If Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow were black, it’s unlikely that he would ever get a chance to play quarterback in the NFL. With an awkward and inaccurate throwing motion but a strong running ability and excellent leadership skills, Tebow would most likely be converted to another position such as running back or tight end. History shows that unconventional quarterbacks who happened to be black were either moved to different positions, given a very short time to prove themselves as quarterbacks or weren’t even given chances to become backups.

I included an excerpt of my article about the movie in my wrap up of autism articles from 2011 on Examiner.com. Excerpts and the link to the article are below.

‘Wretches and Jabberers’ documentary opens April 1 for Autism Awareness Month

Wretches and Jabberers: And Stories from the Road is a powerful, moving documentary that follows two men with autism as they travel the world, visiting friends with autism and changing attitudes about disabilities along the way.

Many people with autism have extremely limited verbal skills or no speech whatsoever.  It has long been assumed by the general public, and even by many parents, educators, and caretakers that scant speech equals low intelligence.

In Wretches and Jabberers, the movie’s protagonists dispel this myth.  The two men and the four friends they visit show the world that they are in fact exceedingly intelligent, eloquent in their writings, and charmingly funny.  Like Helen Keller before them, the “wretches” in the movie are pioneers, blazing trails for others to follow.  The message of the movie is to show the world that there are others like them who are vastly underestimated and whose potential is untapped.  It is a message of hope.

The central figures in the film are all either non-verbal or possess limited speech, and they also struggle with many of the sensory and motor issues common to others with autism.  What is unique about the stars of this movie, however, is that all of them communicate by typing.  They type on keyboards that speak the words and show the text they type.  The microphone picks up the tapping of the typing, which can be a time consuming process.  But it’s well worth the wait to find out what they say.

In his Wretches and Jabberers blog, Tracy Thresher, one of the stars of the film, exhorts people with autism to keep their heads held high even when they struggle:

“I would like to let everyone know that things do not always meet your expectations. The important thing is to keep plugging along. The world is a tough place and change comes slowly when we are dealing with discrimination that is so entrenched. There are those times when you may struggle and feel down. I know that feeling very well. I have had to push very hard to make change in my life. There have been many heartaches along the way. I have often thought things would remain terrible. The best advice I can give is to keep your chin up and tell everyone your story.”

Links to the articles are below.

Toxic chemicals found in baby products; some may be linked to autism

Studies: environmental factors during pregnancy may increase risk of autism

Scientists say rise in autism may be linked to toxic chemicals in environment

To see the article on Examiner.com, click here.

Links to the articles as well as excerpts are below.

Preventing autism wandering deaths: Mason Alert, tracking, medical code proposed

Interview with advocate Sheila Medlam on her son Mason and autism wandering

New CDC medical code expected to help prevent autism wandering, raise awareness

To read the whole article on Examiner.com, click here.

But Pollin’s widow, Irene Pollin, recently told the Washington Post that she wouldn’t oppose a name change back to Bullets if that’s what the fans want. That opens the door a crack for a possible name change, although it wouldn’t be prudent to go overboard on this for fear of jinxing the possibility.

So this morning I revised and republished parts of an interview I did in 2010 with former Bullet Kevin Grevey, a starter on the 1978 NBA championship team. You can read the article here on Bleacher Report.

Tough Crowd was a great show. There were so many excellent shows that are no longer on, many of them on Comedy Central. They seem to last a few years and then they’re gone — they’re almost too good – not dumbed down enough for the American public. With that said, here are some of the best comedy shows that are no longer on the air.

