J-Speaks: The Icon of College Football Passes Away

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

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

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

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

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

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

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