, but we all know that will never happen but hey we have Sammy. (very nice guy but he needs to go). Also, i totally agree with you about Stallworth, thata a damn shame…. As always much love, Mari
Keep up the great work!!!
Sup S.A.,
Thanks man for putting this out. I mean no one is talking about Stallworth sentencing in comparison to Vick’s at all and its ugly.
Now A few things to think about. Do you think this sentence of 30 days was given because he pleaded out and the guy was an illegal and so is his family? Thats why they (the family)just took the money and ran. Because what american you know would have let their father, brother, uncle, etc be killed by a drunk driver and not have that person put behind bars and then sue in a civil court…right?
Next is PETA, are they out there protesting at Vicks job work site right now? I havent heard anything. So I say that to say this, if Vick is reinstated to the league and then we all-of-a-sudden see PETA. We will then know PETA doesnt care about animals they care more about are keeping a rich successful black man down. Because there is no way you dont protest a $10 job but you protest $1 mil dollar job….right? You protest one you protest the other, bottomline. To add, we may be seeing some of PETA true colors now with the Obama fly killing. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!! A FLY? Or is it the color and power of the man that killed the fly. Obviously this is my perspective but in time we will see if PETA “is who I think they are” lol.
I’m not too surprised that our thoughts on Donte Stallworth parallel almost completely. I would only add on one thing, and that is that the possibility that Stallworth could possibly sign an NFL contract before Vick is sickening to me. It’s absolutely disgusting. If there are any protests at all, they will pale in comparison to what Vick could face. And I don’t like it one damn bit.
I’m not surprised at all with Sosa. I had a good feeling he was not clean back in 2002, when he went out in the HR Derby in Milwaukee and started hitting balls off of scoreboards and whatnot. Then, either that year or the next, he adamantly refused an abrupt offer from an SI reporter to take a drug test, minutes after saying that he would be open to taking a random drug test at any time. At the same time, it’s still sad, embarrassing and appalling.
As far as his Congressional testimony, he may actually get off the hook due to his wording. I don’t have the direct quotes in front of me, but his statement said he never “injected” or had anyone “inject” him with steroids, knowing damn well that he had ingested a substance or used the cream/clear. He also stated that he never violated any laws in the DR or in the USA. Everyone knows that the steroids these players were using are not illegal in the Dominican, so he could’ve bought and used the drugs in their country and just come right back with no legal issue. Even if there’s no perjury, this revelation still is nothing short of disgraceful.
McHale wasn’t good, there was no reason for his tenure to last that long. Even though he drafted Garnett, the entire Joe Smith situation should’ve been cause enough for his dismissal. Absolutely idiotic.
It’s crazy but I work in Televsion news, and people care more about dogs than humans. They see a guy down on his luck and show no love. But if they see a dog wondering around they will risck there life to make him feel safe or take him home.
S.A.,
Just got wind of this one. We have a potential serial killer at 18yrs of age in florida. Killed 19 cats in a month and posed the cats on people lawns.
Again I say “Where is PETA”?
Hey Stephen A.
Very nice to have this podcast, always been a big fan, can’t get enough. Again though, what’s wrong with getting a real mic? It sounds like you do this from your cell phone, in your way to work. I KNOW you are more professional than that.
It would also be good to see this in ITunes, so people can hear this in the subway, like me.
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From SAS: First of all, thanks for the email and listening to my Podcast. Secondly, wherever I do my Podcast and whatever tools I use have nothing to do with professionalism. I can’t carry a Mic with me. Yes! I have a Mic and the appropriate equipment at home. But it’s not the kind of device I’d carry with me on the road. Would you prefer that I pass on the Podcast? I don’t think so. So consider that before sending your email next time. But I will attempt to get in front of my Mic more often. Take care.
thanks a lot
keep it up
Once again Stephen A great podcast. Is the world coming to an end look at the world we are living in. a car runs over someone drunk driving and he gets grounded for a month, and told you better not do that again, while a guy kills some dogs and he gets his butt whipped over and over again and grounded for 2 years and when his grounding was over he continues to get his butt whipped over and over again. What in the God’s name is wrong with the world these days. we have some screwed up people in this world and a screwed up justice system. I see why certain people commit certain crimes because they know that they will get a slap on the risk.
