Half the damn team came from Philly LOL!!!!!! And in the year of the pitcher, the arms ruled the day. And think about this. In his entire career, Derek Jeter had never lost an all star game. And Albert Pujols, an all star every year of his career except for 2002 when he won the MVP award, had never won an all star game. Almost every player in that game last night with the exception of freakin' Arthur Rhodes who's 40, were all in grade school the last time the National League won an all star game.
So with a collective sigh of relief for fans and a resounding chest pound for Charlie Manuel, the NL will finally bring the bacon home for the World Series(I think thats how the saying goes?). It was reported that Charlie gave a 'gipper' speech before the game to fire up his players and let them know that this would be the game that would end the streak. OK, so he didn't actually dedicate the game to a dying loved one or even give a speech that fired everyone up. He actually said "We came here to do one thing; win the game." Yeah so Manuel is no Rockney or Hemingway, big shocker. The players actually laughed when Manuel made the serious comment but I think they still got the message(Its kind of hard to take Charlie Manuel serious when you don't know him personally so I can understand the players' reaction).
Oh yeah, and lets re-cap the NL Phillie All Star roster. Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Michael Bourn, Scott Rolen and Marlon Byrd. Obviously the latter 3 are former Phillies and Chase Utley wasn't there due to injury but it almost felt like a collective Phillie team from the last 10 years or so. All they needed was Kruk and Daulton and it would've been a 20 year team.
And it bears repeating that the skipper of the National League team to break the streak of All Star game losses is Charlie Manuel. Personally, I thought last year was going to be the year that the streak ended but this year it seems so much more sweet. With Phillies from the present and years past, the rest of the National League's best and the player's manager Manuel leading them on, it almost felt like a true playoff game victory. And maybe it was. Streaks like that aren't supposed to happen. I do remember hearing of a similar streak in the 60s, 70s and early 80s but I don't think it was thirteen in a row. Oh it was from Municipal Stadium at Cleveland in 1963 to Olympic Stadium in Montreal in 1982, the National League won 19 of those 20 all star games. The National League won 8 in a row, lost at Tiger's Stadium in Detroit in 1971, and then won the next 11 in a row till 1983 at Comiskey Park in Chicago(How's that for dropping some KNOWLEDGE!!! Class dismissed). Well not yet.
Bottom Line: In the year of the pitcher, the NL reigns supreme. A theme that will continue into the playoffs. Trust me
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
LEBRON WANTS TO WIN IN MIAMI
Later on in the day July 7th, it was widely speculated and reported that Lebron James would be signing with his friend Dwayne Wade and new friend Chris Bosh in Miami. When 9:20 PM rolled around on the 8th and Lebron was talking to Jim Gray, James confirmed that he was 'taking his talents to South Beach.'
2 months ago I said Lebron would go to New Jersey, eventually Brooklyn, along with another big name free agent to take over the world. I also said that if I were the one making the choice, Miami would've been my pick. So, I had the right ideas but I picked the wrong destination. The Nets owner Mikhail Prokorovh gave a great explanation and breakdown of the decision making process as if he were Lebron himself. He exclaimed the Clippers are in LA, Kobe's town so that wouldn't work. The Bulls being probably the best choice to win a championship are in Chicago and that's Michael Jordan's franchise. Prokorov then explained that the Miami Heat with the addition of Chris Bosh would be a great choice to go and win a bunch of NBA titles, but Lebron's Brand would be diminished due to the fact that he would be playing alongside 2 other superstars. The Nets, Prokorovh continued, were the clear-cut choice for James to win in a year or so, continue to expand his brand 'Globally', and to be the #1 star of the NBA. He also talked about Lebron's buddy Jay-Z and the numerous possibilities that lay ahead for them both. Prokorovh also guaranteed he would eventually sign Chris Paul next year away from New Orleans, quite an impressive pitch.
In the end, Lebron said he couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with Bosh and Wade in Miami. He feels they can win this year and for many years to come and that's the number one goal for King James. He wants to win so bad he's willing to become HATED. The city of Cleveland is in an uproar over Lebron's decision. The ESPN broadcast of Lebron's Decision even showed some fans burning a James' Cavaliers jersey.
For me, Lebron scored big time with his decision. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity as Lebron put it in his interview on ESPN. Everything fell into place as if it was meant to be, Lebron explained. They, referring to Bosh, Wade and James all came into the league together in the same draft, all were lottery picks and each of them have risen to the top of the league for their respective franchises and statistical positions. Lebron said his family and his management team all gave him their opinions but that at the end of the day he had to live with the decision and therefore he should do whatever would make him happy; Great advice and good to know Lebron has such a great support system around him.
