I have had a few discussions lately about whether or not college athletes should be paid. To my surprise, I have found more people that think college athletes should get more money.
Why NOT to pay college athletes:
What ever happened to school pride? Play to win for your school, team, and fans(or even yourself). Why do they need money to do that?
And how about playing for the love of the sport? There's a reason they are good at playing this sport. They practiced for hours when they were growing up. They love and hopefully still love to play it. That's what has made them good at it. Go out and play for the love of the sport.
Also, the ones that are good enough to earn a full scholarship(and they're the ones probably making the most money for the University), isn't that good enough? Not only do they have a free education, but they also get free meals, bags, clothes, books, travel to games, etc. They don't need to pay for anything for 4 years, if they wanted to.
Why we should pay college athletes:
The main argument to pay the athletes is because the College or University makes X amount of dollars off certain athletes. For example, how many #2 Texas A&M jerseys have been sold in the last year? Does Johnny Manziel deserve a piece of that pot every time one is sold? That would make sense, wouldn't it? We don't need to pay athletes for TD's or Wins or something on the field(that's covered by the scholarship), but we can pay them a little bit for each merchandise they can directly be correlated with.
The real problem:
What would paying the athletes solve? Even if they get paid, will it be enough? We can try to put rules and restrictions on how much and what they could get paid for, but it still won't be enough. The ones that want to, will keep finding ways to get more by breaking the new rules to get paid even more. What if we open it up completely? Well then athletes can make as much as they want from boosters/donors and/or 3rd party advertisements, but then we totally lose the value of student-athlete all together. More importantly, we lose the value of college athletics.
My thoughts:
College athletes get paid enough now. If they are good; they get scholarships, partial or full doesn't matter, they get what they can and what is deserved. Go play for school pride and love of the sport. If you want to get paid for something then go get a job out of high school, don't go to college. However, if you want to get an education and play a sport you love for free while you do it(maybe even get paid via scholarships) then I encourage you to do that.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Grateful to do what I do
"How's the job search coming?"
The question I always seem to get from people and I'm starting to dread repeating myself. So I just reply "Same-old. Same-old." Then try to change the topic.
The truth: yes, I need to find a job. That's what society tells me. I need to make more money then I do now to pay for everything I have or want. Maybe I have been too picky on jobs, that I haven't applied for enough. That's probably true.
The real truth: I love what I do. I wish I can do it more often. I wish I could get paid more for it, but then again I would also do it for free in a heartbeat. Coaching is my passion.
I had a conversation the other night with a parent of two kids I used to coach and a third that is still there. He was so thankful and appreciative of what I do and the impact I have had on his kids. Then he asked if I have seen the post that a soon to be senior posted on facebook. I said I haven't because I'm not friends with any of them on facebook. So they pulled it up for me:
(Then he had a picture of all his racing numbers and a pair of sunglasses he got after one of his races.)
This just brought a smile to my face. As a coach it is hard to read or know what all your athletes are thinking, but you hope that they are having fun and gaining new and valuable experiences that they can use in the rest of their lives. This kid gets it, and he along with all the others on the team is the reason I coach and I love what I do.
The question I always seem to get from people and I'm starting to dread repeating myself. So I just reply "Same-old. Same-old." Then try to change the topic.
The truth: yes, I need to find a job. That's what society tells me. I need to make more money then I do now to pay for everything I have or want. Maybe I have been too picky on jobs, that I haven't applied for enough. That's probably true.
The real truth: I love what I do. I wish I can do it more often. I wish I could get paid more for it, but then again I would also do it for free in a heartbeat. Coaching is my passion.
I had a conversation the other night with a parent of two kids I used to coach and a third that is still there. He was so thankful and appreciative of what I do and the impact I have had on his kids. Then he asked if I have seen the post that a soon to be senior posted on facebook. I said I haven't because I'm not friends with any of them on facebook. So they pulled it up for me:
"My XC career started exactly three years ago. I remember not being able to last more than five minutes on my first warm-up... and how after barely crossing the finish line during my first 3K, Coach Devine said to me, "You ready for a 5K?" I honestly considered quitting, but I'm glad I didn't. Though I wasn't able to recover all of them, these numbers represent all the times I've battled and defeated my weakness and fear. Cross country doesn't just build fitness - it builds character. It has made me who I am now. I have one more season to go, and I'm determined to do my best (as always). To my teammates, thanks for tolerating and supporting this slacker! To people who still refuse to recognize XC as a sport, we all know you're just jealous of our stylish short shorts, of the fact that we're the biggest and closest family any team can ever hope to be, and of our high probability of surviving the zombie apocalypse." - Senior at La Salle Class of '14
(Then he had a picture of all his racing numbers and a pair of sunglasses he got after one of his races.)
This just brought a smile to my face. As a coach it is hard to read or know what all your athletes are thinking, but you hope that they are having fun and gaining new and valuable experiences that they can use in the rest of their lives. This kid gets it, and he along with all the others on the team is the reason I coach and I love what I do.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Pick-up games over organized sports
One thing that I miss the most about college is one minute I could be sitting on the couch with no plans. The next thing I know, I am grabbing my boots, racket, or ball and off to play a sport. Playing a sport usually came out of no where. I text or see a friend and we are off to play tennis or going to find a group playing soccer in the fields. It was easy, fun and free.
Did I still have organized sports? Certainly. I played probably 5 different types of intramural sports. I also had several activity classes that got me active and playing sports with others. These were still affordable and low key(well I guess the classes were expensive, but I got credit). It also gave us a way to meet new people that play the same sport, so we could have even more people for pick-up games.
Maybe its the city life vs small town life. City people are busy and live by schedules. Small town people just step out the door and find something to do when they're free. Maybe my sports friends have moved away and its harder to meet to play. It seems like if you want to play a "pick-up" game, you have to send a facebook invite 2 weeks before and text 2 times to make sure they're coming. Not very "pick-up" game like. Maybe its the busy life of the 20-somethings out of college person. So people turn to organized sports.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked to play on a team (particularly indoor soccer). I ask how much and its over 60 or 70 dollars for 8 games! My response, I would love to but that's too much for me right now, sorry. Obviously, I just need to get a job and I could afford to play with some teams. I have been blessed though to play on an outdoor soccer team for free because our team has a sponsor. However, there's still something special about pick-up or unstructured games that start out of no where that I miss.
I have replaced this missed unstructured play time with lots of running lately. I absolutely love running, don't get me wrong, but give me a group of friends and a ball of any sport and I would take that in a heart beat. I can run on my own any day, but its getting competitive and socializing with good people that I miss from unstructured games.
Did I still have organized sports? Certainly. I played probably 5 different types of intramural sports. I also had several activity classes that got me active and playing sports with others. These were still affordable and low key(well I guess the classes were expensive, but I got credit). It also gave us a way to meet new people that play the same sport, so we could have even more people for pick-up games.
Maybe its the city life vs small town life. City people are busy and live by schedules. Small town people just step out the door and find something to do when they're free. Maybe my sports friends have moved away and its harder to meet to play. It seems like if you want to play a "pick-up" game, you have to send a facebook invite 2 weeks before and text 2 times to make sure they're coming. Not very "pick-up" game like. Maybe its the busy life of the 20-somethings out of college person. So people turn to organized sports.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked to play on a team (particularly indoor soccer). I ask how much and its over 60 or 70 dollars for 8 games! My response, I would love to but that's too much for me right now, sorry. Obviously, I just need to get a job and I could afford to play with some teams. I have been blessed though to play on an outdoor soccer team for free because our team has a sponsor. However, there's still something special about pick-up or unstructured games that start out of no where that I miss.
I have replaced this missed unstructured play time with lots of running lately. I absolutely love running, don't get me wrong, but give me a group of friends and a ball of any sport and I would take that in a heart beat. I can run on my own any day, but its getting competitive and socializing with good people that I miss from unstructured games.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Do you enjoy being active?
So when I signed up for the Eugene marathon I got three months subscription to three magazines. I quickly chose Runner's World and Sports Illustrated. I didn't know what to pick for my third, so I just checked the one that sounded the most about physical fitness: "Fitness." I have now found that Fitness magazine makes me laugh more than gives me information on fitness. The "how to shed 10 lbs" and "why haven't I lost the weight?" cover the magazine.
Everything in the magazine is focused on weight and body image. That shouldn't be the core focus for fitness. I see the same thing as I pass by gyms: "Shake the weight before summer"
Is it the magazines or gyms fault? They're just trying to reach to the largest consumer audience. Research they have done must draw them to reach out to people to focus on weight loss as their number one reason for being physically active.
I am here to tell you to be physically active in something you enjoy doing. Make fitness fun! If your sole purpose of exercise is to lose weight then your going about it the wrong way. Losing weight should be the bonus to exercise. I'm not saying you can't be excited about losing weight. If it's your number one objective though, exercise will start to feel like work. Then doing workouts becomes an extra stress in your life when it should be a stress reliever.
If you don't get any enjoyment or satisfaction running on a treadmill besides saying "I hope I lost 3 lbs with that run," then don't run on the treadmill. Find something else you might enjoy. Go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Go for a leisure bike ride. It doesn't have to be physically draining. Just active movement.
It might just need to be a mindset change too. Certainly not many enjoy running on the treadmill or running in general. I am not saying that you should never run because you don't like it. Maybe you need to find something you enjoy about running and focus on that. The feeling of accomplishment after the run. Or the runner's high that will soon kick in. If there might just be one tiny thing you like about running, biking, swimming, etc. focus on that one thing. Maybe down the line it will be more enjoyable and you'll feel more accomplished.
Also, we all have a little bit of competitiveness in us. Go play a sport. Even if you're bad at it. Just play and have fun. Tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, or whatever you like. Go do it and have fun. I know when I was in college I felt like I hardly ever did a "workout." I played maybe 2-3 sports a day for 2-4 hours. It was tiring, but I hardly noticed because playing new and old sports is my passion. Don't be self-conscience about swinging and missing at a ball. Just laugh and enjoy yourself.
Physical fitness should not feel like work one bit. It should be fun! Be active but enjoy what you do while doing it!
Sports, run, bike, swim, hike, dance, garden, lift weights, yoga, wii fit...etc...
Everything in the magazine is focused on weight and body image. That shouldn't be the core focus for fitness. I see the same thing as I pass by gyms: "Shake the weight before summer"
Is it the magazines or gyms fault? They're just trying to reach to the largest consumer audience. Research they have done must draw them to reach out to people to focus on weight loss as their number one reason for being physically active.
