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Shaquille O'Neal is on his way back East. Shaq, who's always has played in warm weather climates throughout his career, (Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix) now finds himself in the Midwest playing in Cleveland. More importantly O'Neal will play alongside the best player in the game in LeBron James as "The Diesel" looks to to win his fifth NBA title with another great player by his side.
Will it work? It better or else LeBron is going to be on his way out of Cleveland signing a new deal with either the Nets or Knicks and go to Broadway. Shaq had arguably his best season in year's with the Suns, but at 37 how much more can O'Neal be a relevent player in the NBA? Will LeBron be able to play his game and have O'Neal as his number two guy? Mo Williams will be the third option now as well he should be.
Even though the Cavs got Shaq does that make them better? Or at least better than the Magic who are on the verge of accquiring Vince Carter? Or for that matter the Celtics who will get Kevin Garnett back and will be primed for another run to an NBA title.
The bottome line is the East is the best conference now and has had a shift of power away from the West. The Lakers may be the NBA Champions but the better teams are in the Eastern Conference. Shaq will add a demension the Cavs desperately needed in the NBA playoffs against the Magic. Now they have somone to guard Dwight Howard, to fill the lane and make other defenders double team him as LeBron will look to lead the Cavs to their first NBA Championship.
Hear me now, the Cavs will win the NBA Title next year.
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Maybe Gator Nation thinks they should win at everything. After winning a National Championship in both Football and Basketball in the same season. Only Urban Meyer and the football program have gone on to dominate the SEC and the rest of the college world.
Billy Donovan won two titles in two years with the Florida Gators but since then the Gators haven't even sniffed the tournament only making the NIT and not making much noise in the tournament.
On Wednesday Donovan talked to the Palm Beach County Gator Club trying to explain why the Gators haven't been able to make good on their two titles. Donovan has lost Nick Calathes to a pro team in Greece and now Donovan has to put the pieces together and try and make the Gators relevent again.
He has his work cut out for him. But he'll turn it around. But the fans will think they deserve to win.
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Once upon a time David Duval was the #1 player in the world at a time when Tiger Woods was in his prime. Duval was at one time just as cut as Tiger is now, and won the British Open back in 2001. Plenty thought it would be the first of many major championships that Duval would win.
But then injuries set in, and Duval left the game and ended up getting married. He lost his swing and tells people he didn't enjoy the game anymore. When Duval showed up the U.S. Open this past weekend he was ranked 882nd in the world. He also balloned to over 200 pounds and was a shadow of his former self. However Duval showed everyone this past weekend he still has some good golf left in him. David looked like the golfer who back in 1999 fired a round of 59 and could win a major. He finished tied for 2nd in the tournament and nearly pulled off an amazing feat of winning a major when his last win was a major title.
Here's hoping Duval is back and still has some good golf in him to once again rise in the top 10.
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Oh, Sammy, while I knew in the back of my mind you may of been guilty I never wanted to believe it. Sosa was reportedly on the list of 104 Major Leaguers who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.
If you read my blogs on a semi-regular basis, you know that I'm a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, and that I bleed Cubbie blue.
Sosa was a huge fan favorite at Wrigley Field. He owned the city of Chicago for several years when Michael Jordan finally retired from the Chicago Bulls. Sosa electrified the city with three straight 60 home run seasons leading the Cubs to the post-season in 1998 and 2003.
However Sosa left the Cubs under a cloud of suspicion, with a corked bat in one game and then leaving the stadium before the contest was over in the last game of the season and then lying about it later. Sosa said he never left, when the video clearly showed him walking out of Wrigley.
It would be the last time Sosa would ever be in a Cubs uniform. The following season Sosa was shipped to Baltimore and then ended his career with the Rangers on his way to hitting 608 Home Runs.
Sosa is now in the same category as Palmeiro, Canseco, McGwire and Bonds. All sluggers who broke records and in the process broke our hearts knowing they cheated the game that gave them so much. Sosa will eventually get into the Hall of Fame just like Bonds and McGwire and Palmeiro, but it'll take a long time before they're let in if ever.
For all his fans and people who supported him over the years, we cheered and today we wonder, what happened to our heroes? 11 years ago we had that. But not anymore.
