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Archive for May, 2007
“We hereby declare The Maya Moore spirit award in honor of her humility, grace and accomplishments on and off the floor for future generations of athletes at Collins Hill high school.” Ok, so that was at the end of the evening but it encapsulates everything from the banquet from start to finish. There were proclamations from The Mayor of the city of Lawrenceville, GA. there were proclamations from Larry Winter the President and founder of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame. There were proclamations from The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Gwinnett County Representatives, State Senators, Coaches and Athletic Directors.
It was a night to remember! The 2006-2007 Collins Hill high school girls basketball team, Thirty one and-o , Led by two time Naismith National Player of the Year, Maya Moore (see previous posts) and guided by National Coach of the year, Tracey Tipton; made it through the entire season ranked number one in the country. I was honored to be the Master of Ceremonies as we paid tribute to the team, its players and community for the Dinner with Champions presented by the Tipoff Club of Collins Hill.
I can’t remember feeling so much pride in one room. What this team did was more than remarkable as the Gwinnett County Representative said-”They accomplished more than any other team in Gwinnett County history or any team in the state of Georgia for that matter. It was what community pride is all about. There is no doubt that when millions of Hoop fans flip on their TV sets in the next couple of years and see Maya Moore dribble up and down the hardwood at The University of Connecticut they will stop and ask themselves. “Who is Maya Moore? Where is she from? Well, the girls on the Collins Hill team will smile and say, “She’s from Collins Hill high school and we’ve known her for years. That’s our girl! soon she’ll be America’s girl.
I remember calling the final game for Georgia Public television and watching them dismantle a very good South Gwinnett team. Leading by 20 points and time winding down, The Lady Eagles get it ahead to Maya, she’s preparing for a dunk, she goes up and Alex Winchell from the South Gwinnett team gets their too soon and Maya is fouled but she lets the ball go with her left hand, it rolled around and around and around until finally—right through the net.
Nothing fell through during the Dinner with Champions. especially the message that this teams accomplishments and cohesiveness will last forever.
He’s the son of former Falcons QB Bobby Hebert but T-Bob Hebert is ready for a whole new game. LSU signee T-Bob Hebert dominated on the high school level at Greater Atlanta Christian as a LINEMAN and he’s fired up about getting started for the Bayou Bengals. “Yea I can’t wait to start. He’ll graduate tomorrow, enroll this summer and has already been told by LSU coach Les Miles that the Tigers will go two deep on Freshman Lineman. “I really can’t wait.” Read the rest of this entry »
I had the chance to catch up with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard at the Atlanta airport the other day. He was on his way back to Orlando after suprising his Mom on Mother’s Day. No one in his family knew about the planned trip and he suprised her in Church just before the word got out. If there’s one phrase to describe that it would have to be, a parents’ dream kid. Read the rest of this entry »
Good for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Why do I say that? Because he’s the most genuine race car driver on the circuit today and he deserves to have a 51 percent stake in his racing team. No deal could be struck with Teresa Earnhardt, his Step-Mom, so he’s turning right and I do mean RIGHT; The right way around the track and leaving Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.
I am surprised they couldn’t work out a deal to give Junior a majority stake in the company.
He’s worth more than 30 million dollars to any racing team with his driving ability, sponsorship pull and legacy. He’s the son of the arguably the best driver in Nascar history and he’s not too bad himself. In a sport dominated by loyalty—Dale Earnhardt Junior is the epitome of loyal.
I covered Nascar in Charlotte for the local ABC affiliate for five years and I have never met a more down-to-earth individual than Dale Earnhardt Junior. He’s true to his roots and who he is as a person. I remember one time he had just wrecked his car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte and he was heading to the garage. He got out of his car and headed around to the back part of the garage. I was trying to get a quick interview with him and unlike most drivers he stopped, said hey, and proceeded to tell me exactly what had happened in the mishap just moments before. Granted, I am not the first and only reporter Junior stopped to ask give a quick interview to over the years..But what stands out is his modesty in that interview. He blamed himself for spinning out and when asked what he learned from his father about mishaps and back-up cars. He said this,” he never really told me a lot about wrecking—he let me grow into it and make my own mistakes. I have always appreciated that, and yet there are sometimes I would have liked to hear more from him on how to improve.”
I am not privy to the negotiations with Junior and DEI majority owner, Teresa Earnhardt but I can tell you that I also had a brief conversation with Teresa years ago at the Daytona 500. Granted, it was the first time she went back to Daytona since her husband Dale Earnhardt’s death. It happened this way. She was approaching Victory lane to offer congratulations to Dale Junior who had just won the Busch race. I said, “It’s a good day for DEI. She said yes it is, Thank you I am pleased for Dale Junior.” I continued, “I am sorry for your loss and the apple doesn’t fall from the tree.” She said Thank you. I did ask her if she would speak to me on camera for a live shot back to Charlotte at the time but she respectfully declined. And that was that.
I know nothing about the negotiations with Junior and DEI except Junior wanted a majority ownership and doesn’t currently have it…I do sense something happened in the past five or six years that pushed Junior away from his father’s racing team and sometimes it’s better to be fueled by the drive inside of a person than to be driven by a force that doesn’t feel quite right.