I am here to tell you to be physically active in something you enjoy doing. Make fitness fun! If your sole purpose of exercise is to lose weight then your going about it the wrong way. Losing weight should be the bonus to exercise. I'm not saying you can't be excited about losing weight. If it's your number one objective though, exercise will start to feel like work. Then doing workouts becomes an extra stress in your life when it should be a stress reliever.
If you don't get any enjoyment or satisfaction running on a treadmill besides saying "I hope I lost 3 lbs with that run," then don't run on the treadmill. Find something else you might enjoy. Go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Go for a leisure bike ride. It doesn't have to be physically draining. Just active movement.
It might just need to be a mindset change too. Certainly not many enjoy running on the treadmill or running in general. I am not saying that you should never run because you don't like it. Maybe you need to find something you enjoy about running and focus on that. The feeling of accomplishment after the run. Or the runner's high that will soon kick in. If there might just be one tiny thing you like about running, biking, swimming, etc. focus on that one thing. Maybe down the line it will be more enjoyable and you'll feel more accomplished.
Also, we all have a little bit of competitiveness in us. Go play a sport. Even if you're bad at it. Just play and have fun. Tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, or whatever you like. Go do it and have fun. I know when I was in college I felt like I hardly ever did a "workout." I played maybe 2-3 sports a day for 2-4 hours. It was tiring, but I hardly noticed because playing new and old sports is my passion. Don't be self-conscience about swinging and missing at a ball. Just laugh and enjoy yourself.
Physical fitness should not feel like work one bit. It should be fun! Be active but enjoy what you do while doing it!
Sports, run, bike, swim, hike, dance, garden, lift weights, yoga, wii fit...etc...
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Respecting Your Rivals
There's been someone on my mind lately. Her name is Mary Ann Allegretto. She was one of my favorite teachers, even though she taught me in one of my least favorite subjects(English). I had her my freshman year at La Salle. I came into English I, not knowing what to expect. I had been receiving extra help or taking special classes for reading and writing since I was in 3rd grade. I didn't know how it was going to be, basically being thrown to the wolves and having to be in a regular English class in high school, and at a college preparatory school nonetheless.
Mrs. Allegretto made me feel comfortable. I think she knew I had struggles in English, but she didn't let me use that as an excuse. She just knew that I would need a little extra time to grow and adjust to high school English. Did I become an amazing writer after her class? No. Did I even love English after her class? To be honest, no. But what she did was plant the seed of change and gave me the ability and opportunity to be at least an average high school English student. Which I couldn't envision a year earlier going into La Salle.
More than just English though, Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great student/teacher relationship outside of our class(something she had with a lot of her students). Our relationship was focused on the beavers and ducks rivalry. At this point in my life, I was just starting to become a huge beaver fan and debates with duck fans was one of my biggest passions. When you're passionate about something and debating with someone else that is also passionate, things can get personal. Especially for teenage boys. Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great rivalry relationship though. She taught me that it is okay to love and respect your rivals. Something that I still have to remind myself of today, and every time I do, I think of her.
It will be 10 years this summer since she left us on earth. Her funeral was the first funeral I ever attended. Seeing the large amount of current and past students that were there(standing room only at the back of a very large church), you knew how much she meant to each and everyone of her students.
As I have now coached for 4 years, every time a student I coach heads off to Eugene, I think of Mrs. Allegretto. I still love those kids and I try to be respectful, yet I still have to tease them a little bit for wearing that yellow and green. The same friendly banter that Mrs. Allegretto and I had.
Thank you Mrs. Allegretto! I know you are up in heaven watching over all of us!
Mrs. Allegretto made me feel comfortable. I think she knew I had struggles in English, but she didn't let me use that as an excuse. She just knew that I would need a little extra time to grow and adjust to high school English. Did I become an amazing writer after her class? No. Did I even love English after her class? To be honest, no. But what she did was plant the seed of change and gave me the ability and opportunity to be at least an average high school English student. Which I couldn't envision a year earlier going into La Salle.
More than just English though, Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great student/teacher relationship outside of our class(something she had with a lot of her students). Our relationship was focused on the beavers and ducks rivalry. At this point in my life, I was just starting to become a huge beaver fan and debates with duck fans was one of my biggest passions. When you're passionate about something and debating with someone else that is also passionate, things can get personal. Especially for teenage boys. Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great rivalry relationship though. She taught me that it is okay to love and respect your rivals. Something that I still have to remind myself of today, and every time I do, I think of her.
It will be 10 years this summer since she left us on earth. Her funeral was the first funeral I ever attended. Seeing the large amount of current and past students that were there(standing room only at the back of a very large church), you knew how much she meant to each and everyone of her students.
As I have now coached for 4 years, every time a student I coach heads off to Eugene, I think of Mrs. Allegretto. I still love those kids and I try to be respectful, yet I still have to tease them a little bit for wearing that yellow and green. The same friendly banter that Mrs. Allegretto and I had.
Thank you Mrs. Allegretto! I know you are up in heaven watching over all of us!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Primed, Focused, and Ready
Last workout is in the books. It all comes down to fuel and rest from here.
Four days away and it can't come soon enough. The waiting game has started.
My mind is fresh and ready to attack the marathon!
Hard to believe a year ago I felt that I was in the worst shape of my life. Coming off of 3 months of traveling and not really getting back into a routine the first month or two back. However, after putting in summer training runs during my one 2 hour break I had for the day at Camp Howard, I started to feel stronger. Then there was the relay race from Philomath to Newport. I wasn't expecting much, less than 2 months into my new running program. But I surprised even myself. I didn't think I would run nearly as well as I did! Then there was my run around Timothy lake. It was my longest run since high school and it felt easy and relaxed. I knew I was on my way to more long runs.
During the cross country season I maintained that strength, but now I had to find a goal, a reason to get even stronger. I had gone back and forth the last few years about when I should run my first marathon. Not that I was putting it off, but I had other running goals in mind and the marathon wasn't quite on that list yet. It was on my mind though. Towards the end of the cross country season, I decided the time has come and I would be stepping up to the marathon for the first time.
Five months later, I am ready to take on the challenge. My legs are fresh and tapered. My mind is fresh and mentally ready to take on the miles. The goals are in place and the focus is there to hit those goals. My body is primed and ready to go to the line. The butterflies are there and I am embracing them.
Ready, Set, Go....
Four days away and it can't come soon enough. The waiting game has started.
My mind is fresh and ready to attack the marathon!
Hard to believe a year ago I felt that I was in the worst shape of my life. Coming off of 3 months of traveling and not really getting back into a routine the first month or two back. However, after putting in summer training runs during my one 2 hour break I had for the day at Camp Howard, I started to feel stronger. Then there was the relay race from Philomath to Newport. I wasn't expecting much, less than 2 months into my new running program. But I surprised even myself. I didn't think I would run nearly as well as I did! Then there was my run around Timothy lake. It was my longest run since high school and it felt easy and relaxed. I knew I was on my way to more long runs.
During the cross country season I maintained that strength, but now I had to find a goal, a reason to get even stronger. I had gone back and forth the last few years about when I should run my first marathon. Not that I was putting it off, but I had other running goals in mind and the marathon wasn't quite on that list yet. It was on my mind though. Towards the end of the cross country season, I decided the time has come and I would be stepping up to the marathon for the first time.
Five months later, I am ready to take on the challenge. My legs are fresh and tapered. My mind is fresh and mentally ready to take on the miles. The goals are in place and the focus is there to hit those goals. My body is primed and ready to go to the line. The butterflies are there and I am embracing them.
Ready, Set, Go....
Monday, April 15, 2013
Preparation
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare"
That quote sits next to my picture in my senior yearbook. It was my quote for the track season. It summed up all the work that was put in during winter training. But preparation is more than the physical workouts that you pull and drag your body through during all the miles of training. It is mental and emotional as well.
The emotional preparation is easy for some and hard for others. The ability to think about the positive and know that if you give your best there is nothing to feel down about. The confidence to know that you will leave it all out there will leave you happy and proud of what you have accomplished. The understanding that the butterflies will come but it's how you deal with them that matter. I always say butterflies are a good thing because it shows you care about what you are about to do. So let's just go do it. I have two weeks for those butterflies to come and when they do I will embrace them knowing that I will give it my all because of them.
The mental preparation is probably my favorite though. During training the mental preparation for a marathoner is to not be scared of the 26.2 miles that are ahead. I'm passed that now. I can run 26.2 miles. However, the race preparation begins now.
I can remember my senior track season. The above quote was sitting in my head, as I sat in Ms. Bromley's Pre-Cal class. I was thinking about the district meet that was 2 weeks away. I was visualizing the meet from the warm-up to the cool-down and what the day would look like. I knew all the athletes that I would be up against. I raced against them for the last 3 years. I knew who had the strong kick, who would take the lead on the first lap, and who would try to go early. Knowing all this, I made my race plan. I would go out conservative(like always). Let the race develop in front of me. The second lap I would move up right behind the leaders. I would sit there. Nothing to be done until 300 meters to go. I know who would go first. The person with the worst kick: David Reid. We would all follow him and get by him on the back stretch. I would move past the Wilsonville boys on the back stretch then I would be on Reed Huskey's shoulder through the turn. Sit there and wait until the 100, where I would sling shot around him off the turn and then put my eyes up on Ryan Horton where I would give it my all to try and catch him for the win.
I told my friend, Matt, this during Pre-Cal. Somehow he still got in trouble for talking, even though I did all the talking that day. I guess I get the benefit of the doubt being quiet the rest of the year. Matt would tell me how he could almost describe my race plan because I told him so many times and so clearly.
Mental preparation is visual. The ability to see what you are about to do and do it over and over again until it gives you the confidence to say "This is what it is. This is what it has to be. Let's go achieve the goal."
My preparation for the marathon starts today. What do my first miles look like? Where do I fuel up? Where are the aid stations? What miles am I going to really push my body through? The more I see it, the more it will happen. The marathon is 2 weeks away. But it starts in my head today.
That quote sits next to my picture in my senior yearbook. It was my quote for the track season. It summed up all the work that was put in during winter training. But preparation is more than the physical workouts that you pull and drag your body through during all the miles of training. It is mental and emotional as well.
The emotional preparation is easy for some and hard for others. The ability to think about the positive and know that if you give your best there is nothing to feel down about. The confidence to know that you will leave it all out there will leave you happy and proud of what you have accomplished. The understanding that the butterflies will come but it's how you deal with them that matter. I always say butterflies are a good thing because it shows you care about what you are about to do. So let's just go do it. I have two weeks for those butterflies to come and when they do I will embrace them knowing that I will give it my all because of them.
