August 5th, 2009
Most football fans get ecstatic when training camp starts because that means that football is here. All of the NFL teams can be excited as hope usually springs eternal in July and August. All fans can believe that this year will be their team’s year. While everyone is optimistic about this season, they had better keep in mind that this could be the last time the NFL could be in its current form as the players’ contract is up in March and if there’s no agreement by then, the NFL could forever change for the worst.
There are so many issues on the table between the players and the owners that the very league as we know it could disappear overnight. The biggest issue at hand will be the salary cap and how the players hate it and the owners love it. Well, some owners, like Jerry Jones (Cowboys) and Daniel Synder (Redskins) do not love it, but they are still in the minority. If there is not an agreement by this spring, the 2010 season could very well not have a salary cap, which could eventually kill small market teams like Green Bay, Minnesota, or Pittsburgh.
The most pressing issue during the negotiations very well be involved the retired NFL players and their pension fund. The NFL players union have been a complete embarrassment concerning their former players and not only does the union have resistance from the owners in this issue, but the public at large thinks it is a joke that they do not watch for the former players in the NFL. So many retired players are in such distressing health, it is a flat-out travesty that they have so little money and no insurance to take care of injuries that received playing in the NFL. How former NFL player’s union president, Gene Upshaw, a former player, did not ever address this issue is one of the many mysteries and the current president, DeMaurice Smith, should rectify such an obvious oversight of the union.
Finally, the number of games will definitely be another negotiating point. Of course, the owners are trying to get some more money, but how will the players be compensated for the extra games? Going from 16 to 18 games would mean more wear and tear to the players and even though this would probably mean less exhibition games, would the roster number stay the same? More games would mean more injuries, so the number of players on the roster should rise as the number of games rise, right?
All of these issues are of little worry now as the new season has started with training camps across the league beginning. The thing is that these same issues with be all football fans talk about after the Super Bowl and more importantly, how will these negotiations affect next season and the seasons afterwards.
on August 4th, 2009
I have had enough of people bad-mouthing, finding fault and generally talking bad about minority athletes for reasons that their Caucasian counterparts aren’t criticized for. I just want these athletes to get their due respect. Here are some examples:
1. Why does Michael Vick have to be sorry after coming out of jail? He served his time and at this point doesn’t have to show any remorse. It isn’t like he is up for parole and has to show someone that he is a changed man. Of course he shouldn’t engage in the same activities that landed in jail, but he sure doesn’t have to be sorry for it.
2. Tiger Woods has been criticized lately for using profanity and throwing tantrums on the golf course. Everyone has their own personality and this is just part of what he does on the court whether people agree with it or not. Additionally, he has cameras on him more than any other golfer so it is easy to see why he is filmed this way.
3. The Williams sisters are constantly criticized for different things. What if they didn’t have to compete with each other? Yes, one Williams would probably have the most grand slam titles in the history of tennis.
Did you know that the best Supercross rider is a black guy named James “Bubba” Stewart? Go to his site and check him out.
I’m so sick of this thinly disguised racial hate that I’m determined to support black athletes who are champions. When I say champions, I don’t necessarily mean athletes who have raised the trophy for their respective sports. I mean athletes who have excelled in their sport and have reached an elite level.
I’m not a Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I’m now going to support Donovan McNabb because he has too many haters and he has proven himself over the years. I’m going to throw my support behind other athletes of color because of what they do on the court/field; they deserve to have some support instead of the media constantly tearing them down.
What do you think about “Champions of Color?” Are you down with them?
on July 29th, 2009
Get your mind out of the gutter! You may think what I’m about to discuss is nasty, but not nasty the way you were thinking.
he If you are familiar with dog food, you may know that the first ingredient is what the food is mostly comprised of. For instance, if the first ingredient is chicken, the dog food is made up mostly of chicken. If the first ingredient is corn, it is made up of corn more than anything else. You get my drift.
Well, some brands of dog food, like Puppy Chow, aren’t necessarily made up of the best ingredients while others like Science Diet has better ingredients. So why does this matter and what does it have to do with the big “P?” Poop.
I’m talking about Poop, Boo Boo, Doo Doo, number 2 and whatever else makes you feel comfortable about solid wastes.
