Tuesday Report From The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp

Here’s an update from Ashley Danielle from the 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun:




David Farrell (the videographer) and I spoke with Brandan Wright for most of the time. David got a lot of footage. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold any interviews because most of the players have yet to arrive. So far most of the staff includes local Nashville high school stars like Spencer Richardson of Maplewood, Jamal Richardson of Maplewood, Jamie Graham of Whites Creek.



The kids were broken into middle school and high school groups. They were working on individual drills when I arrived. They would stay at a particular station for 8 minutes and move to the next. Tuesday brought on more kids than Monday, which has brought the camp to about 100 kids. The total already tops last year’s attendance numbers and is the most ever in the history of the camp. I plan on interviewing a few of the kids and getting their opinions on how the camp is going so far.



Thursday will be media day and Ed Davis, Wayne Ellington, Gerald Robinson, Tony Jones, and the rest of our featured guests should be in attendance. I will definitely interview those named and hopefully many more.

The camp itself was very organized and looked as if the kids would learn a lot. I did ask about a few stand-outs out the crowd from the camp directors and they gave me some to keep in mind.

Cheers!

What Have The Sportaholic's Been Up To You Ask?

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been posting this week. I am helping conduct the Run N Gun basketball camp as well as the Elite 3 football camp. Ashley and I are administering interviews and writing articles about each. We will have a full out spread about both coming soon. Ashley wants to thank Jim, Collin, Mike K, and The Sports Cubicle for all of the compliments and promises to surprise all the fellas with her sports knowledge. I have been giving her a hard time telling her it’s going to be hard to top her initial post but she says she is game. Ashley and I will be hosting our own radio show on beatknockin radio each on Saturday’s from 10 am to 12 pm. Beatknocking radio (I know it sounds crazy) is an online radio station, so make sure you tune if you guys get a chance. Here is the link by the way: http://beatknockin.com/

I have had time to notice that Terrell Owens is probably done after blowing his ACL in a workout or his VH1 show. What ever the case may be on how he sustained the injury, it’s going to be hard for a 37-year old receiver to come back from such a severe injury. Granted, T.O. is a freak of nature and isn’t your normal human being when it comes to physical condition but I just don’t see him making an impact anymore after such a severe detriment to his knee.



I will be writing a featured post on this Summer of Bummer that the NFL and NBA have put us through. Can you believe both leagues have let the business side of their respective leagues deteriorate to this point? The summer already sucks in terms of what we have to watch. I love baseball, golf and all the other summer sports but ESPN has turned into CSNBC with all of the legal litigation it’s showing these days. The fans deserve better than this.

I just want to thank all my fellow bloggers for all their support as well. You guys are great and if you ever need anything for me feel free to ask. Hope everyone has a great week and look to forward to some new posts from Ashley and I later this week.

The Sportaholic 2011 NBA draft spectacular

Just like the general managers whose team are near the top of the draft, I have played it close to the vest on the draft this year. This was billed as the weakest draft class since the 2006 draft, that featured the Andrea Bargnani led class of a debacle. That class only saw two eventual all-stars (Rajon Rondo and Brandon Roy) and plenty of busts (Adam Morrison #3, Shelden Williams #5, and Patrick O’Bryant #9 sheesh those were some stinkers). This was definitely a down year in terms American born talent and was supposedly going to have a lot of international flavor. That notion held true to form as four of the lottery picks came from overseas, breaking an NBA record. Most teams had a plan and worked it to perfection but some failed miserably (I just don’t understand for the life of me why GM David Kahn of Minnesota still has his job.)

The Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving with the number one pick which wasn’t really a surprise but their number 4 pick Tristan Thompson was. The Cavs have now created the new foundation for there future. The Jimmer was drafted by the Bucks but will take his talents to the Kings (He looked awkward in that Bucks hat with everyone knowing he was going to Sacramento). The Jimmer seems to be the most marketable player in this year draft as a Jimmer Jam was held in Glen Falls, NY in hopes that he would land with the Knicks, but to no avail. Speaking of trades, the flurry of established players moving was the biggest story this year’s aside from the foreign players’ takeover. It was too many trades to go over so I will list them at the bottom of this article.

