All the Best.... Rickey Herderson

Many consider Rickey Henderson to be the greatest of all time, including himself. One of my favorite off-field sports clips of all time is the Rickey Henderson speech following his ascension to the top of the list for career stolen bases. Please take a few seconds to watch this clip via this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q1kcftSGug
Also, if you have a little more time, take a listen to radio host Jim "The Legend" Rome (a monacher that I have just given him) break down just how great Rickey Henderson really was...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WFW8uO8Jcw

The first clip of Rickey is such a classic! There will never be another player, or individual, like Rickey Henderson in baseball. That speech, "Lou Brock was the symbol of greatness... But today I am the greatest of all time! Thank you," as he raises his arms in the air. What many don't know, is that Lou Brock was in attendance that day.... I mean, not only did Lou Brock attend the game in which knew his legendary record would get broken, Rickey made sure to remind him and the entire baseball world, that Brock was officially and publicly de-throned. Most Baseball enthusiasts would agree with me in saying that this was a remarkably notable send off. I equate that type of occurance to something like the heir to the throne taking the Crown off of his father's head and telling him that he no longer deserves to be king, even though he might be still be entitled as such.
The reason for which I am writing about Rickey is because this year he has been placed on the Hall of Fame ballot. And if there is anyone who should be considered as having a guaranteed first ballot chance of being voted into the Hall of Fame, it is Rickey Henderson. I, for one, absolutely cannot wait or contain my excitement to hear what Rickey will say during his moment on stage when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
I will go out on a limb and predict that he will make "the greatest (speech) of all time."

All the Worst... Sean Avery

This guy never ceases to amaze me.
Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL for disparaging comments he made today in Calgary towards Flames Defenseman Dion Phaneuf and his girlfriend. Phaneuf's girlfriend is Elisha Cuthbert, also Avery's ex-girlfriend. "I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada," Avery said on camera this morning in Calgary. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight." This quote coming directly from TSN.ca.
After breaking-up with Avery (I assume she dumped him), Movie and TV Star Elisha Cuthbert dated New York Islanders Forward Mike Comrie before moving onto Dion Phaneuf.
Is it just me or is she simply dating guys based on their skill level? Because as the order of her relationships with hockey players stands, she has significantly improved the talent per relationship ratio after every breakup. Anyhow, that's beside the point.
Avery waited for all the camera's to turn on, the microphones to be in his face, so that he could drop his clearly prepared line. He called over the media because he said he had one thing to say... So he pre-meditaded the "sloppy seconds" line and went out of his way to make it public...?!? Pathetic.

All the Worst...... Plaxico Burress

Before I start ranting about this for 15 to 300 paragraphs, I will give a very brief synopsis of this story.

Last week, New York Giants superstar Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress (Plax as seen above rocking the sweet shades, ice rock on his ear, Escobar mustache, and serious mountain goatie) was accidentally shot in the right thigh (the same thigh that he injured and was nursing back to health) while in a New York Club. This was the first report I read. However many more juicy details have surfaced since the first report was released. Yes, Plax was in fact accidentally shot in the leg while in a night club, HOWEVER, what was missing was that Plaxico was the shooter. OK, so I guess Plaxico, in the nightclub, with the chandelier... Ohhhh so close. It was Plax, in the nightclub, with a gun. Need more Clues... Me too.

Here is what I have been able to gather via multiple media sources:

a) Plaxico had a loaded Gun in New York Club Latina with a few buddies, including teammate NYG Linebacker Antonio Pierce.

b) Bouncers patted him down, found the gun. Questions ensued and it was agreed that because Plaxico was sporting some serious ice ( silver and diamonds on his ears and on big pendants hanging from his neck) along with a fat wad of cash, he would be a likely target for a mugging.... Therefore, obviously, he should pack heat just in case he got jumped.

c) Allowed into the Club, Plaxico gets liquored up.

d) Plax continues to get liquored up and fumbles his drink which causes him to fumble his gun, which was goes down his pant leg, he tries to grab in through his pants, and Bang.

e) The handgun was a 40 caliber, therefore it was likely an exit wound, especially at that range.

f) Plax doesnt let his buddies call 911 after the shot.... They go to Applebees to collect themselves (this part has been alleged but not confirmed) and make a decision on how to handle this.

g) Plaxico contacts his wife, who to amazement is amazingly an attorney, a practice which she is not likely amazing in. Upon hearing from her Plaxico she recommends that he go seek treatment at a hospital where one of her friends works.

h) Antonio Pierce took the gun from Plax right after the incident, to hide it for his friend and teammate. However, he later gave the gun back to Plax s wife.

i) The gun was not registered, or had an expired license, and Plax did not have a special concealed weapon permit.

j) He has turned himself into authorities and will plead not-guilty to criminal charges, which are likely to be possession of an illegal firearm and I would guess tampering with evidence or something along those lines.

