Basketball – Michael Jordan – A Sports Persona The Will Never Be Paralleled
There are few NBA stars that possess the ability to have there first names be recognizable above any other name in their sport.
Today’s game boasts interesting names such as Kobe and LeBron but before they were even old enough to lace up sneakers one man separated basketball from sports.
Michael was, and remains, the most recognizable name in not just sports but in popular entertainment. His air-ness may share his name with the King of Pop and their achievements may be similar on a global stage but Michael Jordan’s ability to combine his achievements as an athlete and his ability to bolster his public image with his successes in the business world undoubtedly separate him from the other Michael.
3. Bill Russell
You can not argue with winning and Bill Russell and his Celtics won 11 and I repeat 11 NBA Championships.
Not much more to say about Bill other then he was a fierce competitor, tenacious rebounder, consumate team player and a born winner.
4. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Where to start, Most total points in the NBA ever at 38,387. Kareem won 6 NBA Championships with career averages of
24.6 PPG and 11.2 RPG. Jabbar was a basketball phenom and his famed “Sky-hook” was his unblockable signature shot that kept finding the twine for 1560 NBA games.
5. Larry Bird
Larry “legend” Bird was a renowned clutch shooter, equally adept at the 3 point line and the free throw. Bird won 3 NBA Championships and 3 season MVP awards finishing his career with averages of 24.3 ppg and 10 rpg. A great team player and leader who could back up any of his trash talk on the court.
6. Magic Johnson
Johnson put the show in “Showtime” in Los Angeles. His behind the back passes, amazing shots and flair for the dramatic were all part of his game. Magic was a towering PG who could play all 5 positions on the court.
5 NBA Championships and 3 Season MVP awards are just some of the numerous awards in Johnson’s great NBA career.
Magic Johnson could have easily been # 5 on this list but I could only choose one.
7. Jerry West
Jerry West also know as “Mr. Clutch” was an all star every year for 14 years he played in the NBA . West led his Lakers to the NBA finals 9 times in his career winning only 1 championship. 6 of those finals losses would come to the great Celtics team of his era. West was a perfectionist at his craft and was known to be a great defender and excellent shot. Only one player Micheal Jordan has a higher scoring average in the NBA playoffs then Jerry West. Career averages of 27 ppg, 6.7 Apg and 5.8 RPG reflect his basketball greatness.
8. Oscar Robertson
Considered by many to be the perfect all around skilled player. In only his second NBA season he averaged a triple double for an entire season! Robertson won one NBA championship and had career averages of 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 9.5 APG.
There was one man who was most missed on this All-Star Sunday. The man who created the most exciting highlight reels in the history of the game. Julius Erving, the Ambassador of NBA basketball, retired before the 1988 season started and, for the first time in his life, looked on from the stands with pride as Bird and Magic seemed to be holding the torch he passed just fine.
In an era when the Eastern Conference dominated the NBA, it was fitting that they ended up winning that game. Jordan scored 40 point and It was a pretty decisive win by the Eastern All-Stars but that didn’t deter the Western squad from competing to the very end.
One year later, Kareem entered his last campaign and Larry Bird was injured. Mo Cheeks and Moses Malone had not been elected to the All-Star game. In 1989’s All-Star game, it just wasn’t the same but there is no doubt the torch was being left in competant hands.
As the 1980’s closed, though the game would never be the same, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwan, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley would lead the way through the 1990’s, a less competitive era and yet NBA basketball’s following expanded to regions of the world where it’s presence had never been felt during the Bird, Magic, Kareem, Dr. J era.
I wonder if 20 years from now I will be looking back on today’s All-Star games with the amazement I do of the 1980’s exhibitions
Signature***********************
Mortgage refinancing Your #1 Home mortgage refinance Solution
house moving website, ease the stress of moving
A week after being named the New York Jets starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez rewarded his first year NFL coach with a victory. Rex Ryan got his first win at the helm of the Jets as his team held off a 4th quarter comeback to nip the crosstown rival New York Giants 27-25. Both teams are now 1-2 in NFL preseason play.
