One of the great aspects of sports that draws so many fans is the player’s passion. For this reason many sports fans prefer to follow college sports rather than professional sports, because in college sports there are deep rivalries, and the athletes are really playing for the love that they have for their sport, team and school. While professional athletes tend to view their sport more as a job. However it seems that there is another difference that separates professional athletes and collegiate athletes, and that is how they demonstrate their passion.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
NBA Season: Midway Point
A lot has transpired up to this point in the NBA season. The Dunking highlight reel of Blake Griffin has impressed everyone (or at least it should have). Did we really expect anything different? Dating back to his college days in Norman, Oklahoma at the University of Oklahoma he was doing the exact same thing, even hitting his face on the side of the backboard going up for a dunk. The athleticism he has is absolutely mind boggling. He is the clear choice for rookie of the year as well as the favorite to win the dunk contest. The western conference is loaded with all-stars, but if he doesn’t make it then the all-star game loses all credibility. Who cares if he is on a losing team or a rookie, based on his play he deserves to go. That brings me to Kevin Love. Kevin Love has been the most consistent player the entire year. Love just recorded his 30th straight double-double. That is off the charts good. Love may be on one of the league’s worst teams but he deserves to be an all-star as well. The all-star is a game that displays the game’s best talent and based on statistics he is one of the best.
The team that currently holds the NBA’s best record is the San Antonio Spurs. I don’t understand why people are surprised that the Spurs are playing this well. They have two of the best international players in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili that are great compliments to one of the great Power Forwards in Tim Duncan. No one should be surprised they have done this well, especially with the role players that come off the bench. What people should be surprised about is the fact they haven’t gotten injured this year. They have managed to remain healthy, which is why they are currently the best team. With the Celtics having done as well as they have up to this point should impress anyone. They more than any other team have dealt with injury issues with almost everyone on their team and they continue to step up and play remarkable basketball.
There really haven’t been too many big surprises. The same teams as usual are playing typical basketball. In both conferences the same old teams look to be bound for the playoffs. There will be some tight races down the stretch with teams fighting for playoff position. The all-star break will be good for all teams and for fans to relax from the game before the final playoff push begins. We can only hope things get more exciting and that there are some new teams to the playoff mix.
The team that currently holds the NBA’s best record is the San Antonio Spurs. I don’t understand why people are surprised that the Spurs are playing this well. They have two of the best international players in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili that are great compliments to one of the great Power Forwards in Tim Duncan. No one should be surprised they have done this well, especially with the role players that come off the bench. What people should be surprised about is the fact they haven’t gotten injured this year. They have managed to remain healthy, which is why they are currently the best team. With the Celtics having done as well as they have up to this point should impress anyone. They more than any other team have dealt with injury issues with almost everyone on their team and they continue to step up and play remarkable basketball.
There really haven’t been too many big surprises. The same teams as usual are playing typical basketball. In both conferences the same old teams look to be bound for the playoffs. There will be some tight races down the stretch with teams fighting for playoff position. The all-star break will be good for all teams and for fans to relax from the game before the final playoff push begins. We can only hope things get more exciting and that there are some new teams to the playoff mix.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Long Range Look Back: Reggie Miller
There are certain moments in sports history that will never be erased. One is the legacy of Reggie Miller. The guy was an incredible athlete, a stone-cold shot maker, and an all around great man. ESPN recently aired in their 30 for 30 series the film “Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. the New York Knicks”. This film documents one of the greatest athletes in NBA history, Reggie Miller, and his rivalry with the New York Knicks throughout his career. The film highlights one of the greatest moments in NBA history, it was the 1995 Playoffs, and with Reggie Miller and his Indiana Pacers down 105-99 in Game 1 to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden with only moments to go, Spike Lee and Knicks fans everywhere we sure the game was theirs. But then Reggie Miller went off and scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds to win the game, stunning the entire Knicks team, and their home crowd fans. With 18.7 seconds remaining in Game 1, Miller drained a three-pointer. He then stole the inbound pass, took it beyond the arc and drained another three. The Knicks came up short in the ensuing possession, and Miller got the rebound, was fouled and made both his free-throws, for 8 points. The Knicks had a chance to tie or win the game, but didn’t get a shot off. The Pacers won that series in 7 games, and went on to lose to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals, also taking it to 7 games.
