Who are YOU please.... Kobe Bryant?

Who are YOU Kobe Bryant? Seriously though, Im honestly trying to figure YOU out. And for all those reading this article, I am not addressing you, I am addressing Kobe. Who the fuck are YOU Kobe!Let me make this very clear, I dont plan on truly figuring out who YOU really are through writing this article, nor do I think through getting some stuff out on the table about YOU that I truly have a chance of figuring YOU out. I mean, I have never had a one on one conversation with YOU, or even been present in a room that YOU have spoken in. However, I have seen numerous clips of YOU on Sportscenter and seen parts of the documentary involving YOU "doing work" through the eyes of the man who made Jesus Shuttlesworth aka Spike "Im Marc Cuban except Black" Lee (think about that for a second) on television, which give the likes of a mere mortal like myself a glittery glimpse of who YOU are . I also kindof saw YOU playing live in the Los Angeles Arena during this seasons preseason game against Barcelona, but dont really remember seeing YOU because of the panic attack that took place within my mind 5 minutes into the game (and no I will not be speaking about that anymore after that, because it doesnt involve YOU at all).

So now is the part of my article on YOU where I will try and hash out some shit that comes to mind about YOU in an attempt to figure YOU out. Just to be more clear on my method that I will be using, if anyone readingt this article ever did an outline in school, what Im doing is similar to the bubble outline. Basically, what the bubble method involves is circling the main theme in the middle (in this case, YOU) and then making line pointing to other bubbles of things that come to mind about the main thing/creature/person that the article is going to be on.

Ok. Here I go. Who the fuck are YOU Kobe?!
1.) Are you Michael Jordan's secretly born child? Maybe?I mean you stick out your tongue like him. You fade a way like he does. You lick your lips like he does. You speak like he does. And now (just starting at this years NBA finals), YOU scowl like him. Therefore, that leads me to think you come from the same genetic pool as him. And do YOU blame me for coming to this conclusion? Got to be some genetic connection though, right?
2.) A man in need of the spotlight, willing to to go to anylength to cast off anyone in your way in order to get YOURS? I mean YOU told Shaq to get as far away from you as possible, eventhough with him YOU were destined to win 2-5 more championship trophies. I also saw YOU and most importantly not Phil with the clipboard at the end of game 3 (vs. the Magic) telling people what they should and should not be doing (and as discussed with my co-workers...that conversation most likely went...ok "im going to go here and this is where you will give me the ball, or Il go here and this where you will give me the ball, or lastly il go here and this is the only other place I will be and that you will have the opportunity to give me the ball"). So, are YOU the type of guy that doesnt listen to a coach that has WON 17,000 basketball championships, and needs to orchestrate the plays that YOU feel most comfotable running, and not the ones (orchestrated by the G of a coach YOU have) that will actually lead YOU to a championship?! And listen man, regarding that whole shit YOU mentioned about YOU and Phil thinking the same way on the "Doin Work" documentary, come on man get real with YOURSELF....To thine own self be true Kobe!! Phil is a G, always has been. YOU are not him, and most importantly YOU are not a coach. YOU are a great player, not a great coach! In fact, Phil left the Lakers the first time around, because he could not coach YOU bro.
3.) Are you a good/moral dude? I mean YOU cheated on your wife bro. YOU didnt get a divorce and then go do YOUR thing with someone else. YOU straight cheated on her and then bought her a mulit million dollar ring to make up for it.

So, and to wrap up my article on YOU, it seems like you are the type of dude that makes YOURSELF appear to others like you are someone else. YOU are someone that is never satisfied; that has something good, and needs something better.However, YOU could be a down to earth, nice, loving, working on himself in a positive way through positive new means of living(as a result of past mistakes) dude? However, from the stuff that Im seeing that just isnt the case.But then again, and as prefaced earlier, I dont know fuckshit about who YOU really are......

Playing catch with dad

"Just play catch Tay....just play catch and throw the ball to where the mitt is". I grew up throwing the ball to my dad. Back and forth and back and forth. 

