Spring Time, Sports and Cherishing Life

It’s been a long time since I’ve written. Work and life have been quite busy. But things are pretty good now. Spring is finally here after a long cold winter. The past week has been filled with sunny, warm days that have broken the winter chill and enabled me to get out enjoy just walking and exploring the city. And the coming of spring has brought a great time in sports....Baseball is underway, the NBA and NHL are in the midst of their playoffs, the NFL Draft is around the corner, March Madness just wrapped with a title game for the ages and College Football Spring Games are giving a preview of what to expect in the fall. So being the sports fan that I am, I figured i'd share some random thoughts from the sports world.


ESPN.Com had a great article on one of my favorite NBA players and favorite athletes in general. Rasheed Wallace often gets critized in the media and is shunned by the NBA publicity machine. But this article showcases that he is an afrocentric, intelligent black man of substance who helps black children off the court and has his teammates back on it. ‘Sheed is one of the smartest players in the league and, if given the opportunity, should become a great coach one day. So many players in the league are afraid to speak out about any topics of substance for fear of offending anyone or scaring off endorsement opportunities. But Rasheed has never been afraid to step up, speak his mind or challenge the system. For that, as well as his versatile game on the court, the brotha has my respect. Check the article here:


http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336339


While on basketball, I have to give props to my favorite player, whom I watched dominate and drop 40 points and 10 dimes on the Nuggets tonight. The NBA MVP race is really not a race at all. Much respect to Chris Paul for making basketball relevant in New Orleans and giving a city that has been through so much something to cheer and be proud of. Big props to Kevin Garnett for resurrecting the Celtics franchise and taking them to the top of the Eastern Conference. But the MVP of the league is none other than KB24. After an offseason of turmoil, Kobe Bryant once again established his status as the best player in the league. Playing in a conference with 8 50-win teams (virtually unheard of), he still led the Lakers to the top seed in the conference. He shot less, involved and trusted his teammates more, reasserted himself as a lockdown defender, and returned his franchise to the top of the conference. The Gasol trade was a huge for the Lakers no question, but everyone knows that the Lakers will go only as far as Kobe will take them. People seem to come up with reasons to hate the brotha. They bring up the Colorado charges (even though they ended up being without merit), him supposedly running off Shaq (even though his big ass is now on his 4th team, and every time he whines and makes his leaving somehow someone elses' fault), or his perceived arrogance (what great player ISN’T cocky). But the reality is, we are now watching one of the truly great competitors of our time. After the amazing year, and career, he has had, he deserves his first MVP award. And as much as i'm proud of the Celtics return to form, if it's Lakers-Celtics in the finals, my loyalties will be the same as they were back in the 80's....With the Purple and Gold.


Its been an exciting time in boxing as well. Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito both had spectacular knockouts and set the stage for a total war between them in the fall. The Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins fight was worth the hype, being a close, competitive contest. Joe Calzaghe stepped up as the fight went along and got the deserved victory. B-Hop is a legend, and is in amazing shape for a 43 year old, but his tactics, "gamesmanship" (acting like he got shot in the groin after a borderline low blow, which was just a ploy to rest late in the fight) and refusal to give his opponent any credit after the fight showed a lack of class. With Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao and Kelly Pavlik all fighting between now and the end of the summer, it looks like boxing is continuing to make quality matches to stand up to the increasing popularity of MMA.


Lastly I have to encourage everyone to watch this month's edition of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. It featured a story that was so moving I almost couldn't sleep after watching it. It is about a man named Mike Coolbaugh. Mike was a career minor leaguer....A real life Crash Davis (For the Bull Durham fans out there), who loved the game and loved his family more. He retired from playing to become a coach, where he gave back to the game he loved by taking the time to mentor and take young minor leaguers under his wing. Sadly, he lost his life on a one in a billion fluke play. In over a century of play, a first or third base coach in professional baseball had never been killed by a foul ball. Mike Coolbaugh became the first. He left behind a wife, two young boys, and a daughter he never got to see born.


This story moved me because it showed that we all are really not promised tomorrow. At any instant, when we least expect it, our lives can be gone. One moment you can be going through your daily routine and *poof* it can all be over. This story, as sad as it was, got me to really refocus on living and enjoying each day, not letting the small and petty things bother me and truly appreciatine the blessings that I have. Its so easy to get caught up looking to a future that may never come. But honestly, we should all take the time to express our love to those we care for, to take a moment out of the most hectic day to reflect on our blessings....Because we can't take for granted that we will have the opportunity to do it tomorrow.