I went to my niece’s high school basketball game yesterday and it was a good experience. J played well, the team won, all was well or so I thought.
Her high school plays the women’s game first and than the men’s so I stayed for a part of the men’s game while J wrapped up her post-game activities.
I find her watching the men’s contest on the other side of the gym in the bleachers, so I come over and tell her congrats on the game and everything.
Well, she was sitting with two boys and I immediately knew that she wanted me to leave so that she could continue her social activities. I also know that she was “scouting” out some of the talent on her school’s boy team. In fact, she was trying to move the conversation along so that I would get my goodbye in and leave.
I saw right through it and called her out on it. She laughed and said that this wasn’t the case, but I’ve been there so I told her that I’ll talk to her later and left.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. In the summer, I ran into J while I was at the mall and she was with her friends. The second that she saw me, she ran the other way to not come near me. I knew her friends so it wasn’t as if I was going to see some shady characters J was with.
The reality is that I’ve become the “old relative.”
We’ve have that older relative when we were teenagers that we have love for but we think is lame if we associate with them in front of our friends.
I’m not hurt by J’s actions. In fact, I’ve joked with her about the mall incident and will mess with her about the gym situation the next time we’re together.
But its strange to be at this stage of our relationship because I was the youngest member of the immediate family for many years, especially during my elementary and high school years. Its been an interesting transition going from the young guy to being the mentor to a group that’s currently in high school themselves.
The relationship with J has had changed over the years. When she was first born, she was the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. I know everyone says that about their kid or family member, but you have to believe me on this one. I would spend hours with her because it was cool to spend time with a little girl for the first time.
I still remember when I was babysitting her when J was less than a year old and there was a blackout at the house we were staying at. I spoke directly to her for a whole hour and she just sat there, looked up at me and listened. Granted, J may have been excited to see a talking object as a baby but it started a bond that is still strong to this day.
She’s 15 now and growing up into a woman. We’re still close and have even been able to share some things in common, including our dating lives to some degree as strange as that sounds. She’s my main advisor in many aspects of my life.
However, as evidence at the gym yesterday, she’s springing out into her own world and I’ve come to terms with this.
I’ve always said that J has been a test case for me if I ever have a daughter and this is a lesson that I’ll remember for a long time.
Music to listen to: Any Colour You Like by Pink Floyd
Hey everybody. Its been such a long time since I’ve written on Pourtout Pancakes and that’s my fault.
Since moving to Georgia, I’ve been focused on not only finding a full-time job but on my other Web page, thesportsinquirer.worpress.com.
Spending a majority of time on that has been fun but I’ve also missed giving you my updated top-five, Links I Like, dating life information, music reviews and of course, Sunday Reflections.
There’s nothing new to update you on here in Georgia. I miss Nashville for a variety of reasons. I miss attending Vandy football games, even though looking at this season from a far, maybe it was good to sit this one out from a distance.
I miss going to Belmont sporting events, where even after I graduated and stopped working in the athletic department was given massive amounts of love whenever I visited.
I even miss my peeps at TNA Wrestling. While there may have been issues at the time I was there, it was an awesome gig to have and as a professional wrestling fan, that internship may be a major highlight in my professional career.
More importantly, at all of those places, I miss the people.
I’ve kept in touch with some but not as much as I would like. I went from seeing some people every day to not even hearing from them for weeks at a time.
However, despite all of this nostalgia, it was time to move away from Nashville and find another path.
What that path is, I’m unsure.
What has been a bummer is seeing the employment market in sports. I’ve been on all of the job boards, sent my resume to a bunch of places, made countless cover letters, contacted a bunch of people, yet nothing.
It makes you want to look for something outside of the industry, which is something that I’ve had to start doing because the financial funds are really low right now.
But you don’t read this Blog to hear about all of that. I’ll be fine.
So I’ll make a better effort to write more on Pourtout Pancakes because its fun and does provide me a form of therapy that I can use right now in my life.
My Reflections today are on pregnant women getting married. Strange, I know, but first…
Music to listen to: Hoops by Chemical Brothers (live)
I thought about this topic when watching the Bethanny’s Getting Married TV show on Bravo. Before you start hating for me watching a show on that station, especially a spinoff of a Real Housewives edition of the series, hear me out. Beth is entertaining, her unintentional comedy is off the charts, easy on the eyes and has a show based in my hometown, the NYC. Darn near any show based in the NYC gets a customary view because that’s where I will always represent for it. So I gave Beth’s show an opportunity, liked it, etc.
So the premise of the show is this. She’s pregnant and is planning to get married during the pregnancy to her boyfriend. Of course, there is drama with this, but she has her wedding, even has the honeymoon about seven months pregnant, has the baby a month early, baby and marriage is fine, the end.
While watching the show, I kept asking myself why she just didn’t wait to get married until AFTER she had the baby. I thought that Beth was the exception but I’ve seen this trend happening often.
First it was Beth, than it was the singer Alicia Keys, next was model Miranda Kerr and even someone within my extended family. What’s going on?
I thought in 2010 that we would be past the “shotgun wedding.”
I’ve fortunately never been in a situation where I’ve gotten someone pregnant and had to make a decision to whether I want to keep the baby, stay with the woman, break up with her and be a single parent, etc. You would have to consider all of those things if you are in that spot.
I put this inquiry on Facebook about a week ago and the response from my women friends tended to be of the view that women don’t want to be a “baby mama,” meaning that before they give birth to the baby, they want a commitment from their boyfriend that they will have a family and nothing says that more than marriage.
I see that view from the women but here’s my view as a man.
If we’re in an established relationship and you happen to be pregnant, that would be great. I want to be a father and if we were having unprotected sex than I was willing to accept the potential responsibility of fatherhood. However, there is a difference between being your husband and the father of your child. They are connected but not as much as people make it out to be.
Our marriage is about the commitment that we are making towards each other. My role as a father is about my commitment to our child. I can be a great father without being your husband. Being a great husband may have no impact on my fathering skills.
If we only get married to provide a fake family for our child, that’s going to hurt in a major way in the future because it won’t last and hurt feelings will ensue.
Furthermore, preparing to have a baby is a major commitment in itself that deserves its own attention. Those nine months should be dedicated to our child, not looking at floral arrangements and seating charts. We should be preparing the nursery and not trying out wedding gowns, you get what I’m saying.
We can take care of the pregnancy, wait about a year while we settle into being parents and then have the wedding when things calm down.
Also, I thought most of us 35 years old and under were beyond the pressures of the older generation forcing the “shotgun wedding.” Back in the olden days (really the 1950’s and 60’s), if you got someone pregnant, you had to marry then because raising a child out of wedlock was considered unacceptable by the standards of society.
In the 21st century, most of us were either raised by divorced parents or had a member of your immediate family circle going through it. My parents are divorced and after spending time with each of them, I understand why the separation happened on both sides. If they forced themselves to stay together for my sake, it would have been an unhappier household that would have been problems for everybody.
That’s just my case and not everyone is the same but what do you think about “shotgun weddings” in 2010?
Music to listen to: Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan (otherwise known as that Matrix song)
My nephew asked me a few weeks ago if this was my lowest point of my life or rock bottom. I thought about it and I simply told him no. He didn’t have to know about my unhappy high school years, my depression during the first two years of college, celebrating my 21st birthday alone and wondering if I left the world if anyone would care, having the power and heat cut off of my apartment in Dunwoody, making me take hot showers at the gym and about five or six situations I can think of but won’t get into.
Searching for a job is not my lowest point.
I can see his view of it. He has seen his uncle go from earning a master’s degree in the one industry that I’ve cared about the most, sport management and then working in professional wrestling in a fun job to having no money in my account and having to move into my mother’s home. He’s seen me move away from a place that I’ve had the best three years of my life, Nashville, to a less active suburbia.
To a 13-year old who thinks his uncle should be living in a condo in downtown Atlanta partying with three girlfriends and hitting the bars but instead is barely surviving, that can be viewed at as a low.
But his blunt honesty of my situation has made me realize that I’ve let myself perceive this as a low and that’s why I haven’t written on my Blog for nearly two months.
