Recently in Ain't Nuthin But a Willie Gee Thing Category

Those of you who have followed this site for a short while know about my high school buddy Willie Gee. He's the guy who has been fired from over 25 jobs (if you have never read this, it is required reading!), and he's a huge fan of Michael Vick. Well, I interviewed him over my Christmas break, and here is the first part of that interview (later, he will discuss his work history in further detail). A short, 3 minute piece where he discusses drinking his own urine while in high school...and having no regrets about it.

Often referred to as "The Amazing Kreskin of the Sports World", Willie Gee's picks of sporting events are borderline legendary. And if he's right again this year, God Bless Us Eagle fans.

Perhaps the greatest gift given to WillieG the sports analyst is his special ability to predict the future in certain instances without the help of ESP (or ESPN for that matter). Although I am by no means always right, I have been right on many occasions over time when others shunned my predictions and believed that they had virtually no chance whatsoever of coming true. My greatest prediction probably came around 2002, when Brett Favre first began to talk retirement. I boldly predicted that Favre would essentially become a "retirement redneck" in that he would not leave the game anytime soon but would continue to talk about it every chance he got for years just as many everyday rednecks do. Rednecks are always like, "Maaan, I think I'm about ready to hang it up", and then they work until they're like 70 some. I just had the feeling Favre would go that route, and well, look at him now. Favre is slated to be Green Bay's starting quarterback for the 2007-08 season. That pick really came to fruition, did it not?

Worry not, sports fans. Willie's job on the website has never been safer, but things at the thrift store he was working at didn't go so well. As you know, he has had several run-ins with employers in the past, and there was an "altercation" on friday that led to his dismissal. I'll let him tell you what went down:
As far as the job went, I liked it all right, but it was always really busy, which was beginning to wear on me. Being on the register sucked, which is where I had the altercation with the customer. I've worked at a mall during Christmas and it wasnt nearly that bad. Then, when I wasn't on the register I liked it a lot better, but I had to bend down a lot to pick stuff up and it was really bothering my back. Between that and playing sports at night, something had to go and I guess this was it. A lot of customers were pains in the asses, although most of the people I worked with were cool (except the one manager who fired me, I think we were on a collision course). I don't know where these customers get off being so demanding. I'm not comfortable being that way, and the reception has never been warm when I have been. I think the lady at the register did have it coming, but I also feel as if I overreacted a little or at least lost my head a little. She decided she didn't want the items that she had purchased because of my attitude, so I had to call in a manager to void the transaction (which made embezzlement pretty difficult). So, she started telling the manager all this bullshit so I made a pretty mean gesture (the "finger across the throat" slit motion) at her with little regard for who was looking, and the manager caught me. I was then terminated. I left pretty willingly, but then came back later in the day to drop off a letter regarding the incident and to pay someone the $2 I owed them. When that happened, this cop that gets paid to watch the place said I couldn't come in there and was giving me some problems, so I called him a pig on my way out. It was quite a day.

Here's the latest from your favorite sports writer. Willie reveals his ten favorite athletes of all-time. His #6 is downright hilarious.
Every athlete who finds his name on this list should be truly honored to be among such elite company. This is a top 10 list of the athletes who have brought me the most enjoyment and happiness throughout the course of my life. I may not even like some of the athletes on this list that much at the moment, but this list is a reflection of the journey of Willie G the sports fan. The lists go as follows:
1) Dennis Rodman-I was a huge Rodman fan. Talk about a rebel without a clue! I first remember Dennis as a shy young man in his Pistons days, but when you really looked at him you could tell he was crazy even then. I always loved his energy out there. However, I really began to take notice of him while he played for the Spurs. That is when he really came into his own. As a sports entertainment personality, Rodman was bigger than life. I loved the fact that he was a rebounding specialist. He pulled down like 17 boards a game, but he did not even want to score, which he said in his book. Something else I vividly remember him saying in his first book (and only one I read, although A Walk On the Wild Side sounded interesting also), “Greg Popovic can kiss my ass!” At the time I was reading it, I was like “Okay,” but I have always hated Greg Popovic partially as a result of that. I get the impression Pop ran the Worm out of San Antonio because he had too much of a personality. Sadly, his career remains incomplete because he never got to play his last game naked.

This week, Willie lets you know who his ten favorite current athletes are and, as a special treat, has a message for dog owners!

Top 10 favorite athletes right now
Jeremy Shockey-How can you not love Shock-dog? This guy is everything a professional football player should be. Many people think that this guy is an idiot and any opinion he has on anything should be ignored. Those people obviously have no respect for an athlete who leaves it all on the field. I love Shockey because he keeps us entertained and he always lets you know how he is feeling. Shockey is the perfect combination of old school and new school, and you will not find a tougher player. He may get hurt a lot, but that does not stop him from delivering (that is, when Eli decides to throw him the ball). Last year when the Giants were tanking away their season Shockey broke his finger catching a ball in warm-ups. It was bleeding because the bone was poking through the skin. When asked if he wanted the trainers to tape it up, Shockey stated, “I don’t care if you have to cut it off, I’m playing.” How can you not love that?

Michael Vick-This should come as no surprise to those who read my last column. However, I hope it does not raise questions about the credibility of my opinion regarding the dog fighting case, because my opinion of him has little if anything to do with my feelings regarding that matter. I have absolutely loved Vick since the first time I saw him play for Virginia Tech. I have always loved running quarterbacks. I grew up watching Randall Cunningham and was a huge Tommie Frazier fan when he played for Nebraska. I said from the beginning that Vick has what it takes to revolutionize the game of football and redefine the quarterback position. That opinion has not wavered. Unfortunately, he keeps having coaches that try to make him into something that he is not and put him in offenses where he is uncomfortable. I think he is the best quarterback in the league right now. It is not his fault that his receivers drop all those passes. If the Falcons would just let him do his thing, he could be the champion of the world, but unfortunately the NFL hopes to bring him down before that can happen.

Willie Gee returns this week because he is not happy with the way that Michael Vick is being treated by the NFL and the media.
The latest developments in the Michael Vick dog fighting case seem to confirm what I have believed all along, which is that many people in powerful positions are trying to bring the man down. Although Vick is arguably one of the NFL’s greatest players and definitely the league’s most electrifying, his unconventional style of play along with his ability to “keep it real” seem to bother many members of the dominant culture. To put it bluntly, many people do not like him because he does not act white and corporate, and does not play the game like every other quarterback. I have further believed that “those people” have been out to get him for quite some time. Unfortunately, “those people” make up a disproportionately large part of the means that control society, such as the media. ESPN, in particular, has had a vendetta against this guy for at least the past year. From the middle finger incident, to the water bottle incident, and now this, Vick has taken more than his share of criticism. I mean, Kobe Bryant never took this much heat for buying his way out of a rape case. Moreover, the Feds never got involved in that one. They allowed the authorities in Eagle, Colorado to do their job, and there was no independent investigation conducted by the NBA either.