Summer Lessons Learned, Adventures Had

I have never felt more american than at the Indy 500:  I lost my indy 500 virginity this summer ,and it is the most american thing anyone can do. Drinking only Budweisers, not bathing for two days, crazy fast cars, and 300,000 people singing god bless America and the national anthem.  Oh yeah not to mention the 1500 square foot tailgate we had, with projector screen power hour at 10 pm. I love this Country.

Lebron would rather have fun then compete: When Lebron joined his buddies Bosh and Wade he made two things clear to the world 1. He would rather have fun with his friends then compete against them. 2. If you want to win championships easliy then rig free agency three years in advance to do it. I cannot wait for Durant to take the league by storm if not this year then the next for sure.

The girl from twilight: Does anyone look more cracked out 24/7 then the girl from Twlight?

UGA Football Stadium has land mines on the field: After a night of plenty two dollar pitchers at a complete couples bar ,Lame, trying to pick up bar tenders with black framed glasses at another bar , I am a sucker for girls in black framed glasses, a nice twenty dollar meal at the grill to satisfy my buddies drunk munchies and mine. It was time to stroll home. With the football stadium on the way, we decided it would be cool to check out the stadium from field level. After hopping one fence to balance on another ,which if we fell it would of been a thirty foot fall. I can’t lie I would not of hopped this fence sober ,pretty scary stuff. Eventually, we walked down the grandstands ,and onto the field. The grass was pretty shitty for an SEC football stadium ,but at about the fifteen yard line the sirens went off. I don’t know what tripped the alarm but obviously the field has land mines.

Joe Johnson steals money: Giving Joe Johnson a max deal might be the worst contract in Basketball History. It is scary to think that in a few years Joe will be the highest paid player in the league. I love the pick of Jordan Crawford and it could of been fun to watch Teague and Crawford go this season.

Entourage is Back! : VICTORY!!! …. enough said

The Guy on Man vs. Food is a total doucher: While in Indy for the 500 we went to Bub’s  in Carmel, where they have  twenty one ounce burgers. The show Man vs. Food was there to see if he could eat four of them. So my friends and I took on the challenge to finish one. We sat on the outside patio while they filmed the show inside. Man vs. Food guy comes strolling out after filming ,and we asked him how many burgers he ate? He preceded to keep walking, not even looking our way he claims “Like 5,000.” Yeah that guy is cool. If you happen to be in Indy check out my picture on the wall it’s captioned “five star stunner.” The reason for that is a different story at a different time.

It is sad to say that I am excited to watch the first episode of Jersey Shore season 2?

Why do people get married ,and cheat? : Damon Evans was pulled over this summer in Buckhead for Drunk Driving. How stupid can you be to drive drunk in the biggest party spot in Atlanta. You are the the AD of the biggest school in Georgia, you just received a 100,000 dollar bonus on top of the half of million dollars you receive in salary? Then you have a crazy woman in your car ,that you are clearly banging out despite your wife, asking you to “Hold her red panties.” Yeah Damon you were just holding them ,and Elin was just using that golf club to rescue Tiger. If you want to do these things get rid of the wife first ,and for god sake use that huge pay check to get a courtesy car. I just don’t understand why someone with money and power gets married and still bangs anyone thrown their way.

Short Shorts and Tube Socks: After running the peachtree road race this summer in my short shorts and tube socks, I am happy to say I pulled the outfit off. “Excuse me miss do you know where victory lane is?”

Ochocinco is the man: Chad Ochocinco is one of a kind ,and I have never been more entertained off the field by one athlete. His show on VH1 is hilarious, it’s pretty obvious he is there only to beat breaks not to find love. What a concept to have sexy women throw themselves at you in a bracket style format? Everything you touch Chad is golden and entertaining, keep it up my man.

Where is the comedy movie of the summer? Last summer we were spoiled with the Hangover. Grown ups  had it’s moments but could it be Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s new the movie “The other guys?” It looks promising.