For those of you who have followed Pourtout Pancakes the past three years know that I’ll write about anything personal accept my family. I’ve written about my body image issues, my job, working on getting my education, dating, sports and even dying. My boundaries are very open, but why the fear of writing now?
I thought that I would write my post saying goodbye to Nashville and than be able to do another one a week or two later promoting my new job in a fun city that would continue my life path.
I wanted my next post to be a positive one with good news on my front but that isn’t what the Blog is about. Its about me working out my issues and hopefully letting my experiences be helpful to someone that’s reading it.
I let the perceived lives of others affect my mood. I violated my own rule of not judging my life in comparison with others. One of my life mantras is to have my own journey but when I see people I know getting jobs, getting married, having children, taking vacations around the world and I’m stuck here, that hurt.
But this (earmuffs for the kids) shit is temporary. I will come out of this stronger and with a desire to dominate all aspects of my life. I will get a job, have my own place again and get back into a positive situation.
The second thing that happened since my move here was interesting as well. I was in an interview for a sales position for an athletic department in Georgia and they asked me if sports didn’t exist, what industry would I work in.
At first, I tried to give a answer but kept it real and told them that I can’t imagine myself in another industry.
I’m a sports journalist. That’s what I do.
I’ve been flexible with it working in media relations, marketing, advertising, etc but the core desire is the same.
Fuck it I will have that sports media outlet that will be witnessed by the world as the premiere source in the world for sports news. I can’t compromise on that ideal because if I do than I will consider my life, at least on the professional side, a failure.
I have been a failure towards my goal and have to be honest about that. You’re reading this and calling me out on my bull crap.
I could produce this sports media vehicle right now. I can start up that second Blog. I can post videos with my commentaries. I could become a freelance writer. All of this is true. I’m not going to make promises that I’m going to do all of that to you because I can’t even keep that promise to myself.
I don’t know what my next step is and that’s the honest truth.
So that’s the update. I’ll touch on stuff like enjoying food a little too much, my new enjoyment of Univision and Telemundo, LeBron, the World Cup, watching three seasons of The Wire on DVD and it being one of the five best shows I’ve ever seen, the Cincinnati Reds being in first place, getting roped into online dating again, Fedor losing and Brock winning me over as a MMA fan, being awed by Breaking Bad, the addiction of daytime TV and everything in between over the next few weeks in my blog posts.
This isn’t a rock bottom, just a time to get it together and more importantly, get it right.
Music to listen to: Seven by Sunny Day Real Estate
So we are halfway through the conference finals of the NBA Playoffs and not only are we heading towards possible sweeps, but we my see a rematch of only two years ago in the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. This may lead to a lack of excitement for casual fans but there has been a lot of things going on in the world of the NBA. So you’ve come to the right source for the review of it all.
1) Where in the world will LeBron James go? I’ve been asked this question by several people because I have a partial and impartial view of this situation. I’m a New York Knicks fan, one of LeBron’s potential destinations, and I would be happy if he became a Knick. However, as an NBA fan, I like to see elite players in the best situations so we can see the best product possible. Plus, I show no emotion in my analysis and you know that. Here’s my breakdown.
Before I start, he’s going to make his money wherever he goes, so the fact that Cleveland can sign him for the “most” money is true on paper but in the grand scheme of this situation, it doesn’t matter.
If he’s thinking with his basketball mind he will be a…Bull. Chicago gives him the best situation to turn a playoff team to a potentially elite team. Not only do the Bulls have Rose and Noah in store, they have additional money to sign another high-level player like Chris Bosh. If you put those four together, they will be the top team in the East right along with Orlando the next five to six years. They also have Deng’s contract to include in a sign and trade, which makes the possibility even stronger. There is also an open head coach position if he wants to play that game.
If he’s thinking with his heart he will be a…Cav. LeBron continues to preach loyalty and obviously staying with your “hometown” team is the way to show this. I put “hometown” in quotations because most people seem to think that LeBron considers Cleveland his hometown but its actually Akron that he claims. It’s not the same. He can finish what he has stated with the Cavs. However, because of the inept management of the team’s roster, all of the role players such as Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, Varajo, etc. are still with the team for a few years with heavy contracts other teams won’t want. If LeBron couldn’t even make the Finals the past two years with this crew, what makes him think it will be any different? Plus, if they keep Mike Brown, which they probably won’t, James has to walk.
If he wanted to think about his brand, he will be a…Net. I’ll get to the Knicks, hear me out. The Nets have Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, a top-three pick in the draft and money to spend. He will be closer to his major New York market and the Nets have a better core than the Knicks, which isn’t saying much but it’s something. Another open position is at head coach. Two more factors to consider. You can’t ignore the ownership of Jay-Z of the team as being a factor. Those two have formed a relationship of some form that has lasted a long time. Second, the owner is Russian and has European connections that will help James increase his name in that area of the world.
If he wants to be a little savvy he will be a…Celtic or Thunder. Both teams can afford him, especially Oklahoma City. They each have good cores to build around but I don’t think that Lebron is a candidate for these locations.
If he wanted to be savvy and give a sleeper a chance, he would be a…Maverick. Dallas has the money, an expiring contract, the sway of Mark Cuban, the chance to play in a bigger market and even Texas Stadium on occasion and some other attributes. The problem is that you have an older core that may lose its maximum skills in a year or two instead of a younger core like Chicago or New Jersey.
If he buys into the whole “global icon” concept, he would be a…Knick. It is the biggest market, the largest stage, offers the most money besides Cleveland, he would be the biggest sports celebrity in that city, even more than Jeter. He would gain larger exposure for his brand. On the court, New York offers him a nearly open slate to choose players and a coach in D’Antoni with a system that he could realistically average 35/10/8 if he wanted to for a season or even tick the points down a few and get the elusive triple-double season. However, this isn’t enough. He would have to get another player like Bosh or even Wade to take the leap with him. This may be harder than you would think.
If he can deal with a crappy owner, he would be a Clipper…If the Clippers had another owner that gave a crap about the team, they would be the favorite outside of Cleveland. The Clippers give him the major market, have a solid core of young players, the whole thing accept for the terrible owner. There is no way that LeBron makes this move. Can’t blame him.
So where does he go. I think he ends up a Knick. He’s going to buy into the BS of him having to play for the Knicks to reach his marketing potential. He’s already the face of the league. If he wants to reach Michael Jordan status, he has to win titles. He would have a better chance of doing that with the Bulls and not a rebuilding Knicks team.
Wherever he chooses to play, he needs to gain a killer instinct and act like he cares. Losing game five of the Boston series wasn’t criminal. It happens to all of the great players. However, his mannerisms during that contest was unacceptable for a player who is trying to become a world champion. All of the greats from Jordan to Magic to Bird and many others wouldn’t have let game five happen the way that it did. You have to be aggressive and take control of your team. Game six was a formality because all of us knew the Cavs were going to lose that contest.
The biggest thing that we learned from that Boston series is that LeBron, really any elite player honestly, needs help to win a championship. One-man gangs don’t win NBA titles. That’s why its critical that whoever he signs with has a supporting cast around him because if he goes to New York and no one joins him, he’s going to keep losing early in the playoffs.
Enough LeBron, he’s out of the playoffs, lets look at the other playoff series:
Boston vs. Orlando: Dwight Howard is like LeBron-lite. The lack of competitiveness in him is just as disappointing. He needs to stop smiling and acting happy because he’s getting punked in this series. The thing that was most disturbing was his “interview” during game one of the series with himself. His alter ego Clark Kent or some other crap like that was doing an interview with Dwight, it was awful as it sounds. Not to sound like an old man but you wouldn’t see the great players do that at all. He’s not elite. Also, learn some post moves.
When you’re relying on Vince Carter for clutch plays, you have problems.
For Boston, we’ve seen this song and dance before. The main difference is that while Pierce, Garnett and Allen can’t give a max effort every night because of age, Rondo steps up and fills the role. I still would take Deron Williams and Derrick Rose before Rondo but he’s had an excellent 2010 playoffs.
