Respect is a funny thing. It is something that needs to be earned. It can be earned in several ways. Such as here at the Gab where we have all earned each other’s respect. That respect was earned mainly through our writings and opinions on a variety topics in sports and life in general. That respect has even carried further as we all got to know each other some through cyber space and some through actual communication. We have carried that respect further as we have learned to have differences of opinion and voice those opinions in a non offensive way. We all follow some unwritten rules and we all understand there is a proper way to voice a difference of opinion and there is not.

If a new person comes into the community they will be give respect to a point but if they go beyond any of the unwritten rules or cross any of the lines that our culture has established they will loose the respect of the community. As here and any place else the new person goes to the bottom of the chain and has to earn his or her way into the community. This is done by establishing him or herself by demonstrating certain conduct and eventually through a body of work.

Sometimes a person establishes him or herself because they were successful somewhere else and established a track record in a given field as did many of us who have landed here. Although a person has developed respect in a field they still have to fit into the new organizations culture to make it work and earn the respect of their peers as we have all done here.

To put into a more of a  sports related concept NFL camps opened this week and there are countless rookies out there. Rookies are the new kids on the block. They have landed in the NFL due to a body of work. Unfortunately , in professional Sports they have to establish a new body of work. They start with a clean slate and anything done previously doesn’t count.

 They need to earn the respect of the veterans. This is done by a body of work in some cases just making the team is enough. In other cases they maybe judged by their work  and work ethic during their first season. In all cases they have to conform to the teams culture and follow both the written rules set by the team and the league and the unwritten rules set by the players.

When a player who hasn’t established himself through a body of work, and refuses to conform to the unwritten rules .he ill pay dearly for both his arrogance and his ignorance. That will follow him throughout his career and in the NFL that career maybe very short.

So when a veteran asks a rookie who hasn’t done a thing in the league to carry his pads that rookie has two choices to conform to the unwritten rule and carry them to show he is or wants to be part of the team. If he refuses he may pay dearly in the future.  

He will loose respect among peers and sometimes the new guy has to just go along until he earns the respect of his peers. Now some of you may think these rituals are a form of hazing and that’s fine for a High School kid or a college kid. But this is the pro ranks and these rituals have been going on for as long as the league has been in existence. It’s more a unwritten team building thing the unwritten rules are established and enforced by the players and for the players.

A kid like Dez Bryant needs to learn quickly it’s more than his ego and just catching footballs. The kid has played enough football to understand it’s the ultimate team sport and every part works off every other part. The ignorance excuse that the Cowboys PR guy spun isn’t enough especially amongst the players. Dez will get his but we may never now how. If he doesn’t conform to the culture it will be a long and lonely career.

Happy Thursday Gabbers!

Finally, a day that I thought would never come has arrived, as the NFL season is officially underway now that teams are reporting to training camp. I don't know about you guys, but I've been craving football since the Saints won the Super Bowl, and now that thirst will finally be quenched as the season is underway. (I will do a prediction post in a few weeks after the preseason roster cuts are made, that way I can account for any drastic preseason injuries to star players and make the best predictions possible ... even though they will still be horribly wrong.)

And, contrary to what ESPN wants you to believe, there are stories in the NFL that don't involve Tim Tebow and Brett Favre, so let's take a look at what's going on around the league.

First of all, Dez Bryant needs to be taped to a goal post and get the ol' ice water bath for his pathetic refusal to carry Roy Williams' pads after practice. Hey Dez, whether you like it or not, you're worthless in the NFL until you actually do something on the field, and as a rookie it's your job to show respect to the veterans and carry their pads (and order their lunch, and get their coffee, and park their cars, etc.) - so instead of being a douchebag diva, how about show a little respect and do what you're told? And don't give me the "I'm here to play football" excuse. Bull shit, you're there to make a name for yourself, otherwise you would have done what every other rookie has done in the past and you would have carried the man's pads. Oh, and the "I didn't know it was a tradition" excuse, that's horse shit too. I don't even play football and I knew about that tradition, so save it for someone who might actually believe it.

