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 still a long way to go?  Last Thursday Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers (National Hockey League) was participating in a shootout, in London , Ontario,  when a “fan” threw a banana peel on the ice.  Simmonds, who is black,  responded to the incident with the following statement:

 ”Growing up, it’s something you learn to deal with,” he said. “You get isolated incidents here and there, but that’s just the way it is sometimes and otherwise I don’t think it’s anything pervasive in the game”.  The mayor of London, Ontario apologized to Simmons on behalf of the city.

  It is a sad commentary on society that incidents like this still occur.   “Fans” too often misbehave and hide behind their loyalty to their team, city, or sport, when in reality it is just their ignorant behavior and lack of social grace.  Let’s hope that someone who saw this incident has the courage to stand up and point out this coward.

 Is it me…

 Or is the NFL season shaping up to be one of the more interesting seasons?  Don’t get me wrong, I know it is  early, but the NFL has several good story lines developing and it is only week three of the season.

 Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, threw for less than 400 yards (158 yards), the first time this season, and won the game.  At times he looked like a rookie quarterback , making  rookie mistakes , but in the end he led the team on a clutch drive earning his first NFL victory .  Speaking of firsts, Victor Cruz, the Paterson native playing for the Giants, scored his first NFL touchdowns (2) in a win for the Giants over the Eagles.    The dream team, the Eagles, is having a nightmarish time protecting their quarterback Michael Vick, who for the second week in a row was knocked out of the game.  On a side note to Vick,  stop complaining about the hits, its football and everyone is getting hit.  Don’t blame the refs for not calling late hits, ask the offensive line to block better and longer.

There are currently three undefeated teams in the NFL, Detroit, Buffalo  and Green Bay.  Other  than Green Bay who would have picked these teams  to be 3-0?  Go figure.

 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 has the wildcard races kept baseball interesting?   The Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals  and the Atlanta Braves are fighting for wildcard berths with two  games left in  the season.  The baseball season is 162 games long, a marathon, and it has come down to a sprint at  the end of  the season.  Boston is in the strange position  of rooting for the Yankees, who are playing Tampa Bay.   The Yankees could be real cruel and rest all of their starters and play the subs,  making the Red Sox squirm even more.  You gotta love it.

 Is it me…

Or does Jon ‘Bones” Jones have the perfect body and style for MMA?  Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title  defeating “Rampage” Jackson by submission.  Jones applies a rear choke in the fourth round  on Jackson.  Jones was in control of the fight from the very beginning. He used his superior reach advantage to land kicks and jabs that prevented Jackson from mounting any type of offense.  In the third round Jones took the fight to the mat and opened a cut over Jackson’s eye, which was the beginning of the end for “Rampage”.

Jones who is tall and thin, with extremely long limbs is able to strike from a distance and  keep most opponents at bay.  He wears you down by constantly hitting and not getting hit.

Rashad Evans has been listed as Jones’ next opponent, although no date has been set.

 Is it me…

Or did the WNBA take a serious hit Sunday?  Tamika Catchings  of the Indiana Fever, injured her ankle in a loss to the Atlanta Dream and had to leave the game.  She was questionable for last night’s deciding game.  (We went to press prior to the start of  the game.)  The Minnesota Lynx, featuring rookie of the year, Maya Moore, awaits the winner.

 The league would like nothing better than to have Catchings, the old, versus Moore, the new, going at it in the championship round.  Stay tuned.

Is it me…

Or has the NBA labor dispute come at a bad time?  No one, outside of the players and owners, is paying attention to the NBA’s labor dispute.  Training camp has been delayed and several preseason games are cancelled, and no one is concerned.  The NFL is doing really well the first three weeks, baseball is winding down with a bang because of the wildcard races, and college football is on the run with games being played on and off the field, as schools jump conferences almost daily.  There’s too much going on right now for the NBA to capture our interest.

 Lastly, the issue of race pops up again, as the NBA is predominately a league of color and the public may not empathize with young wealthy black males who are asking for a larger share of a the pie.

Is it me…

Or is the Dallas Cowboys versus the Washington Redskins still a great rivalry?

 The rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins was called the top NFL rivalry of all time and “one of the greatest in sports” by Sports Illustrated.  The two franchises have won over 30 combined division titles and ten NFL Championships, including eight combined Super Bowls. They are the two wealthiest franchises in the NFL. The rivalry started in 1960 when the Cowboys joined the league as an expansion team. During that year they were in separate conferences, but played once during the season. In 1961, Dallas was placed in the same division as the Redskins, and since then they have played two times each year.

Monday night the Cowboys defeated the Redskins 18-16.   Dallas did not score a touchdown (six field goals) and at times had trouble putting the ball in play.  Yet, they found a way to win the game and are tied for first in their conference.

The big winner Monday night was Tony Romo who despite a painful injury gutted out the game and played until the end showing courage and leadership.

Edited by D. Pride.