Yes, I made some changes to my book. It'll be published in January, and it's called "NONSENSE IN SPORTS." Before the book was only 60 pages long, but now it's 144 pages long. I added more chapters, and more thought into my book.
HEY WHAT'S UP EVERYONE!!! IT'S KENRICK THOMAS, AND I HAVE A BOOK THAT'S COMING OUT. IT'S CALLED "NONSENSE IN SPORTS"
Sports has taken a fall, and I felt my voice was needed. Writing this book, helps everyone understand what sports really is. It shouldn't be about issues, performance enhancing drugs, and athletes getting into trouble. Sports should be about competition, and not about personal problems. There also many people that have thoughts, and opinions about topics. I voiced my opinion about it, and there all negative topics. That means sports has failed.
The New York Knicks lost their seventh straight game against the Golden State Warriors, 108-82. Unfortunately it was another blowout, and it's starting to heat up.
Many believe Isiah Thomas should be fired, and that's causing distractions. Thomas "kick" the Knicks out of practice on Monday, because of their zero percent effort.
"They were right. What they saw tonight, if I had paid my money to see this game, I'd be upset also," said Thomas. "This is New York, and when you're playing well you get cheered, and you play this poorly you get booed and there's a lot of venom that comes at you."
The Knicks aren't producing, and it might cause Thomas his job. Sooner or later, defense was going to haunt the Knicks.
Thomas blamed himself for the Knicks bad performance, but its not all his fault. The players don't give 100 percent, and it "kills" their record. Thomas could be fired, but the Knicks troubles will remain.
"When you're watching a game like we played tonight, the venom that comes out, you deserve it," he said. "The booing, 'Get rid of this guy, get rid of me, get rid of him,' that's how the fans react. It comes with the territory we have and the place that we live in. That's how it is, that's how it goes."
The Knicks are going through another failing season, and many didn't expect it. With decent moves in the off-season, many expected an improvement from the Knicks.
"Last year he always guarded the best player and he did a good job in shutting guys down," Thomas said. "To start the season the way he started with those kind of lapses is inexcusable and unacceptable, and I think we're over that."
Pressure is on the Knicks, and it'll be harder for them to succeed. It's simple, play "defense." The pressure will be off, and the Knicks will succeed again. It's not hard to figure it out, because its been their problem for three years.
"We have to revamp," Stephon Marbury said. "We have to go back to the drawing board." It wouldn't work, because that's not the problem. The Knicks lost seven straight, and the drawing board hasn't helped. "Play defense," O I forgot, Marbury doesn't know how.
"That's all we're really concerned about and that's all our team is focused on, how we get better as a basketball team," Thomas said. "All the other stuff you want to talk about, that's up to you guys. But in terms of what we do out on the basketball floor, those are the things that we can control, and out on the basketball floor we had chances to win basketball games."
Thomas seems focused, but his team isn't. He should realize defense is the problem, because the Knicks gave up a hundred points in six games this month.
The players aren't excited, and nobody has proved it. The Knicks are given games away, and something needs to change.
"I'm excited about playing always, and to be able to come back home and start and get back into the flow of things is always a good thing," Marbury said. Well, it didn't show against the Warriors. Marbury had 18 points with 5 assist, and 6 rebounds.
Zach Randolph performed the best, and he's been helpful. The Knick aren't winning games, but Randolph is given a 100 percent. He had 15 points with 16 rebounds, and Randolph is the only player that plays defense.
Eddy Curry had 12 points, but struggled with his rebounds. He's playing inconsistent, and it'll remain.
Jamal Crawford had 15 points, but wasn't productive anywhere else. He's not a defensive player, Crawford just scores. He'll need to improve, because the Knicks need defense.
The Warriors weren't tested, and they "ran over" the Knicks last night. Their 3-5, and fifth in the Pacific division. The Warriors are struggling, but they showed surprises last season.
Stephen Jackson was producing, and helped the Warriors against the Knicks. He had 23 points with 7 assist, and 6 rebounds. "It's good to have Stephen Jackson back in our lineup," Don Nelson said. "We sure missed him. He played over 40 minutes but I guess he's well rested."
Jackson plays great, but he "crushed" the Knicks with his performance. The Knicks "horrible" defensive efforts, lead to Jackson's productiveness.
"Sitting at home watching the team start off 0-6 was hard," Jackson said. "I couldn't really criticize or critique anybody because I wasn't there so I just had to try to learn from watching from the sidelines and try to stay in shape as best as I could."
Baron Davis played fantastic, and he give encouragement to the Warriors. He had 31 points, and 7 assist with 6 rebounds.
"We knew everybody they were going to play and they played," Davis said. "It was a matter of coming and knowing what they were going to do and prevent them from doing it."
The Knicks are embarrassing New York, and it'll continue.
It was unbelievable seeing the New York Jets defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 19-16 in overtime. Many didn't expect a victory, and the Jets shocked everyone.
"When that final kick went through," Kellen Clemens said with a smile, "that was one of the best feelings we've had in a while."
The Jets felt joy, and were happy. Getting a victory against the Steelers, whom happen to be a playoff contender is great.
Its late for a playoff push, but feeling confident could help. Malfunctioning throughout the season wasn't enjoyable, but the Jets feel appreciated now.
"I was hoping it was straight," Mike Nugent said. "That's what you're looking for. I could've hit it a lot better."
Nugent was the hero, because he got the Jets the victory. Kicking the game winning field goal surprised many Jet fans.
"We did a great job in the bye," said Shaun Ellis. "We just broke everything down and came out and executed today. We came out, made up our minds and said, 'Enough is enough.' We just wanted to play a full game."
The Jets were controlling the game with a comfortable lead. Seeing them leading throughout the game, and being able to compete with the Steelers was great. They were competitive, and the Steelers weren't expecting it.
"We needed to come out and try to get a win, not try to play spoiler," Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said. "If you try to play the role of spoiler, that kind of depicts you as a loser. You don't want to say we want to spoil their season because they're having a good season and we aren't. We have to try and get a win because we want to win and we needed this win."
The Steelers made the Jets feel productive by making huge mistakes. Their defense wasn't producing, and that's surprising.
"Quite simply, we missed tackles," Mike Tomlin said. "We missed more tackles than I've ever seen us miss. That's the story."
The Steelers weren't successful, and couldn't get motivated. Getting embarrassed by the Jets isn't acceptable from the Steelers, because they were expected to win.
"We've got to come out and play Steelers football," Ben Roethlisberger said. "I don't feel we did that today. They were probably the more physical team. I think it showed."
They didn't play 100 percent, and it showed against the Jets. The Steelers needed to win, because their competing in the AFC. Losing to non-playoff contending teams could hurt their chances of competing in the post-season. This can't continue; losing to the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts, or the San Diego Chargers are acceptable, but not the Jets.
"I don't want to take anything away from the New York Jets, but in all three phases, we fell below the line of what is acceptable," Tomlin said. "We didn't tackle well and we didn't protect our quarterback."
The Jets didn't win, because the Steelers lost. The Steelers couldn't excel, and it caused their failing effort. It won't happen again, because the Steelers learned from their mistakes.
"The football gods are always kind to you," Tomlin said. "When you're struggling in an area, we get presented with the opportunity to defend against the best guy in the world at returning kicks right now. This game is about challenges and about responding, and I look forward to see what we're willing to do in that area this week."
