Posts Tagged ‘The War Room’

After Further Review (#458)

Friday, February 7th, 2014

by Christopher Dinkins

Christopher Dinkins Blog

 

 

 

 

After Further Review

 

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW #458 SHOUTOUT to you JESSIE TUGGLE… ((NBA)) NETS 103 (ANDERSON 22) SPURS 89 (JOSEPH 18)…WARRIORS 102 (CURRY 34) BULLS 87 (GIBSON 26)…now this is why conspiracy theorists abound in league…. **SLAM DUNK CONTEST at ALL STAR WEEKEND participants ((EAST….GEORGE/INDIANA…ROSS/TORONTO…WALL/WASHINGTON—-WEST….BARNES/GOLDEN STATE…LILLARD/PORTLAND…MCLEMORE/SACRAMENTO))..first time in 26 years three ALL STARS in slam dunk contest….gotta have a reason to watch right ????…. ((NCAAHOOPERY)) 2-ARIZONA 67 (HOLLIS-JEFFERSON 14/10) OREGON 65 (CALLISTE 14)…7-CINCINNATI 63 (KILPATRICK 26/12) CONNECTICUT (KROMAH 13)…9-MICHIGAN STATE 82 (VALENTINE 11/11) PENN STATE 67 (FRAZIER 22)….. hope thatchoo are doing your due diligence when it comes to this year’s NCAA TOURNAMENT…..AFR is going for the BILLION….don’t know aboutchoo !!!! ladies side—-winners include 2-NOTRE DAME…5-DUKE…6-SOUTH CAROLINA…8-TENNESSEE…10-MARYLAND…. ((NHL)) winners include FLAMES…OILERS…FLYERS…CAPITALS…CANADIENS…SENATORS…MAPLE LEAFS…RED WINGS…BLUES(OT)…WILD(OT)…KINGS(OT)….teams are getting ready for SOCHI OLYMPICS…..and it seems like some are proud to be going ..some don’t want to go…and some just wanna get it over with…..RUSSIA is definitely gonna try and win GOLD…….will keep you up on it of course… ((MLB)) RALPH KINER RIP…….a real slugger…led NL in HOME RUNS for seven straight years….369 HOME RUNS in 10 years for PIRATES…….KINERS’ KORNER was the best post game show and that’s from a YANKEES fan…SALUTE. SEATTLE MARINERS sign FERNANDO RODNEY (2YR/$14M) to become their closer…that’s nice but they still need another big bat (NELSON CRUZ??)……MATT WIETERS agrees to 1YR/$7.7M with ORIOLES…MARK TRUMBO and DIAMONDBACKS agree on 1YR/$4.8M…CARLOS MARMOL agrees with MARLINS 1YR/$1.25M…JEROME WILLIAMS will pitch for ASTROS 1YR/$2.1M…nice work if you can get it… ((NFL)) the players need the trees to help with injuries….and not for nothin’ huff and puffin ROGER GOODELL agrees….you see how the two states that was in SUPER BOWL….legalize the SUPER BOWL or bong ..dont get me wrong but them halftime songs might need to run a little longer… ((SOCHI OLYMPICS)) first night went off without a hitch…allegedly…US skier HEIDI KLOSER is out with leg injury…..gonna watch US MENS/WOMEN HOCKEY…..and some of bobsledding……OPENING CEREMONY TONIGHT ((8pm/NBC)) ITS DOUBLE HEADER FRIDAY YALL NBA GAMES of the day BLAZERS (35-10) v PACERS (38-10) / CLIPPERS (34-18) v RAPTORS (26-23)….. NHL GAMES of the day PANTHERS (22-28-7) v HURRICANES (25-21-9) / BLACKHAWKS (35-10-14) v COYOTES (26-20-10) TRUE SCHOOL JAMS of the day TURNTABLE 1….”FEEL IT” -THE AFROS / TURNTABLE 2….”BIG BEAT” – BILLY SQUIER its mathematics day 2/7/14…….do the math… the BALLISTICS have been kicked !!!!!!!………

 

Christopher “The Mayor” Dinkins of GeeQue Palace Sports, for War Room Sports

After Further Review (#456)

Monday, February 3rd, 2014

by Christopher Dinkins

Christopher Dinkins Blog

 

 

 

 

After Further Review

 

