Category: Sports

About tonight’s MLB All-Star game…

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Music, SportsLeave a comment

The Major League Baseball All-Star game is tonight. Are you excited? I am not and this used to be my favorite of all the all-star games.

For some reason, the MLB All-Star game has lost its luster. At least in my world. I remember the days when I could not wait to see Ken Griffey, Jr send 10+ balls over the wall during the Home Run Derby. I still have some of his Derbys on VHS.  I remember the days when I could not wait to see all my favorite players on the diamond at one time: Jeff Bagwell, “The Big Unit” Randy Johnson, “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas, Rickey Henderson, Fred McGriff, Mike Piazza, “Pudge” Rodriquez, the list goes on.

The game has not changed. There are still great players on the diamond that I enjoy watching: Josh Hamilton, Miguel Cabrera, Matt Kemp, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Elvis Andrus, the list goes on. However, something has changed for me where this game is concerned. I can not put my finger on it. I did not even realize something had changed until yesterday when I had no desire to watch the Derby. Then I realized that I have not been keeping up with baseball the way I normally do. That is when it got real. I am going to have to do some internal investigating.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS

We talking about a hat??

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Controversy, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

It is amazing how controversial some things can be. Songs. Videos. Bumper stickers. Twitter. T-shirts. Hats. Yes, even hats. You know those hats that have marijuana leaves on them. Those hats that are offensive to certain groups. Those hats that have profanity on them. Now we can add hats that have NFL team logos on them. Well, certain logos.

Over the weekend, San Francisco 49ers QB, Colin Kaepernick, was photographed at a beach wearing a Miami Dolphins hat. Yep, Dolphins hats are now controversial. As I was out enjoying my nice weekend, I was totally oblivious of the backlash that was brewing in The Bay(San Francisco for those of you unfamiliar with the slang.) It was not until Kaepernick posted a picture on his Instagram account(picture is below) addressing the issue that I became aware of what was going on.

{Source: Kaepernick7 Instagram}
{Source: Kaepernick7 Instagram}

The post made me laugh. At the time I did not know when he wore the hat but I was safe to assume he had worn it and some form of the paparazzi, official or unofficial, had taken a picture of him wearing it. I was right. I was not surprised that this ruffled some fans feathers but I did not realize how “controversial” the wearing of the hat was I got my daily dosage of ESPN. Not only are there fans that are upset but apparently some analysts are as well. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me?? Remember, this is coming from a die hard 49ers fan. I guess there is an unwritten rule somewhere that says you can not wear clothing of a team that you are not a member of. Well, within your sport. Was it the best decision by Kaepernick? The PR major in me says no. The PR major in me also says it is no big deal. Players are fans of the game as well and if they chose to wear another team’s hat, then why should we care? And dare I say it, its the Dolphins. No disrespect intended because they are a great organization. However, the Dolphins have been subpar ever since Dan Marino retired. The only exciting thing happening yearly for their organization is Mercury Morris’ yearly champagne bottle opening and soliloquy after the last undefeated NFL loses(the 1972 , which Morris was a part of, are the only team to go undefeated in the NFL).

Now, if he was wearing a hat of one of the 49ers NFC rivals, or a Baltimore Ravens hat, or a potential SuperBowl contender, then yes there would be cause for a small uprising. Although, I think Kaepernick is smart enough not to do that. Oh and remember, he’s 25. A lot of our fellow millenials love hats. They love wearing hats of different teams. It is just one of those things we like do.  Regardless, the amount of attention this story has generated is ridiculous.It. Is. Not. That. Serious. It is his money. His clothes. His prerogative. Go Kaep! Go 9ers! Go America!

P.S. These are the kinds of stories you get when you are experiencing NFL withdrawal. 58 days and counting!!

 

Until next time…TOODELLS!!

