Kansas-Kansas State Basketball Brawl Had A Lot Of Extras Action

By Tony Mangia

A frightening basketball brawl broke out near the end of No. 3 Kansas'  81-59 victory vs. Kansas State at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. In what looked like some wild-west fight scene out of a movie, dozens of players, coaches and a whole cast of extras, excuse me, background actors, got caught up in the crazy melee on the court and in the stands.

All that was missing were cowboy hats and swinging saloon doors.

The fracas started after Kansas' Silvio De Sousa swatted DaJuan Gordon on a breakaway as time expired. After the play, De Sousa stood over Gordon and when Kansas State's Cartier Diarra approached De Sousa, the rumble was on. 

Besides the principal players, the action includes a curious mix of casting call fill-ins unsuspectingly making the scene seem like an almost surreal, stage-blocked film shot. 

Props department, make sure a metal stool is positioned so that De Sousa can grab it and cock it back above his head and start the scene.

Rolling ... background ... action!

An all-out brawl just happened. pic.twitter.com/73MBmr0RNf

— Riley Gates (@Riley_Gates) January 22, 2020

First, and out of nowhere, there was some dude in white skinny jeans getting involved and setting off a mad rush by players from both teams towards K-State's side of the court. The fight spilled into the stands and disabled section as players from both benches tussled and punches were thrown. 

Benches emptied at the end of the Kansas State-Kansas game. pic.twitter.com/zWv46h3RJC

— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2020

Then, after Skinny Jeans Guy, a whole cast of odd background characters gets caught in the frenzy.

Terrified Girl was the first.

Cue the Male Cheerleader actually holding back A Stunned Cop.

And Guy in Yellow Security Shirt got some prime face time.

Finally, if that wasn't enough, Where's Waldo was even spotted in the scene.

De Sousa was given an unsporting technical foul and a future suspension seems inevitable. All players who left the bench were ejected and could face further penalties as well. 

The two schools will be featured together again Feb. 29 in Manhattan, Kansas.

And the extras ... well, they got their big screen breaks.

India’s Camel Culture Being Wiped Out By Advocacy Groups and Government Regulations

Article and Photos by Tony Mangia

It’s a cultural tradition dating back over 150 years with roots going back as far back as the 10th century when Muslim warriors made their way through the deserts of India on hump-backed beasts by way of the Middle East. Now the Pushkar Camel Fair is fighting for its life and basically the livelihood of thousands of families and their way of existing.

Every year, for the last century and a half, thousands of Raika camel dealers and their herds converge on the rural Indian city of Pushkar during an annual fair where they show, trade and sell the plump-lipped mammals with the fat-laden (not water) padding on their backs.

During the week long fest known as Pushkar Camel Mela, the holy city of Pushkar — located about 150 km southwest of the smoggy, congested streets of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan — turns into a colorful and chaotic mix of camel traders, Hindu pilgrims and curious tourists.  While the fair has lost some of its majesty and commercial importance in modern India, the festival still attracts thousands of Raika and their herds of dromedaries along with thousands more foreign sightseers and local merchants.

The scene is almost hallucinatory, as throngs of camels — many adorned with bells, colorful necklaces and decorative straps to make them more attractive to buyers — lounge around chewing their cud and bellowing at the sky.

                                          

It’s hard not to notice the circles of peaceful Raika in their bright turbans talking among the braying camels — many of which are hobbled by ropes binding a front leg bent at the knee joint so they don't stray. But, these days, instead of making deals, the conversations lean more towards how they they can make ends meet. Sunlight from a dazzling blue sky illuminate the brown, weathered faces of the beleaguered tribesmen, but their futures don’t seem as bright.

Animal rights groups, technological accessibility and government intervention are all playing a part in the disintegration of the camel trade in India and specifically in Pushkar by driving many of these prideful men out of their generational territories through legislation influenced by politically correct movements.

Advocates of camel welfare reform accuse the Raika of animal culture "abuses" such as making the camels walk long distances, being forced into "stressful" commercial exploitation like tourist rides, the insertion of nose pegs, camel racing and general neglect of their herds.

While their deep-down motives are well intentioned, one has to wonder if these do-gooders are overstepping their boundaries?

The one-time friendly confines of social media which introduced the fair to computer screens worldwide — as well as more prying eyes — is now sometimes besmirching the event with accusations of animal cruelty and environmental destruction or by luring future generations away from the deserts to the cities with the promise of a more modern life. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon. Farmers and breeders all over India, China and worldwide have watched their agrarian and herding heritages slowly vanish because of the same cyberspace catalysts.