Now for the biggest winners, losers, surprises and best laughs of the 2011 NBA draft:

Biggest Winners:

Washington Wizards: I am surprised to say the Washington Wizards had the best draft in the NBA this year. They drafted the freakishly athletic Jan Vessly at number 6 (Who has a very nice taste in women as ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla properly put it.) He will combine with John Wall and Javale McGee to form a devastating fast break for the Wiz. Washington selected defensive specialist Chris Singleton next with the 18th pick. Flip Saunders probably ran to get the pick in to David Stern and for good reason, Singleton was the highest rated defensive perimeter player in the entire draft this year. He is a pit-bull on defense and has a long wingspan (That Jay Bilas would not let us forget about, but more on that later) that should make him a pest on the wing for the Wizards for years to come. To put the cherry on top of their haul, the Wizards selected former Butler star Shelvin Mack. Mack may not be the most athletic or have the most upside but he will give John Wall a decent spell of the bench and run the second unit for Washington. Damn good draft by the Wizards

Sacramento Kings: With all the turmoil the organization is facing with the on again off again relocation talks, the Kings needed a star that could come in and make an immediate impact for them and they got one. As I stated earlier the most marketable player in the draft was Jimmer Fredette. The Jimmer is a one-man train of publicity and he already has an established fan base out west from playing at BYU. Fredette will move Tyreke Evans off the ball as he takes over at the point which I think he can excel at. He will have some problems defending but he will be ok. The Kings have a chance to become an offensive juggernaut with Fredette, Evans, Demarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton and the recently acquired John Salmons. The relocation talk may never come to fruition with the Jimmer in town. (Now if they can only get a new arena but that’s another subject for another day)

Biggest Losers:

New York Knicks: I know the Knicks usually boo their picks every year because lets face it; it’s the thing to do as fans for this once proud franchise. But they may have a valid point this year with the Knicks selecting Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech. Shumpert has all the measurables, jumps out the gym and seems like a nice guy but that’s not what New York needed. They could have went in so many different directions and they had so many needs that Shumpert doesn’t fit. Kenneth Faried and Chris Singleton were still on the board and both would have met an immediate need for the Knicks. They already have a guy in Landry Fields that does the things Shumpert does well. I was booing just like you New York fans as this was just an all around bad pick.

Minnesota Timberwolves: If anybody could explain to me what the hell is going on up there with general manager David Kahn then I would really appreciate it. They continued to stockpile young front court players and future draft picks but they don’t seem to have a concrete plan on what to do with them. Drafting Derrick Williams at #2 was no-brainer since they couldn’t move the pick in a trade but now that gives them Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, Wesley Johnson and now Williams as combo fowards. Don’t forget they have Ricky Rubio also as he finally agreed to come over and play which adds to the chaos that is Minnesota’s locker room. They did trade former first round pick Jonny Flynn and the 20th pick Donatas Motiejunas to the Rockets for Brad Miller and some draft picks but I just don’t get a sense of direction from the front office. They have some talented players but you have to settle on a core and let them develop. And to top everything off, they have an uncertain coaching situation as Kurt Rambis remains in limbo. It’s just a mess in Minne these days. I have to admit that I do like Kevin Love’s “Love in the shower” Old-Spice commercials though.

Biggest Surprise:

Tristan Thompson goes 4th: I could go a lot of different direction here including Markeiff Morris being drafted ahead of his more polished brother Marcus, or the fact that Michael Jordan and the Bobcats had a pretty good draft but it has the to be the selection of Tristan Thompson at the #4 slot. There were rumors swirling that the Cavs were enamored with the former Texas star, who is a bit undersized at 6’8 for power forward and doesn’t have the offensive game to match his rebounding and defensive talents just yet. They had to hope that Enes Kanter, the big man from Turkey would be there at #4 but of course he wasn’t as the Jazz took him at 3. Thompson will pair with the #1 pick Irving and provide a new era for the Cavs but I know they are somewhat disappointed they couldn’t turn this pick into a trade or draft a more skilled big man to compliment Irving.

Best Moments:

Morris twins go 13th and 14th: It’s almost as if all that were watching last night was duped by the producers at ESPN. First, Markieff is drafted and cameras instantly pan to older brother Marcus. He delivered to as he had one of the best lines of the night when asked what it will be like not to play with his twin whom he has played with his entire life. I mean, I'll send him flowers or some fruit. It'll be good." Said Marcus. And right after little brother is picked by the Suns 13th, the Rockets select big brother at 14. If they couldn’t play together I guess the next best thing was being picked one after the other. I posted on twitter (@thesportaholic) that I would wager anyone that the Morris twins would have better careers than the Collins and Lopez twins but no one took me up on the offer. I wonder why not?

Kenneth Faried gets his due: This was sentimental for me as I am friend of Demonte Harper who is the best of pals with Faried. He has come a long way and endured many things that I wouldn’t wish on anybody but he now can say he is a NBA player. It was even more special that the draft was in Faried’s hometown of Newark and his entire family was in attendance. I had the pleasure of interviewing Faired and Harper at a local college basketball all-star game and you could see the hunger and determination in his eyes.(http://sportaholic2112.blogspot.com/2011/04/highlights-and-interviews-from-4th.html) He is a guy that plays with his emotions on his sleeve and that reverberates with fans. The standing ovation he received was well deserved and from me personally Kenny, I hope you have a long and productive career.