The mental preparation is probably my favorite though. During training the mental preparation for a marathoner is to not be scared of the 26.2 miles that are ahead. I'm passed that now. I can run 26.2 miles. However, the race preparation begins now.
I can remember my senior track season. The above quote was sitting in my head, as I sat in Ms. Bromley's Pre-Cal class. I was thinking about the district meet that was 2 weeks away. I was visualizing the meet from the warm-up to the cool-down and what the day would look like. I knew all the athletes that I would be up against. I raced against them for the last 3 years. I knew who had the strong kick, who would take the lead on the first lap, and who would try to go early. Knowing all this, I made my race plan. I would go out conservative(like always). Let the race develop in front of me. The second lap I would move up right behind the leaders. I would sit there. Nothing to be done until 300 meters to go. I know who would go first. The person with the worst kick: David Reid. We would all follow him and get by him on the back stretch. I would move past the Wilsonville boys on the back stretch then I would be on Reed Huskey's shoulder through the turn. Sit there and wait until the 100, where I would sling shot around him off the turn and then put my eyes up on Ryan Horton where I would give it my all to try and catch him for the win.
I told my friend, Matt, this during Pre-Cal. Somehow he still got in trouble for talking, even though I did all the talking that day. I guess I get the benefit of the doubt being quiet the rest of the year. Matt would tell me how he could almost describe my race plan because I told him so many times and so clearly.
Mental preparation is visual. The ability to see what you are about to do and do it over and over again until it gives you the confidence to say "This is what it is. This is what it has to be. Let's go achieve the goal."
My preparation for the marathon starts today. What do my first miles look like? Where do I fuel up? Where are the aid stations? What miles am I going to really push my body through? The more I see it, the more it will happen. The marathon is 2 weeks away. But it starts in my head today.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Marathon training can change a person
I love music. Like most people do. I sing in the car in a traffic jam. I create youtube playlists and blare it on my computer. I use it to help me study and get work done. I'm listening to it right now... The place I rarely have used music (I've only used music twice in five months of marathon training) is on my runs. Each run I go on is always a special time. Whether I am running with a friend and talking about our lives and what is to come. Or I'm running with the team and getting to hear about their crazy high school stories. Or I am by myself and in my own thoughts. Sometimes I still play songs but only by memory in my head, sometimes I think about sports and this blog, sometimes I think about life and where I am going. But more importantly and more recently, runs by myself our my time with God.
Everyone is different. Everyone reaches out to God in different ways. I never feel more close to God than in the 10th mile of an 18 miler. Being surrounded by the wilderness with my legs churning out without any conscious thought. Just hitting the same pace over and over. My lungs feel more open and my breathing is the best it's ever been. The runner's high is just starting to hit a level I've never felt. I start skipping like I haven't just ran 10 miles. This is my time with God. I pray for His strength to guide me on all my runs.
Running so many miles by myself in the last five months, I have been able to strengthen my relationship with God. I have complimented this running journey with God by starting to go back to church as well. This allowed me to think even more deeply about how God wants to use me in life and what purpose He has for me. I am running with God and for God.
Three weeks ago, I found out that I had an upper respiratory infection(walking pneumonia). Something that a marathoner doesn't want...something that affects your breathing. At first I wasn't sure what this meant. Did He not want me to run a marathon yet? Or did He want me to start tapering early because I have put in all the hard work I need? After talking to my running family about what I should do. It was unanimous. I should still go through with the marathon. With so much encouragement to still run the marathon, I knew this was a sign from God that He wanted me to just taper early and come back rested and stronger than ever for the marathon. Now, after a great long run back from the infection, I trust Him more than ever.
I quote this scripture during all my runs now, but in 19 days it is going to help me more than ever!
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength" Phil. 4:13
A song I sing on my long runs:
Forever Reign
"I'm Running to Your Arms"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3sNiYpuF4&list=HL1365528426&shuffle=6519
Everyone is different. Everyone reaches out to God in different ways. I never feel more close to God than in the 10th mile of an 18 miler. Being surrounded by the wilderness with my legs churning out without any conscious thought. Just hitting the same pace over and over. My lungs feel more open and my breathing is the best it's ever been. The runner's high is just starting to hit a level I've never felt. I start skipping like I haven't just ran 10 miles. This is my time with God. I pray for His strength to guide me on all my runs.
Running so many miles by myself in the last five months, I have been able to strengthen my relationship with God. I have complimented this running journey with God by starting to go back to church as well. This allowed me to think even more deeply about how God wants to use me in life and what purpose He has for me. I am running with God and for God.
Three weeks ago, I found out that I had an upper respiratory infection(walking pneumonia). Something that a marathoner doesn't want...something that affects your breathing. At first I wasn't sure what this meant. Did He not want me to run a marathon yet? Or did He want me to start tapering early because I have put in all the hard work I need? After talking to my running family about what I should do. It was unanimous. I should still go through with the marathon. With so much encouragement to still run the marathon, I knew this was a sign from God that He wanted me to just taper early and come back rested and stronger than ever for the marathon. Now, after a great long run back from the infection, I trust Him more than ever.
I quote this scripture during all my runs now, but in 19 days it is going to help me more than ever!
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength" Phil. 4:13
A song I sing on my long runs:
Forever Reign
"I'm Running to Your Arms"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3sNiYpuF4&list=HL1365528426&shuffle=6519
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Take a history lesson, LeBron
Have I been hard on LeBron? Possibly. I never liked how hyped he was coming out of high school, even though I did see the potential, I just wanted to see it in the NBA for a few years before we anointed him the next great one. Then there was the decision. I didn't care that he left Cleveland(although I do like when players play for the same team, but it's not always possible), it was his choice to go where he wanted. Did he have to team up with another top 5 player? Well to win championships, that's usually how it goes. Michael and Scottie, Magic and Kareem, Russell and Cousy, Kobe and Shaq, Ducan and Robinson/Parker. The list goes on. You need great players around you. I just didn't like how he had to make the decision all about him and such a big deal. The media will already do that, but he helped the media make it even bigger.
All that being said though, I'm over it. Is Lebron the best player in the NBA now? Without question. It's tough to actually say it, but yes he is. Ever since game 6 of the eastern finals against the Celtics last year, he has figured something out. I'm not sure what changed, but he finally knows how to win. His heart is finally as big as his talent.
I'm over the decision and I've finally given into the fact that he's the best player, but there is still something that I can't get over. LeBron's comments about changing his number to 6 and that he thinks 23 should be a retired number around the league. There are two things that bug me about that:
1) He changed his number from Michael Jordan(23) to the Great Bill Russell(6), and if there was a number that should be retired around the league(though I don't think there should), it would be Bill Russell with 11 championships. So that was an interesting number change...
2) To even think that Michael Jordan is compared to what Jackie Robinson did in his sport and his generation is just crazy. I need to learn more about Jackie Robinson and I am excited for the movie "42" to come out, but even I know Jordan did not endure what Jackie did. I hope LeBron watches the movie and gets a history lesson too.
All that being said though, I'm over it. Is Lebron the best player in the NBA now? Without question. It's tough to actually say it, but yes he is. Ever since game 6 of the eastern finals against the Celtics last year, he has figured something out. I'm not sure what changed, but he finally knows how to win. His heart is finally as big as his talent.
I'm over the decision and I've finally given into the fact that he's the best player, but there is still something that I can't get over. LeBron's comments about changing his number to 6 and that he thinks 23 should be a retired number around the league. There are two things that bug me about that:
1) He changed his number from Michael Jordan(23) to the Great Bill Russell(6), and if there was a number that should be retired around the league(though I don't think there should), it would be Bill Russell with 11 championships. So that was an interesting number change...
2) To even think that Michael Jordan is compared to what Jackie Robinson did in his sport and his generation is just crazy. I need to learn more about Jackie Robinson and I am excited for the movie "42" to come out, but even I know Jordan did not endure what Jackie did. I hope LeBron watches the movie and gets a history lesson too.
Monday, March 25, 2013
The Hoosier State
It all started as a jealous 7 year old boy. I wanted my brother's ball. Sure I had my own yellow and teal ball. But I had my eyes set on the mini red and white basketball with a faded cactus(IU) logo on it. I had no idea what a Hoosier was and I probably couldn't point to Indiana on a map yet. (I'm sure we drove through it on the cross country road trip a year or two earlier though) My favorite color wasn't even red, but for some reason, I wanted that ball. When my brother finally moved on to a regular size basketball, I was happy to have that ball all to myself. And when I got old enough to palm a mini basketball, that red and white ball became my main ball for dunking on a 7ft hoop.
Two of my favorite NBA players of all time are Reggie Miller(again following my brother's footsteps) and Larry Bird. Reggie played for the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird went to Indiana State and later coached the Pacers to the NBA finals with Reggie. I hadn't even put the connections together yet that these teams and players were part of this state with great basketball history.
Then I finally watched the movie Hoosiers. When I watched that movie it all started to come together. The Hoosier state. The basketball state. (Side note: did you know that Indiana has had 3 of arguably the top 5 sports movies set and filmed in their state: Hoosiers, Rudy, and the best not talked about sports movie-Breaking Away. Pretty neat!) As I learned more history of IU basketball and Indiana basketball in general, I realized they were really strong in the 80's with Coach Bob Knight throwing chairs all over the place. However, they hadn't really done much in awhile and growing up I really only noticed teams that did well during march madness. (Last National Championship in Basketball for the state of Indiana was the one right before I was born)
In 2002, though, they were finally back(at least for a year). This time not as the favorite, but as a semi-Cinderella 5 seed. I can vaguely remember them beating Duke in the Sweet 16 and moving all the way to the finals. Jared Jeffries and Cloverdale helped the Hoosiers put on a magical run, but it fell just short to Maryland in the finals.
After that season, IU dropped back down to mediocrity again. I still have my other schools like UCONN and Kansas to keep me hopeful of a National Championship every year(yes, I like too many teams, deal with it). Then came the 2010 run by Butler, they were a 5 seed just like the 2002 Indiana Hoosiers. I admired their hard work and the incredible coaching job that led them to a great run to the finals where Duke stood in their way. Another great hard fought game, but just like Indiana in 2002, they came up short. They were about an inch away from what would have been the greatest buzzer beater of all time, without question, by Gordon Hayward.
