LeBron...... You got to be kidding me

LeBron James was putting on a monster performance in the 2012 NBA All-star game; he had 36 points and shot 6 for 8 behind the three point line.   With 5 seconds left to go in the game his east team was down by 3 points, the ball was in LeBron’s hands at the top of the key after his team recovered their own offensive rebound.  This is where closers step up and close games, unfortunately for LeBron he’s not a closer.  Instead of taking the closing shot, LeBron tried to sling the ball across court to Dwayne Wade and Blake Griffin had the easy steal to close the game. 

Why is arguably the NBA’s best player and most physically gifted athlete one of the biggest liabilities on the floor in the closing moments of ball games?  Even in a meaningless all-star game he doesn’t seem to have the mentality to even try to close a basketball game, as if he shrinks in the moment.  No chance MJ, Kobe, or anybody else who is considered a “king of the game”, shies away like that in that moment.  They attack it!  They want it!  LeBron just looks for Dwayne.  I understand Dwayne Wade is a better closer and the plays in the final minutes of heat game all plays should be designed to go to him.  However, if the ball is in your hands, you cannot be afraid to be the one who takes the final shot Lebron.  If so YOU WILL go down as Scottie Pippen (No disrespect Scottie) to Dwayne’s MJ, if not worst.

Galaxy Foamposites!!!! For sale!

Foamposite Galaxy

HA!  I got you here now read this!  Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed a little after midnight, I checked my timeline and read a tweet from one of my friends that read, “PG plaza saved a couple lives tonite...”.  This raised my curiosity and I began to think what could possibly be going on at PG plaza, where lives needed to be saved.  I began to use my logic and deductive reasoning to figure this out.  Being a native of this glorious county of Prince George’s in Maryland, I know the stores that are in PG Plaza, a large percentage of them are shoe stores and athletic wear.  As I sent him a reply asking what he was referring to it hit me.  Either a new line of Jordan’s or a new line of “Foams” must have been released.  Sure enough his response was that the release of the new “Galaxy Foamposites” was shut down.

 Foamposites or as they are more commonly referred to by sneaker enthusiasts “the foams”, first debuted in 1997, worn then by Orlando Magic guard Penny Hardaway.  Priced at $180 and with a revolutionary design and unconventional look, people weren’t exactly tearing down the doors to get a pair of the overpriced shoes.   Through the years Nikes has sampled a wide array of new color schemes and design phases on the shoes and popularity and demand has sky rocketed.  Now 15 years later we have reached the point where interest in the shoes has breached the level of insanity.

In 2011 we began to see the images that we have associated with the release of Jordan brand shoes to the release of “the foams” (now priced at $220).  On July 1^st in the state of Maryland two separate incidents were reported, one at the afore mentioned PG Plaza, and another at Iverson mall in Forestville, for the release of the “Electric Blue” foamposites.  In the incident at PG Plaza 3 people were stabbed and 2 died and in the incident in Iverson Mall 12 people were robbed. 

In the last month Nike has released two more versions of its Foamposite shoes, the “Metallic red” (Feb, 4), and the “Galaxy (Feb 24).  People have still been camping out in front of stores in tents, days in advance, fighting in lines, and robbing people for their chance to get their hands on the shoes.  With the release of last night’s “Galaxy”, it seems that police finally have gotten proactive and last night shutting down the release of the shoes in stores in Florida and in Maryland.  Leaving patrons who waited for hours to leave empty handed furious.

We’ve seen this site plenty of times before with Jordans, iPods, iPads, Playstations, Xbox’s.  These items are released in a limited supply and it creates a chaotic and dangerous situation.  How did we reach this point of insanity?  Right now there is a bid going on for a pair of these shoes on ebay for $70,000!  Don’t believe me?  Click the link! So the question arises, who is responsible for correcting this?   The manufacturer?  The consumers?  The authorities?  What do you think?   

People waiting for the Galaxy Foams in Atlanta

Is Diggs the new Walt Williams?

                Not too long ago one of my local rants was about the University of Maryland and its inability to successfully recruit the strong local talent.  I pointed out that the University has only landed a prospect ranked in the top 100 (local or otherwise) once in the since 2005.  I dismissed the possibility of them landing the last undecided local prospect ranked in the top 100 Stefon Diggs, referencing not only their past struggles to recruit such a player but pointing out the other two top local talents that committed to Florida St.  Well, the terps decided to prove me wrong!

