You think the NBA has race problems?

Just when you thought you may have heard it all when it comes to the Donald Sterling comments, think again, because the National Hockey League has a problem that is falling on deaf ears. P.K. Subban is a defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Norris Trophy last season as the league’s best defenseman. He is considered one of the better players at his position in the league. He also happens to be black.

Subban is a flamboyant player who plays with a swagger that has rubbed some in the game the wrong way. Cheers go up when he is checked by an opposing player, but on most nights he is hard to hit. Subban scored the game-winning goal the other night in Boston to win game one of their playoff series. With that comes the normal chorus of boos form the hometowners. Par for the course.

What was out of bounds were the 17,000 racist tweets he received and were posted on the internet. That was in less than 24 hours. Yes, 17,000 tweets and messages aimed at Subban solely because of the color of his skin – and not one word from the National Hockey League.

There was a statement released by the Boston Bruins trying to distance themselves from the haters. But if you look back to 2012, they issued a strikingly similar statement just after they were eliminated by an overtime goal from Joel Ward who (you guessed it) happened to be black. Again, no word from the league.

I am an avid fan of the sport, but for this issue to go unchecked is an embarrassment to the league and to those who cover it. Locally, you never heard a peep out of anyone, as once the Blues check out, hockey as we know it is dead. There is no room for this sort of racism in the sport. This is not European soccer, where they still throw bananas at black players, but if the league does not check this situation, it will not be long.

In an predominantly white sport, some would feel this is not that big of an issue. If you do not like a player because he plays on another team, so be it. To hate because of a player’s skin color, there is no room for it at any level.

As for Boston, the pride themselves on this whole “strong” moniker. I commend them for their unity on the bombing issue. How about showing some unity on how to treat a human being? The city’s track record on that matter has been detailed dating back to the days of the great Bill Russell and black Boston Celtic players like him. The next move is on the city of Boston and their fans as well as the National Hockey League.

Wake up NHL, you are already low on the totem pole. There is no reason to find yourself buried.

Shams, shame and Rams 

Well, here we go again. Another draft that sees the Rams pick early in the first round. Another draft where the Rams need just about everything.

Before you start to say, well, what about a pass rusher? I will remind you that you have Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers. That’s it!  Everyone else is either unproven or able to play in the NFL but not at the playoff level. As for the rest of the defense, they have shown the ability to play hard to try and get to .500. A nice try but we have seen that act much too long. When it comes to the offense, where are the Rams mentioned as league elite?

General Manager Les Snead and Head Coach Jeff Fisher have tried to fix a mess that has gone on well before they got here. After three years, it’s time for a change of direction.

Meanwhile, so-called “draft experts” throw names and terminology around as if they really have a clue. I always felt that someone should go back and see how many mock drafts they conduct over the course of the year, as well as how they fared the previous year. You may learn a lot.

As for the locals who claim they cover the sport, most are solely concerned with the offense. Quarterbacks and receivers are the pick by most because they are the easiest to recognize on the field. Others want a receiver because there may work well on next year’s fantasy team. In all, most of it has turned out to be a sham, and shame on them for feeding us this annual yarn.

So who do the Rams take in the first round? They need dire help in the offensive line. Their so-alleged best player in tackle Jake Long is getting long in the tooth as well as recovering from a season-ending knee injury. If you can name the rest of the offensive line for the Rams, you may be smarter than many that cover the team. Some think quarterback Sam Bradford is washed up, shell-shocked and all the other reasons that some would even suggest drafting Johnny Manziel. If the Rams do not fix the offensive line, he will take a beating.

There are some exceptional players out there and good teams are not made solely on the first round. The Rams will have a lot of picks so they need to make everyone count. So here we go again. Another year of hope and need of luck. Another year of asking, “What did you think of the first selection?” Another year of waiting three years to see if this guy can play. Another year …

Fun with the NBA 

Never has the NBA had five game sevens in a weekend, and never has the league been able to show its game off with most games coming down to the wire. Yes, the NBA is now BIG FUN.

This league dealt with the antics of an owner only to overcome it with some incredible games that had fans on the edge of their seats on most nights. The stars, young and old, showed up.

Even without an NBA team, the NBA ratings will be better than the NHL in St. Louis where the Blues reside. For those who think that is enough to get our own NBA team, think again. These teams are all in good spots as we speak, with new arenas and leases to go with them. Despite what you hear, leagues like the NBA, WNBA and NHL do not award franchises because of attendance and TV ratings. They are about cold, hard cash.