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW #456 SHOUTOUT to you LAWRENCE TAYLOR……((NFL)) SUPER BOWL XLVIII–SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 43 DENVER BRONCOS 8..((MVP MALCOLM SMITH))…**CONGRATULATIONS to SUPER BOWL CHAMPION SEATTLE SEAHAWKS**….you already KNOW the air will be thick in PACIFIC NORTHWEST !!!….all you “PEYTON is the best of all time” heads….KNOCK IT OFF !!!!…..tried to tell you weeks ago….but umm…being a “prisoner of the moment” sucks dont it ????…..you got a few more hours to come up wit excuses before THE BIGGER SHOW tomorrow and NOT 97 on WEDNESDAY night !!!!!…..((NBA))CELTICS 96 (RONDO 19/10A) MAGIC 89 (VUCEVIC 14/11)……SUNS wanna try and get PAU GASOL from LAKERS…..for some cap relief and short term improvement…sounds good….how is new commisioner ADAM SILVER enjoying his job so far ????..prolly better than LANCE STEPHENSON (PACERS) enjoying getting left off of EAST CONFERENCE ALL STAR team…..thwas a rough one…..((NCAAHOOPERY)) INDIANA 63 (FERRELL 27) 10-MICHIGAN 52 (LEVERT 12)…***AFTER FURTHER REVIEW NCAAM TOP 10 RANKINGS 1.SYRACUSE(21-0) 2.WICHITA STATE(23-0) 3.SAN DIEGO STATE(19-1) 4.FLORIDA(19-2) 5.VILLANOVA (19-2) 6.ARIZONA (21-1) 7.CINCINNATI(21-2) 8.KANSAS(16-5) 9.KENTUCKY(16-5) 10.LOUISVILLE(18-4)***….ladies side 2-NOTRE DAME 88 (MCBRIDE 23/11) 3-DUKE 67 (LISTON 23)…4-STANFORD 79 (OGWUMIKE 29) CALIFORNIA 64 (BOYD 20)…5-LOUISVILLE 79 (GIBBS 19) SOUTH FLORIDA 59 (WILLIAMS 17)…MIAMI 83 (MOTLEY 27) 6-NORTH CAROLINA 80 (MCDANIEL 18)…7-SOUTH CAROLINA 78 (MITCHELL 20) MISSOURI 62 (KULAS 21/10)…8-MARYLAND 89 (BROWN 31) SYRACUSE 64 (SYKES 22)…10-TENNESSEE 64 (BURDICK 21/11) ALABAMA 54 (SIMMONS 18)…***AFTER FURTHER REVIEW NCAAW TOP 10 RANKINGS 1.CONNECTICUT(23-0) 2.NOTRE DAME(21-0) 3.STANFORD(21-1) 4.LOUISVILLE(21-1) 5.SOUTH CAROLINA(20-2) 6.DUKE(21-2) 7.MARYLAND(17-4) 8.TENNESSEE(18-4) 9.BAYLOR(18-3) 10.NORTH CAROLINA(17-5)***…..((NHL)) CAPITALS 6 RED WINGS 5(OT)…JETS 2 CANADIENS 1….***AFTER FURTHER REVIEW NHL TOP 10 RANKINGS 1.DUCKS(85pts) 2.BLACKHAWKS(80pts) 3.BLUES(79pts) 4.AVALANCHE(75pts) 5.PENGUINS(78pts) 6.SHARKS(76pts) 7.BRUINS(73pts) 8.LIGHTNING(69pts) 9.MAPLE LEAFS(66pts) 10.RANGERS(63pts)***….((MLB)) its 10 days till PITCHERS and CATCHERS report…..and its about TRACY MC GRADY (yes THAT one !!) and his 92mph fastball reporting to SUGAR LAND SKEETERS (independent league)….thats ROGER CLEMENS old team…..((TENNIS)) DAVIS CUP 2014…ANDY MURRAY (GB) over SAM QUERRY (USA)—7-6(5).6-7(3).6-1.6-3–to clinch BRITAIN victory over U.S.—other winners include CZECH REPUBLIC…ITALY…JAPAN…FRANCE…GERMANY…SERBIA…((GOLF)) ELDRICK/TIGER not starting his 2014 off too well…..fail to finish in top 20 in first two starts this year……it will get better….((BOXING)) GENNADY GOLOVKIN (29-0/26KO) wins again by 7thround KO over OSUMANU ADAMA…but too bad nobody saw it….HBO you are slippin baby……slippin badly yo….WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO (WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP) will defend his belts v ALEX LEAPAI on APRIL 26….NBA GAME of the day GRIZZLIES (26-20) v THUNDER (38-11)….NHL GAME of the day CANUCKS (27-20-9) v RED WINGS (24-19-12)…..TRUE SCHOOL JAM of the day “PEG”-STEELY DAN…….its MONDAY…….you still think PEYTON MANNING aka “DUCK DYNASTY” is still GREATEST……thats why you are you and im THE MAYOR !!!!!!……..the BALLISTICS have been kicked !!!!…….AFR.