                The university responded by convincing Stefon Diggs to sign a letter of intent to play his college ball at the University of Maryland.  Diggs, a wide receiver from Good Counsel high school in Olney, Maryland, not only was the 8^th overall prospect in the country according to rivals.com, but the best skill position player native to the east coast.  Diggs is just one player but his impact on the team could extend much further than just his performance on the playing field.

                Almost 25 years ago Walt Williams made the decision to stay with the University of Maryland after coach Bob Wade resigned, and Gary Williams took over to lead the school’s basketball program.  Walt’s presence and play was the foundation that helped the coach build a nationally respected program and a hall of fame career.  Diggs has the same opportunity to do this for Edsall.

In Edsall’s first year the team struggled mightily and finished with a 2-10 record.  Fans have already expressed their displeasure with Edsall and have made clear their desires for the university to replace him already.  Since the Terps made the unpopular decision say goodbye to long time coach Ralph Friedgen and welcome in former University of Connecticut coach Randy Edsall, 23 players have announced their intent to transfer.  Edsall has somehow managed to put together a pretty strong recruiting class for the 2012 season, with Diggs leading the way. 

With the historic trend of top local players fleeing the state to play for other Universities, Edsall could make his mark by ending this trend.  So tell me what do you think, could Diggs be Edsall’s Walt Williams?

Diggs Good Counsel Highlights

Why didn't we Amnesty Lewis?

When the NBA lockout ended this past summer, we were told that there was a new rule of amnesty for NBA contracts.  In short, each NBA team is allowed to use an “Amnesty Clause” to release one player from their roster within the next 10 years (the length of the current CBA).  Once the clause has been used it cannot be used again, within those 10 years.  Though the player is released, they are still fully compensated for the contract; however, that player’s salary will not count against that team’s salary cap.

     When us Wizards fans heard of this rule we all assumed that the Wizards would exercise this option on Rashard Lewis.  Lewis the second highest paid player (making $22.15 million this season) in the league for the current 2011-2012 season finished last season averaging 11.7 points a game and this season is averaging 8.5 this season and leaving a lot of fans asking; “Why didn’t we amnesty Lewis?”.  Lewis, whose production has been rapidly decreasing the last 3 years and is owed another $23.7 million in the final year of his contract next season (the 2012-2013 season), seems to be the perfect candidate. 

WHAT ARE WE MISSING?  I’ll tell you what, there’s hope!  Lewis has a $10 million dollar buyout next season.  Meaning the Wizards could save near $14 million by buying Lewis out as opposed to amnesty him.  This leaves the wizards with the option of using the clause for another player in the future.  So actually not pulling the trigger on Lewis seems like the good move and hopefully they’ll find the right player to amnesty and won’t Blatche….I mean botch it.

Congrats to the Giants, NOW LET'S PARTY

          So as we all know by now the Giants beat the Patriots again in Super Bowl XLVI, (46 for all you normal folks) and what a snoozer it was!  Now, I know there are a million headlines I could address; Eli having more rings than his brother, the Patriots receivers dropping passes every where, M.I.A's middle finger (I really don't care about that), but we only deal with the most pressing most serious topics here!  I'll feel as if I did the people a disservice if I did not discuss Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light dancing the night away after the Super Bowl.
          Yeah buddy!  Gronkowski, the second year record breaking tight end and Matt Light, a 3 time pro-bowl veteran offensive tackle were spotted having a good ole time in Indianapolis following a 21-17 Super Bowl loss.  The two appeared on stage at a Patriots produced after party in Indianapolis (I'm assuming this was planned in anticipation of a victory), dancing shirtless on stage with bands like LMFAO and Marron 5.  This after a loss in which Gronk (who had been a cornerstone to their offense all season) wasn't able to give his team his best production as he was still recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered in the AFC championship game against the Ravens.