Back to Orlando. I think that sweeping Charlotte and Atlanta may have actually hurt it. The Magic haven’t been challenged and you’re seeing the battle-tested crew of Boston take it to them. Also, does Rashad Lewis even know that this series has started? Just a question for someone who is due to make more than $18 million dollars each year for the next four? What an awful contract.
I think Boston wins this series in six.
Los Angeles vs. Phoenix: Its not a problem for the Suns when Kobe goes for 40 points in game one. Lamar Odom going for 18 and 18 in the same contest is not good. Gasol getting 28 points in game two is a problem. Kobe is going to get 30+ points in every game of this series. If the bigs for the Lakers have big games, the Suns will get swept.
Phoenix just doesn’t have the size to compete.
However, similar to Orlando, if the Lakers get comfortable, Boston will bring it to them in the Finals.
What up everybody, hope you’ve been well. On to another fun post…
Music to listen to: Machine Messiah by Yes
So I’m moving out of Nashville and going to spend at least the summer in good ole Kennesaw, Ga.
Its been an active four-week period for me personally and professionally. It all started at the end of March when I was informed that I was going to be released from my position at TNA Wrestling. It was a tough blow to take because its always tough being told that you aren’t wanted at your place of employment, no matter how good or bad you did at your job. I think I did well and tried my best but that wasn’t good enough for them and I can’t control that. I made some excellent relationships there and will miss the job but you have to move on.
Furthermore, as I’ve stated here in this forum, working in sports is a dicey profession to get involved in. No one is safe. Players get traded, coaches get fired, executives get released, its part of the gig. So while there are some hard feelings towards the release, I’m not bitter about it. Plus, in a few years, there may be another chance to come back to TNA Wrestling or professional wresting in general, so this is just a phase of the employment life.
It was fun to work in professional wrestling because I was able to achieve one of those childhood goals. When I was a little, ok husky, lad in Brooklyn with only a prayer and a dream back in the NYC, I wanted to be one of several things in this order
1) President of the New York Mets 2) Sports writer for the New York Daily News 3) President of the New York Giants 4) President of the New York Rangers 5) President of the World Wrestling Federation
The first one would be interesting, the second one would be interesting and I’ve worked in media relations so I have an idea of how that goes down, the third one would be OK, the fourth one would be the most outside of my element and the fifth one would be the least interesting to me because after working in professional wrestling, I see what goes into it and its probably not for me. But at least I can say that I tried it.
Plus I got paid to talk about and watch wrestling. The 13-year old version of me would think that was epic so the 28-year old version will as well.
After getting the release, I’ve been contemplating a LOT of stuff in my life. I’ve come to several conclusions. Want to hear them? Since you’re reading this blog post, you probably do so here they go:
1) It’s time to move out of Nashville. I’ve spent seven years of my adult life in this city and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. When I first came down here for undergrad studies, there was a culture shock of moving from the NYC to middle Tennessee. While I had spent some summers in South Carolina and Georgia as a teenager, it wasn’t the same. This city has represented my growth as an adult in many ways. When I first came here in 1999, Nashville was growing from a perceived sleepy town with some country music into one of the major cities in the country. Between the Tennessee Titans, businesses moving down here and everything else, it was a happening time. By the time of my first departure in 2003, the city had changed and so did I. After some rough personal times and not finding happiness in Charleston, S.C., I jumped at the chance to come back to this city for graduate school and its been even more fun than the frst time.
I’ve so comfortable here. I know where to go to take care of every task, have free access to each sporting event of my choosing, only a three-hour drive from a significant amount of my family, the people are nice, etc.
However, its time for me to move outside of my bubble and expand my options. I’m sure that I could stay here, find a job to my liking and spend the next fifty years here. But I want to see more of this country, diversify my choices and that means moving away. I will always be around the city though. I can’t miss Vandy football, Belmont volleyball, Belmont soccer, Vandy men’s basketball, Belmont basketball, and most surprisingly, Belmont baseball.
I came to my ultimate conclusion to move out on Saturday when I went to the senior day activities for Belmont baseball. I saw the ceremony for the four seniors Packy, Cameron, Brandan and Mark and thought back to three years ago when those guys were sophomores and now they were grown men moving on to their next paths of life. I would love to still be friends with the senior versions of them and stay in this state forever but that’s not how life works. Like them I must find my path and that means leaving this comfort zone.
I will have an emo moment when I drive on to I-24 towards Chattanooga to Georgia because while I will visit here often, it won’t be the same.
2) Being very picky about my next position of employment, it has to be in the following fields to reach these positions.
a) College athletic director b) President of a Mixed Martial Arts organization c) Publisher of a sports publication d) President/Commissioner of a professional basketball team/organization e) President/Commissioner of a professional baseball team/organization f) Kick ass bass player of an alternative rock group that’s part Mars Volta, part Yes, part Tool, some Black Angels, Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation wrapped into one.
Only one of those has no chance of happening. I’ve looked at other positions in other industries and I would prefer to not do it. I love the sports industry and more importantly, I’m good, borderline excellent in it. This is what I want to do and the past month has confirmed this for me.
3) I want a wife and children. I’ve bounced back and forth with this one. All of us who are single like me have those moments when we see a happy family in a public place and wish we had that for ourselves and then we see an unhappy couple with miserable children and are grateful we aren’t in that spot.
If it seems like I’m harping on age its not intentional but I get like this on my birthday week. I turn 29 on Saturday and while I’m not old (btw, when you’re in your early 50’s, you’re old, no shame in that, embrace it, but you are in the second-half of your life), I would prefer to not be the old dad if you know what I’m saying.
I figure I’m fortunate if I reach 70. I’m well aware of my mortality and accept it because all of us die so no biggie to think on these terms. I would like to be able to post up my sons and daughters in the backyard driveway playing basketball when they are teenagers, lets say 15. Its going to go south for me at 50, so that means I have about five years, maybe 10 before I have to at least have the first child.
I’ve heard that having a child is like seeing a dog learn to talk and who doesn’t want that?
But seriously, if I want to have a family, these are things I have to think about. I’m glad that I haven’t had any children yet because I’m not in the proper position to support them right now but I will be soon.
So as of May 17, 2010, your boy will eventually like to become a father and husband, but that may change next week, next year or even by the end of this post. Its something that’s in my control and out of my control if that makes sense.
4) I want to have more fun. This month has been rough but its shown me that I also have a lot going for me and that I have to enjoy my life more because as you saw in point three above, it can go in an instant.
Along those lines, I have to go back to my definitions of fun. For some, heading to the bar or dance club may be fun but I’m not interested in that. I find enjoyment in writing on this blog, heading to the book store and reading, attending sporting events, etc. What I’m telling myself to do is embrace my journey and find enjoyment within me.
5) I really, really want to get Sports Inquirer going. This moment of my life will determine if I become a sports journalist or not. Pourtout Pancakes is a good forum but deep in my soul I believe that if I do this right, when you think of American sports publications, it will be only behind Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and The Sporting News. Its on me to make that happen
6) Law school may still happen in 2011, but I’m not ready to take the LSAT. I postponed that test until October. It had to be done.
7) Learn French and play guitar. When I release my French rock album and have my first concert in Quebec City, you won’t be laughing then.
8) Value my family. I’ve been selfish the last decade of my life in relation to assisting my family. They can really use my assistance at this time. I’m not going to specifics because remember my one rule of the blog, I don’t write about specifics in my family but its nothing major. However, having my presence in Georgia will be nice for them.
Hey everybody, long time since my last Blog post, no excuses, let’s get right into it with a review of the 2010 NBA playoffs so far.
Music to listen to: Exodus by Bob Marley
This is what I’m listening to while doing this post. For some reason, Bob Marley came up in a conversation I was having a few days ago so I’ve decided to post my favorite song of his.
So the NBA playoffs are in full swing and I’m loving every moment of it. This is my favorite set of playoffs out of the big four sports because while it does last a little too long for my taste (thank you television rights), you see the most intriguing matchups and the true meddle of teams. While MLB is seems even lengthier, NFL crests with the Super Bowl and the NHL seems like a war of attriction, the NBA seems like the perfect balance.
