Middle schooler towers over the competition

Brenden Adams of Morgan Middle School in Ellensburg,Washington is a giant of a man. Not quite a man,but at 7-4 at age 14 you might think otherwise at first glance. And get this,he plays football. His mom wasn't quite sure, because football is not a game for tall men. He says he's always loved the game and wanted to play. Makes for a big target in the red zone.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1011697

Damn Yankees

As much as i can't stand the New York Yankees, i must give them credit. They spent their money wisely, had the right spare parts and now have captured their 27th world championship. The talent on the team isn't all homegrown, but the management cares a lot about winning. Although i do believe age will catch up to this current edition of Yankees, their bottomless pit of money will ensure they won't have a dip in the standings like they had most of the 80s. I hate to say it, the Yankees are here to stay. They'll continue to outspend everyone, pick off the best talent from the bottom feeders that aren't able to keep up, and fleece others in trades by overvaluing the talent in the farm system. I would hope that baseball would institute some kind of salary cap to make baseball more competitive. I guess that's just wishful thinking.

Rappin Redick:Baller or Balla

I'm a little late on this one. Word has it that JJ redick of the Orlando Magic is part of a rap group. Once again another athlete that wants to rap. Stick to the skill your best at JJ.

What if?...

As the college hoops season descends upon us I had a moment to read a preview mag and think about some of the past in the college basketball world. I decided to play the what if game and went back to the 1989-1990 season. The thoughts instantly went to Hank Gathers. For those too young too remember, Gathers was a star forward for Loyola Marymount University. It was he and high school teammate Bo Kimble, along with the frenetic breakneck pace favored by coach Paul Westhead that put this school on the map. In a game in December 1989 Gathers collapsed in a game while shooting a free throw. It was revealed that he had a heart ailment and had to be put on medication. He came back and was a force on the court averaging around 30 points and 12 rebounds. It was one game that season that made me think he was the real deal. It was a  148-141 overtime loss to LSU, that boasted future pros Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts, and Shaquille O'Neal. He and Kimble held their own, but it was Gathers' performance the stole the show. Gathers, listed at 6-8, went for 47 points on the 7 foot 300 pound maneaters, Stanley and Shaq. I couldn't wait to see how he would do in the NBA. I've always said that if Hank were healthy and had the heart ailment under control, he would've went number one in the draft and not Derrick Coleman. I know I get plenty of arguments about that one until i point out the LSU game. It was an untimely death and a sad moment for the sports world as a whole. The Lions went on to the NCAA tournament and made an inspired run to the elite eight where they fell to the eventual champion UNLV, 131-101. I always thought Gathers would have made a good pro and a great investment as the top pick.

Iverson and Memphis. They're meant for each other.

We're barely two weeks into the NBA season and once again Allen Iverson has committed career suicide. Unable to make it with the Detroit Pistons because  he didn't want to come off the bench,  the same thing is happening with the Memphis Grizzlies. I'm not gonna excuse the Grizzlies from any of this mess because they were foolish for signing him. It's was clearly a bad move for a young team and they should have known this was coming.Management saw dollar signs and tickets sales. Now the Grizzlies are dangerously headed toward team knucklehead with Iverson leading the charge. He's now chirping about having to come off the bench. I understand he's had a great career and all but he needs to step aside and let the youngsters play and go to the mentor role, if that's possible for him. Iverson doesn't realize it's a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of business and for the last year he hasn't done too much except complain about his role on the teams he's been on. Everyone understands you are a great player, have an outstanding body of work, and still have something left to give. But at this point, he would be better served coming off the bench, more for a contender than a chronic rebuilder. As much as I hate to say it, OJ Mayo is better than him and Rudy Gay is better than him, even though he has that magician act going on every once in a while. He's not gonna lead this team anywhere except the bottom of the standings. What does it say about him if he's complaining already. He's selfish. I can understand when he says the negative about me sells more than the positive, but you keep putting yourself in a negative light. Last season he sabotaged his own career when he couldn't make it work in Detroit. I understand there were some behind the scenes action that didn't make the situation any better. Thing is, the Pistons had the ultimate team concept there, and he couldn't make it work there. That was the best situation he'll probably ever have and he blew it. I can understand when he was in Philadelphia he didn't have the best talent around him. In Detroit he played with a team that was a regular at the Eastern Confernce finals. He couldn't compromise. Now he goes to Memphis because no one wants him, because he can't compromise. He still has that characteristic about him. After this he'll be the Terrell Owens of the NBA. No one will want a piece of him. I hate to see him go out like this, but i'm afraid this is the final Answer.

