S’mores….hmmmm good

I’m 28yrs old and I had never had a S’more until last night. I mean I’ve heard of S’mores from my days of watching the movie The Sandlot (which is where I got my recipe from) everyday, but I had never actually had one. I love doing stuff with my family so last night we decided to give this S’mores thing a try. I went to the store grabbed some Marshmallows, Graham crackers and of course Godiva Chocolate (only the best for my first experience). Trying to get the perfect fire going is not as easy as it looks, but you know your boy is something like Man vs Wild, so I had no problem adapting to the harsh conditions of the 75 degree LA night. Once the fire was nice and blazing, I gave the boys their sticks, put some ‘mellows on them and began to toast. Getting the ‘mellow the perfect brown w/o burning it was a task I couldn’t quite master until I brutalized 12 marshmallows. The sad thing is, the son and nephew are 3 and their s’mores were way better than mine. It was a great time. They love S’mores almost as much as I do now!! I highly recommend S’more night for everyone. Its an inexpensive way to have some good family time and satisfy your sweet tooth.

Rush Limbaugh NFL owner: Hell No!



I know we as NFL players are supposed to be quiet about certain issues but I MUST speak for my peers/brothers who go to work and lay it on the line every week. Everyone knows that the NFL owners, commissioner, and players are all charged to “Protect the Shield”. The commissioner and owners have made it glaringly clear with the frequent suspensions of players that the NFL will clean up its image. It is important for everyone associated with the NFL to maintain a high level of integrity including owners. I love the game of football and the NFL for all that it has given me and opportunities it has afforded me. This is exactly why I MUST say what my peers want to say but most feel like they cannot.

Rush Limbaugh, voted the most influential person in talk radio with over 13 million listeners per week wants to become an NFL owner, specifically of the the St. Louis Rams. Limbaugh is partnering with Dave Checketts, owner of the St. Louis Blues (NHL) in a bid to buy the team. Approving Limbaugh, even though he would not be the sole owner of the team, would be a Gigantic step back for the league as a whole and compromise the “Shield”. He is a racist, bigot, and an idiot for so many of his comments that are spoken from the heart. Here is a brief list:

“Feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream.”

“I mean, let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in the country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back; I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.”

“They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”

“Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it”

With these type of comments can you image how he would run a franchise? How would he treat his players and employees both white and non-white? The growing diversity in the front office will be stifled with ownership like this. The NFL is America’s favorite game based on television ratings and revenue. America is made up of almost every race and creed represented on the planet, does the NFL want one of the leaders of the league to be spreading hate, closed-minded thinking, and messages against everything the NFL stands for.

In a league where 67% of its players are African American, 25% of its League office are non-whites, 19% of its senior administrator positions are women, and 5 out the last six Superbowl teams have either had an African American coach or General Manager (Tony Dungy (Colts),Lovie Smith (Bears), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), and GMs Jerry Reese (Giants), Rod Graves (Cardinals). The NFL and NFLPA cannot stand for Limbaugh to hold a position of power in the greatest professional sport. Limbaugh doesn’t believe a good portion of the leagues employees are qualified, capable, or matter enough to respect their interests. Imagine how players would feel to play for an owner that feels you are inadequate mentally, and less of a person than he is simply because of the color of your skin or your gender. The very people who would be buying tickets, jerseys, hats and concessions are the very same people Limbaugh would be looking down his nose at from the owners suite in disgust.

In the last few years the owners, GMs, coaches, scouts and NFLPA have made drafting players of good character paramount. There also has been a big push to emphasize and reiterate to the veterans how much of a privilege playing in the NFL is and not to take it for granted. With this same logic the “powers that be” in the league must maintain the same standards for approval of potential owners of franchises.

The Y.E.T. program, United Way, hurricane/tornado relief projects are just a few of the many community programs the NFL is directly involved with that emphasize things like fair play, community service, education, remaining drug free, and equality. To his credit Limbaugh does raise money for a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma so he is not just heartless. At the end of the day does he represent any of these qualities important to the NFL?


