As August turns into September, we finally get to see what has become America's pastime, come back into our lives. Sorry Baseball but that sport is so 20th century when we had nothing to do at all. Football has become the sport du jour of our nation. It's a sight to behold whether you're watching on your flat screen, a sports bar or at the stadium. Everyone has their own favorite aspect of the game that makes them devoted followers whether it's the QB action, the defense or the poetry of motion by the running back or safety.
For me, it's seeing how the players handle the game and fans. I cannot wait to see how a new acquisition or rookie perform during the season. We see if any of them will pan out and lead their respective teams to glory a la Drew Brees in New Orleans where he led his team to an improbable Super Bowl victory just the year before. In fact, the players success leads to their idolization. They become legendary in the eyes of the fans with every big game that they become a demi-god in the eyes of their fans and city. If they make a mistake, it's a shock to their faith but it's all restored with a game winning drive, play or if they have a stupendous season.
Yet, there are players who were all hype but cannot produce on the field despite being paid handsomely. Eventually, they become weekly fodder for radio shows, pundits and ranting fans a la JaMarcus Russell who was recently arrested for possession of codeine. Every move they make is monitored and the fanbase fears for the absolute worst. To them, it's as if they're watching horror movie where they know the killer is about to disembowel another unfortunate victim. When it happens, the boo birds are sure to follow.
Eventually, the GM cuts them because their play does not translate to the money they were richly offered just a few years before. They do gain fame but in a Hall of Shame Top 10 countdown on ESPN or NFL Network that's occasionally shown. So is the life of a football player who only last three and a half years in the league.
As for the fans, they are a delight as we see them showing the passion for their team. They come from all backgrounds but share a fanatical devotion to their team even if they are absolutely reprehensible. Every Sunday or Monday night game, is an event that covers the whole day from the pregame festivities to the game itself where every play can sink or turn a season around. Fan from all across the land, stick with their team for better or for worse.
It's like a devoted spouse who sticks with their beau hoping that things turn for the better. Sometimes, it does work out but other times it just takes a lot out of you. Just ask any fan who suffers one crushing defeat after another over a long period of time. Yet, it all goes away when their team is hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in early February where despair gives way to a euphoric high that no words can describe.
On Labor Day Weekend, we begin another great season of football starting with College Football, which has it own pageantry and exuberance that brings community to any campus big or small. The NFL will return just a few days later where last year's NFC championship participants (Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints) starts off the season. Yet, this may be the last season as a labor stoppage is on the horizon where it could entrench both players and owners alike into a bitter war not seen since the last strike in 1987. They have numerous issues that need fixing but hopefully cooler heads will prevail and prevent what has been a Golden Age of Football.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Goodbye Manny
In the Summer of 2008, the Dodgers were floundering in mediocrity as they were playing around .500 ball. It was a time where players like Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Either were still pups who theoretically could become killer trio that would propel the Dodgers to Perennial contenders in the National League. Yet, one trade by the Dodgers sent the enigmatic Manny Ramirez where just the year before led Boston to a World Series Championship to Los Angeles.
Initially, it was met with skepticism as the Dodgers kept sinking especially that disastrous series sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals. The Washington freaking Nationals!!!! In addition, for all his greatness he was sort of a moody, enigmatic person where he would be a delight in the clubhouse and then suddenly become a high maintenance diva in a flash.
As the season wore on, the Dodgers became a different team and suddenly they were winning games. It was if the Dodgers were sleepwalking then suddenly woke up and turned on the jets on their opponents who never had a chance at all. Manny Ramirez was a changed man who would hustle after hitting lasers into the outfield as was the case in yesterday's game in Milwaukee. His addition led the Dodgers to a series upset of the Cubs in the NLDS before losing to the eventual World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a breath of fresh air who packed Dodger Stadium night after night. Dodger fans would watch him as they were following whatever he did during the game. It ranged from Manny practicing his swing on deck or when he was at the batter's box. They were buying his jersey and any Dodger memorabilia in large bunches following his arrival. In that year, he was the toast of Los Angeles.