Team owners need to insure a better product

A lot of the sports team owners treat their teams as a hobby or something that they can make money from, neglecting the product on the field or arena. There are some that do care, but they go about trying to build a winner the wrong way. Another blog that i follow, Explode In Sports, touched upon this subject last week.
  Some owners just don't care and some are too power hungry to stay out of their own way. Take a look at Al Davis of the Oakland  Raiders. Anyone he hires is a puppet. It's almost like a shadow government out there in Oakland. If you don't agree with big Al you're out. Ask Lane Kiffin about that. Donald Sterling of the Los Angeles Clippers really has no clue to what he's doing with his team. Dan Snyder treats his like a fantasy league team. They need to pay more attention to what's being done on the field or court to build a winner. In these tough economic times, true sports fans don't have money to throw around to attend a game, let alone watch a lousy team. My home team, the Detroit Lions were blacked out for the second time this season for that fact alone. In the past Lions fans have always supported the team, even though a majority of the time the team was plain bad. Nowdays, those same people can't go to the game and they won't go because the team is so bad. Everyone around the league says William Clay Ford is a great owner. I'm not privy to that, but the guy is too loyal to people that shouldn't be running the operation.That's how Matt Millen got eight long years in the Motor City. I believe he wants a winner, but he doesn't know how to go about building a winner. As much as i can't stand the Yankees, the ownership there does care about putting a winner on the field. They spend a lot of money on free agents and all but they also have a top notch scouting department. Same with Jerry Jones. He will do anything to make the Dallas Cowboys a winner. There are some owners that get criticized for spending a lot, but those are the ones that do it the right way. Owners like the aformentioned Snyder get it wrong. I know we're in a tough economic climate right now and you have to watch the bottom line but give us true sports fans something to cheer about. There are some that use sports as an outlet for the harsh realities of life and just want to be part of something positive.    

Michigan fans need to be patient

The Michigan Wolverines football team has hit a crater sized pothole this season. Once again fans are calling for a quick ouster of head coach Rich Rodriguez. To the Michigan fans still stuck in the past, they need to shut up and get out of the past. When Lloyd Carr was there all you heard was that he was too conservative and couldn't coach all the talent he recruited to Ann Arbor. I've always thought that when Carr was forced to play from behind was when he decided to loosen the reins.Check the Orange Bowl game against Alabama which would prove my point. Fans always talked about wanting a spread type offense at Michigan. Now they have it and they want to run the coach that's running it out of town. Right now they stand at 5-4, needing one win to become bowl eligible and Wolverine fans are howling for Rodriguez's head. It's not gonna happen. If it does it leaves you worse off than they already are. There's a lot of spread type athletes there now and more than likely they switch back to a pro set. Where does that leave you? Another 3-9 debacle similar to last year or worse because your putting square pegs in round holes. Some of the old time fans never wanted him there in the first place and have looked for anything to discredit him. Let him get some time to get things together. Two years is not enough. After the win over Notre Dame, a lot of the old the "old blues" thought Michigan football was "back". If anything that win alone, along with a 4-0 start, where they never left the confines of the Big House, unfairly inflated expectations. Fans, you conveniently forget there was a freshman quarterback at the helm of the team. As great as Tate Forcier looked earlier this season, he has shown his youth later on when navigating rougher seas in the Big Ten. Overall, this is a young team. They've made some strides this year, mostly on the offensive side of the ball, but they still have ways to go. The fans need to give this operation some time instead of breaking their legs jumping off the bandwagon. If the same problems are going on a year from now then you'll know that there's something wrong. I think next year is when it comes all together for Rodriguez. To the fans, please stop beating a dead horse and calling for Rodriguez to be fired. I'm tired of hearing it and others on the other side of the divided house in Ann Arbor are tired of hearing it. Patience is a virtue and some of you fans need to learn it.