BOBBEE BEE: THE MAKING OF A STREET BALL LEGEND

The Graham Brothers are back with another "CLASSIC".

There second book entitled "Larry Long Legs" featuring Bobbee Bee drops right after "March Madness" and right before the NBA FINALS!

Every kid desire to make the winning shot. Plus, every kid thinks he is the next Michael Jordan, the next Lebron James and the next KOBE BRYANT!!

Our cartoon character Bobbee Bee is no different. He, however, thinks he can leave elementary school and go straight to the NBA.

Bobbee Bee, a 10 year old PlayStation junkie, who is heavily influenced by ESPN and Rap videos take his street ball dribbling skills and "do or die" attitude to the court in his first organized basketball game.



But, learn what happens when BOBBEE BEE meets his teammate Larry Long Legs, a lanky, 7-foot tall, fourth grader with two left feet ! Believe me, this story will leave you laughing and learning a valuable lesson all the way to the very last seconds on the clock!

Get your copy of Larry Long featuring Bobbee Bee "The Hater" at www.bn.com, www.walmart.com, and www.authorhouse.com And don't forget to read "In the Mind of Bobbee Bee" every week on the Black Athlete Sports Network at www.blackathlete.com

 

BOBBEE BEE: BASKETBALL IS A SIMPLE GAME

NORTH CAROLINA(BASN)- Basketball is a simple game.

You take the round ball and you put it in the round hole.
It is not rocket science.

You don’t need a perfect SAT score to play it.

You don’t need to memorize the poetry of Shakespeare. Besides, Shakespeare wasn’t even Shakespeare.

In other words, don’t over think, just play the game.

Play the game like you did when you were a child alone in the park right before the street lights came on and you imagined yourself hitting the game winning shot.

There is no pressure.
No worries.

And no need to panic.

Just play the game.

Remember, good defense create better offense.

Always Hustle.

Box-out.

Move without the ball.

Learn to utilize the screen.

Dribble less; Pass more.

Hit the opening jumper.

Play aggressive.

Go strong in the paint.

And if you get fouled, make your free-throws.

Simple, right.



There is nothing complex about it.

And remember, your worst is better than their best.

Plus, there is no “I” in TEAM, but there is an “I” in win.

So, when the game is on the line, become that child again, who wore those cheap high top sneakers and had the bad hair cut on that concrete court with the bent steel rim with no backboard and no nets, and make the game-winning shot.

Yes, even with all of those obstacles, you would still make the basket before the street lights came on.
If you could do it then, you can do it now.

With that said, it is time to silence all of your haters and win a championship ring.

You had all summer to practice.

BOBBEE BEE: BLACK ATHLETIC REVOLT

Racism is not ended by being nice. Nice is an attitude. You could be nice to your slave. Racism is not an attitude; racism is about power. 

by Eric D.Graham

NORTH CAROLINA-(BASN)-In the midst of Jordan Davis murder case, where a 47 year old white male named Michael Dunn fired shots into a car killing a Black teenager allegedly over loud music in Jacksonville, Florida in broad daylight at a gas station in November 2012., I find it quite odd, especially with the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death approaching, which his murderer George Zimmerman walked away a free man and was scheduled to fight in a celebrity boxing match with DMX, which was cancelled, that we could even debate  why Oklahoma State’s Michael Smart  would shove a Texas Tech fan, who allegedly called him a ”piece of crap,” which he was suspended for three games.

BLACK ATHLETE REVOLTS AND RESISTANCES

While many observing this incident may view it as simply being a juvenile act by Smart, we, however, must look at it as being part of the history of Black athletic revolts in sports.

It may not be on the same scale of what Tommy Smith and John Carlos did during the Olympics of 1968 or what Muhammad Ali did in refusing to fight in Vietnam but, it is still a form of resistance and a form of revolt never the less to white racism just like former Golden state Warriors Latrel Sprewell’s 1997 choking of head coach P. J. Carlesimo during practice, which resulted in a 68 games suspension.

Why? Because, on the plantation, while there were your Nat Turners, Denmark Vessels, there were also other non-celebrated names like Margaret “Mag” Palm, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, who was so notorious for helping slaves escape that on several occasions slave-owners from Maryland attempted to kidnap her and sell her into slavery to put an end to her practices. In their attempts to kidnap her, however, even with her hands tied, she would resist her oppressors by biting their thumbs off.