Dodger fans would soon get a taste of his soap opera antics when he was unsure about whether to resign with L.A or not. Fortunately, he signed with L.A for a 2 year 45 million dollar deal. Yet, it was the first of others to come that would later sully the initial honeymoon love affair with Manny Ramirez. The next season, he would continue becoming the batting threat for the Dodgers he was that past fall until May 7, 2009.
On that day, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for using HCG which is used for female fertility as well as for players who are coming off a steroid cycle. It was a blow for the Dodgers and Manny well mostly Manny as he was never quite the same player he was before the scandal. Yet, the Dodgers would make to the NLCS but lost to the Phillies in five crushing games.
For his time in L.A., he was a joy to watch. However this past season, age and father time took him out of commission as he spent more time on the disabled list than on the field this season. Manny could no longer play left field position as fans were hoping for anyone to play left field. His Spring Training diatribe before the season, alienated the fans who once deified him just two years before.
In addition, the Dodgers fell apart as they kept finding ways to lose while their rivals to the South and North (San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants) passed them in the standings. One such example was on August 12th, when the L.A. blew a seven run lead and lost on a walk off double by Carlos Ruiz at Citizens Bank Park. Coincidentally, that ballpark has become a place where World Series aspirations have come to die for the Dodgers in recent years.
Two years since the Manny trade, and the Dodgers are still in the same spot they were before, which is treading water. Today, the Dodgers have put Manny on waivers where interested teams will have a chance to sign him. According to most sources, it will most likely be an American League team in playoff contention where he will most likely be a DH. Yet, for all the drama surrounding Manny being Manny, he brought spice to a bland Dodger team that year and life to a passionate fan base. Dodger fans will remember Manny Ramirez but know that they face an uncertain future with the bitter divorce between Dodger owners Frank and Jaime McCourt, clubhouse discontent, and their manager's uncertain future.
Initially, it was met with skepticism as the Dodgers kept sinking especially that disastrous series sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals. The Washington freaking Nationals!!!! In addition, for all his greatness he was sort of a moody, enigmatic person where he would be a delight in the clubhouse and then suddenly become a high maintenance diva in a flash.
As the season wore on, the Dodgers became a different team and suddenly they were winning games. It was if the Dodgers were sleepwalking then suddenly woke up and turned on the jets on their opponents who never had a chance at all. Manny Ramirez was a changed man who would hustle after hitting lasers into the outfield as was the case in yesterday's game in Milwaukee. His addition led the Dodgers to a series upset of the Cubs in the NLDS before losing to the eventual World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a breath of fresh air who packed Dodger Stadium night after night. Dodger fans would watch him as they were following whatever he did during the game. It ranged from Manny practicing his swing on deck or when he was at the batter's box. They were buying his jersey and any Dodger memorabilia in large bunches following his arrival. In that year, he was the toast of Los Angeles.
Dodger fans would soon get a taste of his soap opera antics when he was unsure about whether to resign with L.A or not. Fortunately, he signed with L.A for a 2 year 45 million dollar deal. Yet, it was the first of others to come that would later sully the initial honeymoon love affair with Manny Ramirez. The next season, he would continue becoming the batting threat for the Dodgers he was that past fall until May 7, 2009.
On that day, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for using HCG which is used for female fertility as well as for players who are coming off a steroid cycle. It was a blow for the Dodgers and Manny well mostly Manny as he was never quite the same player he was before the scandal. Yet, the Dodgers would make to the NLCS but lost to the Phillies in five crushing games.
For his time in L.A., he was a joy to watch. However this past season, age and father time took him out of commission as he spent more time on the disabled list than on the field this season. Manny could no longer play left field position as fans were hoping for anyone to play left field. His Spring Training diatribe before the season, alienated the fans who once deified him just two years before.
In addition, the Dodgers fell apart as they kept finding ways to lose while their rivals to the South and North (San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants) passed them in the standings. One such example was on August 12th, when the L.A. blew a seven run lead and lost on a walk off double by Carlos Ruiz at Citizens Bank Park. Coincidentally, that ballpark has become a place where World Series aspirations have come to die for the Dodgers in recent years.
