I was just sitting down reading a story from a web-site yesterday only to find that there was somone in Ohio who wanted to ban all star games.  Normally I don't react to what somone is saying, but this really bugged the hell out of me.

Here is the link to the article if anyone wants to see for themselves.  In this article he is talking about kids younger than 10 years old.

If you dont have time to read it, let me give you the coles notes version.  Bascially what is being said is that the writer of the letter wants to ban the all-star game because it shatters a person self-confidence and can bruise the kids ego. 

Then he compares it to school and says that if a kid is learning numbers and letters quicker, do we call then "special" or "gifted".  Then he compared the all-star game to taking a vegetarian to a fancy steakhouse and or a person on a strick diet to a buffet.

Next he says all these games do is reward the kids who have developed quicker, then he got rediculous and said that all-star games with children at a young age can lead to injuries with extra games and practices.  I'll use a direct quote and he says "They take a toll on young bodies and lead to an avalanche of overuse injuries."

Then he goes on from there talking about how you should take a stand and help in the fight to ban all-star games in general, or something along those lines.

I don't know what to say after something like this.  This was written by the guy who wanted the great institution of the "Participant" trophy installed at every youth sports league in North America.  Whenever someone wants their child not to feel upset by belittleing other accomplishment bugs me to no end.

This letter was probably written by a parent who thinks their son or daughter when they are signed up for sports is going on to better things even though they can't tie their own shoes yet.  Then when their child got passed over for an all-star team, they are just so upset and they use the old addage of if I can't have it no one can.

Then he proceeds to damage his stance on the issue further saying that it can lead to a bruised ego when a child is passed over for an all-star team.  If your kids who is younger than 10 years old knows what an all-star team is unless he is watching the peofessionals, you have missed the point.  A 10 year old isn't going to be drafted tomorrow so whether or not he makes an all-star team should be irrelevant.

Next we have the overuse injuries comment.  You know what else provides overuse injuries to kids, playing video games for hours on end and eating bag after bag after bag of chips.  That also adds to the kids being severely overweight and less interested in sports. 

At least when kids are playing sports like baseball, basketball and football, they have a goal to strive for in being a great player, who is better -yes some kids are going to be better and it is not based solely on whether or not they have developed some are more skilled than others- than other players on their team.

Why should somones accomplishments be torn down to make other feel better about themselves?

I say that all-star teams are great because the ones who are passed over will try harder and they will try to become a better player.  Being dissappointed builds character in a person and isn't that more important in raising a productive member of society.  When kids get dissappointed at a young age, they learn how to persevere and get beyond road blocks.

If you don't teach a kid dissappointment at a young age what is going to happen when s/he hits middle age and goes off sulking when he didn't get a big account at the law firm s/he may work at.  It motivates them to become better at what they are doing and gets them working harder to achieve that goal.

Nobody celebrates mediocraty and by banning the all-star game, that is exactly what you are doing.  You saying that everyone is equal, which in many cases, like sports and life, they are not.  If you say to a kid that everyone gets a trophy for participating, the kid will be conditioned to think that way their entire life.

Listen to a lot of recruiting stories for big college programs.  Not everyone can go to USC, so when teams play USC, there is a little extra motivation to try and beat them to show them what the missed.  Ian Johnson, runningback at Boise State was passed over at UCLA, and has gone on to become one of the best runningbacks in college football.  What may have motivated him to this level, somone telling him he was not good enough.  Johnson was passed over on an all-star team and went on to great things in spite of his situation.

If you remove the all-star game you will be a lot more harm than good, by raising a nation of soft people, like the ones on American Idol who think they are excellent even though they are probably the worst on the planet, everyones great accomplishments will be downgraded and belittled to make everyone appear equal.  No one is equal or we would all be playing professionally.

I learned this concept when I was playing minor hockey and was passed over for an all-star team.  It motivated me to become a better player and then I kept moving up in levels.  When I got to my highgest level that gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment and I felt good about my self.

If there was no all-star game, maybe I wouldn't have gotten as high up as I did.  An All-Star game made me a better person, and I wasn't even apart of the game.  The team I was passed over for gave me motivation to get better, it taught me to peresevere and be a driven person and to work hard for everything I got.

By removing the All-Star game and start giving trophys to everyone, you create a culture of entitlement and then when somone doesn't receive a "good job" or an "atta boy" thats when it hurts the kids development.