With that said, while looking at the incident from different angles and vantage points, metaphysically as well as spiritually, we have to consider the cultural landscape in which it occurred, especially from the framework of a new generation of young Black athletes, who may have seen three powerful films this year, which could have potentially shaped their consciousness like DJANGO, Fruitvale Station and 12 years a slave as well as the recent death of Nelson Mandela, who fought against the wicked apartheid system of South Africa, which is a policy of segregation based on the discrimination of someone’s race.



We must also include the racist stop and frisk PROGRAM, where Black and brown youth are randomly searched without cause for weapons and CONTRABAND as being an “unconscious” reason why Black youth are rebelling unapologetically to a system, which continues to disrespect them openly in the public.

CRIMINALIZATION OF THE BLACK MALE ATHLETE

This criminalized view of Smart, is not surprising, especially in a college coliseum full of Caucasians, who arrogantly go to games in order to SHOUT, YELL, CURSE, INSULT, and throw food and drinks at a court full of mostly BLACK athletes as if they were some form of “SUB-human “animals at the ZOO, who are supposed to be void of human emotions and feelings in their attempt to entertain them, which we saw erupt at the Palace of Auburn Hill which is known as the Malice in Palace, when a fan tossed a cup of soda that splashed on Ron Artest, now known as Metta World Peace, which resulted in an all out brawl where players fought fans.

The confrontation between Smart and Texas Tech fanatic Jeff Orr is no different.

Why? Because, there is a large portion of white society, who still have a racist view that Blacks are sub-human.

This racist view of BLACK ATHLETES being sub-human is well documented in the portrayal of Lebron James as KING-KONG on the April 2008 cover of Vogue Magazine as well as in the Sports Illustrated March 11 2002 cover issue of Charles Barkley pictured as a slave.

Recently, we saw this view point resurface again during Seattle Seahawks’ CB Richard Sherman’s and FOX’S Erin Andrew’s post game interview after the NFC Championship game against the 49ers, where people referred to Sherman as a thug, a nigger and a gorilla due to his emotional rant.

This harsh harassment of Black athletes, in fact, is no different than the racist chants that occur during European soccer matches, which recently brought Mario Balotelli, the star striker for the Italian soccer club AC Milan to tears during an away game at Napoli.

Shockingly, however, when the same Black athletes get to close to this so-called racist crowd, who possess the same Mobb-violece of old, that resulted in lynching, now ends with the turning over of cars, riots and burnt down buildings in celebration Of A team’s victory, they clam up in fear and terror like the cowards they really are.

We saw evidence of this being highlighted in John Singleton’s classic film Higher Learning featuring Ice CUBE AND BUSTA RHYMES.

HUMAN VS BEAST

Seriously, who is the real human in this case and throughout time, especially when you consider the so-called “white man’s” violent history, in which he slaughtered the Native Americas, enslaved Africans, exploited poor whites, placed “so-called Jews” into ovens, dropped Atomic bombs on the Vietnamese, and murdered innocent children in the “SO-CALLED” MIDDLE EAST for oil.



As one ponders all of that death, devastation, and destruction coming out of the mind of such a beast in “human form,” how could one come to such a conclusion to think that Smart was wrong for retaliating without fear or hesitation after being disrespected in the general public?

Honestly, in a generation of warriors, which unfortunately have been misguided into gang-activity, escepially in Chicago, refuse to take the crap Jackie Robinson allegedly tolerated in order to play a game of baseball and integrate Major League Baseball in 1947
.

In essence, they are standing their ground to a system that has continually treated them unfairly. We, in fact, have seen this also in their recent attempts to debate the issue whether college athletes should be paid for performing. Thanks to the scandal involving Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M.

MASTER-SLAVE RELATIONSHIP

Is the master-slave relationship a part of this ugly incident between an older white male and a young black teenager, which historically and mentally tells the “so-called” slave that he must take the physical and verbal abuse from his perceived superior without fighting and striking back but turn the other cheek instead?

In reflection, is this a possible reason why the “so-called knockout game” has caused SUCH TERROR IN the hearts of white America?

Plus, why does everyone seem to be pointing their fingers at Smart’s REACTION instead of Jeff Orr , the TEXAS TECH FAN, who sparked this confrontation by allegedly spitting the ugliness of racism from his mouth.

Orr, in my personal opinion, was only displaying a level of white male arrogance, or posturing or flexing his white male privilege, which in his mind renders him untouchable.

We saw evidence of this all late last year, when Riley Cooper was captured on camera in a hate-filled rant as well as Richie Incognito’s locker room bullying of Jonathan Martin.

