J-Speaks

J-Speaks: The Colts Say Goodbye To Their Great Signal Caller

2012-03-10T12:19:00.002-08:00

From 1984-97, the Indianapolis Colts were cellar of the National Football League (NFL) with a .345 winning percentage, just 3 playoff appearances, no Super Bowl appearances and they had 16 starting quarterbacks. That all changed in the 1998 NFL Draft when they selected Peyton Manning out of Tennessee University with the No. 1 overall selection. In the 14 years that followed, the Colts were a perennial playoff participant; a .678 winning percentage and Manning played every game in the regular season and postseason until this past one where he missed the entire year because of an injury to his neck. Without the future Hall of Famer at the controls the Colts fell from the NFL’s elite going 2-14 and the question now was, what would happen next? The answer came this past Wednesday.

The Colts formally announced that they would cut Peyton Manning. The reason, the team did not want to pay the $28 million dollar bonus, which would have happened this past Thursday, to the 35-year-old QB who has had 4 procedures done on his neck in 19 months, which has rendered his neck almost bionic.

When Manning and Colts owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay arrived in Indianapolis on Tuesday night by private jet a reporter asked them, “Are you both happy though?”

Manning said, “We’re good. We’re good. We’re going to talk tomorrow. We’re gonna do it… the right way tomorrow.”

When tomorrow came in front of many of the media, the parting of ways was done the right way, but it happen in a very tearful way when they both spoke.

“For 14 wonderful years, the only professional football I’ve known is Colts football,” Manning said on Wednesday. “Our team won a lot of games here. I’ve played with so many great teammates here and I’ve been part of a great organization here; an organization and an owner who I respect and continue to respect.”

He also said about his departure from the Colts, “Times change, circumstances change and that’s the reality of playing in the NFL.”

The other reality is that in his 227 starts, regular season and playoffs combined, the Colts made 11 postseason appearances, which includes nine straight which ended this season. For seven consecutive seasons, the Colts won 12 games or more, an NFL record, which includes two 14 win seasons in 2005 and 2009. They captured the ultimate prize in 2006 when they defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Manning who threw for 247 yards and a touchdown was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Individually Manning put up numbers that will surely guarantee him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

In a 14-year career, Manning has thrown for 54,828 yards, 399 touchdowns and 198 interceptions. He has 63 career 300-yard passing games, which is tied for most all-time in NFL history. In 14 seasons, he has thrown for 4,000 yards 11 times. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times and has won four regular season MVP awards, an NFL record. His 141 career wins as a starter are the 4^th most by a starting signal caller in NFL history.

Besides the statistics, Manning did something even more remarkable. He turned a town that has been known for basketball into a town that is also known for having a great football team.

“As difficult as this is I know that our journey together hasn’t ended,” the Colts owner said on Wednesday.

“When I look down the road and see the many decades going forward that we’ll share together and how he’s always part of the horse shoe. I can’t thank him enough. The 18 jersey will never be worn again by a Colt on the field.”

The question now is where will Peyton Manning play next? A number of early contenders for his services are the New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and a few others.

As far as his neck injury is concerned, he has been cleared by doctors to resume playing. According to ESPN’s senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that Manning was seen throwing at Duke University a week ago. His sources who saw Manning throw said he looked like his old self.

When he decides to continue his career with another team, Manning will not be the only player who made his name with one organization to move on and continue making that legend in another place.

Hall of Famer Joe Montana who helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl titles was traded in 1993 to the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1993, Montana helped lead the Chiefs to a franchise best 13 wins. They defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card round 27-24. They won the Divisional Round at the Houston Oilers 28-20. They lost in the AFC Championship Game at the Buffalo Bills 30-13.

Montana led the Chiefs back to the playoffs the next season, but they lost at the Dolphins 27-17. Montana in his last ever game threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

Wayne Gretzky who led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cups and individually won eight consecutive MVPs in nine seasons was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.

The most recent stars to take their talents to another team are LeBron James, who helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to five straight playoff appearances while capturing back-to-back MVP awards in 2009 and 2010 took his talents to South Beach and joined the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010. The other star who changed teams is Albert Pujols who after helping the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and 2011 signed this offseason with the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim for 10 years and $240 million.

If Manning should sign with the Dolphins, he might have a former teammate come with him. On Wednesday, free agent wide receiver and former teammate of Manning’s Reggie Wayne said to WQAM Radio, “I can see it. I am definitely not opposed to it. He’s a great worker and I consider myself a great worker and when you put great workers together good things happen. Me being in his trail onto Miami I would love it. I would definitely love it. I am totally available. It can definitely be dangerous. It can truly be dangerous if they put us all together.”

Manning, who will be turning 36 years of age soon understands what is ahead of him, but he also understands what he has done and knows that he would not be in this position today.

“I haven’t thought yet about where I will play, but I’ve thought a lot about where I’ve been,” Manning said.

“I’ve been truly blessed to play here. I’ve been truly blessed to play in the NFL. As I go, I go with just a few words left to say. A few words I want to address to Colts fans everywhere. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I’ve truly enjoyed being your quarterback.”

As for the Colts, their attention will turn now to the NFL Draft where the speculation is that they will draft with the No. overall pick Stanford QB Andrew Luck who is consider by many to be a can’t miss pick as Manning was when he was drafted in the same place 14 years ago.

“I think it would be a complete honor to be drafted first by the Colts and have the opportunity to play for them,” Luck told ESPN Monday Night Football color analyst Jon Gruden.

He also said as far as replacing Peyton Manning if he is drafted by the Colts, “I think that’s impossible You don’t replace a guy like that…I think you have to chart you own path because what he’s done is remarkable.”

It is something that we all have to do. Chart out own path and that is what Peyton Manning did in his stint of 14 seasons with the Colts.

It was a stint that included a 21 point comeback in the fourth quarter comeback at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 6, 2003 on Monday Night Football with the Colts winning 38-35; a career-best six touchdown passing performance at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 28, 2003; a 377 yards passing 5 touchdown performance in his first career playoff win after three setbacks over the Denver Broncos 41-10, while also having his second perfect passer rating of that season and the fourth of his career; He and former teammate Marvin Harrison becoming the all-time leading touchdown combination of quarterback-wide receiver with 86 passing 49ers Hall of Fame tandem of Steve Young and Jerry Rice on Monday Night versus the St. Louis Rams; Becoming the single-season touchdown thrower with his 49th pass in the end zone to Brandon Stokley on Dec. 26, 2004 in a 34-31 victory versus the San Diego Chargers, though the record would be broken by Tom Brady of the Patriots in 2007 with 50 touchdown passes, throwing the 50 to Randy Moss in a 38-35 victory at the New York Giants where they completed the first undefeated regular season (16-0) since the 1972 Dolphins; the 18-point comeback (21-3) in the AFC Championship Game versus the Patriots that was capped by a 3-yard rushing touchdown by then rookie running back Joseph Addai and an interception on the fourth play of the Pats final drive by cornerback Marlon Jackson; The 29-17 win over the NFC champion Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, FL where Manning threw for 247 yards and a touchdown claiming Super Bowl MVP honors and making then head coach Tony Dungy the first African American in the modern era of the NFL to win a Super Bowl.

While his career may not be over and who know where he will end up, I think ABC’s “Good Morning America” news anchor Josh Elliott put it best when he said, “He may not have the championships that which all great quarterbacks are judged, he was as fine a quarterback as we have ever seen.”

Information and statistics are courtesy of 3/7/12 7 a.m. edition of ABC News’s “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Josh Elliott; 3/7/12 7 a.m. edition of “CBS This Morning” with Erica Hill, Gayle King and Charlie Rose, report from Whit Johnson; 3/7/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “CBS Evening News” with Scott Pelley; 3/7/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “ABC World News” with Diane Sawyer, report from Josh Elliott; 3/7/12 6 p.m. edition of ESPN’s Sportscenter with Jay Harris and John Anderson; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyton_Manning; en.wikipedi.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Colts

J-Speaks: The Half-Century Anniversary of The Triple Digit Scoring Night In Hershey, PA

2012-03-10T11:47:00.004-08:00

There are many of us who ask the question, what is Hershey, Pennsylvania? It is a census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the home of The Hershey Company which produces the well-known Hershey chocolate bar that is sold in grocery and convenient stores across the U.S. and the world as well as the parent to the H.B. Reese candy company, which manufactures of the famous Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It is also where Hershey Sports Arena is located where two Friday’s ago was the 50-year anniversary of the greatest scoring output by one of the finest big men in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

On that night of Mar. 2, 1962 the late great Wilt Chamberlin delivered a scoring performance that stands to this day when he scored 100 points for the then Philadelphia Warriors in their 169-147 defeat over the New York Knickerbockers.

In the contest, Chamberlin went 36 for 63 from the field, 28-32 from the free throw line and grabbed 25 rebounds. He scored 23 points in the first quarter on 7 for 14 from the field, 9 for 9 from the charity stripe and grabbed 10 boards. He put in 18 points on 7 for 12 from the floor and pulled down four boards in the second quarter, giving him 41 points and 14 boards at intermission. He shot 10 for 16 from the floor, 8 for 8 from the foul line grabbing six boards in the third quarter. He saved his best for last in the fourth and final stanza when he shot 12 for 21 from the field, 7 for 10 from the free throw line and grabbed five boards scoring an aforementioned total of 100 points and 25 boards.

To put into perspective how incredible of a performance this was, in the 66-year history of the NBA, there have been 22 occasions where a player has scored 60 points or more. Chamberlin has done it on 15 of those occasions. The other players to do so are Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant who scored 62 points in just three quarters on Dec. 20, 2005 versus the Dallas Mavericks. He outscored the Mavs by himself with aforementioned 62 points while the Mavs as a team scored just 61. On Jan. 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points versus the Toronto Raptors, which became the second greatest scoring performance in NBA history to Wilt’s 100 points.

His next output of 60-plus points came versus the Portland Trail Blazers where the guy known as “The Black Mamba” scored 65. Two games later, he dropped 60 points at the Memphis Grizzlies. His last 60-point game to date came on Feb. 2, 2009 when his 61-point at the New York Knicks set a new scoring record at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” also known as Madison Square Garden. He broke a record that was set by Michael Jordan when he dropped a double nickel 55 at the Knicks in 1995.

The other notable players that scored over 60 points in a game is Bryant’s former teammate and current Turner Network Television analyst Shaquille O’Neal who scored a career-high 61 points in a and grabbed 23 boards on Mar. 6, 2000 at the Los Angeles Clippers he also grabbed 23 rebounds. It was the first 60-point, 20-rebound game since Chamberlin did it back in 1969. Hall of Fame center for the San Antonio Spurs David Robinson scored a career-best 71 points in the team’s final regular season game on Apr. 24, 1994 at the aforementioned Clippers to win the scoring title that season (29.8 ppg). He also grabbed 14 rebounds in that contest. The only other player to score over 60 points is Hall of Famer of the Utah Jazz Karl Malone who scored a career-high 61 points in a 144-96 victory versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 27, 1990.

What Chamberlin did on that historic night 50 years ago and what many of these Hall of Fame players and soon to be Hall of Famers did on those occasions that will engrained in our subconscious until the end of time the question now is will there be another 100-point game ever.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love said, “I don’t know if anybody will ever get there again.”

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard said, “The average fan wouldn’t be able to see how tough it is to get 10 points in the NBA and even for guys who score a lot a 100-point game is very tough.”

“If I ever were to score 100 points, it would probably be me versus a bunch of pre-schoolers,” Boston Celtics’ swingman Paul Pierce said.

“I think in time, I think that a day will come somebody will do it. If you’re sitting here before I scored 81 points and somebody told you that someone was gonna score 81 in a game everybody would have said that is not possible. Yet here we are.”

There are a number of factors when you at what happened that night in Hershey. For starters Chamberlin was the tallest player on the court as well as the strongest. He had the ability to do whatever he wanted at the basket. The other thing that he had in his favor is the fact up to he had played every minute of every game to that point. In that season, he had missed a total of eight minutes in a game because he was ejected.

As coach of the team, Frank McGuire had two rules. The offense went through Chamberlin and Chamberlin never left the floor.

The other factor in why there is such nostalgia about this is the fact that most of the colleagues of the press did not make the trip to Hershey, not even the New York Press. The only form of the press that was there on that night was Philadelphia statistician Harvey Pollack, who turned 90 years old this past Friday. On that night he served as public relations director, writer and game statistician for the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer and United Press International.

“I’ve been in the NBA for 65 years and this was by far the busiest night of my career,” said Pollack, who has been a part of Philadelphia organization since the NBA began in 1946.

After Chamberlin scored the basket that put him into triple digits many fans came onto the floor and showed their love and respect for an amazing performance.

“You never saw more people excited for one person than that. Grown men acting like a group of little children,” Al Attles said of his Warrior teammate.

The other question that comes to mind is what happened to the basketball used in that game. Well one story of what happened to the ball is that the referee in that game picked up, brought it over to the press table and gave it to Pollack. The other story is that a fan came down to shake Chamberlin’s hand for his amazing performance he took the ball and kept it.

One story that is fact is that after the game in the locker room wanted to get a picture of Wilt for what he did on that historic night. He went over to Jim Heffernan of the Philadelphia Bulletin and gave him a piece of what was called copy paper at that time because reporters used to write their story and Pollack wrote on that paper the number 100. He gave the paper to Chamberlin and he held it up and the rest is history.

“It’s as great as any image that’s ever been taken in basketball. Whether its Julius Erving’s dunk or Michael Jordan elevating or the sky hook by Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], that image trumps them all,” Gary Pomerantz, author of “WILT, 1962” said.

This night when you look at it was a microcosm of one of the greatest careers in NBA history. It is about an unbelievable athlete who showed us how the impossible is possible. Wilt Chamberlin was a guy who was a great player and he put up the numbers to back it up.

In a game against the Detroit Pistons as a member of the Lakers, Chamberlin blocked 26 shots. He won seven scoring titles, nine shooting titles and even led the league in assists one season. Since his retirement in 1973, he still owns 90 NBA records. Two records that I am sure is proud of more than anything the championship that he helped to bring to the city of Philadelphia in 1967 when they defeated the San Francisco Warriors 4-2 and in 1972 with the Lakers where they won at the time an NBA record 69 games and a record winning streak of 33 in a row that last to this day.

What makes this moment bitter sweet is the fact that Chamberlin is not around to embrace it and for us to enjoy seeing the individual in person who accomplished it. He passed away on Oct. 12, 1999.

It would have been nice to see Chamberlain and Bill Russell, who was the narrator for “Wilt 100” that was shown two Fridays ago on NBA TV today talking about their historic rivalry back then.

“We know death is inevitable for everybody, but you just think that there’s some people that are too big, too strong. This can’t happen to him,” Attles said.

He was one of the biggest. One of the strongest and one of the greatest player to ever grace the hardwood and on that night at the Hershey Arena, the people that were there saw Wilt Chamberlain up close and were probably astounded beyond belief as I am sure Pollack was.

Information and statistics are courtesy of www.biography.com/people/wilt-chamberlain-9243766; www.zimbio.com article “Shaquille O’Neal’s Career Highlights and Achievements [Year-by-Year]; 3/2/12 7:30 p.m. edition of ESPN’s KIA NBA Countdown Pre-Game Show with Chris Broussard, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Jon Barry; 3/3/12 2 a.m. NBA TV special “Wilt 100;” 3/9/12 5:30 p.m. edition of “Pardon The Interruption” with Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, subs were Bob Ryan (The Boston Globe) and Kevin Blackistone; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlin; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaquille_ O’Neal; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Robinson; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malone.

J-Speaks: The Passing of Iconic Co-Author of Legendary Child Series

2012-03-05T13:48:00.002-08:00

From my earliest years of life, I have found memories of children’s book series that taught about the facts of life. From the basic fundamentals like how to clean my room to the valuable life lessons like not talking to strangers and the importance of hard work. This series was also about the value of family and the importance being a close loving unit. The co-authors of this series of children’s book have charmed young children and their parents for half a century. Two Fridays ago the co-author of these books and the creator of the series passed on.

Jan Berenstain, who with her husband Stan Berenstain wrote and illustrated The Berenstain Bears books passed away back on Feb. 24 from a stroke. She was 88 years gold. Jan’s husband Stan passed away from cancer back on Nov. 26, 2005.

The couple, who are both natives of Philadelphia, PA, is survived by their two sons Leo and Michael and four grandchildren.

This series of children’s books, which would later be turned into cartoon series for television was the gentle tales of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear that was inspired by the two sons of Jan and Stan Berenstain and later their four grandchildren. Each story addressed concerns of everyday life and offered guidance on everyday matters like a visit to the dentist, dealing with peer pressure, consequences of lying to others, throwing tantrums in public places or the importance of not polluting our planet.

As the world evolved, the series began to focus on current tribulations that kids face today like online safety, cell phone usage, video game systems and childhood obesity.

Jan Berenstain, who was Janice Grant when she was born on July 26, 1923 in west Philadelphia and attended Radnor High School. She met Stan on their first day of classes at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art in 1941.

They got married on Apr. 13, 1946 after Stan returned home from World War II serving as a medical illustrator at a stateside Army hospital. Jan during that time worked for the Army Corps of Engineers as a draftsman as well as a riveter building Navy seaplanes.

Before they began The Berenstain Bears series, the Berenstains produced periodicals.

In 1951, the Berenstain’ Baby Book was published by the couple which dealt with topics of pregnancy and how to raise a young child. While there was a great deal of practical advice, the book also contained a great deal of humor and was a reminder of how not to take every situation of raising a child too seriously.