I didn’t know the best way to do this but decided to make general statements and roll from there.
-Denver is an absolute mess and I don’t know where to point the finger. I could go with the unfortunate health decline of its head coach, George Karl, the eroding skills of Billups, the pouting and immaturity of J.R. Smith, the joke of an attitude that Kenyon Martin has. In the end, I have to look at Carmelo Anthony. He should have taken the reigns on this team and carried them to a win over Utah in the first round.
-Have no idea what to make of Charlotte after its first-round series against Orlando.
-Dwayne Wade is, at worst, the fourth-best player in the league and he may need to be higher. That game four performance against Boston was inspirational. When he is a Bull next year, look out for those guys, speaking of which…
-The combo of Derrick Rose and Noah in Chicago in its series against Cleveland, should be an open letter to every wing free-agent, including LeBron, that you can go to the Bulls and compete for the East, maybe even an NBA title. Its rare to find an elite point guard and a high-production forward together and willing to do whatever it takes for the team. If the Bulls hire someone competent as head coach, even though with the ownership’s continued support of the incompetent general manager Paxson you don’t know, that team can be a force.
-I’m buying into what Kenny Smith said on Inside the NBA that Kevin Durant will be the best player in the NBA in three years. Think about it. Kobe and Duncan will definitely be on the downturn. Dwight Howard will actually regress as a player and I’ll get to him in my next point. Deron Williams, Rose and Chris Paul will continue to do their thing but Durant will have a size advantage over them. Anthony is solid but not better.
That leaves Wade and LeBron. We’ve seen Wade’s body break down so I’m leaning against him. I think that Durant is a better shooter right now, LeBron is a better defender, both can score even though I would put Durant as a better “scorer.” Just think about it.
The Thunder showed me some maturity in losing to the Lakers and will be a force to recognize in the next few years.
-Portland was borderline idiotic in playing Brandon Roy with a bum knee. I don’t care that he came on the court, hit some shots and the Blazers actually won that home contest. You can’t risk your franchise player in a first-round series like that. Furthermore, your team has a history of injuries, hello Greg Oden, and you do that. That was one of the most unsmart moves I’ve seen from a professional organization
-OK, back to Dwight Howard. We should have seen more development from him as a post player by now in his career. I know he had a nice game against Atlanta last night but Orlando will NEVER win a title if he is the main option on offense.
-Fire Mike Woodson. As a passive Hawks fan, I’m disgusted at the fact of the Bucks series going seven games and the embarrassment of last night’s game against Orlando. He has been an incompetent coach during his entire time in Atlanta and now the rest of America gets to see it.
Now on to the current series
Lakers vs. Jazz: While Deron Williams is playing like the best point guard in the league right now and the Jazz will always play hard, it can’t beat the Lakers. Too much size. Lakers in six.
Suns vs. Spurs: Classic series that will be enjoyable to watch because of the matchups. I think this is the year that Phoenix breaks through. Suns in seven.
Orland vs. Atlanta: This has the chance of being a sweep but I’ll give the Hawks one game assuming that Joe Johnson gets hot in one contest. Magic in five.
Cleveland vs. Boston: Saved the best for last. I’m as big of a LeBron mark as you can find but two things are disturbing me about this series and the Cavs in general. First, the elbow injury is legit and it can affect him physically. The second point worries me even more and it’s the mental state of the Cavs. They seemed a little too happy to get their butts whipped at home by an aging Celtics squad that they should be double-digit favorites over in each game. Mike Brown, aka LeBron’s puppet, needs to gain some strong testicle power and tell his team that if they don’t get their act right, they can be down 3-1 quickly. I don’t see that killer instinct in LeBron and it may never come, at least in this series. With all that being said, I’ll take the best player in the world. Cavs in seven.
Hey everyone, sorry that the Sunday Reflections are on a Monday but I got caught up in some things last night and that prevented me from writing them. So, here they are now. First…
Music to listen to: Natural Science by Rush
This came up on my Pandora this morning and you know that I always go war for Rush so enjoy.
The past week has been interesting for me in several ways and I’ll probably get to all of them through my timeline of it.
First, I found out on Thursday that my time at my current job will end in mid-May. Its disappointing because I like working at that place and have made some good connections but that’s the world of sports business and you have to accept it.
It’s never enjoyable to lose your job, whether it was for something you did or the company. There are some things that I could have done better and that goes both ways but this post isn’t about that. Its about me reflecting on the action and taking action upon it.
The initial reaction was frustration for the reasons stated above but if you stay angry about the situation, that’s not productive for anybody, especially yourself.
The next thing was about the business of Marcel, Inc. (you like how I did that?). Losing your job is incredibly taxing on your finances, especially when I was struggling financially before my release. So, you look at what your income is, your expenses and figure out a way to hold on until the next job comes along. I’m at that stage right now.
Notice how the reflection of what went right and wrong hasn’t taken place yet. All of my writers out there will be able to relate to this. Its like when you write a long form paper and immediately edit it for errors. You are entranced in the work so you miss the mistakes that you made. You write the paper, take your eyes off of it for a few hours and then review it. That’s why if a paper was due on a Friday, I would finish it by Wednesday night and then review it on Thursday night or write it Thursday night and review it Friday morning, that distance of time is very important.
I know what my positive attributes are as an employee and where improvements can be made but in relation to this current job, I’ll have to take some time before that happens. However, sitting around doesn’t pay the bills or advance your career so we keep it moving.
Most of that stuff happened on Thursday night into Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, I went to the Strikeforce: Nashville event weigh-in. For those of you unfamiliar with that, Strikeforce is a mixed martial arts organization that was holding a fighting event at Bridgestone Arena here in town on Saturday night. The day before the event, competitors are weighed to make sure that they fit the proper criteria to fight in the weight class.
This weigh-in took place outside of the Bridgestone Arena and it made a gloomy past 24 hours lighten up. I’ll get into the particulars of Friday afternoon and even Saturday night in my MMA Review post later but being in that environment reminded me that this current job isn’t the end of the line for me.
I will be the president or commissioner of a major sports organization in my lifetime, its destined to happen, it has to happen and it will happen. Whenever I’m at a sporting event, whether its an MMA event, a baseball contest, a tennis match, etc. I always look at the organization of it and analyze what steps I would take to enhance, improve, edit, change.
Outside of spending time with my friends and family or dominating my young nephew in video games, this is the most enjoyment I have in my life, viewing live sporting events, the preparations behind them and seeing the execution.
I saw the weigh-ins and that made me excited and the fights on Saturday were entertaining as well. It was the first time that I saw an MMA event of that magnitude and it has inspired me to not give up on my goals.
And that’s what this is all about in the end. We all have setbacks in our life, personal, professional, physical and they stink. However, its how we recover from these that tests your character and ultimately makes you who you are.
When I reach my goal, it will be even better knowing the struggles that I had to go through to reach it.
Furthermore, its also about prospective. I went shopping in Kroger yesterday afternoon and I saw a gentleman that put all of this in its proper place.
He was someone who has been stricken with a sickness, probably cancer. He has no hair, was wearing a surgeon mask and wearing batting gloves that you would use for baseball. Furthermore, he had a thin frame, which as those of you know who have unfortunately dealt with disease, know that he was not doing well health-wise.
I wanted to tell him to stay strong and that he was in my prayers but I didn’t want to approach him, scare him or possibly make him even more sick. I kept my distance and saw him shopping just like the rest of us in the store, not intimidated by his physical limitations.
It showed me that despite all of the stuff that I’m going through in my life, I have so many positives and am truly blessed to be where I am today. If that gentleman in the store can strive forward with his life, I have NOTHING to complain about.
I’ll find another job, learn from my missteps and emerge as a stronger individual from this. It has to happen, it must happen, it will happen.
Plus this will finally give me the chance to go walk the mountains like I keep saying I will do.
The NBA playoffs start tomorrow and I’m very, very excited about them. This is usually my favorite time of year sports wise because you have the NHL playoffs, NBA playoffs, Wrestlemania from WWE, Lockdown from TNA Wrestling, the beginning of MLB, college baseball, solid MMA fights, even some early tennis and golf majors. However the favorite is the NBA playoffs.
