Hold on, Lakers fans! Don’t plan on your championship parade yet. The Lakers may be winning and have one of the best records for the 2008-2009 season but there are some concerns. Here are nine things that might be giving Phil Jackson some additional stress:
The crowds in Eugene, Oregon loved her. They witnessed a stellar performance when Jordan Hasay set the girls’ high school record for the 1,500 meter race. They wooed her at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. They chanted for Ms Hasay to select the University of Oregon as the school to continue her education. “Come to Oregon!” was the message the crowds delivered loudly to Ms Hasay. And she listened - Jordan Hasay will attend the University of Oregon:
In the face of empirical evidence, Alex Rodriguez admitted the use of performance enhancing drugs. The full extent of that admission may not be realized for years. However, the impact of the disclosure even reached President Obama’s first press conference. The President categorized it as “depressing news”.
It was something that most baseball fans had speculated. However, most fans wanted to believe that Alex Rodriguez’s talent was natural and not chemically induced. Now, Sports Illustrated reports that there is empirical evidence of steroid use:
There are professional athletes who will break your heart. As a sports fan, you watch and witness tremendous natural ability. There is the size, the strength, the talent and the opportunity to perform at a spectacular level. It could be historic and there are moments when the athlete shines. It is a tantalizing glimpse at what might be. There are moments that hint at possible greatness. Unfortunately, those performances are matched by tremendous disappointment.
Joe Torre, the former manager of the New York Yankees, has been mostly silent about the drama of the baseball team. That, however, is about to change. In his new book, Joe Torre slams his former team:
There are some people who say that sports reflect the culture’s zeitgeist. It could be argued that the continuing drama of the New York Knicks counters that premise. The New York Knicks have a healthy, professional athlete whom they are paying not to play and to stay away from the team. Stephon Marbury is being paid 20.8 million dollars to stay away.
Missing the post season playoffs must rankle the New York Yankees. Earlier this week, the Yankees agrees to a seven year contract with C.C. Sabathia. The cost was $161 millions dollars. However, that was not all the spending for the week on the pitching staff. Today, the New York Yankees added A.J. Burnett:
Is there redemption in the National Football League (NFL) for a convicted athlete? That will be a question that the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell will have to answer in the summer of 2009. At the moment, former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick is serving a prison term in Leavenworth for his involvement in a dog fighting operation. Michael Vick may be eligible for release in July 2009. He will be twenty nine years old and quite possibly still able to quarterback a professional football team.
It matters not that there have been a string of losing seasons - or lawsuits, or off-court drama or paying a player millions of dollars not to play. None of that has diminished the worth of the New York Knicks. The Knicks franchise remains increasingly prosperous and the NBA most valuable team:
