As the last few days and weeks have rolled by in the world of sports, I have made two observations. The first is that some of the most amazing things have been happening. Things that a true sports fan lives to see. We've had fantastic finishes, great team and player stories, as well as historically significant individual efforts. There has also been things that have dominated headlines that are nowhere near "newsworthy". The crime in this is that many fans' attentions are being diverted to this garbage, and missing these wonderful events in sports.
As a teacher, I always assume that when people behave inappropriately it's because they don't know what the appropriate action is. Therefore you, the fan, will no longer need to miss the unmissable. I, XEA76, will help you navigate your way through the trash and find the treasure.
Worthy: Derek Fisher
This guy flies 2/3 of the way across the U.S. to pray for his potentially dying child, support the mother of his child, and be there when a man needs to be there most. When he knows all is safe, he flies back to Utah, suits up, and inspires his team to a huge OT win.
Not Worthy: Racially biased NBA officiating
You have to ask what the agenda is of any organization that would even support such a study. Anyone who actually saw the raw numbers knows that the illedged discrepency of calls of officials to players of another race were not statiscally significant. Translated, this is why all polls have a "margin of error". The statistics were not so skewed that there appeared to be a problem, but there was a SLIGHT descrepency. If you really want to help the racism problem, don't make it the issue everytime people that don't look the same are in the same room.
Worthy: Barry Bonds
I started this blog over a year ago because of this man. Barry is a jerk. Barry MAY be a cheater (probably). Having said that, Barry is the greatest baseball player I've ever seen, BAR NONE! Baseball fans live their whole lives wanting to see records broken. He's already broken the big one. Now he's going for the #2 record in all of baseball, the all-time HR mark. Don't miss this because of a stupid grudge. This is what you want to tell your kids about. If you ignore him, you make him a mystery to the next generation. Educate yourself about him. Teach the kids why he's so good. Explain why cheating is bad. However, do not miss one of the most amazing feats by one of the five greatest baseball players of all time.
Not Worthy: Curt Schilling
Speaking his name in public is difficult to do. This is a guy who gives the media the quotes they want, so he gets a pass on being an ####. He is not a Hall of Fame player. That's right, being an outspoken member of the 2004 Red Sox doesn't make you one. Sorry Kevin Millar. I'm not sure any person in sports is less socially significant while being oblivious to that fact at the same time. He thinks he's important. He speaks for political candidates. He's a social commentator. And frankly, all the Beanbrains want him to do is get people out. That's right Curt. If you make the country less dependent on oil and have an ERA over 5.00, then Boston will hate you. I promise.
Worthy: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Jr. is leaving the company his father founded. NASCAR's biggest star with it's biggest sponsor is officially a free agent (at the end of the year). This event really has no other worthy comparison. There is no other athlete more popular, in his prime, and about to be persued by about 15 Nextel Cup teams, the idea of starting his own team, or even other racing outfits like the IRL or Formula One. Junior is the biggest free agent in the history of American sports.
Not Worthy: Car of Tomorrow
NASCAR made it. NASCAR uses it now. NASCAR wants it full time in 2008. That settles it. Shut up and drive it.
Worthy: Tiger Woods
Tiger is on another dominating run. He's winning almost every tournament he signs up for. He's back to his dominating form with his 15th different swing. He got to the point in 2000 when he decided to compare himself to himself, and not to the other players. Now he's back to being so far ahead of the field it's almost laughable.
Not Worthy: Mike Vick
He's the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf. He's a punk who's popularity so far supercedes his accomplishments that it's obsurd. He's a great athlete who can't play QB. He's a spoiled brat who has robbed me of the 60 seconds of my life that it took to write this blurb. I'm out!
Wow! Thanks for the lesson Xea76. Good for Jr. to make the break. Best thing for him. I'll be the first to laugh when DEI closes it's doors. Tiger, well he's Tiger. What can you say? Bonds? I get tired of all the yickety-yack. Schilling? Hmmmmm. Vick? Loser! Great job on the "top-story" wrap-up. Well done.
Last edited by 1steelerfan1 on May 10th at 5:42 PM.
Fisher's is the stuff of legend. He showed real class all the way through his ordeal. Tough act to follow.
Barry Bonds 'will' break the record, and I 'will' recognize him as the all-time Homerun King. By the way, Schilling was out of line.
Dale's in an enviable position. But the guy has to make the right choice because, if his eventual signing doesn't equate to wins and championships, folks will have to accept the fact that maybe he aint as good as daddy. I wish him well.
Tiger is Tiger. I enjoy his every move on the golf course.
I also enjoyed this fresh post. Very nice job, bro.
This outing from Fisher doesn't quite top his walk off shot in the waning moments a few years ago, but it's close. Emotionally it is one of the best moments in NBA history.