For those of you who hate on the NBA for various reasons, a lot of those dislikes are eliminated in the playoffs, accept for the fact there a few too many games. Return the best-of-five format to the first round, please!
Forgot…
Music to listen to: Vicera Eyes by The Mars Volta
Before I get to my first-round playoff predictions, here are my awards:
OK, Cleveland beats Los Angeles in the NBA Finals, LeBron is the MVP, fun times in the city before he contemplates leaving and then…stays in Cleveland and signs a three-year deal. More on this during the summer.
MVP: Lebron James, Cleveland
I know that its easy to hate on LeBron because of his constant non-commitment to his future and openly accepting the ovatures of the New York Knicks, the media love affair, the dancing, etc. but he’s clearly the best player in the league. Kobe Bryant made a nice claim last year but its Lebron’s crown now.
Similar to last year, LeBron covers all fronts. If you believe in the notion of the best player on the best team, its LeBron. If you’re a stats geek, he averaged 29/9/7 while shooting over 50% from the field. He’s the most efficient player in the league and just had one of the 10 best individual seasons ever and he took some games off at the end to rest. He’s in year two of a seven to eight year run of being arguably the most dominant player in his sport for his era, maybe only Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Babe Ruth joining him at the table. He’s an athlete that is almost lapping the field with his individual brilliance.
Kevin Durant would be second in my vote. Not only did he mature and lead his team to 50 wins, something no one, I don’t care who you are saw coming, but he evolved his game beyond just scoring points. OK, the points are big for him. Youngest scoring champ ever, the only possible guy who can average 35+ points in the next two to three years, unstoppable if he’s on point. The thing I like about him is that he shoots 90% from the free throw line, averages more than 10 attempts a game and shots 3-pointers efficiently. A year ago Bill Simmons said that he could average 40 per game. I laughed but not anymore. He also gave a darn on defense and rebounding. He’s never going to be a first-team All-Defense member but his effort propelled them to 50 wins.
Rounding out my top five would be Steve Nash, who defies age and has gone from underrated in Dallas, to slightly overrated with the two MVPs in Phoenix, to underrated again the past three years. He’s a lock Hall of Famer and off the top of my head, Magic, Isiah Thomas, Oscar Robinson and John Stockton are the only point guards I’m taking over him all-time. That’s major company.
Fourth would be Deron Williams who is making his debate against Chris Paul even more interesting as the years pass and Dwight Howard, who continues to play defense and rebound but lacks offensive and leadership qualities to contend for the top spot.
I didn’t leave Kobe of the top-five on purpose. Just looked at the other guys and put them ahead.
Rook of the year: Steph Curry, Golden State
I really, really wanted to show love to Brandon Jennings of Milwaukee for being the starting point guard on a playoff team and Tyreke Evans for putting up a 20/5/5 season. Only Jordan, Robertson and James have done what Evans did so that’s heady company.
However, I think that Curry was a better overall player this season. You may say that the Golden State system makes him better and that’s a fair critique but I look at this award as the best pure player, not just stats and that nod goes to Curry.
OK, I’ll get to some other stuff during the predictions so lets get started
Cleveland vs. Chicago
Prediction: Cleveland in five
Thoughts: Maybe Noah will close line James as he drives to the basket. Other than Rose averaging 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds in this series, Chicago doesn’t have much to look forward to other than the general manager John Paxson and head coach Vinnie Del Negro slapping each other in the hallway. Hinrich will have a nice series for the Bulls and Noah will show his all-defensive skills but this round for Cleveland is all about getting Shaq in shape to face Orlando down the line.
Orlando vs. Charlotte
Prediction: Orlando in six
Thoughts: Sure Charlotte plays excellent defense and anytime you have Stephen Jackson in a pressure situation its fun for the whole family but outside of that, what do the Bobcats offer that Orlando can’t overcome?
Atlanta vs. Milwaukee
Prediction: Atlanta in six
Thoughts: If Andrew Bogut was healthy, I would take the Bucks in a walk. However, seeing how Atlanta’s strenghs is the front court play of Josh Smith and Al Hoford, Milwaukee can’t compete with that. Jennings starting his first playoff series is tough to bet on as well. He’ll outplay Mike Bibby but with Joe Johnson establishing himself as a borderline elite NBA player, this too much for the Bucks to overcome.
Boston vs. Miami
Prediction: Boston in seven
Thoughts: Wade is the best player on the floor. He was the best player on the floor last year when the Heat faced Atlanta last year in the playoffs. Who won that series, you can figure it out. I’ve never been a fan of one-man gangs in the playoffs (Cleveland is different because that one player is that darn good). While Boston will get smoked in the next round, they have the better overall team than Miami. Wade will put up sick numbers and the Celtics will look very old but they will find a way to get this series.
Western Conference
Los Angeles vs. Oklahoma City
Prediction: Lakers in six
Thoughts: The battle of two of the three best pure players in the league in the first round of the playoffs, young vs. older and experienced. The NBA couldn’t have scripted it any better. As much love as I have for Durant as you’ve read above and becoming more enamored by Russell Westbrook’s skills at point guard where he will destroy Derek Fisher, the Lakers are the better overall team. Durant will go for 40 in one of the games and Thabo Sefolosha may curtail Kobe from scoring a lot of points but Gasol and Odom will be too much inside. This series is about the Lakers getting Artest and Bynum right for the next series coming up.
Dallas vs. San Antonio
Prediction: Dallas in six
Thoughts: Duncan can only do so much. Richard Jefferson has been a bust, Tony Parker and Ginobili are too worn down, this can get ugly for the Spurs. However, they’re a game bunch and will get two games in this series, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me to see them take it to seven games. However, the best player on the floor is Nowitzki, the bigs of Haywood, Dampier and even Marion to some degree will be too much for San Antonio.
Phoenix vs. Portland
Prediction: Phoenix in six
Thoughts: Without Brandon Roy, you have to take Phoenix. This will be a fun series to watch but the two best players are Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire. In a more even series than you would think, I usually take the team with the best players.
Denver vs. Utah
Prediction: Denver in seven
Thoughts: Excellent series, maybe the best one on the docket for the first round. I’ve gone both ways with this series mentally but I jus think that Carmelo Anthony will find a way to win a seventh game at home. Love the point guard matchup between Williams and Chauncy Billups, both guys play the position properly. I would be more confident in Denver if Kenyon Martin was in form but I’m always fearful of older players coming back from knee injuries. The Jazz have a healthy Andrei Kirilenko, Boozer in a contract year, positive things going. Plus, I’ll take Jerry Sloan over darn near any other coach in the NBA. All of that stuff and I still come back to Carmelo.
What’s going on folks, time for me to review why people may not be fans of Duke, the new NCAA men’s basketball national champs. But first…
Music to listen to: Illumination by Thievery Corporation
So, Duke won another national title last night and normally I would be pissed about it because like most of America, I’ve developed a dislike for that team over the years. Hate is a strong word but I’ll admit that I’ve had that emotion for them over the years. So, the best way to do that would be to go over the chronological breakdown.
I started to follow college basketball on a consistent basis in the early 1990’s and my favorite team besides Syracuse was UNLV. I was a big Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony fan. I dug the uniforms, Tark, the black sneakers, the whole deal. So when they won the title in 1990, I was feeling it, especially when they laid the smack down to Duke in the title game.
In the 1991 Final Four, Duke had a rematch against UNLV in the semifinals and pulled one of the biggest upsets in history. Of course, calling that dumb foul against Anthony to foul him out of the game changed everything, not that I remember it or anything. So Duke beat Kansas in the title game and the dislike for Duke began.
First it was Christian Laettner. Now that was a dude I hated and he was from my home state. Part of it was racial. He was an annoying white basketball player who was very arrogant and thought he was better than everyone. But to be honest, he was a beast at the college level. But it wasn’t racial because I was a big fan of Bobby Hurley, who was also white.