James gave some impressive history knowledge about the NBA and the championship teams of the last 30 years. The only squad he left out were the Houston Rockets with Akheem, Horry, Cassell, Smith and Ellie, pretty fitting though because almost everyone forgets about that team. He mentioned the Spurs with Duncan and Robinson, also with Ginobili and Parker. He remembered the Pistons with Thomas, Dumars, Laimbeer and Rodman. Of course he mentioned his childhood favorite Bulls with Michael, Scottie, Horace and Kucok and Rodman again. He talked about Lakers of the 80's with Magic, Kareem and Worthy and the Celtics from the same era with Bird, McHale and DJ. And the present squads with Kobe's Lakers and the Celtics Big 3.
When Lebron mentioned the present Celtics and the Big 3, that is when he started the comparison to what his new situation would be with the Heat. James said, 'No one believed in Rajon Rondo or Kendrick Perkins' and that the Big 3 wouldn't be able to accomplish their winning goals. He expects the same pessimism to exist with the Heat but that it doesn't bother him.
BOTTOM LINE: Lebron James is ready to win NOW!!!!! He doesn't care about being the number one guy. He's not worried about an NBA Legacy that is solely based on a singular ownership of multiple titles that are of his own creation. Lebron isn't going to dwell on the backlash and hate from Cleveland fans that choose to ridicule him based on the future and refuse to acknowledge the great times of the previous 7 years. King James should be renamed, to his credit, Le-Determination for his lack of regard for money, his brand, his city and for everyone telling him what he should do. No-longer-a-free agent-Lebron James chose the Miami Heat for himself, for Dwayne Wade, for Chris Bosh and for the true Lebron Fans of the world. Go get that Championship Lebron.
2 months ago I said Lebron would go to New Jersey, eventually Brooklyn, along with another big name free agent to take over the world. I also said that if I were the one making the choice, Miami would've been my pick. So, I had the right ideas but I picked the wrong destination. The Nets owner Mikhail Prokorovh gave a great explanation and breakdown of the decision making process as if he were Lebron himself. He exclaimed the Clippers are in LA, Kobe's town so that wouldn't work. The Bulls being probably the best choice to win a championship are in Chicago and that's Michael Jordan's franchise. Prokorov then explained that the Miami Heat with the addition of Chris Bosh would be a great choice to go and win a bunch of NBA titles, but Lebron's Brand would be diminished due to the fact that he would be playing alongside 2 other superstars. The Nets, Prokorovh continued, were the clear-cut choice for James to win in a year or so, continue to expand his brand 'Globally', and to be the #1 star of the NBA. He also talked about Lebron's buddy Jay-Z and the numerous possibilities that lay ahead for them both. Prokorovh also guaranteed he would eventually sign Chris Paul next year away from New Orleans, quite an impressive pitch.
In the end, Lebron said he couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with Bosh and Wade in Miami. He feels they can win this year and for many years to come and that's the number one goal for King James. He wants to win so bad he's willing to become HATED. The city of Cleveland is in an uproar over Lebron's decision. The ESPN broadcast of Lebron's Decision even showed some fans burning a James' Cavaliers jersey.
For me, Lebron scored big time with his decision. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity as Lebron put it in his interview on ESPN. Everything fell into place as if it was meant to be, Lebron explained. They, referring to Bosh, Wade and James all came into the league together in the same draft, all were lottery picks and each of them have risen to the top of the league for their respective franchises and statistical positions. Lebron said his family and his management team all gave him their opinions but that at the end of the day he had to live with the decision and therefore he should do whatever would make him happy; Great advice and good to know Lebron has such a great support system around him.
James gave some impressive history knowledge about the NBA and the championship teams of the last 30 years. The only squad he left out were the Houston Rockets with Akheem, Horry, Cassell, Smith and Ellie, pretty fitting though because almost everyone forgets about that team. He mentioned the Spurs with Duncan and Robinson, also with Ginobili and Parker. He remembered the Pistons with Thomas, Dumars, Laimbeer and Rodman. Of course he mentioned his childhood favorite Bulls with Michael, Scottie, Horace and Kucok and Rodman again. He talked about Lakers of the 80's with Magic, Kareem and Worthy and the Celtics from the same era with Bird, McHale and DJ. And the present squads with Kobe's Lakers and the Celtics Big 3.
When Lebron mentioned the present Celtics and the Big 3, that is when he started the comparison to what his new situation would be with the Heat. James said, 'No one believed in Rajon Rondo or Kendrick Perkins' and that the Big 3 wouldn't be able to accomplish their winning goals. He expects the same pessimism to exist with the Heat but that it doesn't bother him.
BOTTOM LINE: Lebron James is ready to win NOW!!!!! He doesn't care about being the number one guy. He's not worried about an NBA Legacy that is solely based on a singular ownership of multiple titles that are of his own creation. Lebron isn't going to dwell on the backlash and hate from Cleveland fans that choose to ridicule him based on the future and refuse to acknowledge the great times of the previous 7 years. King James should be renamed, to his credit, Le-Determination for his lack of regard for money, his brand, his city and for everyone telling him what he should do. No-longer-a-free agent-Lebron James chose the Miami Heat for himself, for Dwayne Wade, for Chris Bosh and for the true Lebron Fans of the world. Go get that Championship Lebron.
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