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Who Is Really the Greatest Of All Time?

Sports Views 1 Response »
Mar 092010

While listening in on a debate between my teenage son and a group of his friends from the neighborhood the other day, I was very amused to find that not only do they believe it to be a toss up between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James as to who the best player in the NBA is but they even went as far as to say that these two are the greatest basketball players in NBA history.

Upon hearing this proclamation, my first reaction was to immediately chuckle to myself.  “They have got to be kidding me”, I mused quietly seconds before I exploded into a roar of laughter.  “Magic Johnson is the greatest basketball player of all time!  Are you kidding me”?  I chimed in as I ridiculed these “uninformed” teens.  “You all are just saying that Kobe and Lebron are the best because that is all that you have seen in the short time that you have been on Earth”.

Being one that has always been blessed with the proverbial “gift of gab”, it is a rare occasion when I am speechless but on this particular occasion I was literally muted when these kids responded to my accusation of generational prejudice:  “Well pops, could it be that you are saying that Magic Johnson is the best basketball player of all time because he is from YOUR era”?

To be completely honest, they had a very good point.  Maybe I was being just a little bit prejudice by favoring a player from my era and perhaps it is simply human nature to do so.  In the words of the great Isaac Hayes:  I stand accused.  Guilty as charged!

As a consequence of my indictment, I decided to examine this issue in greater detail and attempt to find the elusive answer to the question of who is the greatest NBA player of all time without interjecting any personal feelings.  But how?  Hmmm?  I wonder.

Ultimately, I concluded that the only way to remove any personal feelings from my quest to solve this enigma was to look at the numbers and see exactly what some of the greats have accomplished in their careers.  My short list of candidates was admittedly chosen subjectively but I believe fairly and I am confident that most critics would feel comfortable with it.

Being that this entire inquiry was initiated from a Lebron/Kobe debate I had to include both of these young superstars in my short list of candidates.  The remaining candidates include:  Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.  Let’s us take a look and see what the facts actually are and crunch the numbers to get a better perspective as to exactly what kind of careers these hardwood giants had.

My initial thoughts were to look at career longevity first and foremost reasoning that if one is trying to ascertain who the greatest NBA athlete of all time is; the player’s entire body of work must be evaluated.  If in fact the player’s entire body of work is incomplete than there is nothing to evaluate and this person must be immediately eliminated.  In light of this, I concluded that Lebron James must be eliminated from this debate because although he has been impressive in his short career, he has only been in the league 7 years which is an insufficient amount of time to make any claims of all time greatness for him.  Perhaps we can revisit this debate in another 7 years or so but for now Lebron must go to the bench.

Kobe Bryant; however, makes a great case for being the greatest of all time.  He has been in the league a total of 14 years after being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA draft upon choosing to immediately enter the NBA after graduating from high school.  He was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac in what may turn out to be one of the worst trades in the history of professional sports.

Since joining the league in 1996, Kobe has averaged and impressive 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.9 turnovers per game.  Kobe scored a career high 81 points against Toronto on 1/22/06, has won 4 NBA championships with the Lakers and has been selected to the NBA all star team 11 times.  The greatest testament of all in terms of Kobe’s greatness however may very well be the fact that he was able to win an NBA championship without the assistance of future hall of famer Shaquille Oneal with whom he won three consecutive championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

For years it had been whispered in certain circles that Kobe would never win a championship without the big man in the middle but those whispers were forever put to rest once and for all in 2009 when Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 15 NBA championship.  Kobe certainly is a viable candidate for the title of greatest NBA player of all time but is he even the greatest Laker of all time?  Let’s see.

They called him “Magic” and he was my sentimental choice for greatest NBA player of all time.  This 6’9” point guard with the big smile from Michigan State University was so good that they changed the name of the game from basketball to “Showtime” in Los Angeles during his tenure there.  Earvin “Magic” Johnson was so good that he along with Larry Bird was able to transition the NBA from the floundering league which it had been during the era of Dr. “J” to the highly successful league which it had become by the time in which the baton was passed to Michael Jordan in the late 1980’s.

The ultimate floor general, “Magic” was able to elevate the game of everyone that he played with and his incredible no-look passes and up-tempo fast break style was so revolutionary that it was even able to convert a journeyman player from Greece named Kirk Rambis into a fan favorite and 4 time NBA champion.

In his first 12 seasons before revealing the he had tragically contracted HIV and was forced to retire early, Magic averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 3.9 turnovers per game.  A 12 time NBA all star, Magic was able to lead the Lakers to 5 NBA championships including back to back championships in 1987 and 1988.  He was named as one of the 50 greatest NBA players in 1996, was a 9 time NBA 1st team selection, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basket Hall of Fame in 2002.  In my opinion he is the greatest Laker of all time and quite possibly the greatest player ever but I said that I was going to be non-partial so let’s continue on our quest for the greatest ever.

Larry Joe Bird played his entire 13 year career with the Boston Celtics and his name will forever be linked to his nemesis and friend Magic Johnson.  During the NBA’s transitional years of the 80’s, the fierce rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics was once again rekindled and the rivalry between Bird and Magic which had it’s beginning in the 1979 NCAA basketball finals continued on for many years.

Nicknamed “Larry the Legend”,  Bird was a 9 time NBA all star, 3 time NBA champion, 9 time NBA 1st team selection, 2 time NBA finals MVP, 50 greatest NBA player selection and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 1998.

In 13 NBA seasons, Larry “The Hick from French Lick” Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  Being a long time Atlanta Hawks fan, Larry Bird has stuck a dagger in my heart many times as he would annually and single handedly put my beloved Hawks out of the playoffs.

He was just damn hard to beat and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  I literally hated him (in a sports hatred kind of way) and I hated the Celtic team just as vehemently.  The guy could play the game and as much as I hate to admit it, he is a legitimate candidate for the greatest NBA player of all time title.  But is he?  Let us continue our quest for the greatest of all time.

As the baton was passed from the Bird-Magic era to the next generation, a young man from North Carolina would change the game for ever on and off the court.  With the quickness of a deer and the leaping ability of a cheetah, Michael Jordan showed the world how to play above the rim as it had never been done before.  As he would gracefully float through the air and glide to the hoop while others succumbed to the inevitable effects of gravity, he would slam the ball home with authority with his tongue hanging out of his mouth as if he were sticking it out at his opponent in defiance.  Michael Jordan’s uncanny ability to hang in the air for what seemed an eternity earned him the nickname “Air Jordan” and deservedly so.

