Kobe Bryant deserves the most valuable player award not because of his accomplishments through out his career, it’s not a life time achievement award, but he deserves it because of how he led his team the entire 2007-08 NBA season.
Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James are all great players and make for good MVP arguments, but Bryant sits one step above.
Bryant averaged 28 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and about 2 steals during the regular season and during the playoffs so far, which his Lakers have yet to lose a game, he is averaging 34 points, about 6 boards, 6 assists, a steal and a block.
In an earlier blog, I supported Bryant to win the MVP and I just wanted to remind every one of that blog.
I believe Stephen A. Smith said it best, “There are no weaknesses in his game.”
Congratulations Kobe!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Hunger is Back!
All right, here’s the truth: The Bears drafted hunger, and it's going to show with their success in the 2008-09 season. The Bears are a running team and will most likely never have an aerial assault, so the Bears beefing up their weak offensive line and adding a proven, talented running back in the back field should be no surprise.
Former Illinois running back, Rashard Mendenhall, and former Virginia guard, Branden Albert, are the two players that every Chicago reporter and columnist talked about on the days preceding and proceeding the draft.
The Tribune’s Steve Rosenbloom said, “First round, right position, wrong player. Second round, right position, wrong player.”
The infamously pessimistic Sun-Times columnist, Jay Mariotti, said, “Wake up, Bears: Target Mendenhall, not OT. Forget safe play at tackle; local kid's the back to make offense go.”
That’s a good game plan: draft Mendenhall (when the Bears are all ready paying through the roof with Benson) and let him try to break four, five, or six tackles because there isn’t going to be any blocking. Why do you think Adrian Peterson had such an amazing year? Yes, he is a one-in-a-million talent, but he wouldn’t have mounted up the ridiculous rookie numbers with out one of the NFL’s best offensive lines in Minnesota, which is headed by All-Pro center Matt Birk. And Albert is a good offensive lineman and will emerge in a couple of season as a top offensive guard, but the Bears had a hole the size of Keith Traylor on the left side and they filled it with a true left side tackle in Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams. Sorry, but the game is won and lost in the trenches, and that is what the Bears addressed in Williams and in Arkansas defensive tackle Marcus Harrison.
In the second round, the Bears drafted Tulane running back Matt Forte who will push Benson to the maximum of his game or push him right out of Chicago, and in today’s NFL, a running back duo provides a change of pace and boosts the offensive energy.
As for the critics who cry about the Bears not drafting a quarterback, shhh, please, just shhh. Where is this great savior of a quarterback that is going to move the Bears offense? Tell me, where? Is it Louisville’s Brian Brohm? Or Michigan’s Chad Henne? Or how bout USC’s John David Booty? Give me a break. These guys might develop into decent quarterbacks down the road, but they are not going to fix the offensive woes of the Bears. Even if the Bears could have traded up to draft Boston College’s Matt Ryan, it wouldn’t have helped because they don’t have the other pieces in place. But, they do, however, have the pieces in place to be a ground and pound team with stellar defense that brought them a birth in the Super Bowl a couple of seasons ago.
As Sun-Times reporter, Brad Biggs titled one of his pieces, “A weekend to pass on passers.”
And look at the other players that Bears General Manager drafted: Vanderbilt possession receiver Earl Bennett, who will start at the slot position; LSU safety Craig Steltz, who will take over the starting job around week five due to his run support and ability to blitz off the corner; and Nebraska corner back Zack Bowman, who dropped in the draft because of knee injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he will be a huge support in the secondary, possibly at the nickel position.
The Bears later picks were decent and all fill a whole, including Michigan State tight end Kellen Davis, who the Bears will turn into a beast of a blocker. And forget all the commentary about character. These players will perform with a hunger and swagger that is motivated by their draft-day drop. If you look at it, every single one of the players the Bears drafted have something to prove, and they will do just that: prove the doubters wrong. The Bears drafted hunger.
All in all, the Bears draft day was bland, but absolutely necessary because they filled key positions with talented players that will help the Bears improve from a 7-9 record last year. Overall, Bears draft grade is a solid B+.
Former Illinois running back, Rashard Mendenhall, and former Virginia guard, Branden Albert, are the two players that every Chicago reporter and columnist talked about on the days preceding and proceeding the draft.
The Tribune’s Steve Rosenbloom said, “First round, right position, wrong player. Second round, right position, wrong player.”
The infamously pessimistic Sun-Times columnist, Jay Mariotti, said, “Wake up, Bears: Target Mendenhall, not OT. Forget safe play at tackle; local kid's the back to make offense go.”
