A blink of an eye is all it takes to see former No.1 Rafael Nadal fall from grace. It seemed like only a few hours ago that people in the tennis world were preparing parades and trophy presentations for the Spaniard. I won't lie, I am one of those people who thought Federer would not be comfortably sitting atop the tennis world while Nadal was around. Never would I have thought that Nadal would fall this hard to the injury bug.
At the young age of 23, Nadal has a chance to still recover and come back and dominate the sport for a few years, heck look at Roger and what he is doing with those 28 year old legs. This is what everyone talks about when it comes down to young athletes who seem to have infinite potential in the professional ranks, staying healthy is a skill. Some people have it and some don't.
If I was Nadal, I would seriously take as long as it takes to get back to 100% health before even trying to enter a future tournament. The risk of ruining your career because of forced attempts to get back on the court will only leave Nadal with ifs and should haves.
Weren't people saying Nadal had the chance to be the career grand slam record holder?
Can you believe that Wade and James will be free agents after this season. It is incredible how time flies when it comes to contracts and superstars that reside in the NBA.
Remember a few years back when the Celtics were a pathetic team and all of a sudden KG and Ray Allen appeared beside Pierce. That trio seemed to have worked out. All three players are great but we all know and will agree that they are not in the prime of their respective careers. That isn't saying they aren't great players, just not what they were at their peak.
People around the sports worlds have talked about uniting another "big three" somewhere else in the NBA especially with the free agents searching for some love after 2010. There are plenty of combination's that could change the landscape and power of the NBA but what interests me the most is a James/Wade union. What if these two guys got together in the off-season and came to an agreement to join forces and take the NBA trophy like the Celtics did in the 60's (actually, starting from 1957 to 1969, the Celtics won 11 championships).
Let's push this a little further. What if James/Wade persuaded a third big time free agent to join the team, say Bosh or Stoudamire. Wow, wouldn't that be absolutely insane to see these three guys, who are in their primes, come together and play on a nightly basis?
If these guys are telling the truth about only wanting to win and secure as many Larry O'Brien trophy's as they can, they would take the pay cut and come together and dominate the NBA. What they lose in salary they will easily make it up in endorsements.
To the reader, it may seem that I am dying for this to happen, I'm not going to lie it would be nice to see this happen, but what would happen to the NBA. Think about what would happen to the markets in Cleveland, Miami, and my hometown Toronto if these players all left and signed with a new team. All three cities were just starting to rebuild through these players and would have nothing if they leave.
Making the NBA a less competitive and even more predictable league is not something I would enjoy on a nightly basis. Yes, it would be nice to see the guys dominate the league for a year but taking 6 championships in a row kind of destroys the game of basketball and the enjoyment it gives me everyday.
Wouldn't it be nice for big time NBA players to turn down a max contract and go for what they, as kids, dreamed of doing every time they touched the hardwood, to win the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Just when I talk about how I envy Kobe and his winning ways and how I'm stuck in loserville, the Raps defend home court with a 106-105 win over Kobe and Co.
Yes, I would love to have the money, the fame, the hot wife, and the life that comes with being a successful NBA champion but those things are nothing compared to why I truly envy Kobe. Remember when I wrote a post about losing and how it absolutely sucks to be stuck in loserville? This is why I envy Kobe, he is a winner.
This guy has everything in the world that comes with having a fat cheque from an NBA team but what sets him a part from all the ball players is who he goes to battle with on any given night. Every time the trainer tapes his ankles and after he laces up his shoes, he runs down the tunnel with a group of guys that include Gasol, Fish, Bynum, Odom, and the newly added Artest. This is what I envy.
With the entire core of the Lakers under contract for a few years, Kobe has the option of being a part of a team that could potentially bring home the trophy every year for the next 3-5 years. What else could someone ask for in life.
Continuously winning is something only a few will ever experience and for a guy who is suffering through a pretty bad dryspell (Leafs, Raptors, & Jays), it is almost impossible to look at someone as great as Kobe and not truly envy them. Seriously, some people are just blessed with being in the right place at the right time and for Kobe, the time is now.
Hopefully one day soon, the sun will rise again and shine brightly upon my hometown heroes.
Watching this hit not only took the air out of Kurt Warner but took some air out of me. With all the talk surrounding Warner about retirement, especially with his intimate relationship with concussions, I instantly thought Warner was headed for another concussion and ultimately retirement.