Entering the league in 1984, Air Jordan went on to play a total of 15 stellar seasons in the NBA.  He was named league MVP 5 times, won 6 championships (2 three-peats), received 14 all star nominations, 10 1st team NBA honors, was named rookie of the year and was acknowledged as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.  He averaged 30.1 points, 5.3 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and an amazing 2.35 steals per game in his illustrious career.  He was enshrined in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Not only did Jordan excel on the court but his commercial appeal was unmatched by any athlete before him and since with possibly the exception of Tiger Woods.  Due to the enormity of his popularity, he earned millions and millions of dollars in endorsements and paved the way for the modern athlete to enhance their fortunes beyond the playing field.  Michael “Air” Jordan is quite possibly the greatest NBA player ever but let’s continue what we have started in pursuit of the greatest of all time.

Born Lew Alcindor on 8/16/1947, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, entered the NBA in 1969 after being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks.  He would win the first of 6 NBA championships in 1971 and would go on to play a record 20 seasons in the NBA.  He is the all time leader in points scored, games played and was at the time of his retirement the all time leader in blocks.

Kareem was an integral part of “Showtime” along with Magic Johnson and James Worthy and his patented sky-hook shot is still considered the most lethal offensive weapon the NBA has ever seen.  He average 24.6 points, 11.2 blocks, 3.6 steals and 2.7

blocks per game in his phenomenal career and certainly should be considered in any debate pertaining to the greatest NBA player that ever lived.  Perhaps he is?

If there ever was a mountain of a man and a physical specimen the likes of which had never been seen before, it was Wilton Norman Chamberlain.  At 7’1” tall and weighing 275 pounds Wilt Chamberlain was simply unstoppable.  Drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1959 NBA draft, Wilt Chamberlain went on to play 16 seasons in the NBA.  His statistics are mind boggling to say the least.  Check this out!

During his career Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.  He scored a ridiculous 100 points in a single game, 4000 points in one season, snatched 55 rebounds in a game, average 50.4 points per game one season (1961) and even led the league in assists in 1967.  Imagine that!

Wilt Chamberlain was a 2 time NBA champion, 4 times NBA MVP, 7 times 1st team NBA, Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Inductee (1978) and a member of the NBA 50 greatest players.  His 23,924 rebounds are still an NBA record and at the time of his retirement he was the NBA’s all time leading scorer.  There cannot be any discussion concerning the greatest player in NBA history that does not include Wilton Norman Chamberlain.  Period!

The Celtics have had many great players in their storied history as I am sure anyone that knows the slightest little bit about professional basketball can attest but the most famous Celtic of all is next to be scrutinized along our quest to determine the greatest NBA player of all time.

Bill Russell was the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics during their dynastic days of the

1960’s. In 13 seasons in the NBA Bill Russell won an incredible 11 championships!  Yes that is right!  I said 11 championships in 13 seasons!  This is a feat that in my opinion will never be duplicated.  He was a 5 time NBA MVP, 12 times an all star and even won a championship as a player/coach.  He had a ridiculous streak of 12 consecutive seasons of 1000 rebounds or more and snatched an unbelievable 51 rebounds in a single game.

During his career Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and is considered to be quite possibly the greatest defensive player of all time.  He titanic battles against Wilt Chamberlain are legendary and they were fierce competitors on the court but great friends on the court.  Russell was the only person of their era that could slightly neutralize Wilt Chamberlain although nobody ever completely stopped him.  Bill Russell was a man among men and cannot be omitted from any conversation concerning the greatest NBA player of all time either.

Well there you have it.  That pretty much sums up the accomplishments of my list of finalists for the title of the greatest player in NBA history.  All of these incredible basketball players have accomplishments that are stratospheric and it is extremely difficult to make a decision as to who is the best among them based upon statistics because each one of these behemoths excelled in different areas.  For example what is more impressive:  Wilt Chamberlains 100 point game, Kareem’s 19 all star appearances, Michael Jordan’s 2 3-peats or Bill Russell’s 12 seasons of at least 1000 rebounds?

With much careful thought, I have to give the nod to Bill Russell and his 11 NBA championships.  Many times I have seen great players with exemplary statistics denied there due simply because they did not have an NBA championship as the crown to their careers.  The great Dominique Wilkins comes immediately to mind who upon retirement was number 7 all time in NBA scoring history but was inexplicably omitted from the 50 greatest NBA player’s team of 1996 simply because he never won a championship.

Bill Russell’s 11 championships in 13 seasons simply is an amazing accomplishment.  To put it in perspective, Bill Russell has as many NBA Championship rings as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird combined.  Grasp this if you will. He averaged an incredible 22.5 rebounds per game for his career!  I remember when the great Dennis Rodman was receiving tremendous accolades for leading the NBA in rebounding with an average of 15 boards per game during the 1997/1998 season.  That feat was quite impressive but is dwarfed in comparison to what Bill Russell was able to accomplish.  He averaged 22.5 rebounds for his CAREER!  Need I say more?

Well I guess that all of this conjecture is still merely my opinion regardless of the numbers that I have presented but my mind is certainly made up.  I repeat that Bill Russell is the greatest player in NBA history.  Perhaps you have a different view.  If so feel free to leave a comment.  I am certainly interested in hearing it.

Posted by Nazaru at 1:01 pm Tagged with:

He’s Back!

Sports Views No Responses »
Feb 042010

The memory is still etched on the walls of my mind like a graffiti tag under a bridge on I-85.  The date was September 6, 1980 at Sanford Stadium in Athens Georgia.  With the ball spotted on approximately the 15 yard line of Tennessee, a true freshman running back named Herschel Walker from tiny Wrightsville Georgia took a handoff from quarterback Buck Belue, faked to his right, cut back left and introduced himself to the world by steamrolling Tennessee’s Bill Bates at the 9 yard line and motoring into the endzone for a touchdown.  Little did I know at the time that I would still be discussing Herschel Walker some 30 years later but it would not be concerning football. Please allow me to explain what I mean.