So that is the story as I know it, thus far...

My take= Plax should never carry a gun. Especially when in public places, and most especially when does places are places where he will get liquored up.

Classic Take from the Jim Rome Show, this take won the Triple U award for the day (Unfunny, Uninspired, and Unreadable).. However I beg to differ, this one is right up my ally.

Plax, how the hell did you let that gun go off.... I mean you are a wide receiver, havent you ever heard of a Safety.......

Amazing.

All The Best... American Thanksgiving = Football

The NFL is my American Idol.
Does anyone else marvel at the prestige and colossal presence of the NFL like I do? I might be wrong here, and if I am please inform me, but has any other major sports league been able to, had the audacity to, and effectiveness to latch-on to a national holiday and make it their own. Because the NFL by all accounts took American Thanksgiving and turned it into Thanksforfootball day. Let it be clear that I would never undermine the meaning of Thanksgiving or ignore the importance of its historical tradition, however, if the NFL could own a holiday, it would buy it. Actually, it seemingly already owns it and would never sell it. On the last Thursday of every November, American families gather to feast and watch football, that for me exemplifies the brilliance of the NFL marketing genuis. In terms of television ratings, the Thanksgiving day games annually rank as the most watched games of the NFL regular season. For most american families, football on Thanksgiving is as common as the Turkey itself. I wonder if, obviously hypothetically speaking, still I wonder if the NFL didn't host games on the last Thursday of November for American Thanksgiving, would everyone forget about it this prized holiday?


Ok, fine. Most wouldn't, but I probably would.

All The Worst.... November 26th

BRADY QUINN OUT FOR THE SEASON
It has been announced by the Browns that the fracture in the tip of Quinn's index finger on his throwing hand is too serious to ignore. The second year QB just can't seem to get a lucky break, please pardon that awesome pun. Dr. James Andrews, if any of you don't know, who seemingly poses as the god of sports medicine because he deals with all the high end professional in need of diagnosis no matter what sport, told Quinn to hang up the pads for the remainder of the season. Quinn is expected to be the future franchise quaterback in Cleveland. For the Browns, it seems like the Delorean has flown back to the future carrying Quinn as its hostage. It seems like nothing is going right for Cleveland sports fans these days... This was announced the same day as all the major sports outlets were saying LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, will end up a New York Knick in 2010 because the Knicks gave up two players in trades to make some substantial cap space for the already dubbed "Summer of LeBron." And so now what little excitement and enjoyment most Browns' fans had watching their team play, will be assumed by the short stints of camera time spent panning the Dawg Pound and its crazy fans.

All The Best..... and..... All The Worst

In an attempt to shorten my blog entries, and more importantly capture your attention for more then 2.6 seconds, I have decided to implement a new format. As the title indicates, I will post two briefs stories detailing what I believe is the best story in sports and the worst story in sports. These posts will be accompanied by a brief explanations as to why I picked them as the best and worst. I am hoping to better detail some of the drama ( not necessarily baby-mama drama, but maybe) in the wild world of professional sports.
DON'T WORRY.... I will no doubt get the itch to write a full "editorial" piece, as I have been doing, when a story is rightfully deserving of such an honor. You can breath now.

Claude Lemieux Comeback... Come again?!

