By: Kevin Cottrell, Jr. Ah yes...Wednesday June 21, 2006 marked the first day of summer. Oddly enough Monday the NHL season was concluded with a first-time Stanley Cup Winner (Carolina Hurricanes) as well as the NBA concluding its season crowning yet another first-time champ in the Miami Heat. The NFL off-season is in high gear, and the boys of summer (MLB) are playing at a park near you. With that being said what does a multi-million dollar athlete do on his summer vacation, let's take a look... NBA So the Miami Heat shocked the world by overcoming a 0-2 deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the NBA Finals. To many that may have been a surprise (it is only the third time in history that was done), but what wasn't surprising to many was the performance put on by MVP awardee Dwyane Wade (34 pts. 8 reb. 4 asst.). With that being said there are some questions that will arrive during the NBA's summer vacation. Q. Its obvious that D-Wade resides in sunny Miami Beach, but normally when one wins a Sports title, and is crowned MVP they attend Walt Disney World in Orlando. So, does D-Wade visit second rated Orlando, when he lives in Miami? A. Sure he does. D-Wade is only 24 years old despite his "Manly heroics", not to mention he has a wife and kid that would enjoy the family time. But don't get to comfy Dwyane because before you know it, it'll be business as usual as he attends U.S. National basketball camp in Las Vegas...Who am I kidding that's still a vacation. Q. Will the Heat Repeat? A. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Mourning and Payton will probably retire now that their pursuit of a ring has finally ended after 14, and 16 year careers respectively. Not to mention Shaq is on the decline and Riley isn't getting any younger. One thing's for sure they still have D-Wade, so after off-season acquisitions one could only imagine. Q. After a 2-0 start, then the four game collapse will the Dallas Mavericks be able to bounce back next year? A. Definitely! The Mavericks reached their first NBA Finals in franchise history (as did Miami) but the only Finals experience they had was Avery Johnson. As a result the Mavs' will lose a lot of sleep this summer, thinking about what they did wrong, and what they could have done to come out on top. The most important thing for the Mavs' to do during their summer vacation is to lock down Jason Terry to keep the nucleus of the team together. Q. Should Shaquille O'Neal and Pat Riley retire? A. Many people would be quick to say yes, but let's examine things first. Shaq has played for 14 seasons, winning four NBA titles, one A.K. (after Kobe). As a result there isn't really much he could prove to the world or even himself. Shaq should really relax his aging body during his summer vacation and enjoy time with his wife and kids. Then if he feels he can endure another 82 game season, why not play again. But if the thought of practice makes his big toe throb then maybe he should ride off into the South Beach sunset. As for Riley, well he may be getting up there in age but the youthful Dwyane Wade will keep him young. Pat should stick around for a couple more years to pass the torch to the next head coach....maybe it'll be Shaq? Q. Now that Dwyane Wade has captured his first NBA title, Finals MVP. Is it safe to say that he is comparable to Michael Jordan? A. It wouldn't be right for a basketball discussion to take place without one being compared to M.J. But coming from a Chicago native please stop with the comparisons. Look the two played in two different eras. In M.J. era there was no such thing as the "hand-check" foul. One could have been rode all the way to the rim without a foul being called. Whereas the D-Wade era plays zone, and a foul can be called due to a stare down. Look one can debate all they want but chew on this: Dwyane Wade's third season: 27 points 5 rebounds 6 assists. Michael Jordan's third season: 37 points 5 rebounds 5 assists 3 steals (one-year after breaking his ankle). D-Wade's rookie average (w/o Shaq): 16 pts. 4 reb. 4 assts. M.J. rookie average 28 pts. 7 reb. 6 assts. 2 steals. Q. Okay maybe D-Wade isn't comparable to M.J. but is he at least the best player in the NBA? A. Right here, right now, at this very moment Dwyane Wade is somewhere on South Beach watching the sunset, with a cold beverage from Wet Willy's in one hand, and his Final MVP trophy in the other. I think that says it all. SPORTS VENTZ • NBA: In case you haven't heard Michael Jordan is now the second largest majority owner (to Rob Johnson) with the Charlotte Bobcats. As the NBA draft lies one week away, M.J. will spend his summer vacation grooming some new talent. Some reports say that it may be University of Washington standout guard Brandon Roy. This 6'5 guard has been deemed as the most NBA ready, with M.J. eyeing him could Roy become the next Wade? Sorry, I couldn't resist. • NFL: With the NFL season beginning in two months, many fans and critics are buzzing in anticipation for the '06 season. Recently ESPN.com released its first set of power rankings with Seattle and Pittsburgh at the top of the list. Of course their ranking will change in due time but one that shocked me most was the Atlanta Falcons at #20. I know they didn't make the playoffs last season but the team has the most exciting QB in football. Not to mention there defense was upgraded with the signing of DE John Abraham, S Lawyer Malloy, LB Ed Hartwell returns from an injury, and CB Jimmy Williams was drafted out of Va. Tech to join his Hokie counterpart DeAngelo Hall. I was always told that defense wins championships....Note to the NFC south the Falcons look to soar in 2006. • MLB: Temper...Temper! White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen, is known for his outspoken comments has recently made Chicago headlines by using a derogatory name for a homosexual in regards to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. "What a piece of "expletive" says Guillen, he is "expletive" fag." When asked about his comments Guillen defended his statement by saying "Mariotti is not man enough to meet me and talk about things before writing. He also went on the say that where he is from (Venezuela) the word "fag" is used to describe one's courage not sexuality. Those comments are fine but this is what bothers me...Guillen went on to say he has gay friends, he attends WNBA games, he went to a Madonna concert, and plans to go to the Gay games in Chicago...Well if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck! • Sports First: Carolina Hurricanes wins its first Stanley Cup on the heels of 22-year-old Cam Ward (had 22 saves in game 7 victory) and the Miami Heat won its first NBA Championship on the heels of 24-year-old Dwyane Wade, not to mention the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL on the broad shoulders of 24-year-old Ben Rothlesberger (youngest QB winner in Super Bowl history). So as our children embark on yet another summer vacation let's enroll them in sports camp to enhance their skills because the future of professional sports is now, and your children, Got Next!