Worst Moments:

Jay Bilas’s description of players: Bilas must have been under the impression that we don’t know these guys have long arms because he gave us the wingspan of seemingly every player drafted. I like Bilas’s commentary on ESPN but maybe he could get a little more creative in the player description field.

Jonas Valanciunas’s interviewing skills: I know this kid is just becoming accustomed to speaking English but lord have mercy that was a terrible interview he had after being drafted 5th by the Toronto Raptors. His English was limited at best and he seemed to have a hard time understanding what ESPN analyst Mark Jones was saying to him. Even Jones himself had to acknowledge that Valaniciunas was still learning his way around the language. It was painfully comically to watch.



That does it for my NBA draft spectacular. And to think I got through this entire article without mentioning Lebron James. Wait… ok so now I just did. Hopefully the NBA doesn’t go down the lockout road as the NFL but all signs point in that direction. So this may the last actual basketball related talk we have for a long time. As they say always hope for the best but always expect the worst.

Introducing Sportaholic's latest addition: Ashley Danielle

Ashley Danielle is a former NFL cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans and an avid sports fanatic. She now teaches dance and gymnastics along with yoga and strength training at different locations which you can find through her website NashvilleStiletto.com. Not only does she teach just about every style of dance and fitness but she also has her own Burlesque/Cabaret company called Neon Kisses in Nashville and Atlanta. It is my pleasure to welcome her to the Sportaholic staff as a writer and interviewer. She will present to us the woman’s perspective on sports topics along with that much needed allure. As a former NFL cheerleader and networking extraordinaire, she has connections inside the locker room and keen insight from first-hand experience. She will be working with the Sportaholic on future articles and interviews. Everyone welcome Ashley with open arms, as she is a very accomplished woman in her own right and will help take the Sportaholic  sports coverage to the next level.















To introduce Ashley to everyone, we have a few quick questions to pick her brain and get the thoughts of a woman on sports:






1. Tell us a little about yourself and your favorite players in various sports.



First and foremost, I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts at Sportaholic. I won't let your fans down! Well to get on with the question, I'm born and raised in the fabulous Music City, USA. I'm what you call a jack of all trades. Not only do I teach dance and have my own dance company, I am a fashion designer, singer/songwriter, musician and mother. Oh and I'm smart too. Graduated Valedictorian from high school and Summa Cum Laude from college. I am a nerd but who doesn't love an intelligent woman....I'm just saying! ;-)






As far as my favorite players, I could go on and on. And to all of you out there that think I'm basing my favorite athletes off of looks should be ashamed of themselves. In football, my top 2 current NFL players are Michael Vick and Troy Polamalu. Vick has great accuracy and is a hell of a runner. All around top tier athlete and I love that he advanced his team to the playoffs despite his demise a few years ago. Now for Troy....I don't have much else to say other than WOW! I followed him when he went to USC. I've never seen a defensive player like him. His tenacity and drive is like no other. Not to mention, he's a great family man. What's not to love?




Ok now basketball....my top 2 favorite current players are Rajon Rondo and Blake Griffin. Yes, I know sports guys! Two excellent players that are at the top of my list. Blake's power is uncanny and I was glad to see him named Rookie of the Year. Rajon is an excellent ball handler but there are many in the NBA that I can name. Just my opinion though.



To round out some of my other favorites I pick Tiger Woods for golf with Jack Nicholson in a close second. Serena Williams in tennis, A-Rod for baseball and Usain Bolt for track and field. Not saying that I don't watch other sports. I just don't have a favorite athlete but I'll root for the team.






2. Did you participate in any sports while you attended school?



I dabbled in sports growing up but my passion ended up being more focused on the arts. I played softball and tennis in high school but I never turned down a flag football game or a game of H.O.R.S.E.





3. Who is the best female athlete in your opinion?



Best female athlete would be my favorite tennis star, Serena Williams. That woman is a beast and I mean that in the most classiest of ways! She devours her opponents and has sustained a career that many can only dream of. Not to mention, she has a great body and as a fitness instructor many women aspire to have muscle definition like hers.




4. Do you think there is a bias to women reporting in the sports field

Great question! I do believe that there is a bias to women reporting but it's not as uncommon to see females reporting sports as if it were 30 years ago. Women have made lots of strides in the sports world, especially as journalists. You see a sparingly, increased amount of females that know more about sports. Now ask me if you think that women and men will be equals when it comes to reporting in the sports field. The answer is hell no!