At about age 11, I started my first game as pitcher for the Hawks, a San Francisco based middle school team filled with mainly Jesuit athletes (me being athletic but not Jesuit). We were the best. Our coach was a former professional baseball player who wanted to win. Before our first game of non-parent pitch (basically of a kid on the team rather then a parent pitching to the other kids), my coach came up to me and told me I was pitching. I was shocked and did not know what to make of it. I was very anxious. The next thing I remember is being on the mound for two straight innings and not allowing one hit. It was as if I was destined to be a pitcher.

For approximately the next three years I was the starting pitcher for the best team in the San Francisco pony league. Sal was the catcher and we would work together. We would have conferences on the mound and he would frame my pitches perfectly. Wherever he put his mitt, I would throw to. I had pinpoint accuracy. In between games, my dad and I would play catch together. We would go outside of our house and throw. He bought a catchers mitt and we would simulate game situations during our throwing sessions. "Ok Tay, runners are on first and second there are no out and it is a 3 balls and 2 strikes count.....". I would challenge myself to get the imaginary batter out and my dad would become immediately enthused if I was able to get the batter out and get out of the made-up inning. 

 

After three seasons of being almost unhittable in the pony leagues, the length of the pitchers mound got moved back as a result of growing older and playing on bigger fields. At first I did not think this would matter, but it did. I found myself over-throwing because I did not have the same velocity as I did when the mound was a shorter distance to home plate. I also ended up going to a small private high school that did not have a good baseball program, while the rest of my teammates attended the top baseball schools in the city. My parents did not want me attending a Jesuit high school and I did not feel the need to protest. At the small high school, I started at shortstop my first two years, and then moved to second base my last two. I was still very good but did not work hard. I believed it was a natural skill that I would always possess and would always allow me the opportunity to play. However, when I got to division three level liberal arts college that had a competitive team, my skill was not enough. As well, I loved pot, alcohol, and partying in general. The combination of partying and a bad work ethic resulted in getting cut from the team. I was devastated and the first person I wanted to talk with was my dad. I remember crouching in the freshman dorm crying on the phone to my dad confused about what had just taken place. While I had not lived a long time, I had already failed at a lot of things, but baseball was never one of them. I never thought it would be either. I began to party ever harder after that took place, believing that there was nothing else I could fuck up. I wanted to escape, and escape I did. My dad and I did not play catch during that period in time. There was no room for it. The pleasure of the activity was washed away by the darkness that surrounded every facet of my being.

 

At the age of 19 I was awakened and convinced myself that I should make an effort to become the ballplayer I had never been. I began to work at the aspects of the game that I had never had a willingness to do before. I hit the weight room hard and enjoyed it. My body began to change and I began to become excited about the prospect of one day playing again. My dad and I also began to play catch again. The sound of the ball hitting the mitt and my dad being involved in my life again was a blessing.

 

I did not end up continuing my baseball career. However, as a result of going through that process I realized that sometimes the things I want don't necessarily come true; even if my attitude and ethic are good. I also learned that some serious political shit takes place within collegiate baseball.

While officially my career ended, that didn't stop my dad and I from walking outside of the house and playing catch. The only difference now was I was no longer a cute tiny boy with long blonde hair, and he was no longer able to get on his knees and simulate an imaginary inning. Also during the times we now go out and play catch, discussions take place on what is going on in our lives. While the focus of our talks is still for the majority on me and how I am spending my days (because I am not quite at the point in my life where the basic foundational shit is settled relationship, job, etc..), he does share details of his life and experiences that he has gone through with me that I enjoy hearing about. 