Five years later, the Berenstains produced a cartoon series It’s All in the Family that ran in McCall’s and Good Housekeeping magazines for 35 years. Each issue centered on a situation like the daughter for the first time preparing, cooking and serving her family a meal or the preparation, rehearsal and the performance of the youngest child’s Christmas pageant. With each issue, the drawings of It’s All in the Family were a stand-alone panel with a caption gag instead of a one panel sequential strip. Individual panels though in order depicted a completed arc from the preparation, completion and aftermath of that issue’s family experience.

Six years after introducing Its All in the Family, the Berenstains created the first of their signature children’s book series The Berenstain Bears in 1962 with the first book entitled, “The Big Honey Hunt.”

With the assistance of Theodor Geisel, then head of Beginner Books at Random House, who is known as Dr. Seuss, created an iconic franchise that has published over 300 books in 23 languages, a television series, toys and stage productions. It also gave Jan Berenstain a chance to be immortalized by her alma mater when she was inducted into the Radnor High School’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 20, 2006.

To understand the kind of impact this series of children’s books has had on our society, about 260 million copies of Berenstain Bears books have been held in a young boy’s or girl’s hands and their parents since the first books were published with the help of Geisel.

“It’s a wonderful to do something you love for so many years,” Jan Berenstain said to the Associated Press in 2011. “Not everyone has that.”

Stan and Jan Berenstain continued creating hundreds of books until Stan’s passing in 2005 from aforementioned cancer seven years ago.

Michael, the youngest of Stan and Jan Berenstain, is a writer/illustrator who collaborated on the books with his parents and continued to work with his mother on new projects before her passing focusing on promoting Christian religious practices. Stan Berenstain was Jewish and Jan was an Episcopalian.

The eldest son Leo takes care of the business side of the family’s business.

“Everyday she was very productive,” Michael Berenstain said of his mother’s work as an author. “She was working on two books and had been doing illustrations until the day before she passed away.”

To be a great story teller whether it be with a book in your or from watching something on the television set, you have to strike a cord with your audience. You have to produce something that will make that person or in this case a child think. Allow them to see something in a way that will make them be better. More than anything that will teach a lesson that has a long lasting impact.

Jan Berenstain and her husband Stan produced books that gave lessons on life, the importance of a sense of self and the power we have of making this world a better place while having a sense of humor.

“They say jokes don’t travel well, but family does,” Jan Berenstain told the Associated Press back in 2011. “Family values is what we’re all about.”

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of the Obituaries Nation section in the Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 edition of Newsday and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_and_Jan_Berenstain.

J-Speaks: History Made At 2012 National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend

2012-03-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

To witness history is a very special occasion. It is a moment where greatness is achieved and a moment is etched in the minds of those who watch or see it in person for a long time. It is also allows for a chance of reflection of the true greatness from the past that gives the chance to appreciate the present and provides inspiration, motivation and anticipation for the future. All of that and was on display last Sunday at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, FL.

In a game that had highlight after highlight, above the rim and from behind the 3-point line, the Western Conference lead Most Valuable Player of the game Oklahoma City Thunder superstar forward Kevin Durant’s 36 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals as the Western Conference All-Stars defeated the Eastern Conference All-Stars 152-149 in the 61^st Annual NBA All-Star Game.

The 301 total points are the second most in All-Star Game history, two shy of the 303 scored in the 1987 contest, which was decided in overtime. The 301 total points are the most in an All-Star decided in a 48 regulation contest.

The 88-point output that the West had at intermission was an All-Star Game record. The previous mark was set by the West at the 1989 Game in Houston, TX. The 157 total points scored by the East and West at intermission of last Sunday’s All-Star Game tied the record that was accomplished at the 1988 All-Star Game in Houston.

Durant in winning M.V.P honors the first player in Thunder history to win the award since Tom Chambers did it in the 1987 contest when the team was known as the Seattle Supersonics. He led the West All-Stars to victory in overtime 154-149 in front of the hometown faithful.

“It’s a dream come true man. I’m just blessed to be here,” Durant told Turner Network Television’s (TNT’s) Ernie Johnson after the game.

“These guys behind me were trying to feed me the ball and it was a lot of fun. I’m glad I’m taking this back to Oklahoma City.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was brilliant as well with 27 points on 9 for 17 from the floor and he also made a little history in the process. In the third quarter, Bryant scored on a breakaway dunk with 4:57 left, making him the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history with 271 total points scored. He came in with 244 points scored in his previous 13 All-Star Game appearances ranking him 5^th all-time. He passed Oscar Robertson (246 points), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan (262 points).

Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin scored 22 points and pulled down eight boards and his Clipper teammate Chris Paul had eight points, five boards and 12 assists. Durant’s Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and had five boards. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love had 17 points and seven rebounds.

The East was led in a losing cause by Miami Heat forward LeBron James who scored 36 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists. He went 14 for 25 from the floor, including going 6 for 8 from 3-point land. His six hits from long distance is a new All-Star Game record. James also bumped his All-Star Game scoring average to 25.9 ppg, which is the highest average in All-Star Game history. Second is Bryant with a 20.8 scoring average, followed by Oscar Robertson (20.5 ppg) and Bob Pettit (20.4 ppg).

The East connected on 14 treys, which is also a new All-Star Game record, breaking the West’s old mark of 13 triples set in the 2002 exhibition in Philadelphia. The two teams combined to hit 26 3’s, breaking the old mark of 22 set in the aforementioned 2002 All-Star contest.

Miami’s other representative in the Game Dwyane Wade had just the third triple double in All-Star Game history with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. James was the second player to accomplish that feat at last year’s game with 29 points, 12 boards and 10 dimes. The first to do it was Jordan in 1997 when he had 14 points, 11 boards and 11 feeds.

“Well I mean were all competitors and we want to win,” Wade said to TNT’s Craig Sager after the game.

“Once we came back, got to within 10 we was like, ‘hey lets go try to get it.’ Its unfortunate a couple of plays down the stretch, I had one, I lost it. A turnover by me teammate, but all in all we had a lot of fun. It was very competitive. Hopefully we gave the fans a good show.”

New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams had 20 points on 8 for 11 from the floor, including going 4 for 7 from the 3-point line. New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points and grabbed nine boards. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose had 14 points and Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala scored 12 points.

What made this particular All-Star Game very special beyond what was happening on the floor is that 20 years ago, the All-Star Game was held at the old building where the hometown Orlando Magic played, the Orlando Arena and is where the last All-Star Game took place in the sunshine state.

This was the game where ESPN/ABC basketball analyst Earvin “Magic” Johnson played for the first time since announcing his retirement before the 1991-92 after contracting HIV. He was magnificent in the contest winning M.V.P honors with a 25-point nine assist efforts. Beyond the numbers though it was the love and admiration that he got from the crowd and the players like Jordan, Scottie Pippen (Bulls), Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons). It showed the nation that one can have something as serious as “Magic” had, but that it did not have put a stop to him living and doing what he loved. It was a teaching moment as well as an educational one. Since then, the man that brought “Showtime” to L.A. has gone on to live, with the help of medication, a productive life in the business world and talking about pro hoops for ESPN/ABC.

The 2012 All-Star Game was one to remember for the records that were broken. For the stars that showed us why they are the best of the best in the National Basketball Association and for us as fans of the NBA, the thrill, joy and pride we take in seeing greatness before us.

Statistics, Information and Quotations are courtesy of 2/26/12 7:30 p.m. 61^st Annual 2012 NBA All-Star Game on TNT from Amway Center in Orlando, FL with Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Craig Sager and David Aldridge; 2/26/12 10 p.m. edition of “Inside the NBA” on NBATV with Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Craig Sager; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_NBA_All-Star_Game; www.chicagonow.com/bullsville/2012/02/nba-all-star-game-box-score-and-post-game-notes.

J-Speaks: The Silencing of A Local That No One Saw Coming

2012-02-25T11:50:00.003-08:00

This woman had a voice unlike any other. Her singing captivated audiences around the globe. She first shared her talents with those that saw her in the choir of her church in Newark, NJ. Near the end of her teenage years she met a music producer that help brought her talent to the entire nation and the world to see. From that point to now, her talent took her places and she gave every bit of that talent to a legion of fans that to this day have a great deal of love for her. That journey crossed her along some major bumps that did knock her off course for a period of time and she became more known for those bumps than her amazing gift. Three years ago in NYC’s Battery Park on national television, she began her comeback with her daughter on stage with her and her mother with her fans watching her on stage. The comeback unfortunately came to an abrupt end two weeks ago.

Whitney Houston, one of the greatest musical artist and multiple award winner, passed away Saturday afternoon Feb 11. She was 48 years old.

Houston, who was born and raised in Newark, NJ is survived by her mother Cissy, cousin Dionne Warwick, 18-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina, whose father is ex-husband Bobby Brown.

Houston’s body was found under the water of the suite’s bathtub by a member of her staff that afternoon.

Paramedics raced to the 4^th floor suite of The Beverly Hilton where Houston was staying and got to the bathtub where her body was lifeless. They tried to revive her, but their efforts were to no avail.

A report from the Los Angles Coroner’s office confirmed that bottles of prescription drugs like Valium and sleeping pills were found in the singer’s room. They did rule out in their report any signs of foul play or trauma.”

“It could take weeks for the toxicology reports to be completed,” Ed Winter, Assistant Chief of L.A. County Coroner’s Office told reporters Saturday.

On that Tuesday afternoon, Houston’s body was accompanied by an entourage of several vehicles to a Los Angles airport tar mach where it was flown on a private jet owned by movie director Tyler Perry back to Newark.

Her body arrived late into the night at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and was transported to Whigham Funeral Home in a Gold Hurst, the same funeral home where Houston’s father was laid to rest nine years ago.

News of Houston’s passing came on the eve of The 64^th Annual Grammy Awards where she made her mark. Her death shocked the entire country.

At a New Edition reunion concert in South Haven, MS, Brown paid an emotional tribute to his ex-wife. He arrived in Los Angles late into the night to a throng of paparazzi to be at the side of his daughter.

In a statement he said, “I am deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. At this time, we ask for privacy, especially for my daughter Bobbi Kristina…”

At a Grammy pre-party hosted by Houston’s mentor Clive Davis, music producer and entrepreneur Sean “P.Diddy” Combs said, “Whitney Houston simply put had the greatest voice in the world. She was a gift from God.”

In a statement via Twitter Mariah Carey, who collaborated with Houston on the song “When You Believe,” said on Saturday “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston… She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”

Barbra Streisand also said via Twitter, “She had everything, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us.”

The thoughts about one of their own passing continued on the red carpet of the Grammy’s and during the show itself.

“There’s no way around this. We’ve had a death in our family,” Grammy host, artist, actor and Long Island, NY native LL Cool J told the audience at the beginning of the show.

“The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we loved. Heavenly father we pray for our fallen sister Whitney Houston. Heavenly father we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us.”

On the red carpet, country sensation Miranda Lambert said of Houston, who won six Grammy’s in her career, “What better place to celebrate her life than at the Grammy’s.

During the show, Bruno Mars during his performance said, “Tonight we celebrate the beautiful Ms. Whitney Houston.”

Alicia Keys during her performance said, “When truly great artist leave us, their legacy lives on. We love you Whitney Houston.”

Stevie Wonder told the audience at Staples Center and those watching at home, “I just want to say to Whitney Houston in heaven, ‘We all love you Whitney Houston.”

The one tribute that brought this celebration of one of the greatest artist and entertainers of all-time is when Jennifer Hudson sand one of Houston’s signature songs, “I Will Always Love You.”

From the beginning of the week to now all of Houston’s fans from Los Angles to the Metropolitan area of New York and New Jersey have been celebrating and remember Houston’s life.

On the Marquee of the famous Apollo where Houston made the music video to another of her signature songs, “The Greatest Love of All,” it read “In Memory of Whitney Houston: A True Music Icon (1963-2012).”

At The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ, a make shift memorial of flowers balloons and cards from fans has been growing for the past two weeks in which over 200 people attended the church services on Feb. 12 to honor the woman who began her singing journey at age 11 when she sang in the choir directed by her mother Cissy.

“I haven’t processed this,” Civil Rights Activist Rev. Jesse Jackson said to reporters this past weekend.

“This was not some long vitiating sickness. This was saddened. So when this happens, there’s no rational explanation. You have to lean towards your faith and hold on until the morning comes.”

For the Houston family that morning seems like it needs to come sooner rather than later, especially for Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina.

According to reports the 18-year-old daughter of Houston and Brown was rushed to the hospital twice this past Sunday suffering from extreme anxiety and stress. She was released very quickly and she did try to get to her mother’s room at The Beverly Hilton shortly after her death but had a run in with police when they refused to let her in the room.

Just 48 hours prior Houston and her daughter crashed an E! interview with Davis.

To truly understand the true meaning of Whitney Houston and what she has meant to her home state of New Jersey, the history of music and her loyal fans you have to go back to the beginning.

She was born on Aug. 9, 1963 in East Orange, NJ to gospel singer Cissy and Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr., who passed away on Feb. 2, 2003.

She began singing at 11 years old in The New Hope Baptist Church, where her private funeral took place last Saturday afternoon where 1,500 of Houston closets family and friends came to say goodbye.

Eight years later, she was discovered by Davis who three years ago said in an interview about hearing Houston sing for the first time, “It was such a stunning impact. To hear this young girl breathe such fire, such life into this song it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine.”

At the funeral last Saturday Davis said to those in attendance that Houston told him that she was getting back into shape through swimming one to two hours a day and that she is fully committed to getting the amazing high notes back through plenty of vocal exercises and that she quit smoking.

“I’ll be ready by August,” Houston told Davis.

He responded by saying, “Well Whitney. I’m going to hold you to it.”

Her self-titled debut album “Whitney Houston” released in February 1985 sold millions and launched instant hits like “Greatest Love of All” and “Saving All My Love For You,” which are still played on a regular basis on the radio.

In the beginning part of the 1990s is when Houston really hit her stride. It began with her now famous singing of The Star Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XXV on Jan. 27, 1991 between the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. This was beyond special not just because of her great performance, but it came in the back drop of the first Gulf War.

One year later, she brought her talents to the silver screen in what became a ground breaking film “The Bodyguard.” It starred Houston and Kevin Costner, who will be speaking at Whitney’s funeral on Saturday.

It was a movie about a former secret service agent turned bodyguard Frank Farmer, played by Costner hired to protect music star Rachel Marron, played by Houston from an unknown stalker. As far as how things pan out, I will leave that for those who want to see it again and those that have yet to see the movie to check out for themselves.

“The Bodyguard” opened on Nov. 25, 1992 grossing $16.6 million its opening weekend taking third and the total gross for its thirteen non-consecutive weeks in theaters$121.9 million domestically and $410.9 million worldwide. The film was the seventh highest-grossing film of 1992 in the country and second highest-grossing film in the world in 1992.

The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album at that time became the best-selling soundtrack of all-time. Across the globe, the sales are over 42 million copies. One of the song of the soundtrack “I Will Always Love You,” sung by Houston has sold 12 million units worldwide.

“A lot of leading men could have played my part. A lot of guys could have filled that role, but you Whitney I truly believed that you were the only that could have played Rachael Marron at that time,” Costner said at the funeral.

In the years that followed, Houston hit a number of sour notes. The reported use of drugs; the three stints in rehab; many public breakdowns, which include several that happened in the days leading to her passing and the turbulent 15 years of marriage to Brown. She filed for divorce in 2006 and it was finalized on Apr. 24, 2007.

The years of drug abuse diminished her voice, which resulted in the decline of her album sales and lead to many speculations of her nearing death on several occasions.

In an ABC News “Primetime” interview with Diane Sawyer on Dec. 4, 2002 Houston wanted to set the record straight in terms of her drug use.

She said to Sawyer, “Crack is cheap. I made too much money to ever smoke crack…We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is whack.”

Houston also said to Sawyer that it was her who made the decision to go down this road. It was something she wanted to do and that no one made her do anything.

She said that “I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy and that’s how I have to deal with it.”

She also said though in terms of how she sees herself, she replied, “I can tell you that I’m not self-destructive. I’m not a person who wants to die. I’m a person who has life and wants to live and I always have and don’t ever mistake it for anything else other than that. I’m not the strongest person everyday, but I’m not the weakest either and I won’t break.”

Houston showed signs of that three years ago when she released her seventh studio album I Look To You and went platinum.

On Sept. 1, 2009 Houston performed in Central Park on ABC’s “Good Morning America” as a part of their concert series. There were a slue of fans cheering her on and she had her mother in the audience and her daughter at one point was on stage with her singing, giving the audience and those watching at home a reminder of why we feel in love with her and her great talent. The one moment which really brought the true meaning of the concert was when she was embrace by Sawyer and her co-anchor partner Robin Roberts.

Many thought at that time that this comeback could go the distance and that Houston could regain the type of greatness that made her a sensation from the late 1980s into the early 1990s.

Back on Feb. 6 Houston was working on songs for her upcoming film “Sparkle” set to release this summer.

“She seemed great, upbeat and very optimistic. Very excited about the project,” said producer Harvey Mason, Jr.

When she arrived in Los Angles a couple of weeks ago Houston went from one party to another non-stop. Two Thursdays ago it was reported that Houston was in the lobby of the Beverly Hilton doing hand stands at the pool, but was escorted out by her daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Two nights later she gave what later turned out to be her final performance at a Hollywood club singing on stage with Grammy nominated singer Kelly Price.

When she left, photographers took photos of Houston with blood on her leg, scrapes on her wrist and being described by witnesses as incoherent and unable to walk on her own.

“When I saw Whitney Thursday night, she was happy. She was celebrating. She looked fine,” Price told ABC’s entertainment correspondent Chris Connelly.

At 3:15 p.m., according to TMZ, Houston spoke on the phone to her mother Cissy and nothing seemed wrong. Forty minutes later, Houston was dead in the bathtub of her hotel room.

Last Saturday, her funeral service took place at the aforementioned New Hope Baptist Church. She was laid to rest last Sunday afternoon at the Fairview Cemetery right next to her father in Westfield, NJ.