When these people realize that they are hurting the kids rather than helping them, we will get a better kids and better professionals, because somone didn't say to them, "Congratulations Participant"

With the NBA Finals beginning tonight, most of the talking heads on all the major networks are making thier predictions on who is going to win the series and how many games it is going to take.

But I am having a problem...I have no idea who has the edge in the series.  This finals is the biggest pick'em series I have seen in any sport for a long time.

I am going to attempt to break it down, but I may tear my hair out before I am finished.  Maybe if I get my thoughts down on paper, my pick will be revealed.

Boston Celtics

Positives: Three simple words, "Boston Three Party".  Paul Pierce is Paul Pierce, KG is KG, and Ray Allen has finally joined the party and has reverted to his old self.  We have an emerging star in Rajon Rondo who has turned into a decent point guard, and you are getting contributions from the bench with Kendrick Perkins and James Posey and the rest of the Celtics bench will shine at home.

Also Doc Rivers is a good coach who has gotten the most out of his players over the entire season and brought them from basement dwellers to penthouse sellers.  Most of that is because of the Big Three, but Rivers had to find a room big enough for the egos that come along with them. They also have homecourt advantage which has been such a big thing in the NBA playoffs this year.

Negatives: Who is going to cover Kobe Bryant?  Who is going to make sure that Kobe doesn't go off for 50 in every game in the series?   Will the real Ray Allen stick around for an entire series?

Just a few questions, but the same goes for the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

Positives: Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  Since the Memphis Grizzlies "traded" Gasol to the Lakers for a rack of basketballs or Kwame Brown, whichever has more value, the Lakers have been excellent and been largely unstoppable.  I started watching more West basketball with the Lakers and all the other good teams out West.  Lamar Odom has finally had his coming out party, since he hasn't been forced into a role he could not excell at.  He can finally just play his game.

Also the rest of the Laker have been playing excellent basketball with Derek Fisher leading the way.  Then they have one fo the greatest coaches in NBA history, the Zen master Phil Jackson, who is arguably a top three coach in NBA history.

Negatives: Who is going to cover Kevin Garnett?  Does Gasol have the strength to consistently #### with Garnett for what I believe will be a long series?  Finally, in hearing that Radmanovic will be covering Pierce, that made me cringe, Pierce might go off for a ton of points.

Well, as good as I tried, this Finals is still as clear as mud.

But I think that I will say the Lakers in seven, with the home team winning every home game except for the deciding game.

This series looks like it could be a really fun one to watch, and its about time.

If there was one thing that could make the NBA relevant in my life again, it was what happened over the last couple of weeks.  The wheeling and dealing between teams in the western conference upset me because I live in the Eastern Time zone.  I will only get to see some of these either on Friday or Saturday night.  I missed the game between the Suns and the Lakers this past Wednesday, and I am upset with myself because there was a relevant game in the NBA in February for the first time in a long time.

Now there are so many good teams in the western conference that if the teams were in the east, they would be a top four team.  The top ten teams in the western conference are above .500 while only the top five teams in the east are above .500.  Another reason why I’d prefer to live on the west coast because the sports are better, and more fun to watch.

Earlier this season I vacationed to Phoenix and got to see my first NBA game not in Toronto.  It was probably the most fun I have had at a basketball game in a long time.  The Suns, before they traded Marion, were the most interesting team to watch because they made the game fun to watch.  The style of basketball they played didn’t work during the playoffs because you can only run for so long.  Now with Shaq taking Amare from a position he was unfamiliar with and putting him at his natural position, they have a way to win a championship come late June.

The Lakers made probably the best deal acquiring Pau Gasol.  Now they have a bona fide power forward /center which ever position he is more suited for, Bynum will play the other position and move their problem player Kwame Brown who never panned out as an NBA star.  The Lakers are a great team now with Kobe, Bynum and Gasol.  They are my number one seed in the west.  A definite championship favorite.

The Mavs upgraded their PG position, and did it with a great PG who is a production machine.  Jason Kidd is a triple –double machine who will make the Mavs interesting to watch.  Interesting to watch, not a championship contender.

Then there are the Spurs.  A championship dynasty for the past few years who may be boring to watch, but have the most experience playing together.  They know how to play playoff basketball and will be a force to be reckoned with in the NBA in the coming months.  They are my pick to go deep into the playoffs, but losing in either the west final or NBA final.

It is about freakin’ time the NBA is relevant in February, but I am looking forward to the ext few months of great basketball.