PG: Lebron James
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Karl Malone
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Michael Jordan and ESPN got everybody talking about their NBA ALL-TIME STARTING 5. Jordan went the loyal route and selected former teammates Scottie Pippen and James Worthy as his Forwards. He chose Magic Johnson to run the point and Hakeem Olajuwon as his big man in the middle.
The topic started a debate amongst every NBA fan as to which players would make up the best squad. Jordan is of course presumed on every team. 2nd most popular pick is Magic Johnson at Point Guard. I can't blame anyone for picking Magic. He won 5 Titles in 13 seasons and is widely reguarded as the best ever at his position. 3rd most popular pick is Larry Bird. You can't go wrong there. Bird's all-around game is right up there with Lebron James', and some would say even better. 4th most popular pick at the Power Forward position is Tim Duncan. 4 Championships, 1st Team All Defense 8 times and nearly 24k points, Duncan is another pick you really can't argue against, but I will. Finally, Hakeem Olajuwon rounded out the Five spot for the majority of teams. This one angers all the old-timers because they always say Wilt Chamberlain was the most unstoppable big man ever. Some even say Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Russell should be the Center. The Center position has the most room for deliberation. Young cats say Shaq cuz he dominated the position and won 4 Titles, finishing 5th all time in scoring. Kareem got second most votes for Centers. Jabbar is arguably the 2nd best basketball player ever, yet he doesn't get much respect when it comes to the Best Ever debate.
My Team is a Multi-Era Juggernaut. A mix of Dream Team, Old School and New. This team defeats any other squad hands down with Offense, Defense, Quickness, Power, Athletic Ability, Shooting, Unselfishness;), Ball Movement. You name it, this team does it.
At Point Guard I pick Lebron James. He's the Ultimate Hybrid. When all is said and done for Lebron, he will have over 35k points, 10k assists, nearly 10k rebounds and 3 to 5 Titles at the least. I pick him over Magic because Lebron defends better than Magic could ever dream and Lebron is a superb athlete, where Magic couldn't jump over a soda can.
At Shooting Guard I pick Michael Jordan. Whoa, Dude.
At Small Forward I pick Larry Bird. Bird was a superior shooter, but he could dish too. His all-around game rivals anyone and his disposition is comparable to Jordan. Bird was a killer just like MJ and all clutch.
At Power Forward I pick Karl Malone. This is where I break away from the pack. Most picked Duncan for his size, scoring and defense. I take Malone for his superior scoring, imposing physical will and all around talent. Malone beats Duncan in athletic and scoring ability. Duncan is the better defender, but on a team with an already stout defense Duncan's size & slowness will clog the lane and hinder movement. Malone's combination of power, size and speed make him unstoppable. Duncan is large but slow. Great in half court but exposed in a running game. And this team wants to get out on the break, not play Popovich-ball.
At Center I pick Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem is 1st all time in scoring, 4th in rebounds, 3rd in blocks and he won 6 Championships. Many picked Olajuwon for his defense and quickness. I take Kareem's greatness over Hakeem. The Skyhook. The Consistency. The Longevity. And the ability to run, run and run. Showtime. Kareem is a superior athlete, hence his 20 year career, 6 MVPs and 6 Titles.
Basketball is about one thing. Putting the ball in the basket. This team would do it better than any other.
I think it's safe to say Football has surpassed Baseball as America's Favorite Pastime. The 20th century was the golden age of Baseball, but the 21st is fast, furious, in-your-face & all Football. Baseball is now a game of history, romance and little kids, where Football is gladiatorial, manly and must-see tv.
So what does this mean for a Baseball Lover like me? Absolutely Nothing!!! America's Original Pastime is still my Fav too.
I still love the game as I did as a child. The Mystique is still there. I still pick up a bat and feel like I could play for the Phils. Just a silly childhood dream my soul refuses to give up. I know I can't play Baseball at the highest level. But Baseball is a game of Guts & Will, and I'd compete with anyone on those alone.
Our Culture has adapted from newspapers and coke bottles to ipads and energy drinks. People want their game to resemble a battle rather than a ballet. Not to say Baseball is a game of dancers and tutus because it's nowhere close to that. But Baseball is a game which requires patience. In Baseball the excitement will happen, but you have to wait for it. Not have it spoon-fed to you on every play.