After UNLV dissolved, my next team of choice was Michigan. I bought into the whole swagger of the Fab Five. However, while Michigan would do some arrogant things, I would feel it but if Duke did the same thing, I wouldn’t like it. It’s a thin line between arrogance and swagger I guess.
When Duke and Michigan met in the title game of 1992, you know who I was cheering for. Of course Duke won and my distain increased.
After that, Laettner and Hurley moved on but I became a fan of Grant Hill, which still exists to this day. He didn’t seem to carry that arrogance that I disliked, if anything he had a humility to his game that was very enjoyable to see. He would score the quietest 20 points you could imagine, throw in eight rebounds and six assists and make it look beautiful.
So this was a quiet lull for me and Duke until the emergence of the most disliked player I’ve ever felt towards in maybe any sport.
Steve Wojohowski
This piece of crap player was insufferable on the highest order. First, he was below-average player who did play hard but would over exaggerate EVERYTHING. Everytime he would dive for a ball, he would make sure that he would take extra long to get back up. Every time he took a charge, and by the way, people talk about how Shane Battier, who I will get to later, trust me, would flop all the time. Well, he had nothing on ole Wojo.
Then there was the floor slapping. We know that you like to play defense because your offense was terrible, but Jesus Christmas, stop with the floor slapping. It doesn’t inspire anyone and it made him look like a donkey and I don’t want to call him the other name for that animal out of kindness, if you get what I’m saying.
Wojo was also a prime example and the first in my experience as a sports fan to fit the role of the scrappy White basketball player.
Wojo would do all of the things above and the media would fawn over him like he was the only player on the floor that was giving his best effort which is crap because the majority of the players out there are working their hardest, they just didn’t stoop to the antics of Wojo to gain extra attention. Plus, the fact that he was an unathletic White basketball player portrayed the image to the sports media, who are mostly White males, that hey, we could be out there too. Awful.
So my hate for Duke was very strong with Wojo but unfortunately for my thirst for distain, he graduated. Thankfully, he’s on their current coaching staff and every time I see him, a little hate come out.
Then in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s, it was hit and miss for me. Liked Elton Brand, didn’t like Mike Dunleavy. Felt neutral on Jay Williams, for some reason really didn’t like Carlos Boozer.
Finally, another person came along to return the hate.
Shane Battier.
Unlike Wojo, Battier was actually a talented player, dare I say one of the best players of that decade, but the love for him reached overkill during Duke’s 2001 national title year.
He was a flopper who would acting would reach overkill as well. But there were two things about his portrayal that wrinkled me wrong way. First, when he decided to stay for his senior year, it was hailed as a gutsy decision that showed his true commitment to college athletics.
I follow the NBA just as much, if not more than NCAA men’s basketball, and he would have been a late first rounder in the draft if he left after his junior year. It was a smart financial decision. If Battier was guaranteed to be a top-five pick, he would have packed up his bags in Durham so quick that Coach K wouldn’t have known what to do.
The second thing was that he was the single force leading that team to a title. So I guess Dunleavy, Boozer, Williams and Chris Duhon COMING OFF THE BENCH had nothing to do with the success.
Plus, a new adopted men’s basketball team of mine, Arizona, lost that title game in 2001 to them so three teams that I followed on a consistent basis, UNLV in 1991, Michigan in 1992 and Arizona in 2001, all lost chances to win a national title because of Duke.
Oh, forgot maybe the largest factor in my original distain for Duke.
I was rejected by the school when I applied in 1999.
I applied to 13 schools and got into 11 of them. Duke and Emory rejected me, not that I still remember that or anything.
Looking back, I’m glad that I didn’t get in because even when I visited Duke in 1998, I didn’t feel a good vibe about it and applied anyway because it’s a really good school. But if I ended up going there, I probably wouldn’t have been happy there.
So after Battier graduated, some players came and went that I didn’t care about. JJ Reddick was overrated, Sheldon Williams was bad, Greg Paulus was dislikeable but everyone didn’t care for him.
It became less about hating Duke but more disliking the portrayal of what the school was supposed to be.
Behind sports media members like Dick Vitale, Duke represents everything that we would want from an elite college athletic program. Strong academics, disciplined mentality, “good” players on and off the court, etc.
I don’t have specific examples of this but I will say that when you reach the level of program like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, etc., some lines are blurred. Package deals take place. Players grades are manipulated to keep eligibility. Relatives find good jobs in the same city so that they can attend all of the home games and find the money to travel on the road.
The point is that we shouldn’t be so trustworthy that everything is on the up and up at Duke. You have to be cynical of what you see at that level.
In the end, I guess I just matured and stopped wasting my time hating a college basketball team. Things like employment, family, God and other things became more of a priority.
Sure, I have my moments with Tennessee athletics, especially men’s basketball and football, but it hasn’t reached a level of hate that I had for Duke in the early 1990’s.
So when they won the title last night, I was OK with it. But when I saw the celebration and Wojo jumping up and down, the hate returned for a moment and I liked it because passion for sports is good.
Well folks, its time for those Sunday Reflections…
Actually, since the MLB season has officially kicked off tonight, its time to preview the season.
First…
Music to listen to: Fixed Income by DJ Shadow
For those of you who don’t like to read my long and winding writing, here are my predictions in cheat form so you can memorize them and ridicule me in early July when they are wrong.
AL East: Yankees AL Central: Minnesota AL West: Seattle (third year in a row picking them to win division, has to happen one day) AL Wild Card: Texas AL Champs: Yankees
AL MVP: 1) Joe Mauer, Minnesota 2) Evan Longoria, Tampa 3) Mark Teixeira, Yankees Sleeper MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas AL Cy Young: 1) Felix Hernandez, Seattle 2) Jon Lester, Boston 3) CC Sabathia, Yankees Sleeper Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit AL Best team: Yankees AL Worst team: Kansas City Overrated: Boston Underrated: Texas
NL East: Philadelphia NL Central: Cincinnati (going with them for a third year in a row as well) NL West: Colorado NL Wild Card: Atlanta NL Champs: Philly
NL MVP (not named Albert Pujols): 1) Hanley Ramirez, Florida 2) Justin Upton, Arizona 3) Chase Utley, Philadelphia Sleeper MVP: Brian McCann, Atlanta & Roy Halladay, Philadelphia NL Cy Young: 1) Roy Halladay, Philadelphia (if Brad Lidge doesn’t implode, he can win 25 games this year, seriously) 2) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco 3) Johan Santana, Mets Sleeper Cy Young: Tommy Hanson, Atlanta NL Best team: Philadelphia NL Worst team: Pittsburgh Overrated: Los Angeles Underrated: Cincinnati
If I was betting money World Series: New York over Philly, again (sorry for the easy prediction, but it is what it is) Second-safest bet: Minnesota vs. St Louis Taking a chance World Series: Seattle vs. Atlanta
Division breakdowns:
AL East:
1) Yankees- Clearly the best team on paper in all of baseball. Age of core, especially Posada, Jeter and Rivera can break down on them. If Sabathia DOESN’T win 20 games, I’ll be shocked. The outfield can be better but no one beats these guys if all things are equal.
2) Boston- Arguably the best pitching staff in MLB. Dice-K HAS to return to form if these guys have any chance of competing for any titles. Adrian Beltre will either be the biggest bargain deal in the past five years or a colossal bust. I’m leaning for in-between. David Ortiz, have NO clue how he’s going to do this year.
3) Tampa- What does 85 wins get you in the NL Central? A division title. In the AL East, third place. A lot will be determined in the first three months. If they’re in it, they can win the division. If they’re out of it, Crawford, Pena, etc may be gone. If that happens, problems. Love Longoria for MVP contention, Price to win 15 games and Garza to emerge as a top-five AL starting pitcher.
4) Baltimore- Optimism in Charm City? Adam Jones, not Pacman, will become a perennial All-Star for these guys, Matt Wieters may be the third-best catcher in MLB by the end of the year and have a lot of young pitching that will take lumps this year but can improve. Reaching 75-80 wins would be nice.
5) Toronto- Have Aaron Hill and Adam Lind, that is all. Rough times for them
AL Central:
1) Minnesota- They win this weak division by default. When you have Mauer and Morneau, that’s a good start. Will gain a boost from playing in new stadium. Major question for them is whether Liriano can return to form off of Tommy John surgery. Its been over a year now and that’s usually the time guys get better.
