New York Post Top 10 Hated List

Every year some newspaper or magazine publishes a top ten list of some kind and the New York Post has come through with there’s.

There are some people worthy of being on the list, scam artist Bernie Madoff who made off with people’s money and retirement savings. John Edwards who left his wife while she was sick with cancer, understandable why he would be number on the list.

Sports figures that made the top ten, former NFL great OJ Simpson, former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky and Tiger Woods. Now I understand Simpson and Sandusky they are both thought to be guilty of the crimes they were accused of, while Sandusky awaits his trial. But Tiger has committed no crimes, hurt nobody but himself. I understand people got their feelings hurt because they put him up on a pedestal and held him as a role model, but for him to be on this particular list is a little shocking. As a consequence the thing is, there’s nothing he can do. People will always hold his cheating ways against him, no matter how much he wins, how much charity he does there will always be a contingent that will hate Tiger.

Perhaps one day people will look past his personal and accept him for what he is, an exceptional athlete who has human flaws just like the rest of us.

Mike Tyson’s Hotel Room Broken Into, Robber Escapes Unscathed

Off all the people I wouldn’t want to run into when committing a crime, Mike Tyson would probably be tops on the list. Well a lucky Las Vegas criminal got away unscathed after breaking into Iron Mikes room.

According to TMZ.com Iron Mike went back to his hotel room on New Year’s Eve after attending the Stevie Wonder and rapper Eves’ concert. After the champ and his family were sleeping comfortbaly, some idiot broke in to his room hoping to leave with something more than empty pockets.

After hearing some ruffling noises and seeing the light, Mike arose to see what was going on. By this time, the intruder already left, saving himself the beatdown of his life.

A rep for the hotel told TMZ,

“We have received a report of an incident that is currently under investigation. As always, guest safety is of the utmost importance.”

How lucky of a guy do you have to be after breaking in Mike Tyson’s’ room to survive. If only Michael Spinks had similar luck in the ring.

For old time’s sake, below is a video of Mike Tyson destroying Micheal Spinks. Enjoy.

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LeBron James Apologizes; Happy Now?

Are you happy now? Do you feel vindicated world? LeBron James finally went on TV and said he was sorry, admitted to his mistake that was ‘The Decision’ and said he would do it differently if he could. He didn’t pass this off on his team, manager, family or pressure. He took it on the chin. A little too late, maybe, nonetheless he copped to it, isn’t that what we all wanted?

Now for those of us that live in Cleveland I’m not here to say get over it, but there must be a line drawn, wouldn’t you agree? The vulgar name calling isn’t needed, and I’m not asking you love him.

However, let’s treat him, like every other villain we’ve had. Boo him emphatically; hope he misses every big shot and that his team loses every big game. But I don’t think there is any reason to allow it to be personal.

As a fan, I’ve moved on, he was never my favorite player because of his game, but I rooted for him because he played for my team and it was nice having the best player in the league on your team. Do I wish he would’ve given the Cavs 2 weeks’ notice so they could prepare? Yes. However, the man wanted to get away from home, leave the nest and play with some dudes he thought could help him achieve his goal. Mind you, most of us have these same feelings and either our situation doesn’t allow us to make the same move LeBron did, or we’re too scared to take the risk. Give him credit for taking a risk, going against the grain, and though it didn’t work in its first year, if he gets a ring or two, wouldn’t you say it was worth it?

But answer my question NBA, basketball, sports fans. Are you happy, isn’t this what you wanted? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted from every professional athlete, accountability? So will you give him credit for that, will you now judge him only on his play on the court and leave his personality flaws (which we all have) out of the equation.

Or will the vitriol remain until you feel like it’s enough?

Terrell Owens & the Job Search

What does Terrell Owens, future first ballot hall of famer have in common with 9.2% of Americans? He’s looking for a job, and with the season just 29 days away it looks like T.O  is receiving the Allen Iverson treatment. I understand he has his flaws, but at this point of his career he can’t afford to cause waves, so you may get a T.O. that is focused on one goal, and that’s winning a championship. He can still produce the last two seasons on bad teams he’s put up respectable numbers and has been a model citizen and for all the criticism he gets for being a bad teammate, most times he only became disgruntled when the team started losing and he wasn’t given the chance to contribute. The media never mentions when T.O. is a good soldier, and mocks him when he stands up for something other than himself (i.e. remember the whole ‘that’s my quarterback’ quote). I definitely believe he could give a contender an added boost at the wideout position, and give you 50 catches and be a player that can groom their younger receivers. He could definitely fit in on the Giants, and with a team like the Colts he’d definitely fall in line with how they do things there. You just can’t convince me that there are 64 recievers better than T.O. and that he doesn’t deserve a chance to prove he can still produce. And for those wondering about T.O. and his knee, below is a link to a  video of him showing off his footwork.

http://viddy.com/video/c4be721a-c696-4a0a-8f93-2002a08aa379

LeBron Hates the Kids?

With all the shortcomings LeBron has endured in the playoffs that just passed, I guess LeBron figured he would take on some competition he knew he could reign over. At a camp LeBron played a game of knockout with the kids and well, as usual LeBron bricked a jump shot. So in effort to not take another loss and one to some teenagers, LeBron went strong to the basket as if he heard a rumor that the kid was hitting on his mom. As LeBron dunks he violently knocks the kid down…Ok maybe not violently but getting dunked on by a guy 6’9 250 pounds can’t be fun. Looks like LeBron finally found a league he can dominate during the clutch in. So warning to all kids at playgrounds and recreation centers everywhere, there’s a 6’8 unemployed basketball player looking to dunk on you. In fairness, LeBron did give the kid a pair of shoes to make up for dunking on him. If you haven’t seen the dunk, well just look below and there it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whose Team is it Really?