After a stellar career at The University of Georgia which included a national championship as a freshman, a Heisman trophy, three time All American honors and a slew of SEC records, Herschel Walker went on to become the face of Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League (USFL) in 1983.  He    immediately proceeded to rewrite the records books as the most prolific single season rusher to ever live when he amassed an unheard of 2,411 yards rushing in 1985 which remains to this day a professional football record.

Upon the demise of the USFL in 1985 after the league was awarded a token verdict in an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, Herschel joined the National Football League and had a long career as a Dallas Cowboy, Minnesota Viking, Philadelphia Eagle and New York Giant.

During Herschel’s career in the NFL, he was named to the Pro Bowl twice in 1987 and 1988 but is most famous for being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 by Dallas Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson for 5 players and six draft picks that were subsequently used to select Russell Maryland, Emmitt Smith, Issac Holt, Darrin Nelson and David Howard.  It was this blockbuster trade that many have attributed to the genesis of the Dallas Cowboy dynasty of the 1990’s.

Ironically, Herschel finished his NFL career in 1997 were it began, back with the Dallas Cowboys.  Amassing 8,225 yards rushing during his 12 year NFL career along with 4,859 receiving yards, 84 touchdowns, and 5,084 kickoff return yards including 2 for touchdowns, Herschel was arguably one of the greatest multipurpose football players of all time.

What makes Herschel Walker so special; however, is the things that he has accomplished in addition to his football heroics.  Herschel is not only a great football player; he is a great athlete and has excelled in many other athletic endeavors over the years.  While in college he was a world class sprinter running a career best 10.22 second 100 meter time, he has competed as an Olympic Bobsledder and is also a 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

I often wonder how some athletes are just simply good at whatever sport they choose to participate in.  At times I speculate that it must be genetics presuming that somewhere encoded in a great athlete’s genes is a predisposition to run just a little bit faster, jump just a little bit higher and have just a little bit better hand to eye coordination than the average human being.

At times I have attributed athletic prowess to hard work and discipline which certainly describes Herschel Walker’s work habits.  Herschel has often proclaimed that he has never worked out with weights preferring instead to maintain a grueling training methodology of thousands of push ups and thousands of sit ups daily since his youth.  Whatever the case may be, Herschel’s chiseled physique and 4% body fat measurement present infallible evidence of the effectiveness of his work outs.

In recent years, Herschel has come forth and revealed that he suffers from an illness called Multiple Personality Disorder which is a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities each with its own pattern of interacting with the environment.  He states that he is currently receiving treatment for this condition and claims that his treatments are helping him better manage his idiosyncrasy.

Hmmmm?!  Perhaps it is not genetics that make Herschel so great an athlete after all.  Perhaps it is not even the discipline to punish his body to the tune of thousands of push ups and sit ups a day that has made Herschel the extraordinary athlete that we have come to know and love.  It may not even be a combination of the aforementioned that have propelled Herschel to the upper echelons of athletic greatness.  It very well may be that each of his professed personalities is a great athlete in his own right.  Perhaps deep in the cognitive confines of the physical specimen named Herschel Walker dwells a great football player that manifested himself on the gridiron once upon a time.  Perhaps deep therein dwells the personality of an athlete quick enough, mentally sharp enough and tough enough to achieve black belt status in martial arts, etc.

Admittedly, this is just conjecture on my part but it serves well to explain Herschel’s latest athletic venture: Mixed Martial Arts prize fighting (MMA).  Could it be that another Herschel has arisen from within choosing this time to manifest itself as a great MMA fighter?  It certainly doesn’t appear as if Herschel is doing this for the money since all of his earnings have been pledged to charity.  No, this Herschel appears to be one who’s competitive juices are boiling again determined to be resurrected in the persona of a MMA fighter.

After a meager 4 months of preparation, Herschel Walker is back in the headlines by putting on an impressive TKO performance against Hungarian born Greg Nagy in the third round of his MMA professional fighting debut for Strikeforce promotions who he signed with late last year.

Looking fit as ever the 47 year old Walker continually pounded the younger Nagy with a relentless ground attack that Nagy seemed to have no answer for.  He eventually succumbed to Walkers repeated blows to the head and torso at 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the third round.  The fight was not even close and Walker seems to have a bright future in MMA based upon his performance but expectations need to be tempered somewhat considering the quality of this particular opponent.  Only time will reveal just how good Herschel will ultimately be in this grueling young mans sport but I am sure that he will at least compel himself to be highly competitive and entertaining.

Regardless of whomever he faces, Herschel Walker’s star power in itself is sufficient enough to generate immense interest in MMA.  Many an opponent is sure to be lining up for a shot at the great payday that a Herschel Walker fight is sure to bring.  Even the comical Jose Canseco, the one time Major League Baseball slugger who’s tell all books and interviews single handedly initiated the MLB steroids scandal, has called out Herschel in the hopes of a fight.  Hopefully the classy Walker will not bite on such foolishness thereby avoiding becoming a sideshow on the order of the Muhammad Ali; Antonio Inoki mixed martial arts “exhibition” fight of 1976.

All that I can say is that whatever Herschel chooses to do he has proven himself capable of doing well and over the years I have learned never to count out this extraordinary human being.  Don’t be surprised if Herschel Junior Walker pulls off an upset or two in the MMA arena as his pugilistic personality takes precedence for however long Herschel decides to compete in the octagon ring.  I’ve got my popcorn ready.  Do you?

Posted by Nazaru at 1:01 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

New Orleans: A Tale of Courage

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Jan 292010

Author:  Dean Nazaru McCray 1-28-2010

When the New Orleans Saints go marching into Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens Florida on February 7, 2010 to play in Super Bowl 44 against the Peyton Manning led Indianapolis Colts, it will be the culmination of an onerous journey filled with many a heartbreak but also many a thrill for arguably some of the greatest fans in professional sports.

Established in 1967 and oddly placed in the NFC West conference of the NFL along with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, the Saints initially played their home games in Tulane Stadium until the 1975 season when the New Orleans Superdome was christened to be the home of the “who dats”.

Little did the “Big Easy” know that it would be more than 20 years before this upstart franchise would have a winning record and 43 years before they would make it to the Super Bowl.  Ironically, they are to face off in their first Super Bowl against a great Indianapolis Colt team with the son of Archie Manning, perhaps the greatest Saints quarterback of all time, at the helm.  Surely there will be a plethora of emotional turbulence in the Manning home as they are forced to choose between supporting their very own family and their beloved Saints.

