The Things We Think and Do Not Say

1. The futility that is the Atlanta Falcons is as much Michael Vick's fault as it is that of the coordinators and coaches.
2. Michael Vick is far too sensitive.
3. Black Enterprise magazine, though I love and respect Earl Graves, really dropped the ball by not printing any of the letters about their 'Top 50 Colleges' list.
4. Chris Collinsworth says several questionably racist things on 'Inside the NFL.'
5. Steve Young doesn't like Michael Irvin, and really doesn't want to sit next to him on the ESPN set.
6. If Michael Irvin doesn't make the Hall of Fame, it will be his own fault.
7. Maybe that Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade was a great idea after all.
8. If LaDanian Tomlinson is not the NFL MVP then what credible reason could be used?
9. There's a strong chance that Tony Romo could make the ProBowl.
10. ESPN is like nectar from Mt. Olympus.
11. The loss of Ed Bradley leaves a deeper void in credible and professional journalism than one could imagine.
12. Why are the vast majority of sports talk radio hosts rabid right wingers?
13. Bob Costas is overrated.
14. There should be term limits in the United States Senate and in the House of Representatives.
15. Vince Young is going to prove them wrong on this level, just like he did on the previous level. That's what he does. He defies odds.
16. Notre Dame is the most overrated, unproven and pumped up team in all of sport.
17. If you read more about famous people, you'll like them less and less.
18. 'Stop This Train' by John Mayer is a beautiful song.
19. Jay-Z has become a bigger star than anyone in rap history.
20. Beatles 'Love' is well worth the sticker price.
21. There are some great movies coming out in December, but my guilty pleasure has to be 'Rocky Balboa.'
22. Joe Theisman isn't good at what he does because he's a contrarian. He was an okay quarterback, who on the strength of others won a Super Bowl, and thinks he's Unitas.
23. If Dungy doesn't get it done this year, the fingers will start pointing his way.
24. Why did Romo sit on the bench for so long?
25. If the Falcons don't have a winning season, it will be one of the greatest wastes of talent in the history of the NFL.
26. Falcon fans, like Redskin fans before them, must learn that just because the owner spends a lot of money doesn't mean that you're going to win the Super Bowl. You still have to play the games.
27. If I ever see John Ridley on the street, it's on.
28. Michael Richards should go on Larry King Live and get it over with.

I'm Joe, and that's how I see it.

Robert Altman, R.I.P.

Thank you for giving me films that always make me think.

My favorite is still 'The Player.'

I'm Joe, and that's how I see it.

Innocence Lost

I'm a Seinfeld fan. I always loved that show, and I always loved the crazy character that Cosmo Kramer was. The show ended its run in 1998, and to this day, I watch episodes in syndication. I personally own 5 seasons of the show on DVD, and this morning, on my way to buy Jay-Z's latest, 'Kingdom Come', Seinfeld Season 7 was there. My initial reaction was to pick it up, but after the embarrasing pain I felt from a revered comedic individual like Michael Richards, I simply couldn't.

I watched his apology on Letterman. I personally feel that Letterman was the wrong show to do it from. He should be on Larry King Live, and take calls. He should be pleading for time with the editors of Ebony, Essence, Vibe and even Sister 2 Sister.

The innocence has been lost, and I for one am sadder for it.

I'm Joe, and that's how I see it.

Ed Bradley - 1941-2006

When I was very young in the early 1980s, every Sunday before we would go back to church for Sunday night service and after the football games on CBS were over, my father and I would sit down in our apartment on Northaven Rd. at Westhall Manor apartments and watch '60 Minutes.'

Sitting at my father's knee, eating a cherry Mrs. Smith's pie that my mother had heated up for us, I remember fondly watching this striking, proud and poised man, Ed Bradley.

At the time, the only other African American male I'd seen on television was Max Robinson at ABC. But, Ed Bradley was as much a part of my weekly regimen as that Sunday Mrs. Smith's pie. The regularity of his clarity of voice, his penchant for excellence in his work and his striving to be the best at his chosen profession truly inspired me then, and throughout the years since.

When I started college at Howard, I was pleasantly surprised that in my immediate circle of friends, Sundays at 7 were reserved for 60 Minutes. I would call my parents back in Dallas on Sunday evenings and we would discuss what Ed Bradley reported on, or what Rooney said in his commentary.

Ed Bradley will be revered as he properly should, as one of the great journalists in American history. He should be right up there with Winchell, Cronkite, Jennings, Rather, Jennings, Wallace, Safer and the rest. He personified cool in his demeanor and his style of reporting, and it truly looked effortless.

Fortunately, I was able to see him be honored by Morehouse College in 2003, by receiving a long overdue award at Morehouse's 'A Candle in the Dark' Gala. Of all the people over the years that received the award and that I was able to see at those events, he was one whose company I cherished the most.

Ed Bradley will be greatly missed, and Sundays will never quite be the same.

I'm Joe, and that's how I see it.