5. Anything else you would like to tell the audience about yourself



Hmmm....I will say that I'm a little ball of fire. I get into heated debates because men act like all women are oblivious to sports. I plan on surprising you all with my knowledge. Tootles....haha

Follow me on Twitter: @_ashleydanielle

Another day in the Summer of Misfortune for Kenny Britt

I’m never one to pile on a person but sometimes that person just makes it easy for you. The latest in Kenny Britt summer tour of misfortune now finds our Mr. Britt on facebook, slandering and outright cursing the commissioner Roger Goddell. As first reported by Pro football talk, NJ.com<, and Slam! Sports, Britt’s updated his status with the following:



"Retiring From the NFL. F*** You Goddell."


"Change of HEart.. My family is always here for me. I made mistakes and i am sorry i am going to change and become a better person and mentor for all my young fans.. I will accept any penalty like a man.. The road beings Sept 11 in Jacksonville.. ill be ready!!!"


"my facebook was hacked with those past 2 status's.. i am not retiring and do not have any hate toward the commissioner."

So it first appeared that Britt was going all Cee-lo on the commish but he later retracted those statements with his last status update. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Britt just does stupid things or supposedly has them happen to him. To his defense, it’s fairly easy to hack someone’s account (especially when you password IS password as according to some reports it was) but these type of incidents are happening way too much to the 2nd year pro. Now the grammar errors are another subject. I know this an updated facebook status but sheesh! Between the capitalization errors and the misspellings, it makes you wonder what they are giving out at Rutgers these days as far as degrees. Again, I’m not here to kick a dog when he is down but this is just ridiculous.

Let’s hope this is just a minor incident because as we all know, social media can destroy people’s lives these days (Ex. Anthony Weiner, Rashard Mendenhall etc.)

As much as I love the traffic you generate for my site Kenny, this is getting out of hand. From the high-speed chases to the smoking weed in public and now this facebook post, I don’t know what it will take for you to get it. And for him to say he will be ready Sept 11 is not well thought out on his part because it’s a 97% chance that Mr. Goddell will be ringing his phone as soon as the labor strife is over.

I genuinely hope this is the last negative post we have on Sportaholic about Kenny Britt. But if we haven learned anything so far about the Kenny Britt ‘s summer tour of misfortune, we know to always expect the unexpected with him.

Updated: Join the Sportaholic on 104.5 the Zone radio June 22, 2011

V

To listen to full interview click here: https://www.yousendit.com/dl?phi_action=app/orchestrateDownload&rurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.yousendit.com%252Ftransfer.php%253Faction%253Dbatch_download%2526send_id%253D1155337527%2526email%253D6f1ef133ad1913e97308dfb164c65e85&s=19105&cid=tx-02002208350200000000

I will be featured on Nashville’s leader for sports, 104.5 the zone radio tomorrow at 9:00 am. I will be discussing the 5th annual All-Around Basketball camp and the Elite Football camp held here in Nashville. The Sportaholic team will be covering both events. The 5th All-Around basketball camp expected guesses include Vandy’s Jeff Jenkins, Brandon Wright of the New Jersey Nets, Wayne Ellington of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Gerald Robinson of the Georgia Bulldogs, Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Demonte Harper of Morehead State. Camp will be held at Brentwood Academy and the cost is $200.

The Elite Football camp expected guess include former TSU star and current starting cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Cecil Newton (Brother of Cam Newton) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Anthony Levine, and Jarvarris Williams. The focus of the Elite Football camp will be to promote health and fitness for children and young adults. Each day the 1st 45 minutes of the camp, they will have a seminar/meeting about the importance of nutrition and hydration, especially in sports. The Elite Football camp team will also provide mentoring opportunities. Participants for this camp will range from 4th grade to 12th and it will be held at Maplewood High School. Register at www.elite3.org or call Riley Howard at 496-1594

Both Camps will be held the week of June 27th-June 30th. Make sure to tune in to 104.5 the Zone at 9 am if you’re by your radio to hear the Sportaholic discuss both of these premier camps.

Editor’s Note: If you are holding any type of sports camp or sporting events feel free to contact me by way of e-mail at carlos.paige@hotmail.com and I will be sure to contact you back. The Sportaholic team in collaboration with Noomizo.com will cover your event including live recordings, photos, interviews and written articles at no charge to you. Thanks for all your continued support Nashville.

Elite Football Camp in Nashville

For more info contact Riley Howard at 615-496-1594

The Weekend Run Down June 20, 2011

Summertime is in the air (I just heard Will Smith's Summertime song, so that makes it official in my book) as the temperature rises, the summer sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf take hold of the sports universe. The big news this weekend was the dominance of Rory McIlroy in the U.S open. The 22-year old Northern Irishman lapped the field and put on a performance not seen since the glory days of Tiger Woods. The College World Series is also underway as local favorite Vanderbilt, as far fetched as it sounds, made their first appearance in college's baseball's championship. In MLB news, St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols was injured making a catch at first base and appears to be in line to miss some time. Just another injury to add to the list for the Cardinals.




