Sports Archives - Page 6 of 10

25 Random Things About Me

Posted on February 4, 2009October 30, 2018

I got tagged in Facebook to do one of these lists. I really enjoyed reading some of my colleagues and some of my old friends from high school so i thought i’d put one together.

The rules are that once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged or however many you want. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

Here are my items:

1. I don’t like fruit (with the exception of apples) and i’m happy that my sister’s the same way. It makes me feel less strange.

2. I tend to get around. I’ve been to 49 states and hope to get to the final one, Mississippi, sometime soon. Since college, I’ve lived in Virginia, New York, Washington DC, Boston (sort of), and now Los Angeles.

3. I have no toenails on my 2 little toes.

4. I was born in NY, then moved to CA, then moved to Texas before i finished my youth in Minnesota.

5. I grew up in Minnesota. When i moved east in 1996, i felt like a Midwesterner. I then lived on the east coast for 11 years. When i moved to California last year, i felt like an Easterner. After a few years here, who knows who i’ll be.

6. i’ve never broken a bone. I attribute this to my love of milk.

7. I love the extended Lewis Family clan and feel so fortunate that i have such great cousins, aunts and uncles.

8. When i was younger I used to dress up like a ninja and wonder around in the woods with my brother.

Continue reading “25 Random Things About Me” →

The Dark Art of Rebounding

Posted on January 27, 2009

I would like to call to attention a post written today about my new favorite player in the NBA. Let me ask you this question:

if you take:

Every rookie who has ever played in the NBA since 1946 …
Weed out everyone who played less than twenty minutes per game …
And sort them by who gets the highest percentage of total rebounds while on the court …

Which rookies over the past 100 years do you think would be in that list? I’ll give you a hint: 2 of the top 10 are rookies this year. At number 9 you have Greg Oden. He’s ahead of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Another 2008-2009 rookie, however, is currently third all time. He’s ahead of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Oakley, Buck Williams, and Bill Walton (trailing only Clifford Ray and Larry Smith, who were three years older in their rookie years than the guy I’m talking about). It’s, of course, Kevin Love.

It’s strange considering:

Kevin Love’s total rebounding percentage is greater than his age, which just about never happens. He’s only 20, but he grabs 21.3 percent of the rebounds while he’s on the court. He’s also smaller and less athletic than a lot of the players he’s competing against for those loose balls. And he’s best known as a passer

Whatever it is, it’s amazing to see Love haul in offensive board after offensive board. Even more amazing to think that he’s only 20. The article is good as it describes his mentality when playing. Check it out and Go Kevin Love and Go T-Wolves!

Why Run?

Posted on January 9, 2009

I read a great little post by Lizard about her morning. It is a great depiction of the pain of waking up and the joy of finishing. It takes a while to learn that there’s nothing as rewarding as getting up to run. It always delivers. Liz’s morning:

• Get up
• Whine
• Go back to bed
• Get back up. Shiver.
• Whine
• Brush teeth. Look for running clothes
• Be filled with love that the Boss has washed my running clothes
• Stub toe. Curse.
• Look for socks. Find one. Victory!
• Remember that you need two socks. Damnit!
• Find second sock. Sock #2 is different thickness than sock #1. Debate how much this will bother me while running.
• Decide “A lot”, look for different sock.
• Fail at finding new sock, suck up the different thickness socks.
• Reach for caffeinated Gu.
• Discover lack of caffeinated Gu. Curse.
• Look for gloves. Find gloves. Rejoice!
• Look for Ipod. Remember have not charged iPod in 4 days. Curse.
• Attempt to tie shoes while wearing gloves. Fail. remove gloves, tie shoes. Leave house
• Step outside. Note that it is raining. And cold. Curse.
• Go to start watch. Notice that you forgot watch. Curse
• Begin to notice how pretty everything is all covered in fog
• …until the second running step when it becomes clear that water on the streets is turning into big sheets of ice.
• Run slow so as to not slip. (yeah. That’s it. That’s *exactly* why I run slow)
• Notice that ass has frozen and seems to be bouncing independently from my body.
• Bitch about ice on ground.
• Suspend bitching once sun rises and I notice how pretty the National Mall looks.
• Resume bitching when submerge foot in big puddle.
• Dream about the wonderful DC Spring weather, and the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, conveniently forgetting that I am allergic to the cherry blossoms and will in no way be able to run while they are in bloom.
• Be annoyed that socks are different thickness and one shoe is looser than the other.
• Round the end of the Mall over by Lincoln. Look up at Abe, look at slick steps covered in ice and puddles leading up to Abe, and give him a wave, promising to visit him later.
• Get cold. Start to run faster to warm up and get home.
• Send The Boss mental thoughts consisting of “Make breakfast and coffee…make breakfast and coffee…’
• Stop running fast. Pant.
• Get home.
• Give The Boss a big sweaty kiss despite the fact that he did not get the mental message of “coffee and breakfast”
• Hop in warm shower and think to self “I love running”
• Smile when I realize: I actually meant it. I DO love running.