28 million reasons why Roger Clemens is back with the Yankees.
Did you think the future Hall of Fame pitcher would come back strictly for his love of the game. Well, he loves the game but there are three significant reasons why he’s back. First, he has a contract that allows him the ability to come and go as he pleases. Family matters most and the deal aloows him to be with his family when he’s not on his pitching rotation.
According to an article in the Boston Herald and I quote, “with perks like this he might pitch until he’s 50.” The article goes on to say how Clemens has been afforded this opportunity because of a similar contract written about Nolan Ryan when he came back to play baseball for the Rangers after he retired from the Astros. Ryan was given leniency to do as he pleased when it wasn’t his turn to pitch in the rotation.
Clemens connection and desire to be with family is evidenced by the first workout he had yesterday in Kentucky. Throwing pitches to minor leaguers in Lexington where his son Koby plays he hushed the media and asked batters not to swing at the ball until his son Koby came up.
Second, Joe Torre. You heard him say it on Sportscenter. He wouldn’t be with the Yankees again if Joe Torre wasn’t still the skipper. He has a fond relationship with Torre and it could turn out to be pleasure in paradise for the both of them.
And third, Roger Clemens is 45 years old and adding a prorated 28 million dollar deal to his financial arsenal didn’t hurt matters. The Yankees needed him and Steinbrenner knew it. Now along with Clemens good friend Andy Pettite , also back with the Yanks, George Steinbrenner can once again look at the skyline and begin to feel as if they have a chance at another remarkable season while in the process of rewriting a storybook ending to a hall of fame pitching career without any Little Town Blues.
Mark the date June 1st-Clemens to pitch against the Boston Redsox.
Did you see him last night? Board after board on a Utah miss.. Boozer had 17 points and 20 rebounds, including 10 off the offensive glass, in Utah’s victory over Golden State in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series and if they go onto to the Western Conference Finals. It will be because of Carlos Boozer.
I think Carlos Boozer is the real deal. No one expected him to be this good at this level. He’s a four year pro averaging 20 points and 11 boards a game. He grew up in Alaska and turned from the frigid cold of that state to a warm environment in the state of Utah. Drafted by the Cavaliers in 2002 after a stellar career at Duke University, the 6-9 power forward landed in Utah and just like the cactus nearby he has stuck with this team and its fans.
Don’t get me into the Utah JAZZ thing—still don’t understand the nickname—belongs to New Orleans in my opinion, but Boozer is no bust for the Jazz team. Right now, I see Boozer as the playoff MVP—if they get by the Warriors, I give it to Carlos Boozer not for what’s expected of him but for what isn’t expected of him. All the players that come to mind for an MVP award in the postseason like Nash, Duncan, and Billups have expectations placed on them—get to the Finals and it’s because of them…but for Boozer, it will be because of him. And no one could have expected they would make the NBA Finals much less the Conference Finals…it would be another upset in the form of the Warriors upsetting the best team in basketball (Dallas) to get to this semifinal match up with Utah and if Carlos Boozer continues to dominate the paint like he did in game one, he can look over his shoulder and say, “The Jazz made it this far because of the man who hails from a far away land known as Juneau, Alaska.
The Golden State Warriors man-handled the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. I didn’t see it coming, did you? The first time the Mavs lost I thought, “Ok, it’s a good win for Golden State but Dallas will bounce back. Forget that! The Warriors surprised everyone with the greatest first round upset in history. Leave some room for discussion (Nuggets 1994) but for a best of seven series in the first round, nothing compares.
How can a team that wins 67 games during the regular season and that made it to the NBA finals the year before, fall to a team four games to one that barely made the postseason in the first place? All I can say is, Jason Richardson, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, and DON NELSON, Head Coach Don Nelson willed his team to the series win.
Everybody has jumped on the Dirk Nowitzki bashing train. (8 points in the elimination game for the Mavs) and I would have to agree. I do give him the the regular season honors because he was the leading scorer on a team that won 67 games. But in the postseason my most important award goes to DON NELSON. He’s my MVC (Most Valuable Coach)
Nelson and his guys prepared and played above anyone’s expected potential. Matt Barnes? Who is this guy?—he was unstoppable. Thee pointers from everywhere. Baron Davis, that’s to be expected-great player with playoff experience. Jason Richardson The high flying three piont shooting engineer, and the rest. They all have one common thread. Don Nelson. Their coach. He created the forum for them to beat Dallas and send the Mavs and his arch rival Mark Cuban, packing.
Cuban fired Nelson from his post with the Mavericks a few years ago and now they don’t even communicate. A cold war if you will. And Justice has been served in Nelson’s mind. If you’re suprised by the Golden State series win that’s understandable until you look at the accomplishments of Don Nelson—He had those great Milwaukee Bucks teams in the 80’s that always made it to the Conference Semifinals and Finals without nabbing the NBA crown. Now , Nellie has a title to hold onto. The title of the Coach who laid the groundwork for his team to pull off the greatest first round upset in NBA playoff history.