This is a moment detested by Knick fans, revered by Pacer fans, and celebrated by basketball fans everywhere. Reggie’s number 31 has been retired at Conseco Fieldhouse. He now is an NBA announcer on TNT.
This is a moment detested by Knick fans, revered by Pacer fans, and celebrated by basketball fans everywhere. Reggie’s number 31 has been retired at Conseco Fieldhouse. He now is an NBA announcer on TNT.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Athletes and Twitter
A popular social media network among athletes which is symbolized by a little bird is Twitter. It is fitting that a bird is its symbol considering that all any athlete does on Twitter is chirp and then claim they didn’t do it. The most recent athlete to make that claim is one of the self-proclaimed heetles LeBron James.
The Cavaliers who have had one of the worst stretches in a long time (if it wasn’t for a decent start we would be talking about them setting the NBA record for fewest wins in a season) got absolutely destroyed by the Los Angeles Lakers scoring a franchise low 57 points. Before the game ended a tweet from the account of LeBron James said, “Crazy. Karma is a b*****. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!” The tweet seemed to send a jab to the entire Cleveland organization especially owner Dan Gilbert who acted as a little child when LeBron chose Miami over Cleveland (even though he was free to choose).
Someone like LeBron who has many followers has the unfortunate circumstance that he can’t just hurry and delete a tweet because thousands of people are going to have already read it and the controversy will have begun. His most recent tweet has caused a lot of people to scratch their heads and try to decipher who the tweet was intended for. Was it for the owner? The organization? The players? Only LeBron will ever know.
When confronted about it before the Heat played the Clippers Wednesday night James claimed the comment never came from him and that someone sent it to him and he then sent it out. Twitter has confirmed that it was not a retweet. So unless that mystery person sent it to him in a text or email or called him then the tweet came from LeBron and he needs to man up about it. James claims that he has moved on from the whole situation, if he truly has moved on then he would have not tweeted regardless of who said it first. By tweeting last night he just showed that he is not moving on and for some weird reason still holds a grudge even though his team has been playing magnificent as of late. LeBron needs to man up and tell the truth instead of claiming it wasn’t him.
It seems to happen a lot among NBA players, where they tweet something and then say it didn’t come from them. Then who did it come from? Why does someone else have access to your account? It is from your Twitter account then it comes from you regardless of whether or not you said it. If you let it get posted then you agree with it. Athletes act as if they are invincible until something is said that stirs up controversy and then suddenly they had nothing to do with it.
Recent Update:
Well it looks as though karma has made its way back to LeBron. James who is now listed as day to day sprained his left ankle in their game against the Clippers Wednesday night. He did have an x-ray which showed no damage but he will take it day to day (maybe the karma tweet was geared towards himself). When asked about his injury James said, “I don’t have to be a hero in the regular season if I’m not close to 100 percent.” That comment can also be a jab at the Cavs, seeming that they were only a force while he played there. With the Cavs, James would play regardless of what percent he was feeling at. LeBron needs to accept his new NBA role as a villain. He lost a lot of fans when and how he left for and took his talents to South Beach. LeBron knows he is not as liked anymore and he needs to confront it and accept it. There is nothing wrong with being a villain, if anything it is an automatic motivating force. If LeBron truly believes in karma then he better watch out for what he has coming with his recent tweet.
All athletes need to stand up and be men for what they think and say. Who cares if they say something controversial? It makes things interesting and more fun. They need to stop worrying about their reputation, because we all know they are 100 percent different off the court in the things they do in their own time and how they act.
Now for LeBron, stop trying to be a goodie good and accept your role as a villain.