 

 

 

 

The NFL Top 100

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Last night on the NFL Network, the top 10 players in the league, as voted on by the players, were revealed. They are…

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Peyton Manning
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Tom Brady
5. J.J. Watt
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Aldon Smith
8. Arian Foster
9. Von Miller
10. Patrick Willis

My thoughts about this list….no surprise that AP was voted number one. He dominated last year despite tearing his ACL near the end of the previous season. Peyton is my number one quarterback but I was a tad surprised that he was the highest ranked quarterback. Guess I know what I am talking about after all when I say “he puts in work.” Rodgers not being in the top three was a shocker. That is all I know to say. Aldon Smith went from not making the list in 2012 to being number seven this year. Talk about respect from your peers. All in all, I think the list is solid. It is easy to sit at home, analyze and critique the list. The players are the ones who go out and play the game every week. Therefore, making them experts on who is the best of the best. Congratulations to all 100 players who made the list. There is no higher compliment than the ones your fellow peers give you. Oh, did you all notice my 9ers have two players in the top 10 :-}??

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!

Until next time…TOODELLS.

And another one: The Foxboro Wake-Up Call

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Gun. Execution style. NFL. Murder. Four words you will not typically find in the same story but this became a reality on Wednesday when former New England Patriot, Aaron Hernandez, was charged with first degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd.

When this story broke last Monday, I will admit that it did not seem to be anything major, initially. The one thing that did peak my interest was the fact that they were reporting that the place where the body was found was near Hernandez’s home. That bit of information would lead one to believe the authorities are looking at a possible connection between Hernandez and the death of Lloyd. As the week went on, there were rumblings of a destroyed cellphone, destroyed surveillance videos from Hernandez’s home and pending obstruction of justice charges. Helicopters followed Hernandez as he left his home and went to the Patriots facility. Reporters ambushed him at a gas station. He disappeared off the public radar for a few days. Then a hush fell over the crowd…

All was relatively quiet until yesterday. 8:45am. Breaking news. Aaron Hernandez arrested. Charges unknown. Approximately, two hours later, the Patriots made a statement regarding Hernandez via Twitter. It simply said, “The New England Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez.” And there is your red flag. The fact that the Patriots felt that they needed to take this position lead me to believe that whatever charges had been levied against Hernandez were serious. I was thinking accessory to murder, maybe aiding and abetting along with obstruction of justice. I never once thought a first degree murder charge was what was levied against Hernandez. Wait, there is more. In addition to the murder charge, he was charged with one count of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of possessing a large-capacity firearm and two counts of possessing a firearm without an FID( firearms ID card and allows the holder to possess non-large-capacity rifles and shotguns in his or her home)card. Wow. Just wow. Maybe I was being naive. Maybe I should have figured out by now that he was going to be charged with the murder. Hey! I am not a police officer, an attorney nor do I work in law enforcement so yes I was shocked.

So what do we know? We know that Hernandez, Lloyd and two others were together the morning of the murder. There is surveillance footage of Hernandez leaving home with a gun. We know that Lloyd texted his sister, “do you see who I am with?”. When she responded with “who”, he texted her at 3:22am and said “NFL.” Within a few minutes after that text was sent, Lloyd was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Wow. Just wow.

We all know the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The only people that know for sure what took place that night were the people who were present and unfortunately one of them is dead. As a fan of the NFL, I would like to believe that no player is reckless enough to commit such a despicable act but you just never know. I never expected to wake up on December 1, 2012 and hear that  former Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher committed a murder-suicide. I never expected to wake up one week later on December 8, 2012 and hear that the Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent had killed his teammate, Jerry Brown, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Just because a player plays for the NFL does not mean they are not capable of committing crimes just like anyone else. One is just left to wonder why a person would do such a thing when they have been gifted an opportunity that many wish they had. Why throw it all away in a split second?

All of these situations serve as wake up calls. Not just for NFL players. Not just for professional athletes. They serve as wake up calls for all of us. Whether they serve as a call for people to get help, change their lifestyles or examine the company they keep, they all serve as a reminder that lives can change in an instant when bad choices are made. Each one of us owes it to ourselves to sit down and evaluate our lives to see if there are changes that need to be made in order to assure we live a life that is meaningful, purposeful and not harmful to others. Typically, if we do our part to ensure that evil, envy, deceit and anger is not present in our lives, it rarely finds a way to damage the life we have worked so hard for.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

Oh, you don’t watch hockey??