There have been moments while writing this blog that my eyes have watered up. I'm not quite sure how to convey in my writing how truly special the act of throwing a baseball to my dad has been in my life. Just before I began writing this blog, the two of us were sitting on the couch watching a baseball movie. At the beginning of the movie, there is about a 10-minute father son montage. The beginning of the montage highlighted the father and son playing catch and the accolades the son received from his youth baseball career. The only difference between the son in the movie and me was the son went on to play professional baseball player and I did not even get the opportunity to play in college. However, while there were points during the montage where I thought I could have been like the kid from the movie (making it the majors etc..) more importantly there were points during the sequence where I was able to reflect on the times that I have spent and continue to spend with my dad; specifically the times (which are now few and far between) that we still go out and throw the ball around. I love my dad and will continue to treasure the times I get the opportunity to  walk outside and throw the ball to his mitt. Back and forth and back and forth.

 

What If....

What if "old baseball rules" still applied to this years World Series? Had those rules still be applicable within this years Series, the game would have ended in the 6th inning. However, the real question should be: Would anyone have cared had the World Series ended in a rain delay? While the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig, made it a point to let people know the game would not end before the full nine innings were played out, I could not have cared less.  From the very start of the learning about which teams would be playing in this years fall classic, I never had any interest.  To make matters worse, I have been watching recaps of the Series games (that have been played thus far), and the key players on the Rays squad that were producing some highlights on the late editions of Sportcenter (during the previous series they have played in), have not done crap this series (minus the couple of hits in game 5). 

To be honest with all of you, I wanted the rules that applied before the 2006 World Series got underway to be applicable to this years Series. At the very least that would have created some interesting dynamic to be discussed on sports shows and barbershops across the country. 

With the American economy in the toilet and a seriously serious election day coming up right around the corner, a nice distraction in conversation about a World Series with boring teams that ended in the worst possible fashion would have paradoxically been a treat. As well, even though the remaining three innings (or more, which would not be surprising considering the Phillies lack of success with runners in scoring position and the Rays "good hitters" general lack of hitting a white ball with red seams during this particular series) will be resuming tomorrow night, I will be tuning in the Golden State Warriors opening night. I am more curious to see how Don Nelson will attempt success with an undrafted point guard running the show, than the World F ing Series. I wish that was not the case. And, that would not be the case had Manny been taking on Torre in this years series rather than Eva...I mean Evan Longoria been taking on Charlie Manuel!!!. However, it is what it, and I will therefore continue to be straightforward about what many hold back on.  While the title on yesterdays San Francisco Chronicle read "Rain on Parade," had I written an article on what took place the previous night in Game 5 of the Series, I would have entitled my article "No One Cares!! Why Rain Why?".  To conclude, while I do not in any way endorse dishonest activities, I almost wish there was an MLB umpire playing the role that NBA Referee, Tim Donaghy, played in the 2002 NBA playoffs (and probably many others as well) during this years playoff baseball semifinals. Instead of having financial motives like Donaghy had, the motives of the MLB umpires should have been to orchestrate a World Series that had some element of entertainment.

Old School vs. New School

After his first game as head coach of the once storied San Francisco 49ers franchise, Mike Singletary decided it was proper to bring some fire. The man who just inherited the head coaching position of the team, got heated at an incident that took place on the field involving his tight end, Vernon Davis.  I am a fire guy myself, so I get it. Are all people able to bring it, not so much. However, Singletary brought it and to a degree it inspired me to at some point in the future believe the Niners will be good again. One of the main themes that Singletary addressed during his conference, was the difference between "old school" and "new school" mentalities which especially sparked my interest.

The main difference that Singletary discussed was the idea of "old school" players being willing to sacrifice there own egos, for the sake of the team getting together and putting in a stellar effort to win the game on any given Sunday. That mentality sounds legit. If I were on a team that had not been succeeding for a while (I have lost count of how many season in a row the Niners have been under 500, at least 3 though), I would definitely consider a mentality that goes hand in hand with winning. However, I also question if the "old school" mentality is still applicable within not only the contemporary NFL but also other sports leagues as well. I mean, the Dallas Cowboys were a solid team last year, and they were led by Mr. Prideful himself, Terrell "I love me" Owens. Therefore, it makes me partially wonder if the Niners players are just not up to par with the others and regardless of any mentality change it will not help them become successful. But, I honesty don't believe that to be the case. And anyways, I am having trouble of thinking about any other teams besides the Cowboys that have an overtly arrogant superstar and also maintain a high-level of success. To conclude, I am a fan of the "old school"mentality of each individual utilizing a hard work-ethic to improve themselves while at the same time realizing the better they get  better the team will be; as well as actions on the field which do not highlight there selfish needs to place themselves (in any capacity) above the team.

