Williams posed for this photo which was released to 105.3's Brasky & Gregg show, donning an Orioles hat and ghastly make-up. This is not in response to Ms. Isleib's costume whatsoever, it's just a black dude dressing up like a white dude for Halloween.

Unfortunately for Isleib, her costume is still getting scrutinized by guilt-ridden white people and African-American studies professors from California:

Mark Q. Sawyer, associate professor of political science and African-American studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, said the cheerleader pictures suggest this is more an issue of bad judgment than actual racism. He said that many young people are unaware of the deeply offensive history of blackface performances.

"She probably asked her black friends about it with the idea that they could exonerate her," Sawyer said

But as one reader rationally pointed out — she's not even technically dressed in "blackface.":

The term "blackface" has a connotation stemming from minstrel shows in the 19th century where white people dressed as black people to embellish offensive stereotypes and racial insensitivity for comedic purposes. Was she painted black? Sure. Was she adhering to the racist undertone that "blackface" implies? I believe not, and according to the black people who called into Dallas radio stations this morning regarding this, no. I don't think anyone is offended by her outfit. Blackface implies racism. I don't think her outfit is racist. It is just, to quote My Cousin Vinny, a dead-on-balls accurate Lil' Wayne get up.

Fair enough. The Cowboys haven't officially fired her or anything and have only been quoted as saying they're handling it internally at this point. She also (wisely) pulled down her Facebook page but hopefully that's the end of it and she can go back to her normal everyday life of doing whatever it is she does when she's not a Cowboys cheerleader. But that Deron Williams, man — he's a racist dick.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Criticized After Blackface Halloween Photos Emerge [Dallas Morning News]

On Saturday, March 22, you can get together with Lil Jon and the Utah Jazz to party Salt Lake City-style. And they said black players didn't like it in Utah! It's Lil Jon! And, uh ... well, the MySpace page for Bliss Nightlife, the club the party is hosted at, looks like it would scare pretty much everybody else in Utah.

It's a birthday party for CJ Miles and Ronnie Brewer, hosted by Deron Williams, so, you know, it has to be wild.

Someone's gonna get Lil Jon out of town pretty quick afterwards, right? Right?

Anyway, get your tickets. Plenty available.

Lil' Jon & Utah Jazz Party [24tix]

How bad is it? Even the Jazz fans are getting violent.

Jazz fans — seeing their team lose at home for the first time in eight games this postseason — showed their disgust by hurling things toward the court, appearing to hit San Antonio's Bruce Bowen with something small. "They threw Carmex at me," Bowen said. "I like Carmex, but not getting it thrown at me."

For some reason, we have a hard time imagining Bruce Bowen loving Carmex. Regardless, the heroics of our man Deron Williams — who no one will ever place below Chris Paul again, not after this series — have been for naught, because Manu Ginobili has truly perfected the new art of the NBA flop. Something to be proud of.

Spurs 91, Jazz 79 [Houston Chronicle]
Why Are The Spurs Boring? [Full Court NBA]

Just Call Me Juice points out what we're all thinking but are afraid to admit: These NBA playoffs have been so much more entertaining than the NCAA Tournament. (Assuming, of course, you ignore the Eastern Conference.) Last night's wild overtime thriller, a mad hatter 127-117 Jazz win over the Warriors to go up 2-0 in the series.

Derek Fisher is the big story of the night; not only did he reveal the reason for his Game 1 absence to be emergency cancer surgery on his daughter, but he also was vital to the victory, thanks to Deron Williams' foul trouble and Dee Brown's terrifying neck injury. We would venture that it was one of the most exciting nights in Utah Jazz history; surely, Karl Malone never inspired anyone quite as much, except for maybe the marketing executives at Hardee's.

Golden State is now down 2-0, and the fans are concerned. But the way this whole postseason has gone, we think there are still many stories left in this series to be told.

(Getty Images photo)

He's decisive as all get-out. He knows what he wants to do with the ball, and he's not bashful about directing teammates, who seem more than willing to take direction from him. Similarly, Jerry Sloan clearly trusts him to make things work on the court.

I know we all like to think of Utah as the model of self-control, but make no mistake: Deron Williams dribbles and shoots a lot. Threes, spot-up twos, off the dribble in the lane, on the break ... it's the nature of their four-forward offense that someone has to be the creator, and it's usually Deron Williams.

For all the talk of Chris Paul last season, it's Williams who has exploded on the scene this year and led the Jazz to the best record in the NBA. To be able to pull all that off and still live in a city where it's difficult to find a good place to drink, well, we can tell that Deron spent plenty of time in Champaign.**

Deron Williams Is Good [True Hoop]

** Apologies, from an alum, to Murphy's, the White Horse, the Tumble Inn and the Blind Pig.

No, we couldn't possibly be more overjoyed by the fact that Deron Williams and Dee Brown, the linchpins of the most fun college basketball team we've ever seen, will be reunited on the Utah Jazz, our new favorite team, totally, go Mormons! They'll team with the swinging Andrei Kirilenko to make fellow Illini fans remember the good old days all over again.

Honestly? We fully expect to see Bill Murray in Jazz garb by October.

Free Drafto As It Happened [Free Darko]
Brown, Augustine True To Personalities [Decatur Herald-Review]
Brown, Williams Together Again [St. Lake Tribune]

(Oh, and if Dee doesn't make the 12-man roster, forget you ever read this.)

(UPDATE: This Sports Bloggers Live from the Draft absolutely must be heard.)

Honestly, we can't imagine this would be much of a story — cops said they weren't going to charge either player had they not lied about their names — if it didn't take place in Utah, where people freak out every time a (black) player coughs. The Salt Lake Tribune actually has a story this morning where they talk to various local psychologists to try to determine why, heavens, players might have possibly lied to police officers. Jazz fans are so great. Please trade Ron Artest here.

Two Jazz Rookies Cited [ESPN]
Utah Jazz: Truth, Consequences [Salt Lake Tribune]