Boston Speakeasy - Sports, News, Humor & Commentary - Stay Thirsty!: Dirk Nowitzki's New Girlfriend Jessica Olsson Vs. His Old Girlfriend Crystal Taylor

Boston Speakeasy - Sports, News, Humor & Commentary - Stay Thirsty!: Dirk Nowitzki's New Girlfriend Jessica Olsson Vs. His Old Girlfriend Crystal Taylor

James Harrison: Diary of an angry NFL player.

http://www.mensjournal.com/jamesharrison

I don’t know about you but I know James Harrison is ready to play some football. This man is angry and since he can’t hit any one any time soon he took his shots at various targets through the media. The 2008 defensive player of the year didn’t bite his tongue as he ripped the commish Roger Goddell and even his own teammates Ben Roethelisberger and Rashard Medenhall. Harrison was featured in the Men’s Journal magazine and who ever booked him should get a raise for conducting the best interview of the year so far. Here are a few excerpts from Harrison’s article:

On Roger Goddell: If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it," Harrison told the magazine. "I hate him and will never respect him."

If the Steelers had won Super Bowl Harrison stated he would say the following to Goddell: "Why don't you quit and do something else, like start your own league in flag football?"

On Ben Rothislisberger: “Stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that. You just get paid like him.”



On Rashard Mendenhall: “He is a fumble machine.”

In a word, wow is all I can say.  Not only did Harrison let it all out on the most powerful man in the NFL but he also threw his own teammates under the bus. He also called Goddell a number of other things including an anti-gay slur, stupid, puppet and dictator. If you can’t tell by now, Harrison has a serious dislike for the commish. He didn’t limit himself to just those few either, as he took on ESPN and NBC commentators Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison calling them clowns. He then called out Houston Texan linebacker Brian Cushing saying he was “Juiced out of his mind.”  Twitter has blown up over the comments of Harrison. I had to join in on the coversation (@Los2112) as the question was asked who was tougher Ray Lewis or James Harrison (I picked Harrison by the way)? Harrison seems to be upset with all of the fines that have been directed his way in light of the leagues new stance of hard hits. He even played the race card by saying he thinks black players are punished more severely than white players for those hard hits. Wait, what?

This man needs to get on the field and vent some of frustrations because they are clearly getting the best of him at this point. The most obscene part is that Harrison’s Super Bowl performance was horrible as he recorded only 1 tackle as the Steelers D allowed Aaron Rodgers to carve them up. Rodgers was 24/39 304 yards and 2 touchdowns and that doesn’t even include the 7 or 8 balls his receivers dropped. I don’t know maybe Harrison is trying to run himself out of town by going in on his own teammates and the Rooney’s right hand man Goddell. Harrison will be the guest on Sportcenter at 5 pm CST today so make sure to tune in for his follow up and for the full article click here: http://www.mensjournal.com/jamesharrison. If we know one thing about Harrison it’s that he doesn’t mince his words for anybody. 

Photo credits: Men's Journal Magazine

What do you you most look forward to in the upcoming NFL season?

This time of year we football fans are usually in frenzy as free agency is in full swing and training camps are on the horizon, as the beginning of the season would be less than a month and a half away. However, this year with the lockout being enforced since March 11th the only thing we can do as fans is wait, watch and hope that some type of agreement can be met before it interferes with the season. Most experts agree that in order for the season to go on as scheduled; a deal will have to be brokered sometime this week.

Barring a major letdown from the owners and players it looks as if an agreement should be reached soon. Both sides are now realizing the sense of urgency as the NFL Hall of Fame game between the St Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears is less than a month away. This entire summer of the NFL has been hijacked by the labor agreement but this article is not about the lockout. I found myself being asked this question this weekend that got the wheels turning in my head. The question was what do you most look forward to for the upcoming season? This is a question that of course assumes the season will goon but nevertheless it was a question I haven’t pondered so far this summer.

