When I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted to get in on tickets for the Nets’ game last night against the Thunder, I jumped at the opportunity, despite New Jersey’s 2-28 record (now 2-29), and it was totally worth it. (Note: Some official SA photos are on the way)
Here are some reasons:
Now don’t get this twisted, I actually very much respect Derek Jeter. He’s an excellent baseball player, keeps his name off Page 6, does a lot of charity work and has a work ethic I admire.
But Jeter as Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year? Either it was a slow year, or that “award†is a sham.
And it wasn’t a slow year.
Most everyone has some sort of demon that they carry with them, not necessarily on the surface. These aren’t necessarily Norman Bates-type demons, Exorcist-style demons, but rather things that weigh on us daily that we have to overcome.
On the eve of the biggest fight in the career of both Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, the burdens that the two highly skilled fighters bring with them have become the story.
If you’ve been reading, you know SportsAngle is largely in tune with the hip-hop community. (As recently as this month, I shook hands with the great Ghostface Killah) So I watched with keen interest as the Yankees announced that Jay-Z – who has carved out more and more of a presence in sports lately as part-owner of the Nets and celebrity friend of LeBron James – would perform his new song, Empire State of Mind, at Game 1 of the World Series.
And I’m here to tell you the Yankees made a lousy pick.
Now most of you have dismissed this before you even read it. I’d be lucky to get any of you back. To paraphrase my man Billy Hoyle, I’m going to write it anyway.
With the baseball playoffs fast approaching and the football season in full swing, it still seems that LeBron James is everywhere. You have books on the market, movies on the way, he’s at the Cowboys game, he’s on the Daily Show. You can’t even open your front door without LeBron being there selling you Nikes and clapping some chalk in the air.
Jay-Z and 9/11 have always been linked. The typical Tuesday drop of his first Blueprint CD – generally regarded as his best work – was Sept. 11, 2001, and he’s spent the time since doing benefit concerts and donating to relief funds, something I’ve always appreciated.
Jay dropped the Blueprint 3 album this past Tuesday, pushed up from Sept. 11 (today) because of leaks. Or at least that’s his story; it’s more likely he wanted a full week to sell CDs to pump up his sales numbers. Regardless, he’s obviously trying to recreate the magic of the first one with the release date, and that’s cool by me.