Keys, who performed; Brandy and her brother Ray J, Davis; Carey; Sawyer; music producer L.A. Reid; singer Kim Burrell, who performed “Change Is Gonna Come;” Stevie Wonder, who sang “Love I Need;” Perry; Hudson; Rev. Al Sharpton; Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King were among the 1,500 people saying goodbye to Houston, who was in a gold casket surrounded by white flowers.

It is true that the passing of Whitney Houston lives a big hole in the lives of her family to her loyal legion of fans in this country and across the globe. The question now is what will be her lasting legacy be?

In terms of her musical talent, her awards speak for itself. Six Grammy Awards; 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards more than any other woman artist in history. She sold more than 170 million albums worldwide.

On the silver screen, she starred in not just “The Bodyguard,” but “Waiting to Exhale;” “The Preacher’s Wife,” alongside Denzel Washington, where she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture in 1997; “Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” playing the fairy godmother of Brandy’s character Cinderella and she will be in the new movie “Sparkle” which will be in theaters later this year.

Houston will also be remembered as someone who succumbed to the pressures of her greatness by using drugs and by her tumultuous marriage to the aforementioned Bobbi Brown, who did attend his ex-wife’s funeral but left quickly after the ceremony was over and was kept away from his daughter.

More than anything though, Whitney Houston’s legacy should be remembered as someone who had an extraordinary gift and made the most of it for a period of time and gave inspiration to show others that if given the chance they can be extraordinary themselves. No one understands that better than those that attend the school that is named in her honor in 1997 The Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts.

How many people can say that I’m principal of Whitney Houston,” Henry Hamilton, the school’s principal said.

I thought it was summed up best by “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts about Houston’s passing when she said on the Sunday morning after her passing, “We have to remember a daughter lost a mother and a mother lost a daughter last night.”

Newark Mayor Corey Booker (D-NJ) also made a powerful statement about Houston after her funeral when he said, “Newarkers feel not just a sense of pride, but really like she’s one of our sisters; our daughters; one of our nieces; one of our aunts and so this has been a beautiful day and were very grateful this global figure remembered from once she came.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston; 2/12/12 6 p.m. edition of (WPIX) PIX 11 News at 6 with Kaity Tong, report from Mario Diaz; 2/12/12 8 a.m. edition of ABC’s “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Dan Harris, Bianna Golodryga; 2/13/12 6 a.m. edition of WABC 7 “Eyewitness News This Morning” with Lori Stokes and Ken Rosato, reports form Jim Dolan, Lisa Colagrossi, Anthony Johnson and Sandy, Kenyon; 2/13/12 7 a.m. edition of “ABC’s “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, reports form Jim Avila, Lara Spencer and Chris Connelly 2/13/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “NBC Nightly News” with Brian Williams, report from Kristen Dahlgren; 2/13/12 11:35 p.m. edition of ABC News “Nightline” with Cynthia McFadden; 2/14/12 7 a.m. edition of ABC’s “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, report from Linsey Davis; 2/15/12 6 a.m. edition of WCBS 2 News This Morning with Rob Morrison and Mary Calvi, report from Jessica Schneider; 2/15/12 6 a.m. edition of WCBS 2 News “This Morning” with Rob Morrison and Mary Calvi, report from Kathryn Brown; 2/16/12 7 a.m. edition of “CBS This Morning” with Charlie Rose, Erica Hill and Gayle King; 2/16/12 5 p.m. edition of CBS 2 News with Maurice DuBois and Kristine Johnson, reports from Dave Carlin, Katie McGee and “The Insider’s” Kevin Frazier; 2/18/12 6 p.m. edition of WABC’s Eyewitness News at 6 with Phil Lipof and Sandra Bookman, reports from Jamie Roth, Marcus Solis, Toni Yates and Lauren Glassburg; 2/20/12 4:30 a.m. edition of WNBC’s “Today in New York” with Michael Gargiulo and Darlene Rodriguez; 2/20/12 7 p.m. edition of “The Insider” on WCBS with Kevin Frazier and Brooke Anderson.

J-Speaks: Knicks Rise Behind A Lintastic Performer

2012-02-14T13:43:00.001-08:00

Two weekends ago, the New York Knicks looked or played anything like a team that had championship aspirations this 2011-12 NBA campaign. Things did not get any better when the team’s two linchpins Carmelo Anthony (groin) and Amar’e Stoudemire (death in family) were lost to the team. They were able to get back on the right track two Saturdays ago against their Division and metropolitan rivals behind a second-year player from the Ivy League.

Undrafted second-year guard Jeremy Lin has been the major reason why the New York Knicks (13-15) have come back from the depths of despair this season. In the team’s five straight victories, he has averaged 26.8 ppg, eight assists on 52 percent from the floor.

He began this five-game run of what has been called “Linsanity” with 25 points and seven assists and five boards off the bench in the Knicks 99-92 victory versus the Metropolitan rival New Jersey Nets. He more than held his own against Nets lead guard Deron Williams who had 21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Two nights later, in his first start of this season, Lin rose to the occasion with a then career best 28 points to go along with eight assists in the team’s 99-88 win versus the Utah Jazz. Lin scored 13 of those 28 points in the fourth quarter. He completely outplayed Jazz starting guard Devin Harris who had just nine points and four assists.

Last Wednesday, the Knicks kept the momentum going in Washington, D.C. as they rang up another victory at the Wizards 107-93. Lin was true to form again with 23 points and 10 assists. He played former No. 1 overall pick John Wall to a standstill as he had 29 points and six assists.

His greatest performance of this stretch came on national television last Friday as he lit up Madison Square Garden with a career-high of 38 points, seven assists on 13 for 23 from the field and 10 for 13 from the free throw line in the 92-85 victory over the Los Angles Lakers.

One day prior to the contest, Lakers’ all-star guard Kobe Bryant, who lead team with 34 points while also grabbing 10 boards, said that he did not pay much attention to the latest “Miracle on 34^th Street.”

He certainly got his attention as well as backcourt mate Derek Fisher who nearly got outscored by Lin by himself.

After the game, the Knicks newest sensation told ESPN’s Lisa Salters, “This is my dream and I’m just thankful to God. God is faithful and he put us on this unbelievable journey and were trying to enjoy everything right now.”

Lin followed up his out of this world performance with 20 points, six boards and eight assists in the Knicks 100-98 victory at the Minnesota Timberwolves. He did show some effects of playing a lot of minutes as he went just 1 for 13 from the field in the second half and went overall shot just 8 for 24 for the game. He still managed to play rookie sensation guard Ricky Rubio to a draw who scored 12 points and dished out eight assists.

To truly understand the kind of phenomenon Lin has become, just a year ago as a rookie he played in just 29 games as an aforementioned undrafted rookie with the Golden State Warriors where he averaged just 2.6 ppg. On Dec. 9, 2011 the Warriors waived Lin. Three days later he was picked up by the Houston Rockets. On Christmas Eve and before the start of this season, the Rockets waived Lin. Three days later, the Knicks picked him up to be the team’s third string point guard. His first action as a Knick came at the Warriors where he was well received.

Back on Jan. 17 Lin was assigned to the Erie BayHawks of the National Basketball Association’s Developmental League. In his first action on Jan. 20 he recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the BayHawks 122-113 victory over the Maine Red Claws. Lin was recalled back to the Knicks three days later.

Most players in the position would have thrown in the towel and moved on, especially someone who had his college degree and had major connection to the business world considering that he graduated from Harvard. Lin though decided to stick with it and when his number was called he answered the bell.

This is something that Lin has done for all his life. Growing up in California, the 6’3’’ Lin’s father, who is 5’7’’ along with his mother, told him as a kid to do his homework after dinner and if he did that he would take him to the YMCA.

“I just love basketball ever since I was young,” Lin told reporters last week.

“That’s all I really wanted to do. I just want to play as hard as I can.”

His hard work has paid of not just for himself, but for the team as well. Lin’s 109 total points in the first four starts of his young career is a new NBA record. The previous record holder is former NBA guard Allen Iverson who scored 101 points in his first four starts. Three other notables who had major impacts in the scoring department in their first four starts are Shaquille O’Neal (100 points), Michael Jordan (99 points) and Bill Ray Bates (99 points).

Lin’s performance has also gotten the respect of head coach Mike D’Antoni who seemed to finally found that lead guard that had been missing for most of this season.

“What he is doing is amazing,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you.”

It has also garnered the attention of the Chinese community particularly in New York’s Chinatown.

“It maybe the typical story of a minority American. You got to be that much better than everyone else like Jackie Robinson,” Vice Chair of APEX Eddie Shiomi said.

“He had to be perfect in order to even get a shot.”

Lin’s greatness on the court has more than anything shown that when someone who is from a conference that typically is not seen as one where you can find the cream of the crop in terms of dynamic basketball players.

He has also become just the fourth player from Harvard to play in the NBA. The other three are Saul Mariaschin who played for the Boston Celtics (1947-48); Ed Smith who was the No. 6 pick of the 1951 Draft by the New York Knicks playing just one season (1953-54) averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 games; Wyndol Gray who played on the first Boston Celtics team in 1946-47 when the NBA was called the Basketball Association of America. The Akron, OH product averaged 6.4 ppg in 55 games played for coach Honey Russell. The next season, Gray was traded to the St. Louis Bombers. After just 11 games he was traded again to the Providence Steamrollers where he played just one game.

On last Sunday’s edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” they compiled a Top 10 list of NBA players from Ivy League schools.

At No. 10 was Penn University guard Matt Maloney, who played for seven seasons (1996-2003) with the Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. His most notable season was his rookie year where he was the starting point guard along side Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. Lin was in the following position at No. 9.

At No. 8 was John Hummer who was the No. 15 pick in the 1970 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves out of Princeton. He played for six seasons for the Braves, Chicago Bulls and Seattle Supersonics. He averaged 6.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg. He currently is a venture capitalist for a firm called Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, a firm that he and Ann Winblad founded in 1989 that focuses on software companies.

Coming in at No. 7 was former Yale player Chris Dudley. He was drafted in the then fourth round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 16 seasons for the Cavs, Nets, Portland Trail Blazers (twice), Knicks and Phoenix Suns averaging 3.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 1.2 bpg.

Back in 1998, Dudley began the Chris Dudley Foundation, which is an Oregon based group that is focused on improving the lives of diabetic children.

In 2006, Dudley became vice president of M Financial Wealth Management and October 2008, he has been a wealth management partner with Filigree Advisors.

Two years ago, Dudley tried his hand at politics running for a Congressional seat in the House of Representatives. Though he ran a close race, the Lake Oswego resident lost to former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D-OR) 49 percent to 48 percent.

At the No. 6 spot was Armond Hill of Princeton. The ninth overall pick in the 1976 Draft by the Atlanta Hawks played eight seasons. The three other teams he played for were the Supersonics, the then San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 6.2 ppg and 4.7 apg. He is currently an assistant head coach on the Boston Celtics.

Brian Taylor was ranked at No. 5. The 23^rd overall pick in the 1972 draft began his career with the New York Nets in the ABA. After four seasons with the Nets, he played his last six seasons in the NBA with the then Kansas City Kings, Denver Nuggets and San Diego Clippers. He averaged 13.1 ppg. Overall he scored 7,000 points in the ABA/NBA.

In the No. 4 spot is Jim McMillan out of Columbia. The 13^th overall pick in the 1970 draft nine of his 11 years of professional basketball with the Lakers, Braves, Knicks and Trail Blazers. He was a member of the 1972 Los Angles Lakers championship team. He played the last two years of his career in Italy for Virtus Bologna.

At No. 3 is Rudolph “Rudy” Larusso. The 2^nd Round pick in the 1959 Draft out of Darmouth by the Minneapolis Lakers played for 10 years. He averaged 16.0 ppg and 10.2 rpg for the Lakers and San Francisco Warriors. He was a 5-time all-star selection. Larusso also appeared in a cameo role in the third episode of “Gilligan’s Island playing the role of ‘Agent Michaels.’ He passed away in 2004 from Parkinson’s disease.

Geoffrey Petrie is No. 2 on this list. The No. 8 overall selection in the 1970 draft by the Blazers played for the team for six years averaging 21.8 ppg and 4.6 apg. He was the 1971 Rookie of the Year as well as making the All-Rookie First Team. He played in two All-Star games in 1971 and 1974. After working for several seasons in the private sector, Petrie came back to the NBA in 1985 working for the Blazers as a commentator for their radio broadcast and several other positions before taking the role as senior vice president of operations.

After nine seasons in the front office, Petrie was hired by the Sacramento Kings as their president of basketball operations. He has won the NBA Executive of the Year twice in 1999 and 2001. For a stretch, the Sacramento Kings were a top notch team in the NBA making the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons. Their best season came in 2001-02 where they won a franchise record 61 games and captured the Western Conference Pacific Division. The team won in a five-year stretch 55, 61, 59, 55 and 50 games respectably. Two major parts in that season and the others in that stretch were current NBATV and TNT analyst Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, whose jersey were retired by the organization. While the team has fallen on tough times in recent years and the uncertainty about the team staying in Sacramento, they know that they have the right man in Petrie along with the Maloof brothers Joe and Gavin to get things back on track.

At No. 1 is former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ). The territorial selection by the Knicks in the 1965 Draft out of Princeton played for the team for 10 seasons averaging 12.4 ppg. The 1965 NCAA Player of the Year and Rhode Scholar of Oxford helped the Knicks win the championship in 1970 and 1973. He is one of nine Knicks to have their jersey numbers hanging in Madison Square Garden. At the time Bradley was the fourth Knick to have his jersey to be immortalized forever alongside Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s No. 10, Willis Reed’s No. 19 and Dave DeBusschere’s No. 22. Bradley received the highest honor for any athlete in 1982 when he was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

After his playing career, Bradley entered politics in the summer of 1977 running for the United States Senate seat for the Democratic Party of New Jersey. He won that seat in the general election by garnering 56 percent of the vote from liberal Republican and four-term incumbent Clifford B. Case (R-NJ). Bradley held that Senate seat for 18 years and among some of the domestic legislation that he led or was associated with was reform of child support enforcement; lead-related children’s health problems; the Earned Income Tax Credit; campaign finance reform; a re-apportioning of California water rights; and federal budget reform to reduce the deficit, which included, in 1981, supporting Reagan's spending cuts but opposing his parallel tax cut package, one of only three senators to take that position.

Twelve years ago, Bradley ran for President of the U.S. in opposition to incumbent Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic Party’s nomination. He failed to win any of the first 20 primaries and caucuses withdrawing his campaign and supporting Gore.

The NBA has had its share of Ivy League players come in. Some were just a blip on the radar. Others etched their names in stone. Jeremy Lin to this point has in a short period of time established himself as a force to be reckoned with and has saved the Knicks season at least for now. How far he can take this and can he play with Anthony and Stoudemire. Answers to those questions start tonight versus the Toronto Raptors.

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of en.wikipedia.org; 2/10/12 6:30 p.m. edition of ABC’s “World News” with Diane Sawyer (substitute was David Muir); 2/10/12 8 p.m. contest of the Los Angles Lakers vs. New York Knicks on ESPN (commentators Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy; reporter Lisa Salters); 2/10/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “NBC Nightly News” with Lester Holt 2/11/12 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Rick Kamla, Steve Smith and Ron Thompson; 2/11/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “CBS Evening News” with Elaine Quijano, report from Tony Guida; 2/12/12 6 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Vince Cellini, Sam Mitchell and Ron Thompson; 2/12/12 edition of ESPN’s Sportscenter with Adnan Virk and Bram Weinstein.

J-Speaks: History is made in Pin Stripes

2012-02-10T13:35:00.001-08:00

When it comes to making their mark in the history books of sports, one team that seems to always make their imprint are the New York Yankees. They have won more championship 27 than any professional team. They have players that have made into the Baseball Hall of Fame for their play, particularly in clutch moments on the field. On this date of Feb. 10, 1979 the “Bronx Bombers” made history by the addition they made in the broadcast both.

This was the day when a gentleman by the name of Bill White became the first African American to become a play-by-play baseball announcer. He joined the New York Yankee broadcast tandem of Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer.

The former major leaguer who played 13 seasons in the pros with the New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies batted .286 with 202 home runs. He made eight all-star appearances, was a 7-time Gold Glover and helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1964.

White spent the next 17 seasons broadcasting Yankees games for both television and radio, working 13 of those seasons with Rizutto and Messer.

White entered into broadcasting during his playing days in St. Louis with his own sports program on KMOX radio and when he was traded to Philadelphia.

He became a sportscaster for WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) in the city of “Brotherly Love” after his playing career ended. He broke a major color barrier in Philadelphia when he became the first African American to broadcast National Hockey League (NHL) when he called a number of Philadelphia Flyer games.

White joined the Yankee broadcast team in the aforementioned date of Feb. 10, 1971 where he broadcast. He also by landed this opportunity with the Yankees became the first African American to do play-by-play announcing for a professional sports team on a regular basis.

From 1971-77, White was featured on the New York City radio station WMCA, but the Yankees soon switched over to 1010 WINS. Four years later, the “Bronx Bombers” broadcast trio moved over to WABC. When the team played on television, the broadcast were carried on WPIX with White, Rizzuto and Messer.

Along with doing broadcast for the Yankees, White did sports reports for the CBS Radio Network and help to call several World Series games with for CBS Radio alongside Los Angles Dodgers announcer Ross Porter and later Jack Buck, the father of FOX Sports baseball and National Football League (NFL) play-by-play announcer Joe Buck.

The dynamic trio also carried the broadcast of the American League Championship Series in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1981. In the 1977 World Series, White did the pre-game reports for ABC along with Porter and handled the post game trophy presentation for ABC after the Yanks clinched the World Series in Game 6.

