By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Vince Carter ejection could come under review. Whether a ref addressed New Jersey Nets star Vince Carter as “boy” could be connected to his recent ejection in a loss to the Pistons. Carter, who argued a call made by Derrick Stafford, was given a technical, then a second, which observers say may have been due to Carter’s anger over the disrespectful term. Though Carter and Stafford are both Black, the term “boy” has long been viewed as insulting to Black men, particularly during the Jim Crow era. The official could be disciplined if the league finds that he acted inappropriately towards Carter.

Tiger Woods’ influence even felt in football. Though he hasn’t competed on the golf course in several months, Tiger Woods’ influence is still being felt in the sports world. Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell, who lives near Woods in Florida, says the phenom’s example inspires Longwell, at 34, to get better. “On top of that, because we are around each other, I get to see how hard he works,” says Longwell, who attends the same gym as Woods. “People don’t realize that he goes out and runs three or four miles on a Tuesday of a tournament week, before his knee injury.” Woods spent much of 2008 recovering from surgery to repair his damaged knee. He’s due back in competition this year.

Few Black coaches are in Div. 1 football. It looks like former NBA star Charles Barkley was onto something when he suggested that racism had kept his alma mater, Auburn University, from hiring a winning football coach (Buffalo University’s Turner Gill) over a losing White coach (Gene Chisik, from Iowa State). As it stands now, there are only four Black head coaches among the 119 major-college football programs. So, in a sport with 50 percent of its players Black, only 3.4 percent of the coaches are Black. Georgia Tech’s basketball coach, Paul Hewitt, who serves as the president of the Black Coaches Association, believes he has a solution for the dearth of Black major-college coaches. He puts the onus on African-American recruits and their families, whom he says should weigh an institution’s commitment to coaching diversity before choosing it. “If the top five defensive linemen and the top five offensive linemen in the country went to play for Randy Shannon at Miami and they won a national championship in two years, watch how fast this thing would change,” Hewitt said. “These kids need to say, ‘If my alma mater doesn’t display a record of hiring people who look like me, why should I go and help them?’ 

Roy Jones doesn’t “know what’s next” after loss. Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe can go through with his plan to retire undefeated, if he chooses, after whipping the formerly acknowledged best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. Roy Jones Jr. suffered his bloody fifth loss this past weekend after Calzaghe beat him in a lopsided decision. Judges scored only the first round, in which Calzaghe was knocked down, for Jones. The fighter agreed with the judges’ decision, saying that Calzaghe hit harder than he’d expected. Some have urged the once-unbeatable Jones to spare himself anymore embarrassment, now with four losses out of his seven latest fights. “I don’t know what’s next,” says Jones. “I don’t know.”

Serena challenges reporter: “Live the dream!” Think it’s easy being Serena Williams? Well, let her tell you a thing or two – like she told a reporter who suggested that she play through an injury rather than pull out of the Sony Ericcson tennis championships, as she did this past weekend. “I think what I should do is make you work out, have a severe stomach strain and play for the sponsors,” Williams responded. The British journalist said he’d be up for the task, to which Serena laughed sarcastically and answered: “You really should. You should go for it and live the dream!… You know, the dream of working out and sweating and being questioned on your commitment to the game versus your love for fashion and Hollywood and really obnoxious jewelry and all that.” Williams says she once played through a similar injury for several weeks, but was more concerned that she fully recover this time around so she can start the new year healthy.

Texas lineman makes racist post against prez-elect. A University of Texas lineman has lost his spot on the team after suggesting that “all hunters gather up” because “we have a n**ger in the White House.” Buck Burnette says he’s sorry for the Facebook.com post, that he’s not racist and didn’t mean to be hurtful. “Clearly, I have made a mistake and apologized for it and will pay for it. I received it as a text message from an acquaintance and immaturely put it up on Facebook in light of the election…I have to be more mature than to put the reputation of my team at stake and to spread that kind of hate which I don’t even believe in.” Nice words. But isn’t there something kinda illegal about making threats against elected officials?

Death of Miami’s Bryan Pata still under investigation. The murder of a 22-year-old Florida football player remains unsolved two years after he was shot to death. Today marks the anniversary of Hurricane defensive lineman Bryan Pata’s fatal encounter in a Miami parking lot. Cops say he was shot in the head as he got out of his SUV. “Someday, someone will call and say, ‘Yes, this is what happened,’” the player’s mother Jeannette Pata tells ESPN. “Someone has to help me. He was my baby and they took him from me.” A $21,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is offered. The Miami-Dade police department says no leads should be considered insignificant.

Venus beats Serena in overseas tournament. Serena Williams calls her loss to big sister Venus at the WTA Tour in Qatar her worst tennis match of the year. Venus took down her sibling to move on to the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Championships on Thursday. Serena can still advance if she defeats Elena Dementieva today. The tournament features the top eight women’s players.

Barack Obama may throw first White Sox pitch of ‘09.  The Chicago White Sox have already created an opening for the incoming president of the United States to appear on their roster next year. A Sox fan, Barack Obama has been invited to throw out the first pitch of the new season. “Let this be a formal invitation: If he would like to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day next year, we can find a spot for him,” team general manager Ken Williams said at this week’s GM meetings. The Sox play their season-opener on April 6. Obama threw out the first pitch of a White Sox conference finals game in 2005.

