LESAProject

Once upon a time, the press was a mighty weapon against the established power structure. British politician Edmund Burke allegedly dubbed it the Fourth Estate because it sat in contrast to the three established estates of power in 18th century England—the clergy, House of Nobles, and House of Commons. Upon seeing the press gallery, history tells us Burke said, "Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all." It's a damn shame modern journalism isn't taking Burke's words to heart. Instead, the powers-that-be have given themselves over to a monetary lust that grows stronger with each penny dropped in ...

In a story that's likely to gain momentum as the college football season winds down, LeGarrette Blount has been reinstated by both the Oregon Ducks and Pac-10 Conference. Blount, as most fans need no reminding, is the gentleman who sucker-punched some trash-talking clown from Boise State after the Broncos rocked the Ducks' world in the season opener. In fairness to said clown, Blount drew first trash-talking blood. The reinstatement can be (and is being) received in a variety of ways. Some will argue that the kid has paid a serious penalty and Oregon did right by waiting until after its big tete-a-tetes with ...

“If anything here offends, I beg your pardon, I come in peace, I depart in gratitude.”—Garrison Keillor This is the last time I'm gonna use Rush Limbaugh's name. From here on out, I'm using unflattering euphemisms because publicity is the only thing the Bloated One wants. I apologize if the phrases bother anyone, but it's all I can think of to somewhat defuse my own issues with feeding the beast. If all the Shock Jock wants is to get his face and name in large relief, then writing about him using neither has to be some sort of moral victory, right? Given the ...

In the wake of outrageously boorish behavior by high-profile individuals, I'm repeatedly stunned that so many apologists step forward. No matter what the transgression—even double-murder perpetrated with a butcher's knife—some courageous soul will hatch a conspiracy theory or end run that shifts the blame away from the guilty party. Forget the facts—there's really a gaggle of shrouded faces bent on destroying the falling idol. Either it's the so-called Establishment working to undermine a growing threat to its control or it's the Media mischaracterizing the story to paint a certain person a certain way or some other such nefarious fantasy. Jay Cutler's not really ...

When I ran across Deion Sanders’ interview on the NFL Network this morning, I was gonna let it go. Notwithstanding my skepticism about officially clearing the air via an interview on your own network conducted by a sympathetic colleague, I was all set to ignore the spectacle. After listening and watching Neon for a while, it does seem like Deion Sanders achieves a lot of good for underprivileged kids in the Dallas area. Not only that, it seems the good deeds come from a place of sincerity. That’s very commendable, and if more professional athletes and celebrities used their wattage to help ...

Phil Simms earned major points from me when he pointed out how sick he already was of Twitter on Showtime's "Inside the NFL." Bill Cowher retorted that the social-networking phenomenon is harmless. The story about Shawne Merriman and Tila Tequila trading accusations via tweets would suggest the former Pittsburgh Steeler coach isn't totally correct. After all, giving emotionally unstable laymen easy access to the public record whilst in the middle of a legal dispute could wreak utter havoc on either side's case. Regardless, Cowher is basically right on the money—for the most part, Twitter is an innocuous (and mindless) nothing. But so was ...

It's a sad truth, but inordinate fascination with oneself is hardly reason to single out a professional athlete or high-paid coach. You could make a pretty safe argument that egocentricity has become the rule rather than the exception amongst those two groups. Nevertheless, individuals come and go who distinguish themselves even from the swell-headed pack. Sometimes, a dynamic duo wrangled for the self-love spotlight. Thanks to Milton Bradley and Rick Pitino, we have such a scenario on our hands. Though, in truth, it's not much of a fight—the Louisville Cardinals' head coach has Uncle Miltie walloped since his transgression is far worse and ...

Do you know what I did this morning? I spent an hour or so reading about the 1991 Mike Tyson rape case. Why would some jackass waste a Saturday morning reading about a violently heinous crime almost 20 years old? Because of Kobe Bryant and that starlet snow bunny in Colorado.  Because of the two strippers and the Duke Lacrosse team. Because of Ben Roethlisberger and Andrea McNulty. And because Tyson's volatile life was derailed by the conviction for his crime and subsequent prison sentence. What if, as Alan Dershowitz later claimed, Iron Mike was innocent? What if he went to prison for being a ...

Do you know what I did this morning? I spent an hour or so reading about the 1991 Mike Tyson rape case. Why would some jackass waste a Saturday morning reading about a violently heinous crime almost 20 years old? Because of Kobe Bryant and that starlet snow bunny in Colorado.  Because of the two strippers and the Duke Lacrosse team. Because of Ben Roethlisberger and Andrea McNulty. And because Tyson's volatile life was derailed by the conviction for his crime and subsequent prison sentence. What if, as Alan Dershowitz later claimed, Iron Mike was innocent? What if he went to prison for being a ...

When Long John suggested the idea for this story, I jumped at the chance because I'm sick and you're tired of reading the same old Major League Baseball steroid schlock.  At this point, it's no longer "news" when one of our beloved game's stars emerges from the depths in the new, more vigilant net. But performance-enhancing drugs are still very much an important topic and deserve to be discussed in an open forum. The problem is, as the aforementioned glitterati entered the fray, PEDs also became a sensational topic.  Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez or Barry Bonds in the headline ...