NBA Playoffs Y'all!

Carmelo, Spike and the Knicks poised to make a NBA finals run!

From now till mid June, the NBA Playoffs will be in full swing! This is the biggest sports event besides the NFL playoffs (see the NFL post). What's better than some b-ball in the summer?!

Let the spirited debate commence about Lebron, KD, Carmelo, and no Kobe (damn!).

You can see the schedule here. Games will be televised on NBATV, ESPN, TNT, and ABC. So make sure to catch your favorite team give a beat down or get a beat down!

The Lakers may not advance past the first round and the Knicks look like they can get to the Eastern Conference Finals, but whatever happens, I'll be tuned in! I got the fever, but I refuse to watch another Heat/Thunder final!

So allow Pro Se to lay its first round predictions down even though we're past all of the game ones!

Eastern Conference
Heat- 4-0 over the Bucks
Bulls- 4-3 over the Nets
Pacers- 4-1 over the Hawks
Knicks- 4-2 over the Celtics**

Western Conference
Lakers- 4-3 over the Spurs**
Clippers- 4-3 over the Grizzlies
Nuggets- 4-1 over the Warriors
Thunder- 4-1 over the Rockets

Pro Se will drop second round picks when the first round is over, duh!

Share your predictions in the comments section!

Reverence: Bud Fowler

Bud Fowler stands in the middle, back row.

Welcome back to Pro Se!

With the return of Pro Se, I've added a new addition, Reverence. Reverence's intent is to shed light on untold stories and reexamine stories of relavent African Americans that contributed to the struggle and to the social fabric of the United States.

Reverence was inspired by the "Props" articles found in the back of Vibe Magazine back in the early nineties. Excitement abounds with the educational potential of this new addition!

Let's get started!

So, who was Bud Fowler? Admittedly, I had no idea until I came across this short, informative NYTimes article . Bud Fowler was the first African American to play baseball on an all white professional team in the United States, pitching first for the Lynn, Mass., Live Oaks in 1878.

Mr. Fowler pitched, catch and played second base through 10 seasons with various minor league teams with a .308 batting average. He never made it to the major leagues however and his story faded into the annals of baseball history, well until now!

Undoubtedly, the inspiration for this article was intertwined with the recent release of the film "42", which tells the story of Jackie Robinson, who is credited with breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. His legacy is rightfully cemented in history, Bud Fowler's is not.

In fact, Jackie Robinson was not the first African American to play in the major leagues, that distinction goes to one Moses Fleetwood Walker , who played catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884. His story has been forgotten, but illumination is rightfully needed!

Moses Fleetwood Walker

This Saturday there will be a street dedication for Fowler in Cooperstown, NY, finally honoring Mr. Folwer's legacy.

With the NYTimes article, a written biography coming soon, the Pro Se Blog, along with the Cooperstown's dedication this should prompt baseball fans and historians to reexamine and expound on Mr. Fowler's somewhat enigmatic past.

Please check out the NYTimes article when you have a chance.

Reverence will be a regular addition to Pro Se. If you have any suggestions for a reverence post please email me keithrobinson1@gmail.com

The Case of Kermit Gosnell

Dr. Kermit Gosnell (in photo above) is on trial for murdering one woman, and seven infants! That's 7 babies! What started out being an unthinkable bizarre case is quickly gaining notoriety because the media has discovered the appalling details in this case. 

There are several strories about this horrific doctor performing atrocious late term abortions.

Opinions vary on what this case means for abortion in this country, for sure, upon reading these articles, Gosnell clearly practiced dangerous illegal late term abortions.

He often displayed blatant prejudices against women of color, and allowed incompetent staff to perform medical acts that endangered the patients. Gosnell and staff kept the facilities disgustingly unsanitary, used antiquated equipment to pass venereal diseases, perforated wombs and bowels and used dangerous drugs to over medicate patients. 

And those are just a few of the egregious practices committed.

The most heinous of all acts Gosnell committed was the killing of premature fetuses, in some cases babies that were alive. Gosnell would instruct or commit himself the act of "snipping", in which he would literally use scissors to sever the infant's spinal cords! 

No matter your stance on abortion, this is without doubt, the most reprehensible and criminal of all acts committed by Gosnell!

Reading the details of the atrocities committed are heart breaking! It's unconscionable any person with a shred humanity could willingly commit those acts.

It seems Gosnell committed these acts for years with impunity without any implications from local health officials or local law authorities. 

What's extremely disheartening is how these women were treated, cast aside and forgotten because of their skin color and their soci-economic status. 

And after all that, Gosnell has been accused of, he plead not guilty! Unbelievable!

You should read the links below to gain some clarity about this case. The acts Gosnell is accused of committing shakes the soul to the core. 

Atlantic Monthly

Huffington Post

New York Times

Washington Post

Please leave comments or share your feelings.