NFL tackle offers condolences to Jennifer Hudson. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris says he’ll donate a jersey to singer Jennifer Hudson’s family in tribute to her murdered brother. The star’s sibling, Jason Hudson, her mother Darnell Donerson and her nephew Julian King were all recently shot to death in Chicago in unsolved, apparently pre-meditated, attacks. King’s stepfather, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister, is the only suspect in the crimes, but he hasn’t been charged. “I would like to give them a personal jersey,” says Harris, who is a friend of Jennifer Hudson. “A lot of times you try to understand things, but you can’t fathom that, losing three loved ones within three days. It’s very difficult and my prayers are with the family. It’s hard, but you just have to try not to lose faith in God.” Get more celebrity condolences here.

“Uneven Fairways” to examine trailblazers on course. Tiger Woods isn’t the only Black athlete to cross boundaries on the golf course. The Golf Channel has announced a documentary scheduled for Black History Month 2009 that will spotlight similar trailblazers. “These are inspiring stories of golfers who overcame great odds just to create a tour where they could compete,” says Page Thompson, president of Golf Channel. “Uneven Fairways” will debut Feb. 11 on the Orlando-based network.

Pitcher could spend up to 16 years in prison. The minor league pitcher who allegedly gave a fan a concussion by hitting him with a ball could spend 16 years in prison. Julio Castillo, 21, was trying to throw the ball into the opposing team’s dugout to hit a player, but struck the fan in the head, prosecutors say. The actual July 24 game was interrupted by a 10-minute brawl that cleared the benches between Castillo’s Peoria Chiefs and home team Dayton. Castillo was indicted in Ohio this week on a count of felonious assault with a deadly weapon and a felonious assault causing serious physical harm. “There is no excuse for this type of behavior, whether it’s in a ball park or a back alley,” says prosecutor Mathias Heck Jr. “Fans should not be subjected to violence because a player is unable to control his temper.”

Linebacker Norman Griffith Jr. murdered.

Two teenagers are charged with first-degree murder in the death of a South Carolina high school football player. Norman “Pooh” Griffith Jr.’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday after his body was found in an SUV that appeared to have been in an accident. Cops say robbery was the motive behind the Pahokee High tight end and linebacker’s killing. Willie Felton, 16, and Carl Lee Booth Jr., 17, have been arrested in connection with the incident. Griffith, Pahokee’s team captain, had attracted interest from Division 1 colleges including Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Clemson.

Ex-NFL player faces vehicular manslaughter charges.
A former Denver Broncos player could face up to 14 years in prison after allegedly striking a man on a scooter with his vehicle. Billy Jenkins, who also played for two other teams during his six-year NFL career, reportedly left the scene of the Aug. 28 accident in Colorado. He allegedly had been driving under the influence. Tracy Gill, 51, died when the scooter he was driving was struck from behind. Jenkins last played for Buffalo in 2002. He’s free on $50,000 bail. 

NBA player is latest athlete to face housing market struggle

Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson is offering a $1 million break on his Villanova, Pa., home. The 14,000-square-footer has six bedrooms, his-and-hers marble bathrooms, a 12-seat movie theater, pool house and four-acres of land. But after at least a year on the market, Iverson and his wife, who bought the house together in 2003, have generated little interest. The price is down to $3.9 million. So get out those checkbooks.

Coach says Ed Johnson won’t play this week, following incident

Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy (above) says the Colts’ Ed Johnson won’t suit-up this week following Johnson’s drug arrest early Wednesday. Cops say Johnson was pulled over for speeding in Indianapolis about 1 a.m. and was later charged with marijuana possession. The lineman was released on bond from the Hamilton County Jail. Team management says the incident will be further investigated to determine if any action is taken. The NFL says the matter will also be reviewed under the league’s substance abuse policy.

Puncher hit with claim of contract violation. At this rate, Floyd “Money” Mayweather could wind up known as Floyd “Need A Loan” Mayweather. First, he had $7 million in jewels stolen from his house and now he’s the target of a lawsuit. A Florida real estate dealer says the boxing standout wiggled away from an $8 million property purchase after signing a contract stating that his company put $1.7 million into escrow toward the buy. But the developer claims Mayweather never properly established the account before trying to move into the spot. Mayweather’s being sued for damages and costs associated with the seller’s having taken the property off the market.

Golden State’s Monta Ellis said to have misled team. A high ankle sprain that will leave Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis sidelined for at least three months didn’t occur in the way he claimed, a report says. The Contra Costa Times states that the six-year, $66 million contract-holder was injured “outdoors and not while playing basketball,” as he’d explained. Ellis told the Warriors that he hurt himself while playing pick-up hoops in his native Jackson, Miss. The paper, however, doesn’t report what the true source of the injury turned out to be. Warriors management has spoken to him about the incident. Ellis had recently signed a contract extension. He suffered a torn deltoid ligament, rare in basketball injuries

League rule says no to Ocho Cinco. The NFL star formerly known as Chad Johnson’s legal name change hasn’t brought him the privilege of wearing his new moniker on a Cincinnati Bengals jersey. He may be formally known as Chad Ocho Cinco, but the league says that, until Johnson squares up with the sportswear company responsible for NFL fashions, his nameplate will read “C. Johnson.” “He has a financial obligation to Reebok, which produces the jerseys available to fans,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells AP. “That has to be resolved before the on-field jersey can be changed.” “Ocho Cinco” represents Johnson’s nickname and translates in Spanish to his jersey No. 85 – which will be pretty redundant when it does show up under the new legal name.