I am proud to be an NFL player and member of an exclusive fraternity of professional athletes. I want the league to continue to prosper and grow in the right direction. As quickly as the NFL has blossomed in the last 20 years, it can crumble just as fast. The NFL is very important to me that’s why I will not sit quietly and not let my voice be heard about something I love so much.


First Wrighster Family Tailgate



I had a great time on Saturday watching My Ducks beat on the Bruins, but more importantly my Son & Nephew had the best time ever. It was so great watching them run around, playing football while we were tailgating, and watching them scream to the top of their lungs when the Ducks would do something good.

I hate to mention it but I must, the big cuddly un-intimidating Bruin mascot came over by our section and the boys just HAD to touch him and say hi. They are 3 it’s ok I think. They wanted to play with the Bruin longer but I cut that visit short QUICKLY. The joy on their faces warmed my soul. They cheered so loud, by the 3rd quarter they were both passed out. I didn’t mind them taking a nap, because by that point the game was long out of reach.

For my first game ever in the stands as a fan, I had a great time. We had great seats. We were literally three rows from the field right in the endzone. When Talmadge Jackson III intercepted a pass from Bruin quarterback Kevin Prince and ran it in for a touchdown right in front of us, the rest of the Ducks came over and we all celebrated together. We were so close the boys could reach out and touch the players. The boys were so juiced, they felt like they were on the field.
There were so many “Best Parts” of the day that I cannot single out just one. It was great seeing some of my old teammates Jared Dillon, Garret Sable, Rashad Bouman, Matt Toenia, Saladin McCullough and coaches, especially my former coach Mike Belloti (who is now the Athletic Director at Oregon). Ok, I’ll stop! The Ducks travel well. . I’m gonna say this now, Ed Dickson could be the best TE to ever come out of Oregon if he keeps working hard. He has all the tools.
FYI a national championship is in our future!!

Two things I learned from this tailgate. One, never leave Marcellus Wiley in charge of bringing the grill, because he will be late (those tv types) and two, my son and nephew will be future Ducks. They cheered Go Ducks all night long!! My job as a father and Duck alum is done!!
Tickets to the game $400, tailgating supplies $200, watching the Ducks blowout the Bruins with family, and friends… PRICELESS!!!!!
The Maurice Jones-Drew Video will be posted soon!!

Oregon vs UCLA… Jones-Drew vs G3

What’s a Pac-10 game without a little fun? I had the pleasure of playing with UCLA Alum Maurice Jones-Drew for 3 seasons while I was in Jacksonville, and like me he is a proud alum. During football season you could frequently hear MJD yelling “the boys in blue, the boys in blue” after any win by UCLA. So I decided to make a little friendly wager. If the Ducks beat UCLA tomorrow Mo-jo and little Mo-jo 2.0, have to wear an Oregon Uniform and t-shirt and sing our fight song while being videotaped and if UCLA wins, me, little D, & my nephew AK, will do the same in UCLA garb!! Me, I’m not even worried.. I have the utmost confidence in my Ducks!!!
I haven’t been able to see an Oregon game live since I was a player there back in 2002, and I have never seen an Oregon game from the stands. This weekend that will all change. My entire family and I are tailgating and will be in attendance this Saturday as the Mighty Ducks of Oregon take on UCLA at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. What makes this game so special is I get to take my son and nephew to their first “Duck” game!!! They both love football games and I am planting the Oregon seed early, so when they are older they will already have the Green/Yellow (and Black, Gray, White, Graphite) love. LOL, I love our uniforms! Oh, yea, they will be part of Coach Kelly’s 2023 recruiting class. I know that’s a long time away but it’s never too early to prepare.

Now back to the game, UCLA has a tough team this year, and they are led by Head Coach Neuheisel, whom I have much respect for. While at the University of Colorado he was the first person to offer me a scholarship to play college football. I still have the letter to this day. I went against him a few times as a player when he was the Huskies Head Coach, but I believe we have the edge. Even though we are without “The Man” Thurmond III and Willie “Da DB” Glasper, and Blount Trauma, we should be fine. Our aggressive attack on both sides of the ball make us very hard to beat.
I cannot wait to hear the sweet lyrics of the Oregon Fight Song sung by MJD and MJD 2.0. I can hear it now as I daydream!!!!