So I decided I would come up with a list of things I most anticipate going into this new season. There are so many players and scenarios that I look forward seeing to so lets just jump into the list starting with number 5:

5. How will the Pack attack after winning it all last year: The Packers went from a darkhorse in the NFC playoffs to the Super Bowl champs. They were led by Aaron Rodgers and a prolific passing game and a stingy defense led by Clay Matthews. Rodgers has received all the adulation of a Super Bowl MVP quarterback and deservedly so but will that affect his performance on the field this upcoming season? Will the team have any complacency issues as former Super Bowl winners have had in the recent past (2010 New Orleans Saints, 2008 New York Giants for example). It will also be great to see the Super Bowl champs at full strength as they had an astonishing 15 players on injured reserve. The Packers will get back starter and possible game breaker Jermichael Finley at tight end, starting running back Ryan Grant who was coming off a 1,200 yard season, linebacker Nick Barnett the franchises second all-time leader in tackles and many more on the field after a terrible year of injuries for Green Bay. Can Green Bay sustain the level of success it obtained last year? We shall see.

4. What kind of Free Agency Bonanza will we see: With the labor strife that has taken away most of the off-season, the NFL is set for an unprecedented and unforgiving free agency period. Teams with cash to spend will only have a limited amount of time to sign players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Matt Hasselbeck and Sidney Rice just to name a few. (For a complete list of the 2011 free agent class click here: http://www.footballsfuture.com/freeagents.html). Deep pocket teams like the Washington Redskins, Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys will be ready and willing for some wheeling and dealing. You know GM’s are ready to make improvements to their respective rosters and have to be itching to sign players they think can help out. This should be the best part of the shortened off-season as the signings should be fast and furious.

3. Can the Michael Vick experince continue its epic resurgence: We all know the story on Vick but his spectacular play last year added a new chapter to his book. Vick was everything and more that the Eagles bargained for as he put up an MVP worth state line of: 3,018 yards passing, 21 touchdown passes, 6 interceptions, and a career high QB rating of 100.2. Vick should be more acclimated with the offense this year and he also will have the benefit of being coached by OC Marty Mornhinweg who Vick made great strides under last year. If Vick can avoid injury, which always is a worry with his sometimes reckless abandon for his body, than he should be able to build off of last season and have an even better season this year. If a guy can make that much progress in a new system in one year just think about what he can do in year 2. However due to the success of Vick I do look for teams to gameplan more for him as the last two victors did over the Eagles last season. The Vikings and Packers had tremendous success blitzing their cornerbacks on Philly. The Eagles tried to address their lack of depth on the offensive line by drafting Danny Watkins at number 23 in the draft. So with the addition of Watkins and Vick’s continued growth in Andy Reid’s system I expect a big year from him.

2. How will the Dallas Cowboys respond after a dismal 2010 year: America’s team was America’s wasteland in terms of football last year. After a bunch of Pomp and Circumstance due to the Super Bowl being held in Dallas and Jerry Jones going on record as saying this team will be the first host team to make it to the Super Bowl, the Cowboys got off an ugly 1-5 start before losing starting QB Tony Romo and it just went all down hill from there. The terrible start caused Head Coach Wade Phillips to be relieved of his duties in favor of Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett. Garrett had a respectable 5-3 record down the stretch and was named head coach for good. Is this finally the year Romo and the ‘Boys can make it to the Super Bowl? A lot of things would have to fall in place for Dallas for that to happen. The Cowboys have an aging offensive line that could spell doom for their season as it did last year. Romo also has to prove that he can be a dependable clutch player something he has yet to do since taking over the reigns as the Cowboys starting QB. There are also questions in the defensive backfield as Dallas went from having one of the best DB units in 2009 to one of the worst in 2011. Dallas has all the talent in the world but they need to develop heart it takes to win a championship but they will be fun to watch as always and hopefully Roy Williams won’t mail it in on the field as he did in his proposal (Sorry Roy, but you made it easy for us writers)

1. How will the lockout affect players’ performance? Well we have come full circle as I mentioned at first that this column would not be about the lockout but in the end this is most burning question of them all and could not be avoided. All players have their off-season training regiments but they also haven’t had anyone around to force them to workout. The coaches and trainers are usually monitoring everything the players doing in the off-season including fitness, nutrition and a ton of other things. For those who can remember to back to NBA lockout of 1999 and the player most synonymous with lockout overeating is Shawn Kemp. The Reign Man had just signed a multi million dollar deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers before the lockout and when the season resumed for just 50 games, Kemp had ballooned to over 300 pounds. He was never the same high-flying above the rim dunk monster that led to him receiving that contract. Kemp’s story is the most cautionary tale about players not being supervised under the lockout. I guarantee you there will be players overweight and out of shape whenever the season does begin. I can think at least one guy that come to mind in Albert Haynesworth that more than likely hasn’t missed too many meals since the lockout started. Also another aspect is that players will be more susceptible to injury due to lack of preparation and inadequate time needed to fine tune their bodies. Yeah I know the players are holding their own “Camps” but do you really think they will push themselves as hard as a coach or trainer would? Yeah me neither.