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37 years working at the same place. Some would say that's crazy. Other would love the security and what it allows. For Mike Leatherwood, 37 years is enough for him, standing on the sidelines and more importantly winning games. Leatherwood has been the head basketball coach at Indian River State College since 1970. He decided to officially step down on July 31st and take some time off. He's only 61 and even left the door open to come back and maybe coach again somewhere else. He's had only one job. Told me he liked being able to be the head coach and run the show. He said Arkansas offered him an assistant coaching job years ago but he turned it down because he was happy in Fort Pierce and wanted to be the head man.
I think something everyone struggles with at some point is the ability to figure out when they should be happy at where they're at and what they're doing.
Leatherwood was content coaching at a junior college and on his way becoming the all-time winningest coach in the state of Florida with 703 victories. Leatherwood was also inducted into the Junior College Hall of Fame. Amazing credentials, at any level but he'll never be mentioned in the same breath with Bobby Knight, Dean Smith or Mike Krzyzewski. That's okay Leatherwood has 8 grandchildren he's looking forward to spending time with and working out a bunch too.
Leatherwood may never be a millionare or win a national championship. But that's okay with him. He's happy with all he's done because sometimes the view from the moutain top isn't always that great a site.
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Did Kobe Bryant really need to win this year's NBA Finals to show that he is a true champion? Probably not. That's like saying did Michael Jordan have to win without Scottie Pippen to show that he was a true champion.
The only reason people were questioning Kobe's championship caliber of play, is because when Kobe did win those titles, he was the second banana behind Shaquille O'Neal. Jordan was always the primary and focal point of the Chicago Bulls offense.
For the past several years Kobe has been "The Man" for the L.A. Lakers and didn't get the ring without Shaq, until last night.
Bryant showed what a true leader is and has come into his own at the age of 30 and showing why he is the best player in the NBA today.
Bryant wins his fourth title and is officially mentioned as one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball. Kobe doesn't need to be compared to Jordan, because he's in his own category, as one of the top 10 best ever.
The monkey is off his back and no longer an issue when it comes to media questioning his leadership and ability to lead a team to a championship.
Kobe is now a great player without O'Neal and if he plays is cards and body right, could be winning even more titles for the next 8 to 10 years. At just 30 Bryant is in the prime of his career and has at least another 6 great years in him to be one of the best players in the game.
He could even break Kareem's record for most career points scored too. But that's for another day. Right now the Zoo is calling looking for that monkey to finally put it away.
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Seriously is this a joke already? The Brett Favre soap opera has moved from Green Bay, to New York to now Minneapolis where the Vikings are awaiting word to see if Favre will ever come back.
As of today, reports surfaced that the Vikings were no longer going to pursue Favre as he mends from surgery after having work done on his shoulder. Once again Favre is tempted to come back and play another season only this time with the Minnesota Vikings who he actually wanted to play for initially.
But who's fault is it already? Is it Favre's or is it the Vikings problem for once again drinking the Favre Kool-Aid? The Vikings have a choice. They don't have to puruse Favre and make this a media mess like the Packers and Jets had to deal with when they had him.
When you deal with Brett Favre who know that everytime the season ends he's feeling like he doesn't want to play anymore. He wants to live on his ranch in Mississippi, cut his lawn, miss every OTA as possible and then at the last possible moment join the team when mini camp starts in August.
So in this case, I don't blame Favre, how about the Vikings? The team that asked him to come out of retirement in the first place. They had to know what they were getting when they attempted to contact Favre to begin with.
For my money Favre does want to come back, but he's not going to say anything until he feels he's 100 percent healthy.
So give Favre a break because it takes two to tango, and so far neither one is asking the other to dance.
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Stephen Strasburg is going to be a very wealthy man after today. The San Diego State pitcher is considered the second coming. He apparently throws over 100 mph on some fastballs, he is a player who could very well join the Nationals rotation and bypass the major leagues. Nats fans are already hailing him as the savior of the franchise.
However Washington couldn't sign their top pick last year and Strasburg's agent is Scott Boras who could be one of the biggest pain's in tihe you konw what when it comes to dealing with players. If the team is unable to agree to terms with Strasburg, then the pitcher can always go back to college for one more year since he's only a junior.
Strasburg could command as much as 40 to 50 million dollars for a signing bonus. Not bad for a guy who hasn't even pitched above the college level. The problem is, the Nationals are desparate for someone to give their franchise a jump start after all the miserable seasons they've endured since they left Montreal no longer as the Expos.