Why? Because, in both of these cases, they both felt in their HEART of heart that they could get away with their blatant disrespectful actions without any backlash.

Why? Because, this behavior, historically, is the norm within the so-called dominant culture, where they blame the victim and give symphony for the victimizer.

Case in point, notice how quickly yet nonchalantly everyone began to discuss how this incident was going to hurt Smart’s draft status or stock in the NBA Draft, which I have previously without shame compared to a modern day version of the slave auction, which mostly BLACK athletes’ bodies are traded, branded, probed and prodded for financial gain on some plantation or team.

Therefore, if this analogy is correct, Smart’s shoving incident, in historical content, would probably be viewed by the elite slave owners, which are now the corporate CEO’s of America as an example of a “Bad field nigger” who failed to respect his master’s authority.

As a result, he must be broken from his bad behavior or made an example in front of other so-called slaves, which during those times, would come in the form of a justified public beating, or whipping, usually by the hands of another Black person or a public lynching for all the world to see. Hence, here comes the cracker-man, which was a term given the Caucasian or the slave master, who made a cracking sound by whirling his whip when he came to punish the rebellious “so-called” slave.
However, the new form of discipline, especially for Black athletes, comes in the form of lost endorsements, a public lashing, usually verbally from some Black sports commentator or reporter, less playing time due to suspension, a shamefully public apology at a nationally held press conference or a first round guarantee contract ending in a 3RD ROUND selection.

Let’s not forget, unbelievably, in poor taste, former Indiana Hoosiers Bob Knight, who also coached at Texas Tech, actually pulled out a bullwhip “jokingly” and pretended to whip Calbert Chaney, while calling it a “motivational device” in March of 1992.

After hearing all of this tom-foolery, most of this ill-behavior or should I say evil behavior, shockingly, was, and still is, justified by The Holy Bible in this so-called Christian land, by the Bible verse Ephesians6:9 which states:

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling……

In today’s world, many people still believe this scripture to be true, especially in the deep dirty south.

WILLIE LYNCH-ISMS

Obviously, this political philosophy is an updated version of the Willie Lynch letter, which is still being practiced throughout the world on a global scale in order to keep us all in check, which is equivalent of saying Black suffering is fine as long as white domination rules.

Or, that white denial is acceptable as far as Blacks remain silent about the injustice and ABUSE afflicted against them, while being forced to apologize when other Blacks bravely revolt even in the slightly way against the system which is oppressing them.

This is a clearly a part of the white supremacist-Black inferiority paradigm currently ruling the WORLD.

POST TRAUMATIC SLAVE SYNDROME

This form of plantation politics, however, is quite traumatic and creates what psychologist calls Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, which is a theory developed by DR. Jay De-Gruy-Leary, an assistant professor of Portland State University, which often leaves a person to relive past experiences through nightmares and flashbacks, which in effect results in the person having DIFFICULTIES sleeping, irritabilities, outbursts of ANGER, exaggerated startle responses, and feelings of estrangement from others, difficulties functioning in society, which include difficulties holding jobs, marital problems and trouble parenting.

This, in effect, causes most Black people including Michael Smart to cautiously maneuver in life, in this Matrix, or the white world with a double-consciousness, which sadly forces most Black people to bite their tongues, KEEP THE PEACE, scratch when they don’t itch, laugh when nothing is funny, and dance when there is no music being played, while taking the physical and verbal abuse from the “so-called” white power structure in order to get a piece of this American Pie in the form of political, social, and economic gain.

As I said before in several articles, it is the game within the game, which most players lose, despite all the dunks, High-fives, and three-pointers.

LOOKING AT IT WITH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES

With all of these scenarios, many sports commentators still see this incident as a career-killer for Smart, due to his perceived dumb response to an arrogant and some say racist fan. Others like Jalen Rose, however, in a recent episode of Grantland, feels this out of bounds shoving match will only be a learning OPPORTUNITY for the future NBA Star, who had been dealing with the frustration of his team losing five of its last six games, falling in The Big 12 standing due to team mates being injured, and returning to school in order to improve his jump shoot instead of entering THE NBA last season, where he could have been a lottery PICK.

All of this, plus the constant criticism coming from keyboard bullies on twitter, according to Tom Izzo, potentially, could have caused any young 19 old kid to explode after being allegedly called a racial slur  after falling out of bounds in his attempt to BLOCK an opponent’s shot from behind.