I read today that 43 yeard old Claude Lemieux plans to make a comeback to the NHL this season. What the bleep? What could possibly possess Claude ( I will refer to him as Claude from here on in to avoid any favorable comparison to #66 Super Mario Lemieux) to put a hold on his 5 year retirement to re-enter a younger, faster, and more skilled league then he has ever known?
The only thing that I can imagine that could prompt Claude to attempt, and I chose the word attempt on purpose, a comeback would be his realization that he isn't likely to be inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame with his current resume. At 24 years of age, I often have to research older athletes to learn more about things like achievements and reputations, however Claude is one player that I remember clearly, but not because of his dazzling play.
I should do Claude justice and mention some of his impressive achievements before delving into why he was recently named to #1 position of ESPN's Top 10 Most Hated NHL Players of All Time list. Claude is ninth of the all time playoff scoring list, very impressive. He won 4 Cups, nice number of championships. He is one of eigth players to be have won 3 Stanley Cups with different teams, also impressive. In one of those cup runs, Claude scored 13 goals on his way to earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff mvp (one that Martin Brodeur should have won, at least in my opinion). Not a bad list of achievements.
Now for the most relevant synopsis of Claude's career. He was known around the league as the dirtiest, greasiest, and slimiest players of his time, if not of all time. (I know that slimiest is not an adjective recognized in the english language, however it works perfectly in this instance) The two most serious incidents by which Claude proved his merit as the slimiest are quite impressive. Firstly, during a scuffle with Jim Peplinski of the Calgary Flames, Claude bit Peplinski's finger.... Prompting Peplinski's famous response in the post game interview: "I didn't know the NHL allowed cannibalism..." Greasy.
The next incident was one that I will never forget. During the 1996 playoffs, Claude ran Detroit's Kris Draper from behind face first into the edge of the boards lining the Detroit bench. This was a disgusting hit, and talk about intent to injure.... This is a prime example, and did he ever injure. Draper suffered a broken jaw, nose, cheekbone, and eventually had complete reconstructive facial surgery. If you are not faint of heart, check out this youtube clip which contains a classic Claude sucker punch, followed by his hit on Draper, and the ensuing fight vs. Darren McCarty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W-JXDu1X-I

The San Jose Sharks signed Claude to a try-out contract yesterday... Let it be known that there is no chance that Lemieux can comeback with five years of rust build up and compete in today's fast paced NHL. The only possible explanation from the Claude perspective would be that he has a chance to receive another ring with the Sharks, who are arguably the best NHL team in this point in the season. Adding a 5th ring to his arsenal might help grease his way in the Hall.
From the Sharks perspective........ I don't know what G.M. Doug Wilson could possibly be thinking. Besides the fact that he and Claude are known to be friends, and that this type of announcement will no doubt stir up some media attention for his club, still nothing good could come of this for the Sharks. Actually wait, I'm wrong. Perhaps, Claude and Sean Avery might miraculously cheap shot each other at the same time, and if we are lucky enough manage to end each others' careers, then some good might come out of this.
A note to Claude, (who has recently started the season with the China Sharks of the Asia Hockey League the Sharks affiliate in that league) if you want to be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame, which recognizes players who excelled in the game of hockey WHILE maintaining and adding to the INTEGRITY of the game, perhaps you should have played with more skill and integrity. If by chance Claude, you do get a ring with the Sharks this season, it won't be you who earned it and all of the hockey writer's who vote players into the Hall will know that.
Let the Circus begin.

Fighting in Hockey

The other day I was watching sports on TV, which is as close to normalcy as I will find in my life. However, this time around the topic matter seemed to be written by somebody from Bizarro World. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, it originates from Superman Comics in the 1960's as a planet where everything was quite strange. Using this as inspiration, the Jerry Seinfeld Show created their own version of The Bizarro World in one of their episodes. That episode became an instant classic in my books, mainly because of the way it described a completely backwards world where all the opposites became all the norms. For example, the character that represented George wasn't cheap instead being frugal, and Kramer was employed and not really eccentric. In other words, in Bizarro World everything about the show and the characters was completely the opposite of what we had come to expect.

Great episode, but anyways back to the blog at hand.

I was watching the NHL on TSN, wherein a panel of hockey experts discuss the main issues of the day around the league. The particular issue that dreary night was how to protect players when they fight....... Excuse me, I must have misunderstood?

In more detail, the commentators were discussing how dangerous it is for a fighter when he loses his helmet during a fight and gets taken down, often resulting in his helmetless head hitting the ice.....