Years ago I had a dog and someone told me the quality of food played a role in how much poop I was going to be picking up. That caused me to listen right away. See, quality food is used by the body more efficiently and the dog will poop less, but food of lesser quality will force the dog to poop more and the poop will be less dense, if you know what I mean.
Why Am I Even Thinking About This?
I’m trying to get in better shape and lose some weight in the process. I have several reasons for wanting to be in better shape: I want to be around longer for my daughter, I want to feel better, I want to perform better when working out, etc.
The hardest part is eating right; it is even harder for me because I love fried chicken. With the help and guidance of my friend Sam I’ve started eating better – I still have a long way to go – and eating better takes me back to my dog.
Can you guess what immediate results I’ve noticed since I’ve been eating better? Yep, I don’t have the bubble guts as much and when I have a #2 it is more dense. It may be nasty to talk about, but you know how it is when you have one of those experiences where you come out of the bathroom and want to get on your knees and thank God? Eat a little better and those times will be few and [...] Continue Reading…
on July 27th, 2009
Growing up rooting for the Orioles, I paid more attention to the American League than the National League. I thought the baseball was more exciting in the American League, even though the National League had the strategy. The American League had the old ballparks while the National League had these “cookie-cutter” stadiums with that ugly Astroturf. Yes, the American League had put in the designated hitter while the National League stuck with the pitcher hitting. The thing is that what the American League definitely had was Rickey Henderson, the ultimate leadoff man in the history of baseball.
Rickey Henderson is known for a lot of things, but somehow, being one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball is not one of them. He is the career leader in runs scored and stolen bases as well as the single season record holder in stolen bases with 130 in 1982. Henderson is also 2nd in career base on balls and has more leadoff home runs (81) than anyone in the history of the game as well. In other words, Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter of them all and whether it was getting on bases, driving them crazy on the base paths, or hitting for power, pitchers were continually outdone by Henderson.
Among the things that followed Rickey Henderson throughout his career were the quirky/funny stories. How Henderson would start talking in third person about how “Rickey did this” or “Rickey can do that.” How Henderson would have a special routine when he would catch the ball in the outfield sometimes. There’s another story where Henderson once framed a million dollar check bonus instead of cashing the check. All was a part of the Rickey Henderson legend. The only problem with this legend was that a lot of times, this overshadowed his play on the field. His ability to get on base, terrorize pitchers while he was on base and then score more runs than anyone in history is an ability not held by a lot of players. Add in the fact that he could hit for power and you have a total player.
What I hope people understand is that Henderson is now a Hall of Famer for more than his ability to steal bases. You do not have the records Henderson has or have [...] Continue Reading…
on June 24th, 2009
This is what I would do if I were all of the GMs in the NBA and could make no trades in the 1st round. Oh yeah, this draft is really bad!!!
1. LA Clippers-Blake Griffin 6′10 252 (Oklahoma)-This is basically a no-brainer. You have to wonder if Zach Randolph is still going to be there because the clamor will be for Griffin to play early.
2. Memphis-Ricky Rubio 6′4 182 (Spain)-There’s a distinct possibility that Rubio will be traded because Memphis doesn’t really have a need for Rubio right now and he may be of more use in a trade.
3. Oklahoma City-Hasheem Thabeet 7′3 260 (Connecticut)-To me, this is the other no-brainer. The Thunder need a defensive big man that defends the paint and rebound. Give him some time and proper training and he could surprise people with his scoring too.
4. Sacramento-DeMar DeRozan 6′6 211 (USC). I’m a little stuck here. To me, the Kings have absolutely no athletic ability from their players and that’s something that DeRozan has. Another thing that DeRozan does is improve as time goes by. He may not be much now, but wait a little while.
5. Minnesota-Tyreke Evans 6′5 197 (Memphis). This was JUST the Wizards’ pick a day ago, but they traded it for Randy Foye & Mike Miller? Well, the Timberwolves would love to get this guy because he’s something they don’t have and that’s a scorer outside of Al Jefferson. Evans can score and should definitely become a bona-fide, big-time scorer eventually.
6. Minnesota-Brandon Jennings 6′1 170 (Italy via Cali). Don’t tell me that Minnesota is remotely ready for anything right now, so they need to set themselves up as Jennings is probably the most talented PG in the draft.