Winning the casual fan has become a tall task for Major League Baseball. The Internet & Social Media blend perfect with the NFL's instantly-gratifying fantasy football-esque style of Red Zone action and Twitter reaction. Baseball could borrow a similar approach by instituting a "Power-Hitter", "9th-Inning", or "Bases Loaded" channel which would cut to a game when the best hitters are up, the 9th inning begins or the bases are jacked. Or better yet all three.
We need to get Baseball back a little closer to the cutting-edge. To me the game is perfect the way it is, but I’m in the minority. All the Instant-Replays in the world won’t attract any more people to Baseball. And all the Dugout Interviews during the game add nothing to the excitement factor. We need more interaction, but it needs to be cool. How bout putting a camera inside the batter’s helmet? We can watch them batting and running the bases when something cool happens! And definitely a Catcher’s Cam, because after all, the catcher sees everything on the field and so should we.
If you want to grow the game and not be left on the sandlots you have to intrigue the youth. Don't reinvent the game. Just tweak it a bit.
This story is a journalist's wet dream. You've got a racial element. It's the NFL. There's bullying involved. And when you put it all together, a locker room conflict between two football players may end up changing every present and future locker room atmosphere.
Football is a game of Alpha males. The biggest guys, the fastest guys, the strongest guys play football. From ages as young as five, little kids across America learn to strap on their pads, run out on green fields and just flat out hit each other.
People called baseball America's past-time for almost 100 years, but not anymore. We've realized what the game of football is and what it means to our culture. We are a country from a World perspective that has been deemed 'Bullies'. We use our Military Power and Diplomatic Strategy to manipulate every other country and people in the world. In Football, the same power and strategy is utilized on a ground level; Man to Man, Hand to Hand, Team vs Team. It's a game of violence and aggression with Coaches and Leaders acting like Generals and Commanders. It's WAR!!! How could Football not be America's Past Time?
It took a while for our people to figure it out but we got there eventually. And that's one of the great things about our culture and our people here in America. We make mistakes, but we rectify them.
The Incognito vs Martin locker room incident is laughable on one level, then shameful on a few others. It's laughable in that a 300lb man would quit his professional team, run back to his parent's house and basically act the way an elementary school child should. It's shameful in that two grown men couldn't handle their business face to face. Shameful in that this conflict will probably result in lawsuits that will force the NFL to enact legislation to, in essence, weaken the tough-guy mentality and promote a game & culture of Mothers & Sons.
The mirror is once again held up to our faces. A stupid game of balls and men has shown us that conflict resolution does not need a judge or jury. When someone wrongs you or disrespects you, stand up to them. Push Back. Give them exactly what they gave you. It doesn't mean you have to be reckless or violent. It means you need to communicate with people to resolve issues. And sometimes a fist is a great tool to get your point across.
And maybe a little more diplomacy is what America needs. The George W Bush way of "Bring it On," has succumed to the Obama way of Diplomatic Communication or "Let's talk. Then we'll fuck you up."
I'm sure Richie Incognito is not the monster he's being portrayed to be. And I'm pretty sure Jonathan Martin is not as much of a sissy as it appears. These guys need to get in a room together, shake hands and get back to playing football. Forget all this bullshit 'News' nonsense. Problem Solved.
At first glance Dez Bryant losing his temper on the sideline in Detroit is just another case of a prima donna wide receiver crying because he isn't getting the ball enough. Not to mention the fact that Dez talked smack before the game saying he was just as good as Calvin Johnson, which is not true. Fact was, Bryant got exactly what he had coming to him and that was a reality check. Dez Bryant is very similar to Randy Moss in that their talents & sound bytes speak louder than their actual play on the field. Now we all know when Randy Moss came into the League, he tore it up like no one ever had. For those first 6 years of Moss' career, he was on pace to re-write the records. But then he got hurt and then he got traded. The second Randy Moss had to endure some adversity he shrunk and crumbled into a pistachio shell of his old self. And not because his talent waned, but because his desire was gone.
But enough about Randy. Dez Bryant is 3 and-a-half seasons into a very promising pro career. He has yet to live up to the hype, but with one season of 1380 yards and 92 catches, he has shown superior ability. Now he just has to sustain it.
The Detroit Lions won the game in the final seconds of the contest against Dallas. The Cowboys led most of the game, but once again as they seem to always do, they found a way to lose in the end.