10 Keys To Braves Title Run

 

Since May the Atlanta Braves have been on a crazy run. They have only lost one series since the begining of may and have posted a forty one and twenty record in that time frame. It seems forever ago that The Braves were on that dreaded nine game losing streak in the month of april that had many in Atlanta thinking “Here we go again another mediocre braves team.” The days of trying to inch back to the five hundred mark are long in the past.

At the begining of the season everyone knew the braves had the pitching of an elite team ,but also had the notion that everything had to go right offensively ,and injury wise for them to contend with the phillies: Chipper Jones and McCann had to have big years at the plate, Hayward emerge as a bright young superstar, and get some help from the rest of the line up. The greatest part of this run is that everythting has not gone right for the braves and they are still six and a half games up on The Mets. Chipper and McCann were very sluggish at the plate in the first half of the season. So sluggish that Chipper has already begun to discuss retirement after the season. However both have begun to show signs of power and promise for the second half of the season. Here are some things the Braves need to do to make a title run before Bobby hangs up the skipper uniform.

1. Chipper and McCann need to swing the bats better: Has any team in the history of baseball made a run through the playoffs with their 3 and 4 hitters batting .269 and .248 with a combined 15 hrs. very doubtful. Chipper and McCann will have to pick up the productivity average wise and power wise. I am sure they have taken Troy Glaus out after a few games for “thanks for saving our ass beers.”  Budweisers of course.

2. Billy Wagner keep being dominant: Is there any doubt that Billy Wagner should be come back player of the year?  Wagner has been if not the best, one of the best closers this year. Wagner has 22 saves and is 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA. The Bullpen has been the akilies heel of the Braves in past years ,but with Wagner anchoring the bullpen this year, it is no doubt tunred into a strength.

3. Timely Hitting from the left field position: It is no secret that the Braves have one of the weakest outfields in baseball from a power standpoint. They do have a future superstar in Jason Heyward ,but after that what do they have? Melky Cabera has been a dispointment but has provided good defense in center and Nate McCloth has not shown any glimpses of his prior All-Star form. Diaz and Hinskey from the left field position have provided timely hitting and quality defense for this club. Case and point Matt Diaz last night hitting the two run home run ,3rd hr in 3 games, to give the braves a four to one lead. Hinksey was a big reason why the braves were so hot in the months of May and June. They may not be the biggest names to play the position but they have been getting the job done.

4. Jason Heyward healthy: Jason Heyward had a big showing last night ,3 hits, coming off of the thumb injury that kept him from participating in the All-Star game  If the J-Hey kid can continue to develope ,and consistently hit like he did in April through the end of the regular season and into the postseason there is no doubt the Braves will be the favorite to win the NL.

5. Omar Infante: Infante has stepped up as the ultimate utility player in the Braves clubhouse. He has been such a vital aspect to the succes of this Braves team that Brian McCann even said “Infante was robbed from an All-Star selection.” Infante’s high batting average and solid fielding allows the braves not to lose a step when plugging him into the lineup.

6. Home Field Advantage:  Brain McCann hits the go ahead double in the All-Star game to secure home field advantage for the National league ,and the Braves have the best home record in major league baseball. Irony at its finest?

7. Who is our number two pitcher? Tim Hudson has self declared himself the number one pitcher for this team with his pitching in the first half of the season going 9-5 with a 2.6 ERA. (It really is a shame he only has nine wins).  Even though Lowe has showed promise in his last couple of starts he is only 10-8 in twenty starts with the most telling stat of 9 quality starts. Tommy Hanson is in the midst of a sophmore slump with a 8-6 record and an absurbly high ERA of 4.16. Add Jurrjens to the race after coming off his injury with a few impressive starts. Come postseason time look for Lowe to be the guy given his postseason experience.  All these pictures to choose from what a great problem to have.

8. Middle of the Infield: Alex Gonzalez has solved the riddle that was Yuenel Escobar at shortstop. Ok so he just replaced the headcase ,but he gives the Braves consistence at the position with solid fielder ,and is now the Braves leader in home runs. Martin Prado ,second base, has been the Braves MVP all season. He gets this offense going by leading the league in hits ,and has emerged to replace Utley as the NL’s best second basemen.

