Just wait

Just wait…. That’s the title of this update. It has over been over a year since the last time I wrote an article so lets get to it..

Well I am back…

Lots of key games taken places this weekend in college football. But the main game that I am focusing on is when Florida State play hosts to #1 ranked Oklahoma this weekend in Tallahassee on Saturday.

This is just an update, however, I will do an article about this game and it will be finished and up by Thursday night.

Please send me your thoughts or comments about this game to rjintampa@aol.com

RJ

Fraud Athletes

If there is one word to describe professional athletes who knowingly, but on the other hand, try to cover up there performance-enhancing usage “Fraud” is the perfect word for it. Fraud is everywhere nowadays: Fraud in business, Fraud in friendships, and I am here to tell you now that fraud is now even in the professional sporting world.

Which is hard for us to take in at first, because going to, or watching any sporting event on television, is our escape from this rotten/messed up world in which we live on, however, not everything in this world is all dark, and gloom, for some reason it just seems like it, and when our one escape from reality becomes none at all It just makes it that much harder, to escape from it all.

When professional athletes, such as the one who recently hit his 600th home run, a certain cyclist, in which everyone around the world, bought into the whole yellow wristband idea a couple of years ago, and when certain athletes such as the two that I describe above of high star magnitude, it brings us back to the reality of life in which sports should not. Granted most of you could careless about what they do with their bodies, and I would have to agree with you.

It’s there life, however, when an athlete sells himself as either a clean ball player, or a clean rider, and then make millions, on endorsements for that clean image, it’s just not right. And then when evidence starts to show the contrary it becomes fraud. Which is really the problem, look if an athlete wants to do performance-enhancing drugs, fine, so be it.

However, when an athlete does decide to go along that path, or when a test does show that they have indeed gone that path, they should atomically be ban from any milestone accomplishments, and they should be required to take 1/4th of their career earnings, and donate it to awareness for further research of those drugs, as well as to a prevention, and intervention programs. As well as have PEDU (Performance Enhancing Drug User), along with their name when it’s shown on television.


I bet that some athletes would accept that deal, and for the others they would stay even further away from using those drugs. It’s a hard stance, but in my opinion it’s the only solution nowadays for the professional sporting world. Because us fans do not want fraud, we want real competitive equal competition, but its too late, so this option is a way to short it out for us fans, from fake to real, so we know when a milestone deserves our special attention.


RJINTAMPAWSA@aol.com

Journey Ahead For Clevelanders and Cavs Fans

If you have not heard by now, Lebron James on Thursday night of last week broke the hearts of Clevelanders, and took his game down south to Miami. Lebron James will be joining forces with follow all stars in Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat, in creating a perfect professional basketball version of the New York Yankees.

As expected, the city of Cleveland, did not take his circus of announcement lightly, after James announced his plans. Which was televised on national television on ESPN, an in hour long self title program named “ The Decision” which took place 492 miles away from Cleveland in Greenwich, Connecticut.

After James proclaimed to the world, that he was headed “ down to South Beach”, and not only bolting out of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, but from his native state of Ohio.

The cameras showed the outpour of damage felt by many Clevelanders, fans out on the street, burning any, and all Lebron James appeal they had on hand. Fans, throwing rocks, and damaging a 10 story mural of Lebron James of the now in famous“ We Are All Witness” billboard in downtown Cleveland.


So is all of the dismay in Ohio, regarding Lebron James decision, overblown? In my opinion, and in having felt the way in which Cavaliers fans feel now, in the summer of 1996, when Shaquille O’Neal bolted for Los Angles from Orlando absolutely not.


If anything is overblown in Cleveland, is the perception that team owner Dan Gilbert has the fans back, in his raging and really pointless public relation job.


On Friday of last week, Gilbert declared that a Cavaliers team without James would win a title, before his new team the Miami Heat. I hate to further pass along some more bad news Cleveland fans, however, the only back that team owner Dan Gilbert has is his own, as in trying to protect further damage to his investment. In 2005, Dan Gilbert, brought the Cavs for $375 million dollars.


The latest net value report of the Cavs, as of this past December of 2009 reported by the financial magazine “Forbes,” had the Cavs total team valued at $475 million dollars.


It has been reported by a number of financial news outlets, that if, and when Lebron James, leaves the Cleveland franchise like he just did on Thursday night, that the net value of the Cleveland Cavaliers would be cut in half. So in doing the math, $475 million dollars divided by two, equals $237,500,000 million dollars. Which is now what the franchise is worth. I would to as well as anyone else would do such a public relations stunt like that, who would not?