The Steelers will turn everything around, because they have the telant. Their players will understand that they'll compete against competitive teams, and it'll take progress.
"All I ever hear is about Brady and Peyton (Manning), but this guy we have here is very special," Brett Keisel said. "He makes plays those guys don't make and that's what makes him so special. He can get out of the pocket, he can create, he's a beast and we're glad he wears black and gold."
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning can defeat the Jets, but Roethlisberger showed he'll struggle. Roethlisberger plays great football, and he improved since last season. He needs to play more consistent, and he'll be successful.
"Maybe someday I'd like it if I feel I'm up there with them," Roethlisberger said. "But for now, let people talk about them. I'd rather talk about the Steelers." Smart comment, because it doesn't put pressure on Roethlisberger.
Roethisberger wasn't impressive; he was sacked seven times. The Steelers offensive line wasn't productive enough, and it caused his "horrible" performance.
Kellen Clemens was effective, and he'd contributed to his teams success. He was 14-31 with 1 touchdown past, and 162 yards.
The Jets should enjoy this victory, because it won't happen again.
The New York Knicks are "killing" themselves, and it only gets worse. After their zero percent effort in their lost against the Denver Nuggets 115-83, gives them a 2-7 record.
The Knicks blowout lost made everything easy for the Denver Nuggets.
"Before that game we were walking around thinking we won something before we won anything,"Carmelo Anthony said. "It was a blessing. The way they beat us? We learned a lot from that."
The Nuggets were fantastic against the Knicks, and they've showed their a top contender in the Western Conference.
They have the talent, and many believe they'll compete for the NBA Championship. With Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, and others it'll be enough to be competitive against talented teams.
"It ain't easy coming in at 2:30, 3 o'clock in the morning, and then come in and run in this altitude," Kenyon Martin said. "It ain't easy for us to do it, so it's harder for teams who don't play in altitude on a regular basis."
No excuses, the Knicks had their chance. They weren't motivated, and couldn't stay confident enough. Getting "murdered" and "stabbed" to death isn't acceptable from the Knicks, they've played better before.
"We were in foul trouble most of the night and we wanted to try to speed the game and the pace up a bit," Isiah Thomas said. "We didn't finish, we didn't do what we were supposed to do."
Thomas always says foul trouble is the problem, but its the defense. Allowing the Nuggets to score 115 points isn't impressive, and that means the defense isn't good. Their defense should improve, but it probably won't. Thomas fails to realize the Knicks problems, and his players gave zero effort last night against the Nuggets.
"Sometimes in this game, the schedule beats you," Thomas said. "The guys tried to play with as much as they could. The Nuggets beat us tonight and it was a combination of them and the schedule. Tough night for us."
Thomas has nothing but excuses, and never says "defense." The Knicks will only improve if Thomas realize defense is the problem, because its been the issue for five seasons. The schedule was tough, but it doesn't mean the Knicks couldn't win.
"These are times to pull together," Lee said. "We are pulling together. We need to pull further."
Pulling together isn't going to work, because nobody understands the problem. The Knicks are "horrible" at defense, and they refuse to realize that. The Nuggets were "killing" them, and the Knicks probably enjoyed it. Many Knick players expected to lost, because winning wasn't going to happen on their four game losing streak.
The Nuggets turned everything around, and started to excel after losing to the Boston Celtics. Now they've won four consecutive games, and they're improving every step of the season.
"That's the worst one I've been a part of in my 12 years," Iverson said. "But we left that game in Boston. Coach (Karl) always says during the course of the year you're going to have games where you can't do anything right, you can't stop nobody and you get blown out. But you've got to leave that game right there."
The Nuggets did a great job of forgetting about their game against the Celtics, and they've showed it against the Knicks.
"We've taken that loss and turned it into a win," Karl said. "That's a sign of a pretty professional team."
Karl has the talent, and he's helping this team improve. The Nuggets are better then ever. "The more games go by, more minutes, I'm being more consistent," he said.
Iverson was helpful, and his presents has been important for the Nuggets. He had 23 points, but suffered with 4 turnovers.
Anthony performed the best, and he's been valuable. The Nuggets wouldn't be successful without Anthonys play. He had 24 points with 6 assist, and 2 blocks.
Camby has been rebounding effectively, and it's helped the Nuggets. Having a defensive force brings less pressure for others; he had 18 points and 20 rebounds.
The Knicks couldn't score, and that's even worse. Everyone was under 16 points, and only three players scored in double figures.
Mardy Collins scored 10 points, but wasn't effective anywhere else. He couldn't produce enough, and he shouldn't be in the starting line-up.
Zach Randolph is dealing with tough times, but he still managed to help out. He had 16 points, and 11 rebounds. "This has been a very emotional week for him," Thomas said.
Eddy Curry had 12 points, and continues his inconsistent rebounding efforts.
After suffering from failure, Alex Rodriguez has signed a 275 million dollar contract for 10 years. Many weren't surprised, but seeing Rodriguez back in New York brings joy to many Yankee fans.
Before Rodriguez signed the deal with the New York Yankees, he decided to depart from them. After seeing no opportunities to sign with another team, Rodriguez realized the only team he'll be able to play for is the Yankees. The Yankees needed a third basemen, but there weren't any available. With Rodriguez having trouble signing else where, the Yankees decided to sign him.
"The meeting was a final get-together," Hank Steinbrenner said. "He wanted to make sure myself and my brother knew that he was sincere and serious."
Rodriguez couldn't get his agent Scott Boras involved, because the Yankees refused to talk to him. Rodriguez handled his contract talk with the Yankees himself, and he had success.
"They were the go-betweens, initially," Steinbrenner said. "That's how he reached out to us."
Boras is probably the reason why Rodriguez opt out with the Yankees, because Rodriguez found his way back himself. Convincing Rodriguez that New York wasn't the right place, and he needed to sign else where is what Boras probably said.
"After spending time with (wife) Cynthia and my family over these last few weeks, it became clear to me that I needed to make an attempt to engage the Yankees regarding my future with the organization," Rodriguez wrote on his website.
"Prior to entertaining any serious negotiations with other clubs, I wanted the opportunity to share my thoughts directly with Yankees' ownership. We know there are other opportunities for us, but Cynthia and I have a foundation with the club that has brought us comfort, stability and happiness.
"As a result, I reached out to the Yankees through mutual friends and conveyed that message."
The Yankees needed Rodriguez, because he'll produce as a third baseman. Two MVP awards in New York, and he brought excitement towards the Yankees. Rodriguez has also suffered from failure, and fans "killing" him because of his inability to be productive in the playoffs. The suffering out weighted the joyfulness, and many understand. Remembering the happiness is hard when Rodriguez gets "pounded" in the New York media.
Many believe it'll change, because Rodriguez is looked at different. Yankee fans don't give Rodriguez problems as much as the past, and his playoff performance wasn't productive but better then before.
"The Yankees have never had a player since Babe Ruth that really had a 100 percent chance" of setting the record, Steinbrenner said. "(Mickey) Mantle should have, but he had too many injuries. It's a historical achievement bonus more than it is an incentive bonus. There is no yearly incentive bonus."