The Steve McNair Talk


I only met Steve McNair a couple times, but his death affected me like we were old college roommates. Not only because of football, but because I, like so many other men empathized with him. I was not married like Steve, but it easily could have been me dead instead of him due to mistakes in my past. For a week straight everyone I knew was having or had already had the “McNair” talk with their friends, wife, girlfriend and family. Regardless of which side of the fence you were on, you had the talk. Eyebrows were raised and plenty of men got looks out of the corners of their lady’s eyes. McNair’s death made a lot of people take a step back and evaluate their lives, lifestyle, people they choose to hang around with and the places they decided to go. We don’t always think about the magnitude of the choices we make and how severe the consequences can be. I believe in my heart of hearts if Steve could do it all over again he would be at home with his wife and children every night. No man wants to leave fatherless children and a wife to mourn your tragic death that your actions caused.

I stayed up late last night to watch my tivo’d episode of Dateline on Steve McNair: The Mysterious Death of a Titan. Eddie George, a former longtime teammate of McNair, gave an interview about the situation. If you didn’t know anything about Eddie George before last night, outside of his football accolades, you had to have come away with a healthy respect for him. He was well-spoken, articulate, and most of all made a lot of sense!!! Whenever people find out that someone in the limelight (athletes, musicians, actors) has vices it always overshadows so much of their life and full body of work. They are looked at as a bad and even immoral person. McNair’s Pastor said it best ‘the money, fame, and attention gave him more access to his vices’. It was not just because he was a football player that he loved women but it was because he was a man. It is a lot harder to stay away from things when you have unlimited access to them. Many people have no clue what their vices are because they don’t have the resources to make their fantasies reality. Money does not change you. It simply magnifies the traits that are inside you and tendencies you already have.

The same way that his money and celebrity afforded him the opportunity to fulfill his fleshly desires, it also gave him the opportunity to use his money, fame, and connections to be a positive influence in and on his community. Steve McNair has spent countless hours in the community giving back with not only his money, but with his time. He loved giving back to kids and seeing his community grow. He rallied the community of Nashville to step up and help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina and did so many other good things, because that is what was in him. That is what was in his heart. This just goes to show us that even our heroes and people who are great leaders are not perfect. Everyone I know that played with Steve said he was a great leader. He was courageous, a warrior, and a Titan (in every sense of the word). We all have things that we struggle with but we have to exercise will power and lean on God if we are to free ourselves from our natural desires.
The choices we make shape our path in life, either positively or negatively. The things we choose to do, people we associate with, and places we choose to go have a direct impact on our life and the things that happen to us. If you are not out at 3 and 4 in the morning your chance of certain things happening to you is dramatically lower. If you always wear a condom you probably won’t get someone pregnant. If you hangout with criminals, regardless if you are not one yourself, chances are you will get caught up in some mess you have no business in. If you are at home with your wife and kids instead of out cheating with another women, you won’t get killed with her.
To wrap this thing up. Many people have many different problems and things they struggle with but don’t confuse a mans struggle with his heart. McNair should be remembered as a great football player, a leader, and a humanitarian who just like anyone else struggled to be a better person. He wasn’t immune to the temptations of this world because of his heroic feats on the gridiron. Athletes may be extraordinary physical phenoms, but we struggle with the same demons and worldly trappings as everyone else. I’m praying for the McNair family, that through this tragedy they will become a stronger family and an integral part of the Nashville community.

Costco: A Man’s Grocery Store

I am not a fan of going to the grocery store, I actually hate it. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but my mom always went to the store and I liked it that way. I just want to provide the money and let my wife go to the store and buy the bacon, oh, and cook it, but in a really really nice kitchen, with some extremely nice shoes on!!! I mean, I don’t know what to get. Am I suppose to know the difference between baking soda and baking powder?? I’m not G. Garvin. I’m that guy that stares at the food and hopes the right food just jumps into my basket. When I’m home in Cali I don’t have much say so at my mom’s house. I spend a lot of time with my folks and if my mom needs me to go to the store, I can’t say no. But, there is only one grocery store I choose. The only Man’s grocery store in the USA…..COSTCO!!!!

