Jim Thome

When I first started to go to Philadelphia Phillies games I would always look forward to Jim Thome. It seemed to me that every game I went to he hit a homerun. Jim wasn’t a contact hitter, he hit for power. In Thome’s career he hit 604 homeruns. Jim also had many awards and most of them were for his spectacular hitting. Jim is currently 8^th on the all-time home run list. Thome is part of the 600 home run club which there is only 8 players in the history of the MLB to do. I’m very happy that Jim was able to be part of it.

Growing up I used to watch Thome either on the television or I would go to a game. I always had my Thome jersey on, when watching the Phillies. When I was five he was like a god to me. The reason I liked him so much was because he didn’t just hot homeruns just over the fence, He bombed them into the upper decks. His longest home run was insane. He hit the ball 511 feet. I find that incredible because you need to have a lot of strength, a lot of power and quick hands along with quick bat speed. I still think that Jim is a great baseball player and I’m looking forward to his return to the Phillies.

Dwayne Wade

Dwayne Tyrone Wade is one of my favorite basketball players in the game today. Dwayne is a shooting guard, but is capable of playing the point guard. Dwayne has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade has signature move that in my opinion makes his able to score more points because he gets fouled a lot when doing it. His moves is a one-two step and it allows him to get inside or away from big players. Wade gets to the free- throw line a lot. In 2004-2005 and 2006-2007 he ranked first in free-throw attempts. Wade isn’t a selfish player. He has averaged 25.4 points per game and 6.3 assists per game.

Dwayne wade has won one NBA title. In 2006 he was named the NBA Finals MVP Award. After 2006, wade has developed a reputation as being one of the most clutch players in the NBA. I love to watch Dwayne play because he knows what his abilities are. He knows if he can make a shot or if he needs to dish it off to a team mate. This season I think Dwayne will be an even better player because he has very good teammates. LeBron James and Chris Bosh will help Dwayne out because they will take off some of the pressure. As much as I dislike LeBron James I must say that he is a very good basketball player. The reason that I think I like Dwayne a lot is because he just plays his game and leaves everything on the court. Dwayne doesn’t say any nasty stuff about people in news conferences and I think he does a very good job staying out of it. I believe that Dwayne is an amazing basketball player and he’s a great person off the court as well.

Joe Paterno

Joseph Vincent Paterno Died today at the age of 85. He was the Penn State football head coach for 46 years. Joe holds the record for most victories by an NCAA Division I Football. Joe has 409 career wins with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Joe Pa as many refer to him as, coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games. It is clear that Joe was such a great coach because in 2007, Joe was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.

                I think that Joe was a great coach and ultimately a great guy. He was very into his team and focused on what was best for his team. As many of his players said, he always did what was best for the team.  Around the campus he was known for his distinct game day image, his thick square glasses. Joe and his wife also gave back to the school when he donated over four million dollars and funded their library. Joe Died of lung cancer on January 22, 2012. In my opinion, He died of a broken heart. The reason I think this is because he got fired as the head coach and now had nothing to live for. When I refer to Joe and say he had nothing to live for, I mean that a major part of him just died. Joe’s life was football. He loved to coach and I think that he would’ve coached until he died if he didn’t get fired. Many of the students happen to agree with me. They had posters and sign that said Joe Pa is Penn State. This just goes to show how great Joe really was. Joe will never be forgotten, Rest in Peace Joe.

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson was born on June 7^th, 1975. Allen was the first basketball player that I knew of as a kid. I remember going to the 76ers games at two and three years old and just cheering for Allen. I also remember when I went to a game I got a bobble head of Allen Iverson. I thought that the bobble head was the coolest thing ever because he was my favorite guy in the world. I still to this day have my bobble head of him up in my room. I also thought that Allen Iverson was really cool because of his hair style. I had never seen someone with that type of hair before, and at the age of three that was the kind of thing that I liked. I liked how was like braded into sort of dread locks with the head band. I was obsessed with him.

Allen attended Georgetown from 1993-1996. In 1996 he was the first pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers chose him. He had won several awards. He won the NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Rookie of the Year. He was an 11 time NBA All-Star, four time scoring champion, two time NBA All-Star Game MVP. Allen had won many more awards and achieved many more things.  I remember in 2006 when Allen got traded to the Denver Nuggets I got very upset. My favorite player and favorite athlete just got traded to another team. It was the end of going to basketball games for about a year. Then about a year later I had gotten over him and found a new favorite basketball player. I can just remember all those great times and fun times he brought me when I was watching him play basketball.

Ray Lewis

This is Ray during a charity event.

Ray Anthony Lewis is a football player for the Baltimore Ravens. Ray was born in Bartow, Florida. Ray has always been a very athletic guy. In high school Ray was an All-American linebacker and wrestler. Ray Lewis attended the University of Miami. Ray became starter the last five games of the season. His freshman year he had 81 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for a loss, and four pass deflections.  He was named to the freshman All-American team.  His college stats and domination goes on and on. In 1996, Ray was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. Ever since joining the NFL, Ray has been a one man wrecking crew. He has been selected to the Pro bowl 13 times, 7 times all pro first team, 3 times all pro second team, super bowl XXXV MVP, 2 time all pro defensive player of the year, 3 time AFC defensive player of the year. The list goes on and on.

