“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” -Tom Stoppard
What do you miss from sports these days? Here are the things I find myself yearning for:
Ken Griffey, Jr. and his backwards hat. His smoother-than-an-insurance-salesman swing. His willingness to sacrifice life itself to run down ANY ball hit in his direction. And that trademarked self-admiring stare as he strutted towards first, watching his latest jack sail over the fence.
John Stockton setting and taking picks on/from power forwards. His ability to see a play happen in his mind before it actually took place. The bounce pass down into the post. The speed of hands both on defense and offense. Seeing him take the ball coast to coast for a layup before the defense could even turn around. His signature quirky over-the-shoulder shot.
Payne Stewart. His clothes, yes. But not JUST his clothes. His game, his smile, his fist pumps, his rugged swing and follow through, and his celebration after winning the US Open.
Cal Ripken, Jr. and Steve Young.
Fast, lean, tall, quick and athletic offensive/defensive linemen.
Golden Goals
Larry H. Miller: one of the best people to ever walk this earth. He was a role model, and not just because of the good things he did. When he made mistakes, he fessed up to them, apologized, made it right, and became a better person because of it all.
Patrick Ewing dripping reservoir-sized drops of sweat in the key, thus employing a TEAM of towel-boys/towel-girls underneath each basket, charged with being the fastest acting human wet-vacs imaginable before he returned the next time down the floor.
Old school uniforms: such as high socks in baseball, Kareem/Rambis-like goggles in basketball, and Dan Mariono-esque face masks in football.
Lil Penney commercials.
For that matter, Penney Hardaway's swagger, Tim Hardaway's no-rotation shot, and Muggsy Bogues.
Monday Night Football without Mike Tirico, or Tony Kornheiser, or Jon Gruden. Never should've lost Al Michaels.
Two-hand touch at recess. Tackle when the "duty" wasn't lurking...
Homerun derbys in the backyard with a t-ball stand, foam bat, and plastic wiffle balls.
Raspberries from sliding into home ahead of the tag.
Hot Rod Hundley. Ernie Harwell. Jack Buck.
Roller/street hockey after school.
Karl Malone turn-arounds. Karl Malone defense. Karl Malone power. Karl Malone taking thirty days to shoot a free throw.
The Seattle Supersonics. The Sonics-Jazz rivalry circa Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf and Gary Payton.
The CALIFORNIA Angels. None of this Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim via Denver near Boise sans New York neighboring Mars business....
Marathon games of "hot-box", or "pickle," in the backyard with my brothers, dad, cousins, uncles, friends, etc.
Long summer days spent in my basement, in my pajamas, usually til about 3 or 4 PM, playing game after game, making trade after trade, hitting homerun after homerun, and WINNING game after game on N64's "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr."
And finally, THE BOTTOM LINE of what I'm missing most from sports these days: Every single Saturday having either a soccer game, a basketball game, or a baseball game to play in. Sometimes a combination of those. *Sigh*.....Mine was a blessed childhood, indeed.
“The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day” -John Milton
Austin's Sports Blog (the one place where he is ALWAYS right)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
THE BOTTOM LINE: The Free Agents You (and everyone else) Forgot About
“We [used to have]the advantages of the underdog. Now we have the disadvantages of the overdog.”
-Abba Eban, former Israeli Foreign Minister
The "Summer of LeBron" is nearly over (insert sound of joyous cheers from ESPN audiences everywhere, exhausted from the never ending praise and attention that has been pumping from said sports station for the "King" during the past month) and I can't help but feel a sense of detachment from the moment. I'm sure most of you would agree that this whole free agency ordeal has become pretty comical and tabloid-esque. Every "expert" in the land has given their predictions as to where James, Wade, Bosh, etc. might end up playing, each claiming to have THE inside information/sources with all the final answers (magically ALL differing from the others' guesses). And to them all I say this: Go get a job at the E! channel or TMZ.com and leave my sports channels alone!!!