Ever since LeBron decided to take his talents to Miami there’s been much debate about whose team it was. I debate this with a friend of mine all the time. He says it’s LeBron’s team, he’s too good, too much personality for it not to be his. And I always respond with, Wade has tenure, and leadership that allows him to welcome another superstar onto his team. Well 11 months later I’ve changed my opinion. It’s not Wade’s team. However, that doesn’t mean it is LeBron’s team either. Honestly these playoffs have shown that the team belongs to both of them. Many people have chosen the co-ceo analogy to explain how this partnership would not work. But let’s look at another way. Think about parenting, mom and dad have a child; does anybody ever argue whose child it is? When a couple buys a home does anyone really know whose house it is? No, and outside of those two people it doesn’t really matter what the outside world thinks. LeBron and Wade have figured out a way to share the spotlight, locker room and the basketball and are within 2 games of winning their first finals together. So while we debate and argue whose team it is, they’ll be content winning games while understanding that no one can do it alone.

Some Things are Vest Unsaid

I’ve learned to discover in my adult years that things are never as easy as they seem. Life is not only about making decisions that make you happy or that bring you the most success and adoration. However at times doing what is right, even when

you will be the one to suffer the repercussions. So when I read the Sports Illustrated article on Jim Tressel, I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t appalled. I understood.

To think that any of us really knew who Jim Tressel was from a few press conferences and book signing interviews are crazy. Some will say we were fooled and duped into believing in an image that wasn’t true. Ok, if that’s the stance you want to take, then turn the mirror on yourself and think of how people would view you if they knew your most inner dark moments and mishaps of your life.

By no means should we have believed Jim Tressel was perfect in the first place. Shame on us for placing him on this pedestal that we now are trying so hard to kick him off of.

From all reports, yes it does look like Tressel is a liar, a repeated one and someone that had no intentions on stopping. Someone who knows the game very well and will play it to his advantage.  Although in this most recent situation, the Tressel we believed in is what did him in. His most honorable act is what caused him to lose a $3.5 million job and leading of one of the most prestigious athletic programs in the country. Tressel wanted to protect his players from a potential investigation that would’ve damaged their reputation at the first site of their names being mentioned at all. Noble cause; but that doesn’t mean that if you break the rules fo

r being noble that there won’t be consequences to face.

Tressel was placed in a situation that he could’ve slowed down, but not prevented. Whether Tressel told on these six players shouldn’t be the big issue, but rather he started enabling too much, which gave these players the feeling of invincibility. They knew Tressel would take the fall for them. It’s like a three year old who knows mom or dad isn’t going to let them fall, so they continue to jump.

Tressel is guilty of perpetrating an image that he was the last good guy standing, that he would never do these things. When in reality, he would if his lively hood depended on it and if he saw it fit to protect others.

Death before dishonor; in this case unemployment before dishonor. Tressel will recover from this one day, but nationally his image is a wreck. People hate to feel as if they’ve been made a fool of. And that’s what Tressel has done considering how hard he sold his clean cut image and how much people bought in. Lost in this is what now will happen to Ohio State. What penalties they will face from the NCAA over their stance of ignorance in a slew of transgressions that have been described as systemic. Ohio State may receive some mercy now that Tressel is gone, but they will pay a hefty price and will be set back for a year or two.

The wrongdoings of Ohio State and Jim Tressel are nothing new, you could investigate every major sports program and find NCAA rule violations.

The NCAA needs to look hard at changing its rules to attempt to decrease the scandalous culture it has created. These latest allegations may not tell the whole story of whom or what Jim Tressel stands for, however it may be the only excerpt the critics will read.

Cool Off on the Hate for the Heat

To the dismay of many fans around the country the Miami Heat aren’t that bad. The great demise of the Heat has been greatly exaggerated. Did you know they only have 24 losses out of 80 games? Do you realize for all their struggles they will still finish in the top 3 in their conference? Yes, they are the new team that everyone loves to hate. Yes they have two guys who before July 8^th were two of the most likeable guys in the league. But none of this factors into how they will play on the court. No matter how you feel about the summer of 2010 people still like LeBron James. They still think he’s funny; people will still buy his shoe, jersey and follow him on twitter. And you can’t hate someone forever. No matter how you feel about the man, that Nike commercial was hilarious. Same goes for Dwayne Wade, you like to like him. For as much as a 6 foot 3 person can he represent the little guy, he plays with a reckless abandon and aggression that people can relate to. But, you can’t hate them forever. This too will pass. Let’s be honest for a minute. The Heat do have problems, however, they do have talent and they will win a lot of games, maybe a championship or two. And winning cures almost everything. When you don’t like someone or something, it becomes easy to continue that feeling when the opposition embraces that hate. LeBron and Dwayne don’t want to be hated; they don’t embrace being the villain. Matter of fact, they hate the fact that you hate them. These 2 great players want nothing more than to be loved and adulated like they have been the last 7 years. And the more they rebel against the hate instead of rolling with it, the harder it will be to dislike them. The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980’s 1990’s loved being the most hated team in America to the point they were called ‘The Bad Boy’s’. The Miami Heat of 2010-2011 doesn’t understand the hate. And for the better part of this NBA season Americas’ hate for them has blinded a lot from seeing how good this team is. Put feelings aside for a second. This team has no consistent point guard or center.  No constant rotation, no above all leader, a young coach with little playoff experience, and they’ve still managed to win 54 games. This team exudes the saying of your never as good as you are at your best or as bad as you are at your worst. Inevitably the Heat will be judged on their performance in May and June. Coincidentally when they heat starts to turn up everyone.