The Fantasy Defensive

Reward Defense for Defense

In my fantasy league, Defense and Special Teams are categorized into a single group. I understand that and I am fine with that. The one issue I have is that a kick returner can run the ball back for a score and get 16 points if he takes it endzone to endzone. That is more than Peyton Manning gets if he throws the ball 99 yards for a touchdown. He'd only get 7 points for that feat. A quarterback is rewarded 1 point for every 50 passing yards and 6 points for a touchdown. The D/ST is rewarded 1 point for every 10 yards and the same 6 points for a touchdown. 

I'm fine with the D/ST getting points for an explosive play made by a special teamer. My issue is that the defense isn't rewarded for being a good defense. The top 5 defenses in the NFL allow an average of 15.6 points per game. In my league, being one of the top 5 defenses in the league rewards you 1 point. 

That is where my issue lies. Defense isn't rewarded for serving its main purpose in the game. It's given points for behaving like an offense. As my friend Kyle and fellow league member put it, "I want defense to be rewarded for being the best defensive unit, not for being the best offensive defense." 

I agree that a defense should be rewarded points for takeaways and turnovers but some stats like 4th down stops don't really mean anything, but you still get 1 point for it. Here is my revision to make defense more meaningful. Our system currently rewards a team that records a shutout 10 points. I think that number is extremely low for the amount of work that is required to make that happen. I'm proposing a new scoring system that makes defensive defense much more important and takes away some of the special teams dominance.

What the Old Looks Like, What the New Should Be

Listed below is how my fantasy league currently rates defensive points, next to it are the adjustments that I think should be made and a reasoning why. If there is no adjustment then I am fine with it being the same.

Sack = 1

INT = 2

Fumble Recovery = 2

Touchdown = 6

Safety = 2

Block Kick = 2, 3 points (If a kick is made then you gain 3 points, so if you stop one you get 3)

Return Yards = 1 point per 10 yards, 1 point per 50 yards (You shouldn't be able to double up what a QB can do if he makes a play for the same yardage that has the same result)

Points Allowed 0 pts = 10, 30 points (It's almost impossible to hold a team scoreless in the offensive NFL. There should be a bigger reward for a defense doing that.)

Points Allowed 1-6 pts = 7, 20 points (Holding a team under a TD is almost just as hard. It isn't quite a shutout but it should surely receive more than 7 points) 

Points Allowed 7-13 pts = 4, 15 points (This is still better than the top 5 teams in the league give up per game. Therefore it should be rewarded properly.) 

Points Allowed 14-20 pts = 1, 10 points (Holding a team under 3 TDs will usually result in a win if you have a good offense. Therefore you should get some points for doing that. Only 8 NFL defenses average less than 20 points per game.) 

Points Allowed 21-27 pts = 0, 22-27 points = 0 (I agree with this one but I want to raise the number to 22 points. If you give up over 3 TDs in a game then you are about average and shouldn't receive anything. If you hold a team to exactly 3 TDs, I propose 5 points for your team.)

Points Allowed 28-34 pts = -1, -3 points (If we're paying a defense for being good, we should make a team pay if the defense is bad. If you give up more than 4 TDs per game then you're one of the 8 to 10 worst in the league.) 

Points Allowed 35+ pts = -4, -10 points (Yes, you lose 10 points if you give up 5 TDs or more. There should be bigger rewards and penalties for good and bad defense. According to the system now, a terrible defensive game can be wiped out by 40 return yards.) 

4th Down Stops = 1 (I'm going to restructure this stat completely. Instead of 4th Down Stops, I'm going to make it 4th Quarter Stops. Every time you stop a team in the 4th Quarter from scoring you get 1 point. That gives a team a bonus for playing well on defense at the end of a game when it matters most.)

There is my restructuring of the fantasy defensive points. Now let's take an example of two teams this season and see what their points would be now. 

In week 4, the San Francisco 49ers only gave up 11 points and their fantasy point total was 13. With my new adjustments they would get 15 points to start with the great defensive performance. They had 0 return yards so that doesn't change anything and then we add in their 9 points for 7 sacks and 1 interception they had to give them 24 points. 

Let's take a team that gave up some big points in a game but still had a high scoring day because of other reasons. Last week New England gave up 30 points in a loss to the Jets but our scoring system gave them 27 points. Is a bad defense really worthy of that? 

In the new system we start them off with -3 because of what they gave up. Not a big change but it lowers them a little bit. Next we add 6 points for 4 sacks and an INT. Now they have 3 points. They had 154 return yards. Is that worth 15 points? No! They get 3 points for that. Now they have 6 points. They returned the 1 INT for 79 yards and a TD. I give them return yards for INTs so they get 7 more points for this play. Now that we've done this adjustment, the New England Patriots in a 30-27 loss get 13 points instead of 27 points. 

