Jason Collins, a NBA player that has been in the league for 13 seasons has become the first male in a major team sport to announce that he is gay. Many wondered when the day would come that a professional athlete would announce that they are gay and today that day has come.
This is great for the sport community because this is the last barrier that needs to be taken down. When I first heard the news, I wondered what type of response would come back and I have seen and heard nothing but great praise and respect for Collins.
It is great to see all the athletes and coaches coming together to support a fellow athlete. As well as people in the sports community there has been great praise from people like Neil Patrick Harris, a personal favorite actor of mine who plays Barney in How I Met Your Mother.
Jason Collins did not plan on being the first person to come out, and he hoped someone else would have done it before him. He finally found the right time and made the announcement and I have the ultimate respect for him.
Below, are some tweets and a statement released by Celtics coach Doc Rivers praising Jason Collins and his decision to come out. You can also see his whole story in the next issue of Sports Illustrated.
The Celtics avoided the sweep and forced a Game 5. Finally the C’s showed some life and played well enough to finally snag a game in this series. Can they win another one? Maybe two more? I guess we will have to wait and see. It is too early to tell, and I may jinx it but I could not resist posting this video….
“Don’t let us win today. We got Petey tomorrow. We Schil game 6. Game 7, anything can happen.”
The NBA Playoffs are back and once again that means the Celtics can flip the switch and make that run that comes around every year come playoff time. That’s how it works right? The Celtics can shake the barely above 500 basketball and start playing consistent Celtics basketball. If that is how it works, then someone must have forgotten to forward that message to the Celtics. Either that, or they can not find the switch. It could also very well mean that there is no switch anymore.
With no consistency anywhere in the Celtics lineup it is hard to tell if we are going to see the Celtics play the playoff basketball of past years. It looks as if the Celtics finally cannot overcome the comments of how they were too old and how they do not have anything left in the tank. Only scoring 25 points in the second half of Game 1 against the Knicks is a huge red flag and is uncalled for. Jason Terry and Courtney Lee have been inconsistent all year and on Saturday they shot a combined 0-7 from the field. Pierce’s shot is flat, KG is struggling and Jeff Green is the only one showing hope. Green cannot do it all though. I have been the Celtics biggest critic for the past couple seasons, but every season they have been able to prove me wrong. I do not think they can prove me wrong this year.
With the way the Celtics have been playing, they need to win on Tuesday. Game 2 is a must win. Prove me wrong Celtics.
As a kid from Connecticut, I never really understood what Patriots’ Day was. The only thing I knew about this historic day in Boston was that the Red Sox played a game at 11 in the morning and there were thousands of people running the Boston Marathon. Beyond that, I had no idea how much of a tradition it was to be apart of it whether you were a spectator or a runner. Since arriving at college, I have had numerous stories told to me by my hometown friends about how awesome and exciting this day was. After hearing all of the stories I knew I needed to make it up to Boston for Patriots’ Day. This year, I finally made the trip up to Boston hoping to make an everlasting memory for myself and my friends, but by the end of the day was a memory the city of Boston will never forget.
I was able to wander the streets of Boston up and down the marathon route and the atmosphere was buzzing with great vibes as the thousands of people gathered to cheer on the runners. Until the explosions that occurred at the finish line, I was able to experience the Patriots’ Day that every Boston and Massachusetts person tries to explain but simply cannot put it into words. After being on the streets for all of it I now know why people have such a hard time explaining it. You cannot put a description on it, you just need to be there.
My heart goes out to all the victims that were affected by this horrible tragedy and I do not think anyone could ever thank the police, EMT, or the runners who donated blood enough because they simply acted heroic when most people’s instinct is to panic and evacuate the area.
The athletes of Boston have also proved why they separate themselves from every other athlete in the country. All expressed how much they loved to play for the city of Boston and what a privilege it was to put on the jersey day after day. Danny Amendola, a recently signed Wide Receiver for the Patriots, has thrown himself into the New England family by vouching to donate money to a relief fund for every pass who catches or drops. When a guy who has not even put on a New England Patriot jersey yet already is doing something like that shows that the name on the front of the jersey is something special when you come to the Northeast.
The athletes of Boston were not the only people to show their love for Boston, as the historic rival Yankees paid a tribute to the Red Sox by playing the Fenway famous “Sweet Caroline” during the third inning of New York’s home game Tuesday night. Numerous other cities held moments of silence and other tributes as well.
Being at Patriots’ Day, I was able to see the city of Boston at its highest and lowest point all in the same day, but the people of Boston showed me what it meant to be a true Bostonian.
Everyday Sportcenter showcases a Top Ten Plays of the day rounding out the plays with a “best of the best” play that gets voted to stay at the best of the best each day. For 45 consecutive times in a row, there was a blistering football hit that occurred during a college football bowl game and many wondered if this play was ever going to be topped. Yesterday was the day that the mighty football hit was topped. The person who took down the mighty play was a boy by the name of Jack Hoffman.
Jack Hoffman is a seven year Nebraska football fanatic who has brain cancer. He has been battling the cancer for a few years now and with little certainty of making it, his father has created a bucket list of things Jack favorite things he wants to do. One of those things was to meet Nebraska Running Back, Rex Burkhead. Jack and his family were able to meet and have lunch with Rex and Jack made an immediate impression on Rex and the Nebraska football team.
