Check n' Jimmered

Every year the NCAA picks a national player of the year and Jimmer Fredette was just that.  Jimmer showed his true potential as a point guard in his senior season of basketball at BYU.  He was a true athlete that took BYU to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981.  Jimmer was the Pete Maravich of the 21^st century and ran the court like a champion.  Jimmer was a true threat in college and was able to take his game to the next level year after year.  He led the nation in points scored per game, and really showed he could dominate the defense of other teams with his scoring.  He was a true threat because of his leadership, offensive awareness, and hard work.

            Every basketball team needs a true leader on the team, and that skill was brought to the court by Jimmer every game.  He was very responsible as a player and kept his academics at the top of his class.  He wasn’t a party animal, and stayed away from alcohol and drugs.  Jimmer was able to keep his body healthy and clean by avoiding all narcotics.  He also had respect from many BYU alumni, students, and fans.  Jimmer was an icon for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints all around the United States.  He played with great sportsmanship, and played basketball very relaxed.   He knew when he was relaxed the game was easier to play.  He was more accurate with his shot, and his passing was very precise.   He became a bigger offensive threat with every game when he was relaxed. 

            Jimmer’s offensive game came very easily to him, and he ran BYU’s offense with pure ease. Jimmer’s offense begins with his excellent shot.  He has a quick release that allows him to shoot the ball more.  His shot was also very accurate from anywhere on the court.  He could also penetrate the lane which opened up the court for the rest of his teammates.  Jimmer would drive the lane for lay ups, while drawing the foul for three point plays.  His shot came easily to him, so he was able to work on his ball handling skills more.  Jimmer could keep his dribble in traffic, which made it possible for him to find the right pass at the right time.  His passes would end up most of the time with a high percentage shot in the paint.  Jimmer’s skill came from hard work of the court and during practice. 

            Jimmer’s hard work ethic started when we was only a child in upstate New York.  He practiced day after day, improving his game a little at a time.  Jimmer would practice with his older brother and father to gain toughness.  He also played ball with the inmates in a local prison nearby.  Jimmer also had the support of his parents and friends.  His older brother was a good example, helping Jimmer grow as an athlete.  His parents also did all within their power to make his basketball dreams possible.  With all the help from his parents and friends, Jimmer lived a very moral life in his youth.  He was always willing to help others in need of service.  He was very service orientated, and spent a lot of time with his LDS church helping others in need.  He was a leader, offensive genius, and hard worker.

            College basketball truly brings out the best in Jimmer Fredette.  His leadership, competiveness, and hard work helped BYU succeed during every season at the school.  He was a true threat from any spot on the court, and would be at any level of basketball.  The talent, quickness, and diversity of Jimmer should never be underestimated at any level of the game.  No matter what league Jimmer played in, he continued to work hard and his game. 

                

Opening Day

Step up to the plate,

It’s the bottom of eight,

The pitcher throws the ball,

Anxiously waiting for the call.

Another throw,

To the seats it’ll go,

The crack of the bat,

That’s where it’s at.

Rounding the bases,

Seeing the smiling faces,

Finally the game is tied,

Fighting to maintain the team’s pride.

Now it’s the top of nine,

Looking in to the catcher’s sign,

Strike one, Strike two, and then strike three,

The final out is the key.Now it’s the bottom of the final inning,

But it feels like the beginning,

Strike out, ground out, then stepping up to the plate,

Hoping that two outs doesn’t mean it’s too late.

The beautiful sound of bat on ball,

Watching it fly over the outfield wall,

All began with the familiar call,

Of the umpire yelling “Play ball!”

Well today is the opening day for Major League Baseball.  Today begins the race for the World Series Title in October.  It is one of the most busiest seasons for any major sports in the world.  With 30 teams, competing in 162 games, over 6-7 months, it is an average of 1 game every 1.36 days.  It is a crazy schedule trying to figure out  what your starting 5 pitcher rotation will be and excepting for the rotation to be moved around a little with injury and other on seen problems that might appear.   

As the season begins I focus my attention on San Diego, my favorite team of all time but gets treated like a farm house team, and then I have the power house Red Sox in my top teams.  Yes i am a BoSox fan and have loved them since the day I turned 9 and received my first Boston Cap.  There was "the Curse" and the year they came back from 3 behind to the Yankees to win it all later in the World Series.  What can I say. Yes I guess you can say I love to see the grass grow as the pitcher finds his pitch and as the hitter patiently awaits that one pitch he can clobber out of the park.  I love the green monster, and all its glory.  I dream of the day I sit a top the wall watching the Red Sox slaughter the Yankees in the playoffs, or going to Petco Park and seeing my Padres try to dig out a win every night in one of the most under rated division in the league.  It is about the winning streaks, the no hitters, and the feeling of being in the bottom of the ninth with 2 out a batter on second and you are down by two.  What is going to happen.  Is Adrian Gonzalez going to step up and hit it out of the park?  Is David Ortiz going to get up and get the ball in play?  Or is it going to end horribly with a strike out or a simple grounder to first?  