7. Golden State-Jonny Flynn 6′0 196 (Syracuse). One of the things the Warriors miss is a distributor; Baron Davis used to do it all. Flynn definitely fits that bill and may be a surprising scorer as well.
8. New York-Stephen Curry 6′3 181 (Davidson). This is too easy. Best scorer and shooter in college basketball available for Mike D’Antoni? There’s almost no doubt that if Curry is available, he will be a Knick.
9. Toronto-James Harden 6′5 205 (Arizona St). This may be a long drop for some people, but I don’t see Harden as a lot of people see him. I think he has a lot further to go as a scorer in the NBA than he [...] Continue Reading…
O on June 23rd, 2009
I do not think there is a bigger “heads-tails” athlete in this world than Vince Young. People either love him or they can not stand him. He is a hero in the state of Texas where he won high school and college championships. Yet, in the state of Tennessee, they view Young altogether differently. Despite having a record of 18-11 as a starter for the Titans, Titan fans do not want any part of Young anymore. Kerry Collins now has the starter’s role and Young has made comments to the effect of how he wants to play. How could a quarterback go from Offensive Rookie of the Year to a quarterback that no one wants in 30 months?
I personally believe the beginning of Vince Young’s downfall had more to do with Young’s personality than his play. Young had a segment about him on 60 Minutes and he was crushed for it. Media outlets and call-in shows called him “spoiled” and “selfish.” Now this segment was at the beginning of last season, which was ironically was the beginning of the end of Young’s popularity in Tennessee.
Young struggled at the beginning of his second season. He threw interceptions at an increased pace; he also got injured in week 6 and they missed a week. Even with Young struggling, the Titans were 6-2 halfway in the season and then they really struggled, losing 3 games in a row. Now 6-5, the fans in Tennessee began to criticize Young. Even with the criticism, Young led the Titans to 4 victories in 5 games to make the playoffs, but he again struggled in the playoffs against San Diego. The Titans had a good season, but Vince Young seemed to be catching a lot of flak.
In his third season, Young get injured in the first game of the season and never get back his starting job from Kerry Collins for the remainder of the season. After the game, rumors spread that Young did not want to go back in the game because the fans were booing. The next night, the Titans claimed they were looking for Young and afraid that he would commit suicide. Young claimed that he never wanted out of the game and was no threat whatsoever in committing suicide, but how did it get like [...] Continue Reading…
O on June 15th, 2009
If Kobe Bryant seemed happier than he has ever been when winning an NBA title, it was because he was. Now no one is happier than the first time they win a championship, but for Kobe, this felt like the first time. When Kobe first won a NBA title, he was twenty-one years old and was compared with Michael Jordan almost as often as he heard his name. When Kobe won his second title, when everyone else was celebrating, Kobe cried by himself in the shower with the turmoil with his family concerning his new marriage and his teammates with his new growth. When Kobe won his third title, he was evolving, but no one wanted him to change or grow into anything more than what he already was. With three NBA titles at the age of twenty-three, Kobe wanted more while everyone else was happy with what was going on.
This was where his famous feud with Shaquille O’Neal always came into play. While Shaq thought Kobe was all into himself, Kobe thought the very same thing about Shaq, especially when Shaq would show up out of shape and use the season to play himself into shape. This led to conflict between the two superstars that also led to the split between them in the offseason of 2004, which got more attention in any sporting event that season. Shaq was traded to Miami and Kobe was left to take the total blame for the fall of the Lakers.
What never gets talked about is how the Lakers got rid of everyone and bought a whole new team to Kobe, one that did not nearly resemble the team that went to the NBA finals in 2004. Kobe had to start over with a team that not only had no shot for the championship, but a team that did not even make the playoffs. All of the blame went to Kobe, who had also just gotten over a rape trial that threaten not only his freedom, but also his marriage. Not much seemed to have gone right for Kobe, but it made him grow up, something that he had not been able to do early on in his career.
After three seasons of not making it past the first round of the playoffs, Kobe had enough and squarely put the pressure of [...] Continue Reading…
on June 14th, 2009
Phil Jackson – After winning his tenth title as a coach no other coach has more NBA championships than him.
Derek Fisher – Fisher returned to LA after spending time withe Golden State and Utah, mainly to be in LA where his daughter could get the best medical care.
