Wayman Tisdale Dead at 44

Legendary basketball player and guitar great Wayman Tisdale died today at about 8 a.m. in Tulsa. After three years at Oklahoma, the 6-foot-9 Tulsa native spent 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, then became an award-winning jazz musician, with several of his albums making the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

Tisdale first learned he had cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2007. He said then he was fortunate to have discovered the cancer at an early stage. "Nothing can change me," Tisdale told The Associated Press last June. "You go through things. You don't change because things come in your life. You get better because things come in your life."

His leg was amputated last August and a prosthetic leg that he wore was crimson, one of the colors of his beloved Oklahoma Sooners. He made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, including on April 7 at an Oklahoma City Thunder game, at which he received the team's Community Hero Award.

Also within the past month, Tisdale was honored in a ceremony at the Greenwood Cultural Center in his hometown and presented with the Legacy Award. During the ceremony, he spoke about his fight with cancer, saying "In my mind, I've beaten it." Last month, Tisdale also learned he had been chosen for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Enjoy the smooth sounds of Tisdale.

Charles Barkley Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

Charles Barkley joins the ranks of Diana Ross, Heather Locklear and Queen Latifah, all of whom have been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence. He was arrested by an Arizona tasks force which specializes in targeting drunk drivers. Read the story here. All I have to say to celebrities is WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR DRIVER!!! It is not like you cannot afford to call a car if you have been indulging. I would like to know what others think about this trend and driving while intoxicated, especially on the biggest celebration night of the year.

Marion Jones Sentenced to Six Months in Jail

Once the most celebrated woman athlete in the world, a disgraced Marion Jones has been sentenced to six months in jail for perjury. Last year she denied using performance enhancing drugs despite reports to the contrary. She was also involved in a check fraud scheme. I wonder if I am the only one speculating about what happened to cause this young woman’s downward spiral.

Seven years after winning five Olympic track and field medals is officially broke and humiliated. Jones has lost off all of her properties, including the home she had purchased for her mother. Last year, a Jones urine sample tested positive for the performance-enhancing drugs. Jones immediately quit a European track tour and returned to the United States. Although she was cleared when a backup sample tested negative, she missed at least five major international meets, forfeiting an estimated $300,000 in appearance and performance fees.

In her prime, Jones was one of track’s first female millionaires, typically earning between $70,000 and $80,000 a race, plus at least another $1 million from race bonuses and endorsement deals. Jones made an appeal to the judge that she not be separated from her two sons, which includes a baby who is still nursing. The judge denied her request acknowledging that the children were innocent victims, but "criminals have to realize the consequences of their actions on others".

Jones claims not to have known that she was taken steroids, which she stated was given to her by her then trainer, Trevor Graham. I don’t think she should go to jail. She has been stripped of her money, homes, lifestyle, Olympic medals, and her dignity. Why should her young children have to suffer the absence of their mother? I would like to know how others feel about Jones’s sentencing.