The NASCAR race you didn't see on ESPN

**This can be seen on Auto Racing Blog where I am a contributing author.**

I really can’t take credit for what you are about to see. Funnyanimalvideos.com was the site where I got this video from and I must say it is quite funny. A friend of mine saw this video with me, and as a major fan of NASCAR was just rolling with laughter.

Beware the speedy Jeff Gordon!

Interracial couples, the past is the present - 7.27.2007.1

"There are some things in this world, captain Niobe, that will never change." – Morpheus From the Matrix Reloaded

Back in the early 1970’s I recall meeting a friend of my mother, a woman from the South. I recall her for many reasons, her nickname, her personality, and her husband. At the moment I’ll share a bit about her marriage.

As I mentioned, ‘Kitty’ was a woman from the South that moved to New York City when she got married. Neither she, nor her husband, had family in the City. They didn’t move for a better job or to gain a better education. They left the South because it was the safe thing to do.

Kitty and her husband were an interracial couple (they were married to the day that Kitty died of cancer and a bad hospital – well over 25 years after I first met them). That may not sound like a big deal in 2007, but in 1972 it was. That isn’t very long ago, and since that time things have changed, and then again as Morpheus states some don’t.

Case in point is the Fiesta Bowl. It was a great game and I wrote a bit about it. I recall that it was the first post for 2007. After the very close win, by the undefeated Boise State Broncos, there was a bit of a surprise for all the nation to see. Ian Johnson, the running back responsible for the overtime win, went over to his girlfriend and proposed with ESPN and other national television cameras catching every second. Chrissy Popadics said yes, without hesitation. They are an interracial couple.

Fast forward to today, and it’s being reported that death threats are part of the negative comments being hurled at the soon-to-be newlyweds. So vicious and troubling are the threats, security is required for the wedding.


This is hardly a unique case. I know of other interracial couples that are also running into difficulty like this today as well. Not to mention that back over a year ago I wrote a post about Ms. Sanaa Lathan in the film Something New. Since that time I have noted the continuous views of that post, though only 1 woman has bothered to comment. I have seen that every month, interracial dating is on of the topics my blog is found under ever month. To be exact, the terms being searched are accusatory and negative towards interracial dating.

Continued in Part 2...

David Beckham's first game at L.A. Galaxy vs. Chelsea - 7.22.2007.1

So we finally got to see Mr. David Beckham play. Sort of. After a lot of hype, the likes of which virtually no performance could have lived up to, the actual exhibition game with Chelsea was a let down.


Given that this was an exhibition, so neither team was pushing hard. Still The L.A. Galaxy looked bad. Chelsea was being quite nice during the first half. Not too physical and playing rather loose. The Galaxy had a decent chance to score a couple of times especially the header attempt in the 38th minute. Yet there was nothing impressive overall. And Mr. Beckham just sat on the bench, watching.

The first half was so uneventful that there were 3 interviews with celebrities in attendance at the game. Ms. Jennifer Love Hewitt was just filler, and had nothing really to say other than she was there to see Mr. Beckham and had never been to a game before. Governor Schwarzenegger on the other hand gave a nice plug to the sport, recounting his childhood playing the game (no mention of what position), and the fact that the entire world plays this sport intently, and his children are involved as well. But perhaps the biggest boost for future Galaxy fans is Mr. Drew Carey. Mr. Carey is a major fan, and was paying more attention to the game than the interview. He was also sitting back with the rest of the fans, not in a special box like the other interviewees. As he spoke you got his passion for the game.

Throughout the one thing was very clear. ESPN still does not know how to present a soccer (futbol) match. The American announcers were flat and about as invigorating as tap water. References to other sports just don’t work in trying to describe the game. Basketball terminology has about as much relevance as wet noodles on a pizza.