In my eyes this new system makes all the sense in the world and is a brilliant idea. If you think the same then you should propose these changes to your fantasy leagues. Leave any comments for adjustments that you think would be helpful and fair. 

The Selig Fault: The Many Issues of Baseball

A Quick Note

It has been an extremely long time since I have posted anything to this blog and I have good reason for that. I was in a very serious car accident about 3 1/2 months ago and have been focused on rehab from that. I am focused on getting this blog back running. Enjoy! 

A Pastime, That's All It Is

If you read my stuff before my accident, you know I love bashing baseball. If you didn't, today you'll learn that I love bashing it. 

Over the past several weeks and months, I've had some free time on my hands when not in rehab. In that time, I've tuned into way too much baseball. It did it's job. It passed the time for me. That's what baseball does. In my neck of the woods, the Pirates had their first positive season since I was 2 years old. That was nice for people who remember the 1970 Pirates who were successful. I've said for years that Pittsburgh shouldn't have a baseball team so I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat hoping the Buccos would win but I did tune into a lot of baseball this season. 

In my time of watching baseball I have seen many things that absolutely perplex me. Baseball is the only sport where a fan can interfere with the game and get away with it. It just happened the other night. J.J. Reddick, Josh Reddick (sorry nobody knows the names of the Oakland players) tried to rob a home run in game 4 of the ALDS against Detroit and some goofball reached over the fence and tried to grab the ball. Now the evidence was inconclusive if Reddick would have actually been able to rob the ball, but it really looked like he had a chance to bring it back. 

On top of that MLB has an antiquated officiating system, extremely slow play and a plethora of other problems. Today I want to look at some of these issues and how silly they would be if they were in a different sport.

Slow Play, But It's Okay

Baseball is the only sport that doesn't have a game clock or set pace of play to it. You constantly see these batters put their hand up and step back after walking into the batter's box. Once you step into the batter's box you should have to stay there and bat. You shouldn't be allowed to walk around after every pitch, readjust your batting gloves, send a text message, etc. It's ridiculous. The pitcher does the same thing too, though. It adds so much time to the game. If baseball truly wanted to make their games quicker and more excited then this would be a rule. Once you're in the box you have to stay there the whole at-bat. Also, pitcher's can only toss the ball to a base twice without throwing a pitch to the plate. 

But Tim...that gives an unfair advantage to guys trying to steal.

No it doesn't. You don't need to throw the ball over to first base to stop a guy from stealing. Do it once if the guy is really lagging off the bag and you think you can get him. If not, throw to the batter and rely on your catcher to make a good throw. If you're that worried a guy is going to steal, pitch out to the catcher and have him toss it to the bag. You shouldn't get free roam of tossing it to your first baseman over and over. You should have to throw a ball to the batter and if the base runner presents that much of a threat. 

If you got the next batter up to the plate quicker, kept the pitches coming quicker and didn't have all of these extracurriculars going on after every pitch you could cut 30 minutes off a game. 

Other Sports Keep it Moving

NFL: Imagine if there wasn't a play clock in football. They could just mosey up to the line and a defensive player could just call infinite timeouts to adjust his cleats before Peyton Manning snapped the ball. 

NBA: How about we get rid of the five second inbound clock. Maybe we should allow players to hold the ball in the back court as long as they want. Shot clock? We don't need one of those. I want to see Miami beat Oklahoma City 21-15 and watch Russell Westbrook dribble for 22 minutes. Then we can start keeping pointless statistics like dribbles per half (DPH) time spent with the ball in your own backcourt (BCTPH) and a bunch of other great acronyms that the people in the stands sit there and keep track of with their kids. 

Let The Fans be More Involved

This is my favorite part of the MLB experience. If you are an outfielder chasing down a ball near the fence at most stadiums, you'll probably have some yahoo reaching over the fence to try to interfere with you. It should be interference but the rule is so ambiguous that even when we think it was broken, the umps don't know how to actually call it. I don't think I need to go on and on ranting about why Joe Schmo in the first row down the third baseline shouldn't be able to interfere with a player trying to catch a foul ball. Or do you not see a problem with that? Do I need to go on?

It's part of the game, Tim. The fans pay for those seats and they can't actually interfere with the athlete, they can just stand in his way and try to snatch the ball.

Oh yeah, there's nothing wrong with the fans interfering with games. Let's see what it would be like if they could interfere with other sports. 

NFL: I propose we start to allow fans to bring in kites, remote controlled helicopters and any other flying objects that could block a pass or kick. Yes, that sounds preposterous because the NFL doesn't give many opportunities for the fans to interfere with the game play.