On By kassienetteIn Hockey, NHL, SportsLeave a comment

What an entertaining night of television last night. No, I was not watching Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. No, I was not watching Stephen Let’s Under the Dome. No, I was not watching You Got Served. I, of course, was tuned in to game six of the Stanley Cup Final. If you are a true sports fanatic, then this is a series you should have been watching since game one. I mean how often do you think you will see a playoff hockey game go into three overtimes, like game one did? Three of the first four games in the series went into overtime. That series was truly one for the record books.

Last night, the Chicago Blackhawks entered game six with a 3-2 lead over the Boston Bruins in the series. The Bruins were looking to win the game, tie the series and send the series back to Chicago for a decisive game seven. With about one minute and 30 seconds left, the Bruins dream looked like it would soon become reality. Notice the word looked. The Blackhawks, a team that had faced numerous deficits throughout the playoffs, found the strength to dig deep once more. With one minute and 17 seconds left in regulation, the Blackhawks Bryan Bickell snuck the puck in past the Bruins goalie, Tuukka Rask, to tie the game. With 67 seconds left, overtime is inevitable, right?

Wrong!! 17 seconds later, the Blackhawks, Dave Bolland, hits the back of the net to put the Blackhawks up 3-2, silencing the fans gathered at the TD Garden. With no miracle under the skates, the Bruins were unable to score and the Blackhawks captured their second Stanley Cup in the last four years.

I know a lot of you do not like hockey, mainly because you do not understand the rules. I am no expert when it comes to the rules but I find the game to be very enjoyable to watch especially during the playoffs. My hand-eye coordination is not the greatest, hence the reason I did not play softball pass eighth grade, so I am always amazed how hockey players keep up with that little puck. Couple that with the fact that they are doing this while on ice skates and trying to avoid, to some extent, getting into a fight with a player from the opposing team, you have one heck of a sport on your hands.

If you have never been to a hockey game, give it a try. The game is very exciting and there is constant movement. You may not understand what is going on. You may be clueless about a power play. You may not comprehend why they can fight and not get ejected. If you can understand that one team has to get the little black puck past the other team’s goalie to score, then you are well on your way to grasping the sport of hockey. So, give it a try! I promise it is worth it, especially when the playoffs come back around. Just ask my cousin TJ.

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks!!!

Until next time….TOODELLS!

Crown them, again

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, MLB, NBA, SportsLeave a comment

My goodness. Where do I start? There is so much to talk about regarding Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Do I start with the outcome of the game? Do I start with the play of LeBron James? Or do I start with talking about my admiration for the man I call, class personified, Tim Duncan?

What a game. What a series. As most of you know, I am very vocal about my overall dislike of the NBA. I do not find the quality of play to be as good as it used to be. I think players are a lot more selfish than before. I also think the game is a bit boring at times. However, if I can get the quality of play in the regular season that I see in the playoffs, I would be glued to the tv almost every night. This NBA Finals series was full of everything you could want. Suspense. Drama. Buzzer beaters. Blowouts. Wow moments. Runs. Things that make you go hmmm.

So after Lady Luck helped the Miami Heat escape Game 6 with a win, everybody knew that in order for the Heat to have a chance to win the championship, both James and Dwayne Wade would have to have huge games. Apparently James likes Games 7’s since he is averaging over 31 points per game in them and he did not disappoint last night. Did he ball out or what? He hit 12 of 23 shots for 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had four assists. Oh and he sealed the deal for Miami by hitting a jumper with less than 20 seconds left that put the heat up by four. Unfortunately, for San Antonio there would be no miraculous comeback reminiscent of the Heat’s game 6 turnaround. In a game, that in the mind of many was make or break for the legacy of James, James proved to all his doubters why he was crowned King James many years ago. This was a big time performance by a big time player on the NBA’s biggest stage. Unfortunately, it might not do much to quiet the naysayers but hey as James said, “he ain’t got no worries.” Carry on.