Being raised in Atlanta Georgia, I remember the bitter-friendly rivalry between the Falcons and the Saints back in the dismal days of both franchises in the 70’s and 80’s.  I can recall how Falcon fans would circle the date of the New Orleans game on the calendar and get together in groups to make the yearly trek to Louisiana by car or bus in an attempt to make the Super Dome their own.  Although both franchises were horrible at that time it really was a lot of fun and made for some great memories.

The fortunes of the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints seemed heading in opposite directions in 1980 as the Falcons recorded their best record as of that date of 12-4 and won their very first NFC West title.  In the meantime, the Saints lost the first 14 games of the 1980 season thus compelling their ashamed fans to start appearing at games wearing paper sacks over their heads with the eyes, nose and mouth area cut out.  In addition, the frustrated fans would emblazon upon the forehead area of their paper sacks the moniker “Aints” as a testament to their disappointment with the team.  This comical display of fan dissatisfaction remained throughout the course of the Saints 1980 season and has in a sense become a traditional display of displeasure by fans in all sports when their team is horribly inept.

The fortunes of the Saints began to improve in 1987 upon the hiring of Jim Mora as their new coach.  During this strike shortened season, the Saints went 12-3 and made their first playoff appearance spearheaded by great defensive play and the leadership of ex USFL quarterback Bobby Hebert.

Under the guidance of Jim Mora, from 1987 – 1996, the Saints made the playoff 4 times and won a divisional title in 1991.  They were; however, unable to win a playoff game during Jim Mora’s tenure as coach.

Jim Mora was replaced by former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka who led the franchise from 1996 – 1999.  The Ditka tenure as head coach of the Saints was extremely disappointing and concluded in his firing at the end of the 1999 season as well as the termination of his entire staff and the Saints then General Manager Bill Kuharich.  Although a great coach during his time with the bears, Mike Ditka will sadly be remembered for his botched draft of 1999 when he traded all of the Saints draft picks as well as the 1st and 3rd round picks of the following year to obtain the rights to the University of Texas Heisman Trophy winning running back Ricky Williams.  He has not coached in the NFL since and is currently a color commentator at ESPN.

The Jim Haslett era in New Orleans 2000 – 2005 began with much promise with the first ever playoffs win for the franchise.  Subsequent years of mediocrity ensued and Haslett was eventually let go after the 2005 season in which the Saints finished with a 3 -13 record.  The 2005 season Haslett’s last, is most notable; however, for the landing of the powerful Hurricane Katrina upon the shores of the Gulf States devastating New Orleans and much of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Forced to play its home games at LSU Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and the Alamo Dome in San Antonio Texas in the aftermath of this catastrophe, the city of New Orleans nearly lost its beloved Saints which many cities were campaigning to have relocated to their area.  Most prevalent in this pursuit was the city of San Antonio who’s Major at that time made a strong to push to permanently obtain the Saints reasoning that the devastated New Orleans economy would not be able to support a professional football franchise for many years to come.  Thankfully, through the intervention of the NFL and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the Saints were allowed to remain in New Orleans were they rightfully belong.

The Saints triumphantly returned home to play at the Superdome for the 2006 season.  Miraculously, this resurgent team that many had written off as doomed proceeded to take their football fans on a Cinderella journey all the way to the NFC Championship game before finally succumbing to the Chicago Bears by the score of 39-14.

Missing the playoffs in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the Saints returned to their winning ways by posting a franchise record best 13-3 record in 2009 culminating in a birth in the 2010 Super Bowl by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Superdome by the score of 31-28 in overtime.  To add to the drama, the Minnesota Vikings were led by the great Brett Favre who grew up being a huge Saints fan in his hometown of nearby Gulfport Mississippi.

Contrary to the prevailing pessimism concerning New Orleans’s post Katrina future, the Saints and the city itself are doing just fine.  Although the outlook after Hurricane Katrina looked bleak, nobody took into account the resilient nature of the people who against insurmountable odds have risen from the ashes of despair and lived to witness their dearly loved Saints with whom they have suffered much chagrin and heartbreak earn a spot in the largest spectacle in sports:  the Super Bowl.

New Orleans and the Saints, I commended you for your perseverance.  You have faced many Katrinas in your franchise history and have been devastated many times.  Regardless of the adversary, you would always bounce back each year and give it one more try.  Even when you faced your biggest Katrina in 2005 and were literally obliterated, your courage and refusal to capitulate willed you to victory once again.  I applaud your bravery in the face of destruction and regardless of the outcome of Super Bowl 44; you are a winner in my book.  Good luck!

Posted by Nazaru at 10:35 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

Is It Worth It????

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Jan 212010

I am probably about to ruffle a few feathers and perhaps provoke waves but I think that what I have to say is on the minds of many a sports fan and affects each and every one of us indirectly at the very least.  Many will say that this is just my opinion and perhaps it is but I have a right to it and a forum to express it so: voila!

While sitting here at home watching ESPN Classic, I had the opportunity the other day to watch a home run derby from around the time of the late fifties or early sixties.  The contestants were two of the all time great baseball players and hall of fame members:  Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews.  To add to the intrigue of this competition, the contestants were teammates that played for the then Milwaukee Braves prior to their moving to Atlanta Georgia in 1966.

In contrast to modern home run derby events, this contest did not occur during all star weekend, did not contain a multitude of sluggers and only paid $1,000 to the winner of the event which seems like peanuts compared to the million dollar contracts doled out these days to even players of average talent.

As I observed the contest, I noticed one thing that seemed very peculiar.  Although the park seemed to be of average dimensions, the home runs were no where near to being the spectacular “moon shots” that I am used to seeing launched into orbit during the modern home run derbies.  In addition, the ratio of home runs per out seemed to be substantially less during this classic slugfest than during the more recent home run derby events that I have watched.

This bizarre contrast between the classic home run derby and the modern home run derby began my inquisitive juices to flowing.  I wondered to myself, how it is possible that the players of today seem to be so much bigger, stronger and faster?  I mean, we are not talking about your everyday ordinary baseball players here representing the classic era.  This is hammering Hank Aaron the all-time home run king appearing to possess decent power at the plate but nothing mind boggling.  In fact this baseball immortal seemed quite ordinary when compared to the behemoths of today.

