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Everybody gets dunked on...
July 23, 2009Now that the deep, dark secret footage of Xavier's Jordan Crawford dunking on LeBron James has hit the internet...I must say, it really wasn't that big a deal.
The sky didn't fall and the world didn't end.
The only thing that really happened was that Chosen One's help defense against a player someone else was covering came a little late.
That's it.
Why he was afraid -- or seemingly afraid -- of this footage getting out is beyond me.
If you want to see similar plays then all you need do is watch a basketball game at the high school, college or professional level because it's a rather common occurrence.
And I've seen a lot worse.
Vince Carter broad jumping over 7-2 Frederic Weis at the 2000 Summer Olympics? -- now that's getting dunked on.
Michael Jordan abusing Patrick Ewing in the 1991 NBA Playoffs? -- now that's getting dunked on.
John Starks posterizing both Michael Jordan and Horace Grant in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals? -- now that's getting dunked on.
Crawford/James just doesn't make the list for me -- and that's a Top 10 or Top 25 list, by the way.
Like I said, play basketball long enough and everybody gets dunked on.
Some are just less spectacular than others.
Posted by Stephen Smith at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Martellus Bennett: Professional Moron
July 17, 2009 Dallas Cowboys back-up tight end hasn't been selected All-Pro just yet due to his playing ability, but his off-field antics on You Tube's Marty B-TV might soon earn him All-World Idiot honors.
Already reprimanded by team officials for comments made on You Tube against African-Americans and gays, Bennett and his brother Michael (a Seattle Seahawks rookie) hit a new low this time with their Black Olympics.
The events included fried chicken and watermelon-eating contests along with a Kool-Aid drinking contest with both of the aforementioned idiots mugging for the camera.
A college-educated athlete couldn't possibly be this ignorant of the struggle it took for African-American athletes to reach their present status, could they?
Well, if his current behavior is any indication, whatever level of education (outside of football) Bennett received down in College Station was largely wasted on him.
In a perfect world, if he's ignored long enough, Bennett would pack up his video camera and concentrate on being a better football player instead of a sucky comedian.
Sadly though, the lack of attention would probably just cause him to act out more since he's just seeking publicity in the first place.
I would never cheer for a professional athlete to be injured. But I hope there's a very clean, yet still vicious, bell-ringing, snot-bubble inducing hit out there with Bennett's name on it once the season starts.
Maybe it's the only thing that can finally knock some sense into him.
Bennett in front of a camera as usual - always the wrong place and always at the wrong time
Posted by Stephen Smith at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
South Beach not so infamous after all
July 8, 2009Right before the wife and I decided to go sightseeing along South Beach, my new relatives warned me about "infamous" South Beach and to grab a pair of wraparound sunglasses so I wouldn't get caught taking in the sights -- if you know what I mean.
"It'll be just like what you see on CSI: Miami," they said.
Not so much.
Seeing is believing and to be perfectly honest, there really wasn't a whole lot out of the ordinary to see.
Sure, there were bikinis, but nothing incredibly unusual.
In fact, the two most infamous things I experienced was the $50 one restaurant wanted to charge for a margarita (2-for-1 they said) or the $450 they wanted at a tattoo parlor for some ink that would have cost me half as much back in the Lone Star State.
Now maybe Sunday just wasn't the day for South Beach freakiness.
Or maybe, like a lot of things, the hype is usually bigger than the actual event.
So in the final analysis, the natural scenery won out over that other scenery.
Oh well...
Posted by Stephen Smith at 7:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Who the heck are the LandSharks?
July 7, 2009I've found that seeing a stadium on television is one thing, but up close and personal is quite another.
That's the feeling I got when pilling up to the former Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphin Stadium, which is now known as LandShark Stadium...for the moment.
Already not much to look at on the outside - with a really unfinished quality - it also has that new name to deal with.
After all, who are these LandSharks?
Is this a take on that old Saturday Night Live skit?
Will Chevy Chase be involved in some capacity?
The name change itself is so new that the sign outside the stadium remains unchanged:
But there's a reason for that. And it's not because the new team on the lease folded or moved.
According to Wikipedia: The Miami Dolphins have a new naming rights deal with Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and Anheuser-Busch InBev's joint brewing project, Land Shark Lager, which renamed the facility "LandShark Stadium." The sponsorship deal is reportedly for eight months and the name will revert to Dolphin Stadium in time for the Super Bowl XLIV and the 2010 Pro Bowl, possibly to be replaced by another sponsor name if a deal can be secured before that time.
It would be really easy to bemoan how nothing is sacred anymore or how far people - even professional sports franchises - will stoop for a buck.
But I won't do it - especially in this economy.
So, Parrotheads rejoice!
Your leader and #1 Dolphins fan has his own stadium...for eight months.
Posted by Stephen Smith at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Steve McNair: RIP
July 6, 2009Most media outlets are maintaining a respectful distance from the Steve McNair story -- at least as far as his life off the field is concerned.
After all, it is a sad story.
McNair was a great quarterback and an absolute terror to anyone in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. Air McNair was 12-5 all-time versus the Steelers with five season sweeps (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2006) with a well-deserved reputation as one of the toughest quarterback to ever take the field.
Is he a Hall of Famer?
No.
He just doesn't have the numbers to be in Canton despite his toughness and status as a pioneer at the quarterback position.
About a week from now, the aforementioned restraint being shown by the national media should have just about dissipated and all the ugly details about the 20-year-old girlfriend and exactly what McNair's marital status was at the time of his death will overcome today's feelings of respect.
And then the story will be even sadder.
Posted by Stephen Smith at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Football Paradise
July 3, 2009In Texas, football is king.
But, in Florida, it's something more.
When you hear about the constant stream of blue-chippers coming out of Florida every year that surpasses Texas, it's somewhat confusing when you consider the sheer size of the Lone Star State.
But, all you have to do is go to an Optimist Football League practice to see the difference.
I won't ruin it here -- because I plan to use it for my next column -- but there's something to the weather and the level of instruction they receive from age four that gives them a definite edge.
After seeing that, it's easy to understand how Florida surpasses both Texas and California in the quality of their players.
It also makes understandable how Florida, Florida State and Miami have stayed at or near the elite level of college football for so long by simply keeping the best of the state's players at home.
Here's a shot of some of those future blue-chippers after practice Thursday at Bunche Park in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Posted by Stephen Smith at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Miami Wet, Days 1 & 2
July 2, 2009While the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain, the rain in Miami falls everywhere.
Two days into a little getaway with the wife, the rain has been relentless. Every day at around 2 p.m., the skies open up and Mother Nature lets Miami-Dade County have it with both barrels.
But, all hope isn't lost.
The humidity here is so intense that even after a good concentrated rain, the humidity soaks up all the moisture like a sponge.
So, besides the mandatory tourist stops, I'm planning to go see where the Orange Bowl was and where Pro Player/Dolphin/Landshark Stadium is now.
Also, for your humor needs, I'm attaching a photo of me in my "I'm obviously a tourist" hat. Laugh if you feel the need to do so...
Posted by Stephen Smith at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