 

Christopher “The Mayor Dinkins” of GeeQue Palace Sports, for War Room Sports

WRS Book Review: Shaq Uncut

Saturday, February 1st, 2014

by Jimmy Williams

jameswilliamsblog

 

 

 

 

 

Shaq Uncut

 

As a huge fan of basketball aka “This Thing of Ours”, Shaquille Rashaun O’neal aka Shaq, aka The Big Aristotle, aka Wilt Chamberneezy has always been a larger than life figure (No Skittles).  Since first watching him dominate at LSU, Shaq has always been a polarizing figure. This is not just because of his game or size (Naw), but he was always full of personality.  Shaq has always been an entertaining celebrity and he delivers in this book. Now because I’ve read so many biographies I must admit this isn’t a great book but it has many great stories. What is missing from this book is transparency.

Now I don’t personally know Shaq but I know he is human (at least I think he is), and as a human being we all go through struggles. One of the great things about reading biographies of great athletes is a chance to get a look at not only their triumphs but also their tragedies. I’m not saying Shaq should have given us a chapter on “Superhead” (although I would have enjoyed it) but this read more like a commercial for how great Shaq was/is. Shaq did give us insight into the relationship with his step father which I found amazing but overall I’m left feeling like there are many stories which would have given us a better idea of who Shaq is, that were left out.

The stories of the various games Shaq played at every level are amazing. I might overrate the book because of them. What was missing about his personal life is made up by great stories of games and championship runs.

This book was a good read primarily due to the basketball stories but it gets comical at times because it really reads like a commercial for the Shaquille O’Neal brand and not a biography. Maybe I am being too harsh because I have read so many biographies on athletes who are open and honest about their demons, so I have come to expect a lot of “Worldstar” moments. The great thing is Shaq is still creating his legacy and building his brand these days, so maybe in the future we will get another book with some “Worldstar” moments, or at least a chapter on “Superhead”.

 

Jimmy “The Blueprint” Williams of The War Room, for War Room Sports

After Further Review (#454)

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014

by Christopher Dinkins

Christopher Dinkins Blog

 

 

 

 

After Further Review

 