You can find everything you need here, from snow tires to the best cuts of Prime Rib. I love it!! Every time I go I usually need 3-5 things, but It never fails, I end up with a basketful of stuff (usually products from all the tasting stations), that I don’t need, but really, really want. Those sample stations are like my bad habit, I can’t say no. I bought a 10lb can of Nacho Cheese one time, just because the tasting lady made it seem so good. I believe that can is still unopened.
There are so many wonderful things about the world of Costco, for example, I can catch up on football and sportscenter while I’m shopping. Hey, news is happening every minute. I have to be abreast of what is going on in the world.

And when I get too tired from all of my shopping, sampling and TV watching, I can always take a little nap…. ZzzzZzzzz!!!

We are a water & Gatorade family, so I always have to stock up on those items when I go. You can always find my fridge full of Water and G2. I have 2 stay hydrated and Costco is the only place that understands my need for hydration. They don’t limit me to 6 bottles like the grocery store.
I mean, what is there not to love about this store. And when all the shopping is done and I’m about to leave, there is always a stop at the Costco restaurant. Mmmm, Kosher hot dogs, pizza, churros, and berry shakes!!! U can feed a whole entire family for $7.50!!!!
Well thanks for coming with me on my trip 2 the world’s greatest and only Man’s grocery store, now I have 2 unload all this stuff…. Hmm maybe I can get a Costco guy to come to my house and help me???

Taking Back Wins? Child Please!!!


I want to start off by saying I’m Cali raised (it’s CA all day), but I was born in Memphis, TN. I had no choice but to be a Memphis State (now known as University of Memphis) fan. My entire family is from Memphis. My grandmother, aunt, and uncle all went to Memphis State. I watched Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway play HS basketball. My All-Time favorite basketball players are: 1) Michael Jordan 2) Penny Hardaway 3) Kobe Bryant. I had the chance to meet Penny at the NBA All-star game in Houston and he gave me a pair of my favorite Penny Hardaway shoes. I grew up wanting to play basketball for the Tigers. To say I’m a fan is like saying Tiger is good at golf. I even drove down to AZ this year with my family to watch Memphis take on Missouri in the Sweet 16.
If this ain’t throwing salt in the wound I don’t know what is. 07-08 was supposed to be our year! The sting of losing the National Championship because of free throws is still there! Now we go from 38-2 to 0-40 in an instant, or at least however long it took for University of Memphis to receive a fax saying they were being stripped of all wins from the 07-08 season. I’m really confused about the concept of taking back wins and retroactively declaring Derrick Rose ineligible. The NCAA has a lot of rules and a book thicker than War and Peace, full of tedious regulations and procedures, but those are the rules that govern collegiate sports and rules must be followed. When teams break rules there are consequences.
I understand that the record books will be changed, but you can’t “undo” the fact that we won 38 games and played in the Nat’l championship. Since we now won 0 games who played in the NCAA tournament in our place, and who played in the championship game? Derrick Rose was declared ineligible, so did he not play college basketball? It makes no sense. Taking wins back is kinda like a lawyer saying something in a courtroom and the judge saying “the jury will strike that from the record”. Too late, they heard it already! Good thing we didn’t win the Nat’l championship game because this would be even more convoluted. The NCAA gets a big “Child Please” from me!
There was obviously some wrong-doing by the University, SAT, and countless others but taking back wins. Impossible! For Tiger fans the immediate future looks bleak. Kentucky stole our players and our coach, NCAA took away all our 07-08 wins, we have to pay the NCAA tournament money back, Derrick Rose never went to Memphis (so essentially he was drafted straight out of high school), CDR has no comment, and first 48 keeps making Memphis look really really bad. We have nothing left, you can take all these things but YOU LEAVE ME MY WINS!!!