On Oct. 2, 1978, White made one of baseball history’s famous calls when he announced the go ahead run of Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent in the seventh inning against the rival Boston Red Sox that went, “Deep to left! Yastrzemski will not get it–it's a home run! A three-run home run for Bucky Dent and the Yankees now lead it by a score of three to two!”

One year after leaving the broadcast both, White served as the president of MLB’s National League (NL). He became the first African American to hold such a high executive position in sports.

Last year, White released his autobiography entitled Uppity: My Untold Story About The Games People Play.

To fully understand the kind of legacy that Bill White has left. All you have to do is look at the broadcasting landscape in pro sports. Most teams like in the NBA have African American doing pre-game, in-game and post game broadcast. You have color announcers in the NBA like Stu Lantz (Los Angles Lakers: Fox Sports West), Walt “Clyde” Frazier (New York Knicks: Madison Square Garden Network (MSG)), Clyde Drexler (Houston Rockets: Fox Sports Southwest), Greg Kelser (Detroit Pistons: Fox Sports Detroit) to name a few. For NBA on TNT you have for their pre-game alongside Ernie Johnson you have the likes of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Chris Webber and Shaquille O’Neal.

All of this is possible because of Bill White did. He was a great player and he worked at the craft of being an announcer. When he got his chance he made the most of it and made a place for others to follow.

Information and quotations are courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_White_ and Newsday’s New York Moment: This Day in NY Sports History.

J-Speaks: Big Blue Wins It All Again Versus Pats

2012-02-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

Back in 2007, many experts felt the Giants were a long shot to win it all, particularly after their 4-4 finish to the season after getting off to a 6-2 beginning. They proved all their doubters wrong by winning at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at the National Football Conference (NFC) East Division rivals the Dallas Cowboys and then beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in overtime to win the NFC. In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants were not even expected to be the American Football Conference (AFC) Champion Patriots who were seeking to become the first team to finish undefeated since the 1972 Dolphins. When it was all said and done the underdog Giants beat the Pats 17-14. In 2011 the circumstances were very similar. They got off to another 6-2 start, but five losses in their next six outings brought them to a 7-7 mark. Wins in their last two games over the New York Jets and the rival Cowboys gave them a 9-7 record and the NFC East crown. In the postseason the beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-2; won at the Packers 37-20 and gutted out a 20-17 overtime win at San Francisco 49ers. They then proceeded to Indianapolis to take on the Patriots again and against all odds produced.

Similar to the Super Bowl back in 2008, the G-Men but together a final drive that went nine plays covering 88 yards in 2:49 that gave the Giants a 21-17 lead and eventually the victory when Pats quarterback Tom Brady’s hail marry pass in the closing seconds was knocked down in the end zone.

The victory gave “Big Blue” their second Super Bowl title in four years and they became the first team in NFL history to win it all after winning just nine games in the regular season. They also became the first team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl and have the worst rushing attack in the NFL.

The two main reasons that the Giants were able to capture their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy in team history is their signal caller Eli Manning, who was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVI and their stay the course head coach Tom Coughlin, who at one point this season many fans wanted gone.

“You share this with all the players. All the coaches, all the people that did a tremendous job to get us here,” said Coughlin, who at 65 years old became the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl

“To play against a great team like the Patriots and to have a finish like that that goes down in history. That’s a marvelous feeling.”

For Eli Manning, this Super Bowl win gave him his second title of his career, but once and for all proved that his no longer just the father of Archie Manning and the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts signal caller Peyton Manning, who sat out this season because of neck surgery and it is up in the air of weather he will play again as well as play for the Colts. However listening to Eli after the game, it was not about the fact he won his second title in the house that his brother built.

“It just feels good to win a Super Bowl. “It doesn’t matter where you are or what stadium,” said Manning, who went 30 for 40 for 296, a touchdown and no interceptions.

“Indianapolis been a great host of the Super Bowl, but I feel great for my teammates, my coaches and the Giants organization for all the dedication they put in this year to make this happen.”

Those teammates like they did in Super Bowl XLII came through in a big way. Four years ago, the last drive that was capped by a game-winning touchdown by for Giant wide receiver Plaxico Burress that gave the Giants a 17-14 would not had happened if former Giant wide receiver David Tyree made a spectacular catch with former safety and current NBC football analyst Rodney Harrison draped all over him as he made the catch. A similar situation took place last night when wide receiver Mario Manningham made a great catch keeping his feet in bounds that kept the game-winning drive going. It was capped by Ahmad Bradshaw with a 6-yard touchdown run that essentially gave the Giants the victory.

“We knew big plays were going to come. We just had to take advantage of them,” said Manningham, who had three receptions for 56 yards on that final drive.

Big plays were a plenty for another Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks who had 10 catches for 109 yards. One of the biggest plays though came from linebacker Chase Blackburn who killed a New England drive with an interception near the end zone late in the third quarter with the Pats leading 17-15. Not bad for a guy who was not even on the roster at the start of the season. In fact he was a substitute school teacher. He was a big reason why the Giants after putting a touchdown drive at the end of the first half and at the start of the third quarter held them scoreless the rest of the way.

“God works in mysterious ways. To get back here and be a part of this I can’t thank him enough” Blackburn, who won his second ring told WABC sports anchor Rob Powers after the game.

“I can’t imagine a better place to be…Being a part of the New York Giants again and obviously being here a world champion.”

When you win a Super Bowl, it is players and the coaches that make it happen, but it is the organization itself that sets the tone to allow the coaches to coach and the players to have the opportunity to go and perform. More than anything, especially in these last two Super Bowl triumphs, it takes gentleman like President and Chief Executive Office John K. Mara and Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch to stay the course in the best of times when the team was 6-2 to start both of these seasons and the worst of times particularly the three prior seasons when the Giants did not make the playoffs the last two or when they lost in the NFC Divisional Playoffs 23-11 to their East Division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles after going 12-4 in 2008.

“That’s just part of this business, but there’s not one coach in the league I would trade Tom Coughlin for. Were blessed him and he’s a two-time world champion now” Mara told NBC’s Dan Patrick after the game.

While having a strong ownership is important, it takes a strong fan base to build a team and that gives them the confidence and courage to perform to their potential. While fans can be tough at times, it takes that kind of high expectation to reach the mountaintop. As a result you get the kind of love that is unlike any other.

“We got the greatest fans in the world. The greatest players in the world; an unbelievable coach in Tom Coughlin and I want everybody in New York, New Jersey around the world this is for you guys. This team played its hearts out for you,” Tisch said after the game.

With another Super Bowl to their credit, there are now going to be the questions of how does the quarterback coach tandem of Manning and Coughlin stack up to those other QB/coach duos that have won Super Bowls. How many more can they win? Coughlin, who was part of Bill Parcels staff when the Giants won Super Bowl XXV feels that kind of talk is irrelevant.

“I’m not about comparisons or anything of that nature,” Coughlin said to Patrick after the game.

“I’m very thankful. Very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had as head coach of the New York Giants. The wonderful players I’ve had to work with; the coaches that have surrounded us and the support from the ownership. That’s what this is all about.”

It is also about players realizing being a part of something that is bigger than them. No one understands this better than rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich.

Three years ago the former Boston College star who was destined for the NFL was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that was in his leg. He was told by many that he may never walk again and he may even have his leg where the cancer infected taken off.

On Sept. 29, 2009 Herzlich announced that he was cancer free, which was confirmed by doctors. He returned to action for Boston College in 2010.

Despite his comeback season, he was not drafted by any NFL team. He did get a chance with the Giants and he made the roster and now can call himself a Super Bowl champion.

“This is the thing miracles are made of and this team has fought through a lot and I’m proud to be part of it,” Herzlich said.

Powers said it best about Herzlich and the Giants as a whole when he said, “This is the fighting spirit of the New York Giants. Super Bowl champion New York Giants.”

Tomorrow, the Giants will be celebrated by the New York faithful when they will have a victory parade that will go down the Parade of Heroes in New York City. It will end at City Hall where the team will receive the key to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I).

It will be a celebration for a team that showed the value of sticking with it in the worst of times and celebrating the greatest of times.

Information and quotations are courtesy of 2/5/12 6 p.m. Super Bowl XLVI on NBC with Al Michaels, Chris Collinsworth, Dan Patrick, Michelle Tafoya, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison; 2/5/12 11 p.m. edition of WABC Eyewitness News with Joe Torres and Sandra Bookman, reports from sports anchors Rob Powers and Laura Behnke; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Herzlich/Tom_Coughlin/New York Giants; http://www.espn.go.com/.

J-Speaks: The Icon of College Football Passes Away

2012-02-02T14:03:00.001-08:00

On Dec. 21, 1926, a young man came into this world and little did anyone know what he would accomplish. This man put a university in State College, PA on the map for their play on the grid iron on Saturdays, but they were also known for taking care of their business in the classroom Monday through Friday. He went on to win more games than anyone else and inspired all those that were around him and knew him. His legacy was eradicated by a scandal to end all scandals and it not only cost him his job, but eventually his life.

On Sunday morning of Jan. 22, legendary Penn State football coach and Brooklyn, NY native Joe Paterno passed away from lung cancer. He was 85.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years Susan, his five children Diana, Joseph, Jr. “Jay,” Mary Kay, David and Scott and 17 grandchildren. All five of his kids are Penn State graduates.

In a statement by the Paterno family, “He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life has been…”

Back on Wednesday, Jan. 25 about 1,000 people filled the streets to watch the funeral procession of Joe Paterno pass Beaver Stadium.

The day was capped by a private funeral service where the grandchildren shared stories of how Paterno, who we came to know as “Joe Pa,” would give them candy even when their grandmother said no.

One story that was shared that really showed what Paterno and his family were all about is when son Scott said that the kitchen table was always round to make froom for one more person.

The next day, thousands of Penn State fans gathered at the Bryce Jordan Center for public had a chance to pay their last respects to Paterno.

Paterno built one of the rare football programs in which players worked hard and succeeded on the football field as well as in the classroom. It was called, “Success with Honor.”

Under that mantra, Paterno won a Division I record 409 victories compiling a record of 409-136-3. He led the Nittany Lions to 37 Bowl appearances winning a Division I record 24 of them, which includes two National title victories in 1982 and 1986. More than

While Paterno was able to win a consistent number of games thanks in part to the greatness of his players each and every Saturday, many of whom went on to the National Football League, he also was successful in what he called “A Grand Experiment.” This was his way of saying that he wanted to be able to build a winning football teams that consisted of players that when their college careers were over graduated with their degrees.

The “Grand Experiment” worked as under Paterno his teams ranked among the best in the Big Ten Conference for graduates.

In 2008, Penn State had a 78 percent rate of success for graduating its students, which not only succeeded the 67 percent average among all other Division I institutions, but it was second in the Big Ten to Northwestern University.

Paterno believed in the education of Penn State students so much, particularly for the players that he coached in his 62 total years there, he and his wife Sue have contributed over $ million dollars to a number of departments and colleges on campus.

Back in 1997, after helping to raise $13.5 million in funds for the expansion of Pattee Library on campus, the University named the expansion Paterno Hall in honor of Joe and Sue.

It seemed like everything Joe Paterno did at Penn State on and off the football field put Penn State in a positive light.

So much so that he was immortalized with a larger than life statue outside of Beaver Stadium. On one of the walls it reads, “Joseph Vincent Paterno Educator, Coach, Humanitarian.” Also inscribed on the wall, “They asked me what I liked written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place not just that I was a good football coach.”

While he will be remembered for that, he will also be remembered for that ended his coach career not on his own terms and bring unwanted publicity to Nittany Lion Country.

In late Nov. 5, 2011 when former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested on 40 of child sex abuse. The most notable of those counts was one that stems back to 2002 when then graduate assistant coach Mike McQueary told Paterno that he saw Sandusky abusing a 10-year-old boy in a Penn State shower.

While Paterno did notify Athletic Director Tim Curley about the incident and then director of business and finance Gary Schultz, who oversaw the University Police, no one went to the authorities themselves.

Three days later, hundreds of students gathered in front of home of the Paterno family in support of the coach.

The following day, Paterno announced that he would retire at the end of the season. That was not satisfying to the hierarchy of the University Board of Trustees who voted that night to relieve Paterno of his coaching duties effective immediately.

The abrupt firing of Paterno, as well as the resignation of school president Graham Spanier triggered an outcry on campus where angry students protested, congregating outside the university’s administrative building chanting “Joe Pa’s” name and overturning a television news van.

With his legacy tarnished and his good name damaged, Paterno in the midst of it all appealed to the students to calm down and hit the books.

Two months after his disgraceful exit, Paterno took on another battle, lung cancer. At the same time he finally broke his silence about the scandal that ended his career to the Washington Post.

“I called my superiors and I said, ‘Hey we got a problem I think. Can you guys look into it? Cause I didn’t know you know…,” said Paterno.

Paterno also said, “I don’t think I deviated from what I’m all about and what I thought was important.”

As far as what he thought of his legacy or what was left of it in the eyes of Penn State faithful, current and former, Paterno said, “ I had a wonderful experience here at Penn State. I don’t want to walk away from this thing bitter.”

The question now is after all that Paterno did and what transpired in late 2011 that tarnished his good name, how should we remember Paterno.

Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated said, “Joe Paterno made a huge mistake that a lot of people will never ever forgive him for, but he did a lot of things that a lot of people will remember him very fondly for and a lot of people feel like they should remember him for.”

“Honestly he should have done more in that situation, but I don’t think this should be the way he is remembered,” says Michael Boyer, who is one of 23,000 people living in New York City that graduated from Penn State.

“I honestly think we lost one of the greatest role models for children and students, especially because not only did he coach football and that’s a very important job, but he also made sure all his students graduated.”

The Joseph Vincent Paterno story began in Brooklyn, NY. It then went on to Brown University where he played quarterback and cornerback. After graduating in 1950 he followed his college coach Rip Engle to Penn State where he would spend 16 years as his assistant. He was named the successor to Engle in February 1966 and put the institution on the map both on the football field and in academics. He fell from grace after one of his trusted lieutenants brought the scandals to end all scandals to the door steps of Penn State and it ended a legendary career in the blink of an eye. Fast forward two months later, lung cancer ended his life.

While his career ended abruptly, it was a remarkable career. One in which he coached more than just kids that did more than win games on the field, but excelled in the classroom. He gave back to his institution in both dollars and time. Above all he was loving husband, father and grandfather that all of North America came to know.

Information and quotations are courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org; 1/22/12 6 p.m. edition of PIX 11 (WPIX) News at 6 with Kaity Tong, report from Magee Hickey; 1/22/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “NBC Nightly News” with Lester Holt, reports from Michelle Franzen and Ron Allen; 1/22/12 6:30 p.m. edition of “ABC World News” with David Muir; 1/26/12 6 a.m. edition of Headline News “Morning Express” with Robin Meade, report from Carlos Diaz.

J-Speaks: Yankees’ Short Stop Reaches Major Milestone

2011-07-18T11:03:00.001-07:00

There are very few professional athletes who reach the kind of heights that put them into the category of legend. The New York Yankees have a player of such magnitude in their proud shortstop that is referred to today as “The Captain.” He has played a major role in helping the “Bronx Bombers” winning four World Series crowns in the last 17 years. Along the way he has made amazing plays in the regular season as well as in the postseason. He has won the hearts of New Yorkers as well as baseball fans and sports fans across the country and even the world. On Saturday July 9th versus the team’s American League Division rival the Tampa Bay Rays, this proud player joined an exclusive group of Major League Baseball (MLB) players and he did it in dramatic fashion.

In the bottom of the third inning, Yankees Shortstop Derek Jeter hit his third home run of the season that tied the contest at 1-1. That hit was the 3,000 of his proud Hall of Fame career which made him the 28^th player in MLB history to reach that milestone.

On the day, “The Captain” went 5-for-5 at the plate, scoring two runs and had the game-winning RBI in the “Bronx Bombers” 5-4 victory over the Rays. The five hits Jeter had are the most by any player at the New Yankee Stadium.

“I wasn’t sure it was going to be a home run,” Jeter said after the game.

“I’ve hit some home runs. I was hoping but afterwards it was relief. I was excited, but to be honest with you I was pretty relieved.”

He became just the 11^th player of those 28 to have all 3,000 hits with one team. He joins Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals (3,630); Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox (3,149); Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles (3,184); George Brett of the Kansas City Royals (3,154); Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers (3,142 s); Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres (3,141); Cap Anson of the Chicago Cubs, known back then as the Chicago White Stockings (3,081); Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros (3,060); Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers (3,007); Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates (3,000).

To put this date in an even greater perspective, Jeter became the first Yankee ever in their proud history to achieve 3,000 hits and became just the second player ever to accomplish this feet with a home run. The only other player to do that was former Yankee Wade Boggs nearly 12 years ago as a member of Tampa Bay when they were nicknamed the “Devil Rays in front of the home fans at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Boggs who was Jeter’s teammate when he was a rookie and they helped the Yankees to the title in a statement said, “I had an opportunity to play with Derek Jeter when he was a rookie in and I had no doubts that Derek would reach this milestone. He is a very consistent player and he never deviated from the game. When you stay healthy, and you are consistent and compile a lengthy career like Derek has done. You have the opportunity to reach that 3,000 plateau. Reaching the 3,000 hit mark is another piece of the legacy that Derek has created. It won’t be too long now before we are on the Veranda in Cooperstown at the Otesaga Hotel celebrating his induction to the Hall of Fame.”

This great day was more than just about this great player reaching a milestone that only a few have reached. This day really was a capsule of what Derek Jeter’s career and life not just as a Yankee but as a person.

From the first days that he was exposed to baseball, Jeter who was born in North Arlington NJ and raised in Kalamazoo, MI all he wanted to do was to play for the Yankees.