Just Do It....Only If You Are In An Elite Class

A women's nike marathon took place yesterday in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the person with the quickest time did not win the race.  You may be thinking to yourself how the women with the fastest time did not win the race? That would be a good question.  The Nike officials would answer that question by stating Arien O'Connnell was not in the group of elite runners and therefore did not qualify to win the race. While today's San Francisco Chronicle argued the fact that O'Connell should have won the race based on the speed of her time, I am going to play devil's advocate and say that she should have announced to the officials she was in fact an elite runner. 

After O'Connell's time had been reported (I believe it was around 2 hours and 56 minutes), the officials asked her how come she did not announce herself as an elite runner? O'Connell's paraphrased response was that she was a solid runner but did not believe herself to be on an elite level.  While many of the press people (and people reading any article on her story...and there have been plenty) could take this for an attempt of modesty, I am not going to (once again, and to re-state, I am playing devil's advocate). The time that O'Connell ran at the Nike Marathon was 12 minutes better then her best time ever (she had never cracked three hours in a marathon before). However, this begs me to ask the question regarding if it was really modesty in the case of her not admitting she was a top runner, or was it a lack of confidence/ self-esteem in her own abilities with a dash of dishonesty on top of it all. I mean I'm going to be real straight with all of you: If I  ran a marathon in less then 4 hours I would consider myself to be on an elite level. As well, if I had the capabilty (and clearly O'Connell did) to run a marathon close to 3 flat (3 hours) there is no reason that I can think of other then a possible lack of confidence (which translated to being dishonest with other people) regarding her legitimate ability to compete. 

As a result of her defects of character, the elite runners ran their race and O'Connell ran her race with the average runners (the Oprah's and Diddy's of the world who run 4 and a half hour marathons and are darn proud of their accomplishment).  Therefore, two separate races were being run. The marathon winner is not for the average runners. The average runners  get to tell other people for the rest of their lifetimes that they ran a marathon (and trust me they do that). That is their cash and prize. The winner is the elite runner who participates amongst the other elite. I truly believe had O'Connell been in the class with the other elite runners, the winning time would have been different. The reason I believe this is because when I go for runs by myself, I do not run as quickly; however, when I am running with someone else, I challenge myself more. I believe the elite runners (especially the ones in the front of the pack at this particular marathon) would have challenged their bodies more had O'Connell been side to side with them throughout the race. Not to say O'Connell would not have still placed in the top two or three (or maybe even first), but I definitely believe the dynamic would have changed (even slightly). To conclude, just because this bandwagon may sound good to jump on (a women that "just did it" to play on Nike's famous slogan "just do it," but when push came to shove the company looked the other way and awarded someone else the winners trophy) please take a look at both sides before throwing your bags on the back of moving vehicle aimed to make a fool out of a reputable company.

A True Superstar

There is nothing better then a good sports movie. Seriously, watching for the first time and then re-watching sports movies, is amongst the top 25 things I enjoy doing in life. "Field of Dreams," "The Natural," "Remember the Titans," "Little Big League," and "Tin Cup", along with many other great movies make my insides tingle. When a sports movie comes out, I go watch it. To prove that point, I even went to the theatre to see "Radio," starring Cuba Gooding Junior (please don't hate). While "Radio" along with few others ("The Babe" is another) have been disappointing, the majority of sports movies I have come to appreciate over time. Some of the movies that took me some time to appreciate were "Coach Carter," "Glory Road," and "Bull Durham,"(even though many believed it was a classic after their first watch). Fact is, sports are a wonderful vehicle to instill great values in individuals; many of the teams and individuals being exemplified in sports movies display these values.