Now without further ado I present to you the weekend rundown:

Rory makes it looks easy at the Congressional: That Masters collapse was so yesterdays news eh Rory? McIlroy was brilliant breaking multiple records (12 in all) including lowest round scores in every round. The Irishman shot of the gates with an opening round of 65 and never looked back. The players themselves were in aw of McIlroy's greatness as multiple players heaped praise on him left and right. Said Jason Day who finished 2nd at – 8: “It’s just phenomenal golf,” Day said. “He lapped the field, and for such a young age, how mature he is. Golf right now is in a really, really good spot where Rory McIlroy is right now.” McIlroy made everybody else play for 2nd place as the he really was never challenged. The pulse of golf maybe changing as McIlroy's humble demeanor and cheerful Irishman accent is in stark contrast from the fiery Tiger Woods and his private and steely eyed approach to the game. My one warning for everyone is not to expect so much from the young man so fast. This is his first major, although he has been in the mix for the last 3 or 4 majors. He is going to be great as evident by his performance this past weekend but we as writers and fans need to allow him to come into his own. The British open is next for the McIlroy and he will have the home crowd behind him to see if he can continue his hot streak on golf's grandest stage.

Pujols sprains wrist and possibly injures shoulder: Albert Pujols smashed his 17th home run of the season in one inning and hurt his gold glove wrist in the next. In what has been a trying year to say the least for the Cardinals MVP slugger, now has become even worse as he is expected to have a MRI and further tests today to determine the damage. The play happened as Kansas City's Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle. Cardinals second baseman Pete Kozma made an awkward throw to Pujols which led him off the bag and as he tried to apply the tag, Betemit ran into him, colliding with his glove hand that sent the burly first baseman to the ground in obvious pain. Said long time St.Louis skipper Tony La Russa: “It scared the hell out of all of us,” La Russa said. “It smoked him pretty good. The doctor said he has good strength so that makes us kind of optimistic. First indications are that we caught a break. La Russa had good reason to be scared. Pujols has played at least 143 games in each of his first 10 MLB seasons. He is as durable as they come and it takes a lot for him to go down. The Cardinals were just getting healthy again as their other slugger, Matt Holliday was back playing and the Cards were expecting more reinforcements to come off the DL. Lets hope Pujols isn't out to long as he was just getting into his MVP groove.

Vanderbilt wins its first ever College World Series Game: The Commodores waited a long time for this and finally got their due. Vanderbilt has been playing baseball since 1886 and this marks their 1st appearance in Omaha. Now that they are here , they didn't wait long to pounce on the North Carolina Tar Heels and defeated them 7-3. Even former President George W. Bush was on hand to see Vandy exercise some demons over the Tar Heels. Tony Kemp led the Commodes with 3 hits including making history on multiple occasions by having the first hit ever in the new TD Ameritrade Park and also the first stolen base. Conrad Harrell broke the game open as he hit the first CWS home in the new park in the sixth-inning to break the tie. Vandy starter Sonny Gray only went 4 2/3 innings ( His shortest outing in 18 starts since going 4 1/3 in the season opener.)

and was relieved by Corey Williams who worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Jason Esposito made a Sportsenter top 10 highlight play at 3rd as he made a great stop on a hard hit grounder by of all people J. Stallings-- son of Vanderbilt basketball team coach Kevin Stallings, and threw a laser to first base for the out. So far so good for the Commodores. They take on Florida today in the winners bracket , make sure to tune in to ESPN to support the Dores.



Alright, that is it for the weekend rundown. Make sure to check back this week as I have multiple posts in the works and some big news later this week.

The 5th Anuual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp



Brandon Wright



Brian "Penny" Collins

 Looking for a great basketball camp full of experts, NBA players, and professional coaches in the Nashville area this year? Well look no further, as the creators of the Annual Music City Basketball Classic now bring you The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp. It will be held at Brentwood Academy June 27th-June 30th for 7th graders and up. This will be the premier basketball camp in all of the mid-state Whether you are a newcomer to the sport or a all-star level player, the All-Around Run and Gun camp is designed to help young basketball players develop athletically and mentally.



Ed Davis



John Jenkins

 The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp will feature some of the best talent in the country. The co-hosts for this camp this year will be former North Carolina standout and first-round NBA selection Brandon Wright of the New Jersey Nets and former Belmont Bruin and Whites Creek star Brian ‘Penny” Collins. Also expected in attendance include sharp shooting John Jenkins of Vanderbilt, big man Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Wayne Ellington of the Minnesota Timberwolves, former interim head coach of the University of Tennessee Tony Jones, Gerald Robinson of the University of Georgia, Andre Whitehead of Tnprephoops.com, Carlos Paige of Noomizo.com and Sportaholic blog and many more.