Two years since the Manny trade, and the Dodgers are still in the same spot they were before, which is treading water. Today, the Dodgers have put Manny on waivers where interested teams will have a chance to sign him. According to most sources, it will most likely be an American League team in playoff contention where he will most likely be a DH. Yet, for all the drama surrounding Manny being Manny, he brought spice to a bland Dodger team that year and life to a passionate fan base. Dodger fans will remember Manny Ramirez but know that they face an uncertain future with the bitter divorce between Dodger owners Frank and Jaime McCourt, clubhouse discontent, and their manager's uncertain future.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Adonal Foyle: Humanitarian, Scholar, and basketball player
On the same day, that Lebron's GQ interview comes out where it documents the days before and after his decision to go to Miami, there was an NBA player who today called it quits after 13 seasons. He has never been a star player but rather a serviceable or at times a bench warmer as was the case in his final years in Orlando playing behind Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat. Yet, for Adonal Foyle it has been a serene dream that he has savored every day of his life.
He was born on March 9, 1975, in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines where he spent his childhood and early teenage years until he was 15. Foyle was adopted by Colgate professors Joan and Jay Mandle and eventually went to school at Colgate after leading Hamilton Central in Hamilton, NY to two State Championships.
During his four years, he was the leading shot blocker in NCAA history now third after Wojceich Marda and current Miami Heat draft pick, Jarvis Varnado. In addition, he was the school's leading rebounder all time and 2nd All-Time leading scorer within three years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in History.
Foyle was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1997 draft with the eighth pick. Yet, his biggest contribution has not been on the court but rather off the court. Adonal has been active in humanitarian issues and the founder of an organization Democracy Matters, a non-partisan campus-backed project. This organization has been working to help curb the effects of money on politics. His passionate vigor to make young people civic and politically minded has garnered him widespread praise.
In 2005, he founded Kerosene Lamp Foundation, which tries to bring education and health wellness to his native homeland. They currently assisted 2500 children in the Caribbean and USA alone. Last year, he was inducted for his great works to the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, which features NBA Hall of Famers such as Julius Erving, Tiny Archibald and David Robinson.
In addition, He is a well-read man who recommended in a recent blog "The Fountainhead" because he views it as a challenge to a person's mind. Foyle views Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as one of his favorites. Looking at his choice of books makes him look like a Rhodes Scholar in shorts compared to his peers and myself as well.
He may not have been the greatest player in the NBA nor the most talented. In fact, he was yet another bad draft pick by the long suffering Golden State Warriors. Yet, here was a man who used his profession as a platform to help his fellow man not by giving money to some charity for good P.R. but by trying to change society for the better. Foyle is the poster child of what we should look up to as a human being.
Fittingly, he sums up his career with a poem that is both touching and sums up Adonal Foyle down to a T. You can find this poem and other poems on this link: http://www.adonalfoyle.com/poetry_corner.shtml
Love Song to a Game
How should I tell thee goodbye?
What can you say about a love affair
to rival that of Romeo & Juliet?
This is not just some melancholy ode
to a hackneyed love of mortals.
I found our love deep in the entrails
of the Caribbean Sea.
Love that swept me to a land
where our embrace became mythical.
You showed me a world
that few have dreamt of.
Colgate's golden steeple, a sojurn
where ancient teachings flooded my mind.
There in the Chenango Valley
where 13 sang my soul to flight,
basketball laid siege to my soul.
I do not cry for the passing of our love
for it stands radiant while my brittle bones
crumble through swift time.
I have known you by so many faces;
I will spend my end of days recalling.
You have infected so many with
the allure of riches and black gold.
But I am not angry with you my love.
For to a boy who was lost in the bosom of nothing
you gave hope and home.
Like the flickering of a light
we come and go without much fuss.
So I leave you to fend off seekers,
hoping they too will cherish
your unyielding countenance.
As for me,
I will forever live in the glare of your loving embrace.
From time to time I hope you will look in on this pitiful fool.
I will miss brothers of a quilt struggling with burning lights.
If I offer advice, pierce beyond the glaring lights
and see the faces behind the wall.
Don't be fooled by the magicians' nibble fingers.