Rodriguez will pass former San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds, and become the all-time home run leader. He has the talent, and Rodriguez will accomplish this in New York. Seeing Rodriguez break the home run record in New York will be great. He wont be getting "pounded" by the New York media anymore, and his legacy will be stronger. Many believe he'll need to win a World Series, but Rodriguez will proceed that in the future.
"Because he's generating such enormous revenue potential, both to the player and the club, there should be some way for the player and the club to capitalize on that achievement in some fashion," said Gene Orza. "The devil will be in the details. The minds of men and women in the sport should be able to figure this out."
Dealing without Boras wasn't hard; Rodriguez did better then what people expect.
"Boras did a lot of good things for Alex through the years, and Alex knows that. I mean, obviously, he's going to look to Scott's advice on everything," Steinbrenner said. "That's not unusual today. It's not like he's the only one. And if an agent gets out of line or makes bad decisions, then that's going to hurt the player. And obviously, that's one of the things that happened here."
Rodriguez has gone through "ups" and "downs" in New York, but his strong personally got him through the top. On February 15, 2004 Rodriguez was officially a member of the Yankees. The Rangers decided to pay 67 million of the 179 million that was on Rodriguez contract.
Rodriguez agreed to play third baseman because Derek Jeter was productive as a short stop. Having Jeter and Rodriguez in the same line-up brought high expectation from many Yankee fans. His first season, Rodriguez performed the best in the Yankees line-up. Hitting 36 home runs, 112 runs, 106 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and a batting average of .286.
Rodriguez become one out of three players (Babe Ruth and Jimmie Fox) in Major League history to accomplish at least 35 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBIs in seven consecutive seasons.
The 112 run marked the ninth straight season Rodriguez had 100 runs or more, which is the longest streak in baseball since Hank Aaron did it in 13 consecutive season from 1955-1967. It was also the longest in the American League since Mickey Mantle did it nine straight season as well from 1953-1961.
Rodriguez become the youngest player ever to reach the 350 home run mark and the third youngest to reach the 1,000 RBI mark as well.
He was elected to the 2004 American League All-Star Team, which was the eighth All-Star selection of Rodriguez career and the first as a third baseman. On defense Rodriguez had the lowest range factor among AL third baseman (2.39), and he finished fourteenth in balloting for the AL MVP Award.
In the 2004 AL Division Series, Rodriguez was productive against the Minnesota Twins. His batting average was .421, and his slugging was .737, and Rodriguez had two important extra inning hits. After beating the Twins, the Yankees went up against the Boston Red Sox in the AL Championship Series. Rodriguez tied the single game post-season record with five runs in game 3 at Boston. The Yankees couldn't succeed, because the Red Sox out played them and gotten the victory.
The 2005 season was even better, because Rodriguez brought more excitement. His batting average was .321, leading the AL with 124 runs and 48 home runs while driving in 130 runs. Rodriguez become the first Yankee to win the AL home run title since Reggie Jackson 41 home runs in 1980. He also become one of only two players (Jimmie Fox) in Major League history to accomplish at least 35 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs in eight consecutive seasons.
Rodriguez established the franchise record for most home runs in a single season by a right-handed batter, and broke Joe DiMaggio's mark of 46 in 1937. His 47 home runs from third base are a single-season AL record. Rodriguez hit 26 home runs at Yankee Stadium in 2005, and establishing the single-season Yankees record for right handed batters. It was previously held by DiMaggio in 1937 and Gary Sheffield in 2004.
On August 6, 2005, Rodriguez become the youngest player in MLB history to reach the 400 home run mark. Also 2005 marked the tenth consecutive season that Rodriguez scored at least 100 runs. He continued to fail on defense; Rodriguez had the lowest range factor in the league at third baseman for the second straight season.
In April 26, Rodriguez hit 3 home runs against the Los Angeles Angles pitcher Bartolo Colon, and drove in 10 runs. The 10 RBIs were the most by a Yankee since Tony Lazzeri established the AL record with 11 on May, 24, 1936. Rodriguez also won his first AL MVP Award with the Yankees, and second in three seasons. He become the fifth player to win an MVP Award with two different teams, joining Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Fox, Frank Robinson, and Barry Bonds. Rodriguez was also named the shortstop on the Major League Baseball Latino Legends Team in 2005.
In 2006, Rodriguez struggled horribly. He was selected into the All Star game, and was fourth in the league in RBIs with 121, fifth in runs with 113, eighth in home runs with 35, and in walks with 90, and ninth in on base percentage with .392. Rodriguez struggled a little, but still managed to have all-star numbers. He lead AL third basemen in errors with 24, and had the lowest fielding percentage for the third straight season with .937.
On July 21, 2006, Rodriguez hit his 2,000 hit and it was also his 450th home run. Six days before his birthday, Rodriguez become the youngest player in baseball history to reach 450 home runs. He also become the eighth player to reach 2,000 hits before reaching 31 years old. Rodriguez become the second player (Jimmie Fox) in Major League history to have at least 35 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBIs in nine consecutive seasons. 2006 was Rodriguez eleventh consecutive season with more then 100 runs scored; which is the longest such streak in AL history since Lou Gehig did it in 13 straight seasons in 1926-1938. 2006 was Rodriguez toughest season, because criticism and poor performance in the post-season.
In 2007, Rodriguez was looking forward to succeeding. He wanted to recover from his poor performances in 2006. Rodriguez entered training camp and reduced his body fat from 16% the year before to 9%. He also reduced his high leg kick at the plate, increasing his bate speed, and made smarter decisions at the plate.
His fourth season with the Yankees started great. Rodriguez hit two home runs against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium which were his fourteenth career grand slam. The walk off grand slam was third of his career, which tied the MLB mark for game ending grand slams shared by Vern Stephens and Cy Williams. Rodriguez also started the season by becoming the ninth major league player and first Yankee to hit six home runs in the first seven games of the season.
On April 23, Rodriguez become the first player in Major League history to hit 14 home runs in 18 games, and he also tied the MLB record for most home runs in April. Many remember it as the greatest April in the MLB, and we expected Rodriguez to continue that success. His total of 34 RBIs in April was one short of Juan Gonzalez MLB record.
On June 12, Rodriguez hit his twenty fifth home run on the season in only 63 games. He toped his record of the 2006 season, but it took Rodriguez 113 games to reach 25.
Rodriguez hit his 500th home run on August 4, against Kansas City Royals pitcher Kyle Davies. He became the youngest player ever to reach 500 home runs; Rodriguez is only the second Yankee (Mickey Mantle) to hit 500 at Yankees Stadium.
He lead the AL in home runs with 54, RBIs with 156, slugging percentage with .645, on base percentage slugging with 1.067, total bases with 376, and times on base with 299. On October 24th Rodriguez was named Outstanding AL Player of the year.
Barry Bonds, the person who dealt with racism, criticism, and death threats. A person that went through so much, and being able to achieve lots more.
On Thursday Bonds was indicted by federal grand jury. He's been indicted on five felony counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.
"This record is not tainted at all," Bonds said. "At all. Period." Many would think twice before believing anything Bonds says, and especially when everything blow up.
The federal grand jury had trouble indicting Bonds, but now they've found evidence. Many were surprised, and finding out Bonds was indicted was shocking.
"I'm surprised," said John Burris."But there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."
