China Stripped of Bronze Medal

Let this be a reminder to all, especially minor league sports that think they will save their leagues because mainland China is "flush with cash". No need looking to the far east for the next franchise opportunity. Mainland China is not a fair partner. In other words, the Chinese government cheats whether it is sports, business, or humanity in general.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_gym_underage_gymnast

Apparently, Dong (on the right) willingly admits her correct age. It is the Chinese system that plays fast and loose with the rules, not necessarily the Chinese people.

The Strangest Minor League in the World

What makes the Premier Basketball League (PBL) so strange? It is not because the league is disorganized. Lots of minor leagues are disorganized. It is not because member teams have come and gone (sometimes during the season). Lots of minor leagues have teams come and go. It is not because this league has a tendency of issuing rambling sour grapes type press releases. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3982349 Lots of minor leagues have trouble grasping the concept of the proper press release. The PBL is strange because it is disorganized, teams come and go, they issue WTF type press releases, AND the owner (yes, this league has an owner) apparently has tons of money to correct those problems. Yet this league plods along on its current course.

I Fought My Credit Card Company and Finally Won!

I was late paying my credit card bill in October 2009 by one day. I have not been late paying for a few years running. A $39 late fee appeared on my next statement. I did not like it and I thought it was nitpicking because of one lousy day, but I was late after all. January 2010 statement and my interest rate was hiked an additional 14%. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

What's going on? Why did my APR go through the roof all of a sudden? My questions were directed toward the customer service representative. She told me it was because I was late in October. I was frustrated and she was frustrated as well. Apparently, her training was limited to offering cash rewards to customers.

My credit card company was obviously trying to beat the February 22, 2010 deadline where banks could no longer raise interest rates unexpectedly on late payments less than 60 days. I made sure to remind them of this as often as I could.

The bank finally caved-in in April and returned my APR to original pre-January 2010 levels. I am a cardholder in good standings and I bugged them every chance I got. This large multi-national bank realized they were being excessive. Well, the customer service manager blamed it on the software. It's all automated. It wasn't our decision Yeah right. It was their decision to program the software though.

Add Derrick Coleman to the List

My ex-wife, ABA/NBA basketball standout George Gervin, and Derrick Coleman are all cousins. They all are either from Detroit or have lots of relatives in Detroit. Apparently, they all should be avoided when it comes to money matters. Well, I did not know about Derrick's issues until reading this:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Derrick-Coleman-is-almost-5-million-in-debt;_ylt=AhWQjcENG1V0bmaRl4ovyUEYc8UF?urn=nba,233379

Coleman's biggest debt comes from a $1.3 million lawsuit brought against him by Comerica Bank and a $1 million real estate loan from Thornburg Mortgage Home Loans. He also owes $50,000 to NBA Hall of Famer, and current Detroit mayor, Dave Bing.

I will not elaborate on my ex's inability to manage money. I will only say that I am happier now than ever in my adult life. Nor will I elaborate on George's family fundraising while I was married to my ex, only to say that my ex could not afford the family reunion money at the time (or any other time, for that matter).

Derrick Coleman? I am hoping money, or the lack thereof, has nothing to do with genes.

Tiger Woods' Return After the Sex Scandal

Is it my imagination or did Tiger Woods pump a lot more iron after the sex scandal?

Tiger Woods in his first tournament after the scandal.
Tiger Woods during the 2009 season before the scandal.
It was my imagination. Tiger Woods is an athletic specimen regardless and I hope he kicks the snot out of the golf world after his personal affairs were dragged in front of the public.

Butler's ride ends as Duke wins 61-59

Butler has a young team. If they ever learn to shoot jump shots, then they may be unstoppable in the future.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100406/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_ncaa_championship_butler

Butler, however, puts the "old" in old school. With 4,200 students, it was the smallest school to play for the title since the field was expanded to 64 in 1985 and fourth-smallest overall. Forget state-of-the-art facilities. The Bulldogs play in an 82-year-old gym, the barn-like Hinkle Fieldhouse. Practice there, too — at 6:30 a.m., no less. There are no athletic dorms and, yes, those were some of the Butler players spotted in the classroom Monday morning.

I can vouch for the small size of the campus and the lack of athletic dorms. We ran across a player in the dorm lobby on one of those moving-in days for my college kid. "Hey! You've got a great game. By the way, hold that door open for me and could you hand me that lamp cord I'm dragging? Thanks."

Butler University, Hinkle Fieldhouse, and The Final Four

Remember my college kid...again? The undergrad school she graduated from was Butler University. That means I am familiar with the Butler campus. Unfortunately I am not very familiar with Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler's home venue (The Dawg Pound). The only time I've been inside was for graduation...and happy I was that day. No more lugging college person type belongings up and down I-65.

Since I have only been in Hinkle for graduation ceremonies, then I only have graduation pictures. Never attended a basketball game there, not even when I was a high school student and when state high school finals were held there (like in the movie Hoosiers).

Butler is in the Horizon League. There was a big push a few years back to have the Horizon League tournament held in Gary, Indiana since so many Horizon League teams (like Valparaiso University, Loyola University, UIC, and Butler) are close to Gary. That push was made when Gary had a CBA professional basketball team. That push may have been reduced to a nudge with Butler's recent success in the Final Four and the Gary team closing up shop. However, the Horizon League's baseball tournament WILL be held in Gary this spring (spring 2010) at US SteelYard. This time I will leave with something other than graduation photos.