Fist time I’ve listend to your podcast. This was great! I don’t know what else to say. You were right on point regarding Michael Vick and Stallworth comparison, as well as all everthing else.
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From SAS: Thanks a lot, Bulk.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in other people’s lives that we don’t take care of what is right in front of us. I have heard it all and read it all about my name sake “Donte’ Stallworth”. And it is not mines to say if he is right or wrong, if his sentence is right or wrong, if he is a good person or not or if having money had anything to do with were he will be for 30 days. But what I do know is jail is no fun, no matter how long or short your time is. The bottom line is that lives have been drastically changed. Neither his, his families, nor the family of the person he hit, will ever be the same. What we need to do, is make sure that we are not the next victims on either side.
Love is in the details. What have you paid attention to today?
The difference between Vick and Stallworth is remorse. Vick showed no remorse until he knew he would be sentenced to prison. Vick failed a drug test before his sentencing. Stallworth through himself at the mercy of the court and agreed to pay a finacial settlement to the victims. If Vick would have taken Stallworth’s approach to this situation his sentenced would have been much less.
@ASTALLWORTH2: You make a good feeling statement.
But if you dont pay attention to the inconsistencies in the justice system, if you dont pay attention to the different set of laws depending on your pocket book, and if you dont face the reality that there are powerful humans that say a dogs life is more precious than your own.
Then you miss the fact that the majority of news (web, tv, paper, etc) on a daily basis ‘do not’ contain or express any love at all. Therefore to get to the love you have to make people pay attention to the disgust. Then and only then when more of us get disgusted about the injustices we see everyday will other people look internally at the lack of love they displayed. This is the only way to make what you “Paid” attention today, worthwhile.
Stephen A: great podcast. But here’s the thing. Vick’s crimes were planned, calculated and ongoing for years through him buying the house, reconfiguring it with the dog equipment, funding it constantly, engaging in the deaths or the decisions to kill the dogs and lying, lying, lying until they had the goods on him. Stallworth drove after he drank and that is intentional but…there were other factors that under the law FL state prosecutors take into account. One is if the victim is at all at fault and he was. Second is cooperation of the perpetrator. Third is the wishes of the victim’s family. Stallworth hit the tri-fecta which frankly is unlikely to ever present itself again. But I am of the opinion that Vick should be reinstated by the league. It’s up to the owners who spend the money to take a chance on him
Stephen A you are dead right about Stallworth and Vick. Stallworth has a great legal team that just took advantage of the previous rulings in vehicular manslaughter cases across the country. Our society views alcohol as a drug so therfore anytime you are involved in an alcohol related accident you are considered to have been addicted and not held to the same level of responsiblity as a sober person. You must remember that our former president Bush was an alcoholic before he took office. No one seemed to hold that against him come election time. As for Vick; I am a fan of his. His biggest mistake was not the fact that he engaged in dog fighting, but that he originally lied about it. That is way the feds were out to ruin him. He was punished for all of the black men who have money to hire the best lawyers to beat a wrap. Look at Stallworth; his money got him off with a slap on the wrist. The feds made an example out of him because he thought his money would get him out of trouble. I’m sure that the feds have seen much more heinous crimes that Vick’s. They ruined his life to get back at OJ,Puffy,Snoop,Ray Lewis and other rich black men and to serve as a warning that money can’t save you all. If they put their mind into getting you, you will get got. Someone else will have to pay for Stallworth somewhere down the line. I feel sorry for the next black superstar that the law targets. I hope its not Chris Brown.
Amazing, Donte Stallworth can drive drunk, kill a guy and get only 30 days in the can. Nice legal system. If he had run over 2 people would he have received 60 days in the can? Drunk driving should mean an automatic 10 year prison sentence like armed robbery. And that doesn’t even count killing someone when drunk. But, when you drive a Bentley, you know that a maximum sentence is not in the cards. .. McHale, a great low post player but a poor GM. … Sosa, no surprise. I mentioned to friend in 1998! that Sosa and McGwire were on steroids. Jeez, just look at the body transformations. Heck, I told a friend in 1988! that Canseco was on steroids. But, nobody gave a damn back then. Now, I hear the outrage. Please.