9.  Troy Glaus: The Braves could not of asked for more from their first basemen in the first half of the season. Glaus timely power hitting has given the Braves a force they in the middle of the line up that was lacking with underachieving McCann and Chipper. If Glaus can match anywhere near his production in the first half the Braves will be very greatful.

10. The Bobby Cox Factor: Bobby Cox’s retirement has sparked this Braves team. This team has taken it on themselves to send Cox out with a winner.  The team is coming back to win games this year where they may of laid down in previous years. Even with the lack of production from Chipper, McCann, Escobar,  and the injuries to Jurrjens, Heyward and McCloth, Cox has worked his magic to the tune of a six and a half game lead in the NL East. 

KEEP IT UP BRAVES!

His Airness Weights in ,and What could of Been For Lebron.

While playing the annual celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Michael Jordan was asked about his feelings on Bron Bron, D Wade, and C Bosh joining up to form a super team. Jordan went on to say ” I would of never thought of joining Magic or Bird  because I was always trying to beat those guys.  But today is a different age.”

By no means was Jordan as critical of Lebron as some of his NBA colleges who played during his era ,but he did join them in singing the same tune.

It has been several weeks since Lebron held the ESPN special “The Decision,” and I think we would all agree looking back that Lebron would have gone another route with the format of making this decision. Everything about the entire situation was uncomfortable. As soon as Lebron entered the room he looked as if he was about to be waterboarded until he finally gave up his decision of where he wanted to play. Then choosing of all people Jim Gray to do the interview with that squeaky, nasally voice of his was just stupid. Why wasn’t Wilbon there to just run the entire interview? After Lebron made the decision I was waiting for Jon Barry to jump all over Lebron about making such a huge decision to “join them instead of beat them.” The worst part of the whole thing wasn’t the fact that he left Cleveland with nothing but a bunch of draft choices ,but he did it without telling anyone within the organization before hand. They had to watch the special just as everybody else to see the fate of their organization. This ultimately forced owner Brad Gilbert into a hypicritical rant against Lebron.

Now the normal news cycle continues with everybody ripping Lebron for his decision ,myself included, but I will not take part in what everyone else in the media is doing ,rationalizing Lebron’s decision. I have heard countless people in media now say that Lebron is more like magic, this is why he joined with these guys to be the distributor. People are saying look at his entire career he enjoys setting people up more than taking his own shot.

These statements might all be true. But Bron Bron had a chance to do better then that. Bron Bron had a chance to make Magic Johnson an after thought but not at best he will only be viewed as his equal. Bron Bron had a chance to eclipse Jordan ,but now he will never come close to those talks. You see Lebron’s game might be more similar to Magic’s game with his vision and his passing ,but Lebron was also given athleticism that Magic could only dream of having. Lebron was also a much better scorer then Magic was. Taking into account all of these skills Lebron has he could of been better then Magic and Jordan because he could of been viewed as the best of both worlds.

Lebron had the chance to lead his own team to several championsips doing it several different ways. One championship run could of been done Magic’s way. By throwing amazing no look passes ,and using his vision to run the break. He would take over games by dictating games, dishing out fifteen to twenty assists a night while only scoring twenty or twenty five a night, still pretty astounding stuff. In a different championship run Lebron might of had to take on the scoring himself and self propel his team to championship the way Jordan use to do. Lebron had a chance to be a player that was once only thought to be created on NBA 2k10, a player that was the best at all fascists of the game.

NBA Free Agent Shake Down

We are now into day five of the NBA free agent shopping season with none of the most important questions answered. Where will Lebron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire be playing next season. Everyone is speculating on where the big four will land ,but as Dwayne Wade tweeted “what little do they know.” He is right we don’t know ,but it is still fun to throw theories out there.