Butler followed that up with an even more incredible run as an 8 seed all the way to the finals in 2011 where they met my favorite team, the Connecticut Huskies. I was slightly torn on this one (at least just a little bit). I felt so bad for Butler a year before and I really wanted the state of Indiana to take back a basketball National Championship. (and Butler has the most historic basketball venue too) However, there was no doubt I still wanted UCONN to win, but that was a win-win/lose-lose situation for me.
Then came last year and the "Where were you when..." moment happened. Where were you when...Christian Watford made that buzzer beater against Kentucky? I just happened to be at Big Al's in Beaverton for the first time. Again, I slightly felt bad for my friend who is the biggest Kentucky fan in the PNW, but this was a great moment for IU basketball! IU basketball announced to the world that they are on their way back! Kentucky went on to get their revenge and beat IU in the Sweet 16 of the tournament. And my friend was very happy to see Kentucky go on to win the whole thing.
That buzzer beater didn't win them a trophy last year, but it set the stage for this year and created the winning attitude. Now could this be their year? Could the Hoosier faithful see a National Championship in basketball come back to their state?
The time is now IU!
Go Hoosiers!
Two of my favorite NBA players of all time are Reggie Miller(again following my brother's footsteps) and Larry Bird. Reggie played for the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird went to Indiana State and later coached the Pacers to the NBA finals with Reggie. I hadn't even put the connections together yet that these teams and players were part of this state with great basketball history.
Then I finally watched the movie Hoosiers. When I watched that movie it all started to come together. The Hoosier state. The basketball state. (Side note: did you know that Indiana has had 3 of arguably the top 5 sports movies set and filmed in their state: Hoosiers, Rudy, and the best not talked about sports movie-Breaking Away. Pretty neat!) As I learned more history of IU basketball and Indiana basketball in general, I realized they were really strong in the 80's with Coach Bob Knight throwing chairs all over the place. However, they hadn't really done much in awhile and growing up I really only noticed teams that did well during march madness. (Last National Championship in Basketball for the state of Indiana was the one right before I was born)
In 2002, though, they were finally back(at least for a year). This time not as the favorite, but as a semi-Cinderella 5 seed. I can vaguely remember them beating Duke in the Sweet 16 and moving all the way to the finals. Jared Jeffries and Cloverdale helped the Hoosiers put on a magical run, but it fell just short to Maryland in the finals.
After that season, IU dropped back down to mediocrity again. I still have my other schools like UCONN and Kansas to keep me hopeful of a National Championship every year(yes, I like too many teams, deal with it). Then came the 2010 run by Butler, they were a 5 seed just like the 2002 Indiana Hoosiers. I admired their hard work and the incredible coaching job that led them to a great run to the finals where Duke stood in their way. Another great hard fought game, but just like Indiana in 2002, they came up short. They were about an inch away from what would have been the greatest buzzer beater of all time, without question, by Gordon Hayward.
Butler followed that up with an even more incredible run as an 8 seed all the way to the finals in 2011 where they met my favorite team, the Connecticut Huskies. I was slightly torn on this one (at least just a little bit). I felt so bad for Butler a year before and I really wanted the state of Indiana to take back a basketball National Championship. (and Butler has the most historic basketball venue too) However, there was no doubt I still wanted UCONN to win, but that was a win-win/lose-lose situation for me.
Then came last year and the "Where were you when..." moment happened. Where were you when...Christian Watford made that buzzer beater against Kentucky? I just happened to be at Big Al's in Beaverton for the first time. Again, I slightly felt bad for my friend who is the biggest Kentucky fan in the PNW, but this was a great moment for IU basketball! IU basketball announced to the world that they are on their way back! Kentucky went on to get their revenge and beat IU in the Sweet 16 of the tournament. And my friend was very happy to see Kentucky go on to win the whole thing.
That buzzer beater didn't win them a trophy last year, but it set the stage for this year and created the winning attitude. Now could this be their year? Could the Hoosier faithful see a National Championship in basketball come back to their state?
The time is now IU!
Go Hoosiers!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Role Models
Ten years ago.
What if someone asked me ten years ago where I would be now? I probably had no idea back then, (I was only a sophomore in high school) but I know that my answer would not have been anywhere accurate to where I actually am now. Ten years ago, I had just met someone that would be a big part of making me who I am today. So to think that didn't change my path in life would be absurd.
The story starts a year earlier though with what I still call one of the biggest blessings in my life(in hindsight): I got cut from the tennis team my freshman year. I love tennis and I remember being really excited to play in high school because I never played competitively before, just against friends and family for fun. I wouldn't say I was devastated, but being cut definitely killed the excitement I had to play tennis.
So fast forward a year. I decided not to give tennis another try and instead switched to track, mostly to just keep in shape for soccer. I remember the early parts of winter training and how I impressed the coach with my form and work ethic and I thought he was going to be coaching me the whole year, so I was happy to impress my coach(even though it was a no-cut sport this time). Then I found out he wasn't going to be working with me and that there was a specific distance coach that I still had to meet. So I thought- shoot, I have to impress another coach all over again. What if he didn't like me? What if I didn't like the way he coached? I just got used to the other coach. I did not like this change.
Little did I know what would transpire over the next three years, and now ten years.
Ten years ago, I met Coach Call.
I quickly realized that this new coach, Coach Call, was going to be easy to work with and had a good approach to coaching that would work well for me. When I went out for track, I didn't know what to expect and I was still trying to fit in at a school that I came in barely knowing two other people. Coach Call made me feel welcome to this new life as a distance runner. The first year we were just getting to know each other as I figured out the sport of track and distance running. One thing that stood out to me in the beginning was his passion for college basketball and the Gonzaga basketball team. This helped me feel comfortable, as I was surprised to learn that most distance runners aren't big sport's fans. So Coach Call would be my go to guy to talk about sports. I remember the first meet of the year. He was on the phone getting updates about March Madness from his brother while dragging hurdles out on the track at the same time. Always working hard, he was. I would go up and ask if he had any updates on the games the whole meet. This was just a start to a new tradition. I remember getting March Madness updates in all the first meets of the season.
The second year our relationship grew as I was finally understanding pacing in practice and in meets. Pacing is something that would become very important to me and my racing strategy and Coach Call obviously had a lot to do with that development. More importantly during my junior season, I started to understand the enormity of track and with that my passion for it grew as I saw more of Call's passion for the sport. There were two meets that really stood out to me that season: Centennial Meet and the State Meet. At Centennial, not only did I have a good race, but I also got to watch Galen Rupp run and see the crowd react to him chasing Pre's old high school record. This really showed me just how big track is and that it does exist outside of the 4 years of the Olympics. Then came the State Meet. I didn't qualify. I didn't really even come that close to qualifying, but Coach Call wanted me to go down to State to watch. This was huge. I was able to see what I was working towards and as I watched the crowd clap every time the runners came down the home stretch in the 3000 I knew that I wanted to make it here the next year. I was able to understand the mystic of Hayward Field(and I'm a Beaver!).
Now that I knew where I wanted to be, I knew that Call was going to be the one to get me there. As soon as soccer was over, he started e-mailing me my workouts for the week. It was a long winter of training as the cross country coach wanted all of his athletes doing a winter sport, so most were swimming after school and I would be the only one running. Coach Call still took time out of his busy schedule (and drove across the city) to come and run with me at least two times a week. I can remember these runs so well. It was raining and cold everyday and I would ramble on about playing with UCONN in my video games. He would keep listening and respond like he actually cared about my video game stats!
After working hard all winter and spring, I was so nervous and excited for districts to come around. I wanted to qualify for state so badly. Not only for me, but for Coach Call. We set up a race plan together that would give me the best shot for qualifying for state. Coach Call knew I had a strong kick and the trust that he had in me to out kick everyone, if given the chance, really gave me the confidence to go out there and execute the race plan. The time had come and even Call admitted that he was a bit nervous when I came through the first lap in about 10th, but at that point all he could do was trust me to make the moves we had planned out.
It worked! I qualified for state! All the hard work and trust in my coach had paid off!
I was so happy to make it to State and it was just the cherry on top to a great season for me. I was glad to make Coach Call happy as one of his three distance runners to qualify for state that year. One story that I like to tell is that I remember hearing Call's voice at Hayward and someone asked me "how in the world did you hear Call?"(if you don't know Call he doesn't have the loudest voices) I responded by saying, "I'm just used to listening for him. He could whisper in Hayward and I could probably still pick his voice out of the crowd while I'm running."
Coach Call meant so much to me in high school and he was, and still is, a great role model for me. I think what makes him great to work with is his trust and respect that he shows everyone and his athletes. He is also well-tempered and doesn't get upset easily. If he ever does get mad, then you know you did something wrong. And more importantly, his love for the sport and coaching is something that I always greatly admired. He does this because he wants to and he loves it and for no other reason.
Fast forward about seven years and I have now had the privilege of coaching alongside him for the last 4 years and I have gotten to know him even more as a friend and colleague. I have seen him get married to a beautiful bride and the love of his life. How many people get to fly back across the country before going to Europe to watch their former coach get married? And how many get to drive the party bus at the wedding? And how many get to work with and for their mentor years later? I am so fortunate and blessed to still have my role model be very much apart of my life.
Thank you Coach Call!
What if someone asked me ten years ago where I would be now? I probably had no idea back then, (I was only a sophomore in high school) but I know that my answer would not have been anywhere accurate to where I actually am now. Ten years ago, I had just met someone that would be a big part of making me who I am today. So to think that didn't change my path in life would be absurd.
The story starts a year earlier though with what I still call one of the biggest blessings in my life(in hindsight): I got cut from the tennis team my freshman year. I love tennis and I remember being really excited to play in high school because I never played competitively before, just against friends and family for fun. I wouldn't say I was devastated, but being cut definitely killed the excitement I had to play tennis.
So fast forward a year. I decided not to give tennis another try and instead switched to track, mostly to just keep in shape for soccer. I remember the early parts of winter training and how I impressed the coach with my form and work ethic and I thought he was going to be coaching me the whole year, so I was happy to impress my coach(even though it was a no-cut sport this time). Then I found out he wasn't going to be working with me and that there was a specific distance coach that I still had to meet. So I thought- shoot, I have to impress another coach all over again. What if he didn't like me? What if I didn't like the way he coached? I just got used to the other coach. I did not like this change.
Little did I know what would transpire over the next three years, and now ten years.
Ten years ago, I met Coach Call.