NBA: Same thing goes for the projectiles in the stadiums. You want some pressure on that free throw. How about 150 fans are allowed to toss a football at the hoop at the same time you're shooting the FT? I'm fine with it. Maybe we promote the sideline fans to play defense occasionally. If you can intercept a pass with at least one foot out of bounds and you don't touch a player while you're defending it, it's a fair play. 

Soccer: Doesn't it make you laugh when that random streaker runs through a game over in Spain? I say we promote that. If you streak during a soccer game and can get the ball within 5 minutes of running onto the pitch, you get a penalty kick for whichever team you'd like. (Yes, I said pitch. I know soccer terminology.) 

Do I need to continue? I think you understand the point i'm making about these issues with baseball. The game is antiquated. It takes too long for a 9 inning game to be played. Several ALDS games went over 4 hours. None of which were extra inning games. They were 9 innings and over 4 hours. That's a half hour or more per inning. 

Along with this extremely long and boring process we call a baseball game is the fact that the audience can reach over the fence and touch a ball and get away with it. Add to that the fact that baseball doesn't know how to promote their stars. 

I enjoy baseball in small doses. I have to have something else to watch on another channel to flip back and forth because I don't want to see someone standing there for 8 minutes adjusting their gloves after every pitch. 

So, the reason I called this the Selig Fault is because he is old and out of touch. But, there is hope baseball. Selig announced that he is retiring after the 2014 season. To all of the people who are in control of choosing his replacement, please find someone hip and connected. Take someone who works under Roger Goodell or David Stern. Find a guy who will use technology like instant replay properly, someone who will take measures to speed up the game and make it more exciting, and someone who knows how to promote Yasiel Puig properly. That's what is needed baseball. That's what you must do. I wish you the best of luck!

Rule Breakers, not Chain Breakers

Intro

The first part of this blog post focused on people who chase their dreams and work hard to achieve everything they have ever wanted. They know what situations to put themselves in and what situations to stay out of. The opposite of those people are the rule breakers of sports. The people who have the possibility to break the chains of where they come from and what they were raised in but who fail to do so. 

They are Aaron Hernandez. 

They are the people who don't know how to get out of the lifestyle they were raised in and make a better life, even after they are handed the keys to the better life. 

The Better Life

This morning, Aaron Hernandez was in his "better life" home in Attleboro when his inabilities to get away from the life of gangs and guns he was raised in caught up to him. Police appeared at his house this morning and escorted him in a white t-shirt and red gym shorts to a police cruiser where he was taken to the local district court and charged with 1st-degree murder and five gun related counts. 

I don't want to jump to conclusions and say that he is guilty because there is no validation of that yet. There is a ton of circumstantial evidence that surrounds Aaron Hernandez and either way, I don't see his NFL career ever being around again. We love giving people second chances and someone like Ray Lewis is a great example of it, but something in my gut tells me that Hernandez wouldn't change if he did get another chance.

I don't know what it is about some people but they can't seem to get away from trouble. It's almost like they don't want to. I know people who were in a bad situation, moved to a better one and still found ways to get into trouble. You can sit down with them, tell them how stupid and moronic their behavior was, they completely agree with you and then the cycle continues a few weeks later. 

When you look at the track record of Aaron Hernandez, he has always been a troubled individual. From his childhood, to college years, to now being charged with 1st-degree murder, it keeps increasing. 

He may not be given another chance to screw up if found guilty of murder. He'll be in jail for many years and his life will essentially be over. The echoes of this crime just show you how important it is of who you surround yourself with. 

Break the Chain

I've never been involved in any gang activity. I don't know what the lives of many people in urban America are like. I can only imagine what I see and hear from music, television, movies, and people who have been through it. 

One common thing that I hear from the people who break out of it, is how they must break the chain. How they don't want their children to go through the same things they went through. This doesn't seem to be the mindset of many people who make it in sports from these places.

I credit the pressure of your peers from the ghetto trying to ride your coattails to the top as one thing that causes people who make it out to fall back in. I also credit the sense of community built in these areas through gangs or association of being from the same 'hood. When you make it out, you're told that you owe it to these people to give back. You're told that you're changing if you try to live a straight life and distance yourself from it all.

This is how so many people fail to stay successful when they make it out of these environments. They get brought back down by their peers. You must break the chain when you come from any place where you had to overcome extreme odds to succeed. You will always have someone who knew you before you were at that peak and that will say you changed or you owe them something. Don't listen to them. 

They are just jealous of the success you're about to have and want some of it for themselves. You must be intelligent and distance yourself from idiots. I understand that kids make mistakes and most things people do under the age of 21, I have some will to forgive them. Once you get into your mid-20s or have the opportunity to get away from it at a younger age, then you have no excuses. 