1. Buzzkill: Classic hidden camera show on MTV that preceded Jackass. Travis Draft and crew pulled pranks on unsuspecting public. Classic bits included pretending to transport a kidney in a cooler and dropping it (if I remember right) while stopping at 7-11 for a snack.
2. Trigger Happy TV – out of England, this show starred Dom Joly doing bizarre stunts and interviews, getting incredible reactions from bystanders. Watch the clips on Youtube.
3. The Man Show – Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel will never do anything remotely as funny. With the Juggies and bits such as trying to end women’s suffrage and, the self-deprecating duo was pure gold.
4. Tough Crowd – Colin Quinn’s roundtable show was just a bunch of comedians talking about current events, but it worked. They had a great rapport, and constantly ripped on each other. Regulars included Jim Norton, Patrice O’Neal, Greg Giraldo, Rich Vos, Nick DiPaolo, and Keith Robinson.
5. Late Show with Craig Kilborn – better than any of the current talk shows, Kilborn had a unique sense of humor. He quit years ago and other than a cameo in “Old School,” hasn’t been seen since.
6. Crank Yankers – Brilliant crank call show featuring puppets, with voices from Sarah Silverman, Jim Florentine, Adam Carrolla and many others, it’s hard to believe they got away with some of the stuff they did.
7. Too Late with Adam Carolla – a late night show, this show lasted just one season but was excellent.
8. Dog Bites Man – an obscure, short lived show about a fake news team, they once lectured a college journalism class, giving outlandish advice. The class thought the show was real. Who knew Zach Galifianakis would be the one to make it big.
9. Tom Green Show – Canadian rose to stardom with brazen skits and interviews. Green has since made several movies that have all bombed.
10. Crossballs – This show was a fake news/debate show. The great part about it was that the guests thought it was real.
11. Jaime Kennedy Experiment – Another hidden camera prank show. Kennedy once posed as a lifeguard and waved everyone out of a pool, then proceeded to act like he was urinating, making some swimmers laugh and leaving others horrified.
12. Reno 911 – Fake reality bumbling cops show was a takeoff on the show “Cops.”
13. Jackass – combination of stunts and pranks led to three movies and multiple spinoffs.
14. Sarah Silverman Show – the show was a little too strange, but it featured the multi-talented Sarah Silverman.

Kudos to Mike Wise of the Washington Post and others who say that coach Joe Paterno should have some responsibility for not bringing the crime that was reported to him to the attention of the police in 2002.

You have to wonder if ESPN is afraid of a lawsuit. ESPN was sued by former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach for libel and slander after the network reported that Leach mistreated a player. Still, ESPN could just report on the facts of the Sandusky case and make sure to say “allegedly” in the appropriate spots. Otherwise, ESPN is helping to cover up the crimes. This story better be all over “Outside the Lines” next week and on into the future, but to fail to mention it at all a day after it breaks is a travesty, no matter how much they are afraid of a lawsuit. You can’t obsess over tattoos and other minor scandals and then ignore allegations of a prominent football coach sexually assaulting multiple children.

Anyway, this is just a sample list of some activities to do to improve social skills – reading, exercises, games, music, imaginary play, etc.

To read the article on Examiner.com, click here.

The Caps have been the most underachieving playoff team of all time in any major North American sport, yet the games are all sold out for the third year in a row. Photo by Mike Frandsen.

Washington, D.C. may not be the best sports town in the country, but it deserves a lot more credit than it usually gets.  In fact, D.C. is an excellent sports town that supports more teams in more sports than just about any city in the U.S.

The Washington Post, a marketing machine that bores its tentacles further and further into the belly of local radio, TV, and the internet all the time, recently had the gall to call D.C. a “mediocre” sports town.

Don’t pay attention to such drivel, though, because the writers behind the series for the most part, namely Dan Steinberg and Mike Wise, have only been in town for a few years, and they overlook many of the aspects of D.C. sports fandom that make D.C. sports fans unique. Virtually none of the columnists who criticize D.C. as a sports town, many of whom live off the reputation of the once great Post, hail from the area.

D.C. sports fans shouldn’t be judged on their teams’ lack of recent championships or blamed because people want to live here. Examine the loyalty of fans through good times and bad, and you’ll find that D.C. stacks up well with almost any major city.  Washington hasn’t won a major pro sports championship in 20 years other than the four Major League Soccer trophies DC United took home between 1996 and 2004.  Yet D.C. fans are remarkably passionate in supporting their teams.

How many cities have the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, plus major college basketball and football? Not many.  We have the Redskins, Wizards, Caps, Nats, D.C. United, Maryland and Georgetown basketball, Terps football, and a whole lot more. Given what we’ve had to cheer for, D.C. has turned out to be a great sports city.

To read the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.