CBS Sports: CB 1985- National Championship- Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas

Source:CBS Sports- Villanova Woildcats head coach Rollie Massinino. 

Source:The Daily Press

“Watch this complete national championship game from 1985, when one of the original Cinderella stories, Villanova, marched its way to the championship game against heavy favorite Georgetown. Villanova pulled off the upset with a 66-64 victory in the first year of the 64-team NCAA tournament format.” 

From March Madness 

The one basketball game that John Thompson would probably like to have back. The Georgetown Hoyas wee poised to win back-to-back national championships in 1985 having what clearly looked like the best team in the tournament, with the best player in center Patrick Ewing. Who I at least believe without the leg injuries from the early and mid 1990s I think we’re talking about the best two-way center of his generation. Who was a dominant offensive and defensive force. With his great size, strength and athletic ability. Who accomplished so much in his career with bad knees and never being able to play with another great player. And in many seasons being the only All Star on his team with the New York Knicks.

I’m a Georgetown Hoyas fan even though I’m not as big of a fan as I was when I was growing up and watched a lot of both NBA and college basketball back then. And even though the Hoyas lost this game this season still brings up great memories for me. Because it was a time when the Big East Conference was not only relevant, but it ruled college basketball. It had the same importance as the SEC has for football today.

You win the Big East back in the 1980s, or at least do very well and you’re probably a national title contender. Very similar with the ACC of the 1990s and 2000s. The Big East had the Hoyas, but they also had the Villanova Wildcats, but the St. Johns Redman, Syracuse Orangeman and later the Connecticut Huskies and Providence Friars. All very good and top-level basketball programs.

The Big East Conference was like the SEC for college football, what the ACC is fo college basketball today, what the NFC East has traditionally been for the NFL. That one division or conference where if you do well there, you’re having a very good season. You’ve accomplished something very important, because it means you’ve beaten a lot of good teams.

It also means that everybody you play in that division or conference will be gunning for you to take you down. Especially if they’re not having a good season. It was a conference again similar to the NFC East where you don’t have a rival, but you have several arch-rivals and it’s just a matter of which of those arch-rivals hates you the most in a sports sense.

I’m not taking anything away from the Villanova Wildcats here. They played a great game and beat a great team that had two of the best players in college basketball in 1985 on them in Pat Ewing and David Wyngate. Who both went on to have good NBA careers. Patrick of course being one of the top 5-10 centers of all-time. And the Wildcats are not just still the lowest seed to win the national championship, but they also beat the best team in college basketball that year. And had they played each other for the championship ten times, the Wildcats might not have won another game.

But what I’m saying here is that the Big East was so great back then having three teams in the 85 Final Four alone, that you had to very good just to get where the Wildcats got that season. In position to win the national championship.

Biography: 'Malcolm X - Civil Rights Activist'

Source:Biography with a look at Nation of Islam Minister Malcolm X.

Source:The Daily Press

"Malcolm X (May 19, 1925 to February 21, 1965) was a minister, human rights activist and prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s. Due largely to his efforts, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. Articulate, passionate and a naturally gifted and inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted blacks to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary," including violence. The fiery civil rights leader broke with the group shortly before his assassination on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been preparing to deliver a speech...

From Biography

This to me is what the whole message of  what "Black-Power"is about. What Minister Malcolm X was in favor of was, that African-Americans shouldn't sit around and expect other people to give them their freedom and constitutional rights that they are already supposed to have under law, just for being native-born American citizens. But that they should go take what is there's and build their own communities and create their own wealth. And not be dependent on others government or otherwise for them to be able to survive. He was talking about educating an entire community in America to stand up for what is rightfully there's.

Minister Malcolm didn't want African-Americans  to sit around and wait for someone to give it to them. That instead they need to get educated and be able to create their own wealth and create their own power and build their own communities, their own business's, own schools, hospitals and so-forth and not be dependent on others to take care of them. Which is very different from Dr. Martin L. King who was talking about the welfare state and redistribution of wealth. Malcolm X, didn't want Caucasians to give him and his community anything, other than privacy and be able to live independently.