Plaxico Burress aka Cheddar Bob gets 2 years

I get that if you commit a crime, however stupid, you have to be punished, but this punishment just doesn’t match the crime. There are pedophiles, drug dealers, and drunk drivers that get less time than Cheddar Bob (if u haven’t seen 8 mile, please do so). Plax didn’t have any intentions of committing a crime and probably didn’t even realize he was committing a felony just by carrying, whether the gun was ever fired or not. I know ignorance is no excuse, but don’
t you think the humiliation he suffered was enough! I mean, he shot himself in the leg and is now going to jail because of it. There has to be another punishment we can give stupidity w/o intent. The justice system is too busy trying to make an example out of people and it’s ridiculous. We have more black men in prison then we have in college, and now Plax becomes just another statistic.
Logic does say, if he was dumb enough to shoot himself he was dumb enough to shoot someone else or get himself killed, and I agree, but thankfully he didn’t shoot anyone else. Plaxico is now going to have 2 years, 730 days, 17,520 hours, to sit and think about the fact he is in a cell because he wasn’t smart enough to not only know the laws of weapons carrying in NY, but also for not being capable of working a saf
ety. I guess that plea deal he was offered in the beginning is not looking so bad.

My final thoughts are this, yes as athletes, sometimes we wanna go out and have a good time. Alot of us like to be the life of the party, pop bottles in VIP and party the night away, but going to a place where I feel I have to carry a gun to be safe, is not fun for me, and probably a place I don’t need to be. If it’s my life vs some hot chicks and bottle poppin’, I’m gonna take my life everytime!! I’m with my man Esteban Ocho Cinco, from now on, the only partying I’m doing is at Club G3, aka, my house!!!

Pull down the runner’s shorts: Gender Test



Just read a crazy article on espn.com http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=4409318. Apparently, there is an 800 meter runner in South Africa, by the name of Caster Semenya, who is having a gender dispute. A test is being done that consist of reports from endocrinologist, psychologist, and all types of doctors and specialists, because of Caster’s recent times in the 800. The World Track and Field federation has doubts that Caster does not fit the requirements to compete as a woman. Call me old-fashion, but shouldn’t a gender test be as simple as pulling down Caster’s pants??? Maybe I’m confused, it should be either a pole or a hole right? Not so fast; this is 2009 when men live as women and women live as men. No matter what you cut off or attach, you are born either a man or a woman and cannot change it. Men are bigger, faster, and stronger than women so competition is not fair. As if Track and Field doesn’t have enough problems with ‘Roids, now gender switching is a concern?? Please I need you guys to help me out. I’m not well-versed on this issue and I’m clearly confused.

Leave Vick Alone!!!

I really wish that everyone that has something bad or negative to say about Mike Vick would just shut up. This man served every last bit of his sentence, he had everything taken from him and ya’ll are still out for blood. You have got to be kidding me. Everyone deserves a second chance, EVERYONE!! He hasn’t done anything wrong since he has been out of jail and it’s like you guys still want to burn him at the stake and stone him.
I don’t just hope Mike Vick keeps making rosters. I hope he has a Hall of Fame of career. I am now a Mike Vick fan and one of his biggest supporters, not because of his prowess on the field, but what he has overcome off the field. No one is perfect, we have all made mistakes and hurt people and needed forgiveness. Maybe you didn’t run a dog fighting operation and were responsible for the slaughter of animals, but maybe you cheated on your taxes, or cheated on your wife with your hot assistant, or maybe you were a kid with no real parental guidance and got into trouble and all you needed was a mentor and a second chance.
Everyone, especially journalist are quick to pile on and act like judge and jury when things happen to people in the limelight. No one judges them for their sins or wrong-doings because no one cares about what they do. The same people crucifying Vick are the same people cheating on their wives, cheating on their taxes, getting in an accident with a parked car and not leaving a note, popping “prescription” pills just to get through the day, and stepping on anybody they need to, while climbing the corporate ladder. But they get on their soapbox, behind their veil of “I’m a normal person so no one knows my dirt”, and just kick a man who is down and has already fallen about as far a you can and is doing his best to rise above it all.