“You can push a fan, but it wasn’t the right thing to do.” ROSE ADMITTED.

Rose went on to said that we have to applaud other athletes like Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and Lebron James, who have the discipline to rise above their emotions to handle situations like Smart oddly found himself in. Because discipline is what distinguished a player like Michael Jordan from being cut from the 14 guys who were better than Him.

While Rose said if he was Smart At 19 years old, he would have punched the overzealous fan.
But, at 41 years old, he views the situation differently.

Plus, he feels Smart’s NBA stock won’t to be hurt by this melee’, because the NBA is a business of winning and making money. But, if his stock does mysteriously drop, several teams like the Indiana Pacers (Larry Bird), the Miami Heat (Pat Riley), San Antonio Spurs (Gregg Popovich) , who have great leaders in the front office and on the bench,  will happily embrace this young talent, making him into a man and a winner in the league.

Eric D.Graham, a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, where he received a B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Radio and Television and a minor in History, with an emphasis in African-American Studies,  is currently the Managing Editor  of  Black Athlete Sports Network, where his articles  appear daily along with his controversial  cartoon character Bobbee Bee “The Hater.” Graham can be reached at lbiass34@yahoo.com 

BOBBEE BEE:A Coaching Clinic

By Eric Graham

NORTH CAROLINA-(BASN)-Football rules. And, when it is football season, nothing else really matters.

Besides, no one really cares about college basketball anymore. Especially, doing the regular season.

College basketball, in fact, is only watched and followed closely during March Madness, which, simply, is the most thrilling tournament on television.

And with the additional 1billion dollar cash prize being offered by Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc., the nation’s fourth-largest mortgage lender, for the person who successfully picks all 64 team brackets in the tournament this year, it has gotten even better.

With that said, college basketball, sadly to say, is a game which over the years, has become more about the coaches than the players, who have walked the long journey to a short path of “ONE and DONE’ to the NBA. While the coaches, on the other hand, stick around for years and establish legacies at their chosen Universities.

As a result, most of us couldn’t name the starting line-ups for any college basketball team even in the top ten. And, even sadder than that, the only players worth talking about are Kansas Jayhawks’ Andrew Wiggins and DUKE’s Jabari Parker, who are both mediocre at best, despite all the hype and headlines surrounding their names.

Why? Because, as I said before, college basketball is about the head coaches. And, unfortunately, the aging Dick Vitale can’t hype the players up anymore with his “color” commentator, because his style is out-dated and his lingo lackadaisical and uninspiring, especially for this new generation of ballers and sneaker-heads.

Therefore, the focus is on Rick Pitino in Louisville, John Calipari in KENTUCKY, Tom Izzo in MICHIGAN state, Mike Krzyzewski in Duke, Bill Self in KANSAS, Jim Boeheim in Syracuse, Bill Donovan in Florida, Thad Matta in Ohio State and SHAKA Smart AT VCU.

So, don’t be surprised to see all of them in the Sweet 16 during this year’s tournament, getting interviewed, while the players sit on the bench and watch.

Eric D.Graham, a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, where he received a B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Radio and Television and a minor in History, with an emphasis in African-American Studies, is currently the Managing Editor of Black Athlete Sports Network, where his articles appear daily along with his controversial cartoon character Bobbee Bee “The Hater.” Graham can be reached at lbiass34@yahoo.com

BOBBEE BEE: Oakley earns McDonald’s nomination

By Titus Mohler Nansemond

River High School senior Devon Oakley was recently recognized for being selected as a nominee to play in the 2014 McDonald’s All American Games.

According to a press release, the list of nominees included 984 prep seniors from 44 states and the District of Columbia, selected by high school coaches, athletic directors, principals and members of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee.

The games, one for boys and another for girls, make up a prestigious event in April at Chicago’s United Center in which the top 24 boys and 24 girls from the nominees list play.

Though Oakley was not one of the 24 selected, he said, “It was just a great honor for my name even to be put in such a category as the McDonald’s All-American Games.” He was one of only two players from Hampton Roads to be named on the list and the only local male player.

Neither Oakley nor Warriors head coach Ed Young knew who had nominated him. Young theorized it could have been from media or college coaches who had seen him play at Nansemond River or with an Amateur Athletic Union team.

“It’s a real award in terms of at least being nominated,” Young said. On top of that, he said, “Being the only one (male) in the 757 nominated — that’s pretty doggone good.”