Gerald Robinson

Tony Jones

The All-Around Run and Gun camp will emphasize basketball education experience on and off the court. The roster of NBA players and college stars will conduct training drills, fundamental skill development, and most importantly having fun. The coaches will provide knowledge and keen insight on what players need to focus on to get better. Carlos Paige will educate players on media training and using the internet to receive college recognition and much more. If you are an up and coming basketball star in the mid-state area, then you will not want to miss this.

Wayne Ellington

For registration information contact Brian “Penny” Collins at 615-260-1234 or e-mail him at briancollins10@hotmail.com. The cost of camp is $200 and the last day for sign-ups is June 27th. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to train with some of the best basketball has to offer. Contact Brian “Penny” Collins today before time runs out.

Lebron's failure and the media's obession with it

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice weekend, as for me I’m recovering from a sprained Achilles and sprained ankle I suffered playing some pick up basketball over the weekend. Sometime the mind forgets how old the body is and in my case I was watching too much basketball here lately and thought I was Kobe or Dirk. In any case, I have missed the boat on writing about Dallas’s victory over Miami to claim their first title and as I can see from reading, everybody has had their say about Lebron and his failures and anything else they always wanted to say about the Miami Heat. So I won’t bash the boys from Miami too much who although they didn’t bring home a ring otherwise had a great season. Just to think that this team was put together in a year and went on to take the Eastern conference title and came within two games of winning it all.

The last I checked it was Dallas who won the championship but the more you read the more you notice how much this has become how Lebron and the Heat LOST and not so much on how Dirk and the Mavs WON. This is what’s wrong with the world these days, people are always more concerned the individual than they are with the overall big picture. Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Rick Carlisle, and hell even Mark Cuban deserved this on so many levels. Those players named played their hearts out, Carlisle out-coached everyone he faced in the playoffs, and Cuban spent the money and persevered through season after season of long and enduring disappointments to finally claim a title. The media has all but forgotten about the Mavericks already as they are ready to throw Lebron under the bus even though he has been ran over by the entire Greyhound fleet at this point.

Furthermore, to put all the blame on James’s burly shoulders is pure ludicrous. In the words of one my blogging pals Sports HR, those who all blame Lebron should be fired for that notion of thinking. Granted, Lebron did not do the things that have earned him the moniker of “King”. He was passive aggressive, he shot too many jumpers, he defer too much, he didn’t rotate on defense with the authority that we are use to seeing, and didn’t show up in the fourth quarter. Those are things the great ones ALWAYS do in championship moments. Lebron has been chastised to the point of no return in the media and it’s getting to the point of borderline obsession with him. Every sports outlet wanted to capture James in his moment of shame to mock him and criticize. He is human just like everyone else and did bring a lot of this on himself with the ill-advised decision massacre but enough is enough. Everyone that reads this column and knows me personally knows how much dislike I have for the Heat and Lebron, but me as a fan of sports knows the greatness of Lebron and that he is the greatest player on earth right now regardless of poor performance in the Finals.

Just to think that less than a few weeks ago, we were having the discussion of if Lebron was on the path of being the best player ever, even surpassing ‘His Airness” Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen posed that argument and some people actually agreed that Lebron has a chance to be better than MJ. I think one of the greatest factors in Lebron’s performance is that he has never faced the pressure cooker of being of the big stage that is the Finals. Sounds ridiculous at first though right, but when you take a look at Lebron basketball past, you will notice that he really hasn’t had to face that much adversity in his career. Yes he did face the expectations of being a childhood prodigy, who was predicted as early as 10th grade to go number one in the NBA draft. Those were a different set of forecasts back then as all he had to do was go and play ball and the rest would figure itself out. Now James has the weight of being the best player in the league, an icon in his own right, and the pressure he has created with his antics. Lebron was so much better than his counterparts in high school that it was easy for him to vanquish them and win state titles. Could you imagine being a sophomore in high school and seeing a guy that was a step away from the NBA coming at you? Sheesh. Lebron never had to face the rigors of March Madness and everything that comes with it. Learning how to deal with pressure is different for everyone and unless you have experienced it, than you won’t know to respond to it.

Eventually LBJ will figure it out because he is too great of a player not to. Michael Jordan had to find a way to harness his scoring ability to go along with the team aspect and ditto for Kobe Bryant. Magic Johnson failed miserably in his first attempt in the Finals against Bird and the Celtics (I know this James second try, but he really didn’t have a chance his first time with the Cavs facing the Spurs). The great ones have to experience failure on a level that they never have experienced before to humble them and motivate them in a way that will bring out the beast in them.