The Raika camel husbandry community has always been more like a large family than a merchant's association, and that includes the revered camels — who can live up to 20 years. And throughout their lifetimes, caretakers must provide medicine, food and training for each animal. It's a costly and round-the-clock occupation.

India, as a country, has the fifth largest population of camels in the world (estimated at around 300,000) and, although the camels' numbers are increasing globally, in India, that figure — as well as the the Raika's plight — are falling drastically. This downward slide in camel population and commerce trickles down from the breeders to the traders all the way to the artisans who utilize the wool, skin, bones and even camel dung to make blankets, leather goods, furniture inlays and paper.

The state of Rajasthan is where nearly 80-percent of India's camel population is. Gujarat and Haryana are the only other states where camel breeding is allowed.

Recent laws imposed by the government — driven and publicized by environmentalists and animal rights movements — are changing the Raika way of life by restricting tribesmen from traditional herding grounds and resources. Some of the restrictions includes less access to national parkland and stiffer grazing laws — limiting their migratory patterns and making their journeys to Pushkar and other locales more arduous for the camel herds. 

And there are other obstacles the modern-day Raika must overcome to make ends meet — including revising some ancient traditions and spiritual beliefs.

Historically, there was a ban on the selling of female camels to buyers outside of the Raika tribe and tradition forbade the slaughter of camels for meat entirely. Even selling the wool and the processing of camel's milk (drinking it fresh is okay) was believed to bring about a sort of bad karma and frowned upon. The only income for the Raika was really through breeding and selling.

However dire the Raika's sinking outlook from the quicksand of their circumstances came some flimsy lifelines — namely, new radical and pragmatic attitudes by the herdsmen.

Bull (male) camels — which were the only ones sold at the fair until 2000, when cows (females) were finally permitted to be put on the selling block — are now allowed to be butchered for meat by the Raika tribe, but not in Rajasthan where the slaughter of camels is illegal. 

The Catch-22 dilemma facing the Rajasthan-based Raika is that the Rajasthan Camel Act of 2015 provides penalties for taking any camels out of state for slaughter, castration or the insertion of nose pegs. That legal decree, like a camel's leg tether, basically restricts the Raika's ability to supplement their income by slaughtering their camels for meat.

All states have banned the butchering of any cows (female camels) outright to help sustain the camel species.

The Rajasthan Camel Act's strict maxims now drives some herders to illegally sneak them into Gujarat and Haryana for slaughter. And, in addition to avoiding authorities, the Raika also face the possibility of dealing with interference from animal rights activists who reportedly try and rescue the camels.

It's seems ironic, and almost blasphemous to the Raika, that the herdsmen have been reduced to killing their sacred camels — an act once considered barbaric in their beliefs — to salvage their culture of camel breeding.

My Odd Sports Phobia Has Become A Cautious Political One

By Tony Mangia

I’ve lived a lot of the past few years of my life under the quirky maxim that when it comes to any sort of first time meeting where you put your finances, business dealings, networking or health into the hands and/or decision of another person, it is never wise to wear your team, city or school allegiance on your head, your back or your sleeve. It’s a peculiar ritual — or de-ritual depending on how you look at it — where I check my attire before encountering any contractors, work superiors, medical technicians, repairmen and even doctors hoping not to offend them with that affiliation.

Silly maybe...  and possibly bizarre, but what if your mild-mannered dentist — who, according to my rationale, unbeknownst to you, turns into a frenzied Rangers fan in the Blue Seats from October until April — just noticed your Islanders jacket hanging in the waiting room. Sorry, twenty-six years of frustration just turned that quick filling into an excruciating root canal. Now you know his pain too. I even check the diplomas at doctor’s offices just to make sure they aren’t Georgetown or Villanova grads in case I start yapping about my St. John’s teams. We aren’t very good right now, but we are still deeply-embedded rivals. 

I am not all consumed by this anxiety, but sometimes my half-serious idiosyncrasy does trickle down to even more casual encounters. I mean who knows if that deli counter worker making your sub isn’t a Knicks fan and they notice strutting in wearing a Nets game shirt emblazoned with Kevin Durant on the back. That could mean one less meatball on that hero sandwich — or worse, they add something less tasty. A psychological one-upsmanship on their part. How about getting a flu shot at CVS right next to your “Big Blue” Giants tattoo and noticing the pharmacist is wearing a Jets jersey under her smock possibly means that pinch of a needle just turned into a punch.

