One of the most excited parts of the sports world is the fact that is is truly a world full of sports. One great example of this is the Olympics. However, I am more interested with something on a slightly lesser scale of global interest. The FIBA World Championships are right around the corner and we as American should be proud of our land.
The best of the best facing off to become the champs of the world. Many teams participate in this exciting show of national pride. Perhaps one of the most underrated events of the major titans in the gobal circuit. Competing against the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, and the FIVA World Tour. The FIBA World Championship, although is rising in popularity, is not near the world competion that it could be.
Even with it being a low as it is on the priority totem, the major of the teams put together very strong rosters. They'll practice and build the chemistry for many years. Never changing, only growing closer and more in sync with one another. The perfect foundation for any team. They'll play together and even grow old together. Finally after twenty or so years of play the next generation becomes the team and repeat the same cycle.
Sounds like a winning game plan, don't you think? So then why doesn't the USA just win every year? I mean after all when you put the best, I mean the BEST of America on the court, after serveral years of building chemistry, should we, America, be untouchable? You'd think so except there is one mistake with this theory. The USA is the only team in the entire world that doesn't use the same team for every competion.
The 1960 Olympic team was amazing and so was the 1992 "Dream Team". A couple of classy teams that came out victorious against all odds. Yes, they were very good teams, yet, they were assembled months before the games and had little to none experience playing with each other.
Today, the USA has elected to put together roughly 40 players that will be team USA. Depending on the given situation of the players and scheduling of the competion the team will pick 12 to 14 players from their roughly 40 man roster and play the given competion.
This summer the team is being lead by Mr. Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. However, the last Olympics it was Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. With the way things have been working out next time it will probably be John Wall and Blake Griffen. What a joke. Does USA basketball really have that much of an ego? No matter the game we can put out whatever 5 guys we want and we will always win.
New flash, teams like Spain and Italy have something to say about that. Both of which have won recent competion and have shown that they are both teams to not be taken so lightly. Spain, of course having serveral of their own NBA stars mixed with the other Spaniards have but the same well practiced, seasoned team. Even their younger players like Ricky Rubio have been apart of this team for serveral years now.
Isn't it about time that America finally just admit that the rest of the world is just as good if not better and we need to put together a smaller roster so that we can play with greater flow of chemistry? Sure we still win games, but the USA is in no way undefeated. We haven't even one every tournment in the last five years. Pride in ones nation I would hope takes greater priority then the time spent on a club team.
Show some class! Commit to your country and respect what it represence. As for me I will always be stand tall with my red white and blue. God bless America and God bless you.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
MLB Trade Deadline
Okay so how many of you get confused when you hear news of the "trade deadline" in Major League Baseball and then days after the dealine hear of another trade? I myself use to always get tripped up by this silly situation. Even now that I fully understand how MLB does things I still am at a lose for words in most cases.
First let me explain to those of you who don't already now. Unlike most of the other major sports in the United States Major League Baseball has elected to break their dealine up into two parts. First, the dealine that most people are aware of July 31st. The second, being August 31st. The way the MLB does it, is they have one date for waivers and one nonwaivers. The first date is for teams that wish to make a trade without placing players on waivers. The second dealine is for trades that require players to be placed on waivers.
As far as I'm concerned they need to make this one date. Why is baseball so special that it needs two trade deadlines? All the other major sports have one. It's plain and simple if a team wishes to make a deal with another team they must do it before the dealine. Otherwise the teams must deal with it. Honestly if you haven't decided that oyou don't want or need a player. Or your team is in need of a position by July 31st then you probably don't deserve to make a move.
I'm sure that many of you have heard the phrase "the early bird gets the worm". Well I think that is the golden rule here. Put up or shut up is my moto in this case. Although there are some pluses to adding players from waivers, I still don't think they should be given a later and comepletely inpendent dealine.
There is a point when the guy holding the card either calls or folds. So why woudl baseball make this extra date to allow owners to fold after the dealer has play the next hand? I for one don't think it should be allow and I wish that the MLB would join the rest of the sports in the country and make one cut and dry dealine. In the end though, it's really not up to me.
First let me explain to those of you who don't already now. Unlike most of the other major sports in the United States Major League Baseball has elected to break their dealine up into two parts. First, the dealine that most people are aware of July 31st. The second, being August 31st. The way the MLB does it, is they have one date for waivers and one nonwaivers. The first date is for teams that wish to make a trade without placing players on waivers. The second dealine is for trades that require players to be placed on waivers.
As far as I'm concerned they need to make this one date. Why is baseball so special that it needs two trade deadlines? All the other major sports have one. It's plain and simple if a team wishes to make a deal with another team they must do it before the dealine. Otherwise the teams must deal with it. Honestly if you haven't decided that oyou don't want or need a player. Or your team is in need of a position by July 31st then you probably don't deserve to make a move.
I'm sure that many of you have heard the phrase "the early bird gets the worm". Well I think that is the golden rule here. Put up or shut up is my moto in this case. Although there are some pluses to adding players from waivers, I still don't think they should be given a later and comepletely inpendent dealine.