All Behind Bars NFL Team

One striking statistic that I came across today was that near 30 NFL players have been arrested since the Super Bowl. That's enough to field an entire NFL team. Business Insider published a list of the active players and their crimes, and it is quite disturbing how many players are in trouble.

Yes, the NFL has around 2,000 players but that means about 2% of the league has been arrested since the Super Bowl. How many other businesses have 2% of its employees behind bars? 

This is a serious problem within the NFL. It isn't like all of these charges are for simple things. There are a slew of DUIs, disorderly conducts, bar fights, marijuana possession, and on and on. 

The NFL needs to fix this problem. I haven't heard of issues like this in any other league since Gilbert Arenas was flashing guns in the locker room years ago in the NBA. I haven't heard of any players in the NBA getting arrested. Other than the steroid problem in baseball, they don't have any criminals. NASCAR, the NHL, soccer, they don't have it happening. 

The NFL had two murder related arrests just today! You can't have enough people in trouble that you could field a team of criminals.

Since the Super Bowl there has been one player arrested in the NBA. You know, the league that people stereotype as being a bunch of blacks from the ghetto running around with a ball on the court. The NBA has its act together. The NBA is the league your kids should be watching. Look at the top stars of the NBA. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Kyrie Irving. None of them have any criminal records. You've never heard of any of them getting in any type of trouble. The NBA arrest was Terrence Williams for an assault charge. 

Sports Arrest Leaders Since the Super Bowl

The New York Jets have had more arrested in May (3) than the other major sports in America have had since the Super Bowl. If you add in Chad Johnson and Titus Young, then the NFL number is up to 29. 

NFL:           29 (27 active) 

NBA:            1

NASCAR:     1

NHL:             0

Soccer:         2

This is a bigger issue than one kid not being able to get away from the people who he knew before he became a star. This is about a league wide epidemic of people getting in trouble.

If you're ever given a chance to live out your dreams or take a risk that pays off huge, don't be a rule breaker who throws everything away, be a chain breaker who exceeds to new heights. 

P.S. - Have you seen Mark Sanchez being an idiot on film? 

Thanks for reading!

- Tim

Dream Chasers and Risk Takers

Intro

This will be the first part of a two part blog post today. This first part will focus on that moment when you need to make the tough decision in your life. When you have a comfortable situation you're living in but you put it on the line for something better. As a recent college graduate, I am in that situation. Should I take the easy route with a job that utilizes my degree but isn't quite what I want to do, or should I chase my dreams, put it out on the line and fight to get to my ultimate goals? After some thought the past few weeks, i'm going to go with the latter. 

While this topic has been on my mind lately for personal reasons, there are current sports stories that deal with this in a very relevant way. Specifically, Doc Rivers choosing to move from Boston to LA to coach the Clippers. 

Doctor's Orders

Each of the past two or three seasons there have been some grumblings of Doc Rivers making an exit from coaching altogether or moving to a different team, and nine days after the story surfaced, the deal is complete and the Clippers are paying Doc around $7 million a year to coach and lead the Los Angeles Clippers for the next three years. 

Was this a move of Doc Rivers chasing his dreams? I'd say yes. I think he had a realization over the past couple weeks or so that he didn't want to spend the rest of his career working on rebuilding the Celtics to be contenders in a young and talented Eastern Conference. 

Not that the Western Conference in the NBA is any easier, but Doc is already starting with a leg up talent wise. The current Celtics roster at one time several years ago was much more talented. Now, the stars are getting old. Ray Allen left after last season. Garnett and Pierce could be gone this year and Rivers has his issues with the youngest and most talented of the Celtic's stars, Rajon Rondo. 

Doc wants a couple more solid shots at winning an NBA title and thinks the young talent of the Clippers has a great opportunity in an ever-changing league. Chris Paul is one of the 10 best players in the league and the young nucleus that surrounds him is a few pieces away from being the favorite in the West. 

Doc is a risk taker and a dream chaser because he decided that he wanted to make a move to take a shot at another NBA championship. He didn't want to rebuild with the Celtics for three years, get them on the verge of a title, be physically worn out from coaching, retire, and give someone else his team with a chance to win. 

He could have stayed cozy in Boston. He was adored by the fans, respected by the players, and admired by the organization. He didn't want to coast off into the sunset with a couple more 46-36 seasons with an exit in the second or third round of the playoffs each year and go down as a great coach with one title. 

I wish Doc the best of luck in Los Angeles. If they add the right pieces then I think they will be a favorite in the West and have a great chance to compete with Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Golden State, and Denver at the top of the conference.