Come on; let’s examine this a little bit further so that the enormity of this phenomenon can be digested.  This is the guy that broke the legendary Babe Ruth’s hallowed record of 714 home runs.  This is arguably the best baseball player that ever lived.  At the time of his retirement from baseball in 1976 after 23 years in the major leagues, he was 1st all time in home runs (755), 1st all time in RBI’s (2,297), 1st all time in total bases (6,856), 1st all time in extra base hits (1,477), 2nd all time in at bats (12,364), third all time in hits (3,771), etc.   “Why was I only mildly impressed by his performance and where was the wow factor that I should have been completely overwhelmed with?” I mused to myself.

Suddenly out of no where it struck me like the Muhammad Ali phantom punch in the second Sonny Liston fight.  Could I possibly be observing the effects of watching baseball during the so called “steroid era” and have become desensitized to what real baseball talent looks like without the aid of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)?

It certainly is without debate that the so-called “steroid era” did and perhaps still does exist in major league baseball.  Not only have notable participants in the scandal such as Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Petite come forth to confess their transgressions but the sheer absurdity of the offensive statistics during this regrettable period of major league baseball bares credence to its existence.

For instance, no longer does the great Roger Maris single season home run record of 61 stand.  Although it took 34 years for the Maris 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record of 60 that had stood from 1927 until 1961, the Maris record has been exceeded an incredible 6 times in the past 12 years alone.

Regrettably, Hank Aaron’s career home run record of 755 no longer stands at the pinnacle of baseball accomplishment as well after being eclipsed by Barry Bond’s 762 career home runs in August of 2007.  Barry Bonds has subsequently been indicted for allegedly committing perjury during testimony in the Balco Labs steroid investigation.  What a shame!

As I continued to chew on these thoughts, my mind began to reflect upon another sport that I have enjoyed over the years in which athletes seem to have taken their performances to another stratosphere over the last 25 years or so.

In the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul Korea, Carl Lewis (King Carl) was at the height of his fame.  After duplicating the great Jesse Owens’s feat of 4 gold medals in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles California, Lewis was poised to take track and field achievement to places never before imagined.

Anchoring the United State’s Men Track and Field Team, Lewis ran an all time best 9.92 seconds in the 100 meter sprint but was stunningly upset by an upstart Canadian named Ben Johnson who ran an unheard of time of 9.79 seconds while seemingly cruising the last 10 meters with one hand in the air in celebration.  Three days later, the world was shocked to learn that Ben Johnson had been stripped of his gold medal for failing a drug test for PEDs.  As a consequence of Johnson’s disqualification, Lewis was awarded the gold medal in the 100 meters and also credited with a new Olympic and later World Record of 9.92 which at the time was astounding.

Although miraculous in 1988, Carl Lewis sprint of 9.92 seconds seems sloth-like when compared to the times that are being blazed on the track by sprinters of today.  On August 16, 2009 the “insane” Usain Bolt ran the 100 meter sprint in an unheard of time of 9.578 seconds in Berlin Germany.  This is a full third of a second faster than the Carl Lewis 1988 Olympic time that stunned the world and dubbed him the moniker “King” Carl.  Instinctively, my mind wonders as to whether or not something is amiss.

In all fairness, I must state publicly without hesitation that Usain Bolt as of yet has never failed a drug test to my knowledge.  He is thereby considered innocent of any implied transgressions; however, many a great sprinter has fallen from grace in recent history for performance enhancing drug use:  Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin, and Tim Montgomery to name a few.  All the aforementioned had tested “clean” at one time or another but were ultimately caught cheating in the end.  Some were fined, some were suspended and some actually spent time or are still spending time in prison at the time of this writing.

With the inception of the designer steroids that have come on the scene in the past 15 years or so, it is becoming drastically harder to detect PEDs in the systems of athletes.  PED paranoia is now so pervasive that we are even seeing boxers turn down 40 million dollar paydays due to the suspicion that their opponent may be “juiced”.  We have even seen Congress do a full blown investigation into the use of PEDs in Major League Baseball and have witnessed many a star player brought before Congress to testify under oath.

The point to all of this rigmarole is merely to say that the lure of the riches of major league sports is so great that many athletes are willing to risk their reputation, career, health, freedom and even their lives to attain it.  How much more will the 20 home run per year baseball player earn on his next contract if he could just convert all the long, noisy, warning track fly balls into an additional 10 homers per year?  Dare I say an extra 5 million per year?  That sounds plausible wouldn’t you agree?

What I am most concerned about though and the ultimate reason for my rambling is the children that are looking up to these professional athletes and trying to emulate their every move.  The 11th grade high school football player for instance that feels he needs just a little more strength to shed that offensive tackle’s block and get to the quarterback for a sack.  “Got to get that full ride scholarship to USC”!  He tells himself as he ingests anabolic steroids in the privacy of his bedroom.

Disturbingly, PED use among teenage athletes is growing at an alarming rate in both urban as well as rural settings.  According to recent national surveys, 3.5 percent of high school seniors have admitted to trying steroids.  Incredibly, 5.4 percent of surveyed middle school students ages 9-13 have reported that steroids are easily accessible to them as well.  This is outrageous to me given the devastating side effects that steroids can have upon the growing body of a child and also the fact that they are ILLEGAL!

The side effects of steroids upon children can manifest itself in a variety of ways both mild and severe.  Mild symptoms of steroid use can include: acne, swelling of the legs and feet, persistent bad breath and oily hair.  While these mild symptoms are a concern to me, what really terrifies me are the debilitating long term effects of steroid use by our children.

It has been reported that steroids may stunt a child’s growth, cause severe mood swings including anger and depression, nausea, hallucinations, aching joints, vomiting, dizziness, trouble urinating, increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure that can damage the circulatory system including the heart and jaundice which can damage the liver.  In addition, girls that experiment with steroids can develop shrinkage of the breasts, facial hair, a deeper voice and menstrual problems.

I ask you parents, coaches, agents and any other adult standing to benefit from the potential of the athletic prowess of a child: “Is it worth it”?!  Parents; is it worth risking the health or even the life of your child by putting undue pressure upon them to excel at a sport because you need help financially to put them through college.  Coaches; is overlooking the subtle signs of an teenage athlete’s covert steroid abuse in order to reap the benefits of a few more wins in the record book worth seeing the child’s kidneys become chronically diseased because they developed high blood pressure as a result of abusing PEDs?

