Agent 100k, Blessed are the courageous, and the major minor leagues....

Is there honestly any single pro athlete more suave and candid than Agent Zero, Sir Gilbert Arenas? Besides the fact that he's had tents made that simulate a higher altitude (i.e. Denver) so that his lungs can go strong for four quarters and he says "Hibachi" and has bonafide reasons to hold grudges against half the league, he doesn't throw up predictable quotes that make us yawn. Moreover he easily has the best blog of any sports personality, sorry Mark Cuban and Barkley. His most recent blog is about as good as they get. He's on a mission to MAKE 100,000 shots in 73 days. The math says that is 1,370 a day if there's no vacation days on this diet. Props to a pro who has gone from 2nd round pick, to quality scorer, to All-Star calibur franchise player all by the age of 25. I know Rip Hamilton runs 5 miles a day and a lot of ballers say they make between 500-1,000 shots a day, but Gil has a will like few others. Beyond that though, the BEST quote in his recent blog has to be:

"I’m still on my diet too. It’s going well, I’m ripped baby! Of course I’m still tempted by Cheetos. I just said I’m still on a diet, but I didn’t say I don’t cheat away from the diet. Of course I do. I’m an American! We eat bad!

Kobe Bryant lost 20 pounds, so that’s good. I’ll body him. I gained seven pounds, but this is a good seven. I’m at four percent body fat now. I was at 11 percent body fat when I got hurt. So I’m down to four percent and it’s all muscle, cut up, you know, looking diesel."

His blog at NBA.com, http://www.nba.com/blog/gilbert_arenas.html, is a must "bookmark" because he's intelligent, motivated and a bit flipant. I usually appreciate no nonsense, tough guys like Duncan and KG, but the Master Wizinator has to be given his dues.


No time for worry's

By now most sports fans know the story of 23-year old Boston Redsox pitcher Tim Lester. Last August Lester was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, he went through six months of chemo and 11 months later he was back in the big leagues, limiting Cleveland to two runs in six innings, good enough to pick up the victory. There are a million great recovery stories in the world and Carter Gaddis of the "Tampa Tribune" did Lester's story justice. This was the first story about Lester that talked about how Lance Armstrong gave him phone calls of encouragment throughout the process and how many major leaguers, such as D-Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir could relate to what Lester went through because of illness in the family. The overwhelming fact was that Lester did not succumb to the cancer, he looked at it as a battle, took the necessary steps toward recovery without a seed of doubt and he is back in the clubhouse joking around as one of the guys. Just a remember that being rich and famous doesn't make someone immune from suffering and anything can be overcome with a strong will and hopeful heart. Check it out.

The Canal to the majors?

Omar Moreno might not ring a bell, but Rod Carew, Roberto Kelly and Mariono Rivera certainly should. In an era where Cubans and Dominican Republic players litter the minor leagues and the Big Show, the former Pittsburgh Pirates star is back at home trying to develop and give opportunities to the children of Panama. Through dealings with the U.S. Embassy and people throughout major league baseball Moreno hopes to give the kids of his poor country a chance to have something to stand for, something to strive towards. "Panama tries to play catch-up in big league baseball" by Chris Kraul in a recent issue of the LA Times is a wonderful piece with loads of food for thought. Lookie here.

Hold the pride and prejudice at this reception


A lot of people probably know the story of how Boise St. running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girflfriend and Boise cheerleader Chrissy Popadicslast year on national television. It was
seemingly perfect. The unfortunate response from some less-than-perfect individuals was not so great. As was reported in the last few weeks, the couple hired security for the 
wedding after receiving hate mail, racist threats and some threatening phone calls. What drew
me to the story was not the hatred, seriously WHAT'S NEW, but how the couple handled it the day of the wedding. Word for word from the Daily Herald here it is:
 
BOISE, Idaho -- Before Boise State running back Ian Johnson married the girl he proposed to on national television, the couple prayed to end prejudice.
Johnson and Chrissy Popadics, the cheerleader he proposed to after scoring the winning points in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma, were married Saturday in a traditional ceremony at Cathedral of the Rockies First United Methodist Church.
Johnson, who is black, has said he received phone calls and about 30 letters, including personal threats from people who objected to his plans to marry his white fiancee. Johnson has not described the threats, and it is unclear where they came from.

So instead of leaving it up in the air or calling the detractors stupid or evil the couple prayed. No big deal was made out of it and they left it to God. A nice change from the back and forth that so often creates controversy.

In case you missed it, a dynasty kept on rolling in America's favorite sport

If the Arena Bowl really brought in 25-30 mill for New Orleans as some articles predicted and it's true that TV ratings doubled for the sport this season then why was SI.com the only one of the major online sports sites to even have a link to the game recap on the front page. The San Jose SaberCats rolled to their third crown in six years behind another MVP 
performance from QB Mark Grieb, but I'm not so sure the AFL web site gets even as many hits as minor league baseball ones and in national publications it gets about the same amount of love as women's softball. There's definitely talent, the arena's are packed because the game is fun and unpredictable and I think the AFL is way better than "Friends" re-runs and the fluff pieces on the 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00 news telling you that there's bacteria in your drinking water! Ooh ah it must be great to be a SaberCat. Meooow.