Today I went and saw "The Express," the new sports movie based on the career of Ernie Davis starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid. Great movie.  Please go see it. It hit me on all cylinders.  The music was solid, the acting was solid, and most importantly the protagonist was a true example of the many positive attributes human beings have the potential to contain (inside and outside the sports world).  Some of the attributes that Davis contained were respecting others (especially his family), having humility, and being tolerant of other peoples viewpoints (even in the racist South). While I was not alive to follow Ernie Davis during the time he played for the Orangemen at Syracuse, the movie really highlighted his unique physical ability to hit the hole. Also, and on a personal level, he inspired me to continue being a good person and example to others. Within using an analogy along the lines of the movie, sometimes when a person hits me unfairly I want to do the same back to them; however, Davis did not. So, for one more day, I will also continue to play fair. Today, "The Express," helped re-affirm to me the importance of making the most with the time that I am alive (as Davis died at the young age of 23) and doing it in a positive way as often as possible. To conclude, good sports movies not only have the ability to make tears come out of my eyes (the same way they did when I was twelve years younger), but they also have the power to inspire positive actions outside of the theatre that same day.

Fairweather Fan

I am a fairweather fan. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area I support the basketball, baseball, and football teams (dont really give two shits about hockey) that do well.  When the team is not doing well I will not support them.  However, I am not the type of person that will look you in the eye and not be ashamed of my "fairweatherness".  In fact, I am very open about it. I root for the teams that are succeeding.  If the teams are not succeeding, I do not check up on them nearly as much as when the team is doing well.  I just don't have any desire to follow a team that is not winning. It is just not fun. While I respect the fan that sticks with "his team" through the bad times, I also feel bad for them to a degree.  I mean it has to be painful to really care about a team that consistently begins to let you down. Examples of teams that I have stopped supporting have been the San Francisco Giants, 49ers, and soon to be Golden State Warriors.  Not to say that I don't still converse about these two franchises, but I will rarely tune into the telecasts for the games when they are taking place.  I believe that that is the true mark of a fairweather fan; not watching the games, or making no effort to watch them (I may be sitting home on Sunday, and literally by chance the one of teams may be playing).  Point is, when the team is not succeeding, I don't care about them. 

While the Giants contain the probable NL Cy Young award winner from this past regular season, they were just boring to watch. They did not have one hitter that could hit the ball over the fence (and if you think Aaron Rowland is a power hitter you are wrong). While pitching is an essential component to being successful in baseball, you also need to have players that can put up big power numbers at the plate. The Giants had a huge opportunity to be a successful team about three years ago (dont quote that). That opportunity laid in the hands of management signing a legitimate power hitter. However, they chose to not sign Vladimir Guerrero, and instead (not directly connected, but definitely a stupid decision later on) spent the money on Barry Zito (who to anyone following as loosely as I was this past season, seemingly started it with a win-loss record of 0 and 500). Had they made the move to sign Guerrero I truly believe they would not have been in the cellar of an already shitty division for last couple of years. On the other hand, the downfall of the 49ers began the moment the words "Alex Smith" were said by the commissioner at the NFL draft during the 2005 draft. Smith has been a bust from the beginning, and will most likely be alongside Ryan Leaf as the biggest bust in the history of the league (so far). That being said, staying strong with the franchise after that terrible a decision took place makes no sense. The last team I will discuss is the Golden State Warriors, who surprisingly have made me proud over the last couple of years. However, there is a strong chance I will also stop supporting them after about 25 games (give or take) once the 08-09 season gets under way. Robert Rowell (President of the team) not giving Baron Davis the money he clearly deserved as a result of putting a crap franchise back onto the map is a darn shame. Therefore, without a true point guard (Stephen Jackson is not that, but according to todays newspaper Rowell will most likely be giving him an extension before the season begins), the Warriors have only a slight chance of success.  To conclude, if you want to hate me for not giving my allegiance to crap teams, fine. I cannot control who likes me an who does not. But, I will stand firm by my stance of not supporting the teams that do not succeed. What is the fun in that!