Dwyane Wade- The Miami Heat have cleared the most cap space in attempts to resign Wade and bring in one or even two max players to join Wade. Even if they were able to sign Wade ,and Chris Bosh, they still have to put together the rest of the team. Hypothetically if they were able to land Lebron as well for max dollars as well, they would have to sign eight players to minimum salary contracts. Even with that monster of a  threesome  Miami still would not have enough pieces to contend. Chicago offers the best opportunities for Wade. He would be playing along side Derrick Rose ,and the size he has wanted in Miami with Joahkim Noah. The Bulls are also in position to sign another max player like a Bosh ,or Stoudemire. To me Chicago is a no brainer for Wade.

Lebron James- As these days go by it is starting to look like Lebron will be staying in Cleveland. I do not know why he has not jumped all over going to Chicago to join Rose ,and then set out to recruit Chris Bosh to join him. But Cleveland is his hometown ,and he is clearly struggling with the notion of living his city empty handed. The Knicks are still appealing to Lebron because of the bright lights of Madison Square Garden ,and the opportunity to become a billionaire. From a basketball standpoint the Knicks need to sign Amare in a hurry to add more pressure to Lebron’s decision. If Amare is signed within they next couple of days look for Lebron to start to lean towards the Knicks. Ultimately Lebron will sign another three year deal with the Cavs.

Chris Bosh- Chris Bosh is enjoying this free agency period more then anyone, I mean just look at his twitter page. Bosh’s primary concern is getting the most money possible. This means he would initially have to sign with The Raptors ,and then if he wants to go elsewhere he would need a sign and trade. However The Raptors have already said they are not interested in doing a sign and trade for Bosh. In the last couple of days Bosh’s hometown team the Rockets have made a strong push for the young forward. In the end Bosh joins up with either Wade or James depending on where they sign.

Amare Stoudemire- It is all but a done deal that Amare is going to join the Knicks. Amare’s demeanor is perfect for the big apple, someone who likes the bright lights and getting way over paid for his game. The Knicks will give Amare a max deal ,and he will become a lazy washed up talent. Stoudemire already not know for his work ethic in Phoenix will be overwhelmed by all the distractions that New York City presents. Getting Lebron to join Amare might help keep him in line.

Joe Johnson Leaving Town Is Ok With Me

The Atlanta Spirit are in a no win situation when it comes to their free agent situation with Joe Johnson. If the spirit sign Joe Johnson to a max deal ,a six year deal averaging around twenty million a year, then they will ragged, ridiculed and dragged through the mud for being stupid to sign a good but not great player for so much money. If the Spirit don’t sign him, they will be labeled cheap ,and not willing to provide the financial support that is needed to win NBA championships.

It would be better for the spirit to be blamed for being cheap and smart for not signing Joe Johnson then to sign him and try to continue to milk the cow that is Joe Johnson for the next three years. Lets face it Joe Johnson has three good years left in him. In those years he will average over twenty points and six assists per game. That means three years of the hawks winning just over fifty games ,and then losing in the first or second round of the playoffs. Then what happens when Joe turns thirty four ,and is over the hill making twenty two million dollars a year? No one will take on that kind of contract for three years.

The Hawks have put pieces together with the potential to fill the shoes of Joe Johnson. Jamal Crawford has proven that he can score at a high volume ,but there will still be questions on weather or not he can take on the role as the go to guy in the offense.  Jordan Crawford is the most exciting hawks draft pick since Josh Smith. The way Jordan carried his Xavier team through the NCAA tournament basically putting them on his back is something hawks fans should be excited about. Jordan showed that he has the mentality that a great shooting guard needs to succeed in this league.  He reminded me of a young Dwayne Wade at Marquette with a similar skill set. Now don’t expect Jordan to become the next D Wade anytime soon ,but the way he plays driving to the hoop with reckless abandon is similar to Wade. It seems like he is willing to take big shots ,and be the guy the team looks for in crunch time.  If this is the case I look forward to seeing Jordan take over as the future of the Hawks. I mean hey he did dunk on Lebron.