At any rate, you can probably tell I'm just a little over the LeBron-a-palooza all around me. And I think I've come up with the biggest reason WHY: I believe it is the lesser-known players who actually end up making a team ultimately good or bad. The sixth mans, the role players, the back-ups...the SUPPORTING role surrounding the All-Stars are who keep the team together when Kobe hits a cold streak, or LeBron goes down with an injury, or Duncan shoots 67% from the free throw line (his ACTUAL career average, by the way). And in the middle of all the public lauding and loving for the BIG names in this year's free agent market, it's the "underdog" free agents who are being neglected. So, as a general rooter of all underdogs everywhere, I give you my list of "The Free Agents No One Is Thinking About Who Will Still Make an Impact in the NBA Next Season":
(Player/ Former Team/ Best 2009-2010 Stat)
Derek Fisher/ LAKERS/ 2.5 APG
-Fisher has won 5 NBA Championships with the Lakers. Yes, he did this with one of the best players ever in Kobe, but that is NOT a slight AGAINST him, but a perk to being able to sign him to your team. Just look at what he was able to do for the future of a young Deron Williams during his short stay with the Utah Jazz....'nuff said.
Nate Robinson/ BOSTON/ 10.1 Points Per Game
-Backup point guard who provides fast-paced, effective offense and in your face defense. Forces opponents to respect both his shooting and slashing abilities.
Jermaine O'Neal/ MIAMI/ 13.6 PPG
-O'Neal's stats from last season make the argument for him: 13.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and a respectable 1.4 blocks per game (19th over all last season). Not to mention he shoots roughly 50% from the field... AS A CENTER.
Brad Miller/ CHICAGO/ 4.9 RPG
-Statistics don't truly show the things Miller does for a team when on the court. A veteran who provides quiet leadership, at 7 feet 261 lbs., Miller can bang with the best of the Bigs and keep them in check on the blocks.
Raymond Felton/ CHARLOTTE/ 12.1 PPG
-Physical point guard who not only averages double digit scoring, but also 1.5 steals per game, proving his ability to shut down usually smaller, thinner guards he's up against.
Kyle Korver/ UTAH/ .536 3P%
-I could say a lot about Korver (such as how he has the best, purest shot in the league, or is an underrated passer, or can take a charge better than most shooters in the history of the league, or how anywhere he goes he becomes marketable gold due to his next-door demeanor and Kutcher-esque appearance), but I'll simply point to his record setting three point percentage last season of 54% and leave it at that.....
Matt Barnes/ MAGIC/ 5.5 RPG
-As a back-up small forward, Barnes leaves everything on the floor night after night. While he may not provide the flashy scoring most wings possess in today's NBA, he is a hard-nosed pest who will defend the big names with linebacker-type grit, causing more than one All-Star to have a season low sometime during the course of the year.
Mike Miller/ WIZARDS/ 10.9 PPG
-Miller is a tall and lanky shooting guard who averages double digits in scoring and a respectable 4.3 defensive rebounds per game. While his temperament can be a little on the teenage-drama-queen side of things, he's a ten year veteran who will excite fans with his ability to both entertain and get under the skin of his opponents.
Honorable Mentions:
Shannon Brown/ LAKERS/ 8.1 PPG
Josh Howard/ DALLAS, WIZARDS/ 12.7 PPG
Richard Jefferson/ SPURS/ 12.3 PPG
While none of these guys make you ask "LeBron who?", I can guarantee each of them brings something to the table that opposing teams DO NOT want to overlook, and that's the Bottom Line on the underdogs of this year's free agency market.
