Well bloggers, the time has come.  After today it's in the judges' hands. As a result, I have a serious question I'd like to ask everyone. (No, really I do).  Considering all of the drama, criticism, and accusations in Blog World the past two days, just why are we here anyway?  It's far too simple to say that everyone has come to try and become The Next Great Sportswriter.  To say so would be selling us all far too short. I think we are here today because at least on a sub-conscious level, we all get it. What do we get? We understand that in so many ways organized athletics mirrors everyday life.  So much of what we are born with, taught, and come to value, has a basis in sport.  For this reason, and perhaps more, we are drawn to sports, like moths to light.

     All children are born with the inherent nature to love play.  It's how we first learn to do anything.  Once we could maneuver within our world, we all just wanted to have fun, didn't we? Sport in this regard, as defined in any dictionary, is an activity done for pleasure.  The first rule of life is to have fun, in our case, sport.  The basic need for fun is quick to develop in all of us.  It serves as a building block for all things to come.  We never, ever, want to stop having fun.

     As we continue to grow we learn of gamesmanship, and we begin to build character. There are rules to the game, which we must follow.  Victory through cheating holds no honor.  Some try anyway, and may find temporary success.  That risk is high and the price is heavy.  There are few greater disgraces than to be caught cheating.  Equally worse are those who become the dreaded sore-loser. Try your best, give it your all, but never discredit another's fairly earned victory.

     A higher, less selfish level of thinking comes next.  This would be accountability to others.  We all play a different role at various points of our life. In sports it may be pitcher, catcher, lineman, or quarterback. In life it may be mother, father, teacher, or doctor. In both situations, we all have a specific job to do.  How much others can count on us goes a long way to determining how we are perceived by them.  Place blame elsewhere, when your team suffers defeat, and risk becoming a pariah.  Ignore responsibilities in your own life, and facing yourself in the mirror might become hard. A Dead-Beat-Dad comes to mind.

      As we move from stage to stage in life, we try develop our own  individuality.  This is based on what we have become good at, along with what we have come to enjoy.  A fast runner, who longs to always get there first, may pursue a spot on the track team for example.  Whatever the case, we want to distinguish ourselves, stand out from the crowd, and have others recognize the unique talent that we possess.

     The next lessons in life are ambition and resolve. Individuals who never internalize these feelings are doomed to face the prospect of a life filled with regret.  If you don't want to try and be the best that you can at something, then why bother at all? Does anyone want to face the prospect of having to utter the words, "If only I had...?" Would you want a teammate that did not care as much as you did, or a family member or co-worker that wasn't holding up their end of the bargain? How one responds when things don't go as planned, is what separates the strong from the weak.  Sports, like life, are riddled with challenges both obvious and unexpected.  Whether or not a person chooses to stand tall and persevere, or cower and crumble determines their legacy.             

      Ultimately what we all crave and desire is acceptance for being ourselves. Everybody, without exception, wants to feel a part of something, to belong.  At some point in time, and very early at that, the love of our parents is not enough.  Being willingly included as part of a team or group, by others who have no otherwise binding ties to you, reassures us that we are worthy somehow. 

     And there you have it. (Finally, I know) That's why I think we're all here.  Universal values are found in sport.  These are values that allow us all to connect with people in some way or another. If not, why then has every culture since the dawn of civilization, created games of leisure.  Hopefully we have learned our lessons well, from sportsmanship through acceptance. Judging by the turn of events these last 2 days in the Blogosphere, where we have seen way too much negativity, I would say that some have missed the boat with their blahg, blahg, and blahg.

 Listed below are sports figures that either received passing grades from me, or fell asleep in the game of life.

  Sports Figures Who Got It  

J      Just For Fun: Ernie Banks: The legendary Mr. Cub is regarded as perhaps the best player to never win a World Series.  Even so to the end of his career he was always upbeat. His catchphrase,  "Let's Play Two", demonstrated his pure love of the game.  He remains an inspiration to all athletes.

2)      Character: Derek Jeter: Miraculously the Red Sox rebounded from a 0-3 ALCS deficit in 2004 to beat the Yankees and then win the World Series.  The following year they received their championship rings at Fenway Park. The Yankees were in the visiting dugout and there was Jeter at the top step applauding the Sox.

3)      Accountability: Brett Favre: After losing numerous offensive linemen this year to free agency and injury, nearly every running back on the team and his best wide receiver, Favre has suffered through a disastrous statistical season.  He has never once made any excuses for himself.

4)      Individuality: Danica Patrick: Danica is trying to become the first woman ever to win the Indy 500.  As the lone female driver she stands out on the racing circuit, and not because she's attractive. Her small frame and beauty, hide the huge amount of confidence and toughness she has inside.

5)      Ambition: Michael Jordan: Jordan not only wanted to be the best, but he would stop at nothing to get there.  Not only was he great, but also he made all of his teammates better.  He was driven to succeed, like very few others on the court.

6)      Resolve: Arturo Gatti: He is clearly not the greatest fighter to ever live, as he has taken his share of beatings.  However, I have no doubt he would fight to the death in the ring if allowed.

7)      Universally Accepted: John Madden: Just a simple sort of guy that knows his football, tough guys, Tur-Duck-Ens, and most of all himself.  What will we do when he's gone one day?  Like him or not he is this generation's Howard Cosell, but only regarding football of course.

Sports Figures Who Missed It

1)      Just For Fun: Barry Bonds: Throughout his brilliant career Bonds has never appeared to be truly happy. From his early days with the Pirates, until now, he has always been characterized negatively.  His history of surly behavior has done nothing to improve his image.  He acts as though he is a victim in life.

2)      Character: Patrick Ewing: After losing to the Pacers in the 1995 NBA playoffs, Ewing stated that the Knicks were still the better team.  This was said after he blew a lay-up in Game 7 that would have sent the contest into overtime. His comment was a discredit to the Pacers, his teammates, and himself. 

      Accountability: Ricky Williams: He walked away from the game and his teammates to smoke some pot?   He forfeited millions of dollars so he could become a massage therapist? He wasn't just failing his family and teammates, he was failing himself. Light up another one dude!

3)      Individuality: Terrell Owens: This year T.O. showed all of his teammates what they likely already knew. His selfish actions resulted in suspensions during training camp and the regular season.  This followed his famous post-Super Bowl comment that "He wasn't the one getting sick in the huddle", regarding Donovan McNabb. His self-centered identity  is as bad as they have ever come.

       Ambition: Randy Moss: He is living proof that thinking you're the best just isn't good enough.  Run some real routes, take a hit, stop taking plays off, and stay with your team until the end of the game.  Consistently demonstrating his greatness on the field is not a requirement of Randy's.

6)      Resolve: Mike Tyson:  Iron Mike loved to beat people up.  The problem was that if you hit him back, he eventually turned into tin foil.  He might be the most over-rated heavyweight of all time.

7)      Widely Rejected: Dennis Rodman: Okay, so he was rather interesting to watch.  Were all of his weird actions representative of who he really was? I just think he was some freaky guy who didn't know where he fit in.  Whatever the case, we tuned in to his horror show for a while, as he remained friendless amongst his peers. 

     By no means does the importance of a game compare to the rigors of reality.  Sometimes we seem to make it out to be that way, but it's not even close.  However, the lessons we learn while playing on a team are very applicable when dealing with problems that occur in real life. Sports are just a whole lot more fun.

     Sorry to get all serious, but as so many others have chosen to tell us, this is a writing contest after all. (lol) Good luck everyone, it's been great up to this point.