2) White Sox- Like the pitching staff, especially if Peavy is on point. Where do the runs come from besides Beckham, Konerko and maybe Quentin if he’s healthy?
3) Detroit- Similar to White Sox, have beast pitchers in Verlander and Porcello, but once again, where do the runs come from? Johnny Damon, don’t make me laugh.
4) Cleveland- Such a mess. Even if LaPorta becomes a superstar, Sizemore returns to All-Star form, Jhonny Peralta bounces back, Travis Hafner learns to hit again pre-big contract signing, these guys don’t win more than 75 games. At least they’re not…
5) Kansas City- Love Zack Grinke, who doesn’t. I honestly have nothing else for you on these guys
AL West:
1) Seattle- Obviously banking on a monster year from Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee to shake off this early DL stint. Both can be good for 20 wins. Like Ichiro and addition of Figgins.
2) Texas- Taking another chance with these guys. We know that they can score runs and the addition of Vlad Guerrero as a DH was smart, but the youth of the pitching is a concern. I think that it will figure itself out and they contend for the division with Seattle
3) Anaheim- Once again, I refuse to call them by their full name because it’s the dumbest one in all of professional sports, at least in MLB. The run of division titles end. Losing Lackey hurts, even though Weaver and Santana are good pitchers. Need to see more from Kazmir and since he’s on my fantasy baseball team, I already know he’s hurt.
4) Oakland- According to people who follow this stuff, the best young pitchers in the minors and under a full year of service in MLB are Oakland and Texas. At least the Rangers can score some runs.
NL East
1) Philly- Its their League to lose. Have the best pitcher in Halladay, best top to bottom lineup, Howard may hit 50 home runs, Utley can put together a 35/100/.295 year, which is sick for a second baseman, you get the idea. Very, very worried about the bullpen especially Brad Lidge, you literally don’t know what version you’re going to get from him day-to-day. Best reliever in MLB in 2008, benched in 2009, that says it all.
2) Atlanta- Very bullish on the Braves. Always liked Lowe, Jurrjens is going to be a star and I have frickin Tommy Hanson on my short list for the Cy Young award, he’s winning close to 20 if they can score runs and that’s the rub. I think that Glaus will be decent at first, Larry Jones cobbles together a decent season, McCann becomes an MVP candidate. Prediction for Jason Haywood, 25/85/.280 and runaway Rook of the Year. If Billy Wagner’s arm stays attached, they’re the wild card of the NL.
3) Florida- Having the second-best player in the league in Hanley Ramirez is a nice start. Also like Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Dan Uggla, Chris Coghlan, etc. but just don’t have enough depth to hold up against Philly and Atlanta.
4) Mets- If Washington was worth anything, I would have put it ahead of the Mets. Beltran and Reyes are starting the season on the DL, Wright has to bounce back this year, Jason Bay is whatever and Johan Santana is coming off of elbow surgery, good times. They’re a mess.
5) Washington- Just bring Stephen Strasburg up in May or whenever you have to for contract purposes and pray for the best.
NL Central:
1) Cincinnati: OK, hear me out. I’m banking on major seasons from Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto on the field. 30 home runs from each this season, lets say yes. Pitching staff isn’t bad, especially Volquez and the natural talent of Cueto. O-dog will give them some much needed offense at short. Plus, if Chapman can come up in the middle of the year, that’s another power arm. You have to take chances in this prediction game and I’m willing to do it. I don’t like putting my hopes in Dusty Baker though. Plus they’re my adopted MLB team here in Nashville, I have to show them some love. This is for my peeps like Mr. Ingram and Jared C.
2) St. Louis: Honestly, they’re the class of the division. A grouping of Pujols and Matt Holliday is nice and the top two pitchers of Carpenter and Wainwright can be Cy Young contenders. I’m banking on the rest of the team taking a step back allowing the Reds to sneak in there…it can happen.
3) Chicago- The expectations are low, by Cubs standards, and this may be a good thing. I’ve given up on trying to figure out Zambrano and Soriano. Maybe Meggie or you Cubs fans can help me on this one.
4) Milwaukee- Love Braun and Fielder on the field, Gallardo as its top starter, and nothing else. Trevor Hoffman can’t do it again this year.
5) Houston- Pence is OK, El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) is fun at times and Berkman is good but already injured and on my fantasy team, not good. Oswalt will probably break down.
6) Pittsburgh- This is going to be another rough year for them and they’re lineup isn’t even worth discussing, even though I’m looking forward to Pedro Alvarez coming up this season from a selfish Vandy angle. OK, McCutchen is fun to watch but that’s really it. When you’re hanging your hat on Zack Duke and Octavio Dotel, you need to find another hat stand or a new set of hats, you get what I’m saying.
NL West:
1) Colorado- Its split between them and the Dodgers with the slight nod going to the Rockies. Like Tulowitzki to emerge as an MVP candidate and Jimenez to be one of the top pitchers in the NL. Pitching has depth and bullpen is solid. Soft buy on the Rockies.
2) Los Angeles- Actually think that they’re better than the Rockies on paper but won’t come together. Starting lineup is stacked with up to five all-stars, including all three outfielders and top-level catcher. Like Billingsley and Kershaw a lot and Broxton is a solid closer.
3) San Francisco- Can pitch their butts off but outside of Sandoval, can’t score a lick. Have arguably the top two out of five pitchers in entire NL with Lincecum and Cain and Wilson is a decent closer, but slapping the ball around isn’t going to get you more than third in this division.
4) Arizona- Love Upton to make a big leap this year, think Drew is underrated at shortstop, Reynolds can mash it when he isn’t striking out, Haren is an excellent starter and like Edwin Jackson in the National League, but outside of that, not much else.
5) San Diego- How long do Gonzalez and Heath Bell stay on this team? Both are gone by All-star break.
Well, my NCAA Men’s Bracket is screwed, like most of America’s. Depending on when you read this, the Regionals, or the Sweet 16 for those who like to say that, start tonight. Before you can go forward, you must look back and that’s what I’ll do here.
Midwest Region
Current matchups: Northern Iowa vs. Michigan State, Tennessee vs. Ohio State My projected matchup: Kansas vs. Michigan State, Georgetown vs. Ohio State My projected regional champ: Kansas My best prediction: Ohio Stat and Michigan State My worst prediction: Kansas What happens now: Northern Iowa over Michigan State, Ohio Stat over Tennessee, Ohio State is in the Final Four
Thoughts: I thought that Northern Iowa could give Kansas a game but didn’t expect them to win. It didn’t reach my elite mid-major vs. average BCS team rule but it was close. The Jayhawks have a history of coming up short and I should have had them losing in at least the Elite Eight and not winning my whole title, that’s why I will lose my pool. Lucked out with Michigan State getting a last second shot over Maryland. I’m not mad about losing the Georgetown vs. Ohio matchup because you can’t project a below .500 MAC team beating a solid Big East team. Should have had more faith in Tennessee, even though when your path to the Regionals is San Diego State and Ohio, that’s not great. As a Georgia Tech fan, Paul Hewitt failed as a coach this year and has been for the past five years. If he wants to go to St. John’s let him.
