Last Sunday I was fortunate enough to participate in the STBM charity basketball tournament. This tournament is one that I participated in last year, and if things were going to go like last year, it was going to be a very quick day. Last year my team finished 0-4, losing to every opponent that came our way. This year was going to be different... or so I thought. The team was pumped and ready to take this tournament over, but we stumbled out of the gate with a 13-4 loss, which we considered a fluke. The next game turned out a lot better as we escaped with a 13-10 victory; my first win in 6 STBM Tournament games. The team's spirit was up as we went into a battle with the first place team in our division. We fought hard throughout, yet we came up short, losing 13-6 in a game where we could not put the ball in the hoop. Because the last team in our division did not show, we were credited with a free win pulling our record to 2-2, with a slim chance to make the playoffs. It turns out that another team was in the same position as we were, having gone 2-2 with one win via forfeit. Since that was the case, we played that team as a play-in game to go to the playoffs. We got off to a hot start, taking a 7-2 lead after a 3 pointer by Aly Sultan. Unfortunately, all went down hill from there. We could not score with any consistency, and the defense just could not sustain itself for another grind it out game. We lost the play-in game 13-9, and our season was over. Although I feel we vastly underacheived as a unit, I enjoyed playing, and I think that the tournament turned out to be a great success. Even though that is the case, my overall record in the STBM Tournament is 1-7, 2-7 if you include the freebie, so I am pretty sure that I am done with this tournament for good. Bad vibes....      

So it finally seems that Brett Favre has called it quits in the National Football League, according to sources on Tuesday. Brett said that he was not sure that he had the mental and physical stability to get through the daily grind of the NFL for a whole season. This is not the first time that Brett has "retired," but for some reason this time seems like it's legitimate. The previous time that Brett said he was done, was shortly after a loss in the NFC Championship game, when his head was probably not in the right frame of mind to be in front of a microphone. This time, though, Brett has had ample time to mull over his decision, and he seems to have a valid reason to stop playing... for now. What happens when the first starting quarterback goes down this season, and there is no viable backup to fill the role of starter? Will Brett's phone be ringing off the hook, begging for offers? And if so, will Brett be interested? Because Brett has retired in the past, and he has come back after such an action, the window of opportunity will remain slightly open that Brett might play a little bit more in the NFL. Although the possibility remains, I believe that Brett has genuinely retired for the last time. I say this because, last year as I attended Jets Training Camp one afternoon, Brett had this attitude that reminded me of a kid who had been playing football for the first time in his life. He did not look like an aging veteran who had been traded for the first time in his career for one last hurrah. Flashforward to this year. Brett looks tired and worn out, stating that the daily grind of the NFL is too much for him to handle for a whole season. To me that sounds like the words of an aging veteran who has just had enough. So without any regret, I can finally say, "We'll never forget you Brett." 

When Jordan Crawford dunked on LeBron James during James' Summer Camp this past week, there were only a few witnesses, and it will remain that way for now. After the Xavier student threw one down on James, James ordered Nike to have all videos removed of the play, so that it will never be seen by anyone outside of the camp. Most people would say that LeBron is taking his job too seriously, others would say that he is being a control freak. But thru all of the negativity that LeBron is bringing towards himself from this so-called, cowardice act, he is 

helping promote this young man's dunk in an even stronger way than any video can. Because this dunk cannot actually be seen by anyone that was not there, and the news that it happened will still be passed along so much, Jordan Crawford has become an overnight celebrity like no other. If the video got passed around, and the dunk was really not so spectacular, Crawford loses all of the hype that he is currently receiving because people are always looking for ways to minimize people's achievements. But since there is no visual evidence to prove anything, it is left up to the people's imagination on whether or not it is a big deal, and that only helps Crawford. In addition, because people have not yet followed Crawford that closely, generally speaking, his first game for Xavier will be one that many people will want to "see." So although LeBron "the Gatekeeper" James has brought negative attention to himself, he is bringing a lot of positive attention to Jordan Crawford. And this build-up of anticipation could actually be Jordan Crawford's biggest reward yet. 

Since this post has been written, the video has surfaced. Here it is.