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW #454 SHOUTOUT to you RICH “GOOSE” GOSSAGE….((NBA)) KNICKS 14 (ANTHONY 24) CELTICS 88 (GREEN 14)….PELICANS 100 (DAVIS 30) CAVALIERS 89 (IRVING 23)….PISTONS 103 (DRUMMON 13/17) MAGIC 87 (OLIDIPO 19)….ROCKETS 97 (JONES 21) SPURS 90 (DIAW 22/11)….GRIZZLIES 98 (RANDOLPH 23/10) BLAZERS 81 (ALDRIDGE 27/16)….WIZARDS 88 (BEAL 20) WARRIORS 85 (CURRY 23)….PACERS 104 (STEPHENSON 15/14) LAKERS 92 GASOL 21/13)…..FRANK VOGEL (PACERS) will coach EAST ALL STARS….SCOTT BROOKS (THUNDER) will coach WEST ALL STARS…..((NCAAHOOPERY)) 4-WICHITA STATE 57 (EARLY 23) LOYOLA (IL) 45 (DOYLE 16)….7-MICHIGAN STATE 71 (COSTELLO 11/12) IOWA 69 OT(MARBLE 21)….NEBRASKA dismisses DEVERELL BIGGS from team…..XAVIER suspends JALEN REYNOLDS “to concentrate on responsibilities greater than basketball”….womens side 1-CONNECTICUT 93 (STEWART 37) TEMPLE 56 (BROWN 13)….5-LOUISVILLE 80 (SCHIMMEL 24) RUTGERS 71 (SCAIFE 25)….((NHL)) winners include CAPITALS(OT)…BRUINS…MAPLE LEAFS…FLYERS…SENATORS…CANADIENS…BLUES…PREDATORS…COYOTES…FLAMES(OT)…WILD….he still doesn’t get it…..TIM THOMAS (PANTHERS) hits CARL SODERBERG (BRUINS) in the head with his stick after his team lost…..hey isnt that bad sportsmanship…..where are all the “ghetto” philosophers ???….they prolly don’t watch HOCKEY….((MLB)) RUSSELL WILSON (SEAHAWKS) will wear RANGERS uniform on his baseball card…MLB approves padded caps for pitchers….some still will not wear them…another pitcher to add to free agent list AJ BURNETT wants to pitch next season……somebody will take a chance on him….YANKEES need another arm ……hmmmmmmmmmminah…..((NFL)) its SUPER BOWL WEEK….and NYC is lit up for real..for real…we talked SUPER BOWL on THE BIGGER SHOW last night SHOUT to CALLERS ((TEE..KIA…BARRY…TYRONE…RACHEL)) and we chopped it up HEAVY…..SHOUT to LISTENERS ((we see you too!!))….((NASCAR)) JIMMIE JOHNSON is in support of new CHASE points system….changes are in effect for CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY during ALL STAR WEEKEND (MAY 16-18)…SPRINT SHOWDOWN moved from tuesday to friday…….NBA GAME of the day THUNDER (36-10) v HEAT (32-12)….NHL GAME of the day RANGERS (28-23-3) v ISLANDERS (21-26-8) at YANKEE STADIUM/STADIUM SERIES……TRUE SCHOOL JAM of the day “I CANT GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)” – HALL AND OATES……..its HUMP DAY already….you know what to do…..the BALLISTICS have been kicked !!!!….AFR.

 

Christopher “The Mayor” Dinkins of GeeQue Palace Sports, for War Room Sports

Philadelphia Eagles announce Bill Musgrave as new QB coach, other additions to coaching staff

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

 

When your quarterback is Nick Foles and he delivers the series of astonishing performances that marked his 2013 season, your quarterbacks coach is going to be in demand. That was indeed the case with the Philadelphia Eagles, who saw Bill Lazor  depart the Birds to become the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.

After many reports, the Eagles confirmed on Monday that Bill Musgrave joined the team as its new quarterbacks coach. This is his second stint with the team. Musgrave previously served as offensive assistant with the team in 1998 before finishing the final 10 games of the season as offensive coordinator.

Since his original time with the Eagles, Musgrave has accumulated a wealth of experience around the NFL. Most recently he served as the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings from 2011-13, where he helped guide RB Adrian Peterson, the league’s MVP in 2012. Prior to his time with the Vikings, Musgrave spent five seasons (2006-10) as the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons, where he worked with Matt Ryan to set career highs in touchdowns (28), passer rating (91.0) and passing yards (3,705) in 2010 while guiding the team to their first NFC South title since 2004. He has also spent time on the coaching staffs of the Redskins, Jaguars, Panthers around the league, as well as the University of Virginia in the college ranks.

The Eagles also announced that Michael Clay joins the organization as the team’s defensive quality control coach. Clay was a former linebacker under Chip Kelly at the University of Oregon. A four-year letterman for the Ducks from 2009-12, Clay, 22, earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors as a senior after recording 101 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble while starting all 12 contests. He was an unsigned with the Miami Dolphins in 2013 but ultimately did not make the team.

Mike Dawson was promoted to the assistant defensive line coach after the 2013 season as the team’s defensive quality control coach. Dawson helped the Eagles defense rank tied for third in the NFL in games holding their opponents to 21-or-fewer points after a rocky start to the season by the D.

Follow Philly Sports Muse on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

The NFL vs. EPL

Monday, January 27th, 2014

by Nwaji Jibunoh

Nwaji Blog

 

 

 

 

 

EPL vs NFL

 

A few years ago, I came across a CNN documentary that compared the National Football League and the English Premier League. Two football leagues but two totally different sports.  The critical issues they were comparing are the differences that teams in these top flight leagues have when it comes to financial troubles.

In light of the recent discussions surrounding Richard Sherman and the possibilities and potential of added sponsorships due to his newly discovered popularity and how best to manage and play this game in the media world, I decided to expatiate on this documentary and see how indeed players and clubs earn sustainable money in sports.