Now that the loss as officially sunk in for me, I hope Warner does not retire from the NFL. It would be nice to see him back for another year but that is pure selfishness from my behalf. If he decides to retire and leave professional football for good, I'll have one of those tearjerking moments but I would completely understand.
Kurt Warner has always stood by the "there is more to life than football" motto and I couldn't agree more.
Roger will be rocking in the above shoes for the 2010 season. Simple and clean, this pair seems to fit Federer to a T with the baby blue and the RF logo on the back. Been looking through tennis shoes lately and really enjoying the simple concepts they produce. Haven't seen too many pairs in the stores that I would personally grab but have mentioned it to a few owners who will hopefully be stocking the shelves with upcoming tennis models.
It was Sunday, January 3rd and after enjoying a wonderful Christmas dinner, New Year's dinner, and of course all the rest that comes with the festive season it finally hit me, losing is what surrounds me from countdown to countdown.
Sports is a wonderful thing and over the years it has taken up most of my waking/sleeping hours in many different forms. From playing to watching highlights to reading almost every article out there that includes rumours, trades, and even what players do in the locker room. Didn't expect a gangsta throw down though, via Arenas.
As the NFL year ended for my beloved Rams with another freakin' loss, this time to the 49er's, it hit me, losing sucks! Look at what I have endured with the Rams in the past 3 years. My Rams have put together 6 wins out of the possible 48 games and we all know most of those losses were complete blow outs.
What the heck happened?!? It was only 2004 when they had a great group of guys that had the potential to do some damage deep into the NFL playoffs. I don't know what sucks more, their 6 wins in the past 3 years or the upcoming 2010-2011 season. At least the NFL is known for their competitiveness in which teams can turn things around in a few seasons. Oh crap, uncapped salaries on the horizon? Damn!
How about the Leafs? Just another tough few years at the Air Canada Centre. Even before the 03/04 season (the last year the Leafs made the playoffs) we really didn't have a team on the ice that could make a run at the cup. People are going to bitch and moan about that statement but sometimes the truth hurts. We had the money and we spent it but I didn't see the value behind the moves. Signing free agents or trading youth/picks for stud names that were on the decline is not my cup of tea.
The years keep adding up for the Leafs and me but unlike the Rams, the Leafs have a brighter future. Adding some youth and keeping them will hopefully turn the ACC into a playoff arena where the real corporate fans can cheer them on. Seriously, we need to put some real fans in the platinum seats because watching a game of hockey and seeing suits behind the glass is pathetic. We need guys like Puddy with painted faces and letters on their chests pounding the ACC glass.
Gotta support the team
Moving down the street in the shadow of the CN Tower the boys of summer aren't really making me feel so great either. Having not seen the playoffs in almost what feels like forever doesn't hurt as much as the Rams and the Leafs. Maybe since I haven't seen/experienced the MLB playoffs in so long I'm numb to the 3rd place finishes in the tough AL East. We all know that the big time spenders in our division is the reason why the Jays aren't in the playoffs as a wild card team and you know what that is how life goes.
It was great how we spent the money and went for it with the signings of Wells, Rios, BJ, AJ, and to a lesser extent Overbay and Glaus. Again, it sucks that we have to compete against the boys who sign the elite FA's in their primes. Life is life. I'm not really sure if the Jays are going to be alright in the near future, it is just too early to tell especially with a new GM.
I wanted to talk about the Raptors and their situation but I'm a little depressed with all this talk about losing so I'm going to just stop.
In sports, like a roller-coaster, there are ups and downs. If this is how it feels during the downs, I'm hoping the ups will feel the opposite and some because I'm not sure how long I can endure the losing streaks year in and year out.
Just doing the daily roundabout through various sites to kill some time, I wandered into a bit of news that peeked my interest. Remember the days when you played NBA Jam? Come on, don't lie, we all know everyone who was anyone played this game religiously against one of their friends. It was an iconic game that set out to bring NBA showtime to the living rooms of every gamer/fan in the world. No matter who you are you know this game and how it brings friends together for some trash talk. If it does make it's way back to the mainstream console it would be nice but I don't see it making a run at popularity it once held when it was released almost two decades ago. He's on Fire!!!
It is 2010 and Kobe is still draining game winning shots at the buzzer for the Lakers. Who else in the NBA would you trust to hold the ball at the end of the game? There is absolutely no one in the NBA that can compare to the heroics Bryant provides when the game is on the line.
Watching greatness unfold in front of me every time he touches the hardwood.
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