So that does it for the things I most look forward to seeing this upcoming year. I know I missed on a few things so what are some of the things everyone else is anticipating going into the 2011 season? Feel free to drop comments and let’s get the ball rolling on this list.

The Sportaholic Weekly Roundup

This has been one the busiest weeks in recent memory for me. I’ve had to take care of my daughter while her mother is out of town, and it seems she just learned the secret that if she makes a certain face at me I will turn straight into a cream puff and she can get whatever she wants. On top of that I’ve had car trouble, new training at my job, and all kind of other stuff. Thus I haven’t been able to post as much as I would like. I’ve missed a few things that I have to talk about today and I mean absolutely have speak my mind on these subjects.




So let me jump right into the weekly roundup as I touch bases on all of the biggest stories of the week.

Fan dies after falling at Texas Rangers game: For starters I want to send out my condolences to the family of Shannon Stone. As many of you already know, Stone was tragically killed attempting to secure a baseball thrown in the stands by Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton. It was just one of those freak accidents that captures everyone’s attention. Stone was a local firefighter who just wanted to give his son a souvenir from one of the games best players. Stone was reportedly coherent enough to check on his son after his fall of over 20 feet. The players all thought that he would be ok but unfortunately he was not. It just puts a damper on the game itself and humbles me as a parent to see such a untimely death of such a honorable man.

Kerry Collins calls it a career: ''The past several months have brought on much introspection, and I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position,'' Collins said in a statement





Kerry Collins retirement comes as somewhat of a surprise to me. There were earlier reports that Collins was looking to secure a deal with any team that was willing to give him a look at the starting QB spot but that was a pipe dream for him in the first place. The Titans drafting Jake Locker in the first lightning round and the rigors of coming back from the lockout had to play a role in



him hanging up his cleats. Collins was a steady QB in the latter part of his career after being an up and down one in his prime. Most people forget that he was the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft for the Carolina Panthers and led them to an NFC championship game. He also led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl in 2000. He has overcome alcoholism problem and a lot of adversity to put up solid career numbers including: 40,441 passing yards, 206 passing TDs, and a career completion rate of 55.8. One thing I can say about Collins is that he was always ready when his number was called upon. As many Tennessee Titans fans will tell you, Vince Young could not be counted on as much as we would have liked. Collins always made us feel comfortable because we knew Kerry could come in and run the offense arguably better than Young could. Collins always had a cannon for an arm and as long as you protected him he could get the job done. Asking the 38 year old 16-year veteran to mentor yet another rookie QB who eventually was going to take his spot was probably just too much to ask for again out of Collins. Collins retirement puts the Titans in a precarious situation at QB with only Locker and 2nd year man Rusty Smith on the depth chart. Look for them to be active in free agency as soon as the lockout is lifted. Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb come to mind as the first choices to take overt in Tennessee and hold down the fort until Locker is ready to start. I wish you well Kerry in your next endeavor, you served admirably here in Tennessee putting up with Vince Young’s mess of an attitude, Jeff Fisher’s conservatism and uncreative play-calling and Bud Adams cheap reputation. Farewell Kerry.

Roy Williams mails it in on the field on and off: How about Roy Williams of my beloved Dallas Cowboys? Is this guy on drugs or does he really think that highly of himself? So let me get this straight, he sends his former Miss Texas girlfriend an engagement ring by way of mail? And to top it off he proposes to her by video? Can you imagine this beauty queen’s expression when she received the ring in the mail? Woman are taught from a very young age how prince charming will come in and whisk them away, but Williams’s proposal basically said “Screw all of that just put the ring on and lets get this over with.” Way to step your game up Roy that really rocked her world when she received your marriage proposal. I have to say he did give us men something to tell our women something about sports. I’m kind of glad she turned him down after such a lame excuse of a proposal, serves him right and here is the kicker he has the gall to tell her to keep it because she will come back. Then again when I think about it Roy Williams’ has been half stepping every since he was traded to Dallas so why should this surprise anyone in the first place? Thanks again Roy for making the guys who did it the right way and actually got on one knee look great in the process of your humiliation.