The Decision

You all hated LeBron for making "The Decision" to go to Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Isn't that what life is all about? Take whatever field you're in and put together the hypothetical to work with some of the best in your profession, for one of the best CEOs or bosses, and tell me you wouldn't take it? 

If you didn't take it, i'm guessing you're the type of person who has lived within 10 miles of your hometown your entire life. That's okay. You can choose a life like that if you want. I'm not here to tell you how to live, but put yourself in the shoes of people who are risk takers and dream chasers. When the opportunity is there, they must take it. They don't plan years in advance on how to make their next move. They simply see an opportunity, sit down and think about it, and make a decision. When people are in certain businesses, they must take all of the opportunities they can get because they hold positions that people highly value. 

If you're in the media, the head of a company, a coach, etc. then you have a highly regarded job. There are hundreds of people out there just waiting for an opportunity to take your job. You also have a shorter time to achieve greatness. If you're in the media and get the opportunity to host your own show on a small local network and then NBC comes along and wants to pick up your show and broadcast it nationally, you better jump on it. The same thing goes for coaches and players in the NBA. There are only a small amount of elite positions available and the market of potential competitors is endless. So, when the moment comes where you can make the jump to the top, take it. 

Personality Test

There is a lot of talk about Type 'A' and Type  'B' personalities. This is a theory of two contrasting theories of personality that most people fall under. 

People who are Type 'A' personalities are the people who are risk takers and dream chasers. They are the people who go and get things done. They don't wait around for things to happen. They are focused and dedicated to being successful. They fill their plate and go for it all. They don't wait around and hope for the situation to come to them. 

The Type 'B' personalities are the people who tend to be more relaxed. They take an "if it gets done, it gets done" approach to many things. They look for a simpler life and usually end up staying in the same type of place from which they were raised and are completely satisfied with it. 

I think I fall somewhere in between the two. I have many Type 'A' qualities but can also take a step back and enjoy the moment. I think everyone should look for some type of balance in their life and not lean too far toward one type or the other. If you have it in you, and are a Type 'A' personality, your level for success is going to be much higher because you are going to work like crazy to get there. 

Working like crazy is exactly what the LeBrons and Doc Rivers of the world did, so don't berate them or hate them for leaving a situation they were in for a better one. They did the work to be in that position. They aren't disloyal for leaving Cleveland and Boston, they spent plenty of time in those places and gave a lot to both cities. A better opportunity for them came along and they took it. Don't hate, understand.

On the Flip Side

Tune back in later today for a second blog post that is focused on people who are given a chance to be successful and can't seem to get away from the evils that haunt them to stay successful, "Rule Breakers, not Chain Breakers" 

Thanks!

- Tim

The Future of Sports

Social Media and Statistics

When thinking about the future of sports, I don't want to think about robots and outlandish possibilities.  I want to look at the trends that are starting today and where they will head in the future. One of the biggest things to happen in society over the past several years has been the prominence of social media. We are such a connected society with the ability to communicate with everyone around us. We can now directly contact athletes with a chance that they'll reply to us. 

Where is this going to go in the future? I think eventually a league will incorporate this into games. All of the networks already have it integrated where they will show tweets or trending topics during games. Soon a league that has some struggles will decide it's time to have social media utilized within the game. I'm not sure exactly how they'll do it, but I see a day where a player scores a touchdown and his celebration is tweeting 140 characters at a computer set up in the back of the end zone. I don't think football will be the first one to do it, but I could see that happening one day. 

Along with the technological advancements of communication through social media is the advancement of statistical analysis collected. 

We now have graphs and stats that focus on every single possession in a baseball game. Sabre Metrics in baseball have completely changed how many teams operate. New ratings for QBs in the NFL are being created. This trend is only going to continue. Eventually I see the leagues embracing this even more than they do right now. I see some type of micro-processor being placed inside a football to calculate the speeds more accurately that a QB throws, and calculate how soft a receivers hands are. 

Technology allows a wealth of knowledge and data to be collected through many means. In a couple years we're going to be able to look at individual statistics for players in every environment possible. There are already projections that can be done to predict the tendencies of athletes in certain situations. The advancement of technology is only going to further this along.

Safety First

Over the past several months, a few football players have spoken up and said that football won't exist in 20 or 30 years. First it was the Baltimore Ravens Bernard Pollard, and last week it was Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Lem Barney. 

The reasoning is that football is too violent of a sport and eventually nobody will want to play it because of the possibility of head injuries that linger after your career has ended. Well, since I just spent several paragraphs talking about technology, i'll once again offer it up as the solution.

I was raised watching NASCAR. I don't follow it as closely as I used to, but when I was about 10 years old in 2001 and Dale Earnhardt died, the sport changed forever. Along with the death of Earnhardt were several other serious injuries and deaths in racing that called for a change.