Okay, fit me with a straight jacket, but are these thoughts any worse than knocking on wood, avoiding walking under a ladder or crossing your fingers? 

Call it a silly phobia or even outright paranoia (I call it a sort of street smarts), but for quite a while now I’ve always speculated that wearing my New York Yankees cap could be seen as bragging to some parties and the difference between a reasonably-priced $400 brake job and the same one for $500, if the estimate comes from a mechanic who’s a die-hard Red Sox or Mets fan.

And while having the same rooting interest with this person could roll the other way as an advantage, I think many people these days are more hurtful to their opponents than helpful to those of their own allegiance.

Hell, while I always poured an honest shot into everybody's cocktails when I bartended, if you were wearing an Eli Manning jersey, well… let’s just say that bottle stayed crooked a little longer. 

This twisted notion of other people’s inner hatred of rival teams and cities might come from my own personal malice towards disliked opponents and their fandom, but my reprisals never go much  further than a good natured ribbing and moving on with my life. Cheer and let cheer, I say.

I don’t know if there is any evidence that my odd conspiracy affliction has ever been scientifically diagnosed (rivalitis? teamophobia?), but I can’t deny that at first glance of someone wearing an opponent’s jersey my initial reaction is about how much I despise that team and associate that person with it as well. It’s not a serious and savage hatred, but a loathing most sports fans can relate to — especially when your team isn’t doing well and theirs is. You sort of groan inside.

These days group bonding has become more than just about sports and has been taken to another level and a potentially dangerous one — political affiliation.

Except for that annoying Boston pal who always says “wicked Sawx,” I find that I can still hang out and joke about sports with friends who cheer for teams which I openly hope break records for mediocrity. I can’t say the same about political parties. And since I am a Trump supporter, in some circles during these times, I might as well have leprosy.

The division between the two political parties (Lefties and Trump really) has divided this country like we haven’t seen since the ‘60s… the 1860s. It’s Yankees/Red Sox, Jets/Patriots, Giants/Cowboys and Rangers/Islanders rolled into one.

Sure I’ve been razzed in just about any city, from every team when I wear anything Yankees, but never been physically threatened of harassed. The Bronx Bombers just might be the Donald Trump of sports — you either love them or hate them. And just like there are idiot Yankees fans, there are plenty of dopes on the Right, but the fervor and vitriol I see from the Left makes me almost want to hug Mookie Betts.

I’m not going to pretend that the Right doesn't have its share of dirt bags, but the the nastiness and calculated underhandedness of the Left is what I want to address from my position as a Conservative.

Many of my so-called friends stopped returning my calls — if only for the offense of having a choice and voting for Trump. Previous BFFs now consider me an FU. It seems hysterical Liberals have to throw the F-word around a lot to get attention. One day having drinks together and now, within those same assemblages, I am about as welcome as AOC ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. I still don’t remember this sort of separation or exile during the Obama years. It was a rare time when Obama and politics came up at all in the company of people and I don’t remember any instances of assault or retribution against anyone wearing an Obama “Hope and Change” t-shirt  during his eight years as president if it did. And I surely never dumped a friend for voting for Obama.

Never mind the main-stream news media, you can’t even read a single Sports Illustrated article these days without the sportswriter somehow finding a way to slip in a subliminal or outright anti-Trump smack down. What really concerns me is how this misguided aggression by the left is affecting every day life of regular US citizens. This unbridled wrath from the Left leads me back to my original hang-up and how it now affects showing your political leanings in public.

It’s not so far fetched to think wearing anything “Trump” or even anything red could lead to an impromptu confrontation made even more dangerous because of today’s political climate at any time and in any locale. It’s in the news all the time. I’ve now begun to take my assumptions in a more serious light. Affiliating yourself with anything Trump puts a target on your back and has become dangerous in a public or private venue. 

Forget about Liberal lightweights who turn into anonymous mean girls on Twitter, I’m talking about how easily some crackpot Leftists get triggered by a word or go ballistic on MAGA hats in public. Normal pacifists, who never had a street fight in their lives, turn into wild-eyed lunatics at the mention of Trump. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon in person. They become the drunken Eagles fans of politics. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen Lefties gang up on politicians inside restaurants and physically intimidate Trump supporters leaving some of his rallies. Presumed Trump supporters are also at risk. Fast food employees have not only refused service to law enforcement officers, but who knows how far a deranged Never Trumper will take it considering what some of these cowardly burger-slingers could add to the take-out before they say, “Here’s your order, sir” with a sinister grin.