And of course, all everyone could talk about after the game was Dez Byrant's sideline antics. He was bitching and complaining throughout the game even though his team was winning. He caught 3 passes, two of them for TDs, his team was winning but that was still not good enough for Dezzie. While MEGATRON was setting new records for the Modern NFL Era, Dez was once again playing back seat to his other receiver teammates. So he blew up. Not because he's a team-player. Not because he's passionate. Not because he's doing it for the betterment of the team. Dez Bryant blew up because he got UP-staged. Calvin Johnson proved not only that he's better than Bryant, but that Bryant isn't even close to MEGATRON's Level. That is why Dez Bryant got mad. That is why he lost his head and threw a temper-tantrum like a 7 year old.
There is a silver lining however. Dez Bryant was right about one thing. When he called for the ball before the snap on that one play, he knew he was being single covered on the outside. Tony Romo saw Dez call for the ball, but instead of throwing into single coverage, Romo decided to throw on the other side of the field into Triple Coverage. Brilliant!!! Dez Bryant gets a complete pass (pun intended) on that one. Romo definitely should have thrown him the ball on that play, so Dez had every right to get pissed off at Romo for that play. Everyone knows Tony Romo's favorite target is his BFF Jason Witten. Romo always looks to get Witten the ball. All his receivers are well aware of this fact so maybe it was about time one of them made it apparent they are not happy about it.
Another positive from Dez' outburst is the light being shone upon The Cowboys lack of success & lack of leadership (this one is pointed directly at you Jason Garrett). Dallas has continued to underachieve since Romo bobbled the snap against Seattle in 2007. They reached the playoffs in 2009 and got their lone victory under Tony Romo's quarterbacking against the Eagles, but that was the only time 'The Boys' have gotten close to reaching some semblance of a successful season. Ever since, mediocrity has been the word. Bottom Line: It's time to fire Jason Garrett. He's a coordinator, not a head coach.
There is a misconception when it comes to "getting loose" before starting a workout. For years we've been under the impression that Stretching was the most efficient way to Warm Up & Prevent Injury before exercising. WRONG. Recently I spoke to a female gymnast who told me she does extensive
stretching before every workout. I asked her if she trains in the weight room at all and she said "Yes." She told me she does the same stretching routine even before lifting weights. INCORRECT
I myself used to do the same stretching regimen I learned back when I played high school baseball before working out. WRONG!!! STRETCHING BEFORE WEIGHT TRAINING IS ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO CAUSE INJURY TO YOUR JOINTS, TENDONS AND MUSCLES. Even in the Gymnast's case, when she stretches before doing Gymnastic Routines, she believes she is preparing her muscles, joints and tendons to be extended and stretched even further and more violently. STILL INCORRECT
STRETCHING CREATES MICROSCOPIC TEARS IN YOUR MUSCLES, THEREBY PREVENTING MAXIMUM OUTPUT AND WEAKENING YOUR MUSCLES, MAKING YOU MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO INJURY.
The Best Method for Warming Up is simple. Get on the tread mill for 2 minutes. Start off slow for the first minute, then begin to jog and run for the second minute. THIS WILL GET YOUR BLOOD CIRCULATING, WHICH IS THE EXACT REASON FOR WARMING UP. Warming Up is nothing more than getting your blood flowing quicker throughout your body. The Blood in your Body acts the way Oil does for a Car Engine, keeping everything lubricated and moving smoothly.
So the next time you see a football or baseball player stretching before a game, SHOUT AT THEM! Tell them to stop stretching and to just run across the field to get Warmed Up. There is 1 exception to this Rule. MILD STRETCHING. If you experience "TIGHTNESS" in your joints and muscles, mild stretching can improve blood circulation to that specific area. It's when people stretch their muscles as far as they can injuries occur. STRETCHING SHOULD BE DONE AFTER OR POST WORKOUT. If you want to WARM UP, do something that will make you break a sweat like an abdominal exercise or running in place or jumping jacks or shadow boxing or jumping rope. Something rigorous but not too straining. THINK ABOUT IT. IF YOU'RE TEARING YOUR MUSCLES PRIOR TO THE GAME OR BEFORE WORKING OUT, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO PERFORM AT YOUR BEST & GET OPTIMAL RESULTS?