We adults should be here to protect, instruct and love our children.  They are in fact children are they not or are they merely a paycheck to us?  I have a 16 year old son that I love immensely.  He is the heart and center of my world and I would do anything for him to succeed if and only if he does it the right way.  Abusing PEDs is cheating and in my opinion the wrong way to do things even if there were no debilitating side effects.

Let us hope and pray for the day when the abuse of drugs of any kind is completely eliminated from our society.  Let’s encourage our children to choose a healthy lifestyle that involves hard work and discipline to attain the desired results.  Let us admonish them for the taking of shortcuts while emphasizing the greater satisfaction of accomplishment through integrity.  Hopefully this new found integrity will then permeate through every facet of our society.  Now that really will be worth it!

Posted by Nazaru at 10:55 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Ghosts of Cowboys Past?

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Jan 132010

They don’t want your accolades.  They don’t want your praise or adulation.  They certainly don’t want any more of my journalistic banter.  They merely want to be left alone as they strive to come towards the conclusion of a long and arduous journey which had transformed a once proud and exemplary organization from the elite upper echelons of the NFL to the bitter thralls of the completely inept.

Like it or not, the Dallas Cowboys, “Americas Team” appear to be quietly and systematically exorcizing all of the demons that have beset them during the last 14 years and could possible be traveling down the proverbial “yellow brick road” of success which they once knew quite intimately.

With a resounding 34-14 mugging of the seemingly incompetent Philadelphia Eagles, this Dallas Cowboys team is beginning to remind football fans of the team that used to strike fear into the heart of its opponents and awe into the eyes of the fans as it ran over, around and through many a beleaguered opponent on the way to 5 Super bowl victories and a record 20 consecutive winning seasons.  Dare I say that this Dallas Cowboy team is beginning to conjure up images of many of the heroes from its distant past?

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Hall of fame legends such as Roger Staubach (Tony Romo) appear to be once again patrolling the field of Texas Stadium as tightly spiraling bombs drop softly into the outstretched hands of Michael Irvin (Miles Austin).  Gargantuan behemoths such as Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Jethro Pugh and Leon Lett are once again wreaking havoc upon the crumbling bodies of opposing quarterbacks as if reincarnated in the form of the relentless Demarcus Ware, who has been a literal sack machine throughout this season despite serious injury.

Long gone appears to be the King Kong that had been riding the back of this team since their last glimpse of playoff victory on December 28, 1996.  Jessica Simpson, Tony Romo’s Kryptonite, isn’t even anywhere to be found.

“Where are all of the comedians now?”, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones must be chuckling to himself as he reflects upon the endless puns that have deservedly beset him and his franchise during the Cowboys nearly perpetual skid.  Well Mr. Jones, I see the comedians scurrying away faster than Cowboy legend “Bullet Bob Hayes” running a 40 yard race against a thoroughbred stallion.  They are literally fading away into oblivion.

I must admit that I was one of those comedians that took a stab or two at the Cowboys over the years.  I have enjoyed many moments of laughter at their expense and at times have thoroughly enjoyed watching the look of pain upon the “Starhead” fan’s faces as time and time again their dreams were crushed in the playoffs.  Yes, I did it and I am man enough to admit my shenanigans.

Lost in the hoopla of Dallas Cowboy redemption from the “winless playoff game streak” is the vindication of sorts of Wade Phillips, the soft spoken coach of the Cowboys who has endured more criticism than possibly anyone else.  Unlike his thick skinned father “Bum” Phillips who was fortunate enough to have the great Earl Campbell to climb aboard; Wade Phillips has had to endure years of questionable talent, intense media scrutiny, a meddling owner and the constant call for his head on a platter from the fans year after year.

At times it seemed that the browbeating that Wade Phillips was given was well deserved.  Wade Phillips in fact had never won a playoff game (0-4) in his entire NFL career and to further exacerbate his dilemma, he was being asked to fill the mighty big shoes of legends such as Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson.  Through it all Wade Phillips prevailed and I have always been told that the last laugh is the sweetest.

A wise man once said: “Almost turkey don’t make good stew”.  Although it is commendable that the Cowboys have persevered and come this far toward there ultimate goal of a record tying 6th Super Bowl championship, they have yet another giant hurdle to overcome on their quest for glory.  The Minnesota Vikings have a couple of legends of their own at their disposal and they would love to quash any notion of Dallas Cowboy resurgence.

If the Cowboys are truly back and if we truly are experiencing the ghosts of the Cowboys past, future hall of famer Brett Favre and running back sensation Adrian Peterson must first be dealt with.  Surely it won’t be easy in the Minneapolis Metrodome on January 17th.  We shall see in time.

Er-Uhmm: Mr. Dorsett, Mr. Aikman, Mr. Haley; would you mind suiting up just one more time?  Please?!

Posted by Nazaru at 11:42 am Tagged with: , ,

The Mighty Mighty SEC

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Jan 112010

With the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 37-21 victory over a stubborn Texas Longhorn team January 7th in the CITI BCS National Championship game in Pasadena California, the Crimson Tide joined the ranks of Tennessee, Florida and LSU as Southeastern Conference teams that have won BCS National Championships since the first Bowl Championship Series trophy was presented to the Tennessee Volunteers in 1998.

With an outrageously dominant 4th national Championship in a row and 5th national championship out of the last 7, one would find it rather hard to dispute that the SEC is far and away the toughest conference in college football.

Occupying 4 out of the top 20 positions in the final Associated Press rankings for the 2009 season including the 1st and 3rd place slots, it appears that the overwhelming majority of voters get the message of SEC supremacy despite the natural human tendency towards regional favoritism.

Ironically, if recruiting really is the true barometer of imminent success in college football as is the general consensus, don’t expect the SEC to fade away into oblivion any time soon as former powerhouse conferences such as the Big 10 have in recent years.  According to ESPN polls, 4 out of the top 5 ranked projected recruiting classes of 2010 are held by SEC schools.

To add to the insanity, the emergence of a talented young Arkansas team led by Bobby Petrino and a feisty University of Mississippi team led by Houston Nutt are helping to solidify the prominence of the conference as a whole as they join the ranks of the traditional SEC powers: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

For the sake of the pundits that would attempt to dispute the obvious, lets examine the aforementioned superlatives to see if in fact they are deserved because my research leads me to believe that the SEC is not only currently the most dominating conference in college football but is in fact the most dominating college football conference of all time.