With the second half we got a bit more excitement. The quick goal by Chelsea told you that the pace was going to be decidedly different. In discussing the second half with a couple of people at a local bar I mentioned my thoughts about the probable score. 3-1 win for Chelsea. The start seemed right in line with that thought. Especially when one of the driving forces on the Galaxy, Mr. Cobi Jones came out in the 56th minute. Once he was off the field, the Galaxy just got sloppy and sluggish. It was a real surprise that Chelsea didn’t score more, not that they didn’t get chances.

A great example of the sloppy play was when Pavon collided with another Galaxy player. Pavon was challenging his own teammate, for no reason. All he needed to do was wait for the ball. It looked like high school players on the pitch.

Up until Mr. Beckham entered the game, after a 7 minute warm-up (which ESPN just had to watch instead of the play on the field) and a jog around the stadium, the Galaxy looked bad. And it was interesting that of the many, many shots of number 23 on the bench none showed him speaking to a single teammate. Even when Cobi Jones came out of the game and sat right next to number 23, not a word was said. Not even a glance at his teammate. Seemed quite rude. Perhaps this means there is a little tension in the air. Maybe it’s because the Galaxy season was altered for their new star player, or that so much attention was being placed just on him and not the team. Who knows, but I’m sure if it doesn’t change the story will be out fast. At the latest, any bad blood may be revealed after Kobe retires at the end of this season.

But Mr. Beckham finally got into the game with about 13 minutes to play. Considering that the score was still 1-0 it might have been enough to tie the game, if he was up to speed and match ready. But we all know his left ankle was not tip-top. And he played with minor interest.

Yet the Galaxy responded quickly once he was on the field. They got aggressive and started to do something. Xavier, who seemed to be involved in several critical plays, lit up. The game got a bit more lively and the crescendo was about the 91st minute when Beckham decided to actually play the ball and got a tough tackle, Chelsea reminding him who was in charge of this game.

So overall how do I rate Mr. Beckham’s first U.S. appearance? Lackluster at best. He’s a far better player than what we’ve seen. Injury aside, he could have done more. He should have been in the game far sooner. The 18 minutes he played were mostly ineffective, but the fire he gave the team was needed back in the 58th minute.

Will the Galaxy be a better team with Mr. Beckham? Almost definitely. Will soccer in America get a boost, absolutely. The Galaxy stadium was sold-out. ESPN made a point of broadcasting a Saturday night exhibition game. The attention is noticed. Now we just need performance.

Book Giveaway Contest

Mr. Michael Vass, President of M V Consulting, Inc. and author of Black Entertainment USA (www.blackentertainmentblog.com) has announced a book giveaway of the book by Ms. Robin Roberts - From the Heart. Ms. Roberts is an Emmy Award winning sportscaster and co-host of Good Morning America. From the Heart is her first book, released this year.


Recently Ms. Roberts's book was reviewed by Mr. Vass on the Black Entertainment USA site. In conjunction with the book review, M V Consulting has joined with Authorsontheweb.com and Hyperion books to provide a 5 book giveaway. The contest is open to all United States residents, age 18 and above. Terms of the contest are as follows:

I am happy for the opportunity to share Ms. Robin Roberts's book with visitors to the sites of M V Consulting, Inc. This book provides inspiration and motivation for everyone, and to be involved in this book giveaway is quite gratifying.
1. Contestants need to answer the following question - Name all the stations that Ms. Roberts has worked for.
2. Answers to the abovementioned question should be emailed to e-mail protected from spam bots with a valid email address. A first name (at least) should be included with the answer. The title of the email should be "From the Heart book contest"
3. Only one response per household will be allowed.
4. 5 winners will be randomly drawn from the pool of successful answers.
5. Winners give consent to M V Consulting, Inc., and its divisions, use of their names in conjunction with this contest and all rights relevant to this contest.
6. Winners will be notified via email, and posted on the various sites of M V Consulting, Inc. at the discretion of the Company.
7. Contest will start on May 29, 2007 and will end June 10, 2007.

Mr. Vass stated, "I am happy for the opportunity to share Ms. Robin Roberts's book with visitors to the sites of M V Consulting, Inc. This book provides inspiration and motivation for everyone, and to be involved in this book giveaway is quite gratifying."