Watch out Tennessee Vols, Vandy has a new sheriff in town: As a Tennessee Vol football fan I have never worried about recruiting battles with Vanderbilt because quite frankly the Vols trump the Commodres every time. James Franklin has come in right away and changed that perception as he has charmed players with charismatic attitude. The former Maryland offensive coordinator has taken three of the top prospects right from under UT’s and Derek Dooley’s nose. Brian Kimbrow, a four-star recruit from Memphis was the gem of the class as he was the highest rated player in the state and had offers from the likes of Notre Dame, USC and of course Tennessee. He is only the second four star recruit in the history of the Vanderbilt program. Caleb Azubike and Corey Batey also joined Vanderbilt’s class which already is shaping up as one the best ever in school history. I’ve never met Franklin but I can tell that his approach is working with the kids. He is young and has a swagger that the young kids seem to reverberate with. This could be just the beginning for Franklin as well. He could possibly be building something at the most academic natured school in all of the SEC. Good hire by David Williams and the Vandy staff, you can’t help but to like the direction that the program is going under Franklin. The ball is in your court now Tennessee especially you Derek Dooley.

Derek Jeter can you please get your 3,000th hit: I admit I am a lifelong Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves fan so the whole DJ3K thing doesn’t really get me excited. But I respect greatness from any player that fits the bill and Jeter certainly does. He is slowly declining and the ‘Ol bat speed isn’t what it use to be but when you really sit back and think about it, Jeter may is the last great positional player the Yankees have from their dynasty days in the early 2000s. Jorge Posada still plays sparingly and Mariana Rivera is the closer so technically Jeter is the last everyday player the linked to those glory days in Yankee lore. He represents everything the Yankees are about and with him getting his 3,000th hit it should be rightfully celebrated. But all I’m saying is just get it over with already please. The media insatiable thirst for anything Yankees, Jeter, or New York has led to bat by bat coverage and all kinds of over-sensationalism in the media. The good thing is he is only two hits away from putting away this media frenzy that has been bestowed upon him. As a Red Sox fan I hope Jeter gets his 3,000 hit in the next game and everyone celebrates and all of that good stuff only to have the Yankess lose. Sorry that’s just the way it goes in Red Sox nation.

Deron Williams in talks to play overseas due to lockout: The first salvo has been fired in the NBA lockout as the first superstar of the league has reportedly come to terms to play for Besiktas, a Turkish team in the euroleague. This comes as a bit of a surprise that Williams would put himself in harms way just to play during the lockout. But upon further examination this is exactly what the players should do I when think about it. If the owners wants to lockout its players what other options are out there for guys who in the prime of their athletic lives? Williams’s decision is based on his assumption that the league will be locked out for an extended amount of time and his signing could open the gates for other players to join him. The same club that has a deal in the works for Williams is also reaching out to the black mamba himself Kobe Bryant. I doubt if many of the leagues premier players jump overseas just to play but it’s good to have all of your options open. The players know that this will anger their NBA teams and could lead to all kind of legal ramifications but if the owners wouldn’t have cried wolf and created this situation then it wouldn’t be necessary in the first place. FIBA has a long standing relationship with the NBA and knows that making David Stern and co angry isn’t the route to go. They have to take a long look at the current situation and hope that it doesn’t interfere with the relationship that they have cultivated with the premier basketball league in the world. Stay tuned as this could just be the first of many players including Pau Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Rudy Fernandez who have all publicly said they would consider playing elsewhere if the lockout continues.



Alright, that does it for me this week. I hope everyone reading has a great weekend. I look forward to posting my articles daily as I have always done next week now that my daughter’s mother is back in town (Thank you God). Also be on the lookout for my new radio show: The Sportaholic radio hour on Beatknockin.com. It’s an online radio station so tune in on Saturday’s from 10-12 pm if you happen to be by a computer or device that allows you listen.

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

I had the pleasure of attending the 5th Annual All-Around Run n Gun Basketball Camp and covering it was a blast. I met with several of the camp leaders and got their various opinions on how camp was going and some other issues about the state of basketball in middle Tennessee. I was impressed the most about the method of teaching that the camp directors used as they were very hand on and spoke directly to the camp attendees.