Lamar Odom – Always considered a supreme talent, Odom was key to many of the team’s victories all year long.
Pau Gasol – He was called soft after the playoffs a year ago, but he has been chugging along and putting in the necessary work to become a champion.
Trevor Ariza – He seems to be getting better and better, displaying skills few people thought he had.
Kobe Bryant – The hated one. The best player on the planet. The player who has went through ups and downs, but is only comparable to one player on the court…you know who.
I’ve been a fan of the LA Lakers every since they drafted Magic Johnson. There has been no player, in the history of the game, to play with such joy as the Magic man! But these Lakers are lead by Kobe Bryant and it has been a bumpy ride. Forget going into all the drama and hate – the Lakers are at the top of the mountain again!
CONGRATULATIONS LAKERS!!!!!!
O on June 10th, 2009
With the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic going up against each other in the NBA finals, an old rivalry has been rekindled. No, it is not the rivalry that existed between the organizations when the Lakers signed Shaq away from the Magic in 1996. It is not the rivalry between the two cities over which one is better between Disneyland (Anaheim, CA) and Disney World (Orlando, FL). The rivalry that has been rekindled is the rivalry between Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick, who three years ago were the two best college basketball players in the country, but today, they find themselves on the bench for both of their teams who happened to make the NBA finals this season.
Both Morrison and Redick were heralded coming into the NBA because of what they both accomplished in their college careers. Morrison was originally from Montana, but moved to Spokane, Washington later on and played college basketball for Gonzaga University for three years. Morrison was not heavily recruited out of high school, but he was good immediately at Gonzaga and within two seasons, he was averaging 19 points per game at Gonzaga. It was his last season that everyone remembers as Morrison averaged 28.1 points as he led the nation in scoring and was the winner or the runner-up in just about every national player of the year award in college basketball that season.
J.J. Redick was the most hated player in the country for 3 years, but he was also the most accomplished as well. Duke was the most popular college basketball team in the country and Redick was the catalyst behind a lot of the success at Duke during his time there. His forte was his perimeter shooting and his accuracy from the free-throw line. He played in the ACC, known as the best conference in the country when it comes to college basketball, set many records in the conference such as most consecutive free throws made, most career ACC tournament points, and he was the ACC career point leader until Tyler Hansbrough broke his record in March. He was the ACC Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006, the Naismith College Player of the Year, and the John R. Wooden Award in his last season at Duke.
If these two were so great in and for college basketball, why have they not done well in the NBA? Well, the [...] Continue Reading…
O on June 3rd, 2009
It has been the talk of the sports world for the last 5 days. Lebron James not shaking hands with the Orlando Magic after the Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 2 to win the Eastern Conference finals and advance to the NBA finals. He then added on to the problem by saying a day later that he doesn’t shake hands with opponents that beat him because “I’m a winner and I’m a competitor.” Say what? I’ve been in and around sports for 37 years now and I’ve never heard that one until 5 days ago. Someone should have given Lebron some better advice or some at all.
The images I remember most about the Olympics is the sportsmanship of it all. Yes, you have some who use illegal substances to try and get ahead, but I’m talking about the competitions. In 1980, when the United States beat the Soviet Union in hockey in one of the biggest upsets ever in the Olympics, I remember how the Soviet players looked on in disbelief and then got in line to shake the Americans’ hands, even though as countries, we did not like each other. In 1988, I remember the same thing happening except this time, the sport was basketball and the winners were the Soviets, but there were the Americans to shake their hands.
Lebron James carries himself as well as one can expect a 24 year old to be able to handle himself, but he was dead wrong on this one. What made it worse was him attempting to explain why he did not shake hands instead of apologizing for not doing so. To me, the explanation was the worst offense of all because that was an opportunity to make him an even bigger figure in terms of helping children who do not know any better to know better. Now they do not, with Lebron’s help. Hopefully, someone will get to him and explain that those before him like Magic, Michael, Wilt, Kareem, Dr. J, and Jerry West, all who he has praised recently, were extremely proud competitors themselves and they all went to shake the hands of those who were victorious if it was not themselves. It is all part of being a winner and a competitor in any sport and if Lebron wants to be known as either one, it is something he had better learn quickly [...] Continue Reading…