I quickly realized that this new coach, Coach Call, was going to be easy to work with and had a good approach to coaching that would work well for me. When I went out for track, I didn't know what to expect and I was still trying to fit in at a school that I came in barely knowing two other people. Coach Call made me feel welcome to this new life as a distance runner. The first year we were just getting to know each other as I figured out the sport of track and distance running. One thing that stood out to me in the beginning was his passion for college basketball and the Gonzaga basketball team. This helped me feel comfortable, as I was surprised to learn that most distance runners aren't big sport's fans. So Coach Call would be my go to guy to talk about sports. I remember the first meet of the year. He was on the phone getting updates about March Madness from his brother while dragging hurdles out on the track at the same time. Always working hard, he was. I would go up and ask if he had any updates on the games the whole meet. This was just a start to a new tradition. I remember getting March Madness updates in all the first meets of the season.
The second year our relationship grew as I was finally understanding pacing in practice and in meets. Pacing is something that would become very important to me and my racing strategy and Coach Call obviously had a lot to do with that development. More importantly during my junior season, I started to understand the enormity of track and with that my passion for it grew as I saw more of Call's passion for the sport. There were two meets that really stood out to me that season: Centennial Meet and the State Meet. At Centennial, not only did I have a good race, but I also got to watch Galen Rupp run and see the crowd react to him chasing Pre's old high school record. This really showed me just how big track is and that it does exist outside of the 4 years of the Olympics. Then came the State Meet. I didn't qualify. I didn't really even come that close to qualifying, but Coach Call wanted me to go down to State to watch. This was huge. I was able to see what I was working towards and as I watched the crowd clap every time the runners came down the home stretch in the 3000 I knew that I wanted to make it here the next year. I was able to understand the mystic of Hayward Field(and I'm a Beaver!).
Now that I knew where I wanted to be, I knew that Call was going to be the one to get me there. As soon as soccer was over, he started e-mailing me my workouts for the week. It was a long winter of training as the cross country coach wanted all of his athletes doing a winter sport, so most were swimming after school and I would be the only one running. Coach Call still took time out of his busy schedule (and drove across the city) to come and run with me at least two times a week. I can remember these runs so well. It was raining and cold everyday and I would ramble on about playing with UCONN in my video games. He would keep listening and respond like he actually cared about my video game stats!
After working hard all winter and spring, I was so nervous and excited for districts to come around. I wanted to qualify for state so badly. Not only for me, but for Coach Call. We set up a race plan together that would give me the best shot for qualifying for state. Coach Call knew I had a strong kick and the trust that he had in me to out kick everyone, if given the chance, really gave me the confidence to go out there and execute the race plan. The time had come and even Call admitted that he was a bit nervous when I came through the first lap in about 10th, but at that point all he could do was trust me to make the moves we had planned out.
It worked! I qualified for state! All the hard work and trust in my coach had paid off!
I was so happy to make it to State and it was just the cherry on top to a great season for me. I was glad to make Coach Call happy as one of his three distance runners to qualify for state that year. One story that I like to tell is that I remember hearing Call's voice at Hayward and someone asked me "how in the world did you hear Call?"(if you don't know Call he doesn't have the loudest voices) I responded by saying, "I'm just used to listening for him. He could whisper in Hayward and I could probably still pick his voice out of the crowd while I'm running."
Coach Call meant so much to me in high school and he was, and still is, a great role model for me. I think what makes him great to work with is his trust and respect that he shows everyone and his athletes. He is also well-tempered and doesn't get upset easily. If he ever does get mad, then you know you did something wrong. And more importantly, his love for the sport and coaching is something that I always greatly admired. He does this because he wants to and he loves it and for no other reason.
Fast forward about seven years and I have now had the privilege of coaching alongside him for the last 4 years and I have gotten to know him even more as a friend and colleague. I have seen him get married to a beautiful bride and the love of his life. How many people get to fly back across the country before going to Europe to watch their former coach get married? And how many get to drive the party bus at the wedding? And how many get to work with and for their mentor years later? I am so fortunate and blessed to still have my role model be very much apart of my life.
Thank you Coach Call!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Greatness
What is greatness? Greatness is a relative term. Webster's defines it as "exceptionally high quality." I would define greatness in sports as "consistent domination over worthy opponents, where limited luck is required." Break that down. Consistent = doing it over and over again. Dominate = no doubt who the better team is. Worthy opponent = are they in your league? (You can't be in college and dominate high schoolers.) Limited luck = there is always luck in sports, but could you dominate them so that luck did not come into the equation(at least the majority of the time).
Greatness is relative. You can be great in high school. Doesn't mean you will be great in college or the pro's. Greatness doesn't mean you're the best of all time. It's just greatness, it's relative. Who's better? Bill Russell or Lebron James? Bill has 11 rings in 13 seasons and two NCAA rings: That's greatness. Maybe he didn't play the same opponents, but he played the worthy opponents in his generation. Just like James is now. James is averaging insane numbers right now and making good or great players look insignificant. That's greatness. They can both be considered great for their generations. Who would win one-on-one? Or whose team would win? Well many would say James and Miami, cause they're just bigger, faster, stronger now days. And they're probably right. Science has improved. Players are full-time now more than ever. However, if Bill Russell was in this generation and had the same training and opportunities in today's world, would he still be great? Maybe not 11 titles, but he would be great. I will believe that.
Team sports is hard to compare generation to generation. Jim Brown. Would he dominate in the NFL today? Yes, I think so. What about track and field though? We have facts that say this generation is better than others. Right?
A great example of relativity: Sir Roger Bannister.
Would Roger be some insignificant distance runner that can barely break 4 minutes in the mile? Something that a lot of collegiate athletes can do now. Where were all these athletes 60 years ago that can break 4 minutes? Sports and athletes are where they are now because of people in the past. Yes, if Roger Bannister of 1954 ran today he would be 12th in the Bowerman mile at the Pre Classic. But what if Roger was in this generation? Would he still be barely breaking 4 minute mile? Maybe. Or maybe the greatness inside him keeps him up with the rest of the competition and maybe he's going for the world record of 3:43.13 by El Guerrouj.
Who knows? But it's all relative.
Greatest Sports' Team of All-Time to come...
Greatness is relative. You can be great in high school. Doesn't mean you will be great in college or the pro's. Greatness doesn't mean you're the best of all time. It's just greatness, it's relative. Who's better? Bill Russell or Lebron James? Bill has 11 rings in 13 seasons and two NCAA rings: That's greatness. Maybe he didn't play the same opponents, but he played the worthy opponents in his generation. Just like James is now. James is averaging insane numbers right now and making good or great players look insignificant. That's greatness. They can both be considered great for their generations. Who would win one-on-one? Or whose team would win? Well many would say James and Miami, cause they're just bigger, faster, stronger now days. And they're probably right. Science has improved. Players are full-time now more than ever. However, if Bill Russell was in this generation and had the same training and opportunities in today's world, would he still be great? Maybe not 11 titles, but he would be great. I will believe that.
Team sports is hard to compare generation to generation. Jim Brown. Would he dominate in the NFL today? Yes, I think so. What about track and field though? We have facts that say this generation is better than others. Right?
A great example of relativity: Sir Roger Bannister.
Would Roger be some insignificant distance runner that can barely break 4 minutes in the mile? Something that a lot of collegiate athletes can do now. Where were all these athletes 60 years ago that can break 4 minutes? Sports and athletes are where they are now because of people in the past. Yes, if Roger Bannister of 1954 ran today he would be 12th in the Bowerman mile at the Pre Classic. But what if Roger was in this generation? Would he still be barely breaking 4 minute mile? Maybe. Or maybe the greatness inside him keeps him up with the rest of the competition and maybe he's going for the world record of 3:43.13 by El Guerrouj.
Who knows? But it's all relative.
Greatest Sports' Team of All-Time to come...
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Bill Russell: "My first memory of life is that my mother and father loved me"
Ever like a celebrity and you're not really sure why? Or maybe you don't know much about him/her, but you just say they are amazing. Well, for me I grew up admiring Bill Russell.
I'm not sure why. Maybe I heard my dad say good things about him. Maybe I just liked that he had 11 championships in his 13 NBA seasons. Maybe I liked that he was known for block shots (even though it wasn't even a stat in his day). Growing up, I would always say Bill Russell is the greatest basketball player of all time. I never watched him play. I didn't have the eyeball test. I trusted what I read and heard. I was and still am a stat guy(team and individual stats) and he has a lot of stats in his favor. I think the stat that always stands out to me is that he won the NCAA championship two straight seasons before going to the NBA. So he won the ultimate team championship in his respective league 13 out of 15 years. So it wasn't just a Celtic thing, he started in college!
I can say the same about Pele. Never watched him play a full game, but I've seen the highlights and heard the stories and 3 out of 4 World Cups in his generation to Brazil, can't lie. Also, 1282 goals in 1366 games, need I say more!
They are legends of their game and what is even better about them is what they do now for their sport. Bill is always working with young centers in the offseason on blocking shots. Pele is bringing a World Cup back to Brazil. They are always helping grow their sport and do it with a smile on their face. They are great role models for the younger generations in their sport.
Why do I bring this up? Well there was a really good interview with Bill Russell and Chris Webber before the All-star game. Watching the interview, you can quickly see the great sense of humor that Bill Russell has and he mixes that with well spoken profound thoughts on so many different topics. You can see that he was competitive enough to get aggressive and dig down to win games, yet he always understood not to take the game and life too seriously. Russell just seems to enjoy life which is even better than those 11 NBA rings he has.
When asked the question: what gave you confidence to believe in yourself?
He replied: "I had the best pair of parents....My first memory of life is that my mother and father loved me"
Even though I didn't know much about him growing up, as I slowly learn more about him, I am really glad I have Bill Russell to look up to in my childhood and now my adulthood. He is truly a great man. If you haven't heard him laugh, it is truly genuine and contagious and it's worth a youtube search.
I hope to find the interview with Chris Webber and post it here soon!
I'm not sure why. Maybe I heard my dad say good things about him. Maybe I just liked that he had 11 championships in his 13 NBA seasons. Maybe I liked that he was known for block shots (even though it wasn't even a stat in his day). Growing up, I would always say Bill Russell is the greatest basketball player of all time. I never watched him play. I didn't have the eyeball test. I trusted what I read and heard. I was and still am a stat guy(team and individual stats) and he has a lot of stats in his favor. I think the stat that always stands out to me is that he won the NCAA championship two straight seasons before going to the NBA. So he won the ultimate team championship in his respective league 13 out of 15 years. So it wasn't just a Celtic thing, he started in college!
I can say the same about Pele. Never watched him play a full game, but I've seen the highlights and heard the stories and 3 out of 4 World Cups in his generation to Brazil, can't lie. Also, 1282 goals in 1366 games, need I say more!
