#99 went yard again last night!

Actually that part is total crap.

Excellent example, actually. Clemens continued to get commercial offers until very recently, well after he threw a broken bat at a guy on national television. Clemens is every bit the asshole that Bonds is.

But, that type of personality gets revered when it is exhibited by a white guy; that’s John Wayne! When a black guy does it, he’s a militant, black radical, a threat.

This criticism is highly accurate, and it extends well beyond the realm of sports. Imagine a black guy with GWB’s attitude!

The stories about Last-O focused on questioning his dedication, the conclusion being that he wasn’t fully investing himself in his growth as an athlete. Do you really think the MSM actually listen to the content of a rap album before deriding any artist as part of a corrosive culture? Bill O’Reilly picked Nas to go to war with; that’s like claiming comedic movies have no intellectual depth and then choosing as your bashing post, I Heart Huckabees… Specific content was not the main issue, the mere act of practicing hip hop as a hobby was cause to question the man’s desire to play baseball. Meanwhile, Arroyo’s ERA is still a buck and a half higher than a gallon of gas.

I don’t really know how an anecdotal recount of two athletes of similar prowess who are treated differently is going to help, as you’ve already discounted my original piece of far more substantive evidence.

But how about Clemens and Bonds? Argurably the greatest pitcher of his generation, and inarguably (sorry, Griffey fans) the best position player of his generation. Sure, Clemens is getting his share of vitriol now, but they were treated incredibly differently. Clemens wasn’t presumed guilty before any credible evidence surfaced. Clemens put up age-defying season after age-defying season, he pitched at levels in his early forties that he hadn’t apporached since his mid-twenties, and nobody gave a shit. And, Clemens is by all accounts a dick too, he’s surly and brash. But, he’s not an asshole like Bonds – he’s a “cowboy,” a “gunslinger.” But, that type of personality gets revered when it is exhibited by a white guy; that’s John Wayne! When a black guy does it, he’s a militant, black radical, a threat.

I will not deny that there are preconceptions that color people’s approach to everything. But those preconceptions go both ways. I have seen many instances where racism was assumed though none existed. And that was done because of a person’s preconceptions.

Race can be a factor in many things but it seems that even when it isn’t a factor, people want it to be because that fits their built in prejudices.

Anyway, here’s another recent example.

[Comment edited for tone.]