I didn’t know that All-Around Game was an organization and was surprised to see how well run the camp was. This year was special as Brian “Penny” Collins Run N Gun camp combined forces with The All-Around Game founder Spencer Richardson to make this the premier basketball camp in all of middle Tennessee. The camp attendants were overjoyed with the presence of such notable former local stars including former Brentwood Academy standout Brandon Wright, former Antioch High School and Vanderbilt star Mario Moore, former Whites Creek High School and Vanderbilt player Jamie Graham and Jamal Richardson former Maplewood standout and Auburn University player.

It was refreshing to see how the kids responded to the life lessons that they were learning. Although the camp leaders were very straightforward in speaking them, most of the young men seemed to enjoy their realistic approach. To get a better understanding of the camp leaders I sat down with each one individually.

The Sportaholic crew was also able to take photos of the various highlights of camp and have videos coming soon. This was a grand occasion and something that every up and coming basketball player in the mid state should take notice of. Special thanks to David Farrell for his photography and Ashley Danielle, who interviewed a few players as well.

I asked each member a few quick questions and here are the highlights of those interviews:

Spencer Richardson of Nashville, TN Founder of All-Around Game Organization and former star shooting guard of Maplewood Panthers.

Sportaholic: What is your best quality that you feel you can teach the kids?

Richardson: Teaching kids to be confident. I like keeping it simple and just let them know that you get out it what you put into it.

Sportaholic: From the inner circles outside the state of Tennessee, I hear a lot about how middle Tennessee basketball is not that good. What do you think can be done to increase our talent pool in the area and sustain it?

Richardson: Yeah I definitely think Mid-TN basketball is down. We are not producing enough athletes. I think one of the problems is that kids around our community are playing four different sports at once and not focusing on one.

Sportaholic: What do you feel was your best moment as an athlete?

Richardson: I remember the year we played Jamont Gordon and the Glencliff Colts. There was a lot of hype surrounding Jamont who was one of the top players in city as a freshman. I dropped 38 points on them, not just Jamont because he wasn’t guarding me, but it felt great to have a highly anticipated game to be able to perform to the best of my abilities.

Jamie Graham Nashville, TN native former Whites Creek Cobras and Vanderbilt Commodores star

Sportaholic: What do you feel is your best quality that you can teach the kids?

Graham: Just the experience that I have. I have played a lot of basketball including going to the state finals 05-07 with Whites Creek. I also played at Vandy for a short time so I think my experience goes a long way.

Sportaholic: On that note what do you feel is the best you can give them going forward with their basketball aspirations?

Graham: Just to work hard everyday and improve your craft. Never take time off because while taking time the others players are getting better.

Sportaholic: What do you think we can do to improve the talent pool here in middle Tennessee?

Graham: I think we have to put more time and effort into our youth. This is the reason I respect Penny (Brian Collins) so much because he puts so much time and effort back into the community.

Sportaholic: What is the best athletic achievement you ever had?

Graham: Playing at Vanderbilt and being key member of the team that won the Music City bowl, ending a 53-year drought for my school. I have done a lot of things in sports but this I believe is my crowing achievement.

Mario Moore Nashville, TN native former Antioch Bears and Vanderbilt Commodores star point guard.

Sportaholic: What do you feel is your best quality that you can teach the kids?

Moore: My experience of playing and being able to give them what I went through playing in the NCAA. I also think my passion is what I give to the players.



Sportaholic: On that note what do you feel is the best you can give them going forward with their basketball aspirations?

Moore: I always tell the kids to work on their fundamentals and footwork. Those are two things that can take you a long way. I also tell them to make sure that they respect the game. Be willing to work hard and take progressive steps to become better.

Sportaholic: What do you think we can do to improve the talent pool here in middle Tennessee?

Moore: Us as coaches and former players need to reach out to the neighborhoods and communities and get these players involved. Kids should know the fundamentals, the entire community has to become involved because all about the kids. The All-Around Game and Run N Gun foundation will go anywhere and we can make this a movement. We are all educated young men with the experience of playing big time basketball so I believe we can change the perception of middle Tennessee basketball.

Sportaholic: What is the best athletic achievement you ever had?

Moore: I would have to say obtaining a scholarship to play at Vanderbilt. My mother didn’t have the necessary means to send me to college so that was a blessing in itself. If I had to think of a single athletic accomplishment, I would say making six 3-pointers and scoring 26 points against Western Michigan in the NCAA tournament. That may have been my best game as a Commodore.