@Mark Rogers: Mark, it doesnt matter if you begged, pleaded, kissed butt, or anything else.
- A drunk man killed another human while driving his car!
- A regular guy had a kennel which sponsored dog fighting.
Both are guilty.
Now read those two statements carefully. Your a judge you have two judgements to give.
1st jdment= 30 days in jail & 8 yrs probation.
2nd jdment= 2 yrs in Federal Prison Levinworth
Whats your judgement???
@Paula: Hello Paula,
Let me give you some clarity to what you speak, because it seems to be a bit full of just following the crowd.
Dog fighting is a hobby to many folks. Regardless if you understand it or respect it, you must acknowledge it. Just like cox fighting, hunting deer, hunting any animal for that matter…ok.
Now that should give you clarity on how the system was biased. It was never stated he bought the home for dog fighting, but so you know he bought the home for his cousin. Did they own a dog breeding kennel, did they fight dogs there yes. Should Vick have taken his name off the house and only left his cousins name yes but he didnt.
You nor the prosecution has no concrete proof Vick did anything in regards to killing or giving order to kill. The state was told those things by 2 people who had other charges against them besides dog fighting and one was a crake head(go figure). Therefore to cut those charges they would say anything. And if you think for one second the cops didnt tell them “listen we dont want you, we want Vick, so tell us he did it and we will help you out.” If you think that didnt happen in some way shape or form then i would assume you dont know many people who have or who maybe in jail or you have never been involved with the police while being black. You would be amazed what they say to us to get us to give something up.
Vicks fault was lying to his owner and the nfl…thats his true crime.
S.A.:
LOVE the podcast! My best friend and I have started our own brand and company called “Jersey Girl” for women who like sports. We gotta get you on our show! You are dead on about your comments about Stallworth and Vick…absolutely ridiculous! and PETA? Pulllleaze!!! Did you hear how they got mad at Obama for killing a fly/mosquito??? Anyways, I would love to see Shaq in Cleveland. Can’t wait for the next podcast.
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From SAS: Thank you, Angela. Appreciate the love. Maybe that will happen some day. Good luck with you and your “Jersey Girls.” Take care.
You need to get a youtube channel and dominate your competition in the media. That way you have full control of your channel
Hey Stephen,
I totally agree with everything you said, when did a dog become more important than a human? I just dont get it.
I never have, every since I saw that woman take a bath with her 5 dogs on wife swapping and sleeping with them, and her husband had to sleep in another room because she slept with her dogs, I knew then that this world has gone to the “DOGS”.
keep up the good work.
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From SAS: That’s just disgusting, Debbie. But thanks for the email. Take care.
What’s up:
First of all,Stallworth blew only a .12, which IS legally drunk. (BUT)Did he actually cause that accident because he had been drinking or did the man walk out in front of him and they did not see each other. Because he had been drinking, it was more convenient for the state of Florida to charge him. If the circumstances were the same and there was no alcohol involved, it would have been labeled an “unfortunate accident”. Finally, you should take into consideration his actions immediately after the accident. He tried to help the gentlemen and he did not try to run even though he knew he had been drinking. His actions were not that of a drunk person. The welfare of this gentlemen was his primary concern. In my opinion, I think the state of Florida took the plea, because it would have been a hard case to try in court. If the case had actually gone to trial, it may have been a totally different outcome. (Future defense attorney here Stephen A, bear with me).
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From SAS: I can respect where you’re coming from totally, Diamond. I have no desire, whatsoever, to see Stallworth in Prison. I’m aware of the fact that it was a very unfortunate accident. But, in all honestly, that really is not the point. The point is…a man is dead. He’s dead because Stallworth’s car struck him. We know Stallworth was drinking, that he was legally drunk. Yet, he received less of a punishment than Michael Vick having been involved in Dog Fighting. That’s the point.
The life of a human being appears less important than that of a Dog. That’s the point that was being made and that’s the point I have no intention of swaying from. Thanks for the email. Take care.