That’s a good game plan: draft Mendenhall (when the Bears are all ready paying through the roof with Benson) and let him try to break four, five, or six tackles because there isn’t going to be any blocking. Why do you think Adrian Peterson had such an amazing year? Yes, he is a one-in-a-million talent, but he wouldn’t have mounted up the ridiculous rookie numbers with out one of the NFL’s best offensive lines in Minnesota, which is headed by All-Pro center Matt Birk. And Albert is a good offensive lineman and will emerge in a couple of season as a top offensive guard, but the Bears had a hole the size of Keith Traylor on the left side and they filled it with a true left side tackle in Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams. Sorry, but the game is won and lost in the trenches, and that is what the Bears addressed in Williams and in Arkansas defensive tackle Marcus Harrison.
In the second round, the Bears drafted Tulane running back Matt Forte who will push Benson to the maximum of his game or push him right out of Chicago, and in today’s NFL, a running back duo provides a change of pace and boosts the offensive energy.
As for the critics who cry about the Bears not drafting a quarterback, shhh, please, just shhh. Where is this great savior of a quarterback that is going to move the Bears offense? Tell me, where? Is it Louisville’s Brian Brohm? Or Michigan’s Chad Henne? Or how bout USC’s John David Booty? Give me a break. These guys might develop into decent quarterbacks down the road, but they are not going to fix the offensive woes of the Bears. Even if the Bears could have traded up to draft Boston College’s Matt Ryan, it wouldn’t have helped because they don’t have the other pieces in place. But, they do, however, have the pieces in place to be a ground and pound team with stellar defense that brought them a birth in the Super Bowl a couple of seasons ago.
As Sun-Times reporter, Brad Biggs titled one of his pieces, “A weekend to pass on passers.”
And look at the other players that Bears General Manager drafted: Vanderbilt possession receiver Earl Bennett, who will start at the slot position; LSU safety Craig Steltz, who will take over the starting job around week five due to his run support and ability to blitz off the corner; and Nebraska corner back Zack Bowman, who dropped in the draft because of knee injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he will be a huge support in the secondary, possibly at the nickel position.
The Bears later picks were decent and all fill a whole, including Michigan State tight end Kellen Davis, who the Bears will turn into a beast of a blocker. And forget all the commentary about character. These players will perform with a hunger and swagger that is motivated by their draft-day drop. If you look at it, every single one of the players the Bears drafted have something to prove, and they will do just that: prove the doubters wrong. The Bears drafted hunger.
All in all, the Bears draft day was bland, but absolutely necessary because they filled key positions with talented players that will help the Bears improve from a 7-9 record last year. Overall, Bears draft grade is a solid B+.
My literary world and sports world collide
All right, I had to share this with as many people as possible. I was reading ESPN the magazine about a month ago, a March edition, and to my surprise, and enjoyment, I found an opinion piece by Junot Diaz, the celebrated author of "Drown." I was overwhelmed that my literary world and my sports world had finally collided. So, in my Fiction Writing II course I was assigned to write a parody of Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" and I wrote it with sports on the mind. I wanted to share a few excerpts from my parody with you, enjoy, and remember, this is FICTIONAL.
Samuel Sosuh awoke one beautiful sunny summer day in Chicago from pleasant dreams of another White Sox World Series victory and an explosion that incinerated Wrigley Field to find himself transformed into a diehard Cubs fan. No f-ing way, he thought as he searched his room walls for the poster of Paul Konerko.
As his eyes came into focus he saw Konerko’s aged facial features including his signature graying-goatee staring directly at him from his bedroom door. A fierce jealousy rushed through him and out of instinct he attempted to pounce on the poster but tripped on the side edge of his mattress and rolled into the door with a loud boom. He was about to stand up when an incredible, overpowering, lazy, ah-f-it force strangled him and kept him seated with his back resting upon the door. Not looking, he slothfully reached up behind him with his left hand and felt around for the poster material and eventually removed it from the door. The poster fell and wrapped over his head. A disgusting feeling curled his stomach as if someone had just thrown A.J Pierzysnki’s post game jock strap upon his head. He pinched the poster’s sides between the index finger and thumb from each hand as if it were contagious, brought it down to his lap and motioned to tear it in half. After one half-ass attempt, he realized he no longer possessed the physical strength to complete the task so he sighed deeply, put the poster face-down on the floor beside him and began to weep …
(Later on in the story)
Samuel’s roommates couldn’t understand what he was saying for he sounded like a guy who had been pounding back Old Style for the past six hours.