A lot of that inspiration came from when he was a kid when in the summer he and his younger sister Sharlee would stay with their grandparents in New Jersey and they would take them to see the Yankees at the old Stadium.

The former Kalamazoo Central High star and later Hall of Famer’s dream came true back in 1992 when he was drafted in Round 1 as the 6^th overall.

Jeter would make his debut in “Pinstripes” at the Seattle Mariners on May 29. 1995. His first major league hit came the next day, a single to left side off Tim Belcher.

The rest as they say is history. That history is composed of 2,213 singles, 481 doubles, 62 triples and 236 home runs. It also includes being the all-time leader in Yankees history in hits in the regular season, which he became when he passed Lou Gehrig last year and he is the all-time leader and the all-time leader in postseason hits in MLB history.

“You can’t come up with the words. To recognize that he did this and started this whole process back in 1992 is rewarding. It almost got a parental feeling to it,” MLB long time scout Dick Groch said to Kim Jones.

More than anything what Jeter has accomplished on the diamond is one that has gained in respect by the fans and his opponents.

When Jeter hit his third dinger of 2011, he got a not just a standing ovation from the crowd of 48,103, but the Rays players stood in their dug out and showed their respect. One of those teammates was former Yankee teammate Johnny Damon. When Jeter made his way across the diamond, Rays’ first baseman Casey Kotchman tipped his cap to Jeter on his historic accomplishment. No one though was more proud of this moment and understood what it meant than Jeter’s family and friends that were in attendance.

“I mean it was just tremendous,” Dr. Charles Jeter said to YES Network sideline reporter Kim Jones. “I really can’t describe how I was feeling then…To have Derek to come up there, were pulling for him and he hits a home run on the 3,000 hit. I just can’t describe it.”

While to the New York faithful this is something to be amazed by it is something that is no surprise to his teammates and his manager.

“I think he enjoys that moment He looks forward to it,” Yankees DH Jorge Posada said after the game.

“I don’t expect anything less than that from him because he takes the challenge,” said Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

“I don’t think you could script it any better,” Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi said after the game. “To get your 3,000 hit and a home run that tied the game and to get 3,003, a game-winner it just remarkable the day that he had.”

Taking the challenge is something that Jeter has made a staple for all 17 years of his career and this game was no different.

His homer not only got him into the history books, but it also tied the score at 1-1. His 5^th and final hit scored the game-winning run and as we have all come to know about Jeter, winning is the only thing that matters at the end of the day.

“It would have been really, really awkward to be out there doing interviews and waiving to the crowd after the game if we would’ve lost. So that was going through my head in my last at bat there. It’s nice obviously to get a hit, but we needed to win this game,” Jeter said.

Information and statistics are courtesy of 7/9/11 1 p.m. game of the Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees on Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) with Michael Kay and John Flaherty; 7/9/11 11 p.m. edition of CBS 2 News at 11 with Cindy Hsu, reports from sports anchor Otis Livingston and Dave Carlin; 7/9/11 11 p.m. edition of Eyewitness News with Sandra Bookman and Joe Torres, report from sports anchors Laura Behnke and Rob Powers; 7/10/11 6 a.m. edition of Eyewitness News This Morning with Phil Lipof and Michelle Charlesworth, report from sports anchors Laura Behnke and Rob Powers;

J-Speaks: An Icon and Trailblazer in Politics Passes

2011-07-13T11:14:00.001-07:00

It does not take a lot of time to make change. Sometimes it takes someone opening their mouth and making a statement. Other times it takes doing something that no one would ever do. On the night July 19, 1984 in San Francisco when a former Senator (D-MN) and former Vice President and a little known congresswoman from New York took the stage and accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination to run for the highest office in the land. This election broke many barriers and showed the nation that the female gender can stand on the high platform of politics and do it with grace, courage and confidence. Back in March we said goodbye to the lady that broke that political glass ceiling.

On Saturday Mar. 26 our nation said goodbye to former congresswoman of New York’s 9^th District in Queens Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY), who passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital from multiple myeloma, an incurable form of bone marrow cancer that she was diagnosed with in 1998. She was 75 years old. When she was diagnosed at the time, she was told by doctors that she would only live for three more years, five years at the most. She fought the cancer for twelve years before it took her life.

A private funeral service was held for Ferraro at the Church of St. Vincent Ferraro on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Earlier in the week back in March, a public wake was held for Ferraro at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home also located on the Upper East Side.

She is survived by her husband of 50 years real estate developer and owner P. Zaccaro and Company John Zaccaro, their three children Donna, John Jr. and Laura and eight grandchildren.

“Her courage and generosity of spirit throughout her life, waging battles big and small, public and personal will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed,” the family said in a statement back in March.

Ferraro was born in Newburgh, NY on Aug. 26, 1935. She was the daughter of Antonetta L. a first generation Italian American seamstress and Dominick Ferraro also an Italian immigrant and owner of two restaurants.

Ferraro moved to the South Bronx when her father passed away from a heart attack in May 1944 and the family lost the businesses he owned.

After graduating from Marymount Academy in Tarrytown, NY in 1952, Ferraro moved on to Marymount Manhattan College on scholarship and worked two to three jobs to pay for her education. Four years later Bachelor’s of Arts in English. She also passed the city examination to receive her license to be a school teacher.

She would teach 2^nd grade at P.S. 85, The Judge Charles J. Vallone School in Astoria, Queens.

Despite all of what she accomplished, she was not satisfied so she decided to attend Fordham University Law School at night and earned her Juris Doctor degree with honors in 1960. When she graduated, she was only one of two women in her class out of 179 people.

After a period of time working part-time as a civil lawyer for her husband’s real estate firm for 13 years and doing some pro bono work for women in family court, Ferraro’s big political break came in January of 1974 when she was appointed Assistant District Attorney for Queens by her cousin, District Attorney Nicholas Zaccaro. This happened at a time when women prosecutors were uncommon.

Ferraro continued her rise when she was assigned to the first Special Victims Bureau the following year where she supervised cases dealing with sex crimes, domestic violence, child and senior abuse.

In her time with the D.A., Ferraro gained a reputation as a no nonsense prosecutor who was fair when it came to plea bargains. She even conducted some of the trials the Special Victims Unit took herself and convinced the juries she argued in front of to rule in her favor.

Ferraro grew very frustrated by the fact that she was being paid less than her male counterparts and found the nature of her cases she dealt with deliberating and thought about running for legislative office.

She ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 9^th Congressional District in Queens in 1978. The main issues she ran on were law and order, support for the elderly, and neighborhood preservation.

Ferraro treaded very carefully in this campaign because she was running for election in an area of New York that was known for their conservative views.

She put an emphasis in her campaign that she was not a liberal and that enabled her to win the primary by 53 percent of the three-way vote over City Councilman Thomas J. Manton and then beat Alfred A. DelliBovi in the general election by 10 percent point margin.

She would represent New York’s 9^th District for three terms, but Ferraro’s biggest moment in politics was about to come.

On July 12, 1984, former Vice President and former Senator (D-MN) Walter Mondale tapped Ferraro to be his Vice Presidential candidate.

Ferraro not only became the first woman and first Italian American to run on a major political party’s national ticket in the United States.

Her July 19, 1984 nomination acceptance at the Democratic National Convention that night in San Francisco, CA was one of the most emotional moments in our country.

In an acceptance speech that lasted eight minutes, Ferraro gave a speech that brought tears and cheers that changed the landscape of political history in the U.S.

“My name is Geraldine Ferraro. I stand before you to proclaim tonight America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us,” she said that night. “There is no are no doors we cannot unlock.”

One person this moment touched was ABC News contributor Cokie Roberts who was their reporting the event.

“Nobody who was there would forget, particularly any females who were there,” Roberts said.

“There she came out on the state this little figure in white on the podium and the women in the crowd were crying, were screaming, were incredibly excited and there I was as a reporter trying to be very stern and solemn, but I do remember going over to a colleague and squeezing her hands so rapturously because we had to play it straight, but it was a very exciting moment in women’s history.”

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said, “The drumbeat that Geraldine Ferraro began that day in July will continue for a long time to come.”

What really made this moment special is how Ferraro handled herself throughout the campaign. She stood tall and never back down. She proved in every interview on shows like NBC’s “Meet the Press,” to debates against then candidate George Herbert Walker Bush.

In her debate with Bush when he said to Ferraro, “Let me help you with the difference Miss. Ferraro between Iran and The Embassy and Lebanon.”

Ferraro stated back to Bush, “Let me just say first of all that I almost resent Vice President Bush your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy.”

Back on the Oct. 14, 1984 edition of “Meet the Press” Ferraro was asked would she be able to push the nuclear button if necessary.

Her answer, “I can do whatever is necessary in order to protect the security of this country.”

Unfortunately Mondale and Ferraro lost to Ronald Reagan and Bush, who won their re-election bid and they did it in a landslide on Nov. 6, 1984. They won 59 percent of the popular vote and received 55 percent of the women’s vote.

Things did not get better the next year for Ferraro as her husband was convicted of financial fraud, which became an issue during the campaign. He was sent to do 150 hours of community service.

Politically, Ferraro ran twice for Senate representing New York, but lost and in 1998, she was diagnosed with an incurable form of bone marrow cancer.

While many would have let this kind of news devastate them and kill them in that moment, Ferraro kept pushing forward.

She in the years to come would become a writer, a political commentator and a grandmother.

“I don’t want to have the big C on my face because that’s not me,” Ferraro said.

“I’m still gonna go on and do the things I do.”

What she did more than anything is she showed our nation that women deserve a place in politics and that they can do the job that their male counterparts can even better.

Today there are 17 female Senators and between 40 and 50 in the House of Representatives.

As Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said back in late March, “she broke those barriers and made it all possible.”

“All those successes that she made makes my career possible,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “Makes the career of every young woman who wants to do public service possible.”

President Obama made maybe the boldest statement about what Ferraro’s career means when he said that his daughters “Sasha and Malia will grow up in a more equal America because of the life Geraldine Ferraro chose to live.”

Geraldine Ferraro was more than just a woman who was a politician. She was a trailblazer that showed our nation that a woman can be anything she wants to be when she sets her mind to it. She showed us what it meant to take the challenge and do something many thought she could not do. In her darkest moment is when her sole shined the brightest and uplifted many of us at that time when it was necessary.

When it comes down to it, Geraldine Ferraro displayed the true meaning of it is not the size of the dog in the fight. It is the size of the fight in the dog.

Information and quotations are courtesy of 3/26/11 6:30 p.m. edition of “ABC World News” with David Muir; 3/26/11 6:30 p.m. edition of “NBC Nightly News” with Lester Holt, report was from Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O’ Donnell; 3/26/11 6 p.m. edition of 4 NY News at 6 with Shiba Russell, report from Chris Glorioso; 3/27/11 8 a.m. edition of “Good Morning America” with Biana Golodryga and Dan Harris, report from Linsey Davis; 3/27/11 9 a.m. edition of Eyewitness News This Morning with Phil Lipof and Michelle Charlesworth, report from Darla Miles and Jaime Roth; 3/28/11 5 p.m. edition of Eyewitness News with Diana Williams and Sade Baderinwa; 3/29/11 & 3/31/11 6 p.m. edition of CBS 2 News at 6 p.m. with Don Dahler and Dana Tyler; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro.

New York Knicks waiving Stephon Marbury

2009-02-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

It was the soap opera that dominated the sports pages of the Tri-State area papers. It was the headline of all Tri-State area sportscast. Finally though the New York Knickerbockers earlier this week said good-bye to their disgruntled point guard that was supposed to bring them glory, but instead brought a lot of pain and suffering both on and off the court.

On Tuesday, the Knicks finally reached a deal with disgruntled point guard Stephon Marbury to waive him from the team recoup some of the money that he had left on his $20.8 million salary from this season. According to Newsday, Marbury walk away with $4.5 million of the $6.4 million that was left on his salary. The agreement also included $400,000 in fines that the team put against him for allegedly refusing to play on Nov. 26, 2008 at the Detroit Pistons.

Marbury had returned to Manhattan to attend arbitration in regards to the fine. Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni gave his testimony in the morning and when both sides broke for lunch, they returned and came to an agreement to table the arbitration towards the process of buying out Marbury’s contract.

When he left the law offices of Skadden Arps at about 2:25 in the afternoon, Marbury left with his fist held above his head saying, “I’m happy!”

With that, the man who grew up in Coney Island idolizing growing up was now yesterday’s news.

It was just about five years ago when the Knicks traded for Coney Island native Stephon Marbury from the Phoenix Suns that they felt they were on their way back to their glory days of making the playoffs and competing for an NBA title. Fast those five, years only one playoff appearance in 2004, where they were swept by their cross town rivals the New Jersey Nets 4-0. In the following years go come, the team has gone through five head coaches, had players that did not produce on the court despite having contracts that said otherwise. That resulted in the team winning only 113 out of 287 games that Marbury played in. That equals a .394 winning percentage.

Of the four players that Marbury is included in when it comes to those that average over 18 points, seven assists and three rebounds per game, he is the only one to not to turn his team that he plays for into a champion. The other three that have while putting up those same numbers or better over their career and have won championships are Oscar Robertson, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his former head coach with the Knicks Isiah Thomas. On top of that, each of three former players was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

While he may not make the Hall of Fame, he can be a part of a championship puzzle as he signed with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics two days ago. He will be Boston’s back up point guard to starter Rajon Rondo. His signing with Boston also reunites him with former teammate with the Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Garnett, who is currently missing in action because of an injury.

With a new opportunity, Marbury hopes to get back on track and help the Celtics in their quest to repeat as champions.

Unfortunately, the sigma of that every team that he leaves gets better may continue. When he was traded from Minnesota in the middle of the 1998-99 campaign to the New Jersey Nets, the Wolves won a franchise record at the time 50 games the next season and would make the playoffs for those next five years. Their most successful season in team history came in 2003-04 when the team won a franchise best 58 contests and were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They won their first two playoff rounds in team history beating the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in four and seven games respectably, but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angles Lakers in six games.

When the Nets traded Marbury to the Phoenix Suns in 2001 for Jason Kidd, all they did was win back-to-back Atlantic Division titles and made back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference representatives. They would lose in both seasons respectably to the Lakers in 2002 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.

While the first season in Phoenix was rough for Marbury as the team did not make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, they would bounce back the next season winning 44 games making the playoffs, but lost to the eventual NBA champion Spurs in six games. In 2003-04, the Suns took a step backwards as they won only 29 games and missed the postseason. On Jan. 6, 2004, Marbury was traded by the Suns to the Knicks.

All the Phoenix Suns did in that period of time was win 62, 54, 61 and 55 games over the next four years. Win three consecutive Pacific Division titles from 2005 to 2007. They also had their new lead guard Steve Nash leading them and all he did in 2005 and 2006 was become the second point guard since “Magic” Johnson to win the Most Valuable Player Award on more than one occasion.

As for the New York Knicks of today, they have under new the guidance new head coach D’Antoni have been more exciting and competitive. They are currently 24-34 now and are on the outside of the playoffs looking only trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by a game and a half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

If there is one that has been proven is that Marbury has great talent. He has yet to use that talent to make his team better in the long term. Now with the Celtics, he now has a chance to use his talent, although be it in a supporting role and give the Celtics something that can propel them to their goal of back-to-back titles. If he goes back to his me first ways, he will be gone.

His career is in his hands, it is up to him to make himself and the way former teammates and fans see him. He has to go back to being Stephon Marbury the basketball player, the team player and not the name of his sneaker ‘Starbury.’

Information and statistics are courtesy of NBA.com, en.wikipedia.com and Newsday (Editon of Feb. 25, 2009)

Iconic Type II Diabetes Claims Life of Iconic NBA Owner

2009-02-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, the National Basketball Association lost a proud member of its family when Utah Jazz Owner Larry Miller H. passed away due to type 2 diabetes. He was 64 years old.

Miller passed away with his family around him at their home in Salt Lake City at 3:54 p.m.

Back in June of 2008, according to ESPN.com, Miller suffered a heart attack and he was in the hospital for two months because of complications from diabetes. He was in a wheelchair when he was released from the hospital, but his medical problems did continue which lead his legs being amputated six inches below the knee this past January.

“He did everything he could to stay here, but it wasn’t meant to be, but he went peacefully,” Gail Miller, Larry’s widow told the media on Friday. “We had a wonderful week together. He came home from the hospital to pass and was with him all week. We reminisced and I don’t think there are many widows that can go to an archive and be comforted by what they see like I will be able to do.”

The last memory that Gail gave to her husband was last Thursday night when she told him that his team defeated the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics 90-85.

“It is with great sadness that I offer condolences to Gail and the Miller family on behalf of the entire NBA family,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern in a statement on Friday. “Larry’s legacy extends beyond the NBA as he touched many lives in the Salt Lake City region through his business ventures and charitable endeavors. The NBA lost a great leader, colleague and friend today. We will miss him.”

As self-made business man and entrepreneur, Miller amassed more than 80 businesses and properties in Salt Lake City. Those businesses include Larry H. Miller Toyota, KJZZ-TV, Larry H. Miller Megaplex, Prestige Financial, Miller Motorsports Park and Jordan Commons cinema/restaurant complexes.

When Miller bought the Utah Jazz for $66 million in 1985 as a co-owner and becoming soul owner a year later, he helped mold the small town team that first began in New Orleans, LA with the very odd named and turned it into one of the most model franchises in professional sports.

Under his guidance, the Utah Jazz made 19 consecutive playoff appearances, won seven division titles (1989, 992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2007, 2008) and made the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 where they lost both times to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.

What allowed Miller to consistently put together a team that was successful for so long is that he had three building blocks that would represent the foundation of the Jazz from that day to the present. In point guard John Stockton, he had a floor general that played all 19 of his seasons with the Jazz and finished as the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals. His running mate power forward Karl Malone, that he found quite a number of times, finished his 19-year NBA career, 18 of those in Utah as the second leading scorer in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He won two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in 1997 and 1999.