Ok so let me get this straight, we should be concerned about players possibly getting hurt when they drop the mitts and attempt to fill each others' faces with bare fists..? Oh wait I am not quite getting it. Its not the fighting part of it, its the falling down after the fight without a helmet on that might result in injury.
So, fighting is good, but falling down after the fight without a helmet is bad. Fighting good, falling bad.... Why don't we ask the fighters simply not to fall after the fights? Or even better if they do fall, ask them to fall directly onto their faces, which have no doubt already been all banged up from the aforementioned fight.
Bizarro or what?
For piece of mind, allow me briefly play devils advocate in regards to fighting in hockey.
Fighting is and has been part of the game since its inception. Hockey is a sport that is played on sharp blades with which players fly around on at very dangerous speeds. Moreover at these speeds players hit each other on open ice or into a wall. Unfortunately, some players take liberties and try to injure the opposing teams skilled players in the process. Incidents like hits from behind into the boards, knee on knee collisions, and elbows to the head, unfortunately, happen nearly on a nightly basis in the NHL. Now, the league will often suspend players that clearly show intent in these altercations. However, the punishment rarely ever fits the crime. Exhibit A Todd Bertuzzi: He ended a carreer and only missed half a season.... Therefore, players often take the law into their own hands, closed hands, and fight whomever they think is deserving. In conclusion your Honor, fighting injures the players who injured other players and therefore is the law outside the law, a form of vigilanty justice exercised by goons.

In all seriousness though, the reality of the situation is that fighting is part of the game. A part that I do not particularly like however most fans enjoy it. Truth be told, if you go to a hockey game and a fight breaks out, many people stand up and cheer. And for that brief instance we go back to the days of the gladiators, even though we have apparently evolved. Nonetheless, true hockey fans dont watch hockey for the fighting, they watch it because it is a brand of sport that exhibits a combination of speed, physicality, and finesse that only hockey can provide. If I go to a hockey game, I hope to see hockey, and if a fights breaks out and one of the players gets hurt, that SHOULD NOT come as a surprise. On the other hand, if I go see boxing or mixed martial arts, and a hockey game breaks out, that SHOULD come as a surprise.... a good surprise.

Spezza's Value Ever Increasing

As a serious Ottawa Senators Fan, I follow my team more than the average guy.  Often found at the center of attention (pun intended) is Jason Spezza.  Before I go any further, I have to point something out about this city and its snobbish attitude towards the red, black and gold.  People in Ottawa are quick to be critical about criticism aimed at criticizing the critical play of our critical players, especially at critical times during critical games of this obviously critical season.  

Catch my drift?

Minus the never ending goalie controversy, another popular criticism has been Spezza's turnovers.  People are always quick to dismiss the ridiculous point tallies that Spezza has put up since his ascension to the NHL.  My roommate, always says that if he played with Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson, that he could put up as many or more points as does Spezza...  What really drives the point home, is that he doesn't even play hockey.  Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that playing with players of that caliber comes with great expectations.

Many people don't realize that Spezza carries the puck more then any other player on the Senators... Much like the point guard in basketball, who has the responsibility of carrying the ball up the floor and making the crucial pass that lead to scoring opportunities, tallying assists along the way.  As point guards always lead the league in assists, those who struggle lead the league in turnovers.  Spezza is essentially the point guard of the top line with two snipers on his wings.  Obviously, if he is always carrying the puck, he is the most likely player to turn it over.  What is encouraging is the fact that he is becoming more and more responsible with the puck as he matures into the superstar that we all want him to become.

On another note, Spezza finally made the switch from wooden sticks to one piece composite sticks.  Having played with both last winter, I can personally attest to the fact that the new sticks are way-way-way better from a performance standpoint.  Better because they are lighter, stronger, and more responsive.  Which means that he will stick handle faster, shoot harder, and he won't have to wind up as far back to get good wood (pun intended, again) on his shot.  

Anyways, defense is not supposed to be the strongest skill for our top scoring center.... I am of the school of thought that the Best Defense is a Great Offense, which is what Spezza personifies.  Leave the defensive criticisms to the defensive specialists.  I don't see anybody criticizing Chris Kelly for his lack of scoring.....      

Singletary: There's no Vernon in Team

Thank you Mike Singletary!  For those of you who love the dynamic of professional sports and the drama that surrounds it, this one's a beauty.

  

Last Week, the San Francisco 49ers fired their Head Coach in Mike Nolan and ushered in their own Defensive Coordinator Mike Singletary as his replacement.  The same Mike Singletary who won Super Bowls with the Bears, who is arguably the best middle linebacker to ever play the game, and who is a real old school football guy.  