Wanting to spice things up and change around the spring football scrimmage the head coach of Nebraska suggested they somehow get Jack involved. On the day of the spring football scrimmage for Nebraska University, the Red Team faced a 4th and 1 forcing the head coach to call a timeout. What came next would warm any heart.
Jack Hoffman was substituted into the game as the Running Back and once the ball was hiked, it was handed to Jack and the whole stadium watched as he ran down the sideline to score a 69 yard touchdown. As Jack crossed the goal line, the crowd erupted in cheers. The whole Nebraska Football Team ran to Jack and hoisted him on their shoulders celebrating the touchdown and indirectly his heart and perseverance.
When you hear things like this in sports, it can never fail to put a smile on your face. The story of Jack Hoffman is truly an amazing one as he continues his fight with cancer and I wish him the best in his fight as I hope they are able to find a way to completely dub him cancer free.
Tonight, the madness will come to a close as the NCAA Tournament final game will feature the Louisville Cardinals and the Michigan Wolverines. Coming into the game, Louisville had the overall number one seed for the tournament and has had proven they deserved the one seed, making it all the way to the championship game. Their opponent Michigan, has been the four seed throughout this tournament and has played some great basketball during this tournament, proving they deserve to be in the championship game. Both teams have had their time at the number one spot in the country during the regular season, so tonight’s game will be a hard fought battle to the end.
The National Championship never fails to be a great game, and there is a good chance it could come down to the last possession of the game. Look for the game to be uptempo, with Siva and the Cardinals looking to run the fast break to score easy in transition. Playing inspired basketball since the loss of Kevin Ware, Louisville will wear down the Wolverines as the game goes on. Head Coach Rick Pitino is no rookie when it comes to the National Championship game, as he will have a chance to win his second national title in his career. That is the least of his worries as he just wants to win this one for his team. Every team develops some sort of bond throughout a season but after the loss of Ware, you could see this was a team of brothers. Look for Siva, Smith, and Hancock to lead the Cardinal push as they try to win this one for Ware.
On the other side, Michigan wants to play their type of game. Play to their strengths, and they have a chance to steal one in Georgia. With the way Louisville has been playing, Michigan is clearly the underdog and they have a tough task ahead of them. No stranger to good teams, the Wolverines have take down more than a couple powerhouse basketball programs in their tournament run. With this being the first championship game Michigan has been in since the Fab Five, it looks as if they have more pressure on them coming into this game as they try to live up to the Fab Five and revenge their loss. They have some fire power of their own with National Player of the Year, Trey Burke and freshmen sensation Mitch McGary. The two have been phenomenal all tournament as McGary has posted double doubles and Burke has come up with his fair share of clutch shots. If Burke can hit some shots early, look for him to prove why he won Player of the Year.
This game will come down to the players that got them to this position. Look for the stars of both teams to shine extra bright tonight as they leave it all on the floor tonight in hopes of capturing a title. At the end of the night the best player for each team will have the ball in their hand looking to be the hero for their respective team. Since the beginning of the tournament I have picked Louisville to win the whole thing so I will stick with my prediction and have them cutting down the nets by the end of the night. They are a team on a mission and they are going to do it for Ware.
Monday was the day Red Sox fans could turn the page on the horrible 2012 season and being fresh with the 2013 season. With a lot of new pieces, including a new manager, this season has a lot of optimism and many fans are anxious to see what kind of team is going to take the field for each game of the long 162 game season. Kicking off the season on Monday against the rival New York Yankees, the Sox started off the season on a very high note. The Sox took the first game of the season beating the Yanks 8-2. Although this is a banged up Yankee lineup, this is a very good start to the season. Two days later they were able to take the second game of the three game series, 7-4. The Red Sox have not started 2-0 since 1999, so this is a very good thing to see especially with the disappointment from the past two seasons.
So can we see a perfect season for the Red Sox in 2013 season? Haha just kidding but the Sox have a lot to be excited from and could do some serious damage this season. The first two games of the season have been filled with excellent pitching from starters and small ball. We are still waiting on our first Red Sox home run of the season but the Sox are getting it done in a different way which could be the trend of the season. With Lester looking sharp in the opener and Buchholz following suit, both starters were able to get their first wins of the season.
On the offensive end the small ball could be the key to the Red Sox success. With only 4 extra base hits in the first two games of the season, the Sox were still able to rattle off 15 runs against the Yankees. Shane Victorino and Jacoby Ellsbury have led the charge in hitting people in and they have 4 RBIs apiece to start off this season and it is good to see both starting off on the right foot. With Victorino, he is proving his worth and since Ellsbury was on and off the DL last season, it is good to see him ready for the 2013 season. Both games, the Red Sox were able to rattle off 13 hits which shows they are swinging the bat well. If they can keep getting men on base then they will always have the chance to hit them in and get runs on the board.
Although it is only April, the Sox bring a lot of optimism and excitement with these first two wins. Players seem to be excited to be playing for John Farrell and he seems to know how to manage the team that he has. As a Sox fan, I know the collapse could come at any time but for now it seems that we are going to see a new Red Sox identity be made this season.
The Red Sox take on the Yankees in the final game of the three game series as the new Red Sox Ryan Dempster takes the hill against Andy Pettitte.
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