-Abba Eban, former Israeli Foreign Minister
The "Summer of LeBron" is nearly over (insert sound of joyous cheers from ESPN audiences everywhere, exhausted from the never ending praise and attention that has been pumping from said sports station for the "King" during the past month) and I can't help but feel a sense of detachment from the moment. I'm sure most of you would agree that this whole free agency ordeal has become pretty comical and tabloid-esque. Every "expert" in the land has given their predictions as to where James, Wade, Bosh, etc. might end up playing, each claiming to have THE inside information/sources with all the final answers (magically ALL differing from the others' guesses). And to them all I say this: Go get a job at the E! channel or TMZ.com and leave my sports channels alone!!!
At any rate, you can probably tell I'm just a little over the LeBron-a-palooza all around me. And I think I've come up with the biggest reason WHY: I believe it is the lesser-known players who actually end up making a team ultimately good or bad. The sixth mans, the role players, the back-ups...the SUPPORTING role surrounding the All-Stars are who keep the team together when Kobe hits a cold streak, or LeBron goes down with an injury, or Duncan shoots 67% from the free throw line (his ACTUAL career average, by the way). And in the middle of all the public lauding and loving for the BIG names in this year's free agent market, it's the "underdog" free agents who are being neglected. So, as a general rooter of all underdogs everywhere, I give you my list of "The Free Agents No One Is Thinking About Who Will Still Make an Impact in the NBA Next Season":
(Player/ Former Team/ Best 2009-2010 Stat)
Derek Fisher/ LAKERS/ 2.5 APG
-Fisher has won 5 NBA Championships with the Lakers. Yes, he did this with one of the best players ever in Kobe, but that is NOT a slight AGAINST him, but a perk to being able to sign him to your team. Just look at what he was able to do for the future of a young Deron Williams during his short stay with the Utah Jazz....'nuff said.
Nate Robinson/ BOSTON/ 10.1 Points Per Game
-Backup point guard who provides fast-paced, effective offense and in your face defense. Forces opponents to respect both his shooting and slashing abilities.
Jermaine O'Neal/ MIAMI/ 13.6 PPG
-O'Neal's stats from last season make the argument for him: 13.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and a respectable 1.4 blocks per game (19th over all last season). Not to mention he shoots roughly 50% from the field... AS A CENTER.
Brad Miller/ CHICAGO/ 4.9 RPG
-Statistics don't truly show the things Miller does for a team when on the court. A veteran who provides quiet leadership, at 7 feet 261 lbs., Miller can bang with the best of the Bigs and keep them in check on the blocks.
Raymond Felton/ CHARLOTTE/ 12.1 PPG
-Physical point guard who not only averages double digit scoring, but also 1.5 steals per game, proving his ability to shut down usually smaller, thinner guards he's up against.
Kyle Korver/ UTAH/ .536 3P%
-I could say a lot about Korver (such as how he has the best, purest shot in the league, or is an underrated passer, or can take a charge better than most shooters in the history of the league, or how anywhere he goes he becomes marketable gold due to his next-door demeanor and Kutcher-esque appearance), but I'll simply point to his record setting three point percentage last season of 54% and leave it at that.....
Matt Barnes/ MAGIC/ 5.5 RPG
-As a back-up small forward, Barnes leaves everything on the floor night after night. While he may not provide the flashy scoring most wings possess in today's NBA, he is a hard-nosed pest who will defend the big names with linebacker-type grit, causing more than one All-Star to have a season low sometime during the course of the year.
Mike Miller/ WIZARDS/ 10.9 PPG
-Miller is a tall and lanky shooting guard who averages double digits in scoring and a respectable 4.3 defensive rebounds per game. While his temperament can be a little on the teenage-drama-queen side of things, he's a ten year veteran who will excite fans with his ability to both entertain and get under the skin of his opponents.
Honorable Mentions:
Shannon Brown/ LAKERS/ 8.1 PPG
Josh Howard/ DALLAS, WIZARDS/ 12.7 PPG
Richard Jefferson/ SPURS/ 12.3 PPG
While none of these guys make you ask "LeBron who?", I can guarantee each of them brings something to the table that opposing teams DO NOT want to overlook, and that's the Bottom Line on the underdogs of this year's free agency market.
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