NFL preseason betting enthusiasts who took the Giants as +3 point underdogs were rewarded with the outright victory. The Jets improved to 2-1 against the pointspread, while the Giants dropped to 1-2 against the money as they dropped their second straight ATS verdict. The combined 52 points went well OVER the posted total of 36. The Jets have gone OVER in all three of their exhibition games, while the Giants have exceeded the total in two of three.
Sanchez finished with 149 yards on 13 of 20 passing and a touchdown pass to former University of South Carolina standout Chansi Stuckey. After the game, he said things were different now that he was the starting QB:
“You get a little more confidence when you know your coach believes in you and has named you the starter. It was similar to that at SC. Once you’re the guy, you talk a little different, you walk a little different and you act a little different.”
Giants defender Mathias Kiwanuka was even impressed with Sanchezs touchdown play:
“I thought we had him. It was a great play. You have to give him credit for seeing down the field with two guys in his face.”
Sanchez gave his version of the scoring play:
“It was one of those plays where you get hit throwing it and you don’t really see what’s going on. You kind of listen. I knew if it was a big roar, it was probably a big play by the Giants, maybe an interception and I’d have to get up quick. But I heard a quiet roar and I said: ‘Oh boy, I think he caught it.’”
Winning coach Ryan commended Sanchez’s play:
“He was poised. He is what we thought he was.”
Giants QB Eli Manning finished with 91 yards on 9 of 21 passing with a touchdown and interception. He also had receiver Steve Smith drop a wide open pass that would have gone for a touchdown. Afterwards, he sympathized with his receiver:
“Sometimes it’s good to get those out of the way now. I know Steve feels bad about that. He hasn’t done that all training camp. I know he won’t drop it next time.”
The Giants will get the NFL regular season started with a big game against their divisional rivals as they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 13th. The Jets will start the season on the road as they travel to Houston for a game against the Texans.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
The Baltimore defense shut down the Carolina attack, and QB Joe Flacco played a virtually mistake free game as the Ravens built a 14-3 halftime lead before going on to beat the Panthers 17-13. The banged up Panthers scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable, but were never really in the game.
Both teams played their starters well into the third quarter. Second year QB Joe Flacco looked sharp, throwing for 247 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 28 passing before leaving the game with Baltimore holding a 17-3 advantage. After the game, Flacco said simply:
We were in a groove.
Tight end Todd Heap added:
“Everybody was making plays, and I feel like we’re heading right where we want to be.
Both sides of the ball were clicking on all cylinders, which pleased the Ravens defensive leader Ray Lewis:
“That’s what’s most exciting, the way we are clicking both offensively and defensively. The bottom line is everyone is lining up and playing fast. We’re all playing well right now.
QB Jake Delhomme had a decent game, throwing for 180 yards on 11 of 16 passing but was unable to put his team on the scoreboard. After the contest, Delhomme tried to sound a positive tone:
“We did some decent things but still they’re a very good defense.
Linebacker Jon Beason wasnt pleased with what he saw from the Carolina defense:
“Tackling was horrible tonight. I think we’ve got to do a better job in our man-to-man coverage.”
Improving the teams scoring defense is a top priority for Carolina this season. The Panthers allowed 30 or more points in five of their final seven games last year. For a franchise that has long prided itself on defensive tenacity, that simply is not acceptable.
Baltimore will wrap up its NFL preseason on the road as they face the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Thursday. The Panthers will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final exhibition contest.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
One of the most popular sports in the United States today, and through all the past decades, is baseball. Countless men and women are hooked into it and they love to spend time together just to play or talk about it. There are many who started out seriously in playing baseball that they have dreamed of making it to the big league. Definitely only those with the talent can reach that high, but there are also those who have the potential but they just did not have the right kind of training. If you think you are one of these people, you must understand that baseball requires more than just knowing how to pick up a bat and hitting a ball. And that you should know how to start properly especially with your training.