Ray hasn’t only just been loved or hated on the field but also off. A big thing off of the football field happened on January 31, 2000. A fight broke out between Lewis and his companions and another group of people, resulting in the stabbing deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. I don’t know what to believe because I still haven’t heard that Ray actually killed someone, but since he was involved it may have been a possibility. Ray has done many other things of the field as well. He started a charity called Ray Lewis 52 Foundation. This is a foundation whose mission is to provide personal and economic assistance. Also in an addition to all Ray’s charitable work, a portion of North Avenue was renamed Ray Lewis Way. I think Ray is a very talented man along with a warm heart. He feels strongly in trying to help kids in need. I really think that Ray is a good father to his six kids and an incredible person.

John Wall

This video clip is some of the highlights of John Wall in high school. John is a very nice role model to look up to. He had a struggling childhood without his dad. His dad was in prison for most of john early childhood because of robbery with a dangerous weapon. His dad was released when John was nine years old from prison. Unfortunately for John his dad died a month later of liver cancer.
John Wall’s high school career was very impressive. Surprisingly his college career was better. John was recruited by the University of Kentucky, Duke University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Kansas. John committed to the University of Kentucky. He was only in college for one year until he was drafted Into the NBA by the Washington Wizards. While John was at the University of Kansas he set several records. Most points in a season by a UK Freshman. Most assists in a season, 241 by a UK Player and by a UK Freshman. Most assists in a game, 16, by a UK Player and by a UK Freshman.T-7th for most Steals in a game, 6, by a UK Player on two occasions. First UK player to be drafted 1st overall in the NBA Draft. Clearly john wall was and still is a beast. I really like John and I think he is a good guy and a great athlete.

NFL playoff Games

Yesterday there was a very exciting football game when the San Francisco 49ers hosted the New Orleans Saints. The Saints found themselves down by 17 points early in the second quarter. It was mainly because they had four turnovers in the first half. Then the Saints stepped up their game and answered back and tied the game up 17-17 at the end of the third quarter. Now in my opinion the fourth quarter is where things got exciting. With 4:03 left in the fourth quarter the Saints scored a touchdown to go ahead 24-23. Then with 2:11 left in the fourth, Alex smith on third and seven ran the ball 28 yards for a touchdown. Now the score is 29-24 the 49ers are leading. Then a thrilling touchdown by Jimmy Graham with 1:37 left. The saints lead 32-29. It wasn’t over yet. With just 11 seconds left, Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis. That was the Final score; the 49ers won 36-32.
In my opinion Vernon Davis was the M.V.P of that game. He had seven receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He had the clutch game winning touchdown and he also had the catch that set up the final touchdown. Also Alex Smith had thrown for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. I think that Alex was a big part in this win because he was on the money for the most part with his throws. I think that the Saints killed themselves this game. The saints turned the ball over five times and in order to win that can’t happen. I really liked watching this game and the teams played their hearts out. It was one of those days for the Saints where nothing was going their way.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is without a doubt the best player in the NBA right now. Kobe also has the most points among all active players in the NBA. Kobe Bryant has been a clutch player his whole career. Even at the age of 33 Kobe in his 16th season on Friday scored 48 points. He has always been a big player and a huge factor in the Lakers success. Kobe coming out of high school had to prove himself in the NBA and he did just that. In my opinion there isn’t one single thing that he can go back into his career and do better.
Kobe Bryant has been a fan favorite ever since he was in the NBA. Kobe Bryant won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. Then in 2000-2002, Kobe won three consecutive NBA titles. Then in 2006 Kobe scored a career high 81 points against the Toronto raptors. He has the second all-time most points in a single game behind Wilt Chamberlain when he scored 100 points in 1962. Kobe also won two more titles in 2009 and 2010. I think Kobe is a very talented athlete and definitely top 10 of all time.

Michael Jordan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFxXSXGd4hs&feature=fvst

 

This video is clips and interview questions of a legend. Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He leads the NBA with 5,987 career points. He had 1,022 assists, 376 steals, 158 blocks, and 1,152 rebounds. In my mind he is clearly the number one player of all time because of his stats. The only problem for me in saying that he is the best is I never saw Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain and many other great legends in the game of basketball. Another reason I like Michael Jordan is because he was the type of guy who never gave up.
In high school Michael didn’t make the Varsity basketball until his junior year. Then all the practice and dedication he put into basketball he got a scholarship for basketball to North Carolina University. In 1984 he was drafted into the NBA by the Chicago Bulls. He averaged 28.2 points per game including his 6 games where he had 40+ points. He was named rookie of the year in 1984. He eventually won five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships and six NBA Finals MVP awards. In 1993 Michaels dad was murdered and three months later he announced his retirement because he said he “No longer had the desire to play.” Then in 1994 Michael went back to his first love, Baseball. He signed a contract for a year with the Chicago white sox. Then the next year he came out of retirement and played for the bulls again. In January 1999 Michael said he was 99.9 percent sure that he would never play again. Not long after the statement Michael became the owner of the Washington wizards. In September of 2001 Michael Jordan came out of retirement for the second time and played under the Washington wizards for two years until he retired for good.
I think Michael was and still is a very inspirational person. He has shown so many that if you believe in something you can achieve it. He wasn’t the greatest basketball player in high school, but when he kept practicing and practicing he sure became one of the best. He also has done many things beside basketball and one of them is an Athletic clothing brand called Air Jordan. I think Michael is a very wonderful person and a good role model. He is a very good athlete to look up to if you want to be successful.