The Cavaliers who have had one of the worst stretches in a long time (if it wasn’t for a decent start we would be talking about them setting the NBA record for fewest wins in a season) got absolutely destroyed by the Los Angeles Lakers scoring a franchise low 57 points. Before the game ended a tweet from the account of LeBron James said, “Crazy. Karma is a b*****. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!” The tweet seemed to send a jab to the entire Cleveland organization especially owner Dan Gilbert who acted as a little child when LeBron chose Miami over Cleveland (even though he was free to choose).
Someone like LeBron who has many followers has the unfortunate circumstance that he can’t just hurry and delete a tweet because thousands of people are going to have already read it and the controversy will have begun. His most recent tweet has caused a lot of people to scratch their heads and try to decipher who the tweet was intended for. Was it for the owner? The organization? The players? Only LeBron will ever know.
When confronted about it before the Heat played the Clippers Wednesday night James claimed the comment never came from him and that someone sent it to him and he then sent it out. Twitter has confirmed that it was not a retweet. So unless that mystery person sent it to him in a text or email or called him then the tweet came from LeBron and he needs to man up about it. James claims that he has moved on from the whole situation, if he truly has moved on then he would have not tweeted regardless of who said it first. By tweeting last night he just showed that he is not moving on and for some weird reason still holds a grudge even though his team has been playing magnificent as of late. LeBron needs to man up and tell the truth instead of claiming it wasn’t him.
It seems to happen a lot among NBA players, where they tweet something and then say it didn’t come from them. Then who did it come from? Why does someone else have access to your account? It is from your Twitter account then it comes from you regardless of whether or not you said it. If you let it get posted then you agree with it. Athletes act as if they are invincible until something is said that stirs up controversy and then suddenly they had nothing to do with it.
Recent Update:
Well it looks as though karma has made its way back to LeBron. James who is now listed as day to day sprained his left ankle in their game against the Clippers Wednesday night. He did have an x-ray which showed no damage but he will take it day to day (maybe the karma tweet was geared towards himself). When asked about his injury James said, “I don’t have to be a hero in the regular season if I’m not close to 100 percent.” That comment can also be a jab at the Cavs, seeming that they were only a force while he played there. With the Cavs, James would play regardless of what percent he was feeling at. LeBron needs to accept his new NBA role as a villain. He lost a lot of fans when and how he left for and took his talents to South Beach. LeBron knows he is not as liked anymore and he needs to confront it and accept it. There is nothing wrong with being a villain, if anything it is an automatic motivating force. If LeBron truly believes in karma then he better watch out for what he has coming with his recent tweet.
All athletes need to stand up and be men for what they think and say. Who cares if they say something controversial? It makes things interesting and more fun. They need to stop worrying about their reputation, because we all know they are 100 percent different off the court in the things they do in their own time and how they act.
Now for LeBron, stop trying to be a goodie good and accept your role as a villain.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Enjoy It While It Lasts
Yes, that is in reference to the Seahawks. But more meaningfully it is to football fans everywhere. With the BCS National Championship last night (Congrats to the Auburn Tigers) sadly, the football season is coming to an end, but let’s enjoy what is left while we can. And what is left is some NFL Playoffs!!
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Both teams known for their defense, but the Steeler’s offense is running on all cylinders now, so look for Pittsburgh to come out on top.
Green Bay at Atlanta
Two teams with great QBs. Matty Ice has gotten a lot of recent attention, and it has been well-deserved. Aaron Rogers is still growing and both quarterbacks need to prove themselves. Advantage goes to Atlanta because they have had nothing to cheer for until Matty Ice came along, and they are going to be hungry for the win.
Seattle at Chicago
While I joked about Seattle’s playoff run being short lived, Jay Cutler is so inconsistent that the Seahawks just might have a chance. More than likely Cutler and the Bear’s run defense will stop the Seahawks.
NY Jets at New England
This is going to be a game! Shanchez and the Jets offense have been a bit shakey, barely pulling out the win last weekend. New England has been on fire and has plenty of momentum carrying them into the playoffs. Plus they had a bye-week last week. Advantage goes to New England, look for them on Super Bowl Sunday too.