Lebron says that he doesn’t listen to all of the negativity but I would put my bottom dollar on it that some does seep into his brain from time to time. His time will come and one day he will perform to the level that we have set for him in expectations. He will also appreciate his championship much more than he ever would have had they won this year when he would have thought “ I did things my way and still won, to hell with everybody and what they think” Lebron has learned a valuable lesson not just in basketball but in life altogether. It’s the best thing for us basketball fans because I guarantee you Bron will be back with a vengeance next year to prove everyone wrong. He has everything in the world but the one thing that would make it complete is a championship. Until then the Lebron hate will go on, but deep down in the heart of every Lebron hater, they know this man will eventually get his. So hate and admonish all you want people but leave yourself a little wiggle room for when he does become a champion.

Kenny Britt gets arressted...... again

Well, Kenny you really have done it this time. While the entire sports world was busy wondering what’s wrong with Lebron, Britt was busy getting busted for the second time this year. Police in New Jersey say he was charged with resisting arrest after officers suspected he was carrying marijuana and tried to handcuff him in a New Jersey car wash this past Wednesday. This latest event came the day after he appeared in court for another resisting arrest traffic charge. This is what NFL coaches were afraid would happen with certain players as the lockout continues. Britt is becoming a head case following in the footsteps of former Titans greatest head case of them all, Adam “Pac Man” Jones. Jones pattern of behavior seemed more sinister than Britt’s, but he is developing his own recurring pattern that does not bode well for a guy the Titans thought was verge of becoming a star.

Britt’s first arrest was bad enough as he was ticketed for speeding, driving his Porsche 71 mph in a 55 mph zone and to top things off, he led authorities on a high speed chase. Stupidity like this makes you question how smart of an individual is this guy in the first place. This arrest came the day after a court appearance and you mean to tell me he is just casually walking around smoking weed? Come on Kenny you have got to do better. Britt has had several police involved incidents including being arrested last year for outstanding traffic tickets and was accused of not paying a bail bond he helped a friend secure and an alleged scuffle at a local Nashville night club. If I'm in Tennessee's front office I won't this guy as far as possible away from New Jersey because that where it seems Britt tends to lose his mind.

I remember seeing Britt’s record breaking performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last season when he caught 7 passes for 225 yards and saying to myself “This guy is going to be a beast”. He was the receiver the Titans have been missing in their offense since they came to Tennessee. Britt along with newly drafted QB Jake Locker and Chris Johnson were suppose to be the pillars of the offense for future of the Titans, but now Britt may be in limbo. Nashville, for all my readers who have never been here, is a small woven country community. Nashville is not use to having a scandal ridden athlete although we did get a crash course in that department thanks to Pac Man Jones.The local city media doesn’t have a lot to talk about other than its country music stars so when an athlete gives them a chance to get an exclusive for being arrested, it’s going to be major news here. If you don’t believe me just ask my old pal Vince Young.

Britt has to get his act together. While all the other Titan players have kept their nose clean during the lockout, Britt has become a head ache for the new coaching staff.New Head Coach Mike Munchak was quoted as saying Unfortunately, he’s had a few things that’ve come up for him in the offseason,” That’s something we’ll deal with when he comes in.” In other words that means that some type of discipline is coming Britt’s way as soon as the labor strife between the players and owners is over. Britt is an amazing talent this has the potential to become one of the better receivers in all of football. He has made bad decisions which we all have before so no one can judge him. But when you’re in the enviable position of being a highly paid athlete, you have to set yourself to higher standards. Britt is only 22 years old and obviously has some growing up to do but he better do it fast. I have a feeling the commish is going to chime in on Mr. Britt summer adventures as well.



Editors Note: There will be no Sportaholic Radio Show this weekend, as I will be traveling out of town to catch up with some family. Since I won't be able to able to post this weekend, I was interested in having someone come in and do some guest blogging for me. If your interested, shoot me an e-mail or drop a comment and we can work something out. Everyone have a nice and peaceful weekend.

Is the Ohio State Scandal Really Terrelle Pryor’s Entire Fault?

The Ohio State University is up to its teeth in scandal, as news of the ill fated football program has rocked one of the nation’s most prestigious college’s in the country. The coach Jim Tressel has been fired and starting QB Terrelle Pryor now has former attached to his title as he has announced that he will be leaving the program as well. Now the scandal itself has been well documented by numerous outlets you would have to be basically dead not to know what been going on in Columbus. Just in case you don’t know Pryor, along with several other OSU players have been trading memorabilia for tattoos, cash and everything else. This story was first uncovered by Yahoo and then blew completely open by Sports Illustrated. Pryor was the most celebrated Pryor since a funny guy name Richard but has now been disgraced as he has quit the team in hopes to somehow get in the NFL supplemental draft or play in Canada until next year.