The Cincinnati Bengals just became the "most likely to get a reality show" team in the league with their recent acquisition of Terrell Owens. Adding T.O. to the same roster as Chad Ochocinco and Pacman Jones is begging for media attention, and I feel sorry for Carson Palmer, who will spend the next 20 weeks of his life answering questions from the media as to why his diva receivers can't get along because one of them has more catches and touchdowns than the other one, and why one of the team's defensive backs can't seem to stay out of the local strip clubs.

I'm still trying to figure out who thought it was a great idea to put T.O. and Ochocinco on the same field at the same time for the same team. They do realize there's only one football right? How long do you guys think it will take before T.O. throws Palmer under the bus for targeting Ochocinco more?

You know ... that makes a great question of the week.

How long will it take T.O. to return to his old ways and call out the Bengals for not using him enough in the offense?

a.) less than 3 weeks
b.) 3-9 weeks
c.) 10 or more weeks
d.) he won't cause any problems

(For the record, if you pick D, you're either really drunk, or just fucking with everyone to skew the votes. And, in case you're wondering, my vote is B.)

Moving on to baseball, I'm happy to report that as of this writing, A-Roid is still sitting on 599 steroid-induced home runs. Nothing would make me happier than to see him sit on 599 for the rest of the season (even though I know that's not gonna happen, but it would be great), because in my opinion the douchebag doesn't deserve to hit 600 home runs.

Speaking of douchebags, if you've been around here for any length of time you know my hatred for Magglio Ordonez. Well, it appears that karma finally caught up with the mother fucker and caused him to break his ankle while sliding into home plate recently, and after seeing the replay on SportsCenter, I only had one thing to say about the ordeal...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT FUCKER!!!!

Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, I would like to take second to congratulate Rays pitcher Matt Garza for pitching the first no-hitter in Rays history, and I would also like to congratulate Evan Longoria for succesfully pulling off the shaving cream pie to the face ritual after the game, unlike Marlins outfielder Chris Coglan, who tore his knee doing the post-game celebration after a walk-off hit against Atlanta over the weekend. How in the hell do you fuck up something so simple as a pie to the face? He claims that he jumped and landed wrong on his knee ... well why the hell did you jump? Was the guy that much taller than you, where you had to jump to reach his face? I just don't understand how these guys can fuck up something so simple as hitting a guy in the face with a towel full of shaving cream, but maybe it takes more skill than I think it does. Who knows?

Well, that's all I have for this week. If you have anything you would like to add to the conversation, please feel free to drop a comment in the comment section below and keep the conversation going.

Until next Thursday...
 

 The NBA has tested our patience several times this off- season, and honestly, I’m not sure if that fact makes the league more interesting or more controversial. What I do know for sure is that things were amplified by Lebron James’ “me” first mentality. However, despite my personal distaste for his pre-“decision” antics, his Lebron-athon, or his post announcement championship celebration in South Florida, I do agree that it was his decision to make. Such is not the case with Chris Paul. Paul has let his envy expose his immaturity and unwillingness to work hard with the fortune he has been given. Sure the Hornets might not have a Dream Team roster but screaming for legalized defection isn’t going to help matters any. In my eyes Paul has already brandished himself beneath James.

 When the facts are all analyzed it is easily determined that Paul is a bigger prima-donna and egotist than James; and that’s saying something. Paul feels like the Hornets owe him something they simply cannot provide, championship caliber players. In reality the Hornets owe Paul nothing more than fulfilling their contractual obligations. Now if the contract states that the Hornets will guarantee Chris Paul a championship ring during his obligation in New Orleans then by all means Chris has a valid argument. This is not the case, therefore Paul needs to shut up, the media needs to stop chumming the story, and David Stern is right to warn teams about tampering.