Brandon Lockridge Nashville, TN native former MLK and Tennessee State University star Assistant coach of MLK.

Sportaholic: What do you feel is your best quality that you can teach the kids?

Lockridge: Having experience and being so close in age to the camp’s participants. Kids in this generation have to see you perform before they believe in you and the good thing about this camp is that most of us have played in Nashville not too long ago.

Sportaholic: What do you think we can do to improve the talent pool here in middle Tennessee?

Lockridge: Just continue to have different camps and teaching the fundamentals. Players are seeing too many things on T.V. and have got away from the basics here in Nashville. I think the city needs to have more accessible gyms. You go to other cities and they have 24 hour gyms that players can go to and we just don’t have that here.

Sportaholic: On that note what do you feel is the best you can give them going forward with their basketball aspirations?

Lockridge: To just never stop working. You are either getting better or getting worse. Everybody is good in college, so you have to put in hard work and use proper time management. You’re an athlete and you have to be dedicated to your craft. Watch the situations you put yourself in because as an athlete you are also a target.

Sportaholic: What is the best athletic achievement you ever had?

Lockridge: (Laughs) if I had to pick one I would say it was the time I made six 3-pointers in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes. I didn’t get the start that game but I came in and performed when asked of me in the second half. It was a lot of politics after coach Nolan Richardson III left the TSU program and I didn’t get the same opportunities I received our new coach. But I think I made the best out of a bad situation.

Jasmine Ellis Memphis, TN native former Christian Brothers High School star

Sportaholic: What do you feel is your best quality that you can teach the kids?

Ellis: I think I bring a voice of diversity for the players. I have been the star, the role player and came off the bench at various points in my career. Everybody has a different role that they have to play to make a team good. I also emphasize defense so I think the players respond to me in that regard.

Sportaholic: What do you think we can do to improve the talent pool here in middle Tennessee?

Ellis: I think we have the athletes but we don’t have the resources. I think we should have these types of camps and programs all year round. You see players that are stars in high school here in Tennessee but they don’t seem to pan out.

Sportaholic: On that note what do you feel is the best you can give them going forward with their basketball aspirations?

Ellis: To always remember why coaches recruited you in the first place. Don’t get away from makes you successful in the first place. Make sure your foundation and fundamentals are strong and have a strong mind.

Sportaholic: What is the best athletic achievement you ever had?

Ellis: I can remember a particular game where I wasn’t playing my best. I think I had 5 or 6 points and had missed so many shots it wasn’t even funny. The game was in the balance in the final seconds and I had the ball. I missed a lay-up that would have put us up by three and maybe sealed the game. The other team’s star player came down the court and tried to put a lay-up of her own, but I was able to get my hand in the air and block the shot. It was just so great to have a bad game but to be able to still help my team get the victory even if it wasn’t by my scoring.

Standout player of camp:


Darius Thompson age 16 Blackman High School Point Guard



Sportaholic: What do you like best about the camp?



Thompson: Getting training from so great players in our community and getting to play with my friends.



Sportaholic: What have you learned the most since the beginning of camp?

Thompson: The camp leaders are always telling us to play hard everyday and to take no breaks. I think I have taken that to heart. The camp shows you life values and how basketball can set you up in many different ways in life.

Sportaholic: What one of the area of improvement you think you need in you game:



Thompson: I want to improve my ball-handling and shooting.



Sportaholic: Who is the player you think you most want to patent your game from?

Thompson: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is the players I most patent my game from. I try to look a lot of different players as well and take something from what they do.

Sportaholic: What has been your best athletic achievement so far in your life?

Thompson: I have a tie. I remember making six 3-pointers against Riverdale my sophomore year and also my first dunk on someone when I played against Lavergne.

That wraps it up for the Sportaholic's team coverage of the 5th All-Around Run N Gun Basketball Camp. Special thanks to Brian "Penny" Collins and Spencer Richardson for allowing us to cover this event and hopefully we will return next year.