Bonds former trainer Greg Anderson was sentence to jail, because he refused to testify against Bonds. Hearing Bonds was indicted, and Anderson was unhelpful was hard to believe for many. People believed this case couldn't progress without Anderson, but lots of expectation were wrong.
"This indictment came out of left field," Mark Geragos said. "Frankly, I'm aghast. It looks like the government misled me and Greg as well, saying this case couldn't go forward without him."
Bonds is scheduled to appear in US District Court in San Francisco on December 7, but cameras aren't allowed.
Many believed Bonds wasn't telling the truth, but didn't expect him to be indicted. It'll be a fight, because Bonds isn't giving up, he'll fight until the end. The government aren't backing down either, because their confident in their evidence.
"Every American should worry about a Justice Department that doesn't know if waterboarding is torture and can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand and persecution on the other," Mike Rains said. Mike Rains is the defense attorney, and he spoke with Bonds about this indictment. He refused to discuss Bonds reaction, but it wasn't an happy approach.
It wasn't surprising that many didn't believe Bonds, because his body exploded towards the prime of his career. Hiring Anderson, whom happen to be link to steroids was enough to convince many that Bonds was using performance enhancing drugs.
"Greg wouldn't do that," Bonds testified in December 2003. "He knows I'm against that stuff." Can Bonds explain his "head" size?, because only HGH (Human Growth Hormones) can cause growth in head size. His body size gets larger, and he's home run numbers increase; this is what people see.
Bonds lied nineteen times according to the government, and this was expected. We all knew Bonds lied, but finding evidence was unpredictable. "Let them investigate," Bonds said Feb. 20. "Let 'em. They've been doing it this long." Hard work paid off, because the federal grand jury finally succeeded.
"During the criminal investigation," the indictment read, "evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes."
The government knew Bonds wasn't telling the truth about his use of performance enhancing drugs. Finding evidence was a long search, but using two positive test from Bonds will be strong in this case.
If Bonds is found guilty, he'll be sentence to 30 years in prison. Michael Rain believes nothing will be hidden, and they'll have an edge in this case.
This indictment doesn't end Bonds career, he'll be able to sign with a baseball team. But this indictment and negative attention; I doubt Bonds is worried about his career. Teams won't be interested, and Bonds will understand that.
Bonds told Kimberly Bell he started using performance enhancing drugs, and she's a possible witness in his case. Kimberly has documents that proves Bonds was using steroids, and she'll be able to help the government.
Theirs auto of Anderson saying he'll give Bonds performance enhancing drugs, when he was Bonds personal trainer.
"I have yet to see the details of this indictment and while everyone in America is considered innocent until proven guilty, I take this indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely. It is important that the facts regarding steroid use in baseball be known, which is why I asked Senator Mitchell to investigate the issue. I look forward to receiving his report and findings so that we can openly address any issue associated with past steroid use. We currently have a testing program that is as good as any in professional sports, and the program is working. We continue to fund research to find an efficacious test for HGH and have banned amphetamines from our sport. We will continue to work diligently to eradicate the use of all illegal performance-enhancing substances from the game," Major League Baseball statement.
This "kills" the image of Major League Baseball, because the league was fine until this indictment came out. The rumors, talks, and positive test were coming to an end, but now steroids found its way back into the league.
"This is a very sad day. For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era. These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law, " the San Francisco Giants said.
The Giants have no worries, because their moving on. The negative attention and media coverage is over, and the Giants are happy. The team can focus on the future, and build a playoff contending team. Now the MLB has to deal with the negative attention and media coverage.
"The President is very disappointed to hear this. As this case is now in the criminal justice system, we will refrain from any further specific comments about it. But clearly this is a sad day for baseball," The White House statement. Nobody cares what President George W. Bush thinks, because he's done worse then Bonds. Innocent troops are being killed, because Bush thinks like an "####." Bush needs to worry about this country, and forget about Bonds being indicted.
"I was saddened to learn this afternoon of the indictment of Barry Bonds. However, we must remember, as the U.S. Attorney stated in his press release today, that an indictment contains only allegations, and in this country every defendant, including Barry Bonds, is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until such time as he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," said Donald Fehr.
Bonds is innocent until proven guility, but face it "he's going to jail."
The New York Knicks couldn't succeed against the Los Angeles Clippers, 84-81. Getting "killed" didn't happen, but losing by four points is even worse.
Stephon "Poorbury's" return didn't change anything, because the Knicks still failed. Marbury doesn't play defense, he plays inconsistent, and it doesn't help the Knicks. Staying home was a better idea for Marbury.
He brought negative attention, and black mailed his coach. Marbury should be suspended, and fined, because he's unhelpful to the Knicks.
"I'm positive all the way around. I'm covered. I'm fine. I feel good. I'm cool. I could walk with my head up," said Marbury. "I feel like I could go forward and do what I have to do. I have a job to do and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
This always happens according to Isiah Thomas, but it can't continue. Player and coach controversy will break down a team. Marbury and Thomas talked before the game, and the problem will remain "in-house."
"That is an in-house matter, and we'll continue to keep it in-house," Thomas said. "However, he is welcome back, and we want him as a member of this team."
Clearly Marbury hasn't prospered with the Knicks, and his defense is "horrible." He hasn't brought success, and probably never will. Thomas shouldn't have welcomed Marbury back, because he'll bring failure.
"It seems like he and I go through this every November, then a couple of weeks go by and we kind of kiss and make up, then we go back to the business of trying to win basketball games," Thomas said.
Thomas needs to control his team, because he's expected to succeed. The Knick fans aren't accepting another failing season, and Thomas should understand that. His problems with Marbury needs to be solved, because it's causing a distraction.
"I've played with people I don't like and I've won with people I don't like. We're a professional basketball team and my job is trying to win a game," said Thomas. "Whatever happened in the past is in the past. We move forward."
Marbury's "unsuccessful flashy" playing style has done nothing for the Knicks. Thomas should release him, because he's waisting time. The Knicks should move on without Marbury, because he doesn't have a big impact on this team.
The Knicks were competitive against the Clippers, and could have won. Both teams were competing, and battled until the end.
"We got a nice little lead, they made a run late and they pretty much had the momentum," Thomas said. "But we kept fighting and we made some big shots, big free throws, and got our hands on some rebounds down the stretch."
The Knicks could never hold the lead, and their defense has caused this problem. Thomas refuse to realize that, and the players never could thrive on it. It's the reason why the Clippers finished four points ahead of the Knicks.
Zach Randolph returned after attending his grandmothers funeral, and his presents was neeeded. His ability to average a double-double takes pressure off some of the players; Randolph had 19 rebounds, and 16 points.
"I know that is what my grandma wanted me to do, to come and play," Randolph said. "She probably would have been mad if I had stayed (in Indiana) and not come to the game."
Eddy Curry was able to produce, and his statistic were useful against the Clippers. He had 16 points, and 12 rebounds.
Jamal Crawford had 12 points, but couldn't produce anywhere else. Crawford shouldn't be playing inconsistent, because his talent could help the Knicks.
Marbury finished with 13 points, but wasn't productive enough.
The Clippers win wasn't surpising, because they've beaten the Knicks nine straight times. It's almost expected, it's been happening over three seasons.
"If we keep getting this effort, we'll be fine," Sam Cassell said. "This was a heck of an effort. I'm happy we won, but if we keep playing the way we played tonight, we'll win 70 percent of our games."
