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 are things really bad when the players’ association asks for the ‘real’ NFL officials to return?  The players wrote a letter to the NFL accusing the league of not providing a safe working environment.  According to the players, the league’s decision to lock out the  referees has led to a “deterioration of order, safety, and integrity.”

The NFL needs to address this situation NOW.  The games are taking forever to play, there are penalty flags all over the field, and the replacement officials have made numerous errors. (The call at the end of the Packer/Seahawks game was just wrong and it cost the Packers the game.)  And someone is going to get hurt because of the replacements.

The New Orleans Saints are 0-3, while the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans are each 3-0, who would have thought it.  The Saints have the ‘bounty gate’ suspensions to work through, but by the time they are anywhere near whole again , they may be out of the running.  Commissioner Goodell knew exactly what he was doing when he decided how to punish the Saints.  Make them noncompetitive on the field, by removing their coaching staff .

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 it time for the WNBA playoffs?  The WNBA, the forgotten child of pro basketball (no respect for the ladies) begins their playoffs shortly.

The match-ups are as follows:

East

Connecticut Sun versus the New York Liberty

Atlanta Dream versus  Indiana Fever

West

Los Angeles Sparks versus San Antonio Spurs

Minnesota Lynx versus Seattle Storm

The power ratings for the teams can be found at:

http://www.wnba.com/features/powerrankings_120918.html

The ladies are hard to predict so I won’t…Nah, the Liberty, featuring Essence Carson of Paterson, N.J.,  are going to surprise everyone and come out of the East to face the Lynx from the west.   The Liberty defeat the Sun and the Fever, while the Lynx beat Seattle and then the Sparks. Anything can happen in  a short series.

More than 400 people have been murdered in Chicago this year, mostly gang related.  NBA players from the area , along with local community leaders are in the process of developing a “Peace Tournament”.    The tournament will allow the gangs to shoot baskets, instead of each other.  Good job NBA!

NBA teams are adjusting their rosters.  Please follow this link for the latest information on your team:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/teams/?eref=sinav

Is it me…

Or is Jon Jones one tough fighter?    Mix Martial Arts light heavyweight champion Jon Jones overcame a brutal arm lock early in his championship fight to defeat challenger Vitor Belfort.  Jones, who may have nerve damage to his arm, submitted Belfort in the fourth round.

The fight demonstrated the courage of both fighters as well as the brutality of MMA.  Jones admitted that he was near the end in the first round and was just waiting to see if the arm would break, it didn’t as he managed to escape.  Jones dominated the second and third rounds, damaging Belfort’s face with a series of elbows from standup clinches and when on the ground. But Vitor had no quit in him, always pressing the action and throwing punches trying to do harm. He seemed determined to seize all of the opportunities missed by all who have fought Jones before him. But his best simply was not good enough. When Jones took him down in the opening seconds of the fourth, the 35-year-old had no fight left. He took a few elbows to the head while his left arm was trapped and unable to defend, and as soon as he freed that arm Jones seized the other and clamped on a  hold, causing a quick tap out.

Even Jones couldn’t help but acknowledge this was probably his hardest fight.  But Jones was able to avoid a ‘bad break’ and pulled out a win.

Is it me…

Or do pro athletes have it right?  Quite often pro athletes seem very greedy.  They are making a small fortune for PLAYING a game and yet they always want more money.  The contract they signed is never large enough or fair.  The athlete always wants to tear up the old contract and  negotiate a better, i.e. more money, deal.  The fans just shake their heads and complain about the greedy athletes, but  continue to support them and go to the games.

I must admit as a Jets’ fan I was really upset when Darrelle Revis held out a couple of years ago, but fortunately it worked out for him.  Although he did show up for camp this year, there was some muttering about another new contract .  This annoyed me to no ends, how much does he expect to get,  and isn’t a contract worth something?

Now I am beginning to see things differently; Revis tore his ACL in his left knee and is out for the season or longer.  This type of injury may ultimately have a negative impact on his career, which would impact any future deals.

Athletes have always stated that their careers are short and they must make as much as they can while they are “the flavor of the day.’  You never know when an injury will cut you down or management decides ‘chocolate tastes better than vanilla.’   So it makes sense for the athlete to get paid now, because there are no guarantees for the future.  Professional sports are businesses and should be treated as such, supply and demand.  Athletes supply the talent and demand the big bucks.  It only takes one awkward step or hit and your earning power is zero.

We wish Darrelle a speedy and full recovery.

Edited by D. Pride.