They are legends of their game and what is even better about them is what they do now for their sport. Bill is always working with young centers in the offseason on blocking shots. Pele is bringing a World Cup back to Brazil. They are always helping grow their sport and do it with a smile on their face. They are great role models for the younger generations in their sport.
Why do I bring this up? Well there was a really good interview with Bill Russell and Chris Webber before the All-star game. Watching the interview, you can quickly see the great sense of humor that Bill Russell has and he mixes that with well spoken profound thoughts on so many different topics. You can see that he was competitive enough to get aggressive and dig down to win games, yet he always understood not to take the game and life too seriously. Russell just seems to enjoy life which is even better than those 11 NBA rings he has.
When asked the question: what gave you confidence to believe in yourself?
He replied: "I had the best pair of parents....My first memory of life is that my mother and father loved me"
Even though I didn't know much about him growing up, as I slowly learn more about him, I am really glad I have Bill Russell to look up to in my childhood and now my adulthood. He is truly a great man. If you haven't heard him laugh, it is truly genuine and contagious and it's worth a youtube search.
I hope to find the interview with Chris Webber and post it here soon!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wrestling a True Olympic Sport
How can you take wrestling out of the Olympics?
Wrestling is like running: A basic form of human sport that has and will be here for generations to come. Isn't that why the Olympics were started? To see who is "faster, higher, stronger"? Wrestling has and still fits under those categories, particularly stronger. Who is the strongest? Who can flip someone over and pin them to the ground? Parents tell their kids to stop "wrestling" around. No one told them how to wrestle or gave them any rules. They did it by themselves. They just started and its like an innate ability that humans have to settle something or determine who is stronger.
It's basic!
Why do we need to add fancy things to make it more entertaining? The further we get from the basics the less we are rewarding the best and create more of a likelihood of an upset. Adding fancy or entertaining things usually makes things even out the competition and it adds luck to the equation as well.
Is it about ratings? I could only assume that is one of the reasons. I would have thought ratings and popularity would never come into the equation for what makes an Olympic sport, but I guess it does now. The Olympics, I thought, we all about sport and creating champions in the ultimate tests of human ability. However, I guess the Olympics is just like any other business and needs to make money. I don't see another reason why you would take out a sport that has been in the Olympics since its inception in 1896.
Sad moment for all fans of the True Olympics!
Wrestling is like running: A basic form of human sport that has and will be here for generations to come. Isn't that why the Olympics were started? To see who is "faster, higher, stronger"? Wrestling has and still fits under those categories, particularly stronger. Who is the strongest? Who can flip someone over and pin them to the ground? Parents tell their kids to stop "wrestling" around. No one told them how to wrestle or gave them any rules. They did it by themselves. They just started and its like an innate ability that humans have to settle something or determine who is stronger.
It's basic!
Why do we need to add fancy things to make it more entertaining? The further we get from the basics the less we are rewarding the best and create more of a likelihood of an upset. Adding fancy or entertaining things usually makes things even out the competition and it adds luck to the equation as well.
Is it about ratings? I could only assume that is one of the reasons. I would have thought ratings and popularity would never come into the equation for what makes an Olympic sport, but I guess it does now. The Olympics, I thought, we all about sport and creating champions in the ultimate tests of human ability. However, I guess the Olympics is just like any other business and needs to make money. I don't see another reason why you would take out a sport that has been in the Olympics since its inception in 1896.
Sad moment for all fans of the True Olympics!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Sport Idols: Peyton Manning
"Playoffs!?!"
"We've thrown 4 interceptions for touchdowns this year that might be an NFL record."
A lot of people know the famous tirade by Jim Mora, but many don't seem to mention the quarterback that he is talking about. That quarterback is Peyton Manning.
Yes. The Peyton Manning. One of the best of all time.
So, let's talk about "PLAYOFFS?!" Peyton Manning has only missed one postseason since that season and that was because he missed the entire year to neck surgery.
"I just hope we can win a game."
Win games? Peyton Manning has. 10 straight 10 win seasons including 8(7 straight)seasons of 12+ wins. In fact Peyton has only been under 10 wins twice, his rookie year and the year of "playoffs!?" which was his 4th year.
That's consistent. Consistency leads to greatness. Peyton averages 95.7 quarterback rating for his career and he's had a 95 or higher in 8 of the last 9 seasons!
Peyton Manning gets called the greatest REGULAR season quarterback of all time, as if its a bad thing. Yes, people might wonder why Peyton only has one superbowl victory through all this success. I don't think it has anything to do with him not being good "under pressure." What I love about Peyton is how much work and preparation he puts into every game he plays. Regular or post season, doesn't matter. He wants to win and he puts all his energy into that. He puts so much "pressure" on himself every game that he doesn't feel the difference from regular or post season, its still a game that he wants to win badly.
Sometimes things just happen. The NFL and the playoff system is a very cruel world. It gives you excitement and entertainment, but I feel it doesn't always go to the best team. The ball can bounce in funny ways and that totally changes the game. i.e. how many times does David Tyree make that catch on his helmet. It was a great play and one for the history books, but if that doesn't happen New England wins the superbowl and they finish their perfect 19-0 season. What are the odds the Saints recover the onside kick to start the second half and totally change the momentum of the game? Gutsy, but it paid of for them and not for the Colts. Stuff happens and they just didn't seem to fall Peyton's way a lot of times in the playoffs.
Another example is Tom Brady. He won his Superbowl rings when he was young. However, he has played much better the last 8 years, and hasn't won one, than he did during the years he actually won 3 out of 4 superbowls. Maybe he doesn't have the defense he once had or maybe its just the playoffs and things like David Tyree's catch get in the way.
But that's why we watch. The unpredictable and the incomprehensible, the upsets happen. That's what makes it fun and that's why we watch. But it doesn't take away from Peyton's greatness.
All I know is that if all things are equal: same defense, same special teams, same coach, same offense and I had to choose one quarterback in history to win a game(regular season, postseason, or Superbowl) I am choosing Peyton Manning in a heartbeat.
"We've thrown 4 interceptions for touchdowns this year that might be an NFL record."
A lot of people know the famous tirade by Jim Mora, but many don't seem to mention the quarterback that he is talking about. That quarterback is Peyton Manning.
Yes. The Peyton Manning. One of the best of all time.
So, let's talk about "PLAYOFFS?!" Peyton Manning has only missed one postseason since that season and that was because he missed the entire year to neck surgery.
"I just hope we can win a game."
Win games? Peyton Manning has. 10 straight 10 win seasons including 8(7 straight)seasons of 12+ wins. In fact Peyton has only been under 10 wins twice, his rookie year and the year of "playoffs!?" which was his 4th year.
That's consistent. Consistency leads to greatness. Peyton averages 95.7 quarterback rating for his career and he's had a 95 or higher in 8 of the last 9 seasons!
Peyton Manning gets called the greatest REGULAR season quarterback of all time, as if its a bad thing. Yes, people might wonder why Peyton only has one superbowl victory through all this success. I don't think it has anything to do with him not being good "under pressure." What I love about Peyton is how much work and preparation he puts into every game he plays. Regular or post season, doesn't matter. He wants to win and he puts all his energy into that. He puts so much "pressure" on himself every game that he doesn't feel the difference from regular or post season, its still a game that he wants to win badly.
Sometimes things just happen. The NFL and the playoff system is a very cruel world. It gives you excitement and entertainment, but I feel it doesn't always go to the best team. The ball can bounce in funny ways and that totally changes the game. i.e. how many times does David Tyree make that catch on his helmet. It was a great play and one for the history books, but if that doesn't happen New England wins the superbowl and they finish their perfect 19-0 season. What are the odds the Saints recover the onside kick to start the second half and totally change the momentum of the game? Gutsy, but it paid of for them and not for the Colts. Stuff happens and they just didn't seem to fall Peyton's way a lot of times in the playoffs.
Another example is Tom Brady. He won his Superbowl rings when he was young. However, he has played much better the last 8 years, and hasn't won one, than he did during the years he actually won 3 out of 4 superbowls. Maybe he doesn't have the defense he once had or maybe its just the playoffs and things like David Tyree's catch get in the way.
But that's why we watch. The unpredictable and the incomprehensible, the upsets happen. That's what makes it fun and that's why we watch. But it doesn't take away from Peyton's greatness.
All I know is that if all things are equal: same defense, same special teams, same coach, same offense and I had to choose one quarterback in history to win a game(regular season, postseason, or Superbowl) I am choosing Peyton Manning in a heartbeat.
Roman Numerals
So today I started thinking about Superbowl 50. Superbowl L. I just thought that would look really weird with just one letter there after the superbowl. So that led me to think about other cool superbowl roman numerals. Does anyone know what 90 would be? Superbowl Cross Country! That's right, XC! Looks like with all the safety changes the league will make in the next 43 years, we will have a bunch of cross country runners out there playing for the superbowl. Maybe Bernard Pollard is right and the NFL won't exist in 30 years. Or maybe it will be taken over as a non-contact sport of cross country runners?
Another note, DCLXVI=666. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe thats where the evil number came from. Must do research.
Another note, DCLXVI=666. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe thats where the evil number came from. Must do research.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sport Idols: THE Ronaldo
I'm sitting on the floor with a sheet wrapped around my shoulders. It's June 30th 2002 and I'm at my grandma's assisted living home in St. Petersburg, FL. I'm awake at 5 am to watch the greatest game in the world on the biggest stage. The World Cup Final in Yokohoma, Japan. The Final matches up the two biggest powers in World Football. Brazil vs. Germany. Going into the Final, the two countries combined for 7 World Cup victories and 12 final appearances in the previous 16 World Cups. However, not only had they never met in a final, they had never played each other in any World Cup game. Until the Final of 2002.
It was the classic matchup. Strength against speed. Organized vs free flowing. Defensive vs offensive. Europe vs South America. And finally Oliver Kahn(leading goalkeeper) vs Ronaldo(leading goal scorer). The stage was set to decide who had ultimate supremacy in the world of football.
I sat there on the floor pretending to have a nation's flag wrapped around me, that was actually just a white sheet. Even though I like both countries, there was no doubt in my mind whose nation's flag I was pretending to have. It was Brazil's. And one of the biggest reasons why was because of Ronaldo. The first professional sports jersey I ever had was Ronaldo's Brazilian #9.
The game in my mind lived up to the hype(even the refereeing was superb).
"He's tied Pele!"
"Redemption for Ronaldo"
Those words from Jack Edwards, as Ronaldo scored his second goal of the game to lead Brazil to a 2-0 victory, will forever be in my head.