West Region Current matchups: Syracuse vs. Butler, Xavier vs. Kansas State My projected matchup: Syracuse vs. Vanderbilt, Xavier vs. Kansas State My projected Regional champ: Syracuse My best prediction: Three out of four Sweet 16 teams My worst prediction: Vandy in Sweet 16 What happens now: Syracuse over Butler, Kansas St. over Xavier, Syracuse is in the Final Four
Thoughts: Follow your own rules Etienne Marcel. If I did, there is no way I would have taken Vandy over Murray St. However, to be fair, I was a missed jump shot away from that prediction coming true. Shouldn’t have taken UTEP over Butler. Syracuse is the quietest top team left and I think the team wants it that way and as a fan, I don’t mind it as well. Feeling very, very shaky about not putting Kansas St. in Final Four
East Region
Current matchups: Kentucky vs. Cornell, Washington vs. West Virginia My projected matchup: Kentucky vs. Cornell (damn right I did), New Mexico vs. West Virginia My projected Regional champ: Kentucky My best prediction: Cornell of course Worst prediction: New Mexico in Sweet 16, Wofford over Wisconsin What happens now: Kentucky over Cornell, West Virginia over Washington, Kentucky is in the Final Four
Thoughts: I knew Cornell was a legit team when I saw them lose a very close game to Kansas on the road earlier in the year. The 12 seed was insulting. You mean to tell me that Minnesota, San Diego State, heck Florida was better than them this season. Absolutely not. Even Northern Iowa should have gotten a five or six seed and got stuck with an eight. I can go on but lets move on. So that was a good pick by me. Kicking myself for not having Kentucky winning the whole thing. I’ve said since the beginning of the year that they’re the most talented team with the best coach for them. Honestly, I got scared off by Cousins but should have realized that they have Wall, Patterson and Bledsoe to cover up for Cousins if he gets moody. Didn’t expect New Mexico to get run out of the gym like that by Washington.
South Region
Current matchups: Duke vs. Purdue, Baylor vs. St. Mary’s My projected matchups: Duke vs. Utah State, Baylor vs. Villanova My projected Regional Champ: Villanova My best prediction: Baylor in the Sweet 16 My worst prediction: Where do I start? Villanova in the Final Four…Utah State in the Sweet 16, Siena over Purdue…bad region for me. What happens now: Duke over Purdue, Baylor over St. Mary’s, Duke is in the Final Four and CBS rejoices
Thoughts: Why, oh why, did I have Villanova? Not only should I have seen St. Mary’s beating them (the elite mid-major thing), but Nova was seeded too high at two AND I didn’t include a major rule in picking games in my prediction post and therefore thought about it too late. Look for how a team does in its final ten games BEFORE it’s conference tournament. Nova lost five of its last six games, major red flags there. Took a chance on Utah State, it happens. Underestimated Purdue, gotta acknowledge that.
OK, so that was a review of my picks, enjoy the games.
What’s up everybody, hope all is well in your world. Time for me to talk about some developments in my life in the past few weeks. But first…
Music to listen to: Trampled Under Foot (live) by Led Zeppelin
I love all types of music but lately I’ve been on a major kick of Zepplelin, who actually started my interest in rock music in the early 1990’s when I was in junior high. I would listen to the classic rock station in the NYC and they always played Zeppelin. Anyway, this is maybe their most badass live performance from arguably their best recorded concert. They were at their peak at this stage, 1975, before the drugs, injuries, drama and death came into play.
So your boy has been contemplating a lot of things the past few weeks. It all started when I returned to Kennesaw to see my oldest nephew, Alex, participate in a Nike Football Combine in Atlanta a few Sundays ago.
He did really well and had one of the best scores in the entire country. He’s a current junior and now he’s now getting attention from top schools around the country and I’m happy for him but a lot of work needs to be done. He still has to get his highlight tape out to schools, visit schools, prepare his application, take his SAT exam, get recommendations, write essays, etc.
Point being, I’m taking a role of assisting him through this process and its been fun.
I wrote a status on Facebook stating that I’ve never wanted to see someone succeed more in my life than him, including myself and I mean it. He’s my nephew but he’s my little brother in nature. I will sacrifice my time, money, energy, whatever it will take for him to reach his highest level. I see how hard he works in school and his commitment to football from practicing, weight training, his determination is inspiring.
I guess this how parents feel about their children.
So while I’ve been preparing him for all of this, I’ve thought about my own career.
If I’m telling him every day to strive for his goal to become an elite college football player, I can’t be hypocritical and not do the same for myself in relation to my life.
I’ve thought about what I want to do for the rest of my career. I know that I want to stay in sports so that’s a given.
Its funny because by the time I was Alex’s age, a junior in high school, I had visited about a dozen colleges, had my recommendations lined up, knew all of my financial aid options, I was a beast when it came to my academics and college preparations. I was determined to get into a great school and dominate in it. That’s right, I actually looked at college as a chance to come in and dominate like a sporting event.
I’m trying to get Alex close to that level and speaking with him today on the phone I think he’s getting there. But what happened to me?
Not to sound ungrateful but at my age and experience, I should have a better job. If anyone at my job is reading this, they would agree with me if they were honest about it. How did that pitbull from the NYC turn into a softie in Nashville?
During my senior year as an undergrad at Vandy, I took the LSAT with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. I didn’t do well on that test. I then applied to about eight schools and got rejected by all of them. It was devastating. So I decided to take the LSAT again, improved by about two points, applied to another set of schools and didn’t get accepted to any of them.
At that stage, I’ve gone through two application processes and gotten nowhere. To be fair, I was applying to schools that were outside of my reach and looking back, I wouldn’t have accepted myself to those places. I
f I went to law school as a 23 year old, I would have flunked out in a year. I wasn’t ready for it and I think that the admissions people at the schools could see that.
After that ordeal, I worked different places and even got a masters degree in sport management, which has taken me a step closer to my sports career goal. What is that goal you ask?
I want to run my own sports organization, become a general manager, team president. Do I dare dream of the sports executive trinity, meaning commissioner of the NBA, NFL or MLB?
Damn right, I would dominate at that job, a commissioner. Even better, I love mixed martial arts. Why not aspire to be Dana White, the president of the UFC, or Scott Coker, prez of Strikeforce?
So I look at those options and I’m getting hyped about it but how do I reach that goal? The sport management degree is nice but I need more. I did some research and saw a common thread in the sports executives in positions that I would want.
A legal background.
Every aspect of a sports organization from the front office to players to marketing and everything else in between deals with the law. What’s the best way to learn about the law?
Going to law school…but do I want to put myself through all of that stuff again that I mentioned above?
I did some initial research on this. If I wanted to go to law school, I would have to start from the beginning. My LSAT score doesn’t count because it was taken too long ago. My recommendations are not useful because its talking about a 21-year old me and that was years ago. New personal statement, new application fees, you get the idea.
I weighted all of that out and still came across unsure. The next step was to actually visit a law school and see if it would be for me. Being in Nashville, the only law school here in town (actually just did a quick google search for accuracy and there is actually a place called Nashville School of Law but work with me please) is Vandy Law. So this week, I returned to my old stomping grounds of Vandy Law to meet an admissions rep and visit a class.
My first two years of undergrad at Vandy I worked in the Law Library and had a blast. I enjoyed being in the environment of people learning about our laws. A lot has changed about the school since then but it still has the same vibe.
I get there and meet my host and she was very nice and introduced me to different people. There was a diverse group of people in the school, different ages, races, etc. However, the median age of the school is 23 so I was a little older than most of the people.
Then I went to a Constitutional Law class and it was very educational in two ways. It was useful knowledge for your everyday life and I was already making tie ins to how I would apply the rules as a general manager or commissioner. Sitting in the class got the pitbull inside of me going and you know what that meant. I had the feeling that I would dominate in that class and law school overall. I’m getting hyped thinking about it now. Being in that environment was amazing and made it very, very tough to head to work later that day.
After the class, I met with an admissions rep and laid out my plan and he didn’t scoff at it. In fact, he mentioned a Vandy Law tie-in to one of those sports organizations I mentioned earlier that was very impressive. After that, I went to work with a lot to contemplate.
Does this mean I’m going back to school? Will Vandy get more of my money? Not necessarily but the odds are siding significantly towards yes to the first question, the second question is too early to tell. Years ago, I was applying to law school and trying to become a lawyer because everyone else was doing it and it would sound impressive to my mother.
Now things have changed. I’m older and wiser. I can handle the commitment of school. It would help progress my career and would help me intellectually greatly. My approach from the application process to choosing schools would be so much better now.
The 28-year-old version of me is better prepared for this step.
The only major issue is finances but I may have a plan for that and if you want something enough in life, money doesn’t have to get in the way.
In the end, the young buck in my life has inspired the old bull to give school another try. While I’m trying to teach Alex something,, I’m learning more from him than he’ll ever understand.
