More Imus madness

Now Don Imus has lost his radio show. That's the latest from the awkward fuss about the broadcaster's decision to call the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hoes."

I'm more unsettled by this story now. CBS can do what it wants and I'm not going to question them. My problem is with my journalistic brethren, who keep writing that Imus used a racial slur. He did not.

"Nappy" has no racial connotation. "Ho" has no racial connotation. The Rutgers team is racially diverse. What's going on?

The guy should be punished, no doubt, but his words didn't strike me as someone motivated by racism. Sorry. I've heard legitimately racist comments. So have you. Doesn't sound like "nappy-headed ho" at all, does it?

The Rutgers/Imus situation

I'm not in a position to wax poetic about these calls to fire Don Imus over his comments regarding the Rutgers gals. Calling them "nappy-headed hoes" was disrespectful and irresponsible, but I don't believe it was racist.

I use "nappy" often. It's usually in reference to a white pothead male.

"Ho," at least to me, has no racial identification.

Anyway, here is a great take from AOL Sports columnist Jason Whitlock. The part I agree with most feverishly is how these Rutgers players allege deep scarring from Imus' comments. Seriously? They care about what some 60-year-old dude says?

More ESPN madness

I'm watching Eric Young on Baseball Tonight. What a train wreck. It's unreal to me that someone at ESPN saw Young audition for this job and thought: I know his delivery is terrible, he's too quiet and he says "uh" every other second ... but, damn, he sure is good.

Fire that intern. Stat.

Tate's five worst Baseball Tonight "personalities":
1.) Early Buck Showalter
2.) Jeff Brantley
3.) Eric Young
3.) Jayson Stark
4.) Fernando Vina

Tate's five best Baseball Tonight "personalities":
1.) Peter Gammons -- The. Best. Ever.
2.) Tim Kurkjian
3.) Eric Byrnes
4.) Karl Ravech
5.) Orel Hershiser. He'd be higher with a haircut. This is a no-mullet zone.

Baseball update

Auburn won its first two games at LSU this weekend, and will go for the series sweep today. The streak isn't long enough to consider true improvement ... but recall that I told you all a few days ago that the team had enough talent to be pretty good. I'm still predicting a trip to Hoover.

Tip of the hat to the Tigers' top starters, Paul Burnside and Taylor Thompson, who both played prep ball in Montgomery. Infielder Joseph Sanders, a Millbrook native, has been a steadying influence in the middle of Auburn's batting order lately.

Remember the old days when Bobby Huddleston was the only Tri-County kid up there? Coach Tommy Slater said Montgomery/Prattville/Millbrook was loaded with talent, and he's proving that theory right now.

ON THE NON-AUBURN TIP:
We here at JGT Headquarters are happy (but not surprised) to see Tennessee F Candace Parker win the Wooden Award as the nation's best player. She is the best women's player I've ever seen, and is capable of making a difference at all five positions. She can dunk. She's appropriately intense. She's just tremendous.