Despite how much the Right likes to think that these Liberal kooks only come out of their mommy’s basement to wreak havoc in public every so often, the fact is they are in our midst, on our streets, in our businesses and workplaces everyday.

So why wouldn’t I question how far some lunatics will take it? 

Is it possible some people have flunked an interview, lost a job, were refused a bank loan or got left waiting on a hospital gurney a little longer just because the attendant doesn’t like President Trump and the person under their watch had the audacity to express a different political view with a hat, pin or flag within their sanctum walls? 

Who knows what is considered offensive and could set a Leftie off these days? At the drop of a sneaker, the Betsy Ross flag was made racist by Colin Kaepernick and his plantation owner Nike. The international hand sign for “OK” now mean white power when held at a certain angle and who knows what new words or symbols Liberals will decide is a conservative “dog whistle” when they wake up and hashtag it. You'd better watch your P’s and Q’s. Oops, isn’t Q some sort of radical right-wing conspiracy group?

I’m not an activist and a torn Clash t-shirt was probably the most political thing I ever wore in my life ... back in the 80s. I don’t wear a Trump shirt or hat out of choice, but don’t like the fact that it can provoke a scuffle which could escalate into a full out brawl or worse — a viral tweet — if I did. I don’t need the hassle of some loudmouth pipsqueak who I could probably slap down in a second getting in my face. Who needs the aggravation? Nowadays, I continually find myself muting Fox News when I call my credit card or cable company in fear a bitter representative would hear it in the background and put me on an even longer hold or do something computery in order to make my life a technological hell. When I see a MAGA 2020 sign on somebody’s lawn these days, I instinctively take a quick glance around to see if some cowardly dirt bag is sneaking up to stomp it, then wonder how long it will be before they do. 

The possibility of anti-Trump sabotage is not so far-fetched. Thank about it. If these so-called progressive miscreants — so bent out of shape about refusing to accept Trump’s victory in 2016, — are frenzied enough to spit on an unsuspecting Trump supporter exiting a rally or harass an elderly couple going to a conservative meeting in public, what’s stopping a rotten few from stealthily defiling a meal or sneakily creating havoc in the guise of a company representative just because you don a Trump 2020 campaign shirt?

You see it all the time on social media where anonymous trolls, who never stepped into any sort of fight ring in their lives suddenly grow bold behind the keyboard of a computer, then spinelessly defame or dox people who have opposing political views. The radical Left seems to find joy in disrupting other people's lives more out of spite than principle.

They have taken their angry attacks and disruptions out of the political arenas — rallies, forums and town hall meetings — and taken it to public domain. Senator Mitch McConnell’s wife getting harassed at a restaurant or Vice-president Pence getting booed in the audience of a Broadway show. Just look at the outrage after Liberal darling Ellen DeGeneres had the gall to sit next to President George Bush in a private suite at an NFL game. Her own people cannibalized her.

But they are public figures and it’s frightening to think that someone could get beat up in a California bathroom just for wearing a MAGA hat (in Russian yet) like what recently happened to a man in a Hermosa Beach restaurant or a conservative  journalist being attacked by Antifa radicals in Portland before actually being portrayed as the criminal by left-leaning media. Even in good old tolerant and inclusive New York City there have been more a few cases of regular citizens going about their own business being publicly attacked for the triggering offense of wearing a MAGA hat or, like at a private party in Tennessee, being punched for just wearing a red one.

Just proving there are some serious cases of TDS out there and that the incidents aren't just isolated.

Take for instance a few disturbing and violent anti-Trump attacks which happened on three corners of the country in recent weeks.

In the first case in point, a video shows a peaceful group named "Students For Trump" at Arizona State University being confronted on campus by a wild-eyed man who yells obscenities and screams "slash their throats" in front of the table they were seated at before the creep slithered away.

Then, in New Hampshire, police arrested another joyless Never-Trumper for assaulting three people outside a polling station, but not before the 34-year-old bully slapped a 15-year-old boy across the face outside of a tent occupied by several Trump supporters.

Trump-hating man arrested in New Hampshire.