It is important for any person who wants to play baseball to first undergo baseball training to help prepare his mind and body for the game. We can’t ignore the fact that there will always be people who have natural talent for this sport and that understanding how the game is played and how it should be played will be very easy for them. Nevertheless knowing the basics is still essential as it is the first stepping stone toward being a great baseball athlete.
So here are some baseball training tips that you should follow to help you improve your game. Remember to keep everything in moderation and to never rush your training as it can lead to serious injury.
Doing some warm up exercises first before every serious training or before the game itself is highly essential. Warm ups help prepare your muscles for the more physical stuff, in turn avoiding any serious injury from happening. There are many steps or suggestions from various trainers regarding what warm up exercise a baseball trainer should do, but in reality any warm up is a good warm up. Stretching is a great way to begin. You should focus on your arms and legs. You can follow this up with a few minutes of jogging and then you are ready to go.
A lot of new baseball players tend to forget that it is vital to have a proper posture when you are playing the game. With a good posture you will lessen your chances of injuries and you can best perform like hitting the ball or throwing it. When you are at the bat, you should stand straight and keep both feet planted securely on the ground. Keep your shoulders well aligned to each other. This will give you the optimum position when the time for you to swing that bat arrives.
As to the way you should be holding a bat, it is best to not give it too much pressure or the other way around, do not strain yourself too much when you are holding it and getting ready to make a swing. Always hold the bat using your strongest arm and put the weight of the bat on it. Your other hand should just do the supporting part of holding the bat. This way, when you swing the bat to hit the incoming ball, you can exert the best possible power swing that you can make as you are using your stronger arm.
There are many other baseball fundamentals that can help you get underway in your baseball training. Learning the basics is the best step to being a great baseball player. But after all that has been said and done, the key here is to simply enjoy the sport and mastering it will come naturally.
We are sixty days away from the beginning using the 2010 season along with the question that is certainly a single all the lips using the fans around college football is, what exactly is a Tar Heel? This is one in the questions that will need to be answered when it comes for the 2010 season; the other is what precisely is the current outlook for your staff from North Carolina. There exists a mixed reaction that will be part of these answers. You can find a number of players and fans that see this group as being the answer to a confusing question for the staff.
This pastyear’s signing day was like Christmas for that crew, there had been a number of players that had been in a position to be signed that sent the team into a complete new realm of obtaining the job done within the field. While many of these players are rookies, planning to make a name for themselves, there are those players that are prepared to hit the industry and show that they’re a team that may be prepared to play ball with the ideal of them within the industry. They all are planning to make an influence that may get the crew towards the next level of play about the area.
The passing game to the crew is planning to have a new discovered sense of purpose while about the area; this like a outcome will help to lead the crew to have a better season than from the previous few seasons. There is a bunch of interest that’s focused around the new quarterback that has filled the shoes from the graduating seniors this past year. There is certainly a whole lot that may need being learned and this will serve as being a train ground to the quarterback.
The running game is 1 area that are going being able to carry the crew on their back and lead the crew to victory. There may be lots of potential and using the proper amount of leadership; this will hopefully be a turning point with the team within the complete. Although the ground game has struggled from the past, you will find those fans that see the light at the end using the tunnel and the group turning a corner. Let’s just hope that light isn’t another freight train.
The Tar heels are poised to produce an impact in the planet of football, this like a outcome will lead the team to becoming a much better than common group that can possess a far better than common season whilst about the industry. There are loads of teams that hope to have as much success that the group has had from the previous few seasons. The Tar Heels are looking to be a once in a life time team that will make a massive impact in the globe of college football. This being a end result means that the team is on track for making a run for the National Championship in the coming seasons.
check out our North Carolina Tar Heels Blanket or our Tennessee Volunteers Blanket or our Dallas Cowboys Blanket