This caused NASCAR to make a complete revamp of its safety precautions and changed the way the sport operated. Every component on the car was improved and made safer. The walls around the tracks were changed from extremely hard concrete barriers to safer walls that had some flexibility and give to absorb blows. Restraints were required by NASCAR to ensure higher safety for all drivers, and the sport has survived because of this.

If the money is there, and the money was there for NASCAR, so it's surely there for the NFL, then changes can be made to make the game safer. I don't think we'll see a day where all of the players are in giant robotic suits playing, but I do see safer helmets, pads, and neck supports being created. 

I can see the number of transcendent talents in the NFL dropping over the next few years while these changes are made but I don't see the sport in any real danger. If the NFL wants to be serious about protecting its players, then it will make the necessary changes to get the league to a place where safety is secured. 

It might take a couple years to get the NFL to that place, but it can be done. That doesn't mean there will never be another concussion in the sport, but there will be less. We won't have the days of Junior Seau killing himself because of the head injuries he sustained playing the sport. Hopefully we will see the day where science comes through with a solution for the NFL to prevent those type of injuries from happening again. 

I'll See You in the Future

I wanted to touch on those two important points. Now, I want to give a broader view of where I see sports in 20, 30 and even 50 years. I think it only gets better for the sports fan. There will be more ways to interact with your favorite athlete, team, or league. We will have more access to sports. There will be more data available, and more opportunity to be a part of the sport.

Some sports won't be as popular as they are today. Some sports will be even more popular. If I had to make some bets, I would say that soccer will have a bigger place in America and MLS will be bigger than MLB. 

Football will have gone through a transcendent period where safety changes have made the game better. We just have to hope that we don't see a talent strike because of the people pointing out the issues with safety in football today. If I had a young son that wanted to play football, i'd probably steer him toward another sport.

I think hockey will also have some major changes to improve safety and attempt to give us a better game. I think there will be other sports that grow in popularity because of the ease of access to spread a message to the world. Remember when the World Series of Poker was big? I could see a few smaller sports take a center stage for a few years in the future like poker did.

Either way, I know I will be tuned in to see what changes come to the world of sports over the next 20 years and beyond. I hope you will keep the same love of sports you have today in the future and embrace change. 

Thanks for reading today! I'll be back next week with four new blog posts. Now that the NBA is over, it's time to start focusing on football, baseball playoffs and more. 

- Tim

Special Edition: LeBron's Legacy

Back to Back MVP

I don't know how much of my fan base listens to rap music, but I do. When I think of LeBron the T.I. line about "the king back now..." comes into my mind. It's rather fitting after he is a back to back champion.  LeBron received his status of "King James" from his play and his stature over everyone around him. What makes him a king in my book is how he acts. He is a true champion. He exemplifies everything I want to idolize. He can enjoy the moment. Think about the coaches and players who always try to keep it cool and wouldn't have been on stage with a huge smile doing a little bounce back and forth with the Larry O'Brien and Bill Russell trophies in their hands. LeBron knows what the moment is and seizes it. If it's being straight faced and focused late in a must win game or celebrating when it's over, he knows what to do.

Beyond seizing the moment, LeBron is a perfect example to any kid who has ever been picked on. He allows his actions to speak louder than his words. He doesn't need to make some strong statement about proving the media and his naysayers wrong in a press conference. He delivers a fantastic game 6, scores 37 points, 12 rebounds, a bunch of assists, several late jumpers that sealed the deal, and two clutch free throws to win his second NBA title and MVP of the finals. 

He realizes that he was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be in the NBA and isn't taking it for granted. LeBron is an athlete that most people don't see anymore. He is under constant scrutiny and still comes out unblemished with another ring on his finger. He is a true champion and stand up guy in every sense of those terms. 

That's why i'm giving you guys a late night special edition about LeBron's legacy. He inspired me tonight with his performance and I want to take a look at why he is so great.  

"I Ain't Got No Worries" 

I'm not sure if he was quoting the Lil Wayne song or not, but LeBron James has absolutely nothing to worry about right now. If this performance wasn't enough to douse the flame of hate against him for leaving Cleveland and struggling in the 2011 finals, then nothing ever will. 

As he said, he couldn't care less. He is a true champion. He is the most talented player I have ever seen play the game of basketball, he is a class act with amazing character, and he has proven the masses wrong over and over the past two years.

Everyone thought Indiana had a chance to beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron drops 32/8/4 in a dominating win. Game 6 against the Spurs, LeBron makes two bad plays but hits a big 3-pointer late and then gets help from Chris Bosh and Ray Allen. Last year against the Celtics in an elimination game 6, he scored 45 points and had 15 rebounds to stay alive in Boston. They said he wasn't clutch two years ago. Since that time, he's been clutch every time he was called on.