Camp Photos (By David Farrell):

Bummer of a Summer 2011 edition

                

I I posted my very first article last year entitled “Summer of Bummers” as I featured a summer full of scandals that were rampant this time last year. If you can remember way back when to 2010, we had the “luxury” of witnessing the annual Brett Favre watch, Lebron-a-thon, Albert Haynesworth’s fall from grace in DC, Ben Roethlisberger’s late night romp, and Tiger was still recovering from his own scandal from which he has seemingly never has fully recovered. To avoid confusion, I decided to call this issue, “Bummer of a Summer”. To be sure, this summer has seen it’s own share of scandals as well: as we have Frank McCourt running the once proud Los Angeles Dodgers organization into the ground; College Football is in shambles from its own self inflicted wounds; and Alberto Contador is looking to win his 4th tour de France with the biggest cloud of suspicion (yeah I watch a little cycling, don’t judge me) hovering over him. But worse than all of the scandals, are the crazy NBA and NFL lockouts, which make for a different set of circumstances of which most sport fans aren’t accustomed. The summer months of sports are usually dull in my humble opinion. Baseball, Tennis, and Golf just doesn’t stir up the same type of emotions for me as Football and Basketball. As bad as the summer of 2010 was, at least it was entertaining and we knew we could look forward to seeing Football and Basketball in the Fall.

As a matter of fact, looking back at last year’s summer to the summer of 2011 it makes one long for Big Al coming to camp overweight and uninspired in Washington, the annual Brett Favre watch, and even that stupid decision fracas Lebron and co put together. It at least gave us something to talk about until the season started. The NFL and now the NBA are in full-blown lockout mode and both have put their respective upcoming seasons in jeopardy. This is unprecedented as the two of top sports leagues in our country will be taking a hiatus for an unforeseen amount of time. On some levels I can definitely understand the owners of the NBA locking out their players. A report from SI.com stated that 22 of the leagues 30 teams are operating in the negative. The players’ salaries are bloated and the current model of the NBA is broken, there is just no way around it. But no one made the owners pay guys like Rahsard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas over 100 million dollars in the first place. The NFL’s situation is different as the owners and the players can’t figure out how split 9 billion dollars worth of revenue among the two parties. The NFL system is not broken but neither side seems to want to concede any type of concessions that could possibly push the sides closer.

As it is now, neither situation makes us fans happy. We want the business side of things to work themselves out so we can see our sports heroes do what they do best. We expect for Roger Goddell, David Stern, DeMaurice Smith, Billy Hunter and all of the lawyers involved to find a way to get deals in place, because quite frankly it’s their job to do so. The dialogue from both leagues is what scares me as a fan the most. You have Charles Barkley saying that the current labor situation in the NBA could possibly swallow up the entire year and Kevin Durant saying that the players are ready to go all the way until some concessions are made on the side of the owners. In other words, this one is going to be a dogfight just like the NFL’s and maybe even worse. The NFL has had its share of tough talk as players as prominent as Adrian Peterson have stuck their own foots in their mouths. DeMaruice Smith has made some statements that have made me think that this labor thing may never end.

The lockouts will destroy all the positive momentum both leagues had going for them. The NBA just had its best ratings since “His Airness” Michael Jordan roamed the court in 1998 (how awkward is it that he is now on the owners’ side of things instead of the players). Lebron’s decision last year, whether you liked it or not, has brought about a ratings boom for the league as it gave fans a team to hate and despise in Miami. The NFL just had one its flagship franchises in Green Bay win the Super Bowl. It’s the number one sport in America and still hasn’t reached its ceiling. Most fans understand that the owners and players will always have a certain level of distrust with one another. That is just the nature of these types of relationships. But to possibly take away an entire season from the fans in the name of greed for both sides is definitely a turn off to us fans. Real fans support their teams no matter what, when it comes to the product on the field or the hardwood. I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and last year, as everyone knows, was possibly the most painful season I have endured. But I still brought my Cowboy gear, watched the games, and if I could have given my right arm I would have just to travel to Jerry’s world in Dallas to watch and cover a game. I’m sure those who are reading this did mostly the same during the course of the NFL season. So when the league decides that it’s best for them to cancel everything until further notice it just doesn’t sit well with us. What would they do if we all decided to strike and refused to buy tickets and fill the stadiums?

This year’s “Bummer of a Summer” has taking on an entire different meaning from last years. The bummer is that two of top sports league’s in the world that feature some of the greatest athletes that have ever been produced, can’t come to an agreement, so that everyone in sports world can get on with their sports lives as usual. Writers and bloggers won’t have anything to write about, reporters won’t have anything to report about and fans won’t have anything to cheer about. And there is nothing that any of us can do about this but watch and wait. This summer has definitely become the the mother of all sports bummers.

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!