Old and irrelevant

Yep, Tampa Bay DE Simeon Rice got released last week after failing a physical and now Houston Astros 3B Morgan Ensberg, who is just a few seasons removed from a 36 HR campaign is in the minors because he just isn't producing. His cap number is 4.3 million and he was a hot commodity not too long ago, but there's no place for a down year or slip in production now-a-days. I guess it's not that much different than having sales objectives that you're expected to meet and improve upon in the business world, it just seems like it's hard to get attached to players who aren't superstars because they're always just a broken bone or good draft away from either being sour milk or used as a thrown-in in a deal for a guy that's really not that much better.

Extra base hits in the Capitol, Coach K raking in extra dough, Cal the Constant....

Just because nationally syndicated radio host Jim Rome is usually heard rattling off "asssss" in a way that makes you think his jaw is extending three feet and his favorite words include "jerk" and "cuuk" (sp?? haha) doesn't mean he doesn't offer up some of the best interviews with players who have more to offer than a few tired cliche's.

Ryan Zimmerman for example. Cue up yesterdays show, which featured an interview with the Washington Nationals third baseman and there was a bit of passion, as well as some pretty insightful comments from a guy just 22 years old who's in his second full MLB season.

The biggest thing he had to say reminded all of the listeners that baseball is just a game, but it is a profession that allows it's employees to go a step or two beyond the rest of society if they so desire. Insert Mr. Zimmerman. In 1995 his mother was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) and the disease, which affects the central nervous system gradually took over, relegating Cheryl Zimmerman to a wheelchair after several years. Ryan and his 20 year-old brother grew up having to do more than the average teens share of housework, while dealing emotionally with the fact that their mom was very sick.

Through all of this Zim became quite the prospect, good enough to be grabbed 4th overall in the 2005 amateur draft. After most of a season in the Nats farm system Zimmerman came to play in 06 and cranked 20 homeruns and drove in 110 runs, whiling hitting .287. His efforts earned him a runner-up finish in the Rookie of the Year voting and a brand new $400,000 contract.

Four G's to the hundredth is a lot of money, but hardly close to the 1.3 million dollar average salary of major leaguers today. Nonetheless Zimmerman took his newfound fame and hefty paycheck and decided to share them with his mom and with the country.

Zimmerman's foundation (ziMS) has a nice little website, www.zimsfoundation.com, and it is in the business of trying to help out individuals who have to deal with MS and ultimatley finding a cure to the disease.

At age 22 I am sitting here trying to find a job, thinking about the few mission projects I've been on, while I spend a little too much time with video games and flavored coffees. Zimmerman is trying to cement his place in D.C. (15 HR's this year, but an average below .260) and become a cornerstone for the new stadium next season, but he was most excited to talk about how he's dealt with MS in his family, how others can make it too and how through camps for kids and fundraisers he is going to make a difference.

If I didn't already like the kid just because of his commitment to a cause close to his heart, his wisdom on what it's like to try and figure out pitchers who have already had a year to nail down your strengths and weaknesses was brilliant.

He talked about how he was facing John Smoltz one time this year and even when he knew what pitch was coming he couldn't get get the wood on it because Smoltzy is just that good. Two sliders on the outside from a possible HOF is a little different than looking for variable speed fastballs in AAA and Zimmerman was the first to make that point.

If you're looking for good guys in the good ole game you best put down Zimmerman's name. And if it's in your heart and your pcketbook he has something more to offer, beyond the white lines.

Camping with the Dookies

Coach K might be on your hit-list of college coaches because his team has beat yours more times than not, embarrasing them on occassion and his sidelines slip-up/ dead man's walk willl live on in TV history forerver, but in the off-season he does more than just recruit blue chips to make other teams look silly.

As SI.com reports in "Campers live the Duke dream" Krzyzewski and former players such as J.J. Reddick and Jay Williams are part of an adult-experience that annually raises nearly $750,00 for community out-reach and Duke scholarships. I guess the Devil ain't so bad after all.

Consumate Cal gets what he deserves

His numbers aren't ginormous, his ego wasn't headline making, but his professionalism was bar none. As Ripken and fellow classmate Tony Gwynn enter the hall stories upon stories of both of these gentlemen make me smile at their place in the history books.

A story I heard from a caller on a radio station summed it up well: Following a loss to the Tigers in Detroit one year, when the Orioles were twenty games out and it was late in the season, Cal had an 0-for day (no hits). He still cordially greeted the media, smiled and shook hands and then did what only guys like Cal do. Even though the season was a lost cause and he was in the late stages of his career, Cal took out a bucket of balls and headed to homeplate all by himself to work on his swing mechanics. He sprayed them all over the field, jogged out, picked up the balls and proceeded to do it once again. No pitching coach, no fanfare, nothing but a guy paying his dues to a game that need more like him.

To follow up this story I especially found this Baltimore Sun article by Childs Walker to speak to what type of human being Ripken is, by entailing his post-retirement ambitions and accomplishments. Give it a look, good role models should be given their due.

Adu you know Freddy might be leaving?


Beckhamania is really all that any non futbol fanatic cares about, but beneath all of the other news stories I found it interesting that at age 18 Freddy Adu, a player who was supposed to save Team USA and bring renewed interest to the sport might be leaving for Portugal. Recently Adu looked like a young kid with tricks still to show off with his fine play in the under-20 World Cup and I think it's unfortunate we can't keep one of our own at bay and watch him develop.

The story, as reported by the AP on msnbc.com