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 did JR Hilldebrand miss a turn?  After successfully negotiating 799 turns at the Indy 500 auto race, rookie Indy driver, Hilldebrand, crashed into the wall on turn number 800, the final turn, while leading the race.  Dan Wheldon who never led in the race until the last 1000 feet went on to win the Indy 500.  Speed kills!

Is it me …

Or do soccer players really know how to celebrate a score?  Barcelona (Spain) defeated Man United (England) to win the Champions League final, by a score of 3-1.  Each goal that was scored was celebrated to the fullest.  I know scoring in soccer is a difficult “feet”. It is nice to see an athlete lose himself and just display raw emotions.  Soccer fans are another story; they can be a bit over the top with their enthusiasm.  Barcelona police arrested 80 people and at least 18 others were hospitalized during a victory celebration in Barcelona.

An unnamed 17-year-old woman died accidentally when she slipped and fell into a deep hole beside a fountain while celebrating the win in the northwestern town of Santa Comba, local newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported.  Soccer fans had poured shampoo into the fountain to create bubbles, which concealed an uncovered manhole that led to the fountain’s pump, the paper said.

Is it me…

Or do they not pay  baseball catchers enough?  San Francisco Giants catcher, Buster Posey, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery to repair ligament damage sustained in a collision at home plate.(He fractured his leg also, but that  was left to heal naturally.)  I know catchers have “body armor” on when catching, and it is their decision to block home plate, but the runner usually has a full head of steam, a 90 foot runway, and the choice to run over the catcher or slide, spikes first.  The catcher has to catch and hold onto the ball; in addition to watching the runner charge at him …It is like coming to a railroad crossing, nothing good can come from stopping on the tracks.

Is it me…

Or did Jim Tressel see the handwriting on the wall?  Jim Tressel resigned as the head  football coach at Ohio State University.  The NCAA was investigating Tressel and the University for alleged violations involving  Ohio State players and a local tattoo parlor.    Players were accused of receiving  cash and free tattoos in exchange for game memorabilia.  Tressel denied having any knowledge of this taking place.  However, mounting evidence showed that he had been  informed of the alleged violations and chose to look the other way.  Pressure from the public and media, on Tressel and the University,  forced his resignation.  His record at Ohio State was  106-22, 9-1 against arch rival Michigan and 6-4 in bowl games.

Tressel , the author of two books on faith and integrity, remains a scapegoat to his followers and a hypocrite to others.

Is it me…

Or is it cool that one of two great NBA players will soon receive a championship ring?  Either Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks or LeBron James of the Miami Heat will win an NBA championship shortly.  By winning the championship he (?) will leave the club of great players who have never won a ring.  The club’s chartered members are Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing and Bernard King. (In fairness to Baylor, he retired mid-season , allowing the Lakers to start and play Jim McMillian, who contributed  greatly to the Lakers Championship drive in 1972.  Baylor should get a ring for his sacrifice and the fact that he is one of my favorite players.)

Dallas defeated OKC and won the Western Conference , while Miami dominated Chicago and won the East.  It will be a very competitive series, with Miami winning  in six.  I like the Heat because they are playing well and have a lot of weapons.  Dallas is a bit suspect defensively, and that will prove costly against the Heat ,who are healthy and  firing on all cylinders.  I know Dallas did very well against the Heat during the regular season, but so did Boston and Chicago, and we know how that  turned out.   Game one was last night(we went to press too early to publish the results).

Right now, before the series start,  MVP, Dirk or LeBron, who you got?

Edited by D. Pride