L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or is there nothing worse than seeing an athlete go down with injury in the preseason?  Don’t get me wrong, going down with an injury anytime is bad, but the preseason seems to be above and beyond the call of duty. NY Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas is probably going to miss the entire season because of a torn ACL.  Thomas was injured in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears with 22 seconds left in the first half.  In all likely hood, Thomas was finished for the night after that play and would have watched the second half .  Instead he is looking at surgery and months of rehab.

The preseason is a necessary evil, but the greedy owners should cut back on the games and let the players work out more in camp.  This won’t prevent all injuries, but it will reduce the number.

We wish Terrell a speedy recovery.

 NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or is Delonte West of the Celtics in need of a job counselor?  As the NBA lockout continues, players are looking for alternative places to play.  Not Delonte West; he has applied for positions at Home Depot, BJ’s  and Sam’s Club.  Given the way West played last year, he is a natural for the “brick” department at Home Depot.

 

Is it me…

Or is a goodwill basketball game supposed to end with handshakes and hugs, not kicks and punches?  Georgetown University was involved in a bench clearing brawl with the Chinese military basketball team.

 While China likes to use sports to promote diplomacy, at times that has been affected by violent flare-ups by players and fans. Tensions ran high Thursday when referees began calling the Hoyas for numerous fouls.

 After a Chinese player knocked Georgetown guard Jason Clark to the ground, the melee ensued with players throwing punches and chairs. The Hoyas left the court as fans threw water bottles at them, the score tied at 64.

 Coaches and players representatives from the two teams met at Beijing’s airport Friday to reconcile.

 Apparently the Chinese team gets a real kick out of basketball.

Is it me…

 Or does the latest pound for pound rating know something that Mayweather already knows?  Manny Pacquiao is listed as the number one fighter pound for pound, with Floyd Mayweather number 2.  Mayweather who has dodged Pacquiao on several occasions, now seems destined to fight “Pacman” provided they both win their next fight.  It appears that Mayweather realizes his reputation takes more of a hit if he continues to duck Pacquiao than it would if he losses to him in the ring.

 This has the potential to be the largest grossing fight of all time.   Each fighter could be looking at a $50, 000,000 payday,  lottery money.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope all the stars line up and the fight takes place.

Is it me…

Or is time to take a step back and look at our obsession with sports?  Once again violence has marred a sporting event.   Two people were shot at a preseason football game between the 49’ers and Raiders.  This, after several melees in the stands, in which “fans” punched each other senseless during the game in support of their team.

Five months ago, San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was severely beaten by two men in Los Angeles Dodgers gear outside Dodger Stadium after the archrivals’ season opener.  He remains hospitalized.

These are games and are meant to be enjoyed.  People get a grip, there is nothing that goes on at a sporting event that is worth fighting for.   THEY ARE JUST GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited by D. Pride.