A closer game

Today i had another basketball game at Open Door Christian Academy. It was a rocky start and i wasn't having the greatest feelings about the game. Throughout the first quarter the score was back and forth. Open door had two good kids that were pretty much the whole team. We eventually picked up the fact that they liked to just give each other the ball to one or another and play together. As we focused our attention on those two players we were forcing more turn overs and more missed shots. The score was close most of the game so we pressed them most of the game. By us pressing them they were throwing balls away or we were stealing them, but very rarely did they score from it. I know that my biggest part in contributing to the team this game was defense. It was a very small court and that allowed us for multiple turnovers on traps in the corners or double teams on the sideline or baseline.

We won the game by a little more than ten to make it three wins in a row. In my opinion we are playing good ball and as a team we are hard to stop. I think we keep getting good looks on offense and we are pushing the ball and getting easy lay ups. Our team is not tall, but we use other tools as an advantage. We are a very fast team and that allows us to get fast breaks. For instance many times this season I have gotten a rebound and Ryan or Jake have sprinted down the court and we got and easy basket. That is just one of the many reasons how we are playing good basketball.

My thoughts on basketball

I think that basketball is a very challenging sport that requires a lot of talent, focus and determination. Practice and effort in my opinion are the most important to be the best you can in basketball. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”-Vidal Sassoon This quote I think is absolutely 110% correct because if you don’t work at something you will never improve or become successful. Basketball is in a way like school. If you are not making any shots, you have to go work on it and fix your shot until it improves, and if you aren’t doing well in a particular subject in school you have to go and work harder until you understand it.
Besides the fact that basketball is a team sport, in some cases it’s a sport where one person can carry a team on his shoulders. Basketball is not a sport where things just happen on their own; you have to make them happen. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”-Michael Jordan This quote by Michael Jordan means some people want things to happen, good players wish it would happen and great players make it happen. I think that this quote is also trying to say that if you want something you have to go and make it happen. I think that basketball is a very fun thing and a big part of who I am.

Basketball game 2

Today I had another basketball game. It wasn’t the best game ever, but it was good practice. It was one of those games where it’s hard to get into because there is no competition between the two teams. My team had started off strong when we scored our first basket just five seconds into the game, we never looked back. We worked hard and the time that we put into practices really showed. We did a great job of moving the ball around the ark, we had great shots, our defense couldn’t have been any better and we weren’t selfish.
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.”-Babe Ruth This quote by babe Ruth describes the game as a whole. We all played together and no one tried to do it all on their own. The score was 54-19 and that isn’t because they were a terrible team, we just were the dominate team. We ran our plays and made shots and on defense we must have had ten to fifteen steals and five to seven blocks. It was just one of those games where our team clicked.

Basketall game

Today i had a basketball game. The score was back and forth, until the start of the third quater. The second half we played much more like a team than individuals. Team work is very important because one person can't take on five players, he needs help from his teamates.    “There is no "i" in team”-Michael Jordan I like to think about the quote alot because you may be the best on a team but you aren't the whole team.
I had a good offensive game but i think i could've done better. I had ten points and that is mainly because i didn't get that many great oppertunity's. On the other hand i did very good on defense. I had six steals and 3 blocks. I think that the reason i got the six steals is because of my anticipation. All in all i had and good game and we won 54-31.

How Sports Affect Me

Sports affect me in many ways, all of them are positive. Sports are something that I love to do. Also sports push and challenge me in a way that nothing else can do. Ever since I was one year old I would play ball with my mom because it's what I love to do. Since then I have tried and tried to push myself to the best of my abilities by continuously training. "If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat." - Herschel Walker This quote is one of my motto’s for sports because if you train badly, goof off and don't put forth your best effort it will show in a game when you’re not playing well. If you decide to train hard and do the best that you can it will pay off in a game because your effort in practice will carry over into a game and make you rise above those who didn't work as hard.

I have always dreamed of becoming a professional athlete and that is why I dedicate as much time as I do into my sports. "Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision." - Muhammad Ali I can really connect with this quote because I might not be the best Athlete around but when I have a desire to win and put forth a lot of effort I can become a better player. I play sports all year round and always have the mentality that I can go somewhere, if I keep give my best effort and don't give up. This is how sports affect me and make me what I’m today.