Bad Decision

LeBron James is the most physically gifted athlete the NBA has ever had.  LeBron is Karl Malone but with point guard skills.  Talent he has, but drive, competitiveness and overall alpha male traits he does not.  The choice to leave his hometown of Cleveland and pursue rings with someone else’s team is not a characteristic you would have found in Jordan, Magic or Bird, who are considered the 3 most important players the NBA has ever had. Not even Kobe Bryant, the best in the game today would have done what LeBron did.

LeBron literally left his alpha dog status at home when he decided to chase rings along side Dwayne Wade, another top 5 NBA player of today and Chris Bosh, a Beijing Dream Teamer and play for Miami or better known as “Wade County.” 

Competitiveness and wanting to beat your opponent were Jordan’s greatest traits are ones that LeBron lacks.  He had a good situation at home where ownership did what they could to help surround LeBron with talent.  This team made the finals 3 years ago and had the best record this past season.  Michael Jordan said he would have never called Bird or Magic to join forces because he wanted to beat them. Bird said the same thing that he wanted to beat Magic and Magic vice-versa.

 

Plenty of stars stayed with the same team so they could create their own legacies and their own dynasty.  From 1999 to today, Tim Duncan has  won 4 championships as the focal point of the San Antonio Spurs.  Kobe Bryant won 5 championships: 3 with Shaq, and 2 on his own.  Kobe is such the alpha dog that he ran Shaq out of town so he could be the main man in LA.  People thought he was selfish but in reality it was the best move for him to grow.  People could no longer say that he won because he had Shaq on the team.  Today, Kobe is getting mentioned along the likes of the all-time greats for leading his team to multiple championships.  

Alex Rodriguez was in a similar situation in Texas.  Like LeBron, A-Rod is much more physically gifted than most baseball players. He is tall, muscular and can run. In a similar move to damage his legacy, he accepted a trade to the New York Yankees when it was already known that it was Derek Jeter’s team.  A-Rod would have been the greatest shortstop in the history of baseball. But gave up the chance of that prestigious title to chase a ring with the Yankees by stepping aside to Jeter and played 3rd base.  Moreover, nobody has talked about A-Rod being the best player in the game since he left Texas.

We haven’t heard from Kobe Bryant since “The Decision” was made.  We do know already the hardest training player in the game is training even harder so he could beat LeBron.  Just like Jordan, Bird and Magic would have done. 

Houston Cougars, BCS Bowl Bound?

Kevin Sumlin, the hottest coach in the nation right now has UH ready for their best run since Heisman winner Andre Ware led the Coogs. Sumlin is looking to lead the Coogs to a Conference USA title and a possible BCS bowl game. Case Keenum is 4,123 passing yards away from passing Timmy Chang as NCAA’s all time leading passer. Did I mention he is 1 of only 2 QBs to ever throw 5000 yards in a season twice? Not just the all-time yards record but Keenum is on pace to break the total offense record and completions. Keenum has been a terrific successor to Philadelphia Eagles starting QB, Kevin Kolb. And to those that think Keenum is just a system quarterback, Mel Kiper Jr. has Keenum as a top 5 QB going in the 2011 draft.

Houston had the #1 offense in the nation last year as well as one of the fastest skilled position sets. This track team of James Cleveland, Tyron Carrier, and Patrick Edwards each had 1000 yards receiving last year. 1st Team C-USA Kick Returner Tyron Carrier is 2 touchdowns from CJ Spiller’s record of 7 kickoff return touchdowns. Tyron Carrier qualified for the 200M NCAA Track Championships. Cleveland was named Pre-Season All-Conference 1st team along with Keenum and defensively LB Marcus McGraw and DB Jamal Robinson also were named. Junior Bryce Beall will be the lead tailback again after scoring 17 touchdowns in his Conference USA Freshman of the Year award winning season.

Houston’s defense struggled last year and was ranked as one of the nation’s worst. Brian Stewart has taken over as Defensive Coordinator and moved to a 3-4 so the Coogs blitzing schemes will be harder to read. Keenum has noticed the improved defense during practice. The offense is going to score, no question about it, the defense now just has to step it up.

Last year the Coogs beat Texas Tech at home and then ranked #5 Oklahoma State on the road. They went 3-0 against BCS teams last year and should do it again this year. This year they will play at Texas Tech and at UCLA and host Mississippi St. A BCS Bowl is a long shot, but with a favorable schedule, a more experienced team, an improved defense and Case Keenum leading the Cougars, 2010 could be the year.

Growing Up Consigliere

Born and raised in Northern California, with 3 brothers and son of a Chicagoan, sports has been a major part of my life.  I grew up playing baseball and football since I could remember.  In fact I played little league before I followed the Major Leagues.  The first little league team was the Dodgers so that became my favorite team. I grew up with Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Sax, Orel Hershiser as some of my favorite Dodgers.  My favorite year of baseball was 1988 when Hershiser and Kirk Gibson’s heroics beat the heavily favored Oakland A’s.  This could be the greatest upset in baseball history as the Dodgers had probably the weakest lineup in World Series history.

Although we lived in the Bay Area, my father, loyal to Chicago teams such as the Bears and Cubs didn’t push the local teams 49ers, Raiders, A’s and Giants.

My childhood summers were spent with my grandparents who lived in Colorado Springs.  Thus I began to follow the Denver Broncos. Being a Denver Broncos fan was painful.  No other quarterback was as fun to watch as John Elway.  He made plays when there wasn’t anything. He had more come from behind victories than any other QB.  He was the greatest one-man show the NFL ever had.  That was the fun of being a Denver Broncos fan.  The bad was that I can remember watching Denver make their first Super Bowl in my lifetime only to be outclassed by the Giants and then get run over by the Redskins.  Next was losing in the greatest route of Super Bowl history to 49ers.  I can still remember wearing my Denver jacket to school the day after since it was the only jacket I had and getting the business.

My parents moved us to Houston, Texas when I was a teenager and that is when I witnessed first hand the powerful sports culture in the South. Football is king in Texas.  In the Fall, High School auditoriums echo the cheers and music during an afternoon pep rally to support the local team.

I learned that Texans are born with football in mind.  High school varsity might be as far you go but it’s the greatest time of your life. High School football is only the beginning.  College football continues the passion.  In Texas you are either a Texas fan or an Aggie fan, a decision you make while entering junior high school. There is a passion about high school and college and even pro football that I didn’t experience while growing up California.

College athletes are stars in Texas.  Everyone knows and loves guys like Vince Young and Colt McCoy.  Where else do you see fans wearing I heart VY.  Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer were great college QBs but dads aren’t thinking I wish my daughter could meet them.  Not to mention that they wouldn’t draw a crowd in your local mall.   

I have not even mentioned America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys.  Pastors, Priests and other clergymen and women know that service has to be done before noon and with time for their worshippers to get home.  Only in Houston will you find Texans that hate the Cowboys but there is not a shortage of fans.  Let’s hope your pro team didn’t lose on Sunday or your Monday workday will feel like the worst day.

Now I’m back in the Bay Area where I continue my love for the games I grew up watching. Today you'll find me catching a game, beating my opponent in fantasy sports, following pop culture(a guilty pleasure I'm sometimes ashamed to admit), singing along with a great band and never turning down a trip to Las Vegas.