About M V Consulting, Inc. and Michael Vass

Mr. Michael Vass is a former securities industry account executive of good standing, and currently works in the field of investor relations. He has served in the US Marine Corps Reserves, as well as worked and studied in such diverse fields as entertainment, communications, philosophy and chemistry. He has lived abroad, in Moscow and Tbilisi, as well as in various cities throughout the United States.

Mr. Vass is President of M V Consulting, Inc. a diversified private company that maintains divisions in search engine optimization, an online store, political and entertainment celebrity blogs. It is the combinations of these unique experiences that have led Mr. Vass to the creation of M V Consulting, Inc. The Company owns Black Entertainment USA, VASS (www.mvass.com), a corporate website (www.vassconsult.com), and an online store (cafepress.com/nova68).

About Hyperion:

Hyperion publishes general-interest fiction and nonfiction books for adults. For more information on FROM THE HEART as well as our other titles, please visit us at: hyperionbooks.com

John Travolta donation, Big Tuna vacation, and ice cream with a kick - 3.7.2007.3

In other news, I suggest that the ladies out there becareful when dining out. If you decide to have an after dinner dessert you may wind up with more than you were barganing for. I’m not talking about extra pounds or changing your figure. I’m talking about ice cream and other fatty dairy foods getting you pregnant. Not on their own of course.

It seems a study that was out recently states that if you have one of these dishes a day then the odds are 27% greater to become pregnant. Now this could be a factor for a a few couples out there. And you thought the worst you had to worry about was a few extra pounds. Still it makes that little snack a bit risque. One thing they didn’t mention in the study is if having whipped cream and/or chocolate syrup with the ice cream makes the odds go up even more (or even the odds without the ice cream). Just thought you might want to know.

For those lamenting the time until football (American) returns in the summer, there is a bit of news as well. The Big Tuna, Mr. Bill Parcells, is going to miss the 2007 season. Like 2002 Mr. Parcells will be going back to ESPN to be on the Monday Night Countdown. Mr. Parcells is always interesting to listen to and ESPN will no doubt have better rating with him. Still there is the thought that some team in the next season will sorely miss the overall strategy and ability he brings to any team. I suggest that once the season starts everyone pays attention to the teams doing poorly. I believe that this recent ‘retirement’ is temporary, perhaps being a way to drive up the bidding wars and to better evaluate which team will best match his criteria as a head coach. 19 years, 2 Super Bowl wins (with the NY Giants of course!) and being one of 5 coaches to take multiple teams to the big game just doesn’t seem to be enough I think. Mark my words, in 2008 there probably will be another go round, the question is where to go?

Oh, did anyone notice the news about the box office leading film Wild Hogs? It’s the buddy film with Mr. Matin Lawrence, Mr. William H. Macy, Mr. Tim Allen, and Mr. John Travolta. I haven’t seen the film but I was moved by the fact that Mr. Travolta decided to use the opening of the film to give a donation to victims of the Lady Lake tornadoes of $15,000 which helped to raise a matching $15,000.

I enjoy mentioning when actors and celebrities make donations for a cause they believe in. This wasn’t a business move, the check was a personal one from Mr. Travolta. That makes the difference for me. It’ may not be the most money ever, but using the clout and attention a leading star has at a movie premiere to bring attention to a worthy cause is something seen too little these days. It doesn’t matter the cause as long as it is genuine and worthwhile. Sadly we just don’t see enough of that.

And just to mention a wacky item I caught, it seems voodoo is a world –wide phenomenon. In this case Pakistan. It seems that a man, obviously distraught, decided that he was going to dig up his father – who was dead for 2 years – so he could resurrect him. I think this is how a couple of old zombie movies started, but life is stranger than fiction. In case you wondered the spells didn’t work and the skeleton has since been laid back to rest. The things you find on the internet some days.

This is what I think, what do you think?