For this is a life with mirrors and screens.
Its only truth lies in the understanding it will all end.
The sound I will take home
is the symphony of thousands of screaming friends.
Warriors, Magic and yes, Memphis too,
I sing you praise, hope, blessings,
Flowing from a boy's songs of thanks
to you and you and you,to all I knew.
Please stay my "immortal love."
You can find this poem and his other poems on this link: http://www.adonalfoyle.com/poetry_corner.shtml
He was born on March 9, 1975, in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines where he spent his childhood and early teenage years until he was 15. Foyle was adopted by Colgate professors Joan and Jay Mandle and eventually went to school at Colgate after leading Hamilton Central in Hamilton, NY to two State Championships.
During his four years, he was the leading shot blocker in NCAA history now third after Wojceich Marda and current Miami Heat draft pick, Jarvis Varnado. In addition, he was the school's leading rebounder all time and 2nd All-Time leading scorer within three years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in History.
Foyle was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1997 draft with the eighth pick. Yet, his biggest contribution has not been on the court but rather off the court. Adonal has been active in humanitarian issues and the founder of an organization Democracy Matters, a non-partisan campus-backed project. This organization has been working to help curb the effects of money on politics. His passionate vigor to make young people civic and politically minded has garnered him widespread praise.
In 2005, he founded Kerosene Lamp Foundation, which tries to bring education and health wellness to his native homeland. They currently assisted 2500 children in the Caribbean and USA alone. Last year, he was inducted for his great works to the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, which features NBA Hall of Famers such as Julius Erving, Tiny Archibald and David Robinson.
In addition, He is a well-read man who recommended in a recent blog "The Fountainhead" because he views it as a challenge to a person's mind. Foyle views Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen as one of his favorites. Looking at his choice of books makes him look like a Rhodes Scholar in shorts compared to his peers and myself as well.
He may not have been the greatest player in the NBA nor the most talented. In fact, he was yet another bad draft pick by the long suffering Golden State Warriors. Yet, here was a man who used his profession as a platform to help his fellow man not by giving money to some charity for good P.R. but by trying to change society for the better. Foyle is the poster child of what we should look up to as a human being.
Fittingly, he sums up his career with a poem that is both touching and sums up Adonal Foyle down to a T. You can find this poem and other poems on this link: http://www.adonalfoyle.com/poetry_corner.shtml
Love Song to a Game
How should I tell thee goodbye?
What can you say about a love affair
to rival that of Romeo & Juliet?
This is not just some melancholy ode
to a hackneyed love of mortals.
I found our love deep in the entrails
of the Caribbean Sea.
Love that swept me to a land
where our embrace became mythical.
You showed me a world
that few have dreamt of.
Colgate's golden steeple, a sojurn
where ancient teachings flooded my mind.
There in the Chenango Valley
where 13 sang my soul to flight,
basketball laid siege to my soul.
I do not cry for the passing of our love
for it stands radiant while my brittle bones
crumble through swift time.
I have known you by so many faces;
I will spend my end of days recalling.
You have infected so many with
the allure of riches and black gold.
But I am not angry with you my love.
For to a boy who was lost in the bosom of nothing
you gave hope and home.
Like the flickering of a light
we come and go without much fuss.
So I leave you to fend off seekers,
hoping they too will cherish
your unyielding countenance.
As for me,
I will forever live in the glare of your loving embrace.
From time to time I hope you will look in on this pitiful fool.
I will miss brothers of a quilt struggling with burning lights.
If I offer advice, pierce beyond the glaring lights
and see the faces behind the wall.
Don't be fooled by the magicians' nibble fingers.
For this is a life with mirrors and screens.
Its only truth lies in the understanding it will all end.
The sound I will take home
is the symphony of thousands of screaming friends.
Warriors, Magic and yes, Memphis too,
I sing you praise, hope, blessings,
Flowing from a boy's songs of thanks
to you and you and you,to all I knew.
Please stay my "immortal love."
You can find this poem and his other poems on this link: http://www.adonalfoyle.com/poetry_corner.shtml
Monday, August 16, 2010
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