Our good friend and budding sports mogul Elliot Solop, proprietor of The Sports Tomato, has been doing some great stuff at New York Law School. He got in touch recently to tell me about a couple of really interesting events this week that he thought I would be interested in, and would perhaps like to share with SportsAngle. Elliot was absolutely right, as I hope to attend both events, work permitting.
Here’s the information, after the jump:
All this drama about Kobe Bryant using a homosexual slur piqued my interest, mostly because I’ve learned from that same mistake.
Terry Rains and I went back to Kean University for the Primetime Shootout on Sunday, joined by John Calipari and a few other notables. World Wide Wes was there acting secretive and saying hello to literally everyone that walked by.
Here are our thoughts on Findlay Prep’s bounceback game, and the No. 1 team in the nation against the No. 1 player in the nation:
From the first time I went to the Primetime Shootout — a young up-and-comer named LeBron James scored 52 points in Trenton — I was hooked. The tournament has always lured some of the best teams in the country, and it’s a great opportunity to get a handle on players you end up seeing at major college programs or in the pros.
(The tournament has hosted A-listers like Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in the past. I’ve personally seen Luol Deng, Nolan Smith, Ty Lawson, Trevor Ariza and Sebastian Telfair.)
The Mega Group did a great job as usual organizing the Shootout, attracting not only a cadre of top teams, but a host of notables at courtside: The infamous World Wide Wes, Kentucky czar John Calipari, Murder Inc producer Irv Gotti, and former NBA players Ron Harper and NJ prep legend Dajuan Wagner.
I was joined on Saturday and Sunday by Terry Rains, a contributor to SportsAngle and Blue Devil Nation. We’ll have some video interviews in the next day or so, but for now, here are some of our thoughts, starting with Saturday:
In the tradition of last year’s post for Trumbull Island’s Decade-Ending List bonanza, where I threw together a list of the coolest/un-coolest athletes of the 2000’s, here’s my take on 2010. Some of the same names made it to this year’s list, since they’re still cool/uncool a year later. I have to admit that the research for this was non-exhaustive, and I’m not sure I’m actually qualified to be an arbiter of cool anyway, so feel free to point out anyone I’ve missed.
Back in October, my girlfriend asked me at some point if I’d ever considered getting a Christmas tree, to which I responded with an open-minded “Hell no.â€Â
I’ve never particularly liked Christmas, and only in recent years began not to despise it. I’m Jewish, and I don’t even like those holidays. For me, it’s always been Halloween or bust, with New Year’s and July 4th being somewhat acceptable.
I found the holiday season to be a nuisance at best. My parents were careful to give me a great Chanukah experience growing up, but as one of two Jews in my entire high school, I was surrounded by a holiday that I had nothing to do with. I couldn’t help but feel left out, and playing with my friends’ toys on Christmas morning didn’t help matters.
My girlfriend is in fact also Jewish. But she grew up in a home that celebrated both holidays, and she wanted a tree to enjoy while visiting my apartment.
In a diabolical move, fully knowing I adore the Snoopy Halloween special, she showed up at my place right before Halloween with the entire line of Hallmark Halloween Peanuts ornaments out of nowhere. I had to admit they were awesome, and I begrudgingly agreed we would find a place to put them.
My apartment — known to my friends as “The Chamber of Fear†— would have a tree this year.
Note: Keeping up a holiday tradition we started last year, I’m posting this in conjunction with good friend and SportsAngle contributor Frank Pepe (even though I certainly have no love lost for Philadelphia). I listened to this last year and enjoyed it a great deal.
Merry Christmas to all. Enjoy Kobe vs. LeBron.
This season means different things to different people. For me, a Canadian transplant living in New York, I mostly just miss Boxing Day. Tonight is Christmas Eve, which I don’t celebrate, though I do celebrate its arrival and the opportunity to listen to my favorite holiday poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas, Philly Style" by Henry Livingston Jr. and Roy Ziegler.
I wanted to share the poem, which is written out below, on my Web site, but our webmaster reset the password earlier in the week and may or may not be in church, so, long story short, I’m locked out. Esoteric kindly decided to help me out.
The advantage to leading a somewhat nocturnal existence is being able to see a world that people who lead exclusively daytime lifestyles don’t get to.
I got this e-mail last week — before Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies — from a good friend who listens to what I’d consider to be an unhealthy amount of Mike Francesa:
Are the Mets looking at anyone? Crawford to Red Sox. Yanks are in hot pursuit of Lee. Angels are looming once again. Why are the Mets second-rate?
Although my friend isn’t a fellow Mets fan, I sense his radio-honed opinion likely mirrors a lot of the fan base, and even the media. (Jon Heyman seems to have a particular axe to grind.)
I’m definitely not opposed to fans having passion for their teams, especially when it’s also my favorite team. But when it gets in the way of patience, not to mention logic and reason, that’s when you have to cast your gaze across town at the excitement surrounding the Knicks, and understand that they are the model outcome for the Mets’ new regime.