Besides the incredible number Malone and Stockton put up, in 2,968 games played in that time span, they missed a combine total of 30 games in that span due to injury or in Malone’s case a few times because of suspension.

In Jerry Sloan, who was the only head coach of Utah under Miller’s watch, All he did was become one of five head coaches in NBA history to reach 1,000 career wins, which he achieved on Dec. 11, 2006 when the Jazz defeated the Dallas Mavericks 101-79. He also became the first head coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins with one team when Utah won versus the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-97. It all adds up including the playoffs, 1,114 victories.

This past Saturday in tribute to their owner, each of the players wore a patch with the initials LHM on their jerseys in honor of Miller. The courtside seat that he always sat in at Energy Solutions Arena was empty with a rose upon it.

There was a sign in the arena that a fan held up during the game in reference to Miller that said, “We knew this guy. We loved this guy. We’ll miss this guy.”

After the Jazz defeated the New Orleans Hornets 102-88, point guard Deron Williams presented the game ball to Gail.

Miller leaves behind his wife of 43 years Gail. Their five children: Gregory Scott, Roger Lawrence, Stephen Frank, Bryan Joseph and Karen Rebecca as well as 20 grandchildren.

“I hope my death goes as smoothly and beautifully as his did,” Greg, CEO of the Jazz. “He died at home in his bed, overlooking the city that he loved, surrounded by the people that he loved and he gave it his all before he gave up the ghost.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of NBA TV, GMC NBA Countdown on ABC, ESPN.com and en.wikipedia.com.

Two of the NBA’s Finest Deliver Performances For The Ages At MSG

2009-02-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

In the just a 48 hour span, two of the National Basketball Association’s finest delivered out of this world performances at Madison Square Garden. These two great stars showed why the debate of who is the best in recent years is always a hot topic in newspapers and sports shows across the country. What they also showed what the value of the NBA means to them and why fans despite the Knicks are not of any relevance in NBA playoff circle, still come and see them when they are in action.

On Monday night, Los Angles Lakers All-Star guard Kobe Bryant had the 4th highest scoring game of his career with 61 points on 19-of-31 shooting from the field, connecting on 3-for-6 from three point range and going 20-for-20 from the free throw line in the Lakers 126-117 win over the New York Knicks. His 61 points were the most points scored at MSG. That beat out the 60-point output former Knick great Bernard King had on Christmas Day in 1984 in a 120-114 loss to the New Jersey Nets. It also beat out famed “double nickels” performance Michael Jordan on Mar. 28, 1995, wearing No. 45 and his famous Air Jordan sneakers in his first game back at MSG when he came back to the NBA.

Two nights later, LeBron James recorded the third best scoring night for an opponent at MSG, while garnered his fourth triple-double of the season with 52 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107-102 over the Knicks. He went 17 for 33 from the field and 16 for 19 from the free throw line. His performance also marked the first time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 where a player notched a triple-double while scoring 50 points in an NBA game. This is also the second time in less than a year that James has scored 50-plus at “The World Most Famous Arena.” On Mar. 5, 2008 James scored 50 points going 16 of 30 from the floor, which included 7-13 from the three-point line and 11 for 16 from the free throw line and handed out 10 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals. The Cavs won that game as well over the Knicks 119-105.

Two both James and Bryant, having a performance like this is not unusual, but doing it in the fashion that they did and in front of the most passionate basketball fans in one of the most special sports venues is something that took them back. It especially got to Bryant when he heard the shouts of “MVP!” from the 19,763 members in the stands.

“This place is special because the fans they’ll boo you the whole game, but they appreciate the game,” Bryant said after the game. “I think tonight it felt great to get that reaction from these fans because it’s them saying we love what you do and it was a great performance and for them to celebrate that a that moment felt great.”

“One thing they are going to do, they are going to cheer when they see greatness and you can’t take that away from them because they are fans, they are fans of the game, they love the game of basketball,” James said on Wednesday.

To both players, performing on stages like this is what they live for. These are moments they dreamed about growing up. With that being said, there is one thing that drives them both to give performances like this. That is winning, particularly this season.

When Monday night had reached its conclusion, Bryant’s performance was great, but on this night he had a lot of help. Center Pau Gasol had 31 points and 14 rebounds and reserve swingman and former Knick Trevor Ariza had 13 points and eight boards to give L.A. their 38 victory of the season to nine defeats. That is the top record in the NBA’s Western Conference.

While James was spectacular, he also had help from his friends as center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and eight rebounds and reserve forward Wally Szczerbiak had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Cleveland’s victory over the Knicks on Wednesday brought their record to 39-9, the second best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

For both players, it is one thing to be great when it matters most, but performing well individually means nothing without getting the victory when the dust settles at the end of the contest. If you do not believe that, just look at the Olympics from this past summer. If you saw it, then you know what winning that gold medal meant to both these Olympians and their teammates.

Along with winning, these two guys who we will see in the 2008 All-Starr Game next Sunday night, respect the history of the game and those that paved the way for them to be who they are on the hardwood.

“This building is special because it’s the last one left,” Bryant says. “You have the Boston Garden, which I never played in. The [Great Western] Forum and then there’s this building. This is the last one that holds all the memories and all the great players and coming up the elevator shaft and thinking about Willis Reed and thinking about Jerry West and all the great rivalries that they had in this building and it makes it very special.”

For two nights, Bryant and the Lakers, James and the Cavs took over the MSG hardwood. They showed us what greatness as the star and leaders of their teams are and why the debate on who the best is at this point of their respective careers continues.

Statistical information and quotations is courtesy of NBA.com, the Tuesday edition of ESPN’s Sportscenter, www.en.wikipedia.org; and the Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009 and Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 editions of Newsday.

The Meaning of the 2009 Inauguration and the Challenges It Represents

2009-01-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be a day that will live in lore forever. It will open a door that Americans, particularly African Americans have waited for a long time. This will begin a journey that will change our society forever. It will officially announce to America and the world a change has taken place. However, tomorrow will also bring into full focus the great challenges the incoming President will be facing.

On January 20, 2009, millions will be gathered in Washington, DC, as well as those that like myself that will be watching on television to see the swearing in of the 44th President of the United States, and it’s first African American - Barack Obama.

On Tuesday, the country will see the swearing in of a person we will entrust to end two wars abroad, to fix a crippled economy, homeowners are losing their homes in record numbers. Those that still own their homes are having trouble heating them and keeping food on the table. Families cannot send their children to higher education because they don’t know if they will have a job. People are resorting to working two part-time jobs to keep their heads above water.

Besides the loss of jobs, the crippling economy, the confidence of the American people must be restored.

What the last eight years has taught us more than anything is how disgruntled, angry and disgusted Americans feel about how their government. For many, government was supposed to be a place where we could look to for hope, opportunity and chance. What the election as a whole has shown us; is that we cannot look to government alone for confidence and hope. They can be a guiding force, but we as a people we have to do what it takes to improve our lives.

It is going to be up to the American people to bring our country back, we did not get into this situation over night and we will not get out of it overnight. But by rolling up our sleeves and backing our new President we will bring America back. By becoming better parents, neighbors, students -we can do it.

On Nov. 4, 2008. When I went to vote on that morning, In my nine years of voting, I actually had to wait in line to cast my vote. This time, I had to line up at 5 a.m. and the poll was packed. This signaled to me the importance of this day.

I saw 15 of my former classmates and peers I went to school with cast their vote. As we stood in line, we both reminisced about back when we were in school together and how life has changed. Back when we were in school, we were always taught that we could be anything we wanted to be, if we were dedicated to the task. If we took pride in being great everyday. This was a day that really brought what we learned in school full circle.

That day also brought something even more important into focus that I learned about later that day. While many I know did vote for our soon to be 44th President, many did not vote for the State and local candidates who were running that day. What this highlighted for me was the disconnect that many have with government. Yes we have an African American that will be sitting in the White House. Yes we will have someone who is ready to lead us to better days, but in order for things to be taken care of at the national level, we must also take care of home by electing good people on the local level.

I remember something that the Director of Human Resources of Town of Hempstead and co-chairman of the Hempstead Republican Committee told me about former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Thomas Phillip “Tip” O’Neill, Jr. (D-MA) preaches a line that O’Neill said he learned as a senior at Boston College, when he ran for a seat on the Cambridge City Council and suffered his first and only electoral loss. The line he said and the one Mr. Salmon always said, was “All politics is local.”

Let us remember, it was not that long ago that Obama was a community organizer in the toughest of neighborhoods in Chicago and it is because of his commitment to make that community better and those that he worked with came together and worked their tails off to make the community better.
This work ethic allowed him to become a United States Senator and in less than 24 hours the leader of a world that is need of a steady hand.

It is true that tomorrow will bring a tremendous amount of joy, invigoration, love, pride and appreciation. What America has to understand is that this is not the end, it is only the beginning. We have an economy that must be repaired. Americans who need to be put back to work. An education system that must be revised. Above all , we as a nation must come together. It is time for us to become a nation that will take the steps to end racism.

After all the confetti has been dropped, all the champagne has been drank at the parties, the music concludes and the parades have stopped, the real works begins.

Obama knew this coming in. That is why he gave the keys to the security of our nation to his rival former New York Senator Hillary Clinton as our new Secretary of State. He also will host a luncheon honoring Sen. John McCain, his political rival.

If anyone has any questions about Obama’s readiness to take on these tremendous challenges that our nation and world will face. Just look at his cabinet, this tells the story about how ready he is.

So if you are not going to work tomorrow, while watching the Inauguration, think about how you can do your part to full fill President Obama agenda of getting America back on track.

“Tip O’Neill” quote is courtesy of www.en.wikipedia.org

Baseball Hall of Fame Announces Induction Henderson and Rice

2009-01-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

This past week, the doors to Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened for what many considered the greatest lead-off hitter of all-time and for a Boston Red Sox who got in on his final chance of eligibility.

On July 26, 2009, Rickey Henderson, who received 511 votes out of 539 (94.8 percent) in his first year on the ballot and Jim Rice, who in is final year of eligibility received 412 votes (76.4 percent) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

In both players cases, each individually put up mind blowing numbers that gave them the opportunity to be the first left fielders in more than 20 years to be immortalized forever in the profession that they gave everything that they had.

In his 25-year playing career where he played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angles Angels of Anaheim), New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, the 50-year old became MLB’s all-time leader in runs scored with 2, 295, stolen bases with 1,406 and lead-off home runs with 81. He finished his career second in walks with 2,190 and is 21st in hits with 3,055.

“I think as a kid, as a ball player, you look at some of the greatest players that played the game and what they went through and then when they was finished with their career, how well they was honored,” says Henderson, who retired from baseball at age 44.

“So the Hall of Fame means a great deal to me. I’m just happy that I got chosen the first round in the Hall of Fame.”

While he did put up strong numbers, Henderson also did it with great efficiency by averaging per season as a hitter, with a .401 on base percentage and hit 297 career home runs.

More than anything he had a knack of making big plays in the biggest of moments. In 1993, he was part of a 3-run walk-off home run that was hit by Joe Carter in the bottom of the ninth inning that helped the Toronto Blue Jays to a 8-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies and gave Blue Jays back-to-back World Series titles.

On Aug. 27, 1982, he broke the single-season steals record, finishing that season with 130, which surpassed Lou Brock’s 118 in 1974. On May 1, 1991, Henderson set the all-time record in MLB for career steals with 939 stolen base as an Athletic against of all teams the Bronx Bombers, better known as the Yankees. He embraced that mild stone by pulling the base out of the ground and held it in the air.

In 2001, Henderson recorded two milestones when he was with the Padres. On Oct. 4, he surpassed Ty Cobb as the league’s all-time leader in runs scored and on Oct. 7, recorded the 3, 000 hit of his career.

Along with his great numbers and milestone moments, he managed to garner some individual recognition. He was an all-star 10 times, won three Silver Slugger Awards (1981, 1982 and 1985); was the 1990 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), the 1989 American League Championship Series MVP and in the late stages of his career was the 1999 National League (NL) Comeback Player of the Year.

When we think of Jim Rice, the name that comes to mind of someone who waited a long time to be immortalized as a Hall of Famer in the sport where the number say he should have been in a lot sooner is former Washington Redskins’ wide receiver Art Monk.

In his career as a Red Sox, Rice had a .298 batting average, hit 382 homers, had 1, 451 runs batted in (RBIs) and a .502 slugging percentage. In the time period from 1975-86, what many considered the greatest time of baseball, Rice lead all AL players with 350 home runs, 1, 276 RBI’s and 2,145 hits. He led the AL in homers on three occasions (1977, 1978 and 1983), RBIs in 1978 and 1983 and in total bases four times (1977-79 and 1983).

He was selected to eight AL all-star teams, was Silver Slugger Award recipient back-to-back years in 1983 and 1984 and was AL MVP in 1978.

“It is a crime and I blame my colleagues who are baseball writers as a group for letting this guy go this long,” Michael Wilbon, Washington Post Sports Columnist and co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.

His real crowning moment came in 1986 when he hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th inning in Game 7 of the 1986 ALCS that gave the Red Sox a 7-1 lead over the California Angels that they would never recover from and Boston went on to win the pennant 4-3. The Red Sox though lost to the New York Mets in seven games in the World Series.

While it might have taken a long time, Rice is very thankful for the opportunity to be enshrined forever the greatest of his professional sport.

“It’s a big relief. It just seems like. I did not have any weight on my shoulders per say before that, but when I got the call, it just seem like everything just fell back and so that was a relief there,” Rice said to reporters earlier this week. “I’ m not going to bad mouth the writers on why they waited so long because the numbers are still the same.”

In a sport today that does not have many African Americans in it, these two when they played were one of the best. They achieved greatness individually and made their team great in the biggest of moments. They put up the numbers and made the headlines at the same time. They still have one more headline to make and that is in July when they will be inducted with the greatest to ever play in Major League Baseball.

Statistical Information and quotations are courtesy of ESPN’s Sportscenter, www.wikipedia.org and web.baseballhalloffame.org

What happened in 2008 and what is ahead in 2009

2009-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

The year of 2008 was one that made us take of notice about where we are in today’s world. This was a year where the unthinkable took place. It was a year when we thought things that would never happened in our lifetime became reality. 2008 showed us that when we only take interest in ourselves and not the great good of people, dreams can be shattered, lives can be turned upside down and the future can be bleak. This was also a year where we said goodbye to people who impacted our lives through the big and small screen, to those who entertained us in person and one who made us better through lectures More than anything 2008 was a year of the reemergence of what it takes to be successful and that in order for things to happen it takes more than just the individual themselves.

The biggest story of what took place in 2008 happened on Nov. 4 when this nation stood as one and voted our first African American president in Barack Obama. What this showed us more than anything is what the true meaning of individual power really is. For as long as we can remember we were always told that people have sacrificed their lives for us to have the right to vote. There was a time when African Americans were shunned away from the poles. There was a time when women did not have the right to vote. That was something for a long time we took for granted, until this year.

Why this year? Well because of what has occurred. In just the past 12 months, were have an economy system that is in shambles. We have banks like Merrill Lynch that needed to be bought to be prevented from going under. We have three of the top automakers GM, Chrysler and Ford, all of whom are based in Michigan by the way, needed a government bailout to stay afloat. On top of that, people have lost their jobs and have been unable to afford to pay their mortgage on their house, which has resulted in the highest rate of foreclosures that this country has ever witnessed. On top of that, we are at war in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

If there is anything that these events has shown is the importance of having a steady hand in the highest office in the land is very important. That we have an individual who we can have faith in that understands that America is only as good as the governing body that resides over it. More importantly, we are a nation of people who are willing to work together and be equal in standards and not petty things like money, power and greed. That is what it will take to get our nation back on track.

While there were times that were bleak in 2008, it did have some high points besides our nation electing the first African American President. We witnessed one of the greatest performances at the Olympics when Michael Phelps in Beijing won eight gold medals in his swimming events. He surpassed Mark Spitz, also an American swimmer, who garnered seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

His performance showed us that you can make a name for yourself and the sport that you represent. This is someone who opened up our eyes to something that we did not pay much attention to. He showed us how ones competitive spirit and dedication can make you go from unknown to well known. On top of that, it also showed us that when you have family behind you, you are a winner regardless of what happens in the heat of battle. During the Olympic coverage you saw Phelp’s Mother Deborah Sue Davisson Phelps and his two older sisters Whitney and Hilary routing him on in every event. When you have that kind of support, you can do special things.

We learned one other very important lesson from the Olympics and that is the value of team. This was taught to us by the 2008 USA Men’s Basketball team, who took Olympic Gold over the Spanish National team 118-107 on Aug. 24, 2008 to capture Olympic Gold for the first time since 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. In the past, the United States has been criticized for putting together a team of a bunch of NBA All-Stars practicing for couple of months or less and going to the Olympic sight and winning gold. In the past, that formula did succeed, but in 2000, things started to change. While the 2000 edition captured gold, it was not easy. The rest of the world caught up and before you knew it, the United States was defeated in the 2004 Olympics.

The 2008 Men’s National Team was put together very differently. They appointed Jerry Colangelo, the national director of USA Basketball. He also made it clear to those players he asked to be on the team that they make a three-year commitment, which included participation in the 2006 FIBA World Championship Games and the 2008 Olympics itself. In selecting the coaching staff, Colangelo chose Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski, to be assisted by Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University, New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers. While the team consisted NBA prominent All-Stars like Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat), Kobe Bryant (Los Angles Lakers), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), the team also had balance of great role players like Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks), Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) and Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets).