Being that The College Football Data Warehouse concurs with my opinion based upon their number 1 all time ranking of the SEC, I may perhaps be right.  Hmmm!?

I have always firmly believed in the wisdom of the old cliché that numbers don’t lie and if that statement is in fact true, the title of this writing is well supported quantifiably.

According to the College Football Data Warehouse, 7 out of the top 25 all time winning Division IA college football programs in history are SEC teams.  Additionally 6 of the 12 BCS National Championships have been won by SEC teams.  The SEC has a winning record against all other Division IA conferences with the exception of the now mediocre Big 10 who hold a 97-91-7 all time record against the SEC.

It must be noted for the sake of fairness that 24 of the Big 10’s 97 wins versus the SEC were against the Kentucky Wildcats who are know for there prowess on the basketball court as opposed to the football field.  I could go on for days but why?

Congratulations Alabama on your 7th national championship.  You survived a grueling SEC schedule undefeated which is no small feat in itself and went on to glory.  Will you be able to repeat such an achievement in 2010 against the SEC “Murderers Row”?  We shall see but I can guarantee you it won’t be easy when you compete each week against the Mighty SEC!

Posted by Nazaru at 12:39 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Foolishness at Best

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Jan 072010

Gilbert Arenas, the star shooting guard for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association has gotten himself into what appears to be scalding hot water due to the turmoil resulting from an incident allegedly involving him and a teammate in the Wizards locker room on December 21, 2009.  Details concerning the incident are still ambiguous but two different accounts seem to be most frequently mentioned as fact depending upon who you talk too.


Gilbert Arenas openly admits to possessing firearms in the locker room of the Verizon Center which is a violation of the leagues collective bargaining agreement of 2005.  According to Arenas, his motivation for moving four unloaded handguns from his house to the Washington Wizards locker room was in an effort to prevent his young kids from having access to them.  He additionally maintains that there was not any ammunition present.

On the day in question, Arenas claims to have taken the guns out of the locker in an attempt to play some sort of absurd joke on teammate Javaris Crittenton.  He went on to express his remorse for his lapse in good judgment but insists that he never threatened anyone with the weapons nor pointed them at anyone.

Relaxed and apparently at ease with his predicament, Arenas who turned 28 yesterday, appeared to thumb his nose at public opinion when he was photographed with his teammates smiling and pointing his fingers at the camera as if they were guns before a subsequent game.  Arenas later apologized on Twitter for the photo in an attempt to smooth things over but it appears that Mr. Arenas could use some judgment coaching if he is to emerge from this scandal unscathed.

Initial accounts from sources other than Arenas concerning the alleged incident paint a far more sinister picture of what transpired in the Washington Wizards locker room on the day in question.

According to ESPN, the incident in question resulted from an alleged argument between the teammates over a card game during a team flight last month.  Tempers allegedly flared during the next team practice and culminated in Arenas allegedly placing 3 guns on a chair in the vicinity of Crittenton and inviting him to pick one.  Crittenton allegedly responded by informing Arenas that he has his own gun.

Other sources go as far as proclaiming that Arenas and Crittenton actually pointed guns at each other during the alleged confrontation but nothing has been substantiated as of this moment as to the actual sequence of events in this unfortunate and peculiar debacle.

Being that the alleged event took place in the District of Columbia, which is not a state; Federal Authorities at the U.S. Attorney’s office are looking into the matter.  According to the law it is legal to possess a firearm in the District of Columbia but not to point it at anyone which would be considered assault.

To further exacerbate Gilbert Arena’s predicament, the NBA has now suspended him indefinitely as opposed to allowing the courts to decide the matter first which is the course of action they usually follow.  According to NBA Commissioner David Stern, “the possession of a firearm is a matter of utmost concern to us and Mr. Arenas is not fit to take the court in an NBA game at this time due to his ongoing actions.”

A victim of his own antics during the mayhem resulting from the fallout of the locker room “OK-Corral”, Arenas now must endure the pain of watching his earnings mitigate at the rate of approximately $147,000 per game while he awaits the ultimate determination of his fate by the courts and the NBA.

Whatever final course of action the authorities and the NBA reason appropriate in this calamity is yet to be seen but regardless of what the actual facts are determined to be in this bizarre case, they can only be characterized as foolishness in my opinion.

It is our constitutional right as Americans to bare arms according to the forefathers of this great country of ours but men should act more responsibly when it comes to exercising their constitutional rights.  Any foolish display or brandishing of fire arms is never appropriate because in the end firearms are made to kill.  Grown men:  GROW UP!!!!!  This sordid affair is foolishness at best.

Posted by Nazaru at 1:11 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Just Fight Already!

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Jan 052010

The on again off again saga of the proposed March 13th superfight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Pilipino national treasure Manny Pacquiao that many believe will ultimately determine who wears the moniker of “pound-for-pound” champion of the boxing world, takes on a new twist tomorrow morning when the disputed random drug testing criteria, that has been the stumbling block hampering the March 13 megafight between these two champions, is heard by arbitrator Daniel Weinstein in Santa Monica California.

Daniel Weinstein is a retired federal judge who has successfully mediated disputes between Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s promoter “Golden Boy” and Manny Pacquiao’s promoter “Top Rank” in the past.

This proposed “fight of the millennium” which many are predicting will exceed the all time pay-per-view box office record set during the 2007 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya, has yet to be finalized due to the Mayweather camp’s insistence that both sides submit to Olympic style random blood testing as opposed to the random urine screening normally required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

As the plot thickened in the aftermath of the Mayweather camp’s demands, the rhetoric between the two sides became quite nasty and culminated in a defamation of character lawsuit filed by Pacquiao against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his affiliates.

Pacquiao alleges in his lawsuit that the Mayweather camp has accused him of using performance enhancing drugs and as a consequence his reputation has been damaged.

In addition, he vehemently denies ever using performance enhancing drugs and states that he has never failed a drug test.


The 32 year old Mayweather is undefeated in his professional career with a perfect record of 40 wins in 40 fights with 25 knockouts and has won 6 world boxing championships in 5 different weight classes.  He was also a bronze medal winner in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta Georgia.