(Later on in the story)
Crap! Samuel thought, forgetting the game today was the first of the Cross-Town Classic at the Cell. How am I going to work today? I can’t sell beer today. There’s no way I’ll make it up and down the stairs. Plus, the Sox fans will see right through me. They’ll see the jealousy in my eyes, see my lazy, depressed motions, hear the drunken slur in my voice and they’ll KNOW. Even without seeing THE MARK, they’ll know. They’ll know that I’ve converted into a Northside, true-blue, ass-grabbing Cubbie lover! Samuel’s mind was racing.
(Remember that Samuel's speech is not understandable at this point in the story.)
A series of quick, softer knocks sounded on the door. Samuel figured it was his other roommate, Oswalt Geeyin. Samuel’s guess was verified when he heard Oz’s quick, barely understandable English laced with Spanish words: “Aye mane, whatchewdoing? Thaygom baygeens enunahora.”
“What did you say OZ?” Samuel responded.
“Whot?” Oz asked.
“What the hell did you just say?” Samuel asked.
“WHOT?” Oz asked again, this time louder.
(I have more, but will save the rest for a later time.)
Samuel Sosuh awoke one beautiful sunny summer day in Chicago from pleasant dreams of another White Sox World Series victory and an explosion that incinerated Wrigley Field to find himself transformed into a diehard Cubs fan. No f-ing way, he thought as he searched his room walls for the poster of Paul Konerko.
As his eyes came into focus he saw Konerko’s aged facial features including his signature graying-goatee staring directly at him from his bedroom door. A fierce jealousy rushed through him and out of instinct he attempted to pounce on the poster but tripped on the side edge of his mattress and rolled into the door with a loud boom. He was about to stand up when an incredible, overpowering, lazy, ah-f-it force strangled him and kept him seated with his back resting upon the door. Not looking, he slothfully reached up behind him with his left hand and felt around for the poster material and eventually removed it from the door. The poster fell and wrapped over his head. A disgusting feeling curled his stomach as if someone had just thrown A.J Pierzysnki’s post game jock strap upon his head. He pinched the poster’s sides between the index finger and thumb from each hand as if it were contagious, brought it down to his lap and motioned to tear it in half. After one half-ass attempt, he realized he no longer possessed the physical strength to complete the task so he sighed deeply, put the poster face-down on the floor beside him and began to weep …
(Later on in the story)
Samuel’s roommates couldn’t understand what he was saying for he sounded like a guy who had been pounding back Old Style for the past six hours.
(Later on in the story)
Crap! Samuel thought, forgetting the game today was the first of the Cross-Town Classic at the Cell. How am I going to work today? I can’t sell beer today. There’s no way I’ll make it up and down the stairs. Plus, the Sox fans will see right through me. They’ll see the jealousy in my eyes, see my lazy, depressed motions, hear the drunken slur in my voice and they’ll KNOW. Even without seeing THE MARK, they’ll know. They’ll know that I’ve converted into a Northside, true-blue, ass-grabbing Cubbie lover! Samuel’s mind was racing.
(Remember that Samuel's speech is not understandable at this point in the story.)
A series of quick, softer knocks sounded on the door. Samuel figured it was his other roommate, Oswalt Geeyin. Samuel’s guess was verified when he heard Oz’s quick, barely understandable English laced with Spanish words: “Aye mane, whatchewdoing? Thaygom baygeens enunahora.”
“What did you say OZ?” Samuel responded.
“Whot?” Oz asked.
“What the hell did you just say?” Samuel asked.
“WHOT?” Oz asked again, this time louder.
(I have more, but will save the rest for a later time.)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Welcome Back Golden Age of NBA
If you haven’t noticed, the golden age of men’s professional basketball is beginning anew.
It started way back in history, when the color barrier in the NBA was snapped in-half over the knee of a man named Earl Lloyd and tossed to the trash by a man named Sweetwater Clifton during the 1950-51 season. Then came Paul Arizin (“Pitchin’ Paul”), who managed to become a two-time scoring champ and win a championship as well as fit in two years of military service during his 10-year career. Bob Cousy came next followed by guys like Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Bill Russell, “Hondo” Havlicek, Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, “Pistol Pete”, George “The Iceman” Gervin, and a Doctor known simply as J. (I left many names off of this list due to time and page restraints, no disrespect.)
The guys listed above, and many not mentioned, paved the road for what happened next, the rivalries. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson … words can’t describe it. Then a man, at least I think he was man, named Michael Jordan came along and ruined the potential championship runs of guys like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter; Isaiah “Zeke” Thomas and Lambeer; Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and “Thunder” Dan; the entire city of Cleveland; Reggie Miller; Patrick Ewing and the brawlers in knickerbockers; and Malone, Stockton and Hornacek.