Together, that group not only represented well on the court, but it made our country proud of the court. They were seen at all the events, which included seeing Phelps make history winning his eight gold medals. They took in the sights like going to the Great Wall of China. On the court, they played well on both ends. They made the extra pass on offense and were like a connected string on defense. They defeated China, Angola, Greece, Spain and Germany by an average of 32.2 points per contest. The gold medal contest though was not an easy one. The United States lead by as many as 14, but Spain did not concede and came back cut the margin to 2 points with 9 minutes to go. The USA held Spain off thanks to Wade who scored 27 points, 21 of those authored in the first half and to Bryant who scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the USA won.

What was so special about this team was the joy they had of the process. To each of the players, bring gold back to America was important and you saw that jubilation at the end of the game when they all hugged one another at center court. They treasured that moment right before our very eyes and made their country very proud.

At the end of each year is a time to look back at those we lost. People who we celebrate their lives because they impacted so many. As CBS News’s “The Early Show” Anchor Maggie Rodriguez said at the close of the CBS Evening News this past Wednesday, “Some of these lives were long. Some were too short, but they were lives lived well and well worth remembering.”

The list of those who left us in 2008 include actor Heath Ledger, who seemed to be on the verge of greatness, particularly with his role as The Joker in the latest installment of the Batman series “The Dark Knight.” He unfortunately left us earlier this year when he passed from an alleged drug overdose. He was 29 years old.

In the late stages of 2008 we lost one of the first true symbols of beauty, grace and elegance to African Americans in Eartha Kitt. She left us on Christmas night at age 81 after a long battle with colon cancer. She left behind a career that span six decades as an actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her role as Catwoman on the television series “Batman.”

That is not bad for someone who life was very rough in the beginning. She was sent away from her home in South Carolina to live with relatives after her mother remarried and her new husband wanted nothing to do with a child that was mixed.

She got her first big break when she moved to Harlem and joined the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. From there she went on to win two Emmys; got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960; was named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Negro Musicians in 1968 and was a Nightlife Legend award recipient in 2006.

What she is probably most famous for more than anything is her speaking out against the Vietnam War at a luncheon at the White House by First Lady Bird Johnson. Within two hours, Kitt was unable to find work performing in the United States would spend the next several years touring in Europe before coming back.

Among other giants in world that left us in 2008 was NBC Chief Washington Correspondent and moderator of “Meet The Press” Tim Russert (May 7, 1950-Jun. 13, 2008); Actress Estelle Getty (Jul. 25, 1923-Jul. 22, 2008); Sen. Jesse Helm (R-N.C.) (Oct. 18, 1921-Jul. 4, 2008); Actor, director, entrepreneur and humanitarian Paul Newman (Jan. 26, 1925-Sept. 26, 2008); Writer and Director Michael Chrichton (Oct. 23, 1942-Nov. 4, 2008). Best known for the Jurassic Park movies and one of the longest running primetime drama on NBC “ER;” Actor and comedian Bernie Mac (Oct. 5, 1957-Aug. 9, 2009). Musician Issac Hayes (Aug. 20, 1942-Aug. 10, 2008) and ABC’s Wide World of Sports host James Kenneth McManus, better known as Jim McKay. He is most remembered for his introduction which went like, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is “ABC’s Wide World of Sports!”

The year of 2008 had a lot of highs and a lot of reality checking lows. It showed us how teamwork can bring greatness and it also showed us how greed can destroy or alter the lives of many. It showed how we can get passed our differences and put someone in a position where they can guide in bringing a nation and hopefully a world back to prominence. What happens in 2009 is unknown, but 2008 hopefully shows us that we need to follow a blueprint that will allow our country and our world to re gain a balance where all can prosper.

Nov. 8, 2008 Election Day that Had an Impact In More Ways Than One

2008-11-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

In your life, you will experience days that will leave a lasting impression that you will remember for ever. I have had the privilege to have a number of those days. They include the day I graduated from SLCD nearly 21 years ago. When I graduated from Uniondale High School in 2000, when my classmates and myself became the first graduating class of the new millennium. The day that I graduated from Nassau Community College in 2002, which was followed by my graduation from Howard University in 2005 as part of the largest graduating class in the history of the institution. What I had the opportunity to do this past Tuesday was even more remarkable.

On that day, I cast my vote for president to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), who at around 11:02 p.m. was named the 44th President of the United States of America and became this country’s first African American. What made this moment when I cast my ballot at Lawrence Road Middle School early that morning was I had the chance to share this great moment with several of my peers in Desmond Hamilton, Rashaun Church, Kevin and Michael Powell, Gamal Moodie and Sonyere Brown, who I stood behind line along with her parents to cast that vote.

You see for me this moment was special because for us, we were always taught in our days in school, particularly in Grand Avenue Elementary School, where my journey with my peers began is that we could be anything we wanted to be. Through hard work, commitment, dedication and a willingness to believe in ourselves and not what the outside world views of us that it can happen.

A great example of that is the other person who I had a chance to meet up with at LR yesterday. I caught up with my former home room teacher that I had in my 7th grade year in Lawrence Road 13 years ago in Mrs. Silverstein, who now is the Dean at the Middle School.

For me above all else, I voted for Obama was that I wanted to put my stock in history. I wanted to vote for somebody who was qualified and who looked liked me to help guide this country back in the right. I wanted my vote to count. I wanted my vote to be meaningful that goes beyond their skin color.

If you watched his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago on Tuesday evening, he spoke about the fact that this was not a victory for him. This was a victory for America. This was something that made the African American baby boomer’s dream of seeing someone who embodied what the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and many others before Obama who stood up and wanted to make the United States a place that was equal and where anyone can make a name for themselves.

This is something that really hit home for me in three ways. The first one was when I saw CBS News National Correspondent Byron Pitts show a picture that he said he has kept in his office of African American garbage workers from Memphis, TN in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. He said of those workers who were holding signs that said, “I am a man,” that they wanted to be respected and treated like men.

The other point that made me really treasure what had just occurred on that Tuesday night is when CBS Chief Washington Correspondent and host of ‘Face The Nation’ Bob Schieffer is when he mentioned that when Lyndon B. Johnson when he passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, that he lost his party in the South for a generation, which in fact did happen. He also said that vice president of that time Hubert Humphrey called the act the single most effective foreign policy achievement of the United States of this generation. What he meant by that is it showed the world how it thought of those that were of different ethnicities and that we should honor that and not see them as a threat, but as an asset.

Now comes the toughest part of this history making process, our country and its new president must deal with the reality of two wars, repairing our economy and restoring the people’s faith in government.

While Obama has broken a very important glass sealing, he must now build a new foundation that will make this country better from where it has been for the past eight years. He has to deal with the fact that Washington will be now ruled by the Democrats and it will be up to him and Vice President Joe Biden to put together a staff that will allow them to make our country better again.

If anything that this election though has taught us is now we all must step up and hold ourselves accountable. Things will not get better unless we as people make it better.

This will be a long, hard and rough road that we are about to travel. It will not turn around over night or even in Obama’s first term. If there is anyone who is ready for this it is him. Let us remember, he beat the powerful Hillary Clinton in the primaries. He defeated “The Maverick” in John McCain. He is ready for this challenge and we need to be ready alongside him.

While he will not be our official leader of the land until he is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009, we must now make our stand and be ready for when he and his family make their way into the address of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW in Washington DC, we are ready to follow them and their hopes and dreams for this country.

What Nov. 4, 2008 Means For The Country And The World

2008-11-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

In just 24 hours, every single person in the United States of America will have the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to make history that will have an impact on our country and even the world. A chance to make a bold statement that will have a great impact on the lives of many. We have shown up, stood up and now it is time for us to step up.

On Nov. 4, 2008 beginning at 6 a.m. we will have the chance to elect the first African American to hold the highest office in all the land in Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) or we will elect Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who would be the oldest person to be elected as president as well as Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AL), who would be the first female to be elected as vice president.

The stakes could be any higher. Our country is in the midst of one of the greatest financial crisis to hit us since the great depression. Home after home in America is being foreclosed on. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs. People are having difficulties paying for just the basics like food for the home, gas to put into their cars, being able to make the monthly payments on their bills, draining the 401(k)’s of those that want to retire soon and widening the gap between the wealthy and the middle class. In a nutshell, Americans are hurting and that in tale has hurt companies and businesses across the world.

Tomorrow is the first and most important step that is necessary for us to get back on track. By voting for Obama or McCain, we can put a new leader into the Oval Office that will have our best interest at heart. We will have an individual who will have a strategy in dealing with a war that has made us feel unsafe here at home and has made our enemies abroad even more powerful. We can elect a president who will reorganize Washington and make government better for the people as a whole and not just for themselves. More than anything else, what we have the chance to do tomorrow is to vote in a president that will hold government accountable for its actions.

Our country is in the mess that it is in because the current administration that we have had in office over the past eight years has looked out for themselves and has put the interest of the people to the side of their minds. To President George Bush, it has become more important to bail out banks that gave out mortgages on homes that were out of peoples price range, to ship jobs that manufacture products that we purchase in the U.S. overseas and stretching our military thin in the war in Iraq that we should have known better to start.

Because of this mess, questions have risen about the future of our country we never thought we ask ourselves. Will the children of our country be able to get a solid education that will allow them to rise and be all that they can be? Will they be able to pay for college? Will people be able to have affordable healthcare we they need it most? Can we still have strong relationships with those that neighbor the U.S. to the North, South, East and West?

We began the process by each and every single one us showing up in front of our television sets and watching not just the presidential debates between Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), but taking the time to go out to political rallies and attending local debates. By doing this you have made it clear to the candidates that you do care about the issues and the solutions or lack their of that they have in solving them not all the other mess that goes on in between.

Upon doing that, you have stood up and have your voice be hear if the opportunity presents itself. Meaning that you when the opportunity has presented itself, you asked the candidates questions that concern you and listened closely to see if they are answering the question that you posed with a status quo response or a genuine response that shows they will make sure they will put their words into actions when you elect them into office.

You have also shown that you stand by that particular candidate by volunteering your services to their campaign by putting up flyers and posters, making phone calls to get the word about that person, the position they are campaigning for and why they should be elected.

With all of that being said, it is now time for the final and crucial step necessary to begin the course of change the United States. That is you taking those very important minutes of your day to step into that voting booth and casting your ballot. When it is all said and done, the fate Obama, McCain does not come down to a question posed in a debate, voters who volunteer and politicians who take their time to get the word out about that particular candidate, it comes down to that person and their vote.

To say the stakes are high would be an understatement. If we do not step up and do something that millions of people fought for us, particularly for African Americans and women to do many years ago, we could be setting ourselves up for a very rough road.

The time has come for all of us to show up at the poles and step up and vote for our next president. On top of that, this is also a day when we as a society need to step up and vote for those at the local level. It is one thing for us to take care of business at the national level, but all other levels of politics are important. The concerns of the people in each town and state cannot be heard without a state senator in Washington fighting for the people. The judiciary system cannot change unless people in each town, county and state vote.

You see ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow is a very important day. A day that can put our country back on course to where we were back in the 90s under the leadership of Bill Clinton when we had a thriving economy, a job market where people were making names for themselves in their work and when we were one America that was respect by all across the globe. That is what is at stake.

Obama and McCain have made their arguments and so have those running for the Senate and at the local level. They have debated head to head, run ads on television, radio. They have been on talk shows and radio shows. It is now up to us as Americans to step up and vote. You have up at least 15 hours tomorrow to make your voice heard in the most important election in the history of the United States of America. Do not miss this chance.

Friends That Are Special To You and Make You Better Every Single Day

2008-10-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

To become great in this world it takes a great deal. It takes you coming to an understanding that you want to improve every single day. That you have family that is behind you 100 percent and will never let you waiver from what you need to become. More than anything else, you need to have friends that see you more than just someone that you can have fun with, talk to and enjoy their company. You need to have friends that will push you and make you believe that working hard, having solid communication, listening to them when they talk to you about something important on their mind, is how you build a solid foundation that will last a lifetime.

Last weekend, I had a chance to catch with some very special classmates at Howard University’s 2008 Homecoming, my third as a graduate of that Institution of higher learning.

We all had a chance to catch up and discuss what has been going on in our lives since we last saw each other. Some of my former classmates and peers I have not seen in over a year. Others I have not seen in nearly two years. When you have been away from each other that long, you hope that the solid connection you have developed in the time you were in school together is still there. Thankfully for me it was for a number of my peers.

To say that I was truly happy to see my friends that I have made a special connection with from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2005 is an understatement. It was a true to talk with all of them and find out how things have been going for them. Some are in the workforce and are doing very well. Their work ranges from being on Wall Street to working for non-profit organizations. Others are in graduate school or law school. One of my closet friends and the former editor of the Howard University student newspaper “The Hilltop” Josef Sawyer is now working behind the scenes Fox’s America’s Most Wanted. One of my former track and field teammates Leon Snyder is now married and I had a chance to meet his wife at Homecoming on Friday. She was very cool. He without question made a great choice in who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

The one person I really enjoyed seeing was my one of my other former teammates Lance Gross. He currently is on Tyler Perry’s show House of Payne where he plays the part of Calvin Payne. Last summer he was in Tyler Perry’s film “Meet the Browns.” It was good to see him. He looked great and Hollywood definitely has not changed him. He even introduced me to someone who I have seen on television many times back in the day. Last Saturday, Lance introduced me to Keisha Knight Pulliam, who stars as his characters mate Miranda on “House of Payne,” and who we all remember as Rudy Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.” I even got a chance to make a picture with her. It does not get any better than that.

What made this Homecoming very special in being around my former peers is that the respect and admiration that we have for one another in the points that we find ourselves in right now. For some that might where they want to be and for those like myself that are still striving to reach that place of greatness, we all took the time to show our respect for where we all are. It can be very easy for one to bask in the joy of their success and frown down on someone else who has not reach the pinnacle of where they want to be. That is one thing that we all at HU, particularly the edition that I graduated with three years ago, never will allow.

We all have an understanding as former students, but also as people who have come very far from where we were six years ago, that life, especially now is not going to be easy. We all to man have worked very hard to be at the point where we can see each other at an occasion that was very special to us as students and is now even more special as alumni of one of the most historic university’s in the United States of America.

What made my peers at HU special to me is that I was able to be myself and I did not have to change anything about who I was, what I stood for or what I represented in order to fit in. In being around them, I knew and understood that if I was going to make it, I had to come with a never back down, bring your hard hat, be focused and never be satisfied attitude to the table every day and never take anything for granted.

That really hit home for me when my friend Jason Johnson from Texas told me that our good friend Aaron Bonner from Cincinnati, Ohio had passed away. You want to talk about a down moment that was one for me. Aaron was a freshmen when I first met him back in 2002. He was someone I greatly admired because he was someone that was the true definition of cool. He worked very hard in school. He always had a smile on his face. He had two very good friends in Jason and Andre Levy who along with Bonner were a part of the Howard University Campus Pals for three years. What I will miss about Aaron the most is the approach he had to life. He worked hard at his studies each and every single day, but he always managed to enjoy those around him as well as the journey he took each day in the game of life.

It is because of that commitment, I became a great student that graduated Cum Laude in 2005, in the largest graduating class in Howard University history, I was a major part in several student organizations, I was a solid writer for “The Hilltop” and more than anything, I earned the respect of my classmates who refer to me as the “Living Legend” of Howard.

It is that respect that also allows a close friend like David Borrego to let you crash with him and his brother Carlos at their home during Homecoming. You do not get that opportunity unless you show that person during your time as classmates at HU the respect of being a good friend.

That is why when we do see one another at occasions like these, we take lots of pictures, have in-depth conversations about what we are doing. For myself, I do not hide the fact that I do work for the Town of Hempstead’s Parks and Recreation Department. I mentioned that to all my classmates about what I do in Baldwin Park as well as writing this blog for a special education school that I attended when it was in its first inception back in the early 1980s.

On top of sharing what we are doing in our lives at Homecoming, we party. On Friday night, I and my peers partied at the nightclub called “LOVE.” All I can say is it was fun. We were all dressed up very nice. We danced into the night. It was special. It was something that brought me back to my time as an undergrad where after we worked hard during the week in school, we took time to have some responsible, get down fun.

Then on Saturday, the fun continued when I got a chance to attend the HU Alumni Boat Ride out by the Washington Harbor. There is nothing better then getting out on a boat where you dance to music, have fine food and can enjoy the company of some very cool people.

This was one of those weekends that I will remember for a long time. Why you say? Because it allowed me to look back and see where I came from. When I first got to HU after I graduated from Nassau Community College, I was just someone trying to make a name for himself and graduate and make my parents proud of me. I accomplished all of that and them some.

In this life you are going to have the chance to build friendships with some special individuals. People who without you knowing it, make you better than you ever felt possible. They will challenge you, make you look deep within yourself and bring the best out of you. It is up to you to maintain those special friendships, because you never know in life when you are going to need that person for anything.

I have gone to HU’s Homecoming as former student for three years and each year it has gotten better and all of my former peers have risen to new heights from their careers, to getting married to some even having children. It is moments like this that make life special. I only hope in the years to come there are more special moments that we all can share at future HU Homecomings and other reunions.

Saying Goodbye to Yankee Stadium

2008-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

For many die-hard Yankee fans, saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium this past Sunday was special, but at the same time it was very sad. Why you say, because there will be no postseason baseball as the Yankees will miss the playoffs for the first time in the last 14 years and all the great memories that came with it.

Unlike a lot of sports stadiums and arenas, Yankee Stadium is a place that stands by itself.

This was the place that not only has a team that has won 26 World Series titles, but it is also where some of the greatest sports spectacles took place.