Baseball is one of the most emotional sports I have ever played and watched.  Baseball taught me early in life how to work hard for the things you want and made me a better athlete over the years. It is the American Past time, and should be celebrated as such.  The feeling of going into Dodger Stadium for a game and getting the Dodger Dog is just so marvelous and can't be compared to anything in the world.  If you aren't a fan of this spectacular sport then I hope you change your mind someday and enjoy it with me.  But for now all I can say as I end my thoughts for now is..........

PLAY BALLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

The Utah Spaz.....I mean Jazz!

The Utah Jazz

            What can I say I am a sap for the pick-n-roll.  I grew up as a Utah Jazz fan and I never waiver from that fanhood.  Yes it has been tough seeing the Jazz go 2 and out with the Chicago Bulls and not win a championship, but what can you say other then “All Hail his holy Airness.”  I come into every season with a high hope that maybe this is the year they make it again.  You can only hope though, for the Utah Jazz are the most injury prone team in the nation.  Every year starts out with a  fresh start of something knew with a great team.  But one month into the season you hit the first injury and it is all down hill from there.   There is Okhur and his achilles, Kirlenko and his back spasms, and the constant “Super Star” on the team with a little pusidice. (Pusidice is a word referring to the star of the team just being a straight up loser and not wanting to play cause he is to cool for school, or pussy-pardon my French.)  I love my Utah Jazz but I just can’t see them winning the NBA Finals any time soon so don’t get your hopes to high. 

            If we look at all the great players that have played for the Jazz, many are sure to stick out.  First you have John Stockton.  The man that wore short shorts tell the day he called it quits.  He wasn’t one to follow trends of others, but he was a person to stick to how it should be done.  He was a prolific point guard that had eyes all other and knew where you were at all times on the court.  Then you have Karl Malone or “the Mailman.”  He and Stockton alone become two of the greatest players to ever play the game.  There are also many other names such as Pete Marovich(only play for the New Orleans Jazz), Jeff Hornacek, Adrian Dantely, Thurl Bailey, AK-47, and I guess you can but Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams in those names but they are the ones that had pusidice and couldn’t play unless their needs were met.  You can see the talent hasn’t lacked in the locker room for the Utah Jazz, I guess you could say what lacked was mostly passion to win most of the years.  I can go on also about the coaches but that is coming next. 

            I don’t want to bash on the Jazz to much but I have been such a good fan for so many years I feel I have the right to point out the many flaws they have had along the ways. 

            The latest flaws have been trading Deron Williams, and the whole Boozer era was a huge mistake.  D-will was a great point guard and he sure knew the game very well.  He played very hard for his first couple seasons and really brought pride back to Utah after losing the Mailman and Stockton.  It wasn’t easy to keep a superstar like him happy and it was only a matter of time before his pusidice stepped in and he would want to leave for a bigger market of the game.  He left and it has destroyed all chemistry the Jazz had.  It isn’t easy to see them struggle but with struggle comes growth and hopefully it all works out in the end.  Now onto Boozer and his crazy antics on the court.  Yes Boozer came in with a good heart but after a couple seasons he just gave up and you could see he wanted out.  But instead of using him as bate for a good trade, they held out to free agency to let him go.  He then moves on to a mediocre Bulls team, to what is now a championship ready Bulls team.  Why he didn’t like Utah?  Well my theory is Jerry Sloan.  Yes he was one of the greatest coaches of all time, but he was stuck on the whole defense first, then get down the court and set up the pick-n-roll.  It was a game changing offensive scheme, but with new players comes new talent so you need to play to what they have to offer.  That is where Jerry Sloan slacked in his last years as coach of the Jazz. 

            I know this is just a bunch of thoughts put down on a piece of paper but for now it will do.  There are so many things coming about the Utah Jazz I don’t want to give it all away on the first day.  So for now this is good bye and tomorrow brings yet another adventure for me and my writing.   

The Beginning of the End

One Love……

               

         In the beginning I was given a sheet of paper and told “Nick write an essay on The Civil War,” or “Write me a three page essay on why you think school should be shorter.”  I looked at these assignments as tedious and time consuming.  I wanted to write about my one love in life, and not about these meaningless topics in the public school system.  I didn’t learn much from public school writing but now I want to take my writing to the next level.  My “One Love….” is referring to the sports and everything about them.  I am dedicating this blog to my improvement in writing as a take the path to become a writer for ESPN.  I have loved sports since my parents first entered me into the magical world of sweat, injury, and success.  I don’t consider myself omnipotent when it comes to sports, but I can say I know a lot more than most average joes out there in the world.  Hopefully I can connect with anyone that decides to read my blog and get the criticism I need to perfect my skill of writing to a level that will get me my dream job.  I look forward to your comments and hope to receive positive and negative criticism from all who read, as it will help me grow as a writer.  So please follow and I will try and keep your minds wanting more knowledge about the sports world.