Now as much as I want to be thrilled for James, I can not help but be sad for Tim Duncan. What a class act. With less than 40 seconds left, Duncan had a chance to tie the game, add another line to his already extensive and impressive resume and quite possibly get San Antonio one step closer to another NBA Championship. However, it was not meant to be. Duncan missed a bank shot, that he normally makes 99% of the time. To make matters worse, he rebounded the ball and could not get his follow up shot to fall. Afterwards, in a surprising display of emotion as he was getting back on defense, Duncan slapped the court in a moment of frustration. In that moment, the respect I have for Duncan rose another notch. He is always the source of jokes for his lack of emotion. We have all seen Duncan go out and score 30 plus points on numerous occasions. We have seen him dunk on players. We have seen him win games at the buzzer and very rarely do we see him display any type of excitement regarding what he just did. Typically, he will just turn around and run back down the court. No bells and whistles when it comes to him. So to see him that upset just proves to all who were watching that he is serious about his craft. He should be. He is arguably the best power forward to ever grace an NBA court and according to him, he still has gas left int he tank. Duncan will be back in uniform next season. Can not wait to see what season number 18 has in store for him.

So there you have it. Another NBA season has come to an end. All we have now are hockey(the Stanley Cup Finals are amaze this year, as usual), baseball(neither of my favorite players, Josh Hamilton and Matt Kemp, are having good years) and Wimbledon. At least it is summer time!!! Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Before I leave, I must give a shoutout to my boy, my friend, CJ McBath. He is McDonald’s newest star and his commercial aired during the game last night. Do you all understand how huge that is to have your commercial air during the NBA Finals?? Game 7 at that. I am so proud of him and the people at the restaurant thought I was crazy when his face flashed up on the screen. Ask me if I cared?? CJ is more than a friend, he is family and when anyone in my family has a cause for celebration, I am right there to celebrate too. So cheers to you Snook!! Hahaha! #FamTite

Until next time….TOODELLS.

Did I really see what I think I saw…

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, Controversy, NBA, SportsLeave a comment
[Source: Google Images}
[Source: Google Images}

Last night, with 20.1 seconds left in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, I tweeted that “Twitter is about to meltdown in 20.1 seconds.”  At that point in time, it was clear that the San Antonio Spurs were about the clinch their fifth championship and the crucifixion of LeBron James was about to occur. Then the unthinkable, the inevitable, the unimaginable happened. What I thought was going to happen did not happen because what I thought was going to cause what I thought would happen did not happen. Let that sink in for a minute.

With 20.1 seconds left, the Spurs had a commanding 5 point lead. The celebration rope had been brought out, the Larry O’Brien trophy was in the tunnel and the James slander had begun to commence. With Tim Duncan on the bench, the Miami Heat was able to rebound a miss and kick the ball back out to James who buried a three to cut the lead to two. Ut oh. Next, a young Kawhi Leonard to fouled and was sent to the line with the Mount Everest task of nailing two free throws to put the Spurs up four and ultimately clinch their fifth championship. That is a lot on a young man’s shoulders. Leonard hit one of two free throws. Then that unthinkable, unevitable, unimaginable thing that I talked about earlier happened. James missed a three pointer, Bosh grabbed the rebound and kicked it out the the greatest three point specialist of all time, Ray Allen. And what does Allen do? What he normally does, drains it!!! Just like that he sends the American Airlines into a frenzy and gives us some free basketball.

Wait a minute!! What just happened?? How did this just happen?? And why was Duncan on the bench, again, during that sequence?? Normally I do not question Gregg  Popovich because like I said yesterday, he is a genius but he made two questionable decisions down the stretch that may have cost him his fifth ring. Manu Ginobli had a horrible game!!! This guy was a walking, raging turnover machine all night. Yet, Pop left him in the game. Then, you have the undeniable questions surrounding your best player, your best rebounder, your franchise player, Duncan, riding the pine at such a crucial time. Makes absolutely no logical sense whatsoever. Pop, you have some splaining to do.

Game 6 was without a doubt one of the best NBA Finals games I have ever seen and it will be hard to top if on Thursday. As much as I want the Spurs to win, I am not sure they have enough left in the tank to grab the championship they let slip through their fingers last night. However, I know from experience that when your body is tired, your heart takes over and the Spurs have enough heart on their team to will them to victory. One thing is for certain, around approximately12am Friday, someone’s Hall of Fame resume is going to another line added to it. Will it be Duncan or James? We shall soon find out.

Until next time….TOODELLS.