In 1958, the New York Football Giants, who played in Yankee Stadium from 1956-1973, played in what was called, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” when they faced the Baltimore Colts for the NFL Championship on Dec. 22, 1958. The Giants unfortunately lost the game in overtime when fullback Alan Ameche scored a 1-yard touchdown after 8 minutes and 15 seconds to give the Colts a 23-17 win and the NFL title. What made this game special is that it help launch the popularity of the NFL and brought into the spotlight individuals like Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, Giants running back Frank Gifford, Giants assistant coaches Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi, Giants owner Tim Mara and Vice President and Secretary Wellington Mara who brought the NFL into the spotlight who would later on become synonymous with the game and be etched in its history forever in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Along with football in its early days, “The Stadium” was also the host three notable boxing matches. It was here where Benny Leonard retained his heavyweight title defeating Lou Tendler in a 15-round decision on July 24, 1923. Jack Dempsey knocked out Jack Sharkey in the first $1 million non-title fight on July 7, 1927. The boxing match though that is most remembered at Yankee Stadium was between the bought between Joe Louis and Germany’s Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938. The fight took place as the world was on the verge of World War II. Adolf Hitler called Schmeling before his fight and urged him to defeat Louis for the Nazi Party. Louis knocked out Schmeling less than a minute into the fight and won the World Heavyweight Championship of the World. He also in the process sent a message that went beyond the walls of the Bronx Bombers ballpark.

This was also a place of some other significant moments in American history took place. This was the place where Nelson Mandela appeared four months after his 27-year stint in prison on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town bay in South Africa. In his speech to more than 50,000 people, he encouraged them to unite in peace.

Yankee stadium was also the place that hosted the Papal Visits. The first took place when Pope Paul VI visited on Oct. 4, 1965. Pope john Paul II made his visit to the stadium on Oct. 2, 1979. The most recent visit came on Apr. 20, 2008 when Pope Benedict XVI visited New York and held his service at Yankee Stadium.

“The Stadium” is also the place where some of the greatest music artist of our era entertained crowds with the sounds that have made them the best at what they do. Billy Joel had his concert on June 22, 1990. The group U2 rocked their sounds for the New York faithful on August 8, 1992. English rock band Pink Floyd performed at Yankee stadium on June 10, 1994. The most memorable performance took place on April 25, 1999 when Rock and Roll musician Paul Simon, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sung his most popular song in centerfield on the day when Joe DiMaggio’s Monument dedication.

Yankee Stadium with all those great achievements in professional athletics, music and human kind will always be remembered for the baseball greatness that fans got a chance witness.

It is almost fitting that the first hit in this monumental ballpark happened was by Red Sox first baseman George Burns. The first home run though was by Babe Ruth. The Yanks beat their arch rivals on that day of Apr. 18, 1923 by the score of 4-1.

From that day forward, the Bronx bombers gave New York fans moments to cherish. From nine clinching World Series titles on their field; 10 regular-season no-hitters performed by the likes of Monte Pearson, Jim Abbott, Dwight Gooden, David Wells and David Cone; 10 walk-off postseason home runs, with former Yankee greats Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and Aaron Boone to name a few.

To really understand the true meaning of what Yankee Stadium has meant to New York, just go back to Sept. 11, 2001 when our nation changed forever. It was “The Stadium” that played a major part in bringing some normalcy back to many New Yorkers. On Sept. 23, 2001, Yankee Stadium was where a memorial service was held for those who were victim of the terrorist attacks.

Two months later, the Yankees made it to the World Series and in Game 3 President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch to back up catcher Todd Greene.

What followed were three consecutive wins by the Yankees in dramatic fashion. in Former third baseman Scott Brosius broke a 6th inning tie with an RBI single that gave the Yanks a 3-2 victory and cut the D-Backs lead in the series 2-1.

The heroics of Game 4 belonged to first baseman Tino Martinez who hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score 3-3. Then Derek Jeter added another page to his resume of greatness with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning that gave the Yankees a 4-3 victory and tied the series at two. Jeter’s game clinching dinger made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit a homer in November and earned him the nickname “Mr. November.”

The come from behind heroics by the Yankees continued in Game 5 when catcher Jorge Posada hit a double to begin things in the bottom of the ninth. Brosius who was the hero in Game 3 helped the Yanks draw even with a two-out blast over the left field wall that tied the contest 2-2. Former Yankee outfielder Alfonso Soriano won it for the Yankees with a base hit that scored Chuck Knoblauch in the bottom of the 12th inning and the Yankees won 3-2 and were ahead in the series 3-2.

Unfortunately those great come from behind victories went for naught as the Diamondbacks won both Game 6 (15-2) and Game 7 (3-2) back in Arizona and would win their first World Series in franchise history. While the dream at the end was denied for the Yankees, they still gave the faithful of New York and those who watched across North America something to be very proud of, especially those that watched at the stadium.

Yankee stadium became more than just a place that housed 26 World Series titles. It stemmed beyond the record of 4,132-2,430. This stadium was a place that allowed fans to see and appreciate greatness from the likes of Reggie Jackson, Henry Louis Gehrig and many of the former and current Yanks. It was the home of Monument Park where you can see the 24 players, managers, broadcasters and events that made “The Stadium,” what is. This was home of an organization that while it had great players and managers, it always came back to the two most important things, the team and the fans.

While there will be no more baseball in the old Yankee Stadium, there will always be the memories that it bought to so many of us and we can only hope that another 85 years of greatness lie ahead at the new Yankee Stadium.

It’s Back To School: A New Year; New Opportunity, but the Same Goal

2008-09-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

This past week was the beginning of another year that brings both joy, opportunity, challenges and another step in the process of growth, education and maturity for children. It is that time of year where children can make strides in their development as a person. It is that time to go back to school. It is also the chance for teachers, administrators and those that are involved with the school, whether it is with SLCD or any other school to take another step forward in making their place of learning better than it ever was before.

This is the time of the year where all of those involved in school that brings a great amount of joy. For kids, they get a chance to see their friends that they may have not seen all summer. They get a chance when they are not improving their minds through school work to interact and learn more about each other. Above all else they take that next step in the process of their friendship.

When you move up a grade with your friends, you go another step in the process of maturity. You conversations may be different. One day you may be talking about what you saw on television last night. The next day, there might be a discussion on what you think is cool about other classmates. The conversation may also include what you did over the summer and the cool things that you learned, a particular place that you visited or a new friendship that you may have established with someone in your neighborhood park, summer camp or on your street.

For teachers and administrators, they also get joy out of the beginning of a new school year. Teachers have a new group of students that they have a chance to make better through education in subjects like mathematics, spelling, reading and writing. Students more than anything get to learn from that leader of education what they feel is important that they walk out of that classroom with at the end of the year besides what they learn from a textbook or a lesson on the blackboard. In each grade, especially in the early years of school, you learn from your teacher some of the most important lessons of life.

For me, especially in my elementary school years, I learned from each teacher I had the importance of focus. You see in order to perform at your maximum potential, you have to bring a high level of concentration where you will not be distracted and unable to grasp the message your teacher is trying to get across to you. Along with that, I learned that the classroom setting is like a family.

While you may only be around each other for a maximum of 10 months, those ten months are of great value. You learn beyond the subject matter how to interact with one another and how important it is for you individual to improve everyday, but how important it is for the class in general to improve as well.

A new school year along with the joy and excitement it brings, it is also accompanied by some challenges. For students, one particular challenge a new year brings is new classmates in school.

One of the hardest things, especially for today’s students to deal with is establishing friendships with new students. That person does not know you and you may not know them. The things that you may like and feel about life may be different from that other individual. That person may enjoy standing out and making their presence felt in the classroom by raising their hand first to answer a question.

To overcome this challenge, it comes down to you as a classmate or a student in the school, just extending your hand and just saying hello as a start. Ask that person who they are? What makes them happy or sad? What do they find fun about life? What makes the school they are a part of special? In order to break that barrier of not knowing someone, you have to take the initiative.

Maybe the greatest challenge that each student faces in the beginning of the school year is evolving. When you move a grade up, you have to establish a certain level of maturity that will allow you to become better as a person. As you get older in your educational life, you take on more things. For example when you were in maybe kindergarten, most of your day may consist of story time and playing with block and games. When you enter your primary years, that being 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, you have to deal with actual school work like math, spelling, reading and much more. You also get tested in those areas where you get graded. Probably the biggest thing that changes when you move up a grade level is your expectations.

Even as a young kid in school, I always had high expectations for myself. I felt that whenever, I came to school, I had to perform. Just doing my best did not cut it for me. Being involved in a lesson from answering questions to asking some was my way of saying that I am here in the class both physically and emotionally. It show above all else that you are not content of just getting by.

Like students, teachers also face challenges in the beginning of the new school year. They have to establish lessons plans for each day from what they will teach in their subject matter to organizing activities to bring both fun and education to the children. They also have to learn each student’s name. Establish classroom rules and regulations. Tell the students who he or she is and the standards that he or she expects each student to live up to.

For each teacher and student, the new school year brings an energy, excitement, joy and devotion that can empower each person involved in that school to new heights of greatness. It also brings challenges that test a student and teacher’s will and fortitude to push through the tough days and embrace those days enlightenment.

While each year brings along something different, the goal is to take another step forward in achieving success into building a foundation for a better future.

Making A Commitment-The Meaning, The Value and The Importance

2008-08-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

In the game of life we all want to achieve greatness. Some want to achieve greatness on a business level. Some of us want to achieve success on a social level. We want to achieve success academically, so that we can build a foundation for achievement in the business world and in a solid social circle. With all great ideas that we want to bring to life, the milestones that we want to achieve and the amazing highs that we want to be on, they all start by doing the hardest, but the most important thing that will allow to make the key steps into reaching those great dreams you have. It is making a commitment.

To become special in this world, to be seen as someone who is one in a million starts with making a commitment. This is you making an agreement to yourself that you will do take the necessary steps to achieve your goal at a certain time in your life. This is you promising yourself that you will from this day forward that you will be different in your approach to certain areas of your life. You are instilling values that will allow you to make a mark on the world.

When you make a commitment to anything in life, there is one thing that comes with it, challenges. What you begin to see right away or as you progress into what you are trying to do, there are going to be obstacles in your way. You will more than anything else have doubters who feel that you do not stand a chance at accomplishing your commitment. You will have to proceed through a commitment in stages, phases, steps and sometimes long processes. Sometimes making a commitment means that you have to put certain things to side like maybe hanging out with your friends, you will have to miss that show you like to watch on television, you may have to get your rest sooner at the end of the day so when the next day comes, you will wake up reading and willing to do what is necessary on that day of the commitment that you have made.

As you go through making the most out of the commitment, you have the chance more than anything to see what you are really made of. What going through a commitment allows you to see above all else is what you can take, what you have to learn to handle and how much you truly care about something. In going through a commitment, you learn to develop character. You begin to see things from a perspective that maybe might not have before. Committing to a goal makes you stronger in the fact that you develop an attitude of not quitting, finishing the task and showing others that getting better may not be easy, but it can be done.

One of the greatest things about commitment is that it can bring people together. When you are part of a group of people that becomes committed, you learn more than anything that you are not alone. People can see your vision of what something can be, is supposed to be, what something can become when the entire group is pointed, going or progressing in the right direction.

Whether you are a kid in the early stages of life or you are an adult who is married, in the workforce, we all are going to make a commitment. We all at one point in our lives are going to want to make something of ourselves, to better who we are individually or a collective body. In order for that dream to become a reality, it takes you looking at yourself in the mirror and making that commitment to yourself that you will take the time, put in the effort, elude every obstacle that stands in your way and make what you want or the group you are a part of wants happen and change the world.

All it takes is a little belief, willingness to put your nose to the grindstone and the understanding that it will not happen over night. It will be a process. When it is achieved, it will change your life. That is commitment.

The Passing of Giant in Political Journalism and a Proud Human Being

2008-07-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Picture of “Meet The Press” moderator Tim Russert who passed last from a heart attack. This picture is Courtesy of yahoo.com image search

I only watched him for about a year, but in that one year, I got a better understanding of politics that I ever had before. He made me a better thinker about important issues. He made a believer that the issues are country faces are important. More than anything, this man that I watched from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning on NBC that the common man can become anything in this world he wants to be because he was able to, with some help from a great father.

As many of you know now Tim Russert, NBC’s Washington Bureau Chief and the great moderator of “Meet the Press” passed away last month from a sudden heart attack. He had been during that day working on voiceovers for this Sunday’s edition of his show at NBC’s Washington Studio.

While I had only become a serious watcher of “Meet the Press” for about a year, I learned a great deal about politics and respected the kind of journalist that Russert was. He was somebody who cared about the issues. His questions to each politician that appeared on his show where questions that made it seem like it came from us. He had a knack for asking that one question that just seemed to be on the mind on all Americans that tuned in to watch him. To me the best example of that was the March 16, 2003 “Meet the Press” when he asked VP Dick Cheney in reference to going to war in Iraq, “Do you think the American people ar4e prepared for the long costly and bloody battle with significant American casualties?”

“I don’t think it is likely to unfold that way Tim because I really do believe we will be greeted as liberators,” Cheney said.

One thing that North America is learning five years later that there have been significant casualties of over four thousand American soldiers killed, the economy has taken a serious hit and has seen our country looking for answers.

As I watched each show that he moderated and his 90-second political reports that he had about three to four times a week on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and that he had each morning on the Today Show, I saw someone who was prepared, knew what was coming and could deliver on cue.

The one show that really made me see “Meet The Press” as different than any other show was when he had entertainer Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School to discuss their book “Come On People: On The Path from Victims to Victors.” It show me that he was a journalist that did care about the issues that our country was facing like the number of African Americans who drop out of school and are going to prison. The only other times that I saw Cosby and Poussaint discuss their book on television was on The Oprah Winfrey show and on Our World with Black Enterprise. That was one particular Sunday Russert struck gold.

More than anything, Russert was a journalist who did his reporting in the simplest way it can be done. The best example of that is when he does his political analysis whether it is on ‘Meet The Press,’ NBC Nightly News or on Today, he does not use graphical maps or computerized charts, he uses a white, dry erase board. It was that board he used on Election Night Nov. 7, 2000 where he wrote on the board three times that Florida would decide the winner of the presidential race. He used that same board about a couple of months ago on Nightly News in deciding the number of delegates necessary to decide who would be the Presidential nominee for the Democratic Party between Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Russert wrote on his Board that Obama needed a little over 90 delegates and Clinton needed over 270 to clinch the nomination.

He was also someone when you heard him on television that you learned something of great historic significance. I learned from a clip that the CBS Evening News played on Friday that this year’s election was the first time since the 1952 election that an incumbent president or vice president is not running for president. As he put referring to the race, “It’s wide open.”

One of the great things that respect about Tim Russert was how he worked his way into being one of the smartest, brightest and hardest working political journalist of our time. I learned in reading about him the last three days in the New York papers that this was a man who started within the fabric of politics. He worked former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and Sen. Daniel Moynihan. He worked under the best and he found a way to take what he learned and bring to the table in the journalism world at NBC and the rest is history.

What I really respect about Russert in seeing his life being told in the last few days was what he was like away from his seat on Sunday mornings.

He was someone who was very dedicated to his family. He was an avid sports fan, particularly of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. He always smiled and showed great enthusiasm for life that was infectious. As I heard throughout the weekend on television from his colleagues at NBC to his competitors on CBS and ABC, they all had a tremendous amount of respect for Russert on and off the television set.

On Sunday’s edition of The Chris Matthews Show on NBC, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell said how he gave a “Meet The Press” hat to her 94-year-old father once, which he wears proudly still.

Al Hunt, Washington Executive Editor of Bloomberg News also mentioned on the same show of how he bought his son Jeffrey a baseball cap to cover the scar he had after the surgery from a serious accident. Hunt’s son to this day now has 400 baseball hats. He also mentioned that when he came home from college about a month ago that one of the first calls he got was from Tim Russert.

As for his own family, Russert was a good of husband and parent as you could have hoped for.

In hearing Russert’s son Luke, who appeared on the Today show on Monday, you could tell of how much of a solid kid he was and that his father was always their for him. To me the best example of how close Luke was to his dad was when he mentioned to Matt Lauer about how he would come up to Boston and he would spend some time with him and his friends and that the age difference never showed.

What really hit home for me about the interview was when Luke mentioned that last moments in the studio where they showed a picture of he stood over the chair with the lights dimmed we saw his dad sit in every Sunday morning with his head down. That is when we knew that one of the best that brought politics into our living rooms every Sunday morning was gone.

Since 1991, Tim Russert brought politics into our lives and made us clear right from the beginning that the issues that he brought to the table each week were issues that were important to us. He brought values to the table that made his guests from those vying for political office to those that want to change politics in our nation prepared to come on his show and answer questions in a true and honest way. More than anything, he was able to remain at the top of his profession not being a yeller, screamer or someone that was just about himself. He was about making others better, about having fun after he got his work done. Being someone others can come up to as they did so many times when they saw him and asked questions about the state of affairs in America.

Basically, Tim Russert was always himself; saw whoever he was talking to as important at the key moment. He made his family a priority as much as he made his work and he earned the respect of those he went up against every Sunday morning like CBS Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer, who also serves as host of Face The Nation and George Stephanopoulos, ABC’s Chief Washington Correspondent and host of This Week.

“Tim and I butted heads for 18 years on Sunday mornings and yet somehow along the way we also became friends,” Schieffer said this past Sunday. “Tim did it the old fashion way. He did not need a squadron of producers and aides to get him briefed up for big interviews. He just kept up with things on a day-to-day hour-to-hour basis and then he did his homework. In our business, you know which of your colleagues do their own work and you know which ones don’t and somehow the public has a way of figuring that out as well. Tim was nothing fancy. No bells or whistles, he just sat them down [meaning his guest] and asked those questions, but they were good questions, but they were always good questions. I think what made him so good was he realized that news programs were about the news, their not about the newscasters. I think that’s why he got so much news himself.”

I will miss watching Tim Russert, particularly now in one of the greatest elections for the White House that I have ever seen play out. I will especially miss how he closed every show when he said, “If it’s Sunday, it’s ‘Meet the Press.’ ”