Keep posting those “Podz!”
Stallworth – simply criminal.
Shaq – bring it on!
Sosa – adios amigo.
McHale – love him or hate him, he did a double dose of a solid trading his pick, “Mr. Insane Intensity” to his old squad. That was a just a stand up move. He placed Garnett in a position to win a “chip” and made Danny et al very grateful.
Stallworth does not deserve to go to prison. As big a mistake as Stallworth made, it was clearly an accident. And as obviously out there as it is, the bigger your name is the more media attention and punishment. Look at Kobe and Shannon Brown. What was the difference? If it had been Kobe during the finals going through that, (which we have seen) but it wasn’t a shock at that point. If that had popped up during the finals Kobe would have been destroyed. Mr. Reas God bless him was walking on a busy area. I’m glad that you pointed out that apparently the life of a dog is more important than that of a human. I’m a firm believer that if it’s living it deserves to live, but come on. There is even no guarantee that Vick will ever be able to suit up again. This is not right, but what can we do? As far as McHale? I lost respect for him when he pulled off pulling KG out of the purple and gold path he was on and pulling a fast (but obvious) favor to his old teammate Danny Ainge. If anyone has seen that I know it had to be you Stephen. KG expressed interest in playing with Kobe and for the Lakers. As for as I’m concerned he has done nothing but take a 2004 Western Conference worthy organization and turn them to one of the worst 5 teams in the league. Good riddance, the people of Minnesota should rejoice. As far as Shaq. I am a fan of the guy like anyone else is, but let’s be real with ourselves here. Am I the only one getting tired of his team hopping? I can’t condone that kind of behavior. I know he is 37 and doesn’t have many years or solid play but hopping team to team trying to “fall’ into a championship has gotten kind of old. He had the pleasure of playing alongside 3 of the best perimeter guards this game has ever seen and has 4 rings to show for it. Why is that not good enough. It should have been obvious to everyone what Shaq’s intentions were around all star weekend when he tried to sympathize his way back into LA with his “It reminded me of old times, I miss those times” speeches. Now that his “marketing plot” didn’t fall through he figures he can just waltz into Cleveland, win a ring and take LBJ’s credit for “being the missing link that the Cavs NEEDED for LBJ to get his ring”. I like LBJ as much as the next fan but the last thing he needs, and Kobe can tell you this for sure, is the whole saying “Lebron couldn’t have done it without Shaq”. Let me know what you think.
Finally, someone point out how crazy this society is. The sad thing is, Stephen’s point is common sense, and still no one dare to speak it out.
What’s going on in this country? Leaders can lie on national TV causing ten and thousands of lives without any consequences. While some people who harm animals got couple of years in jail. How crazy that is.
Mr. Smith:
I see your point also. Of course I do not think a dog’s life is more valuable than a human. The point I am trying to convey is that this case is not a good case for to compare with Michael Vick’s sentence. Obviously the state of Florida feels the same way because they accepted his plea. There are a lot of case out there that would make a better comparison. For instance, Mary Winkler from Tennessee who killed her preachr husband back in 2006. This lady recieved time already served in jail, which was five months and a couple months in a mental facility. Gotta go, you take care.
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From SAS: Wrong, Diamond. Folks are not going to connect that dot because it’s not an athlete getting over. Donte Stallworth and Michael Vick are BOTH NFL Players. Both broke the law. One killed dogs; the other killed a human being. That’s all people see. Regardless of what qualifies as an appropriate comparison, the public-at-large doesn’t view it that way. Commissioner Goodell has no jurisdiction over Mary Winkler. But he has jurisdiction over both Stallworth and Vick. ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC and CBS aren’t talking about Mary Winkler. But they’ve talked about Vick and they’ll damn sure talk about Stallworth. This is just the way it is. You’re being logical and reasonable, making perfectly sound arguments. But it veers away from realism because that’s just not the way things are. Take care.