Based on how the regular season went, no team can be counted out. As football season winds down and the Super Bowl approaches, we should be able to finish the season off with some great games.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
BCS National Championship
With two high powered offensive teams playing each other one might question if this is going to be Offense vs. Offense in a gun-blazing duel? Or will a defense step up and actually slow down the high-flying offense of their opponent? Both teams have proven their offensive prowess, however the key to this game will be defense.
Looking at the stats, both teams are pretty evenly matched on offense. Cam Newton, Auburn’s QB and Heisman trophy winner is a headache to defensive coordinators, while Oregon’s leading rusher and Heisman finalist, LaMichael James is no easy stop. Both offensive coordinators, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Oregon’s Chip Kelly have proven their methods and have had plenty of time to scheme and prepare for the showdown on January 10.
Neither team has a big name on the other side of the football. Oregon’s Defense looks better on paper, ranked 12th in scoring defense, 6th in pass efficiency defense, 16th in run defense and 25th in total defense. Actually, they look great on paper, however their 25th ranked defense is shadowed by their offense. Auburn’s defense is much weaker, ranked by 55th in total defense, however they rank 10th in run defense, but will they be strong enough to stop LaMichael James?
Oregon’s defense is strong on paper, but they have only faced one top 25 offensive team, Stanford, which they allowed to go 518 yards for 31 points. Their other opponents have been far less than elite, 7 of the opposing offenses rank lower than 58, 4 of which are ranked 96th or worse. Auburn on the other hand has faced 3 teams in the top 25, Kentucky, Arkansas and Alabama.
Both Oregon and Auburn dominate the second half. Oregon shut out Stanford in the second half, which shows another aspect of Oregon’s game that could prove very helpful in stopping Cam Newton: they are adaptable. Auburn has come from behind in the fourth quarter in 8 of their 13 games. Needless to say, don’t count either team out.
In addition to defense, starting in stride will be crucial to winning this game. This will be a challenge for both teams after such a long time without a game, but it will be important to get scoring from the beginning, and then never get comfortable with any lead.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
NFL Playoffs 2011
The NFL has come and gone with 17 intriguing weeks, and now the fun begins with the 2011 playoffs. We are down to 12 teams who will start the quest to be Super Bowl Champions this coming Saturday. These playoffs will be very exciting to watch.
In the AFC, it seems to be down to two teams who are favorites to reach the Super Bowl. The two teams being the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, which are even better off because of the home-field advantage they both have. As many injuries as the Colts have they should never be counted out as long as Peyton Manning is behind center. The Kansas City Chiefs should not be overlooked, but the inexperience could prove to be the downfall of their playoff lives. The Jets when clicking on all cylinders can be a dangerous team, but don’t expect them to do that consistently enough to win the whole thing. The Baltimore Ravens should always be considered a threat just because of their stifling defense.
The NFC seems to be a little more wide open with no one team seeming to be ahead of the pack. The Atlanta Falcons must be given a slight edge based solely on the fact that they have home-field throughout the playoffs. The #2 seed Chicago Bears are too inconsistent and when they play bad, they play really bad. Jay Cutler and their offense are too hit and miss for them to make a deep run in the playoffs. If their defense shows up then they will have a chance to do something special. Expect the Bears to make a quick exit from these playoffs. Michael Vick is the most dangerous QB in the playoffs and as long as he is making smart decisions then the Eagles will compete. They are able to score enough points when playing well they can afford for their defense to slightly struggle throughout a game.
There is not too much to say when it comes to the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks. They will be handed a loss rather easily by the defending Super Bowl Champs. The Saints offense is too powerful for the Seahawks and the game will be over before halftime. The dark horse in the NFC has to be the New Orleans Saints. They get an easy first round match up which will only boost their confidence. They have been here before and know what it takes to get things done. Look for the Saints to surprise some people in these playoffs. In what could be the most dangerous #6 seed in a long time the Green Bay Packers could very easily reach the Super Bowl. They are equipped with a rugged defense that can get after any quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is a solid QB and is primed to prove he is an elite QB in the NFL.
The 2011 playoffs should bring a lot of excitement as well as many surprises.
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