All Star Weekend

All Star games are always an interesting thing to watch. The MLB's is almost too important now, the NFL's is about the most unimportant thing ever, and nobody even knows the NHL has an All Star Game. When it comes to All Star games, the NBA has it right.

Sure, they might not play defense at all, but who really likes watching defensive battles anyways? I get the feel from the NBA All Star game that the players actually get to have fun playing the sport they have devoted their lives to. In a Communication class at ASU we are learning about "play" in terms of performance communication. I believe that is the root function of All Star games. The premier players of the season get to get together and honor their teams and cities while performing their sport "worry free".

It's not just the All-Star game though. In the NBA the other competitions surrounding the actual game are the best in all sports: Slam Dunk Contest, 3 Point shooting contest, and Skills Challenge. These are actually enjoyable to watch. Now most of this years dunks were kind of a bust, but I think back 12 years ago (has it really really been that long!?) and Vince Carter's dunks are still some of the most amazing I've seen to this day.

Really, when it comes down to it the only unwatchable aspect of All-Star weekend were the musical performances. Pitbull and Nikki Minaj? Bleh.

The Best 5 Words

Some of the best 5 words I hear every year around this time are: "pitchers and catchers report today". It means the beginning of another season of baseball. It means the beginning of another season of America's Pastime. It means another season of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

When I hear those five words I can't believe how short the off season has seemed... It might be because the MLB's pre-season is the only sport whose pre-season I care about. Its probably cause I've lived my whole life in Mesa, AZ surrounded by half the major league teams who train here in the Cactus League.

Last month I started working on Saturdays in Scottsdale and each Saturday I've driven past the new Salt River Fields spring training facility. I still have not been and cannot wait to take my maiden voyage into the gates there. AZ Central describes the place as the Disneyland of spring training. 

Last year I kept my expectations of the D-backs low to avoid the high probability of being disappointed by a poor season. This year I would like to do the same, but no matter how hard I try I so badly want a season like last year. I want the team to be relevant and exciting. Maybe I am setting myself up for disappointment, but I don't think so. What's the difference between this season and years past?

Kurt Gibson. 

Our skipper has changed the environment of the clubhouse and manages the type of team we all love to watch. He is the key ingredient to make the D-backs a viable ball club year after year.  

And that's what I love about baseball and the start of a new season. Everybody starts the same and has the exact same potential. Any team or player that did poorly last year can come out of nowhere and surprise everybody.

Let's just hope I'm not surprised by the D-backs this year.

Hate in sports

What makes a person 'hate' a team or a player? Last night I was posed with the question "How can you hate a team, organization, or player?" I answered, I don't think it satisfied the person asking the question.

 I spouted out something about the Yankees being cocky, arrogant, and too used to winning. I mentioned their payroll and the fact that they an essentially bring in any player they want. One might think these reasons are just based off jealousy- but when it comes down to it, it's not.

Sure, I would love it if my team were able to get any player they wanted, but not off that meant we were bringing in selfish, self centered primadonnas who elevate themselves over other human beings. Now I realize not all Yankees are such players. Which is why the concept of hating the team seems strange.

 Then why do I find such pleasure in seeing New York lose any game, no matter how insignificant it is? Why do I revel in the event that the Yanks don't even make it to the playoffs, or aren't atop their division? That definitely means I don't like team, right?! Maybe it's just they are too used to winning? Maybe I want them to feel what it feels like to be a truly loyal fan. Of cours it's easy to love a team who wins all the time. Maybe that's it.

Maybe  for that reason I just don't respect the fans, leading me to disrespect the team. Sure they have a Starting lineup full of all stars every year, but I think that's the greatest thing. The best players don't always make the best team. There are many more factors involved to make a championship team.

 Now I wouldn't say I hate the Yankees as much as a Red Sox fan might- so maybe I don't really hate the Yankees. Maybe I just enjoy them least of all the other teams.

Lin is the new Tim

In the most recent NFL and NBA seasons one thing has been made clear to me. America loves the Cinderella Story. They love when someone who shouldn't succeed finds success. We all know about the whole Tim Tebow craze- the newest version of an athlete becoming the talk of the town (or nation) is Jeremy Lin.