Singletary was to usher in a new era and new culture in the Niners' dressing room.  In his debut as Head Coach on Sunday, Singletary's team got destroyed by a mediocre (at best) Seattle Seahawks.  However, that was not the top story coming out of that game.  Instead, an incident between Coach Singletary and Multimillion Dollar ″Franchise player‶ Tight End Vernon Davis did just that.  The incident which took place on the sidelines definitely stole the show.  Duging Singletary's playing days, this type of altercation would have gone virtually un-noticed by the nearly everyone, but not in today’s media driven game.  

Vernon Davis (as seen above), took a very selfish unsportsmanlike penalty during the 3rd Quarter of Sunday's game when he faced washed a Seattle defensive back following a tackle.  Singletary, in his right mind, did not like the penalty and walked over to Davis on the bench to talk about it.  Davis, allegedly, cut off his new coach and said: " I don't need to hear it.."  Singletary, allegedly, walked away without saying anything, most likely to let Davis cool off.  He later returned to discuss the incident and once again Davis cut him off and said: "I said, I don't want to hear it.." Which sparked Singletary's legendary short fuse, the result of which was Singletary sending Davis to the showers making sure that he brought his helmet with him.

Check out Singletary’s brilliant post game press conference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4hl776tNTg&feature=related

Let me reiterate how ridiculous Vernon's behavior was in this circumstance.  He is a player, Singletary is a coach.  Coache's coach players...  Players listen to coache's, even if they don't want to.  There are no if's, and's or but's regarding the structure of that relationship.  Vernon Davis has done nothing special since his arrival to the NFL.  Davis shot up the draft board to be drafted 6th overall, to many onlookers' surprise, because of his freakish athletic ability which he displayed at the pre-draft combine.  However, simply being able to test spectacularly well in specific drills and in the weight room does not make you a good football player.  Anyone who's watched NCAA football knows that there are hundreds of very athletic individuals capable of doing crazy things in testing...  Yet only a few of them make a significant impact in the NFL.. Why?  Because they have the mental capacity and fortitude to display character and discipline in a very violent and emotional game. So to hear the under achieving/overpaid Davis tell his Hall of Famer coach that he quote: doesn't need to hear it, is absolutely ridiculous.  Big ups to Singletary for his already legendary press conference, to which he will no doubt add to in the not so distant future.

A Shoutout to the Worst Position in Football

As I sit here watching the NFL, I can't help but get jealous of the job that these grid iron warriors enjoy. Everyone who has ever played football or been a fan of the game has dreamt of being a Quarterback. Often referred to as the field general, the QB on the one hand has to fear for his life due to the monster defensive players desperate to get their over-bearing hands on him. On the other, he has seemingly the biggest men on the planet forming the offensive line doing everything they can to protect him. Oh yeah, he also gets all the glory/money/women... I once heard a silly statistic from a poll found in some men's magazine regarding something that we have all done: fantasize about which professional athletes' life we would trade with in a second. The poll asked the readers to vote on which professional athlete they would most want to be. The overwhelming concensus was Tom Brady, obviously. However, not all the players in the NFL have it that good.

Do the words Wedge Breaker mean anything to you? IF it they do, then you can relate to just how aweful that must responsibility must be. If they don't, please let me fill you in.

On every kick off, the kicking team kicks the ball down field to the kick returner. The kicking team then rushes all eleven of their players (at full sprint) in attempts to minimize the return yards. The receiving team, in attempts to maximize return yards, form protective schemes to block for the returner. Now, I wouldn't want to undermine the often quirky genius of Special Teams coordinators by generalizing the methods by which they block for their returners. Nonetheless, the one constant that is found in return tactics is the Wedge.















The Wedge is formed by a varying number of players who often interlock arms or hands and run together as the leading blockers in front of the returner (as seen above). The wedge breaker is the unlucky player from the kicking team who makes it down the field first and has the lovely duty of "breaking" the wedge so that the rest of his team can get through and tackle the ball carrier. Would you like to run into big number 95 or 74 at full speed.... Me neither. Yet some players only play special teams and due to their speed often have to break the wedge. Curiously, those guys tend to get injured a lot and don't really get any glory. At least, when asked by strangers "what do you do for a living?" they get to answer: "I play football" and I am pretty sure I can think of a few things worse to answer then that.

Spinners: Dallas Cowboys

Exhibit A: Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones

As if owning "America's Team" wasn't enough responsibility, Jerry Jones also acts as the team's President and General Manager. This man clearly knows what he's doing, with one of the deepest on paper team's in the NFL. However, the one constant knock on Jones is that he takes chances on players that have "behavioral issues," to put it lightly. Why? Because he is so committed to winning that he is willing to take a chance on players that for a number of reasons can no longer find a job in the league. Some players are so good at football that character is omitted from the decision-making process.