Last, but not least, another unbalanced Trump denier, according to police in Jacksonville, Florida, took his hatred to a higher level after he purposely rammed his van into a tent of pro-Trump volunteers who were registering voters in a Walmart parking lot. Luckily, no one was injured in the sinister act which could have spilled much blood.

After he was arrested, 27-year-old Gregory Timm tried to validate his four-wheeled assault by saying, "Someone had to do it." Timm is free on bail.

We’ve heard all of the perceived reasons the Left has so much hatred towards Trump. They have labeled him as racist, anti-LGBTQ and thuggish — using only the media’s slanted fake news stories and Twitter troll hashtags as evidence — as well as bombastic, childish and narcissistic (The last three of which I agree) and then tag anyone who supports this president in the same perceived way. I’ve noticed the recent violent tone in many of my old friends’ social media posts regarding Trump. One time acquaintances who I know never have, or couldn’t have, punched their way out of Elizabeth Warren’s paper teepee, now talk like the original Teflon Don, John Gotti, setting up a Mafia hit.

It isn’t hard to see where the disgruntled Left is getting its cowardly cues. Look no further than the sneaky Democrats in Congress and their partisan, closed door impeachment inquiry inquisitions… I mean “sessions” in the basement of the House.  Or the schools indoctrinating children by changing or erasing history to fit a Liberal agenda.

And then check out your institutes of higher learning. Wasn't it some anarchist college professor at NYU who organized his brainwashed lemmings into storming Grand Central Station with their confrontational anti-cop stance last month?

Call it precaution or paranoia if you’d like, but it’s not like I’m over-exaggerating the possibility of more troublesome scenarios. I grew up in and around the grittier streets New York City past and learned simple things to avoid confrontation early on — like never flash a wad of cash in public or make eye contact with that brooding loner on the subway. I didn’t walk down a darkened alley in a rough neighborhood just looking for trouble. I still follow those same rules now — even on safer NYC streets. The real threat nowadays to me isn’t homeless psychopaths or getting jumped, it’s getting mugged by Liberal mobs with iPhone cameras — the same annoying twerps who never threw down one-on-one in their entire lives now gang up on someone for having a different opinion. 

And just like I don’t go around robbing people, it doesn't mean I don't know how a hold up is done. Self-preservation is usually all about seeing a situation before it plays out. 

Nobody ever wants to say why didn’t I see that coming? 

Just ask the Democrats about 2016. Look what they've turned into.

NBA rears its true hypocritical head by kowtowing to China over Hong Kong

By Tony Mangia


The NBA is used to putting out troublesome posting brushfires set by careless players on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and just about any social media outlet these days, but who knew a single tweet by an respected team general manager would create an international firestorm that could reveal the league in its true hypocritical colors and bring its most prominent figures to the forefront — many groveling on their knees — trying to blow out the fire.

Last weekend, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey sent, then later deleted, what may be the most truthful — and at the same time divisive — tweet in NBA history. A few words supporting the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong which could potentially lead to an NBA corporate breakdown in the burgeoning China market and pull the rug out on its perceived Liberal political activism .

"Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong," said the deleted tweet, but not before the pissed off Chinese got wind of it.

Not only did the tweet cause angry Chinese bureaucrats and authorities to threaten pulling out of all business dealings with the NBA (The Chinese-state run network has already pulled broadcasts of both Nets vs. Lakers games this week), it is showing the so-called woke NBA as the hypocritical business-first conglomerate it really is. 

The Chinese market is estimated to be about 10% of the league's total current revenue and expected to reach 20% by the year 2030. The NBA has a $1.5 billion streaming deal with the Chinese media Tencent at this moment.

The beholden to China hypocrisy starts with such usually outspoken socially-conscious NBA figureheads as the commissioner Adam Silver, and trickles down to the league's  most successful head coaches Steve Kerr and Greg Popovich.  Sure Silver and the NBA promote social justice for causes like Black Lives Matters, cancels an All-Star Game in North Carolina because of a transgender bathroom controversy and allows its fraternity to rail at President Trump's policies, but when it comes to China — their authoritarian business partners in arms  — and foreign human rights violations they are quiet as sheep.

The never at a loss for words Kerr (his own father, an international studies academic, was assassinated by Muslim terrorists in Lebanon) when it comes to mashing Trump is suddenly Sergeant "I know nothing" Shultz about the violence in Hong Kong.  And Popovich, who never met an interviewer he gave more than five words to unless it was criticizing the President sits on the fence regarding such an outrage as the Hong Kong protests.