Lin shouldn't have even had the chance to play. He was dropped from two different NBA teams and happened to be picked up by the New York Knicks but sent straight to their D league team. Due to injury he was brought up and exploded onto the scene averaging about 25 points and over 8 assists in three straight wins. Where did he come from?

Just like what happened with Tebow, there were some naysayers- people who didn't think that his current streak of luck could continue. Lin then put up 38 and 7 against Kobe and the Lakers... He is still averaging 26 and 8 in he 5 games he's started, but more importantly- the Knicks have won all of them. 

I honestly think Jeremy's rise to stardom is more impressive than Tebow's. Tim was a 2 time national champ at Florida, Lin played at Harvard. Tim was actually drafted, Lin was not. Here's a rundown of how much more improbable Lin's ascent is than was Tim's:

Whether Lin keeps playing at his current level and becomes relevant in the NBA for years to come or becomes the 10th man off the bench, it doesn't matter to me- I'm just glad he was able to break the norms we have for the status quo and prove that everybody deserves some sort of chance. The best part of it all is Jeremy regrets how much attention he is getting and wishes everyone would notice the stellar play of his teammates around him. I believe him.

Now we can go from counting the number of times they mention Tebow on ESPN to the amount of times they Lin.

Fantasy Sports

fan·ta·sy

   [fan-tuh-see, -zee] noun, plural-sies, verb, -sied, -sy·ing.

noun

1.

imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained.

Fantasy sports are quite an interesting subject. To the non-sports fan or someone who's never heard of them (most the girls I know) it might seem ludicrous. It's like "Hey, lets imagine that all the best players in professional sports play for us and we'll see who has the best team!!!" Its kind of a childish idea if you think about it... 

Then why do so many grown men participate in it?

It's because it's so much more than a child's game. Fantasy sports allow the average person to step into the sports world for one second and be the virtual GM of a professional sports team. You can feel the satisfaction of building something out of nothing. It's he same pride men feel after changing their oil or building a workbench. Men love to win, they don't care if it's in a real sporting event or if they are racing shopping carts through a parking lot. Beating your friends in a league is yet another way to gloat, one-up, or "own" your buddies. Especially if you have some ridiculous punishment for losing.

 But there's a catch- there aren't any restrictions of money or player preference. If you a player is available and you want him, you can have him. You can take circumstances that are impossible and pull them into the realm of reality.

So let's get this straight- It's imaginative, extravagant, and unrestrained? 

Hm, if you have something against this whole deal you can't say that the whole thing is false advertising. They put it right in the title: Fantasy.

X games

Last weekend the Winter X games aired on ESPN and for the first time I actually sat down and watched it. I must say it was pretty entertaining. I'm not sure if it was because it got me excited for the Olympics which I love so much or it was due to the fact that I had nothing better to do on a Friday and Saturday night...

I've seen the X games before, but this time it felt different. It had a whole new type of feeling to it. A freshness that I haven't felt in years past. Maybe it was the outlook with which the athletes competed- attributing their performances to Sarah Burke, who had passed away earlier during a training run in Park City, Utah.

This isn't the first time an athlete has died while participating in their sport, and it won't be the last. The risks are understood when each player steps on to their respective field and performs their sport. Although these events are tragic, they help remind the rest of us what is really important and brings out only the best in athletes and competition.

Speaking of competition, there was plenty of it. Even though Shaun White dropped out of some of his earlier events due to an ankle injury- there was no lack of talent in the field. Eighteen year old Mark McMorris shocked the veterans and won the Slopestyle competition and the Big Air by landing the first ever Triple Cork.

I think one of the most exciting parts of these Xtreme sports is seeing history laid out before our eyes in these relatively new sports. Just like Heath Frisby's first ever front flip performed on a snowmobile during the Best Trick competition. Now that's just plain crazy...

Shaun White eventually did show up and only SCORED A PERFECT 100! That man is a beast. Once again he had already won the gold medal but decided to bust out his new awesome trick on the victory lap. He won gold for the fifth consecutive time in the Superpipe event, which is very impressive.

If you haven't seen the Winter X Games before, I suggest you do. If you have seen it before and don't like it, change your mind.