There was a switch that clicked with LeBron after losing to the Mavericks in 2011. He realized he didn't need to listen to what other people said about him. He didn't need to be hypersensitive to the media. He just needed to play his game. After that loss is when the switch flipped. We got to see it for the first time in the series against the Bulls last year when LeBron closed them out with great performances. Then, he followed it up in Boston and willed his team to the title after a game 1 loss to Oklahoma City. 

This year it was more of the same from LeBron. When the moment was the most dire, he had the games he needed to and won. LeBron ain't got no worries, but he does have two rings.

Legacy Solidified

I know you don't agree with this if you're almost anyone between the ages of 17 and 100 but LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan. I've been saying this since he beat Boston in game 6 of the playoffs last year, and I've been saying that he would be the best ever when it's all said and done for several years now. 

I want to write and ask you all to put away your nostalgia of M.J. for a minute but I can't do that to you. I know where you're coming from. M.J. was great. He was the best ever until 370 some days ago. When LeBron scored 45 points and 15 rebounds against the Celtics, I knew it was over. The legacy started to build and come to fruition and with his second title tonight, it was solidified.

Here's why I pick LeBron over M.J. 

1.) It's about every facet of the game to me. It's about scoring, rebounding, assisting, blocking, defense, etc. Both of these players had/have immense talent at those skills, but LeBron has to use all of those skills every single night. He led the Heat in 9 categories last night. His all-around game is more complete to me than Michael's was. Look at the stats, LeBron's big games have him with a packed box score and Michael's games had 45 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. LeBron has 37 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 4 steals, 9 of 11 free throws, and dominant defense. 

2.) Following my first point, LeBron is the better teammate. He makes everyone around him better. He sets them up for open looks. He gets into the right position so they can make a good decision of passing or shooting. He cares deeply about the guys he plays with. They are his brothers. They are a family. I was young for most of Jordan's dominance but I always got  this vibe that Jordan knew he was on a level above everyone and acted accordingly.

3.) LeBron is a better person. Now you say that we should only judge them by what they do on the court. Why? If you're the greatest at something, everything you do is put under a microscope. If i'm picking out an idol or role model for someone, i'm picking LeBron first and Jordan will probably be an undrafted free agent. I like the drive and ferocity of Jordan. He was an assassin. That's one way to operate. I like how LeBron does it better. He would rather go down with the crew over abandoning ship to save himself. I want my kids to learn the qualities that LeBron has over Michael. Too many people say you need to be heartless and vicious to be successful. LeBron shows that isn't true. You have to be dedicated, work hard and put everything you have into something to be successful, but you can do it without being arrogant. 

LeBron has the qualities as a player and a person that make me so positively sure that he is the best player I have ever seen. 

Feel free to call me crazy and defend Michael until you're blue in the face. I've heard a handful of stories from people about M.J. being a jerk. I don't care how great you are. You have to earn my respect. I respect what M.J. did on a basketball court but that's as far as that goes. I respect everything LeBron has done, not just basketball.

Maybe that doesn't mean anything to you but when I hear LeBron talk about seeing his name on the back of his jersey and knowing that he wasn't even supposed to be here, it makes me happy. It makes me appreciate him that much more because he appreciates those moments. 

Closing Remarks

I want to pay a moment of respect to the San Antonio Spurs. They were one of the first teams I watched when I got into basketball because they were successful and on TV when I started watching. I always enjoyed watching Tim Duncan and Co. play so efficiently. It was beautiful. The Spurs were one of the first teams I rooted for because I was 7 or 8 when they started this dominating era. Now i'm 22. I have always had a place for the Spurs in my heart but since LeBron entered into the league I have been a fan of him. I was a bit torn when the two faced off the first time. This time I was all in for LeBron. That doesn't take away my respect for Popovich, Duncan, Ginobli, Parker and the great system that San Antonio has in place. Tim Duncan might decide to retire after this year. I don't think Ginobli or Parker will ever be as good as they have been in the past and Popovich will probably leave coaching in a few years. This could be the closing of an era and I just want to say, congratulations to everything that San Antonio has accomplished in the past 15 years. Their organization is a model one that does things the right way. 

Thanks for reading. I'll bring my regularly scheduled blog post sometime in the early afternoon hours. We're talking about where sports will be in 50 years.

Congratulations to the Miami Heat!! 2013 NBA Champions!! Congratulations to LeBron James!! 2013 NBA Finals MVP!!

- Tim 

 

Are Athletes Role Models?