Cassell and Corey Maggette scored 13 points each, but Cassell had 5 assist. Maggette finished with 4 turnovers and 5 rebounds.
Tim Thomas had 12 points, and 5 rebounds. Tim has been battling injury's, but hopefully he'll fight through them this season.
Cuttino Mobley contributed with 10 points, and 7 assist. He'll continue to produce, and help his team win games.
Chris Kaman had the best performance, and he's always been productive for the Clippers. Scoring 14 points with 18 rebounds helped the Clippers come away with the victory.
Losing to the Phoenix Suns 113-102, was more expected then anything. The New York Knicks aren't talented enough to succeed against the Suns, and their lack of defense made it worse.
Before the Knicks can compete with the Suns they'll need to improve on defense. The Suns have the best offense in the league, and playing no defense ruined the game for the Knicks.
"Even with your full team and your best team, it's still hard to come into this building and play against this team and get a win," Isiah Thomas said. "But there were some good things I saw, some very positive things."
From the Suns, because the Knicks did everything wrong. They couldn't defend, and scoring points was their only ability.
The San Antonio Spurs, The Dallas Mavericks, or another words "competitive" teams can only defeat the Suns. Or else the Suns beat themselves.
The Knicks are dealing with distractions, because Stephon Marbury has left the team. This isn't the cause of the lost, because Marbury doesn't have a big impact on the Knicks.
"Everybody doesn't really know what happened, so it's kind of tough to pass judgment on him," Eddy Curry said. "We're going to continue to fight without him. Of course we'd love to have him back, but until then, we've just got to keep playing."
Correct, because losing Marbury doesn't hurt the Knicks. They'll keep playing without him, and the Knicks will move on.
"I would never leave my team on my own," Marbury said. "What I'm telling you is that I got permission to leave from Isiah. He said I could go home."
It doesn't matter, because Marbury doesn't make a difference. He doesn't play defense, and he'll need to improve on it. Asking Marbury to leave is what I've been waiting for, because he does nothing for the Knicks. Another point guard is needed, because Marbury struggles as a leader.
"We hope to see him tonight," Thomas said. "However, if he is not, make no mistake about it, we do want him as a member of this basketball team."
Thomas doesn't want Marbury anymore, and I can't blame him. Marbury is taking up space, and it'll continue if Marbury returns. The Knicks want to improve, and getting rid of Marbury is improvement. He plays inconsistent, and doesn't perform good on most nights.
Zach Randolph wasn't able to play because of family reasons. His present was missed, because Randolph performance has been helpful.
"It hurt a lot," Curry said. "He was definitely missed. My heart and prayers go out to him and his family, but we definitely missed him."
Curry suffered the most, because Randolph presents takes the pressure off Curry.
The Knicks didn't have problems scoring, because they scored 102 points.
Fred Jones performance was encouragement for the Knicks, and many didn't expect him to commit against the Suns last night. He had 19 points with 9 rebounds, but suffered with 7 turnovers.
Curry accomplished a lot without Randolph's presents; he had 17 points with 8 rebounds.
Jamal Crawford was helpful for the Knicks against the Suns. His last two games weren't impressive, but he'd performed great last night. Crawford had 21 points with 4 assists; but 5 turnovers weren't benefaction.
Nate Robinson achieved a lot without Marbury; he had 18 points with 5 assist.
The Suns victory was expected, and it'll happen again. It was just another game for them, and their playoff hopes are "locked."
"I'm not real impressed,"Mike D'Antoni said. "We're OK. We should have had more energy. We should have played harder, and the crowd's worse than we are. I mean, they're deader than we are."
It was the "Knicks" for crying out loud. The Suns didn't need energy, or to play hard. It was like practice, and another victory they'll forget.
"It might have been, but you know what, that's no excuse," D'Antoni said. "I mean, we're a professional team. We should come out and play as hard as we can play and get off the floor and get better. We have to understand what we want this year, where we want to go and how hard it is to get there."
The Suns didn't need to perform 100 percent, because the Knicks aren't talented enough. D'Antoni should be happy, because the Suns barely broke a sweat. Thomas should be upset, because the Suns didn't need to perform hard to get the victory.
"Since I've been back, that's definitely the strongest that I've felt," said Amare Stoudemire. "It's just a matter of improving, try to get more workouts in and try to get in better shape slowly but surely."
Stoudemire will have an impact on the Suns this season, because he's an elite players. His rebounding efforts, and explosiveness brings confidences towards the Suns.
"Right now Amare's knees and legs are fine, he's just out of shape," D'Antoni said. "But in a week or so he'll be fine." Correct, because once the season gets competitive it'll help Stoudemire on the basketball court.
Stoudemire had 26 points with 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He "killed" the Knicks, and Curry couldn't stop him.
Leandro Barbosa was competitive, and his shooting has improved. He had 23 points, and D'Antoni wasn't impressived with Barbosa's shooting.
"I'm not surprised," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I'm glad he did. He has been struggling a little with his shot. ... Tonight, he just got a couple easy ones at first and just took off."
Seeing Barbosa shooting improve was helpful, and hopefully it'll continue.
"Coach always tells me to keep shooting," Barbosa said. "He says if you are open to shoot it. Today I was feeling great - maybe I am not struggling anymore. You have to be patient when you are struggling."
Steve Nash had an impact with his assist numbers. He had 12 assist, but struggled with 6 turnovers.
Grant Hill has been beneficence, and his presents has helped the Suns. He had 21 points, and Hill's success should linger with the Suns.
The rumored unhappy Shawn Marion was impressive against the Knicks. He had 23 points, and 7 rebounds.
Losing to the Miami Heat 75-72, was tough for the New York Knicks. Getting close, but failing to succeed was disappointing.
Seeing the Knicks competing against the Heat wasn't surprising, because the Heat haven't been able to produce. Losing Dwyane Wade is the cause of their failures.
The Knicks should have won, but the Heat were energize and wanted to win.
"It was a much-needed win for us," Shaquille O'Neal said. "We have folded under the pressure the last couple of games."
Winning was important for the Heat, because going win-less isn't impressive. The Heat are fifth in the Southeast division, and they're looking at trouble.
The Heat should build confidences, because Wade isn't the whole team. They have talent, and using it shouldn't be a problem.
"I don't like to lose," Pat Riley said. "It's not much fun. Not a whole lot of joy as a team when you're in it."
The Heat are struggling, but many expected it. Playing without Wade brings failure, and it happened in the past. The Heat aren't able to succeed, and win victories without Wade. This shouldn't be an issue, because the Heat have talented players.
"The 0-7 team I don't think was as talented as this team," Udonis Haslem said. "I think we have a lot more talent on this team. But at the same time, like I said, we just haven't been able to get stops down the stretch."
This should continue, because the Heat can built from this. They have enough players, and the Heat proved it against the Knicks. No excuses for being unsuccessful, because the Heat can produce.
"We're getting there," Riley said. "We're getting close. I think that's the best I can say."
"Getting there" shouldn't be an issue, because the Heat have winning experience. It's sad to see a talented team like the Heat can't succeed without their superstar Wade. The other players should be enough, not having Wade shouldn't matter.
"He's not going to be 100 percent when he comes back," Riley said. This imformation should be important to the players, because it'll push them to succeed.