These three can't even hold a blank-strap to Trump when it comes to playing tough with China and its sinister business dealings.  It seems all those human rights offenses that have been documented by the media for years proves that the league only cares about money.

Silver defended Morey's right to send the "regrettable" tweet and claims he won't put profits over principles.

"The NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say," Silver said in a statement. "We simply could not operate that way."

Chinese sponsors and sporting goods manufacturers are already bailing on the NBA, not to mention the cancellation of special events .

Kerr was even more wishy-washy. 

"A lot of us don't know what to make of it," he said after the Chinese decided not to broadcast this week's games. "It's something I'm reading about, but I'm not going to comment."

Popovich, meanwhile, passed the buck back to Silver — with some sort of pathetically misdirected analogy.

"Adam is a very progressive leader," he said. "We all remember how he handled the situation with the Clippers. It made everyone proud and was the right thing to do. A couple of years ago, I was walking down the street in New York City during the gay pride parade. I turned around and here comes a float, and Adam is standing on a float with a big sign in support of LGBTQ. And I felt great again, just like I did with the Clipper deal."

How's that for a bold political stance.

It's sort of funny that the same coaches who to use their NBA platforms to discredit Trump — who has taken the strongest stand of any president against China's corrupt and unethical business and trade practices — at any chance they get turn to milquetoast when it comes to criticizing NBA's kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party business power play. 

The NBA's answer to all this?  Bringing in the NBA's newest owner to the into the middle as peacemaker.

Joe Tsai, a Taiwan-born, American-educated businessman who only last month had his purchase of the Brooklyn Nets approved, is hoping to resolve the business aspect of the problem, if not the political.

"When the topic of any separatist movement comes up, Chinese people feel a strong sense of shame and anger because of this history of foreign occupation," Tsai said in a Facebook post explaining why Morey's tweet upset the Chinese.

You have to wonder where Tsai's loyalty lies, considering he owns online retailer Alibaba, China's most valuable company.

On Monday, Rockets star James Harden offered an awkward apology that was basically an early Valentine's card after the news of Morey's tweet hit Japan where the Rockets were practicing for a preseason game.

"We apologize. You know we love China," Harden gushed about Morey's pro-Hong Kong tweet. "For both of us individually, we go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love."

Expect to see a few other heavyweights in the coming days to step on the scale — willingly or not.
It'll be interesting to know how far Yao Ming and LeBron James' power really extends .

And if you thought the protestors in Hong Kong were the only ones being silenced, think again. On Tuesday night, pair of fans attending at a preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center between the Philadelphia 76ers against a Chinese team the Guangzhou Loong Lions were escorted out of the stands in the second quarter after yelling "Free Hong Kong" and holding up a couple of small protest signs that said the same.

Silver banned the word "owner" from the NBA vernacular for having racially insensitive connotations, but regarding this China conundrum, the commissioner owns it.

Here are the controversial signs. I know, earth shattering right? Obvious why the NBA would have a problem with this. Thanks to @Christie_Ileto for sending me this photo: pic.twitter.com/Y1GydtGked

— Sam Wachs (@gogowachs) October 9, 2019

Colin Kaepernick or Carli Lloyd: Who's more likely to wear an NFL uniform this year?

By Tony Mangia 

Now that the NFL's 53-man rosters have taken shape, there are still a couple of interesting pubic relations roster conundrums left swirling around the front offices which could rear their heads soon. Namely the possibility of Carli Lloyd becoming the first women ever to play in the NFL and the return of Colin Kaepernick — who many consider the first qualified man to be denied playing in the league.

Both are intriguing issues for both general managers and owners alike, and the signing of one could become a PR dream or nightmare depending on a single foot or a knee.

Both athletes have created controversy in their own regard, Lloyd with her excessive, over-the-top goal celebrations for the US team during the USNWT's 13-0 rout of Thailand in the Women's World Cup and for Kaepernick for his ... well, lack of enthusiasm honoring the country during pre-game National Anthems.

Unlike Kaepernick, Lloyd was lucky enough to actually step onto an NFL practice field this summer and memorably kicked a 55-yard field goal for fun during a joint practice with the Ravens and Eagles.

The kick was recorded on video and created a lot of buzz.