Barry is in the top 5 all-time. If he hadn't bulked up, however he did it because we don't need to get into that, he still would have been one of the most feared hitters ever. Perhaps the HR/walk numbers wouldn't have been as high, but he'd still be stealing bases and driving doubles to the gaps either way.
Steelers - It's XEA76 man. I know our avatar's are close, but give me some love bro! I like your Avatar of Jon Voight! Just kidding man. Thanks for stopping by.
Mean - I've just heard and seen so many things this week that it makes me sick. I'm tired of great stories and athletes being overshadowed by idiots. I blame ESPN, but I also blame them for global warming, the war in Iraq, Dr. Phil's hair loss, and Steve Nash's busted nose.
Thanks Lisa. It's always nice to have a Fox Blog legend slumming over here at the "Spirit". I love Derek Fisher. He's a great representative of the esteemed Univeristy of Arkansas-Little Rock. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO Trojans??? You know I hate the sound of that Lisa!
Norcal - You are 100% right. Bonds was already on his way to being a top 10 all-timer. He was better than Griffey in the 90's. He's better than anyone who has played since Mays, and only the Bambino and Teddy Ballgame even belong in the offensive conversation with Bonds. Oh by the way, before he bulked up, he was widely considered the greatest DEFENSIVE left fielder of all time. Chew on that skeptics!
Steeler - It's all good man. I just had to get a little mileage out of it, even if only for a few minutes.
Husker - I don't understand why people like Schilling, unless they just hate the Yankees so much that the 2001 World Series (in which Johnson was the real stud) and the bloody sock just washes away all of his sins.
Now another very good writer appears ! Wow
Very nice and I will watch Barry Bonds. I have always liked Bonds by the way ! I have alot of RC cards still with him !
Thank you for your very kind words 7777. I appreciate the love. Bonds is a great player, but I'm not a kid. I don't need a role model. I watch sports because I'm in awe of their physical prowess. I don't watch because I want to find the next Nobel Prize winner. Many of these guys are pampered brats who are undereducated, because they "don't need it". I'm not in a position to judge someone's morality. I just dig the long ball, and Barry is the best at that, EVER!
ea7 - The only players I could see coming close are ARod and Pujols. The problem is that they are SO far away right now. Everybody thought Griffey would get it, and you see what happened. You just never know. There's a reason why only 3 guys have ever hit 700.
Ruth hit 714 from 1914-1935. Remember though, he was primarily a pitcher until 1920. He still hit, but he wasn't playing everyday.
Aaron hit 755 from 1954-1976. It was longevity that helped Aaron. The key with him was that he never hit 50 in a season.
Bonds has hit 745 from 1986-present. Also keep in mind, Bonds has only hit 50 once, when he hit 50 + 23. It's like a Brady Anderson situation, except not as drastic.
All three have been very consistent. Barry is the only one that has had one season that drastically varied from the others.
I think the Fisher thing is great, but what I really like (being old school) is that about 5 or 6 teams left in the NBA play-offs think more about team than individual stats, I think that is what Fisher has always been about.
On the Bonds thing, I'm sorry but I can't respect someone who's body changed so much in one year and then denies knowing he was using. I think he knows his body better than that. Griffey has a great pure swing, if he would have stayed in the American Leauge he may have stayed healther. Also nothiong to do with the home run thing, but Junior was one of the best center-fielders ever. He got great jump on the ball like Willie used to get.,,,,,,,,,That is part of the point though, Griffey was already great before his injuries, at the time most would have taken him over Bonds....
ejw - I hear you, but Bonds was already great. He was a three time MVP before all of this stuff. Griffey is a HOF player, but he's certainly not in the top 10-20 players ever. Longevity has to be a factor when talking about all-timers. There have been over 50 players that have had better seasons than Hank Aaron, but being great for so long is his value. Brady Anderson hit 50 HRs in a season. Aaron didn't. You get the point. That's what gets Griffey.
Bo Jackson is another example. I'm not sure I've ever seen a better running back than Bo. However, he certanly can't be in the conversation with Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, and the other all-timers because he had no longevity.
Add Ricky Williams to the "not worthy" category... me and my friend were talking about it the other night... Ricky Williams failing a drug test is no longer news... it is expected... check out my blog -- OK? It's about Tank Johnson.
Proud NGS II finalist. My run to the sweet 16 was short but. . . (from the department of redundancy department) sweet.
I love all sports. The Seattle Seahawks are my main passion. I've loved them since I can remember. My teams of choice in other sports are the New York Yankees and Rangers, and the Arkansas Razorbacks. As far as the NBA, I'm just a drifter. However, I do love this game!