Cover Your Kid's Eyes

There are many athletes in sports today that are selfish, criminal, cheaters, crybabies, and negative influences on children as a role model. A recent story that just broke brings this to the forefront. The New England Patriots' receiver Aaron Hernandez may have just cashed in his NFL career because he couldn't get away from trouble.

If you haven't heard the story, it goes something like this. All of the details aren't out, but here's the cliffnotes. Hernandez had a rental car registered in his name, and a dead body was found in it. At first he wasn't tied to it as a suspect. Now, he seems to be a possible suspect. In light of all of this, Sports Illustrated reported that teams had concerns about gang affiliation by Hernandez in Bristol, CT before he was drafted.

I was going to write this story yesterday but some things came up and I'm glad I didn't because this story gave me great relevance for my discussion.

The main thing that people need to take away from situations like this is that a lot of people don't really change who they are when they become famous or successful. Especially people who grow up in an environment with a gang mindset. The gang, hip-hop culture has a strong stance on people forgetting where they grew up, and who they grew up with. When someone becomes successful out of this culture they have people around them who say, "Don't change when you're famous. Don't forget about all the times I had your back. We're the reason you got to this point."

While those things may be true for many situations, if you want to be a successful and respected person then you can't hang around shady people. It doesn't matter if you grew up with them, they're your family, or any affiliation you have with them. No shady people allowed if you want to be respected.

When it's all said and done, Aaron Hernandez may end up out of a career, in jail for a number of years, and back to square one with all of the other nobodys that he seemed to surround himself with in the past.

People like Hernandez can't be a role model to your kids. The most he can be is an example. He should be an example. This is what not to do. Don't be affiliated with gangs. Don't be involved with shady people. If you grew up in this environment and have an opportunity to leave it behind...go! You don't have any restraints because these people knew you before you were successful and famous. Yeah, i'm sure some of them helped you along at some point, but you made it and they didn't. It might sound very harsh but if you want to stay successful and stay respected, and stay out of jail, then remove yourself from these situations.

Open Their Eyes 

While people like Aaron Hernandez are out their in abundance, we also have some great role models in sports. There are a ton of great people out there who epitomize exactly what a role model should be. They work hard. They train hard. They know the right things to say and make the right moves in life to set an example to everyone.

One person who many of you love to hate, and I just love,  is LeBron James. In his media session prior to Game 7, he said something that absolutely solidified why he is a great role model to me. Now, many of you bring up things about him leaving Cleveland and "The Decision" and all of that stuff. 

I don't look at any of that as a negative. He saw a better opportunity and he took it. There is a certain point in life that i'm sure anyone would tell their kids or closer friends or anyone looking for advice that if they aren't happen in their current situation then they should move. LeBron wasn't given the opportunities he wanted to succeed in Cleveland, so he moved to Miami. I agree that he didn't need an hour TV special to announce it, but i'm sure that wasn't all his decision. A lot of that was his agent and ESPN making it into a spectacle. 

LeBron exemplifies qualities that anyone should desire. He is the best player in the world and still spends every day working to get better. He spends his off-season, his vacation time, training to improve aspects of his game. He doesn't take a day off. He shows his emotions on his sleeve and isn't afraid to show you who he is. Sometimes he tries to sell a call a little too much and is very verbal with the referees, but he understands the moment. He is aware of what he is trying to accomplish in the game. 

In the aforementioned soundbite, he was asked about how fans were rooting against him in Game 7 against the Spurs. His response exemplified his character perfectly. He said something along the lines of, "I'm still going to show up to the stadium. I'm still going to put on my jersey and play hard for my team. When you look at the situation I came from, I wasn't supposed to make it here but i'm blessed that I did. I'm not going to take that for granted because every time I walk into the locker room and see my name on the back of an NBA jersey, I know the hard work I had to put in to make it here." 

That is exactly what I want a role model to say. He understands that people won't always be on your side. He doesn't let it bother him. He looks at the things he has had to overcome in life and is grateful to be where he is today. He isn't selfish or arrogant about being as great as he is. He appreciates the people who have helped him make it to this place and knows that he must work with his teammates to win his second championship. If you can here all of that and still hate LeBron James then I suggest you look in a mirror and do some self-evaluation. 

If you had to choose a role model for your kids, would you rather have the hard working LeBron James, who is humble, appreciative, respectable, and grateful for what he achieved, or the Aaron Hernandez who is on the verge of throwing it all away because he couldn't get away from a certain crowd? 

I'm going to take LeBron James everyday. I'm going to take LeBron over people who stack up much better as role models than Aaron Hernandez. I'd take LeBron over Tim Tebow, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and on and on. 

I want my role models to be people who have gone through the adversity and realize how hard they have to work to achieve greatness. I want a role model who is grateful for the people who support them and know that they are at the top of their game.