As much as today's so-called Progressives (militant Socialists in actuality) claim to support Malcolm X and be behind him, they don't get the man. They see Malcolm as some type of Fidel Castro taking on the man (meaning the White man) rebel. And that was part of his message, at least early on. But Minister Malcolm wasn't a Socialist and he sure as hell wasn't a Communist. He didn't expect or want government to give his community money. 

Minister X wanted his community to empower themselves, get their education, raise their kids, father's to stay home and not abandon their children, build their own business's and create their own wealth. He was a Classical Liberal (the real Liberals) or Conservative when it came to economic policy. And someone who deserves a lot of respect for that.

CBS Sports: NFL 1966

Source:CBS Sports- the game that kicked off the Super Bowl in America.

Source:The Daily Press

“LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 15: Green Bay Packers’ Elijah Pitts #22 runs with the ball during Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs at Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967 in Los Angeles, California. The Packers defeated the Chiefs 35-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)”

From I'm a Sportsphile 

1966 was a huge transition year for the NFL because it was the first season of the Super Bowl to decide who was the pro football champion of America, not the world. The championship game between the Green Bay Packers of what eventually became the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference, and the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League that would become the American Football Conference. 

It was the first year of divisional play in the NFL where the Eastern Conference and Western Conference was broken up into four team divisions. Pre-1966 the NFL Championship was played between the Easter and Western Conference’s regular season champions. No playoff games at all before the Championship, unless there were ties for first place in the conference’s. 

Big year for the NFL because they won the first Super Bowl and was at the beginning of the end of the NFL-AFL rivalry as they became of league by 1970 with the NFC and AFC. So the NFL was certainly in transition in 1966-67 and becoming a much larger national league.

New America Foundation: Expanded Social Security

"The conventional wisdom about Social Security is profoundly misguided. According to today’s mistaken consensus, the U.S. as 

a society cannot afford to allocate the money to pay for the present level of Social Security benefits for retirees in future 

generations. The solution, it is widely argued, is to cut benefits – either directly by means-testing or indirectly by raising the 

retirement age or allowing inflation to erode their real value over time. In this narrative, tax-favored private savings vehicles like 

401(k)s and IRAs should be expanded in order to compensate for the allegedly necessary cuts in Social Security... 

From the New America Foundation

Ginoong Kamote: Vintage NBA- Moses Malone: The Chairman of The Boards

Source:Kimoong Kamote- Moses Malone, when he was still with the Houston Rockets, playing the Boston Celtics, perhaps in 1981.

Source:The Daily Press

"Moses Malone is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player who also played in the American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as on the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets. Malone played 21 seasons in the NBA. Before retiring from basketball, he was the last ABA participant to still be playing in the NBA. In 2001, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame."

From Ginoong Kamote

Moses Malone was simply a bull with a lot of skills who was almost impossible to box out with his brute strength, quickness and determination. Whose one of the top five centers of all-time because of what he could do in the paint both offensively and defensively. Who also might be the best offensive rebounder of all-time as well. Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell and maybe Hakeem and that would be the only centers I would take over Moses and I could easily have Moses over Hakeem, but that would be a tossup.

Imagine a man 6’9-6’10 260 pounds or so, of brute strength and muscle, but who was also very quick and athletic. The man was impossible to box out for the most part, I’m not sure Wilt Chamberlain could box out Moses in his prime. The man was simply a bull physically as a man, but with a heart bigger than that. And when he was finally put on a very good team, a great team, one of the best teams of all-time in the NBA, the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, you really got to see how great he was and how great he could make other players, including other great players.

Minister Malcolm X: ‘Our History Was Destroyed by Slavery (1963)’

Source:Loviso Guma- Nation of Islam Minister Malcolm X, on the Chicago City Desk in 1963.

Source:The Daily Press

“MALCOLM X – Our History Was Destroyed By Slavery (1963) Check all our videos/docs and share to your friends:Unstripped Voice." 

From Unstripped Voice

"Malcolm X: Our History Was Destroyed by Slavery"

Source:Loviso Guma- Nation of Islam Minister Malcolm X, on the Chicago City Desk in 1963.

From Loyiso Guma

Malcolm X’s message was about empowering African-Americans who were simply being held down in America because of their race, to have the same freedom to live their own lives as Caucasian-Americans have. It’s really what his message is about and doing whatever it took to accomplish that and allowing for African-Americans to be able to decide for themselves how best to get to freedom in America. Even if that means going their own way and simply living in their own communities. And as he grew and developed personally and professionally, he realized that not all Caucasian-Americans were evil and devils.

