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By Ryan, for CreativelyDisposingofPlates.com.
Republican Herman Cain is apologizing to Muslim leaders for vitriolic remarks he made about Islam while campaigning for the presidential nomination.Okay, two(ish) more things:
The former Godfather's Pizza CEO has said communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques because Muslims are trying to inject sharia law into the U.S. He's also said he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration.
On Wednesday, Cain met with four Muslim leaders in Sterling, Va. He said in a statement later he was "truly sorry" for comments that may have "betrayed" his commitment to the Constitution and the religious freedom it guarantees.
He also acknowledged that Muslims, "like all Americans," have the right to practice freely their faith and that most Muslim Americans are peaceful and patriotic.
Irving has played just 11 games since last October in part due to a right foot injury — which doctors tell him won’t completely heal for another three months.Silver lining of the lockout right there. It sounds like Kyrie’s done a good job of letting his foot heal completely by taking a few months off post-draft (at the Cavs request), and I kind of don’t mind that he’s not yet dealing with the pressure to overdue it early on an injury that may be better off with more rest.
And, while he feels “150 percent” and is training with no restrictions, the NBA’s top overall pick in June is a player without a game. The league lockout has him parked at Duke, taking four courses this semester and working out twice a day.
The following contains both a tribute to and a musing on Cavs PF Luke Harangody.
Here is the tribute: An illegally procured copy of XXL’s new LH cover.
-“Incomprehensibly white.”
-“I bought this in a grocery store parking lot.”
-“Better than Ron Artest’s album.”
I couldn’t fit them all in and so I went with the magazine.
Okay, now for the musing.
I read and loved Kevin’s excellent series on Cavalier “Diamonds in the Rough,” and if I valued having an honest relationship with myself, I’d probably go ahead and admit that I think he’s right in his assertion of Luke Harangody (In case you don’t remember, it’s: At best, a “starter for a second place team in the German League.” Which is harsh, but fair. The German League places a premium on undersized, un-athletic 4’s.).
But since I traditionally lie to myself to suit the needs of any individual moment, here’s one potentially more optimistic stance/comparison that I think is somewhat grounded in reality.
Luke Harangody is Brian Cardinal; he’s just too young for us to see it yet.
My theory?
Cardinal, the funnily shaped, self-deprecatory, 34-year-old 10th man had so little “legacy” invested in a Finals win that it ultimately enabled him to perform with surprising effectiveness if only because he was one of the only guys on the court unaffected by the magnitude of the moment. He didn’t win the Finals (he played 30 total minutes), but he helped.
Is it possible that all Harangody is missing by way of comparison is the self-awareness that comes with being a bit-player for 11 NBA seasons?
In my mind, the number one most incriminating Harangody statistic is his current 38.4% shooting percentage. Not good for an interior player.
Brian Cardinal’s career shooting percentage? 41.3% (and he’s 6-8 too).
The key note to take away is that while 40% shooting from a power forward is bad, it doesn’t hurt as much when he’s only taking three shots a game.
With his unique combination of toughness and self-awareness, Brian Cardinal has quite probably now affirmed his status as the best 10th man in basketball.
I believe it’s possible that we’ve found someone similar, we just need to let him age. (And also, maybe send him to the Groundlings. Brian Cardinal is funny.)
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Thanks for reading everyone!
(Picture by CFAAP.com and colors by AJS.)
(Also see, related picture: “Black Luke Harangody.”)
(One last note: I realize I’m posting this at 12:00 AM on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, and though I am probably in no position to substantively comment on it, nor is this the place to substantively comment on it…consider this my best wishes to any and everyone who may have been affected, however they were affected. May the world keep getting better.)
By Ryan + Aron.
Screw it though, we’re going political. (Coincidentally, that's a quote from God to Michele Bachmann.)
Below are our first five stickers, commemorating and/or otherwise recognizing the campaigns of—in order—Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman (my personal favorite Mormon).
Cut them out and stick them to your car and stuff.
Godspeed, men/Bach-men,
Ryan M.** Braun (associate editor of online content at CenterforAmericanProgressIllustrated.com)
(Possibly unnecessary endnote: For those right-leaning and dissatisfied with this post, I’ll try to be fair in my upcoming political characterizations/willing to poke fun at all parties deserving of poking. Or at least go 70/30. Also, know this: While I think Obama deserves another go-round, I honestly wouldn’t be upset if Jon Huntsman (albeit only Huntsman) won. And while there’s a better chance that George W. is asked back for a third term, I hope this portrays me as a relatively tolerant and open-minded liberal. Either that or a Mormon.)
(Definitely unnecessary endnote: I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think their Mormonism would allow both Huntsman and Romney to occupy the White House in the event of a tie. Okay, now I'm leaving.)
Goodnight.
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*This blog gets about 30,000 readers a day, but they’re all tiny.
**The “M” is not for Mormon.
By Ryan, Nico, + Aron, for CenterforAmericanProgressIllustrated.com. (For the time being, CFAPI has merged with its sister site, CenterforAmericanAthleticProgress.com.)