 Meanwhile the Hornets are essentially between a rock and hard place. If New Orleans sticks to their guns and don’t trade Paul they will have a bitter locker room, a superstar unwilling to work hard to win, and fans who don’t feel a connection with their star. If the Hornets grant the trade the fallout from caving to the demands of a player who still has two years on contract could cause a cataclysmic ripple across the league, not to mention the New Orleans program. The best scenario for New Orleans would be to start the season, let the waters calm, see what position their team is in come the trade deadline and potentially move Paul at that time. At the very least they can publically claim a lost case to help alleviate some of the league backlash. Toronto was in a similar situation this past season and made the mistake of not getting anything valuable back for an extremely disgruntled Chris Bosh. Now he plays for a division rival and the Raptors are left picking up the pieces of their fractured franchise.

In the end New Orleans has a chance to turn an extremely bitter and disastrous situation into something worthwhile. The only thing I dread is the ripple effect from a bad decision by a newly managed franchise.

Thanks for reading.

Given that footballs are made of pigskin and baseballs are made of cowhide, would you rather be a pig or a cow?

This just in...earlier reports regarding Dez Bryant refusing to carry the shoulder pads of Roy Williams, appear to be overblown by the media. Or to quote Bryant, "I didn't know nothing about no tradition," Bryant said. "The only thing about me ... when I try to do something right, y'all try and turn it negative and I don't feel like that's right. I'm trying my best to do the right thing but it seems like I can't do the right thing because every little thing that I do y'all watching it and try to make a big deal out of it."  Well, that certainly clears up this issue for me. It does however cause me to wonder about the degree plan that Bryant was on at Oklahoma State. I will assume that he was not an English major. Welcome to professional football Dez.

We will have to wait a bit to welcome Terrence Cody to professional football.

Apparently, Terrence is too out of shape to participate in training camp. The Ravens

don't seem to think this is too big of a deal. Cody showed up at the senior bowl

weighing 370, but a month later he was down to 354. Coach Harbaugh thinks that this just happens to some rookies.

. "Guys learn that there is a certain level of expectation in terms of  

  conditioning that goes with being an NFL player, especially

 for this team. He is going to have to get himself in the kind of shape

 that he needs to be in." I have a feeling that this is not the first time that

Cody has had to work his way into playing shape.

.

I know that many of you have been worried where TO would end up this year. Are you surprised that the Bengals have added TO to their roster? So, how does Ocho Cinco feel about this? Evidently, he is very happy at the addition of Owens. In fact, Ocho Cinco announced the signing of TO by tweeting over the OchoCinco News Network. Huh? is this sort of like CNN?

Here are a few samples:

I guess I don't get it. But, I guess when your name is Ocho Cinco this is how you roll.

Now for a few things that I do get...

This was passed on to me at work this week. The article was in the Dallas Morning News:

 To Roger Staubach, still Captain America -- Recently, my brother was sitting in first class on a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Colorado Springs when a couple boarded and sat in front of him. He immediately recognized the man as Roger Staubach. They exchanged greetings, and Staubach said he was headed to Colorado Springs for the inaugural Warrior Games.

After 60 or 70 percent of the plane was boarded, a female Army soldier who had lost her leg boarded. Staubach insisted she sit in his seat; she said, "no, thanks," but he insisted. He took her place in a middle seat way in the back. After a few minutes, the young girl got tears in her eyes and said she wanted to go to her seat and have Staubach return to his.

The flight attendant overheard, and, as the female soldier headed to retrieve Staubach, the attendant said she had a no-show and both could sit in first class.

The flight attendant returned with the female soldier, but Staubach sent a double amputee Army soldier to sit in his seat. Staubach remained in coach the entire flight and disembarked last. My brother waited and asked for an autograph for my birthday; Staubach said certainly. It's a great gift, but the greater gift is knowing Roger Staubach is still Captain America. 

You may not like the Cowboys, but it is hard to find much wrong with Staubach.

In Oklahoma City, a sixteen year old cheeleader assisted police in detaining a shoplifter. Kealey Oliver was on the phone talking to her mom when she noticed a guy running away from the mall security (imagine that). She put her phone down and tackled the thief, taking him to the ground. For her efforts, she received a scratch on her arm and a bruise on her knee. She accomplished all of this while wearing a strapless dress.

Now, I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handy: "As I bit into the nectarine, it had a crisp juiciness about it that was very pleasurable - until I realized it wasn't a nectarine at all, but A HUMAN HEAD!!" 