Sadly, the money does not stop there, it has been projected that downtown Cleveland business, will lose an estimated $48 million dollars in revenue next year because of Lebron James absentness. Bottom line, its all about money, like it or not, the fact is that the world revolves around money, period.



Lebron James will now be 1,206 miles away now from his hometown of Akron, Ohio as that is the distance from Akron to Miami, Florida. In those long miles are now distance fan memories now gone of the Cavaliers days with Lebron. As I mention, the Orlando Magic, and the Orlando community lost Shaq in the summer of 1996 to Los Angles, it took the Magic, 12 years, till 2004 to land Dwight Howard in the 2004 NBA draft as a number one first round pick.


Its going to be a long, long, journey Cavs fans,and Clevelanders till you will find a replacement for Lebron James, in the mean time hang in there, and remember about the Orlando Magic.


RJ
RJINTAMPAWSA@aol.com

Sports Random

A new addition to the weekly articles will be Sports Random, which is my short take on the hot issues going on in sports for that week. In this inaugural article of sports random is my take on: The Masters, MLB season opening up, and the Eagle trade of QB Donovan Mcnabb


The Masters, is by far golf version of the Super bowl, it tees off this week on Thursday. Unlike any other Masters tournament, this one will not only be a huge one for weekly viewers of golf, but also for the ones who just watch the sport when Tiger woods playing. And on Thursday Tiger Woods is back in action since taking a break and trying to make things work in his personal family life. I personally believe that all of the outside factors will be a non-factor, and I look forward to seeing Tiger Woods being honored in winning and wearing the green jacket come on Sunday.

Yesterday (Sunday) night, Major League Baseball opened it up its 162 game regular season with two games; the highlight game was the Red Soxs and Yankee game in Boston. Boston won the game, 9- 7 over the Yanks. However this World Series, the Yanks or the RedSoxs wont be representing either of the AL east or the American league for that matter. As my World Series prediction, is the San Francisco Giants representing the National League, and the Tampa Bay Rays representing the American league.

The Philly Eagles made a bold, and in my opinion a stupid move by trading away their aging, however yet still talented pro bowl QB Donovan Mcnabb to their archrival in the NFC east in the Washington Redskins. This trade makes as much sense, as if the Miami Dolphins had traded away Dan Marino to those silly Jets up in New York, towards the end of his HOF career. I look forward to the two meetings in which Donovan will get repay the favor to his now former team in Philly twice in one season.

Well that is it for this week,

RJ


Hit me up with your thoughts at:

RJINTAMPAWSA@aol.com

Who Dat ? …...The Saints Dat Who.

It has been awhile since I have written an article, and I do apologize for that, as I have been busy, and busy first with the summer and then came the classes.

First off, what a great NFL season it has been, from Brett Favre playing in purple for the Vikings and winning two games one in Minnesota and the other one at historic Lambeau Field against his former team, and now arch rival the Green Bay Packers. Favre played at a high level here is his stats for the 2009 season.

QB Rating YDS TD
107।2 4,202 33


… Now onto the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts who are playing this Sunday, in Miami for Super Bowl XLVI. I think everyone in nation besides Hoosiers of course, will be rooting for the Saints, everyone knows the story with the city of New Orleans, so I wont defer into that one bit, however it is a pretty amazing come back story and a super bowl victory for that city would only add to it nonetheless.

From an NFL prospective, both offensives units that will be on showcase this Sunday, are great. Peyton Manning vs. Drew Bress, Quarterback play does get any better on the same field then that. With that said, this game will come down to the team that can make the plays on the defensive side of the ball. I think that saints will risk, the rushing the passer penalties, as they did when they played Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings.

If the New Orleans Saints execute that plan which I think they will, the city of New Orleans and the Who Dat nation will be Super Bowl Champions.


RJINTAMPA@WSA@aol.com
http://www.sportsaholicforum.com

Bowden needs to own up to his mistake.

First off, for those of you that don’t know, I was born a Seminoles fan, as both of my parents, graduated from the Florida State University. I cherish every moment of FSU football; either by watching the Seminoles games on television, or by going to the Seminoles games in person, either up in Tallahassee or down in Miami when they play the University of Miami.

As that is a big game in my family, as all of my family members are from Miami, including myself I might add. I was born to hate the orange and the blue of the Gaytors, spelled it that way!! So in short, I am a die-hard Seminole fan.