But how risky is it to sign a pitcher who hasn't proved himself at all. In fact if you take a look at the numbers, their hasn't been any Hall of Famers who have made their mark as pitchers if they're the number one overall pick. In fact only Josh Beckett has a chance right now to reach Cooperstown after being the second overall pick back in 1999.
So let the draft begin and the long drawn out process of what it'll eventually take to sign the largest signing bonus in the history of baseball.
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Move over Pete Sampras, Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time. Federer proved his greatness even more by becoming just the sixth man ever in the history of tennis to record the career Grand Slam. Federer has won every major championship at least once. Becoming the first person since Andre Agassi did it back in 1999.
Federer won his first French Open title on Sunday by defeating someone not named Rafael Nadal. But is shouldn't take anything away from Federer who tied Sampras for the most Grand Slams ever. However, Sampras was never able to win at Roland Garros, and that just makes Federer's accomplishment that much more amazing.
Now Wimbledon is next for Federer who once again has to be the favorite entering the All England Club especially with the possibility of Rafael Nadal not 100% healthy after being bounced in the 4th round at the French.
How many more Grand Slams can Federer win? Who knows? He's only 28 and still has at least a couple of more good years in him before he will be on the downturn of his career.
But he could get at least 2 or three more before then. At that point, there will be no doubt and argument who the best of all time will be.
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So here's my prediction, the Lakers and the Magic as the NBA Finals will begin on Thursday night in Los Angeles. I would love to see Orlando take this series and win their first championship. However, this is the year Kobe finally proves to the rest of the NBA that he can win without Shaquille O'Neal.
Oh, about Shaq. Who Twittered the other day that he wants Kobe to win his 4th title. You think Shaq is trying to get on Kobe's good side so he can maybe return to L.A. and finish his career with the Lakers?
Okay, enough about O'Neal. Back to the Finals. Dwight Howard is now the best center in the league and could be one of the top five players in the association too. But is Howard and the rest of the Magic crew enough to handle Kobe and the Lakers? I think in the end it'll be Lakers in 7. Phil will get title number 10 and Kobe will win his 4th title without the Diesel.
Again, don't get me wrong, I want to see the Magic win this series. It would be a great upset and would be a welcome change then seeing the Lakers win yet again. Hey remember back in 2005 when the Lakers were heavy favorites going into their series against the Pistons, but Detroit beat down the Lakers in 5 games to win the title. Maybe the Magic have one more trick up their sleeve to capture the crown.
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I went to Taverna Opa in West Palm Beach last weekend for dinner. It was my first time there and really didn't know what to expect or what was going to take place. Did I mention that I had a headache when I went too? Oh yeah, it was loud, dancing, music blaring, and patrons screaming "Opa!".
But what really got me interested is seeing the waiters who dance on the tables and every hour on the hour these guys get up on a table and for about 30 seconds start slam dancing on the tables looking like a amateur version of the Rockettes. Aside from the fact these people carry out trays of food and are on their feet for hours at a time, they also have to learn how to move on the tables like a Greek dancer and I'm going to say most of these guys if not all of them aren't Greek.
So I ask the question....sport? Or just a good form of excercise? Well, I definitely think it's a great way to excercise, but is it a sport? Maybe that's a stretch considering nobody is competing against anyone else. But if you're looking to lose some weight and at the same time make some money. Might I suggest getting a job working at Taverna Opa in West Palm Beach, it could be considered the ultimate cardio workout.
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I've never been homeless, nor have I ever had to deal with wondering where I would sleep from one day to the next. Today I met Brennan Marion. He's a wide receiver who's trying to make the Miami Dolphins who for a time in his life, moved from Pennsylvania to California to try and play football. When he moved to California he played at two junior colleges because he wasn't good enough to play Division I football. When he lived in California while playing at the junior colleges, Marion had no where to live. He didn't have any money nor could he afford an apartment, so instead Marion and a teammate would spend the night sleeping in the locker room before going to class, or they would nap in the press box on chairs.
Think about that, this was a young man who so badly wanted to play football he was willing to do whatever it took. He was able to scrounge up enough money to go to McDonalds and order from the dollar menu, or a 7-11 clerk who would throw him a cookie or some chips to eat before practice.
Food was hard to come by and it wasn't until he made a speech in a class he was taking about hardships that it reached the dean of the school he was attending. At that point, he was taken in by an assistant football coach who helped him out and he got grants for books. From there the University of Tulsa gave him a scholarship and he was able to shine on the football field.