Thank you to the @Eagles for having me out! Thanks to @JustinTuck @jake_elliott22 @MayorRandyBrown for the good time and tips! 🏈 🎯 #55yd pic.twitter.com/owZ16f46Th

— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) August 20, 2019

The FIFA Player of the Year split not only the uprights in the highly publicized video, but divided the debate of women kicking in a man's sport into two separate parties. Interesting concept was how some saw it, while others cited Lloyd's size and lack of football experience more than gender as major obstacles to overcome.  She also took two extra steps to the ball before nailing the kick. Age is also a factor. Thirty-seven years old is also pretty old for any NFL player ... even kickers.

"Is there a female that possesses all those qualities and is good enough to be there, sure, why not?," she said afterwards. "I'm not trying to be a running back or a quarterback," Lloyd told the NFL Network. "That would be an epic fail. But I do know I can kick a ball very well."

A couple of unnamed teams reportedly had conversations with Lloyd regarding the opportunity to try out as a kicker. She declined due to previous soccer game engagements, but it doesn't sound like she's given up or doesn't have the support to pursue this challenge.

Last week, NFL Hall of Fame kicker Morton Anderson posted a video to Lloyd saying, "I'd love to work with you." Not many people get the chance to train with the Great Dane and the offer is still on the table. Sooo ...

There were a lot of naysayers on Twitter, but one of the most viewed tweets was by Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen who wasn't as accommodating: "Sound sweet til somebody block kick and all of a sudden she on defense" he began, with a few hysterically laughing emojis for emphasis.

Sound sweet til somebody block the kick and all of a sudden she on defense😂. Would be like the stampede scene in the lion king movie 😂😂 . She do got a boot tho! https://t.co/K8VxnHp6gB

— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) August 27, 2019

As for Kaepernick, the NFL pariah can't even get a job as a sideline water boy. According to collusion conspiracies, the former 49er still remains a free agent solely for his role in igniting a anti-police brutality movement during the 2016 season, but even President Trump, who criticized the activist quarterback as "unpatriotic" in the past threw in his own extra point about NFL owners.

 "If he's good enough, I know these people, they would sign him in a heartbeat," he said. They will do anything to win games."

You wouldn't know it by the current rosters of the NFL. The Broncos, Cowboys, Jaguars, Vikings, Browns and Bills all have unproven backup quarterbacks or nobody at all. It will be interesting to see if any team breaks the so-called invisible wall.

As always, it's a game of musical chairs with kickers in the NFL. The Jets, Buccaneers and Bears are just a few of the teams who are desperate for a reliable kicker, and there will probably be at least another half-dozen teams looking for replacements before the end of the season. Is Lloyd the answer to a legitimate problem or a public relations freak show? There are probably a hundred men's college soccer players who could kick a 55-yard field goal in a practice setting with nobody bearing down from the scrimmage line. Bigger, stronger guys who don't need two extra steps to push it through.

And of Kaepernick? Well, two years is a long layoff despite all of his workout videos and his days out of the NFL clock.

These are two individuals with probably a 50/50 support along divided battle lines who could make or break a team's fan base. One representing experience, but building a wall between politics, the other untested, but breaking down barriers.

So who is more likely to don an NFL uniform this season?

I'm guessing neither.

Aaron Judge uses Brett Gardner's bat-slamming antics as Yankees odd new rallying motion

By Tony Mangia

The Yankees aren't happy with the target MLB umpires have put on Brett Gardner and his recent bat-slamming actions in the dugout but, Aaron Judge may have introduced a new, kinder and albeit less savage, team rallying motion derived from the antics of their fiery left-fielder.

There was a lot of talking about team unity — after Gardner was tossed from Saturday's game against the Cleveland Indians for banging his bat on the dugout ceiling in response to manager Aaron Boone being thrown out for jawing to the home plate ump — before Judge mimicked Gardner's double-handed rant at first base following his third-inning single and again from second base after a Judge double.

"no no it aint a shot at you guys" pic.twitter.com/Zw1O83Nncs

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) August 18, 2019

I'm sure a lot of twisted baseball fans — and probably some indignant and inefficient umpires — will see an indecent double-entendre in the two-handed motion, but — to the easily offended — the gesture might be less naughty than Gardner's in-and-out motion with a bat in a dugout cubbyhole during that same rant. And, if you believe Judge, the jerky up-and-down bat action just might become the Yankees version of the Rally Cap.

Maybe they can call it Gard's Up! or Wood's Up! They are Savages, after all.