Agassi’s Autobiography is Really Good

Posted on January 3, 2009December 31, 2009

I just finished Andre Agassi’s new autobiography Open
and found it to be a great read – i’d give it 4.5 out of 5. Sure it’s not a deep and heavy work of literature but I found it really interesting to hear about his life and emotional path. Agassi was such a talented player who was thought of as a choke artist for such a long time until he got his mind straight. I like that he really goes into each match and tourney and discusses why he tanked or what he was thinking. It’s clear from reading this that so many of his failures occurred due to his emotional state. And you can hear in his voice and in his match results how much a stable home life changed him.

Some highlights for me are:

Talking about his overbearing father and how that shaped his childhood. His “Dragon” ball machine that his dad raised up so when it shot balls, it shot them down so Andre had to take each ball on the rise or he’d miss it
His journey to find friends and peers that he could relate to and that helped him
Talking about his hair and how much time and energy he spent finding and wearing a hairpiece to play in.
Talking about Steffi and how much of an impact she had on him. It’s clear that once he established a solid home life his career peaked. Without that, he’d without a doubt have much fewer wins
Comparing himself to Pete Sampras and how their two paths differed. Also hearing the story of Pete tipping his valet $1
The anecdote of when his dad met Steffi’s dad. Both were great former athletes who pushed their kids to greatness and when they meet two egos clash like i’ve never heard of before.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes tennis or Agassi.

Soccer – Flip Throws

Posted on November 19, 2008

I hate people who do flip throws. But i also hate people who stand in front of people doing flip throws. For those of you like me, you’ll like this video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVAD8Zl5ngg]

OneSeason for Sports Betting

Posted on October 24, 2008December 27, 2013

There’s an interesting new website called OneSeason.com which is a virtual market of sports players. You buy shares in athletes and players and based on market demand of those shares their value raises or lowers. For example, two weeks ago Lebron James was at $1.10 and today he’s at $18.50 because his shares have been rising steadily.

The fun part is that new players come out each day in an IPO (Initial Player Offering). For instance Yao Ming came out at $5 and immediately traded up to $15. Each day there’s a reason to get back in

There’s a NYTimes article about this where it talks about the “value” of a share:

Mike Sroka, OneSeason’s founder, a former hedge fund analyst, compares OneSeason stock to collectible playing cards. “The cards have no intrinsic value, but due to limited supply and notoriety of the player, they fluctuate in value,” he said.

The one problem i see is that every player is appreciating right now. No player has gone down which means nobody has lost any money. A quick way to put OneSeason out of business would be for everyone to request their money back. I’m guessing this won’t happen but still, you’ll need losers eventually.

I’m putting in a couple bucks and trying it out. It’s definitely interesting. Am i moron for falling for this? I just bought 3 shares of Adrian Peterson for $25 bucks a piece. We’ll see what happens. I’m selling if he hits $50

Sports Guy Mailbag

Posted on October 10, 2008

I’m in to reposting these days so i thought i’d post some good questions from readers today in The Sports Guy mailbag article:

Q: Shouldn’t Elizabeth Perkins have faced statutory rape charges in “Big”?

Q: So you’re looking for the four-way version of paper-rock-scissors that makes the most sense? I think I found it: blow-booze-weed-sleep. Yes, booze will defeat blow and weed will defeat booze. Sleep can beat weed and of course, blow beats sleep. Granted I don’t behave this way EVERY day.
— Vaughn, Philly

Q: My friend almost got into an altercation with a guy who had a hook instead of a hand. He contends that having a hook for a hand would be an advantage in a bar fight (for the obvious reasons); but I contend that because the prosthesis included the guy’s forearm, it would be a disadvantage as arm speed and dexterity were reduced with the lack of arm muscle. What are your thoughts?
— Adam, Washington, D.C.

Q: My friends and I were discussing the two-faced lady in the Southwest Airlines commercial that you are so fond of. Well, say one of her faces is eating a banana and the other is eating a corn dog. Would the corn dog and banana touch, or do the faces have two separate throats? They probably share a throat, right?

Nothing else captures America quite like a Sports Guy mailbag. I love it.

Chris Paul's Missed Free Throw

Posted on September 26, 2008

I had never seen this video before. It’s a great clip about Chris Paul, his grandfather and a classic game. It’s a great example of how sometimes sports can transcend the game

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxwyE5m44x4]

Swimming Destiny

Posted on August 16, 2008

The relay was incredible and it happened again – another nail-biting, miraculous finish. This time by Phelps. This race i just watched of the 100 was incredible (here). It almost seems as if it’s just Phelps’ destiny to win every gold. Everything is bouncing his way right now.

I do wonder how he would a view a silver medal – he’d probably be so upset.

Check out this finish:

With zero room to spare Phelps manages to touch first

Men's Relay – Watch It

Posted on August 11, 2008

The best Olympic event i’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, click here or below to check it out

Some Quotes

From Lezac:

“I don’t know how I was able to take it back that fast because I’ve never been able to come anywhere near that for the last 50,” he said. “I can’t even explain it. It was unreal.

From German Coach:

“The whole thing was remarkable,” said Orjan Madsen, the German head coach. “It was one of those moments where you just sit back and say, ‘Jesus Christ.’ If I wouldn’t have seen [Lezak overtaking Bernard] with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

American Coach:

“There’s never been [an anchor swim like that] in my memory,” American head coach Eddie Reese said. “Not running down somebody who holds the world record, who’s on their game. That was incredible. … It has to be in the unbelievable category. That’s the biggest word I know.”