After an absence of legends and a disheartening strike year the glory days are back. We have the ring-less trio (The PGA Tour) in Bean town; a guy in San Antonio who simply refuses to lose; the behemoth and the captain paired up in Phoenix; the “king” in Cleveland; the pound-for-pound greatest and the mellow in Denver; the scrappers from Detroit; the fighter from L.A.; the young and the restless from Atlanta; the mirror of a past legendary couple in Utah; a superman in Orlando; and the “Have to see it to believe it” green hornet from New Orleans. (Again, a few have been left out, no disrespect.)
With a possible matchup of such rival magnitude and breathtaking talent between the Lakers and Celtics, there is no question that the golden years of the NBA are back. Sit back, enjoy and have plenty of paper towels to clean up the spills from mind-blowing performances.
It started way back in history, when the color barrier in the NBA was snapped in-half over the knee of a man named Earl Lloyd and tossed to the trash by a man named Sweetwater Clifton during the 1950-51 season. Then came Paul Arizin (“Pitchin’ Paul”), who managed to become a two-time scoring champ and win a championship as well as fit in two years of military service during his 10-year career. Bob Cousy came next followed by guys like Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Bill Russell, “Hondo” Havlicek, Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, “Pistol Pete”, George “The Iceman” Gervin, and a Doctor known simply as J. (I left many names off of this list due to time and page restraints, no disrespect.)
The guys listed above, and many not mentioned, paved the road for what happened next, the rivalries. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson … words can’t describe it. Then a man, at least I think he was man, named Michael Jordan came along and ruined the potential championship runs of guys like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter; Isaiah “Zeke” Thomas and Lambeer; Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and “Thunder” Dan; the entire city of Cleveland; Reggie Miller; Patrick Ewing and the brawlers in knickerbockers; and Malone, Stockton and Hornacek.
After an absence of legends and a disheartening strike year the glory days are back. We have the ring-less trio (The PGA Tour) in Bean town; a guy in San Antonio who simply refuses to lose; the behemoth and the captain paired up in Phoenix; the “king” in Cleveland; the pound-for-pound greatest and the mellow in Denver; the scrappers from Detroit; the fighter from L.A.; the young and the restless from Atlanta; the mirror of a past legendary couple in Utah; a superman in Orlando; and the “Have to see it to believe it” green hornet from New Orleans. (Again, a few have been left out, no disrespect.)
With a possible matchup of such rival magnitude and breathtaking talent between the Lakers and Celtics, there is no question that the golden years of the NBA are back. Sit back, enjoy and have plenty of paper towels to clean up the spills from mind-blowing performances.
She got game
Whether it’s a champagne bottle that she picked out of the garbage because Paul Konerko had taken a swig from it or if she’s simply having a conversation with a class, Melissa Isaacson is always a treat and full of handy tips for aspiring sports journalists.
Despite her composure and all of her wisdom, Isaacson can’t hide the fact that she is a female in a sports journalism world that is dominated by males. Isaacson admitted that it wasn’t easy for her to break into the profession, and that, at times, it still isn’t easy for a woman sports journalist.
Well, guys, unless you have been hibernating for the past few years you have noticed the increase in females in the realm of sports journalism and they’re here to stay, I mean, hey, they got game.
I was watching Isaacson on Wednesday night (April 23) on channel 37 or Comcast Sports Net and I was so excited to see her on television that I called my father and told him, “Dad, turn on 37. That’s the female sports writer that I met, that’s Isaacson.” Whether or not he was excited as I was, I don’t know, but I do know that there are females in this male dominated profession that can write it and say it better than most of the guys and Isaacson is one of them. If you ever want proof of this, watch Isaacson on Comcast Sports Net when she is the only woman on an all-male panel. She brings up some points that are …well…you have to watch to understand.
But, anyways, Isaacson visited our class last week and below are a few memorable quotes, enjoy.
Melissa Isaacson said the following:
“Best interview is a great conversation.”
“Don’t be afraid to bring yourself into an interview.”
“[During an interview], you’re trying to take down a subject’s defenses.”
“You can, as a writer, always say it better than your interview subject.”
And my personal favorite, “If you can put your heart on the page…people are going to get that.”
Despite her composure and all of her wisdom, Isaacson can’t hide the fact that she is a female in a sports journalism world that is dominated by males. Isaacson admitted that it wasn’t easy for her to break into the profession, and that, at times, it still isn’t easy for a woman sports journalist.
Well, guys, unless you have been hibernating for the past few years you have noticed the increase in females in the realm of sports journalism and they’re here to stay, I mean, hey, they got game.