Manny Pacquiao, at the age 31 has compiled an outstanding professional record of 50 wins in 55 fights with 3 losses and 2 draws.  A national hero in his native Philippines, many consider “Pacman” to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world today.  Ironically, this is a distinction that Mayweather enjoyed prior to his unexpected early retirement in 2008.  Pacquiao holds the distinction of being the only boxer in history to hold world championship in 7 different weight classes.

Hopefully, Daniel Weinstein can work his magic so that this fight can take place once and for all.  Not for the promoters! Not for the fighters! Not for the advertisers!  Not even for us reporters who wouldn’t have a job were it not for spectacles such as this!  No!  This fight needs to take place for the sake of the fans that frenetically follow the careers of these great athletes and fund their lavish life styles.

For once can the participants think about the ones that love and support them and forget about their bank accounts?  Just once?!

Posted by Nazaru at 12:25 am Tagged with: , ,

Mike Leach Fired

Sports Views 1 Response »
Dec 302009

10:49 pm Dec. 30, 2009 by Dean Nazaru McCray

Mike Leach, the troubled head football coach at Texas Tech was fired today in dramatic fashion given the series of shocking events that have transpired in Lubbock Texas this week.

The beleaguered coach was indefinitely suspended early this week by the Texas Tech University based upon a complaint by the parents of redshirt sophomore receiver Adam James who is alleged to have been mistreated on two occasions during a recent period of recovery from a concussion incurred on December 17.

The family of Adam James filed an official complaint with Texas Tech in response to the alleged incidents citing concern for the safety and well being of the Texas Tech athletes as well as the integrity of the University as a whole.


Your browser may not support display of this image.Craig James, the allegedly abused player’s father, is a former NFL running back and current ESPN analyst and states that his son was examined on December 17 and told not to practice because of a concussion.  Coach Leach is alleged to have directed a trainer to confine James in a “dark” place where he could not lean or sit ostensibly in an attempt to punish him for not practicing.  It is also alleged that Adam James was confined in an electrical closet a couple of days later under guard.

The abuse of any player exhibiting post-concussion symptoms be they professional or collegiate, is now scrutinized very closely given the recent deployment of stricter return-to-play guidelines set in place by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the aftermath of the October 2009 congressional hearings pertaining to the short and long term effects of concussions on athletes.

The apparent suicide death of former NFL standout defensive back Andre Waters on November 26, 2006 which some have attributed to depression caused by repeated concussive impacts to the brain, catapulted the dangers of post-concussion syndrome to the forefront of many medical studies.

Dr. Bennet Omalu, a pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh, concluded upon studying tissue from Andre Water’s brain that its apparent diseased state was caused by repeated concussions sustained during his football career.  According to Dr. Omalu, the 44 year old Water’s brain tissue appeared so damaged upon examination that he compared it to the brain of an 85 year old man.  He went on to estimate that Mr. Waters would have most likely been incapacitated within ten years and most certainly would have been exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mike Leach recently signed a new 5 year $12.7 million contract with Texas Tech that contained many incentive clauses allowing him to increase his pay substantially if certain bonus triggers were met.  It is estimated that he would have received a windfall of nearly $800,000 dollars if he would have been retained and allowed to coach the “Red Raiders” beyond December 31.  Speculation seems to indicate that this may have factored into the Universities decision to fire Coach Leach so swiftly but that information will certainly remain privy to only a select few within the Texas Tech family.

According to Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance, he was reluctant to fire Leach and expressed sadness and disappointment that the problem could not be resolved more amicably.  According to Hance there was a plethora of evidence supporting the allegations against Leach that was divulged during the investigation of the events and that his subsequent insubordination and refusal to cooperate made it impossible for the university to retain his services.

Defensive Coordinator, Ruffin McNeil has been designated as Mike Leach’s replacement during the Alamo Bowl now that the final determination of Mike Leach’s fate has been determined.  McNeil who considers himself a close friend of Mike Leach would not comment on the specifics of the situation preferring to concentrate instead on game preparation.

Given the extensive nature of Mike Leach’s role as head coach and offensive coordinator, it will be very interesting to observe the way Texas Tech is able to handle the adversity and distractions of this scandal.  A tough Michigan State Spartans team awaits and is sure to be licking their chops in anticipation of a mentally unprepared Texas Tech team.

Whether or not the “Red Raiders” are ultimately prepared or not when game time arrives is still yet to be determined.  Only time will tell.

Posted by Nazaru at 10:49 pm Tagged with: , ,

Gator Nation Reprieve

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Dec 282009

The Florida Gator Nation can now relax albeit temporarily upon the announcement by its beloved head football coach Urban Meyer that he is not resigning as previously announced.  With an emotional change of heart, Meyer decided instead to take an “indefinite leave of absence” and plans to be on the sidelines to coach the Gators against the Cincinnati Bearcats on New Years Day in the Sugar Bowl.

Citing health concerns, the 45 year old Meyer, who has compiled an amazing 56-10 record and two BCS National Championships since arriving in Gainesville, announced that he would be resigning his position of head coach at the University of Florida on Saturday 12/26/09 in order to concentrate on improving his health that had apparently been deteriorating.

Your browser may not support display of this image. According to Meyer, he has been experiencing chest pains and intense headaches for the past four years but did not have a heart attack as had been erroneously reported.  These chest pains and headaches appear to possibly be stress related and became so intense over the last couple of years that Coach Meyer was forced to re-evaluate his priorities.

Upon fainting while getting out of bed after the SEC championship game against Alabama, Meyer had to be rushed to the hospital and the seriousness of his health issues were revealed to the public and his team for the first time.  In the aftermath of this incident, Meyer began the agonizing process of deciding his future which culminated in his initial announcement of resignation.

Meyer is married and has three children who he says must be placed first on his priority list.  Consequently, Steve Addazio, Florida’s offensive coordinator will run the team in his absence while he learns how to relax and manage his stress and work load.

According to Jeremey Foley, The University of Florida’s Athletic Director, Meyer can return to coaching as soon as he is well but expounded that they must be certain that he is completely healthy and not putting his health at any more risk.

I sincerely wish Coach Urban Meyer and his family the best and much success in whatever decision he ultimately makes and want to thank him for all the thrills his team has provided those of us such as I that love the game of college football. Thanks!

Posted by Nazaru at 6:59 pm Tagged with: , , ,
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