Sports Thoughts
1) Josh Beckett is pitching like a man on a mission, much like he did in 2007 when he led the Sox to the World Series. I have great confidence in the man when he appears motivated. With Beckett, Lester, and Bucholz, the Sox are in good shape should they get to the playoffs. And I am confident they will. This is a really good team that has a good chance to win the whole thing.
2) LeBron will never (NEVER) surpass or even equal his idol Michael Jordan. Never. The best he can hope for is one or two rings via overwhelming talent. Watching LeBron waltz through great portions of the game last night I was struck by how he is just not a killer like MJ, Bird, Magic, and Kobe. You have to be a large dick to be a killer, to be a great, multiple rings, champion. And LeBron just doesn't have it in him. Maybe he's too nice a guy. Maybe the pressure gets to him in crucial moments. I don't care what the scoreborard said after the game (the Heat won) and I don't care how many points James scored. He choked and didn't control the game. LeBron is the greatest combination of size and athletic ability the sport of basketball has ever seen. He's much bigger than MJ and Kobe, a much, much better athlete than Bird or Magic. He has it all physically, but mentally he is not the guy who can win the big games. I truly believe that when it's all said and done, Kobe and MJ will retain their places as the greatest modern day ball players and LeBron, even though he will surely win some titles in Miami, will be considered a choker, a la Karl Malone. And I'm a LeBron fan.
3) In contrast, Derrick Rose shot like shit last night but was a force the whole night. He never backed away, like LeBron did in the second quarter. Rose is going to be one of the all timers, no doubt, as long as his legs hold up. I love his attitude and am in awe of his game.
4) I will break down in tears if the Bruins should win the Stanley Cup. The Bruins were my first true sports love back in the late 70s, with "Too Many Men on the Ice" against the fucking Habs and going into the stands down at Madison Square. Great, great stuff. Their announcers back in the day were amazing as well: Fred Cusick and John Piersall. Voices and passion are what they had, unlike the cookie cutter clowns like Don Orsillo nowadays (which is why I watch sports mostly with the sound turned off today). Nifty, Ray Bourque, The Tasmanian Devil. I get chills thinking about the heart and soul that Lunch Pail A.C. played with. And now they are five wins away from winning the greatest trophy in sports. Should the Bs finish off the Bolts, Vancouver will be a big favorite in the Finals. Luongo is big and good and due and the Canucks have the best forward mix in hockey. But it can be done. Man, a Cup would be sweet.
5) Kyrie Irving, the projected Number One pick in the upcoming NBA Draft had his bodyfat measured, at the Draft combine, at around 10%. Shit, that's awful. He should be ashamed of himself. There's a couple dozen guys in my gym with lower bodyfat that that. What the hell is he eating? Now that he's got sneaker money and agent advances, he needs to hire a nutritionist and a personal chef. Man, there's literally hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, boy. Get your ass in gear and get in shape. This dude's game is fantastic, exactly like Chris Paul's when he was at Wake Forest, but there's no guaranteee's in The Association. You either produce or are forgotten. Get with it, Irving, and take this seriously.
6) Three months until college football kicks off. Can't wait. The summer sucks for televised sports, so I usually read a ton of books. This weekend I finished off three. Hoping to keep up the pace of three or four a week throughout the hot weather, as I just installed my air conditioners in my windows (Apartment 404 gets brutally hot whenever the air outside is hotter than 65 degrees).
2) LeBron will never (NEVER) surpass or even equal his idol Michael Jordan. Never. The best he can hope for is one or two rings via overwhelming talent. Watching LeBron waltz through great portions of the game last night I was struck by how he is just not a killer like MJ, Bird, Magic, and Kobe. You have to be a large dick to be a killer, to be a great, multiple rings, champion. And LeBron just doesn't have it in him. Maybe he's too nice a guy. Maybe the pressure gets to him in crucial moments. I don't care what the scoreborard said after the game (the Heat won) and I don't care how many points James scored. He choked and didn't control the game. LeBron is the greatest combination of size and athletic ability the sport of basketball has ever seen. He's much bigger than MJ and Kobe, a much, much better athlete than Bird or Magic. He has it all physically, but mentally he is not the guy who can win the big games. I truly believe that when it's all said and done, Kobe and MJ will retain their places as the greatest modern day ball players and LeBron, even though he will surely win some titles in Miami, will be considered a choker, a la Karl Malone. And I'm a LeBron fan.
3) In contrast, Derrick Rose shot like shit last night but was a force the whole night. He never backed away, like LeBron did in the second quarter. Rose is going to be one of the all timers, no doubt, as long as his legs hold up. I love his attitude and am in awe of his game.
4) I will break down in tears if the Bruins should win the Stanley Cup. The Bruins were my first true sports love back in the late 70s, with "Too Many Men on the Ice" against the fucking Habs and going into the stands down at Madison Square. Great, great stuff. Their announcers back in the day were amazing as well: Fred Cusick and John Piersall. Voices and passion are what they had, unlike the cookie cutter clowns like Don Orsillo nowadays (which is why I watch sports mostly with the sound turned off today). Nifty, Ray Bourque, The Tasmanian Devil. I get chills thinking about the heart and soul that Lunch Pail A.C. played with. And now they are five wins away from winning the greatest trophy in sports. Should the Bs finish off the Bolts, Vancouver will be a big favorite in the Finals. Luongo is big and good and due and the Canucks have the best forward mix in hockey. But it can be done. Man, a Cup would be sweet.
5) Kyrie Irving, the projected Number One pick in the upcoming NBA Draft had his bodyfat measured, at the Draft combine, at around 10%. Shit, that's awful. He should be ashamed of himself. There's a couple dozen guys in my gym with lower bodyfat that that. What the hell is he eating? Now that he's got sneaker money and agent advances, he needs to hire a nutritionist and a personal chef. Man, there's literally hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, boy. Get your ass in gear and get in shape. This dude's game is fantastic, exactly like Chris Paul's when he was at Wake Forest, but there's no guaranteee's in The Association. You either produce or are forgotten. Get with it, Irving, and take this seriously.
6) Three months until college football kicks off. Can't wait. The summer sucks for televised sports, so I usually read a ton of books. This weekend I finished off three. Hoping to keep up the pace of three or four a week throughout the hot weather, as I just installed my air conditioners in my windows (Apartment 404 gets brutally hot whenever the air outside is hotter than 65 degrees).
posted by joe sweeney at 7:59 AM
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