I was watching Isaacson on Wednesday night (April 23) on channel 37 or Comcast Sports Net and I was so excited to see her on television that I called my father and told him, “Dad, turn on 37. That’s the female sports writer that I met, that’s Isaacson.” Whether or not he was excited as I was, I don’t know, but I do know that there are females in this male dominated profession that can write it and say it better than most of the guys and Isaacson is one of them. If you ever want proof of this, watch Isaacson on Comcast Sports Net when she is the only woman on an all-male panel. She brings up some points that are …well…you have to watch to understand.
But, anyways, Isaacson visited our class last week and below are a few memorable quotes, enjoy.
Melissa Isaacson said the following:
“Best interview is a great conversation.”
“Don’t be afraid to bring yourself into an interview.”
“[During an interview], you’re trying to take down a subject’s defenses.”
“You can, as a writer, always say it better than your interview subject.”
And my personal favorite, “If you can put your heart on the page…people are going to get that.”
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March Madness, why do we love you so?
Why is March Madness so popular? I awoke this morning and came to my computer screen with my huge cup-o-coffee, like I do every morning, and clicked on the Internet Explorer icon. My homepage is Yahoo. Every morning I look at the top news headlines on the left side of the page about one-third the way down.
So, on this morning, the first crazy-exciting day of March, instead of the news headlines they had the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament scores (when I wake up it’s about noon or so). So why is March Madness so popular?
Could it be because of the teams? The dominant no.1 seeds, the overrated no.1 seeds, the sneaky no.4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 seeds, the consistently tough no. 2 and 3 seeds, the cinderellas (which according to the latest motivational bell-ringing Nike commercial, shouldn’t be labeled cinderellas because they work hard). Or is it the true grit of the entire season, the heart of each and every coach and player and fan and relative and reporter?
I think we love this madness so much because we love to consider ourselves witnesses. Do you remember where you were when George Mason exemplified the cinderella? Where were you last season when the little school that could, Virginia Common-Wealth, upset the powerhouse Duke? We love to be witnesses. We love to see a player’s and coach’s heart left on the court and a fan’s tear on the seat. We love this madness because we love to see teams die hard.
So, on this morning, the first crazy-exciting day of March, instead of the news headlines they had the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament scores (when I wake up it’s about noon or so). So why is March Madness so popular?
Could it be because of the teams? The dominant no.1 seeds, the overrated no.1 seeds, the sneaky no.4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 seeds, the consistently tough no. 2 and 3 seeds, the cinderellas (which according to the latest motivational bell-ringing Nike commercial, shouldn’t be labeled cinderellas because they work hard). Or is it the true grit of the entire season, the heart of each and every coach and player and fan and relative and reporter?
I think we love this madness so much because we love to consider ourselves witnesses. Do you remember where you were when George Mason exemplified the cinderella? Where were you last season when the little school that could, Virginia Common-Wealth, upset the powerhouse Duke? We love to be witnesses. We love to see a player’s and coach’s heart left on the court and a fan’s tear on the seat. We love this madness because we love to see teams die hard.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Decision 2008: Kobe v. LeBron
The definition of the Most Valuable Player award is, simply put, if you were to remove that player from the team, how would that team play? Well, if you were to remove Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers, they would undoubtedly drop out of first place in their division and probably not make the playoffs. Now if you were to do the same thing with LeBron James the Cleveland Cavaliers would also fall out of playoff contention. So, who should be NBA’s 2008 MVP, Kobe or LeBron? Let’s look at the stat sheet.
We’ll start with LeBron. He’s averaging 30.6 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, 7.6 assists per game, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot and 40.6 minutes per game.
Kobe is averaging 28.3 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 5.3 assists per game, 2 steals, .5 blocked shot and 38.4 minutes per game.
LeBron’s numbers are better in the most prominent statistical categories. So should he be crowned the most valuable player? I don’t think so.
Under LeBron’s leadership, the Cavaliers are 35-26 and will definitely make the playoffs, most likely as a number four seed. The Cavs are second in their division trailing Detroit and have a division record of 5-3. The Cavaliers play in a weak Eastern Conference and have a conference record of 19-14. If LeBron is the MVP that many are speculating him to be, why are the Cavs not at the top of their division?
Under Kobe’s leadership, the Lakers have the league’s best record at 43-18 and are headed for the no.1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers are in first place in a division that consists of a playoff-bound Phoenix, 40-21 and an eighth-seed-bubble team, Golden State, 37-23, that upset no.1 ranked Dallas in last year’s postseason. The Lakers have a division record of 7-2.
So, I ask again, who should be the NBA’s 2008 MVP? Well, it’s definitely not an easy decision, more of a Gore v. Bush decision that is too close to call, but I’d have to give the prestigious award to Kobe Bryant with a potential recount in the near future.
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