My Apologies, LeBron

In response to http://omfgregg.com/post/6019835447/nba3

First of all, a Philly fan can never question my drug habits because of my love of the NY Yankees. I was born a Yankee fan. Win more than one title as a city every 25 years and then come at me bro. Now that's out of the way, I will apologize for hating LeBron. Kind of.

LeBron made the wrong "decision" in making "The Decision". There is no denying that hour long mockery of Cleveland turned him into a villain. I don't have an issue with him fleeing Ohio for South Beach. I would love to live in Miami. Choosing where you work is what we'd all like to do. But he made a promise to the city of Cleveland that he would deliver a championship. Then he bailed for beautiful weather, a better team, and to play with his friends. He also bailed while stringing along the Cavs as well as the Knicks, da Bulls, the Clippers, when all the while, this move to MIA was planned years ago. Not telling the Cavs from the beginning was his only mistake.

Michael Jordan played with 2 Hall of Famers, Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen with a Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson. LeBron has played with scrubs. As D-Rose proved this year, one man can not win by himself. LeBron would have won with Cleveland, but he probably never would have won as many titles as Jordan, so he joined a team with two proven winners and in Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade. This was taking the easy way out. I'm going to join 2 all-stars to win as many titles as possible instead of sticking with my hometown to get them the championship they've been struggling to get since the 1940s.

LeBron would have never been compared to Jordan by only winning one or two titles in Cleveland. Sure, the city of Cleveland would build him statues and monuments, but he would never be Jordan. Now, in Miami, where he'll win not one, not two...but seven titles, he will have been elevated above Jordan. The nation outside of Cleveland will have forgotten about how or why he chose Miami in free agency and will declare him the best ever.

My hate for LeBron is waning. I will still be rooting against him, though that will likely be futile. He took the cowardly way out, which then turned him into a villain. It's also a lot easier to root against him since his jersey is black. Dirk Nowitski will retire ringless, at no fault to him. Great player, played on some good teams, with some good coaching, but could never put it all together. Kind of like Patrick Ewing. He was unfortunate to play in the Jordan era which allotted him only a couple of real chances at a ring. LeBron will win his first of seven this year and I don't know why I didn't see this happening from the beginning. The best athlete on the court is proving his decision to be validated. But, Go Mavs anyway!

Equal, but not the same

Gareth Thomas, gay rugby player. Talk about breaking the mold of a stereotypical gay man.

Sean Avery has bravely come out in defense of the gay community, speaking out for gay marriage and standing by any NHL player that would come out as being gay. He is the first New York athlete to openly voice support to the gay community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGH3M9NKBI

There has only been one professional athlete to be openly gay while being a current player- Gareth Thomas, a rugby player from Wales, who is so tough that anyone who would try to bully him would like end up crippled.

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has also voiced his support to the gay community as well as started a campaign to make the NFL a more open business to gay athletes. Baby steps are being made, but giant leaps are necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5IpTdbE5ts

A day after Avery's video was released, NHL agent,; Todd Reynolds tweeted his opposition to Avery's statements. "Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender "marriage". Legal or not, it will always be wrong." He goes much further in his disdain to gay marraige, while also claiming to not be a bigot. I can't understand the logic. That’s like saying, “I respect who you are, but not enough to give you certain rights I am allowed."

Sounds familiar to me; a group of people being discriminated against because they are a minority. We fought for equal rights. We fought for women's rights. Now it's time to fight for gay rights. Gays and lesbians are not marching to the Vatican and forcing the Pope to agree that Jesus would approve. They are simply asking that the US government recognize that they are equals to heterosexuals. They should be allowed to marry and live their life how they see fit in the "Land of the Free". The religious world has no right to decide what rights a free democratic country can give. All of this sanctity of marriage nonsense if very hypocritical. Divorce rate are over 50%, people remarry, and commit adultery. What is this "sanctity of marriage are they referring to?

Unfortunately, it is doubtful that any American athlete will come out of the darkness. While a majority of their teammates would be accepting, there will be some that fight back. The biggest resistance though would be from the fans. The same fans that rock out to Freddie Mercury at games, would throw insults at their favorite player. Fans are ruthless and, if given any ammunition, their trigger fingers would be relentless.

Brendon said what I was thinking perfectly. I don't believe this subject is up for discussion. If the United States wants to claim that everyone is created equal, gays and lesbians need to be allowed to marry. We need to be accepting and embrace the fact that everyone in this country is just striving for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Well done Avery and Ayanbadejo, among others, for stepping up. Hopefully others will follow suit.

Moment of Zen

Now that the Lakers were disgraced and Phil Jackson has begun his "retirement", speculation has already begun as to when and where he will make his triumphant return. He will likely take a year off, if not more. The NBA will take a year off with him as their collective bargaining situation is even worse than the NFL. The obvious landing spot for Phil Jackson would be with the New York Knicks, not just because that is what I want, but because NY is close to his heart. NY is where he won his first championship, as a player. How fitting would it be that he closes out his professional career by bringing a title to the "Mecca of Basketball".

The front office of the Knicks have quite a challenge ahead of them. After the lockout, they will likely relieve Chauncey Billups. That leave Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemine, and a team of scrubs. The Lakers are proof that you can't settle with having a bench of Matt Barnes and Steve Blake. Depth is necessary, and the Celtics are trying to prove that against the Heat. More than depth though, the Knicks' fans are clamoring for more superstars. In this era, one superstar is not enough.

Dwight Howard, according to the lamestream media will be taking his talents to Los Angeles. Following in Shaq's footsteps, Howard would team up with Kobe, without Phil Jackson. This makes no sense to me. Obviously the Lakers would try to do as the Yankees did from 2001-2009. Instead of rebuilding, the Lakers need to retool. With Kobe as the centerpiece, the only one on the team that showed heart, the Lakers will need to convince Howard, among others that Kobe is not old. An old Kobe and an unproven coach does not seem like a desired location.

Howard should probably head to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. With Amar'e there to bang the boards with him, and Carmelo's daggers, Howard would not be double teamed. Obviously NY has a reputation for being a hot mess because of Isiah Thomas, but Amar'e and Carmelo have made the team respectable again. An addition of Howard, and/or Chris Paul, would clearly make staying retired very difficult for the Zen Master, hopefully too difficult.