It truly was redemption for Ronaldo. Back in the 1998 Final, Brazil lost to France 3-0. The night before that Final Ronaldo had suffered a seizure. He played well below his abilities and looked extremely fatigued during the match. In international football opportunities and chances don't come around much. He had to live with that for 4 years. During those 4 years he had two knee surgeries and people didn't even know if he would be back. Let alone back to his ability level.
Ronaldo went on to score 8 goals in the 7 games he played in the 2002 World Cup. He did tie Pele with that second goal in the final to match his 12 total World Cup goals with Pele's. He went on to score 3 more in the 2006 World Cup to pass Gerd Muller for the all-time leader in World Cup goals at 15.
Ronaldo suffered from injuries throughout his career and weight problems from hypothyroidism towards the end, but somehow he always found a way to be at his best when he put his Brazil jersey on for the World Cup. In my mind, he will always be one of the best finishers in World Cup history.
THE One and Only Ronaldo!
Check out all 15 World Cup goals here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEKyl2yakOE
It was the classic matchup. Strength against speed. Organized vs free flowing. Defensive vs offensive. Europe vs South America. And finally Oliver Kahn(leading goalkeeper) vs Ronaldo(leading goal scorer). The stage was set to decide who had ultimate supremacy in the world of football.
I sat there on the floor pretending to have a nation's flag wrapped around me, that was actually just a white sheet. Even though I like both countries, there was no doubt in my mind whose nation's flag I was pretending to have. It was Brazil's. And one of the biggest reasons why was because of Ronaldo. The first professional sports jersey I ever had was Ronaldo's Brazilian #9.
The game in my mind lived up to the hype(even the refereeing was superb).
"He's tied Pele!"
"Redemption for Ronaldo"
Those words from Jack Edwards, as Ronaldo scored his second goal of the game to lead Brazil to a 2-0 victory, will forever be in my head.
It truly was redemption for Ronaldo. Back in the 1998 Final, Brazil lost to France 3-0. The night before that Final Ronaldo had suffered a seizure. He played well below his abilities and looked extremely fatigued during the match. In international football opportunities and chances don't come around much. He had to live with that for 4 years. During those 4 years he had two knee surgeries and people didn't even know if he would be back. Let alone back to his ability level.
Ronaldo went on to score 8 goals in the 7 games he played in the 2002 World Cup. He did tie Pele with that second goal in the final to match his 12 total World Cup goals with Pele's. He went on to score 3 more in the 2006 World Cup to pass Gerd Muller for the all-time leader in World Cup goals at 15.
Ronaldo suffered from injuries throughout his career and weight problems from hypothyroidism towards the end, but somehow he always found a way to be at his best when he put his Brazil jersey on for the World Cup. In my mind, he will always be one of the best finishers in World Cup history.
THE One and Only Ronaldo!
Check out all 15 World Cup goals here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEKyl2yakOE
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sport Idols: Mr. Clutch
Basketball is a game that is known for its clutch shot making. Sure there are walk-off homers, and last second FGs, or the final TD throws and catches to win games, maybe even the rare goal in stoppage time, but those situations are a lot rarer and you have to be lucky enough to even have a chance to come through in the clutch. To which Adam Vinatieri is very lucky to be in all the situations he was in, but he was still clutch enough to come through. However, looking at basketball we see last second shots that decide the game every night, regular season or postseason. They are a lot more common. Kids across America are always doing the countdown. 3, they pick up their dribble. 2, give a pump fake. 1, jump up and release. Buzzer. The jubilation comes as they pretend they won the championship. Every kid dreaming of playing in the NBA has dreamt of making that shot.
Every generation has one of those players that you trust more than ever with the game on the line. The ice in his veins. Not going to blink or second guess him. To me, that player is Reggie Miller.
Reggie Miller:
Hard to believe that any NBA player could be overshadowed in athletic achievement by their sister growing up, but Reggie Miller was. Scoring 39 points in a high school game, he came home to find out his sister(Cheryl Miller) scored 105 that same night.
Reggie Miller is a real life Forrest Gump story. He had braces on his legs until he was 4 and doctors said he would never be very athletic. Once the braces came off and his legs got stronger he started playing his older sister all the time. She was always bigger and taller than him growing up and he couldn't drive to the hole without being rejected. So Reggie developed a high arcing shot to get it over her tall frame. This would be a blessing as he practice this shot over and over which helped him become one of the greatest three point shooters of all-time.
Reggie Miller played all of his 18 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, something that I greatly admire. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a NBA championship, but that didn't stop him from putting on some great shows and performances. He had a lot of classic matchups with the New York Knicks in the 1990's. No greater moment though when he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds, making two 3's in about three seconds. After stealing the inbounds pass(from his first 3) down three, he turned and ran to the three point line and turned back to throw it up and tie the game. That was an incredible moment that is hard to duplicate, but Reggie made big three after big three in his career. If you're down one and need to drive to the hoop, Reggie is not your guy. But if you're down two and want the win or down three and need to tie, Reggie is your man!
If I need a three at the end of the game, there is no one I want more than Reggie Miller!
It's Miller Time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWE_Wbu80o
Every generation has one of those players that you trust more than ever with the game on the line. The ice in his veins. Not going to blink or second guess him. To me, that player is Reggie Miller.
Reggie Miller:
Hard to believe that any NBA player could be overshadowed in athletic achievement by their sister growing up, but Reggie Miller was. Scoring 39 points in a high school game, he came home to find out his sister(Cheryl Miller) scored 105 that same night.
Reggie Miller is a real life Forrest Gump story. He had braces on his legs until he was 4 and doctors said he would never be very athletic. Once the braces came off and his legs got stronger he started playing his older sister all the time. She was always bigger and taller than him growing up and he couldn't drive to the hole without being rejected. So Reggie developed a high arcing shot to get it over her tall frame. This would be a blessing as he practice this shot over and over which helped him become one of the greatest three point shooters of all-time.
Reggie Miller played all of his 18 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, something that I greatly admire. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a NBA championship, but that didn't stop him from putting on some great shows and performances. He had a lot of classic matchups with the New York Knicks in the 1990's. No greater moment though when he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds, making two 3's in about three seconds. After stealing the inbounds pass(from his first 3) down three, he turned and ran to the three point line and turned back to throw it up and tie the game. That was an incredible moment that is hard to duplicate, but Reggie made big three after big three in his career. If you're down one and need to drive to the hoop, Reggie is not your guy. But if you're down two and want the win or down three and need to tie, Reggie is your man!
If I need a three at the end of the game, there is no one I want more than Reggie Miller!
It's Miller Time!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWE_Wbu80o
Friday, January 25, 2013
Sport Idols: Roger Federer
I have come to the point in my life where I am seeing a lot of my childhood sports idols retire or start to decline in their ability (at least ever so slightly). Over the next several days I am going to honor those athletes that I have admired growing up. Some I have admired for the way they play their sport and their passion, others I have admired for how they handle themselves through victory and defeats, while other may just be funny characters on and off their playing surface. These idols come from many various sports that I grew up watching.
Roger Federer:
I am going to start off, in no particular order, with Roger Federer because he is fresh in the mind after staying up late last night to watch his match with Andy Murray. Out of all the idols I will honor, he is probably the farthest one from retirement. He we probably still be playing for the next 3, maybe even 5, years. Picking Roger as an idol is interesting because I actually spent quite a few matches rooting against him when he would play Andy Roddick(hint, hint). I have been a huge Roger fan when he isn't playing Andy though.
One of the biggest rivalry's for me to watch in the last decade(outside the Civil War) would be the Federer vs Nadal matches. Unfortunately we were only able to see a few great matches between the two because of Nadal's dominance on clay and Federer dominance on hard court. We were able to see a couple classics at Wimbledon and one classic down under in Australian when Nadal was at his peak and finally stayed healthy on hard courts. I do wish to see at least one more Federer vs Nadal classic matchup(preferably not on clay), but we have two 25 year olds standing in the way of that right now, even when Nadal gets healthy.
As I watched Federer play last night, I could tell, for the first time, he was slower to get to balls he once got easily and his serving power was not what it once was. Federer has always made everything look so easy and it was that look of ease that you couldn't really see his heart and competitiveness, but we saw that last night. If it were a basketball game, Murray led from start to finish, but Federer didn't care what the score was or how fast the balls were coming back. He just grinded like crazy and gave himself a shot to win the match. Unfortunately, the win didn't come. Andy Murray has truly now arrived, more than ever, with his first Major win against Federer. Just another person Federer will have to beat out if he wants to get to the top again. I'm hoping for one or two more before he calls it quits. (3 more would give him 20, that sounds good?!)
The thing I love about Federer is his love for the sport. It's the reason he is still playing and will continue to play. Some players want to go out on top, leave before they decline. He doesn't care he just wants to play and keep playing his heart off for just another major and another. Others, especially in tennis, were forced to play at a young age by their parents and its no longer fun. Federer was good enough to play a lot of sports(soccer was the other main one), but he chose to play tennis because he loved it and continues to show that love for it.
I am not going to seat here and argue that Federer is the greatest athlete out there. The term "athlete" is so broad and can mean so many things. But I will argue that he is the most accomplished athlete of this generation and maybe all-time! 17 major titles. He made it to 17 of 18 finals in a 4.5 year span! That's crazy! That's consistent! 35 consecutive quarterfinals at majors and counting! The list goes on and on. I'm sure a lot of people would love to take their rival out of the equation, but think if Nadal weren't around- Look out! He would have 23 major titles and 2 calendar grand slams(the stat that eludes him). Unfortunately, Nadal was there to stop him on clay for many years, but the fans were also fortunate enough to see someone pushing Federer to be even better and we were blessed with that rivalry. Now we get to see all of the Big 4 battle it out for the next few years and I think we owe it to Federer who challenged all of them when they were coming up through the ranks to be even better.
Here's to The Great Roger Federer!
Roger Federer:
I am going to start off, in no particular order, with Roger Federer because he is fresh in the mind after staying up late last night to watch his match with Andy Murray. Out of all the idols I will honor, he is probably the farthest one from retirement. He we probably still be playing for the next 3, maybe even 5, years. Picking Roger as an idol is interesting because I actually spent quite a few matches rooting against him when he would play Andy Roddick(hint, hint). I have been a huge Roger fan when he isn't playing Andy though.