Winning against the Knicks was great, and hopefully this success will continue. They have good players to continue to prosper, and being confident shouldn't be a conundrum.
"I hope we can build from this," Riley said. "I hope the guys have a better understanding offensively what we want. The guys are absolutely mentally exhausted from losing, and from my approach to them the last couple of days. We just need a day off and get ready for New York."
They were, and it should have happen the first game. Failure wouldn't have been an issue, and Wade wouldn't need to rush. Even with Wade it's still a possibility for failure, because they've gotten swept by the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs last season with Wade.
The offense wasn't productive, but it'll get better as the season gets older. Jason Williams was great, he's been an incredible point guard for the Heat. He had 17 points, and 5 assist.
Haslem played the best, and his performace helped the Heat get the victory. Scoring 16 points, with 16 rebounds was encouragement for the Heat.
O'Neal played averaged, and age has slowed him down. He's dealing with personal issues as well, and it's effecting his performance on the basketball court. He scored 14 points, and 9 rebounds. I'll expect O'Neal to get better, but everyone should understand his struggles.
Ricky Davis scored 14 points, but wasn't producing anywhere else. Scoring isn't enough for the Heat, and he'll need to understand that. Davis needs to play good defense, and get rebounds as well.
Watching the Knicks lose was heartbreaking for many, because they could have won. Their defensive problems still remain, the Heat offense just couldn't score effectively.
"I think we just fell apart," Eddy Curry said. "They took the game away from us. They made plays at the end and took it away from us."
This isn't the first time, because the Knicks always struggled to hold the lead. Facing the Heat shouldn't be hard, because they're going through suffering times; the Knicks didn't take advantage.
"We can't lose a game like this any time." said Quentin Richardson. "They've been struggling right now. We should win this game."
"Don't talk about it, do it." Richardson hasn't been productive, he'll probably get traded before the seasons over.
"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line," Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience."
Thomas is still making excuses, "it's the defense." That's the Knicks only problem, and Thomas fails to admit that. He probably can't coach defense, because it's been the Knicks problem for four seasons.
Stephon "Poorbury" was competitive against Williams. He had 14 points with 6 assists, but was 6-16 from shooting.
Jamal Crawford didn't make a difference, because he had 13 points but was 4-14.
David Lee performed the best, and kept the Knicks competitive. He had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Eddy Curry was productive scoring 16 points, and he managed to get 6 rebounds.
The New York Giants lost a tough game against the Dallas Cowboys, 31-20. This game was important, because the Giants are competing against the Cowboys for the NFC East lead.
"Obviously, they've gotten better since Week 1 and so have we," Terrell Owens said. "I think right now we're starting to really define ourselves and really trying to work offensively, defensively, and special teams-wise, the whole team. So we can kind of solidify ourselves and separate ourselves."
The Cowboys are currently winning the battle, and its not a surprise. Their second year experience with Tony Romo and Owens gives them the edge.
"If you want to call it swagger, yes we have the confidence that we know we can go out and beat teams," said Owens.
That's important, because confidences brings victories. Without confidences there's no success.
The Cowboys used their confidences against the Giants, and it worked. Mistakes happened, but the Cowboys were able to get the victory.
"Obviously today, we had more penalties than we would like and we have to eliminate those," Owens said. "That was everybody's emotions running high. There was a little trash-talking by them. We came here. The game was played and I feel like we made a statement."
Owens played great, and helped the Cowboy win against the Giants. Having 6 receptions, and 125 yards with 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys couldn't win without those numbers.
Owens on-field relationship with Romo is great. It's bringing success, and it'll continue. Owens plays a huge role in Romo's play on the field, and its the reason why they're successful this season.
"It's another step along the journey that we're trying to go through to get where we want to go," said Romo. "A win like tonight just adds to your confidence. When you do something like this, you have a chance to do something special."
Romo was great, and produced to help the Cowboys. He was 20-28 with 4 touchdown passes, and 247 yards. Romo has been helpful this season, and he's still learning. It's great to see Romo's improvement from last season.
Many believe the Cowboys are the best team in the NFC; with an 8-1 record, it proves the expectations are correct.
The Cowboys showed big improvement this season, and their success proves it. Mistakes still happen but they're still winning. Learning from the mistakes need to happen, because it'll "kill" the Cowboys in the playoffs.
"Once it's over, you have to learn from your mistakes," Wade Phillips said. "We couldn't harp on that. We just told them it was nothing-nothing. We've done it all year. The second half is ours."
The Cowboys took advantage in the second half, and the Giants broke down. The Giants didn't bring enough effort, and they've failed against the Cowboys.
"That first game was like a bad dream,"Antonio Pierce said. "If you want to consider that a chip (on the shoulder), that's what we have. The fact is, it did happen, but other things have changed."
The chip was heavy for the Giants, because the Cowboys "stepped" all over them. Their competitiveness gave away in the second half.
The Giants are expected to compete against the Cowboys every season, but they've "pucked" out. Its "just" not a rival, but also a competitive opponent in their division. This could decide their playoff hopes.
"We all know that we had a good run of six games, but this is the real test for us against one of the best teams in the division, in the league," Amani Toomer said. "If we want to be considered in that upper echelon in the league, this is a team we are going to have to beat to show that."
The Giants should still be considered an elite team, but they need to bounce back. Losing two straight games can't happen, because it'll destroy the Giants season. They've failed in the second half of the season in the past, and the Giants can't continue that streak.
"It's a great start, but I don't believe anyone on the team is really giddy being 6-3," center Shaun O'Hara said. "It's a great start, but we haven't accomplished anything yet."
Correct, because the Giants can still struggle. They've showed it against the Cowboys, and it needs to be fixed.
Jeremy Shockey played the best; he had 12 receptions and 129 yards, with 1 touchdown.
Eli Manning was sacked 5 times, and threw 2 interceptions. His play hasn't improved, and playing inconsistent is still Eli's problem. He only had 1 touchdown pass, and lost 42 yards from being sacked.
Brandon Jacobs couldn't produce, and suffered with the Giants. He had 95 yards, and 23 rushes.
The New York Knicks didn't succeed against the Orlando Magic 112-102. This lost gives them a 2-2 record, and their fourth in the Atlantic division.
It wasn't surprising, because the Magic have talented players. Their young, and with lots of energy. The Magic have enough to make the playoffs this season.
"To go on a four-game trip, win them all, it's difficult to do," Stan Van Gundy said. "It's a good accomplishment. It's hard to relax and enjoy it because you have a fairly decent team staring in your face tomorrow night at home that can make you look bad."
Their playing tough teams, but the Magic are succeeding. It's the players, because their playing team basketball.
"It's great," Hedo Turkoglu said. "It will be greater if we win tomorrow, too, and have a couple of days off."
A break is needed, but they'll be fine. The Magic have nothing to worry about, their players are humbled and skilled at their position. They'll succeed, and make the playoffs.
"I think it's because our team is maturing," Dwight Howard said. "Everybody coming to practice we work hard, we get in the games, we try to work hard. We know when we're down we stay positive and try to make it up on the defensive end."
Defense is the key, and the Magic understand it. It's not expected to see a young team play good defense, but the Magic prospered at it.
Going against the Knicks wasn't competition, because the Magic play better as a team. Great offense with young players that play defense, that wins championships.
