Odds and Sods

Arsenal 2- Birmingham 2 Eduardo’s injury - a horrific broken leg - stole the headlines.   But, it did not decisively affect the outcome.  Luck controlled much of it.  Birmingham capitalized upon one free kick - a questionable call - and one penalty - a blatantly wrong call.  Fabregas had two goal-worthy efforts, one stopped by Taylor and the other by the post.

Adebayor’s performance was as shocking as  his short hair.  He fluffed an open breakaway.  He also failed to square a ball to testy teammate Nicklas Bendtner.  Both would likely have clinched victory for Arsenal.

Walcott’s effort encourages, however.  His talent is elite without question, but his confidence and decision-making ability has been sub-par.  However, he put in a fine effort for a brace, his first two goals in the Premier League.  He adeptly slotted in the first goal, and his second, a few minutes later, was magnificent.

The draw drops Arsenal to three points above Manchester United.  The Gunners will hope their bad weak was a blip, not a sign of weakness.

Newcastle 1 - Manchester United 5  In case anyone was unaware, Rooney and Ronaldo are pretty good.  It was an exhaustingly easy effort from the Red Devils.  Newcastle played in a cloud, with neither coherence nor discipline in tactics.  The back four could not fall apart, because it never came together initially.  Even the one Titus Bramble’s part-time competence would have been preferred.

Newcastle’s question is not how long before Keegan gets canned, but how long before he suffers a nervous breakdown and quits.  They reside only six points clear of relegation, with eleven matches remaining.

Liverpool 3 - Middlesbrough 2 Individual brilliance once again saved Liverpool, as Torres took control with a marvelous hat-trick.  Carragher’s cards cost the team at the back, but exonerates none for the poor performance.  Southgate’s side showed themselves excellently.  With some luck and a consistent striker, that club could be challenging for a European place.

8-Mile is more than just an Eminem movie. Its eight lanes of crumbling concrete cut sharply across Metropolitan Detroit.

To the north lies Oakland County, the third richest in the United States. 83% of the population is white. In the wealthiest suburbs, that number climbs above 95%.

Growing up in the wealthiest city of Bloomfield Hills, there was one African-American who lived on my street, Detroit Pistons’ star Isiah Thomas.

To the south of 8-Mile, lies the City of Detroit, with an 83% African-American population. It is one of the poorest cities in the United States, with 26% of the population existing in poverty.

With a demographic map like a black and white cookie, Detroit is the most segregated metropolitan area of the United States. Segregation is not something learned in schoolbooks. In Detroit, it stares you hauntingly in the face.

The lone connection between these disparate communities is the sports.

Commercials in Metro-Detroit ask “Who’s Your Tiger?” The resounding response on both sides of the divide is Curtis Granderson.

Fans love a five-tool outfielder who hits, runs and covers the 30% of the Earth that isn’t covered by water. But the root of his appeal resides elsewhere.

Granderson represents the antithesis of the stereotypical black athlete.

He got two business degrees at University of Illinois-Chicago, placing his education before a promising baseball career. His parents were hard-working educators who brought him up the right way. He’s personable, easily approachable, and has a smile made for TV. Despite making millions of dollars a year, he buys his clothes at Wal-Mart. If he had a daughter, Tigers’ first base coach Andy Van Slyke would have her marry Granderson. In short, he is not Rasheed Wallace.

Would a white player receive such magnanimous praise for being intelligent, getting a college degree, spending money wisely and not being surly? If he was tatted up, had cornrows and made everything into “a racial issue” would he be your Tiger?

“Granderson’s capable of becoming that transcendent Detroit athlete,” said Free Press Columnist Drew Sharp. But, what exactly is he transcending?

Curtis Granderson does not cross Detroit’s rigid racism. He confirms it. He comes off as refreshing to Tigers’ fans. Refreshing, because he displays none of the characteristics popularly assigned to African Americans. He doesn’t dispel the prejudice. He disarms it.

I am not indicting Granderson - by all accounts an upstanding person. But, he can only cover the ground inside Comerica Park. The blatant poverty and abandoned buildings three blocks away are outside of his reach.

When a Bloomfield Hills police officer pursues a “DWB” and decides he needs “Black Up,” Curtis Granderson’s face will be nowhere to be found.