One of the biggest rivalry's for me to watch in the last decade(outside the Civil War) would be the Federer vs Nadal matches. Unfortunately we were only able to see a few great matches between the two because of Nadal's dominance on clay and Federer dominance on hard court. We were able to see a couple classics at Wimbledon and one classic down under in Australian when Nadal was at his peak and finally stayed healthy on hard courts. I do wish to see at least one more Federer vs Nadal classic matchup(preferably not on clay), but we have two 25 year olds standing in the way of that right now, even when Nadal gets healthy.
As I watched Federer play last night, I could tell, for the first time, he was slower to get to balls he once got easily and his serving power was not what it once was. Federer has always made everything look so easy and it was that look of ease that you couldn't really see his heart and competitiveness, but we saw that last night. If it were a basketball game, Murray led from start to finish, but Federer didn't care what the score was or how fast the balls were coming back. He just grinded like crazy and gave himself a shot to win the match. Unfortunately, the win didn't come. Andy Murray has truly now arrived, more than ever, with his first Major win against Federer. Just another person Federer will have to beat out if he wants to get to the top again. I'm hoping for one or two more before he calls it quits. (3 more would give him 20, that sounds good?!)
The thing I love about Federer is his love for the sport. It's the reason he is still playing and will continue to play. Some players want to go out on top, leave before they decline. He doesn't care he just wants to play and keep playing his heart off for just another major and another. Others, especially in tennis, were forced to play at a young age by their parents and its no longer fun. Federer was good enough to play a lot of sports(soccer was the other main one), but he chose to play tennis because he loved it and continues to show that love for it.
I am not going to seat here and argue that Federer is the greatest athlete out there. The term "athlete" is so broad and can mean so many things. But I will argue that he is the most accomplished athlete of this generation and maybe all-time! 17 major titles. He made it to 17 of 18 finals in a 4.5 year span! That's crazy! That's consistent! 35 consecutive quarterfinals at majors and counting! The list goes on and on. I'm sure a lot of people would love to take their rival out of the equation, but think if Nadal weren't around- Look out! He would have 23 major titles and 2 calendar grand slams(the stat that eludes him). Unfortunately, Nadal was there to stop him on clay for many years, but the fans were also fortunate enough to see someone pushing Federer to be even better and we were blessed with that rivalry. Now we get to see all of the Big 4 battle it out for the next few years and I think we owe it to Federer who challenged all of them when they were coming up through the ranks to be even better.
Here's to The Great Roger Federer!
AP vs Peyton
There is a lot of debate over who is going to win Comeback Player of the Year and the MVP awards. A lot of people have both awards down to Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning. I am going to tell you that it is a simple decision for both awards.
To start I am going to say that I am bias towards both players. I am a long time Peyton Manning fan. I think he should win MVP every year because of is intense preparation and consistency year after year. I am also one of the crazy people that said he should win last year because look what the Colts did without him. However, I am also a long time Vikings fan and I liked AP back in his college days at Oklahoma.
Comeback Player of the Year:
I think this should go to Peyton Manning just for the sheer reason that he missed all of the 2011 season with the neck injury. We could talk about which injury is harder to comeback from. Certainly the ACL for a running back is huge and hard to comeback from, but Adrian still played 12 games in 2011 and almost had 1000 yards rushing before his injury. Peyton had 0 TD's and 0 passing yards in 2011. Peyton has the biggest comeback in terms of production from 2011 to 2012 that's what I'm looking for. Adrian did comeback faster than anyone could have thought and that is very impressive. Big ups! However, I'm not giving the award for faster healer, but biggest production lost from injury and then gained back after injury. So it goes to Peyton.
MVP:
I would love to give this to Peyton, but it has to go to Adrian "All Day" Peterson. No player meant more to his team than AP. Both players obviously have great cases to win this award or we wouldn't be talking about them. Peyton did a great job with a good team and being the number one seed in the AFC is huge. However, if the Vikings don't have Adrian, they are nothing. Teams came into each game knowing that they have to put 8 or 9 guys in the box to stop AP and the Viking's offense, and they still couldn't stop him. That is MVP status right there. Also coming 8 yards shy of the record for rushing yards in a season when he saw limited touches and production in the first 4-6 games because they didn't want to push the ACL too much too early. That is crazy! He could have obliterated the record if the season started a month later and he got his touches earlier. I love Peyton and the Broncos would have struggled without you for sure, but not as much as the Vikings without AP. Adrian for MVP.
To start I am going to say that I am bias towards both players. I am a long time Peyton Manning fan. I think he should win MVP every year because of is intense preparation and consistency year after year. I am also one of the crazy people that said he should win last year because look what the Colts did without him. However, I am also a long time Vikings fan and I liked AP back in his college days at Oklahoma.
Comeback Player of the Year:
I think this should go to Peyton Manning just for the sheer reason that he missed all of the 2011 season with the neck injury. We could talk about which injury is harder to comeback from. Certainly the ACL for a running back is huge and hard to comeback from, but Adrian still played 12 games in 2011 and almost had 1000 yards rushing before his injury. Peyton had 0 TD's and 0 passing yards in 2011. Peyton has the biggest comeback in terms of production from 2011 to 2012 that's what I'm looking for. Adrian did comeback faster than anyone could have thought and that is very impressive. Big ups! However, I'm not giving the award for faster healer, but biggest production lost from injury and then gained back after injury. So it goes to Peyton.
MVP:
I would love to give this to Peyton, but it has to go to Adrian "All Day" Peterson. No player meant more to his team than AP. Both players obviously have great cases to win this award or we wouldn't be talking about them. Peyton did a great job with a good team and being the number one seed in the AFC is huge. However, if the Vikings don't have Adrian, they are nothing. Teams came into each game knowing that they have to put 8 or 9 guys in the box to stop AP and the Viking's offense, and they still couldn't stop him. That is MVP status right there. Also coming 8 yards shy of the record for rushing yards in a season when he saw limited touches and production in the first 4-6 games because they didn't want to push the ACL too much too early. That is crazy! He could have obliterated the record if the season started a month later and he got his touches earlier. I love Peyton and the Broncos would have struggled without you for sure, but not as much as the Vikings without AP. Adrian for MVP.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Rules of Tennis
Yesterday we saw a perfect case of why the injury rules in tennis need to be changed. Sloane Stephens was ready to serve having saved 5 match points on Azarenka's serve to get back on serve in the 2nd set. Only problem is Azarenka took not one, but two medical timeouts that totalled 10 minutes. I was watching Azarenka's service game and I saw no signs of any injury from her. She choked your opportunities away and was possibly feeling fatigue, but choking and fatigue are not injuries.
Now, who knows what would have happened if Sloane's momentum was not slowed down by these "injuries." Certainly Sloane only held serve twice in the whole match, so one could argue the point that she would have lost anyways. We will never know the real answer though because Azarenka was able to take an injury timeout and go inside and collect herself. She told us in the on-court interview right after the match herself that she needed to take a breath. She didn't mention her rib or her knee that the match officials said they were "treating."
I am not quite sure how tennis can fix faking injuries for a timeout entirely. We see it in all the sports these days from slowing down the offense in football or wasting time in a soccer match. Two things I would like to see tennis do is that you cannot call the trainer before your opponent's serve(which we heard some experts say last night on ESPN) and you cannot use two medical timeouts consecutively(I didn't know you could until last night!).
Again, who knows if Sloane would have kept up her momentum anyways, but you cannot tell me that Azarenka's "injury" timeout didn't change the circumstances of the match.
Now, who knows what would have happened if Sloane's momentum was not slowed down by these "injuries." Certainly Sloane only held serve twice in the whole match, so one could argue the point that she would have lost anyways. We will never know the real answer though because Azarenka was able to take an injury timeout and go inside and collect herself. She told us in the on-court interview right after the match herself that she needed to take a breath. She didn't mention her rib or her knee that the match officials said they were "treating."
I am not quite sure how tennis can fix faking injuries for a timeout entirely. We see it in all the sports these days from slowing down the offense in football or wasting time in a soccer match. Two things I would like to see tennis do is that you cannot call the trainer before your opponent's serve(which we heard some experts say last night on ESPN) and you cannot use two medical timeouts consecutively(I didn't know you could until last night!).
Again, who knows if Sloane would have kept up her momentum anyways, but you cannot tell me that Azarenka's "injury" timeout didn't change the circumstances of the match.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Second Chances
Ray Lewis. Love him or hate him. Guilty or not guilty. Ray
Lewis has taken his second chance at life and football and thrived.
I have long hated the Baltimore Ravens and it started
because of Ray Lewis. I didn’t follow the story that closely of what happened
that night in Atlanta(I was only 12 years old), but I am someone who is
influenced by my father. He was pretty certain from the details he was hearing
that, Ray Lewis was a murderer or at least a part of it and didn’t stop it. So
I have never rooted for Ray Lewis or the Ravens especially in Superbowl XXXV. I
have since become a Steelers fan which fits in with hating the Ravens and Ray
Lewis.
As we all look back on Ray Lewis’s career, since Superbowl
XLVII will be his last game, we can see that he will go down as one of the top
middle linebackers the game has ever seen and there is not a whole lot that can
deny his talents of the game. Everyone that has played with Ray Lewis or been
around him has talked about his intense and inspiring leadership that makes him
such a special player. We have all seen him display his heart on his sleeve for
the last decade plus of his career. It seems every year he is more and more
inspiring, from his dance to his pre-game speeches, he always has his team
ready to go.
I can’t tell you what happened that night in Atlanta, but
Ray Lewis will tell you that he surrounded himself with the wrong people. He
learned big lessons during that time of his life that putting yourself around
like minded people that want what’s best for you and not around those that are
trying to use you for fame or money. Something hopefully Michael Vick has
learned as well.
We can sit here and debate if he is guilty and whether or
not he served his punishment to society. All I can say is that whatever crimes
he may have committed, he has admitted them to The Lord. Ray Lewis has opened
his heart to Him and He has forgiven Ray for his past wrongdoings because He
knew that Ray will change. God has a plan for all of us, and when Ray found
God(probably sometime in the troubling times following the incident in Atlanta),
He knew what Ray could do as a man and role model to society (forget about
football). The ultimate second chance is through Him and Ray took it. God has given Ray a huge second chance and he
has taken it and I think this last playoff run has all been through Him to allow
Ray to show the world what a great God we truly have. I must say that Ray is
living up to his part and we should all listen.
I have much respect for Ray Lewis now, both as a man and as
a football player, something I couldn’t say 10 maybe even 5 years ago. That
being said I am still a Steelers fan and a west coast man, so go 49ers! But I
know that Ray will do all he can to lead his team to victory. Win or lose, I
know Ray will be speaking His name!
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