         So as this story caught wind Monday and the pictures began to surface, a lot of Patriot's fans are yelling at their computers in disbelief.  My opinion......it's not that serious.  Ok maybe it's a little tasteless, but it's no where near as tasteless as releasing a man the night before the Super Bowl, and Patriots fans sure weren't whining then, but that's a whole different article for another day.  In this case the season is over, there's nothing more either of these guys can do about the 2012 NFL season.  They wen out there, they played hard, now it's time to regroup and prepare for next season.  I'm not going to be upset that they aren't in their hotel rooms crying, people handle wins and losses completely different. Besides that "shots" song is kinda catchy.......Thoughts?

Happy Birthday Bandwagonners!!!

So here we are, days away from the biggest annual sporting event in the United States (let's pause for the old 60 year old man who's up in arms because he thinks it's the world series.....moving on).  If you are a Giants or a Patriots fan, this day means even more.  You are amongst the lucky few that get to see your team run out on to that field in Indianapolis competing for the title of Super Bowl Champion.  Congratulations fan, you rode that annual Giants roller coaster, or you sat there and watched your Patriots overcome that poor defense. 

If you’re lucky, your team, after battling hard through the whole game may take the lead somewhere in the third quarter and as you cheer and hi-five the other hands of those rooting for your team, you may notice something.  A new hand has been added to the group of hands you were hi-fiving earlier in the first quarter.  Then you realize not only has this person latched on because the momentum of the game is swinging in the favor of your favorite team, but they’re cheering louder than you are. 

Now you’re getting annoyed.  Sure your team is winning or maybe pretty much has the game wrapped up and you’re ecstatic to watch your favorite team hoist the Lombardi Trophy, but why are they so happy?  They weren’t there when the team was awful; they didn’t watch the games that made you want to throw your television out of the window.  They can’t even name 2 players on the team! 

What you’re experiencing is the birth of a bandwagon fan.  This is a person that most likely one of your friends brings over who you don’t know that well.  At the beginning of the evening when you introduce yourself to that person and ask “Who are you pulling for”, they responded “Oh I don’t know”.  Then 3 hours later they’re jumping all over your furniture and yelling like they’re on the field themselves. 

There is probably not a more annoying single entity in sports, and a lot of them are all created on the very day which we sports fans love so much, because of how many people are actually watching.  So be aware Giants and Pats fans, point out who's down with you and your team for the long haul early, and don’t look back!  People it's ok to root for one team or the other, but leave the real celebration for the actual fans, the ones who have stuck with their teams through the good times and the bad.  Thoughts?  

Keep' Em Home

            So today was National Signing Day, the day that high school football seniors can sign a binding letter of intent to the NCAA College or university of their choice.  College football fans everywhere will be logging onto sites like  Rivals and  ESPN , excited to see what new players will be entering their favorite schools come this fall.  Year after year, the same schools lead the way for reeling in the top recruits.  With a quick glance you will see schools like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Texas, landing multiple players ranked in the top 100.  However, if you go back and look at the lists more closely you may see another trend.

            Though most high school seniors can’t wait to move on to new states and begin their college careers and adult lives, most of the larger universities are able to land a recruit from their own home state.  For example, this season out of the 12 Texas recruits in the top 100, 10 of them opted to attend either Texas, or Texas A&M.  Likewise out of the 3 Virginia natives in the top 100, one selected Virginia Tech, while the other two opted to attend Virginia.  Elsewhere in Maryland, the trend doesn’t quite seem to carry over.

            Three of the top 100 players reside in the state of Maryland, two of which have opted to attend Alabama and Florida St, while the remaining one has yet to decide.  University of Maryland fans most likely aren’t holding their breath waiting for him to declare that he’ll be playing his college ball in Maryland either.  Since 2002, the state of Maryland (and the D.C Metro area) has produced 26 top 100 recruits.  Out of those 26 recruits, the University of Maryland has landed five, and only one since 2005.  In 2006 the state of Maryland had 5 prospects ranked in the top 100 and somehow managed to let them all slip away.     

            I understand that we don’t exactly have a college football powerhouse in College Park, but it’s still a state University.  This is unacceptable!  Following a year where a well respected coach was fired from his position and a new coach has come in and completely derailed the program, you have to make a statement by getting those players.  I’m sorry, but after what I saw last year from the terps on the gridiron, one guy from the top 250 players in the country (Wes Brown, 188) AIN’T NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF!  DO BETTER!   We have enough embarrassing teams in this area.