Yeah. I had to start there. Mainly because I just want to see this guy guy hit number 500 so I can watch baseball on ESPN or Fox again this year without a pull out to see him try to hit it. I hope I'm not watching when it happens. I don't want to see it. I'm willing to bet you don't want to see. Bud Selig might. ESPN does or must since they are the only people talking about it in any sort of good faith. Purists don't want to see it.

Now, I know we need to break out of the steroid era somehow, but I just don't get how people have decided to give this guy a free pass while they will drag others through the mud.

Case 1: Mark McGwire. He's come out. He's admitted it. Big Mac juiced. But, he wasn't alone in it. If a guy like Jose Canseco knew, others must have. Besides, he did it and, in effect, brought the game back from the brink. Maybe it was just the scale of the lie. It was huge. A whole nation watched and rooted for him that summer. We all wanted to see Big Mac win it. When the allegations came, many supported him, though none were surprised when he admitted to it.

Was he ever more than just power? I think so. Bonds was power. A Rod has power to spare. But, neither of them were likeable, marketable guys. Big Mac was. For a few years, he was baseball. I'll always remember it, even if voters decide to cast him out as a cheater.

Case 2: Bonds. I see some parallels between the two. Bonds wasn't a well liked guy, especially to fans. He came off as a dick. I remember the feeling I'd get when they cut away to show his at bats. I rooted for each one to hook foul. How could a guy like that top Big Mac and eventually a guy Like Henry Aaron? As I said above, McGwire is far from innocent, but he has one advantage: he's not a dick. Hank Aaron achieved what few thought was possible while battling prejudice no man should have to face. Bonds did what no man wanted while battling a self-inflicted prejudice.

I feel the same way when I flip by ESPN and see them bring up Rodriguez. He's just done so much to turn the fans away. He came out and owned up, but then he walked away with the same man he said injected him. He took the most ill-advised, vain photo shoot possible just before his big declaration. He didn't outright shun people like Bonds. Bonds shunned people because he was not a man who wanted to be public. Rodriguez has done all he can to be public, but has only succeeded in drawing the public away.
 

Case 3: Roger Clemens. People make the same excuses for Rodriguez that they do for Clemens when the HOF is brought up: he was a great player before the steroids. So? Shoeless Joe was a great player before the betting scandal. Pete Rose was a great player before he was busted for betting on the team he managed. Neither of them is in the hall. Neither of them will probably ever be in.

I'm fine with that.

I don't like the idea of saying steroids aren't as big a deal as betting. If anything, they're worse. You know why, I don't have to tell anyone here. Stick by your guns though. If cheating is unacceptable, than it is in all cases. You either lock all players who have provided reasonable enough evidence of usage or have admitted to using out, or you forefit any reason for barring anyone.

I'll swallow any positive coverage of Rodriguez hitting 600. If he beats Bonds, I can live with that too. I will draw a firm line, however, at admitting him to Cooperstown.

Well, not me as in the guy writing this. The guy New Orleans hired to make this poster did...for a fee. Anyone who bought it did...at that time.....for $10.

Should fans believe in him? No. It's hard to believe any athlete anymore, but especially in the new less competition, less true teams NBA. Paul has publicly come out and denied rumors that he wanted dealt. He has said he believes in the team and the direction they are headed.

Still believe? Lebron made similar comments after the Cavs acquired Shaq last off season. He was happy with the late season move to grab Antwone Jamison from the Wizards. Didn't keep him around. even now, reports continue to come in that Paul still wants a trade.

All I can think of is the mess a few years down the road when Paul does leave. It will probably make the Cleveland fans look well mannered by comparison. New Orleans and its fans will stand behind any of its teams, as long as they stand behind the city.

Well, that's it for tonight. Lot of things I didn't get to mention. Sad news as Jack Tatum passed away today at 61. Looks like Yao might not be playing much longer if his foot doesn't hold up. Apparently Europe has another lame race up it's puffy, ruffled sleeves: a power walk race. I think a 19 year old Italian won.

Thank you for reading and any comments you may leave. Have a good rest of the week, we're halfway through.