Perfect segway to bring up Adam "Pacman" Jones. For those of you aren't familiar with Pacman, here is a brief summary of his entertaining life since getting to the NFL.

Drafted 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2005, Pacman was the freak athlete coming out of his West Virginia alma mater. He was to become Tennesee's top Cornerback and a dangerous kick return man. However, off the field Pacman continued to be a dangerous presence. One night in a Vegas Strip Club, Pacman brought an estimated $80,000 in cash and "made it rain" on the strippers. Some witnesses said he poured approx. $39,000 benjamins all over the lucky strippers. However, Pacman was quick to ask, more like demand his money back. Bouncers intervened, then Pacman and his entourage intervened... Gun shots intervened... Police intervened... Then the League Office intervened with Pacman's career suspending him for the entirety of the 2007 season. Pacman said in an interview: "it ain't no sin to go to the strip club, I was just being rebellion. That's it. Period, point blank." (Ya, that's what he said. No Type O's)

While on suspension, Pacman became a tag team champion in TNA wrestling... I don't want to know any more about it then you do. Still, let it be known that the NFL wasn't particularly pleased by this venture. Anyways, newly hired Commissioner Roger Goodale had the wonderfully welcoming task of reviewing the pacman file. After, I'm sure, what was great deliberation Pacman was re-instated into the NFL as a active player.

Together with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, the League was very concise about the conduct and behavioral specifications for Pacman's re-instatement. Basically, stay out of trouble. STAY DOWN PACMAN and you will be allowed to continue living the dream......

Jerry Jones took a big chance. He hired security guards to follow Pacman to keep him out of trouble, he gave him a condo in a nice neighborhood to keep him out of trouble....... No trouble, no cry... (Bob Marley would have hated that, still you get the point)

Pacman can't be held down... He just wants to be rebellion. Or maybe its more like Rebellion wants to be pacman.... I don't know. Anyways, he got drunk and fought one of his body guards at a hotel. He put his security guard into trouble, or not wait, into a wall... and then Pacman was in trouble. The irony and potential for play on words is endless so I would go there, again.

Which brings me to my original point, Jerry Jones spun this faster then a dj could. The SAME day Pacman was issued his suspension, Jerry and the Cowboys announced the blockbuster trade in which they acquired Wide Receiver, Texas U Longhorn, Texas native, and childhood Cowboys fan Roy Williams. Talk about a negative turned to positive. How beautifully calculated by the Dallas Owner/President/GM.

As they say, any press is good press. "They" say that because negative press is still press, in other words people are talking about it... So negative press can still be a good thing, but what's better than that? Seriously negative news followed up by positive news... I'm sure people in Dallas have since been saying: "Hey you hear about Pacman getting suspended again.." says the first guy to the other guy. "Ya but we got Roy Williams................."

Primary Post: "Spinners"

Welcome to ALL THE BEST Sports Blog. This is officially the first post regarding actual events/news in sports, as the awesome and cool post about the Top 10 Sports Movies was a test for me. A test that I passed with flying colors...

Spinners
No, this post isn't about bling blingin' Rims found on Escalades or Impalas, although that might be for another day. Instead, I want to talk about an area in sports business that is rarely addressed. It requires calculated savy and experience from management when dealing with negative press aimed at their respective organization or league. ALL THE BEST people in the professional sports business have a knack for deflecting negative attention or even over-shadowing it with something else.

The above posts will detail this phenomena.

Top 10 Sports Movies

The Following are the Top 10 Sports Movies as rated by Me.  

The rankings are based on entertainment value NOT what the Academy Awards say.  Essentially, what I mean by entertainment value is how effectively the movie makes you get goose bumps, or even cry, like only Sports Movies can.  

10)  Cool Runnings

9)  Tin Cup

8)  Mighty Ducks ( the original)

7)  Any Given Sunday

6)  He Got Game

5)  Happy Gilmore

4)  Rocky

3)  The Program

2)  Hoosiers

1)  Field of Dreams

Honorable mentions:  Jerry MacGuire,  61*,  Rudy, Remember the Titans, The Hurricane, Raging Bull, Slap Shot, and Caddy Shack.