So with all of that in mind, let me now begin this article on why I think coach and savor (that’s right) Bobby Bowden, needs to own up to his mistake.

Like a lot of my fellow Seminoles fans, when the allegations came out about the football players, and FSU athletics in general regarding the cheating scandal on the online music course. I was in full fledge support of Bobby Bowden in that he did know what had happen.

But like anything else with time, the real facts started to surface regarding Bowden knowledge about the incident. Let me now take this time, and say that Florida State did the right thing in reporting the incident right a way to the NCAA, and took action right away as well, as 12 players were suspend from playing in the music city bowl as well as some games going into the following season.

Do I think the penalty is a little harsh, you might ask?

I do, but that is what you have to expect as a major college football program, that is when you do the right thing, and report this kind of incident to the NCAA.

I am also proud to say that, I think no other major college football program in the country, would have done the same thing that FSU did. As another big time college football program would have try to hide it for as long as they could have from the NCAA, and the public in general.

Now onto Bowden in his part, in my view, as a coach or as a prominent career leadership role in life, when you have accusations, it is alright to fight for a little at first, but when the evidence comes out, and it is starting to mount towards against what you are arguing, right their and then you have to step up to plate, and take the heat for it, and own up to it as that is what a leader does.

As when you are at that point, you do not play the “ I did not know card,” as Coach Bowden did. As it will not only make your words sound guilty, but it will only allow for the matter to get worst.

So now not only are all of the above as I describe is happening, but also it is slowly ruining the legacy, of what should be remembered as of a great coach, and for coach Bowden stake, I hope he comes clean soon and own up to his own mistake, as people will forgive coach Bowden overtime if he did that.

But if coach Bowden does not come clean soon, people will only remember him for being a liar for not admitting to his knowledge of the situation as a whole.


RJ

rjintampawsa@aol.com
http://www.sportsaholicforum.com

Magic vs. Lakers 09 NBA Finals Take

The 2009 NBA finals are set, it will be the Orlando Magic and the Lakers battling it out for the rights to be crown Champions of the 08 - 09 NBA season.

The Magic advanced to the NBA finals, by winning series against teams in the Eastern conference round such as the likes of: Philadelphia, Boston, and the Lebron Cavaliers.

In comparison, the Lakers of the Western conference advanced to the NBA finals by way of winning series against teams such as the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets

For the first time in fourteen years, since the Shaq days the Orlando Magic will be making their second NBA finals in the team twenty year history. Orlando first time around was against the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA finals led then by star center at the time Shaquille O'Neal.

It should be noted that under the guidance of Shaq the Magic were swept in four games. What also should be noted for this up coming finals is that in the summer of the 1996, Shaq bolted from Orlando as a free agent to the Lakers and took the money and run.

Which leads me to my next point on this series. In 1996, Shaq singed a seven-year, $120 million dollar contract with the Lakers, and turn down a front loaded contract offer from Orlando of 115 million over seven years with 24 million alone in the first year.

Needless to say, from that point on the Lakers became the Magic hated rival while Shaq was playing for them against the Magic in Orlando. Magic fans would let Shaq know on how they felt about that move in he had made in the summer of 1996.

Payback would have too wait two years, till the day Shaq cane back as a member of the Lakers while playing in Orlando against the Magic.

All Magic fans including myself remember that date. It was a Sunday, in late February, the exact date was February 22, 1998.

Shaq was back, playing in Orlando for the first time since signing with the Lakers two years ago.

Every time, Shaq had the ball in the game weather it be he was passing or about to take a shot he was booed, and hollered at by the more then 17,000 plus at the then named Orlando Arena.

In that game, O’Neil totaled twenty points, but that alone did not help his Lakers win that game as the momentum was all Orlando as the Magic would ruin his return and beat his Lakers by a score of 94 - 96.

This season in the year 2009, Both teams have played one game at home against each other. the Orlando Magic have visited southern California once and the Lakers have visited Orlando once. During those games the Magic came away victorious in both games.

In the first game, the Magic defeated the Lakers in Orlando, by a score of 106- 103 defeating the Lakers by three points. In the second game, the Magic defeated the Lakers out west in California by a score of 109 - 103 defeating the Lakers by six points.

Enable for either the Lakers or the Magic to be crown champions they will both have to take advantage of their home court, as well as steal a win from each other arenas. In my view, if the Magic take either game 1 or 2 out in Los Angles, the Magic will win this series. Game one is on Thursday night at 9 pm EST all game are on ABC.

RJINTAMPAWSA@AOL.COM