"Yeah, he's one of the leaders of this team," said Judge. "We do a lot of crazy things in that dugout when we get on base. Just showing support for him. He's the leader of this team so we're just supporting him."

Gardner had been one of three Yankees kicked out of the game — CC Sabathia was the third — by first base ump Phil Cuzzi on Saturday, so before the game on Sunday, Boone warned his players that the umpires might be watching the dugout for more abuse of his lumber by Gardie and another excuse to toss him from the game.

When the Yankee Stadium Bleacher Creatures did their ritual role call at the start of Sunday's game, Gardner pretended to slam a bat on the dugout ceiling in return. Judge must have been watching and took it as a sign.

Gardy can't stop.

Gardy won't stop. pic.twitter.com/uNEj6bewqr

— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 17, 2019lll

Cuzzi worked home plate during Sunday's loss without incident although the Yankees could be seen shaking their heads at more than a few lousy pitching calls. But, with Gardner's bats on a leash, it didn't come to this... not in the dugout at least.

Here is the full sequence of the Boone ejection. Hot mics galore. pic.twitter.com/R6Vw0qw0qn

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) July 18, 2019 

Yankees' Brett Gardner and Brian Cashman both victims of mistaken identity

By Tony Mangia

In two separate incidents Friday, a couple members of the New York Yankees family were both involved in dramatic incidents of mistaken identities by respective authorities hundreds of miles apart, but later absolved of any wrong doing after the infield dirt and exhaust fumes had settled.

Before rightfielder Brett Gardner got tossed out of a game against the Blue Jays up in Canada last night, general manager Brian Cashman was tossed by a swarm of anti-car theft police in Connecticut earlier in the evening — with guns drawn.

Gardner's bust and outburst in Toronto might have been witnessed by fans at the game and watching on the YES Network,  but it was the Yankees general manager's dramatic experience which might have been a little more TV show worthy after he was swarmed by “as many five patrol cars" and "between six and nine police officers” with “guns drawn” in Darien after being mistaken for an "armed car thief,” according to a report from the New York Post.

The only guns showing in the Gardner case were his biceps as he was restrained from going after umpire Chris Segal by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Cashman's ordeal began while was driving the vehicle from Yankee Stadium to the Norwalk, Connecticut Police Department on Friday afternoon to have it processed for evidence after he reported it stolen in the Bronx. When he stopped for gas in Darien, he was greeted with a swarm of police officers responding to someone in a white Jeep “that was brandishing a gun in a local doctor’s office.”

Combined with the fact that the NYPD never took the jeep off the "hot car" list, Cashman was told not to "make any rash moves" as he exited his vehicle. Talk about a trading deadline being over, this was one rash decision that even a MLB GM knew not to make.

“And that’s when apparently the circumstances radically changed,” said Cashman. “I had a welcoming committee descend upon me as I pulled out of that gas station … They executed a very tactful interception. They’re clearly very professional and trained and they asked me to turn my car off, exit the vehicle, walk backwards towards them … they were executing their duty.”

After a 15 minute process, Cashman was escorted to the Norwalk Police Department by Darien police in order to avoid a similar situation unfolding down the road. He was assured his vehicle was off the stolen car list.

Gradner's incident with The Man resulted from other player's barking in the Yankees’ dugout over a pair of questionable called strikes by Segal in the fourth inning, the first a strike-three call on Cameron Maybin and the second the very next pitch to Mike Tauchman.

After the Tauchman call, Maybin, seated in the dugout, yelled, “F—ing terrible, let’s go!”

Segal immediately responded: “Time, out, done!” and signaled someone was out of the game. When Boone inquired who had been tossed, Segal replied: “Gardner. He just told me I’m f—ing terrible.”

The obvious misidentification caused a stunned Gardner to emerge from the dugout before he blew up and had to be held back by Boone. Then it was time for Gardner's signature bat-bashing in the dugout.

“I told him I didn’t say anything,” Gardner said. “He told me I did say something. That’s why I got pretty irritated.” Gardner also called Segal “a liar.”

Later, a still agitated Gardner wasn't as diplomatic or forgiving as Cashman for the mishap. Asked if wanted an apology from Segal, Gardie plainly said, "Not interested."

So Mike Tauchman takes a strike...and Brett Gardner gets ejected?

That's what happened, and if this game can get any crazier, you can watch it here: https://t.co/i6xvpsa0pF pic.twitter.com/V5VQ2SHOuj

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 10, 2019