According to this documentary, NFL teams have several factors that save them from ever going into liquidation, and those two factors are a Salary Cap and a Salary Floor. This means that there is a minimum and maximum amount of money that any player can ever make in terms of wages on an annual basis, regardless of the talent of that athlete or what team that athlete plays for. For example, when you look at some of the annual salaries of NFL players (Richard Sherman for example), you might be somewhat surprised that as of 2012, it was $456,000.00. You would think it’s more considering the lifestyle that some of these individuals have and just overall perception of their earnings, but for a 3rd player coming out of the 5th round draft, that salary is quite consistent. Secondly, all the teams in the National Football League (NFL) receive equitable distribution of television revenue. This is partly because there is not a monopoly to every single game by one media conglomerate. Where you begin to see the difference in terms of franchise earnings is when it comes to game day and season ticket revenues, merchandising sales, and sponsorships. The structure of the NFL is so corporate that each player is graded like any employee you would find in the banking industry, and it cuts across all teams. These factors allow the league to properly regulate and structure their finances in such a way that they can never go into debt.

Now, on the other side of “The Pond” in the English Premier League, there is no salary cap or salary floor, meaning that any team depending on their financial buoyancy can pay as much or as little to any player as they please. According to Forbes Magazine, the top 5 earners in the English Premier League and their club salaries are:

1)     Robin Van Persie (Manchester United) – $19m

2)     Yaya Toure  (Manchester City)- $18.2

3)     Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – $18.1m

4)     Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – $17.4m

5)     Fernando Torres (Chelsea) – $17m

Ironically, in these same teams, you have players that earn $1M and less a year. Such disparities are quite ridiculous. So, what does this translate to? It basically means that players will naturally gravitate towards teams that can pay them the exorbitant amounts that they seek. This is why you have the same teams winning season in and season out, because they are the only teams with the cash flows backed by wealthy owners to pay these wages, hence attracting the best and the brightest from the world to the EPL and stripping off other leagues locally, continentally, and globally of adequately developing their own football teams.

Sky Sports, which is part of the media conglomerate BSB (British Sky Broadcasting, backed by 21st Century Fox), had exclusive live UK rights to the Premier League until the 2007/08 season when an EU Competition ruling forced the Premier League to share live TV matches among more than one broadcaster. That brought down their exclusivity dominance from 100 percent to 75%. They however, due to lack of proper regulation, do not equitably distribute the revenues generated from the advertisements during the games to all the teams in the Premiership. What they have been doing since the inception of their relationship with English football is allocating 60 percent of TV revenues to the likes of Manchester United (who have consistently raked in between 7-15% over the last 20 years), Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and recently Manchester City. The effect this has is that it has caused other minnow teams like Sunderland, Portsmouth, Hull, Blackburn, and Stoke to struggle significantly when it comes to these revenues, especially when players leave for bigger teams, for bigger wages.

The lack of an organized somewhat “socialist” structure in the Premier League ensures that we continually see a monopoly amongst those who retain the title (After all since 1996, only 4 different teams; Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal have been crowned champions of England), whereas in the NFL in that same span of time, 10 different teams (New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers) have won the Super Bowl.

One may argue that the capitalist nature of America allows players to receive endorsements that are absolutely astronomical from different corporations, so they are not necessarily motivated by one particular club. Perfect example, Michael Jordan in his prime (The 1995-96 season) was one of the lowest paid first team salary earners in the NBA, but grossed $60 million annually in endorsements from Coca Cola, Nike, Hanes, Ball Park Hot Dogs, McDonald’s, Wheaties, Chevy Blazer, and Gatorade. Such endorsements can easily make any professional athlete forget their wages and simply focus on their love for the game. This can never be the case in the UK, because the salary wages to endorsement ratio is the complete opposite of the Michael Jordan example.

The question being asked is… “do you think the English Premier League needs to reconstitute the way they do business to avoid disasters that happened with the likes of certain clubs such as Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Portsmouth F.C, that had to file for bankruptcy?” Can the EPL learn from the NFL and avoid being at the whim of wealthy mercenary type owners who don’t understand football (I can’t bring myself to call it soccer, I just can’t) and who burden big teams with insurmountable debts? Can corporations in Europe begin to focus more on splurging out on more players in endorsement deals so that way the players can focus on their ability to market themselves to make that big money while having a team focus at the center of what they do when it comes to “the beautiful game”? After all, for a cup competition that boasts to be the biggest in the world, comprised of 25 leagues, with an average representation of 3 teams from each league, with a 22-man squad per team, bringing that total to 1,650 players, there are literally only 5 names that are recognized from a brand perspective when it comes to sponsorship and marketing on a global scale.