After setting receiving records at Tulsa, in the final game of his career Marion suffered an ACL injury in Tulsa's bowl game. However, his numbers at Tulsa were enough for the Dolphins to pick him up as a free agent and bring him in with a chance to make the team.
What a story, and as he told me today, he's just writing his first chapter, even if he doesn't make the team he's made amazing strides that most of us wouldn't even be able to to think about happening. Here's hoping he at least gets a shot whether it's with the Dolphins or not.
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They have a head coach that looks more like guy who could be your English teacher. They play in a city that is known more for a theme park than the actual team they play for. The last time they even made the NBA Finals, they barely even showed up getting swept in 4 games. However now, the Orlando Magic are the toast of the NBA after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals in 6 games.
Now the Magic is back in the Finals for the first time since 1995 against a team that could very well be their polar opposite, the L.A. Lakers. Disneyland vs Disney World. Hollywood vs O-Town.
Tiger Woods probably grew up a Lakers fan in Los Angeles, and now that he's a Orlando native he'll be sitting courtside at one of the games in Orlando.
Maybe some are still bitter about not seeing LeBron vs Kobe, but I assure you, this match-up is going to be better and longer than if the Cavs had gotten by the Magic.
The Magic are nothing to sneeze at. Dwight Howard is the best center in the NBA, and the team also has great shooters in Hedo Turkoglu, Rahsard Lewis and Rafer Alston. Don't count out the Magic against the Lakers who at times has looked soft even though on paper they are the better team but enjoy the NBA Finals because it's still going to be a terrific series.
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All David Stern wanted for his birthday is to see LeBron James face Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals. He's close. Both the Lakers and Cavs are in the conference finals with a chance to advance, but there's only one problem. The Orlando Magic aren't playing ball. While the Lakers lead in their series over the Nuggets 3-2, the Magic are on the brink of taking out LeBron and his mates after going up 3 games to 1 in their best of seven series which resumes tonight in Cleveland.
The city of Cleveland hasn't won any sort of title since the Browns in the 1960's. That was before their was a Super Bowl, and before James was even born. Now, the city of Cleveland could once again be facing heartbreak as they could be out of the post-season by the end of tonight and possibly face a long off-season about what went wrong with arguably the best player in the NBA.
I'll be the first to say I want to see Orlando make it to the Finals. Yes, I do like LeBron and think he's the best player in the league. But I also love Dwight Howard who's by far and away the best center in basketball and have always liked Stan Van Gundy. It would be a great story to see Van Gundy make it to the Finals and even win it, after being denied the chance to win one when he was with the Miami Heat.
At 24 James wil no doubt be back in the Finals again during his career which should last at least another 12 years. If this year isn't the year, than there will be another time for him to get that opportunity and eventually win that ring. Sure Lakers-Magic doesn't have the same appeal that Cavaliers-Lakers has, but at the same token, that's what the NBA and sport in general is all about, the chance of not always seeing the match-up everyone was hoping for.
We did get that last year with Lakers-Celtics. LeBron-Kobe would be a bonus but it wouldn't be awful if we saw Orlando crash the party. Everyone loves an underdog, and this series would certainly provide seeing a team that has never won a title and when it made its lone NBA Finals appearance back in 1995, it didn't even win a game.
If LeBron and the Cavs are able to come back from this deficit which I don't count out, it would just make their series against O-Town that much more special. Let's see how much of an MVP James really is. Because it starts tonight.
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Mike Tyson is a tragic figure in sports. Whether you have sympathy or not is up to you. A man who once seemingly had everything virtually has nothing now. He was once the champion of all of boxing. The youngest heavyweight ever. Made over 300 million dollars in prize money. All of it is gone. Tyson is a broken man who now has to deal with the loss of a daughter who was killed during a treadmill accident in his home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tyson, has gone down hill since a rape charge sent him to prison back in 1990. Tyson then bit the ear of Evander Holyfield during their second fight, and on top of it, the boxer was never the same fighter after that.
Now he's suffered his biggest loss ever and it wasn't even in a fight. Tyson still owes money to the IRS and he has admitted his life is a complete waste. It's a sad tale of what has happened to a man who rose up from the projects became "Kid Dynamite" and now it's all exploded in his face and his life.
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