I miss Stephen A on ESPN but I understand why he wanted to move on, when will he branch out beyond sports? Any chance there will be some guest commentators? Maybe some others who used to be on ESPN? Sean Salisbury, Michael Irvin, Jason Whitlock? That would be great.
yo stephen a. love your opinions, but i gotta disagree with ya on stallworth my brother. first off the man the stallworth hit darted out in an area that was not a crosswalk. that’s a big fact right there. speaking from experience, there’s nothing you can do. i once hit a 10 yr old. he was running across the street to his house, there was a church carnival going on to the right of me and with maybe 200 people, so i was temporarily distracted. He darted out in between two parked cars, never saw him and the outcome was horrifying, especially in front of some many people and little kids. the police agreed, there was nothing i could do, and the fault was place on the 10 yr old kid. he was only in the hospital for a couple days with a broken knee, he had a full recovery which is reliving. HOWEVER, THAT BEING SAID THERE IS STILL NO EXCUSE TO DRINK AND DRIVE.
and your comment about a dogs life being more important than a humans, isn’t really fair. though i am a dog lover, i am not entirely opposed to dog fighting, they are animals and it is somewhat of a sport. why i think your comment isn’t fair is because of this.. besides dog fighting which is illegal, vick electrocuted, drowned, hung and tortured underperforming dogs. that is sickening, and you have to draw the line somewhere right? humans are animals too. life is life no matter who it belongs to, and no one with life deserves to be tortured, hung, electrocuted, or drowned. thats a big reason vick got what he did.
ne way peace stephen a. look forward to listening to more of your podcasts stay up!!
Stephen A.
What’s up brother? I miss your enthusiastic commentary on ESPN. I know it’s been a while, but still. Getting to the point. Stephen, this is pretty sad. What’s worse is that some people are making a claim that there is circumstantial evidence that helped the judge lower the sentencing. What?!? Are you serious? I understand that he is a good person, but so am I. If I went out and did the same thing, I wouldn’t see the light of day for the rest of my life. Vick didn’t even kill the dogs himself. They fought each other. Drinking and driving is bad enough in itself and should warrant more than a 30 day arrest. You kill someone because of your stupidity, you deserve much more.
Stepehen, Sammy Sosa does need to be taken to court. I agree. However, people are very tired of this nonsense. In my mind, I don’t really care what happens to either of them. Why? Because in my mind, and in my heart, I know that they deserve less credit than they would have had if found to be clean throughout their careers. Bonds is a hall of famer regardless. We all know from looking at Sammy’s size and numbers that he did not do ‘roids his entire career, but did when he was setting records. He deserves to be chastised by the baseball community for lying to every fans’ face, by pretending to be something he wasn’t. He got everyone in the world to buy-into his pseudo-Roger Maris-like-hitting, and acted like a saint, like baseball’s golden boy. Shame on him, as you say.
McHale is garbage. The end. When was the last time the Timberwolves were relevant? I can’t even remember the last time we payed any attention to them as regular NBA fans. Long time.
Shaq… What to do with Shaq. Send him to the Cavs, and try to keep Mo Williams and Delonte West. Shaq can draw double teams still and kick it out for threes. However, Zydrunas is very good. Very good. He doesn’t have that inside presence on D that Shaq would have though. If you bring Shaq, James can stop rebounding so much. Saves him energy. Hornets would be good, but not 76ers. Please don’t send him there. That would be a disaster.
Hit me up on twitter. @travelkb
I’m not a member of PETA or really care about the group but it’s incredibly childish to compare their reaction to Vick’s case to Stalworth’s. They don’t have anything to do with one another. A group has a right to be passionate about whatever they feel like. Where’s NOW? Where’s the Auto Worker’s Union? Where’s Rev Jackson? It’s silly and infantile arguement, you should be better than that.
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From SAS: I would totally agree with your assessment, Ab, if it were accurate. Except it is not. I wasn’t comparing the two in regards to PETA because I’m fully aware their issue is Animal Rights, not Drunk Driving. But what I was doing is comparing the extent of the vitriol and venom HUMAN BEINGS — including folks affiliated with PETA — express while being so quiet when a 59-year-old is killed in the streets. Bottom line: There something wrong with anybody the doesn’t appear to place the highest value on human life. Period. If that’s infantile to you, so be it.
You have your feelings about what’s infantile. I have my thoughts about what’s ridiculous.
Thanks for your email.