Oakley has received multiple honors in his senior year, including being in the running for the title of 2013 Ultimate Athlete in a USA Today High School Sports competition and being named first team all-conference.

But he said the McDonald’s nomination was probably his proudest achievement “because I grew up watching McDonald’s All-Americans, I watched them play in the game, and to know I got nominated for that game, it was pretty good.”

Now that his senior high school season has concluded, Oakley’s attention turns to college possibilities. “I have to take some visits to some schools, and then I’ll make my decision on signing day,” he said, which comes on April 16.

BOBBEE BEE: JOURNALIST CREED

THE JOURNALIST CREED

THE JOURNALIST CREED

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of the responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.



I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.
I believe that journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.
I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is defensible

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentlemen; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instructions or another's dividends.
I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.


I believe that the journalism which succeeds best -and best deserves success--fears God and honors Man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship: is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world.Walter Williams, 1914....

BOBBEE BEE: PICK FROS NOT FIGHTS

To learn more about Bobbee Bee e-mail us at lbiass34@yahoo.com

BOBBEE BEE: DREAM B.I.G.

Decision 1: I do not downsize my dreams.

Perhaps Mark Twain said it best: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did." It isn't the things we did that we most regret; it's the things we didn't do.


To succeed at a high level, you must start expecting more.


Even when you don't get everything you expect, you'll get a whole lot more than if you were expecting nothing at all.


The moment you choose to settle, you guarantee you'll never achieve your real dream. Choose faith over fear.

Decision 2: I focus on solutions, not problem.

The bigger you dream, the more opportunity for obstacles, challenges and problems. Choose a mindset that sees these problems as opportunities for growth, and you will eventually walk into your vision.

Decision 3: I choose to be authentic.

Be yourself. Who else can you be? It takes less effort and energy to be yourself, but it also takes courage. Fear that you will not be accepted or approved just as you are can lead you to send your "representative" out into the world. She looks like the real you, but she's not. She's a counterfeit, and whatever success she has built on false pretenses that you must keep up to maintain success.

Decision 4: I choose courage over fear.

Like problems, fear is evitable. But it's not a stop sign. Fear is the most common obstacle to achieving true success and happiness. Fear tempts you to shrink from your authentic desires. It causes you to rationalize yourself out of a great idea. It leads you to pretend you don't really want what you really do want. Refuse to succumb to it. Make a decision that fear won't keep you stuck. Expect to feel fear. And when you feel it, keep moving forward.

Decision 5: I choose relationships wisely and nurture them intentionally.

Success doesn't occur in a vacuum. You need people, and they need you. Those with a strong support system have the resources that open doors of opportunity and empower them to manage any challenge. Don't go it alone.

Decision 6: I actively seed feedback and use it to grow.
You need people around you who tell you the truth. Resilient people know this. And even when they don't like what they hear, they listen, process it and ask themselves, 'Is there a grain of truth to this feedback, even if it's negative? Be humble, and use failures and mistakes as learning tools. Put yourself around people who know more than you, and learn all you can from them.

Decision 7: I know my purpose and take daily action in the direction of my vision.

Consistency is key. If you continually take steps in the right direction, you will eventually arrive at your destination.

by Valorie Burton, who is a best-selling author and founder of the Coaching and Positive Psychology Institute.

BOBBEE BEE: IT'S NEVER YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

IT'S NEVER YOUR RESPONSIBILITY...

1. to be 100% perfect
2. to follow the crowd
3. to love destructive people
4. to please unpleasant people
5.to apologize for being yourself
6. to drain your strength for others
7.. to feel guilty about what you desire
8.to put up with unpleasant situations
9.. to sacrifice your integrity for anyone
10. to remain in an abusive relationship
11. to do more than you have time
12.to do something you really cannot do
13. to conform to unreasonable demands
14. to give what you really don't want to give to bear the burden of another's misbehavior
15. to give up who you are for anybody or anything

BOBBEE BEE: 12 THINGS I LEARNED THIS YEAR

BOBBEE BEE says that he has learned 12 things you need to know in 2012.
1. I've learned that HATRED is like acid. It destroys the vessel that holds it.
2. I've learned that if love isn't taught in the home it's diffcult to learn it anywhere else.
3. I've learned that marriages are meant to last a lifetime. When they don't, all the world suffers.

4. I've learned that regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us in the moment.
5. I've learned that fame is written in ice and eventually the sun comes out.

6. I've learned that to get the right answer; you have to ask the right question.