The Knicks couldn't compete, because their defensive problems still remain. Isiah Thomas fails to understand, and the Knicks fail to thrive at it. Thomas still hasn't fixed their defense, but he'll realize it when the Knicks fall apart.
"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience."
He doesn't face the fact, "it's defense." Nothing else should matter, because the Knicks have everything besides defense. It's the key to the playoffs, and it'll decide their season.
"Those guys just hit a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and throughout the game," Zach Randolph said. "Rashard hit a couple of 3's back-to-back, got fouled on one. The guy shot well from the field tonight. We didn't execute like we were supposed to. Dwight Howard is an All-Star in this league, a strong, physical player."
It's because the Knicks couldn't defend, and the Magic took advantage. That's what happens when teams don't play defense, the opponent takes advantage and thrives.
The Magic have great players, they'll succeed if teams don't play defense. The Knicks should have known, because just scoring doesn't help.
The Knicks have talent, their defense should come alone. No excuses, because they'll fail throughout the season if it doesn't flourish.
"We kept playing but we finally started making shots and started getting stops on the defensive end," Lewis said. "We were able to pick the lead up."
The Magic players are smart, they'll succeed against none defensive teams. They've did against the Knicks last night, it'll continue.
"I like the way our team is responding," Stan Van Gundy said. "Of course, I'd like it better if we'd just win by 15, but I like the way our team is responding. That's the way you're going to have to play to win games on the road in this league. I'm very, very pleased with them right now."
He should, because they'll go far. The Magic have a great playing style with team work. Team play is important, and the Magic understand.
"We don't care about who scores," Jamal Crawford said. "We just want to make it a team effort and it is hard for teams to defend us that way."
The Knicks can score, but that isn't important. Their defense is inconsiderable, and they'll need to improve.
Randolph had another productive game, and he's helpful to the Knicks. He had 23 points, and 13 rebounds.
Quentin Richardson hasn't been producing, but he was furtherance against the Magic. Scoring 19 points, and 7 rebounds was helpful. Richardson was suffering, but hopefully his success will continue.
Eddy Curry was able to score 19 points, but couldn't get rebounds. Curry has been inconsistent with rebounds, but Randolph's presents should take the pressure off.
Crawford wasn't helpful, but he'll come around. His 13 points, and 6 turn overs wasn't productive enough.
Stephon "Poorbury" had 14 points, and 7 assist. His inconsistent play hasn't changed, and it'll continue.
The Magic was able to produce more, and their numbers proved it.
Rashard Lewis was unstoppable, and was part of the victory against the Knicks. Lewis had 21 points, and 6 assist. His play was helpful, and hopefully it'll last.
Turkoglu scored 21 points, but couldn't be effective anywhere else. "Not a surprise."
Howard is the most important player, and he'll succeed to help the Magic. He scored 22 points, and 20 rebounds.
Jameer Nelson "crushed" Marbury with 24 points, and 10 assist. Marbury shouldn't be surprised.
Tiger Woods is considered the greatest golfer by many, and his childhood lifestyle has helped successfully.
His lifestyle wasn't pretty, but Tiger used it to succeed. Being around his father Earl Woods, helped him realize how successful he'll be in life.
Being treated different, because of his African-American and Asian race helped a huge bit.
It wasn't just race; Tiger had strict parents, but it made him a respectful person.
Tiger is liked by all, and hated by none. He gives his parents all the credit, because they raised him to be though.
"I was raised in two different cultures" Tiger said. "I have my father, who is African-American and my mom, who is Asian, specifically Thai. I had to understand and appreciate more then just one way of looking at things because my dad's view a lot times was the polar opposite of my mom's view because they were raised under two different cultural heritages. I was probably raised more in the Asian tradition because my father was working and my mom, who was at home more, was the disciplinarian. And a Far Eastern culture, as anyone who has experienced it knows, is very strict. So you have responsibilities. You had to do what you had to do if you were delegated to your family. You can't disrespect anybody who's older then you, because if you do you're disgraced your entire family. That's kind of how I was raised, and from what I've seen it's a different philosophy from other cultures that I've been exposed to in America that are Asian. If you didn't say 'Yes, sir,' 'Yes, ma'am,' 'Thank you, ma'am' 'Thank you, sire,' I'd be smacked in a heartbeat, right on my butt. That's just how it was."
It's different from other cultures, because children get away with everything. Now, it's different. Children are disrespectful to parents, and aren't grateful. Their in gangs, and selling drugs. It's a whole different world, and it didn't get better.
Parents are not strict on children, and it isn't good. Being strict helps children to grow up respectfully, and sometimes successfully. Living hard helps them understand, because it's different when children get older. Being responsible, and success becomes a factor when children get older.
It was hard for Tiger, because he was raised different. Having strict parents with a different culture played a huge role in his career. Tiger's father Earl is the reason for his success, because Earl brought golf into Tigers life. Playing with competitive competition, and people his father's age, made Tiger become competitive.
"Being raised under two different cultures gives my life a dichotomy that I think made me more well rounded earlier. And then there was the fact that I was playing a sport in which I didn't ever really play with my peers. Golf traditionally is an older gentle men's sports. So as a kid I was always around people who had been in the workforce for twenty, thirty, and forty years. There was a point in time I was probably about thirteen, fourteen years old when I told Dad, 'I'm more comfortable hanging out with you guys then I am with my peers.' But that's the environment I was raised in, so I was forced to grow up faster. You couldn't out petulant at a young age being around men who were very influential in what they did," Tiger said.
Being around older people helped Tiger become a respectful person. Tiger never played with children, because being with his father made him older then reality. It effects his life, because his personality has never changed. He always was a gentlemen, and treated everyone with respect.
Tiger never been in gangs, or sold drugs. His parents made sure he'd succeed, and they've done a find job. They've kept Tiger around respectful people, and involved in activities. He felt important, because Tiger wanted to succeed.
Not being around children wasn't an issue, because Tiger was focused on the important things of life. He wanted to prosper, and being around children wouldn't have helped him. Children want to play, and get into trouble; Tiger wanted to achieve his dream, and become a golfer.
"I never tried to do it, or saw the need to because everyone else was trying to do it for me" Tiger said. "And it didn't really bother me. My whole objective was to try to win golf tournaments, and along the way I had my own challenges I had to deal with, being not the standard golfer. So I had to endure my own little bumps along the road to get to where I was. My dad went through it playing baseball. He was the first black to ever play in the Big Seven. It wasn't even the Big Eight yet. Now it's the Big Twelve. My dad played at Kansas State. He was the catcher. So my dad endured his hardships. He couldn't go to Norman and stay when the team played the University of Oklahoma. He had to go stay in Oklahoma City and then drive to Norman to meet the team to play, then find a black hotel. So his mom and dad always told him, if you're going to take advantage of opportunities you have to be twice as good to have half a chance. And that's kind of the philosophy that my dad raised me with."
Racism played a huge role in Earl's life, and Tiger experienced it himself. Earl knew what its like to be treated wrong, and disrespected. Being criticize because of your skin color, and considered a failure. It made him a strong person, and a better parent. Earl was successful because of the racial background he dealt with.
Tiger didn't escape racism either, because he went through it as a child. Being called names, and getting into altercations in school.
Remember, Tiger was different from other children. He liked to be round older people, and other children weren't formula with it.