Malcolm X, concluded and rightfully so, that it was the ignorant people in the Caucasian community that were the problem and need to be confronted and taken on. But the goal of Malcolm X’s message was always the same: empowering African-Americans to be able to own their own business’s and homes and so-forth. And not have to be dependent on anyone including government for them to live. But he wanted them to have the power to be able to take care of themselves.

Minster Malcolm, was a big believer in education, economic development and economic opportunity. Something that Liberals such as myself and Conservatives, should really respect about him.

Minster Malcolm X and Dr. Martin King, were both great men and both wanted freedom for the African-American community. They just went about it different ways and had different messages in how to accomplish those goals.

Dr. King, wanted African-Americans to be freed from poverty and racism. Minister Malcolm, wanted the same community to be free. And be able to live their own lives and be able to take care of themselves. Not have to live off of government even though very generous benefits. Not have to live off of government at all. True individual freedom including economic freedom. The ability to take care of yourself and be able to defend yourself. Malcolm, was a true freedom fighter.

Think Progress: John Halpin- ‘The Obama Coalition, The Working Class, And RFK

Source:Think Progress- the Obama Coalition is a beautiful portrait of America.

“The potential of the new Obama coalition is truly impressive, given its 2012 performance and how many of its constituent parts are likely to grow in numbers over the course of the decade. But the word “potential” should be stressed. There is no guarantee that turnout and support levels will stay as high as they have been going forward. And there is definitely no guarantee that these constituencies will remain active and involved in the legislative battles that must be fought to turn progressive policies into law. Thus, implementing a progressive agenda will, to a large extent, be dependent on the mobilization level of the Obama coalition both in future elections and between those elections.

This is a big challenge, but Obama and his team have taken some significant steps to address it. These steps have been driven by the recognition that the best way to maintain enthusiasm and support is to deliver for the groups that put you in office. Thus, the administration has been aggressively pushing a number of policy priorities that resonate with the concerns of different groups in the coalition: immigration reform, curbing gun violence, same sex marriage, climate change and universal pre-K.

This strategy is a good one. These fights are all substantively important in policy terms and may, with luck, result in some important victories. And they should indeed pump up enthusiasm levels as different groups in the coalition see how strongly Obama is willing to fight for their priorities. Nor does it seem likely that a big political price will be paid for touching on issues that have a social dimension; the country has moved rapidly in a progressive direction on most of these issues and these issues lack the power they once had to elicit a backlash.” 

From Think Progress 

I think the main advantage that the Republican Party has over the Democratic Party has do with with their voters. I’m not talking about race, ethnicity, gender, etc, but cultural and generational. Republicans tend to show up and show in big numbers and when they lose, it’s generally not because their voters didn’t show up, but Democrats had record turnout, at least when you are talking about competitive elections in swing districts or states, or at the presidential level.

Republicans tend to get stereotyped as people who are all or nothing voters:

“You do exactly what I want you to do and say exactly what I want you to say and believe in the exact same things that I do, or I won’t vote for you.” When the fact is Republicans tend to vote for the candidate in the Republican primary who has the best shot at beating the Democrat in the general election. And the Republicans who didn’t vote for the most mainstream Republican in the primary, turn out and vote in the general for the Republican that they didn’t vote for in the primary, because that person isn’t the Democrat and is to the right of the Democrat, and they probably at least tend to agree with that Republican on economic issues.

Democratic voters are just very different. They tend to be younger and less politically active, more ideological, and tend to vote for candidates based on personal issues. They want someone who they like, who they have personal and cultural connections with. And they’re also voters who won’t show up in the general election to vote for Democrats just to beat the Republicans. But they have to like the Democrat personally and ideologically before they can vote for them.

So if you are a leader in the Democratic Party right now, especially at the Democratic National Committee or at the state level, you should be focusing on Democratic turnout. How do you get Democrats to show and vote during every primary and general election, even if the Democratic candidates or incumbents aren’t ideologically pure (according to the left-wing) and get those folks to turnout and vote for the Democrats anyway. Because at the end of the day, political parties are in the business of winning political elections. Not advancing partisan, ideological, political movements. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.