There is a point when the guy holding the card either calls or folds. So why woudl baseball make this extra date to allow owners to fold after the dealer has play the next hand? I for one don't think it should be allow and I wish that the MLB would join the rest of the sports in the country and make one cut and dry dealine. In the end though, it's really not up to me.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The NBA Today
It's an amazing feeling to make it to your first NBA game. I myself am a Lakers fan. Born and raise, through and through. So my memories of this special event were when I saw the Lakers play the Jazz. It was a thrill to feel the roar of the crowd. See the quickness of the players. Most importantly I was able to actually feel like all my screaming was doing something finally. It wasn't the same old yell at the TV and storm off into the next room when the Lakers turn the ball over or anything like that.
Do you remember your first? Have you had your first yet? Well for those that have experienced the thrill of the being in the arena, you would understand when I say the game is very entertaining. That is as long as your team isn't getting schooled in the second quarter. In fact the NBA has become so excited and so full of entertainment that the hype has carried over into the off season. How many of you remember being this excited about the NBA before Jordan? How many of you remember the NBA before Magic and Bird? Would you be able to tell me about Happy Hairston or Fred Hetzel? What about guys like Vern Mikkelsen or Jim Pollard? For some I might even ask do you know Dave Bing or Jack Sikma? At times I even wonder if people could tell me what traveling or carrying really is.
The NBA of today is rooted deep into the entertainment industry. It has made a continued goal to entertain and create as many happy customer as possible. This of course doe not mean that all the players in the league are about entertaining and nothing else. Yet, the players that find themselves in the lime light tend to be the flashes, most athletic players in the league. Honestly ask yourself if you would watch LeBron James play if all he did was just simply layed it in on a fast break. Would there even be a LeBron watch? What if Chris Paul didn't throw that sweet alley oop to the back door cut?
Let me take it a step farther, how exciting would it be to watch the official call traveling each time Vince Carter took that extra step as he approach the rim for a windmill? Or Derrick Rose was called for a carry as he made his cross through the legs just before exploding to the basket. Well those of you that aren't convinced yet, fine. Most likely you are the ones that could care less about the lack of the game in todays pro world anyway.
The rest of you are noticing the sad truth of this modern source of entertainment we call the NBA. The pure love of the game is a side note to the never ending need to be entertained. I for one miss the pureness of the game. Back when the name on the front matter more then the name on the back. Before the seven and eight digit salaries that determined whether or a player would play for his career team or not. Yet, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. The game still lives in the high school and college world. It lives in the hearts of those who love this game.
Although the main bulk of todays NBA is more about the money and the owners care more about the business rather then the basketball. There still are some players, coaches, and owners that are in it for the game. The simple truth is that the NBA has only tramsformed to what the fans have tramsformed it into. The modern players are just people in todays society. Can we really ask for anything but what people in all other careers are doing themsleves?
I love this game. I dream that at some point we all can get back to the root of the game and enjoy it for the simple fact that it's basketball and that is all we need from it.
Do you remember your first? Have you had your first yet? Well for those that have experienced the thrill of the being in the arena, you would understand when I say the game is very entertaining. That is as long as your team isn't getting schooled in the second quarter. In fact the NBA has become so excited and so full of entertainment that the hype has carried over into the off season. How many of you remember being this excited about the NBA before Jordan? How many of you remember the NBA before Magic and Bird? Would you be able to tell me about Happy Hairston or Fred Hetzel? What about guys like Vern Mikkelsen or Jim Pollard? For some I might even ask do you know Dave Bing or Jack Sikma? At times I even wonder if people could tell me what traveling or carrying really is.
The NBA of today is rooted deep into the entertainment industry. It has made a continued goal to entertain and create as many happy customer as possible. This of course doe not mean that all the players in the league are about entertaining and nothing else. Yet, the players that find themselves in the lime light tend to be the flashes, most athletic players in the league. Honestly ask yourself if you would watch LeBron James play if all he did was just simply layed it in on a fast break. Would there even be a LeBron watch? What if Chris Paul didn't throw that sweet alley oop to the back door cut?
Let me take it a step farther, how exciting would it be to watch the official call traveling each time Vince Carter took that extra step as he approach the rim for a windmill? Or Derrick Rose was called for a carry as he made his cross through the legs just before exploding to the basket. Well those of you that aren't convinced yet, fine. Most likely you are the ones that could care less about the lack of the game in todays pro world anyway.
The rest of you are noticing the sad truth of this modern source of entertainment we call the NBA. The pure love of the game is a side note to the never ending need to be entertained. I for one miss the pureness of the game. Back when the name on the front matter more then the name on the back. Before the seven and eight digit salaries that determined whether or a player would play for his career team or not. Yet, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. The game still lives in the high school and college world. It lives in the hearts of those who love this game.
Although the main bulk of todays NBA is more about the money and the owners care more about the business rather then the basketball. There still are some players, coaches, and owners that are in it for the game. The simple truth is that the NBA has only tramsformed to what the fans have tramsformed it into. The modern players are just people in todays society. Can we really ask for anything but what people in all other careers are doing themsleves?
I love this game. I dream that at some point we all can get back to the root of the game and enjoy it for the simple fact that it's basketball and that is all we need from it.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Invictus
For this entry I want to share something special to me. Over the summer I had the pleasure of viewing the movie Invictus. And there was a poem that was read through the movie that I found to be very powerful. For this entry I would like to just share this poem.
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
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