Getting teased, and going through issues is what Tiger dealt with. His childhood day weren't joyful, it was about hard work. Getting into trouble because of his African-American background, and not being around children, Tiger went through hard times as a child.
"I was talking about this not too long ago with some kids. They asked me 'what was it like growing up?' I said 'It was great. But there were times when I wasn't allowed to play golf'.' At the Navy golf course where I grew up playing, there's an age limit at military golf courses it was ten and over. But for some reason all the white kids were allowed to play who were ten and under, though I wasn't. I had people who were older and I don't know if they were serviceman of retired or active or guests...I don't know who they were use the N word with me numerous times. I was there pitching, just pitching, so I'd do to the putting green and I'd get yelled at over on the putting green. These are things that obviously hardened me a little bit and made me realize that golf was not like basketball and football at the time. It was different, under different rules. Even traveling the country as a kid. I wasn't allowed to go to certain pro shops or certain clubhouses to change shoes where all the other kids were allowed to," Tiger said.
Those times were hard for Tiger, because he couldn't have fun with other children. He'll get called names, and treated wrong. It wasn't fair, and Tiger knew. He couldn't do anything about it, because everyone was white. Nobody could help him, he was alone.
White children having fun, but Tiger couldn't. Tiger couldn't play golf, because he was black. These are things people did, and nobody could stop it.
It's sad to see adults treat a child disrespectfully. That's how Tiger was treated, and it made him strong. He had to succeed, because nobody wanted him to. They didn't want to see an African-American accomplish his dreams, but Tiger wanted to flourish.
"Being black is just looked at differently. And in this country I'm looked at as being black. When I go to Thailand, I'm considered Thai. It's very interesting. And when I go to Japan, I'm considered Asian. I don't know why it is, but it just is. It shouldn't be about that but it is, unfortunately, because even as the world is becoming more global and more interconnected through all the different information streams, we're still very separate and distinct. People are trying to maintain their cultural heritage, even though we, in American, are probably the biggest melting pot of anyplace in the world. Now being married to a Swede, it's interesting to see how excited she is when she's able to talk to a Swede. Or when my caddie Stevie, being from New Zealand, is able to talk to someone from New Zealand. I guess because I have more then one heritage. I really don't feel that. The closet thing I have as a sense of that kind of connection is when I'm oversea and I run into someone who is speaking English," Tiger said.
Being around children wasn't easy for Tiger, because it was even worse. Going to school Tiger wanted to learn, but he was teased by other children. Getting into confrontation, and fights with others hurt Tiger's image. Children didn't like him, because he was African-American.
"I become aware of my racial identity on my first day of school, on my first day of kindergarten," Tiger said. "A group of sixth grades tied me to a tree, spray painted the word '####' on me, and threw rocks at me. That was my first day of school. And the teachers really didn't do much of anything. I used to live across the street from school and kind of down the way a little bit. The teachers said 'okay, just go home.' So I had to out run all these kids going home, which I was able to do. It was certainly on eye opening experience, you know, being five years old we were the only minority family in all of Cypress, California."
Not having teachers to help wasn't great. They didn't care about Tiger, because they're racist as well. They didn't help Tiger when he was being tied to a tree, and having rocks through at him.
He received disrespect from everyone, and the teachers weren't there. Tiger went through enough to give up, because everyone wanted him to fail. It was hard for Tiger to succeed in school, when so much pressure was on him.
This helped him, because he didn't give up. Tiger became strong from his childhood racism issues, now he feels he'll overcome his problem.
Tigers parents went through racism as well; not being welcomed in their own neighborhood. Being treated wrong, because of their race. Tiger couldn't escape racism at home, because it was just as worse.
"When my parents moved in, before I was born, they used to have these oranges come through the window all the time. And it could have not been racially initiated or it could have been. We don't know. But it was very interesting though people don't necessarily know it, that I grew up in the 1980's and still had incidents. I had a racial incident even in the 1990's at home where I grew up, the Navy golf course. And right before the 1994 U.S. Amateur, I was eighteen years old, I was out practicing, just hitting pitch shots and some guys just yelled over the fence and used the N word numerous times at me. That's in 1994," Tiger said.
Tiger never escaped racism, and it's sad to think about it. He dealt with it for a while, and sometimes it's still an issue.
Some African-Americans think Tiger isn't loyal to our race. Many believe he isn't happy to be an African American. He gets a lot of heat, and criticism for it.
Tiger isn't uncomfortable being African-American, it's because he's been around his mother when he was a child. She's Asian, and Tiger's more formula with their culture. He wasn't around lots of African-Americans, he barely was around children. Tiger understands he's African American, and he's proud to be one.
Being raised with strict parents, and being treated wrong. Those helped Tiger to become successful, he's living his dream. He believe he'll overcome any issue, because of his childhood. Tiger went through the worse as a child, and he become successful from it. Nobody has experience Tiger's childhood in today's age, because many would have given up.
Alex Rodriguez four seasons in New York weren't self-assurance, because he was despiteful by many. Not being able to flourish in the playoffs, and being pulverize by the media, instigation his conundrum with the Yankees.
Rodriguez wasn't commodious, and he felt pressure with the Yankees. Yankees fans booed him, and teammates disrespecting him weren't fulfilling.
Rodriguez uninterruptedly said he wanted to stay with the Yankees, but he isn't coming back. Can't blame him, why stay were your not wanted. He isn't respected, and is treated wrong. This season was corroborated, because Rodriguez had an all-star season. His batting average was .314 with 54 home runs, and 156 RBI's. It was Rodriguez best season, and the Yankees fans didn't boo him.
Rodriguez isn't perfect, but Yankee fans don't understand. They contemplate Rodriguez to succeed everytime. Derek Jeter isn't perfect, but he doesn't get "crushed" by the fans. It's wrong for Rodriguez to catch heat when he fails.
It's rumored the Yankees will offer Rodriguez arbitration, but it's irresolute it'll happen. Rodriguez doesn't want to be with the Yankees, it's the rationalization why he isn't their. He'll be a fool to return, because nothing will change.
The Los Angeles Angles are demonstration with Rodriguez, it's possible he'll join the Angles. They've been showing interest for a while, and they have a chance.
"We had an initial conversation with Scott, and it was introductory," Tony Reagins said. "He probably makes any team that he's a part of better."
It'll make sense to sign Rodriguez, but money is the only predicament. The Angles have money, but other superstars as well.
The Angles aren't the only team, because many are showing exhilarating. They'll be other teams, because Rodriguez has a huge amount of talent. He'll be worth many, but it would stop teams from showing interest.
"If you can improve your ballclub, you have to take a look at it," Reagins said. "If that means having to make a tough decision, then you have to make a tough decision. You have to look at the long-term success of the organization in a decision to go after somebody."
The Detroit Tigers are another team that's been mesmerizing Rodriguez. "Everybody just felt it was a situation that made sense," Dave Dombrowski said.
It'll make sense, because Rodriguez can produce. The Tiger fans aren't "front runners" like Yankee fans, so it wont be much pressure.
It'll take some time, but Rodriguez will find a team. Money is the only problem, because many teams aren't able to offer much. The Los Angeles Dodgers has come into the picture, because Rodriguez will produce with their fan base. With Joe Torre managing their, many believ