Pryor was seen as the most audacious of all the players who got caught, so of course he becomes the whipping boy in all of this. But I pose the question to whoever is reading this, is Pryor the man that should be blamed for all of this? Granted he seemed to have taken the most and flaunted it more than any of the other players but just think about if you were in his position. He was the starting QB for the powerhouse Buckeyes. When Pryor looked in the stands of the Horseshoe, all he could see was his number two jerseys on fans backs. He receives no compensation for any of those jersey sells. He looks on the internet and notices that Ohio State’s football program made an estimated $63.8 million dollars last year and again he didn’t receive a nickel of that.

I know the cynics reading this are screaming at the top of their lungs that he received a scholarship with room and board and blah blah blah but that’s nothing compared to what his likeness is making for his school. It’s not even close. The modern day five-star recruited athlete sees a scholarship as nothing more than a given commodity. Not to devalue a free ride but top notch athletes field hundreds of offers from every school looking for the next great player. The school that is lucky enough to land a top recruit will make oodles of cash off his back so its no wonder recruiting is such a corrupt operation to begin with.

The culture of money and athletics go hand and hand. From the highest level athletic director to the lowest level street agent thug knows this. I’ve read over countless stories of older coaches giving players special “handshakes” and mowing lawns for exceptional amounts of money. Another aspect that goes unnoticed is the hip hop influence that infiltrates most every young athlete in America. It teaches that receiving money should be over anything and everybody. Pick a song from rap icons and you are sure to hear about money such as Lil Wayne’s “Got Money”, Kanye West “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” or 50 cents “I Get Money”. The major artists of hip-hop all showcase their jewelry and expensive cars because its just part of the culture. Does this sound like anybody we know here? The perception of hip-hip is to show off and show out whenever you get a chance and Pryor definitely seemed to live up that aspect of the music.

We can’t forget Jim Tressel as well in this situation as he cultivated this kind of pay for play atmosphere. As indicated in the Sports Illustrated story, this is not Tressel’s first rodeo. He was investigated at Youngstown State after another alleged scandal involving his star QB at the time by the name of Ray Isaac. Tressel projects himself as a high value devoted Christian man but if you read a few stories about him you will come to the conclusion that he most definitely has an alter ego. To win in big time college athletics it takes a certain type of demeanor. You rarely see choir boys leading teams out the tunnel, its usually fiery guys with intense personalities a la Urban Meyer. Tressel’s outside demeanor may not have fit that scene but he has a deep down fortitude of competition in him. It’s that very reason that Tressel may have let the type things that went on at OSU to continue. There is no way he couldn’t have known 28 or more players as named by Sports Illustrated were receiving benefits especially the tattoos. He saw his player everyday you mean to tell me he didn’t notice all of great new body art they were flashing? Give me a break.

Furthermore, if you take a look at college athletics around the nation, you would think you were reading a national enquirer. Scandals have broken out like chicken pox in a kindergarten class. Tennessee, North Carolina, USC, Uconn, Auburn, and even Boise State have all received that dreaded letter from the NCAA. No one wants to say it but college athletics are totally screwed up at this point. The little things you could get away with yesteryear will be on someone’s twitter, facebook, skype, or some forum on the internet nowadays. Hell look at what has just happened to Texas as former star QB Colt McCoy’s girlfriend decided to do a little radio interview and she eluded to some things that I’m pretty sure Mack Brown and co would have liked to keep quiet. The NCAA has stated that they would like to get tougher in light of all allegations that are coming at them left at right but from what I understand they are terribly understaffed. Its like fighting a fight with one hand tied behind your back.

In conclusion, like I stated earlier in the article it was 28 players in all indicated in the report. Terelle Pryor is only one man, by reading a few articles on the internet you would think he accounted for every one of the 28 in question. I’m not an apologist on Pryor behalf I’ve just read so many negative columns about him and it somewhat angered me, on how quickly those praising you can stick a dagger in you all in the same breath. Pryor was absolutely wrong in which the manner he conducted himself. He took outlandish gifts, he drove cars that weren’t his, and he put OSU on a downward spiral that has no ending in site. He has to take most of the blame because he was the highest profiled of all the players indicated in the report. Sorry to say it, but that just how it goes when you’re the best player. But don’t give me that it’s HIS ENTIRE fault. He is a teenager in the precarious position of being the most popular athlete in town. He wasn’t doing all these things by himself. He had manipulative grown men doing these things for him. So again I ask the question was it really all Terrelle Pryor’s fault? I think not