The fear with the soon to be passed “Financial Fair Play” policy which stipulates that all teams in Europe spend only what they earn will show that the English Premier League is the most expensive and lucrative sports league in the world, but at the same time, the most irresponsible when it comes to good corporate governance.

The National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Basketball Association (NBA) all learned the hard way in the late 80’s and early 90’s, where several teams went into administration simultaneously, that some entire seasons were suspended in order to rectify an impending problem. We have even seen recently some leagues having lock down seasons due to the inability to arrive at a consensus when it comes to equitable salaries.

Should the EPL wait for such to happen before they introduce Salary Caps, Salary Floors, and Equitable distribution of television revenue? Can’t teams focus on ticket, jersey, and merchandise revenues for significant incomes? At what point will leagues in Europe learn from the NFL to avoid their teams slipping into administration.

What better way can we educate young athletes on the intricacies of these payment structures before allowing super-agents to take advantage of them?

For those of us who love sports, spreading the word on these details with enough objectivity and accuracy is one of several ways.

 

Nwaji Jibunoh, International Correspondent for War Room Sports

Located in Lagos, Nigeria, Nwaji Jibunoh is War Room Sports’ International Soccer Contributor.  Nwaji also contributes commentary on U.S. sports from an international perspective.  He’s an Atlanta Falcons fan, Howard University alum, and former tight end for the North Atlanta High School Warriors.

WRS Book Review: Dr. J: The Autobiography

Friday, January 24th, 2014

by Jimmy Williams

jameswilliamsblog

 

 

 

 

 

dr j.

 

“There ain’t no back in the day Nicca…Ain’t no nostalgia to this sh*t here. There’s just the street and the game and what happen here today.”   – Melvin ‘Cheese’ Wagstaff

 

When talking hoops with people these days, it’s sad because the legends of the past are often forgotten.  And that’s the case when talking professional ball or street-ball.  You watch TV and you would think that the game was played by only Magic & Bird in the 80’s, followed by Jordan in the 90’s.  Growing up in Philadelphia I know better.  One of the most popular figures of my childhood was Julius “Dr. J” Erving.  He was larger than life in the city.  He was also a legend in street-ball.   Most of the older men in my neighborhood wanted to be him and all of the older ladies would have given him their love canal if they had the chance.  Not only was he considered a great ball player but he has always been considered someone who carried himself with class.

The great thing about biographies is the chance to hear stories and learn details about someone’s life you had no knowledge of.   The Doc was an amazing ball player and he did carry himself with class but he was far from perfect.  This book is not only filled with amazing stories of legendary games and players but it also talks about his shortcomings and his personal struggles.  If you are a hoops fan and love the history of the game, this is a must-read.  The stories of playing one on one with Pistol Pete and George Gervin are amazing.  His relationship and thoughts on other legends such as Kareem and Bill Russell are also great.  There are also stories of Moses, Barkley, Magic, Bird, and many more.

Much was made of his story of fathering a child with a woman who was not his wife.  Not because he cheated but because in the words of Jadakiss, “It’s no way she gonna have a baby out of her mouth”.  Doc said she only became pregnant because she couldn’t give him a twirly due to getting braces and they had “traditional” sex only one time.  Now when I first heard about that excerpt I laughed and said, “damn, Doc was foul for talking about the mother of his child that way”.  When reading what he said and putting it into context, it doesn’t come off the same.  Don’t get me wrong, Doc is still a creep, but he was being honest and transparent when telling his story.

As a hoops fan and one who loves the history of the game, this book was amazing.  I may overrate it based on the fact that I’m a hoops junkie.  This was a great story that dealt with race, poverty, basketball, business, family, and making love to a lot of women.  That will always be a recipe for a great book in my opinion.

 

Jimmy “The Blueprint” Williams of The War Room, for War Room Sports

After Further Review (#451)

Friday, January 24th, 2014

by Christopher Dinkins

Christopher Dinkins Blog

 

 

 

 

After Further Review

 

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW #451 SHOUTOUT to you ICHIRO SUZUKI….((NBA)) HEAT 109 (BOSH 31) LAKERS 102 (GASOL 22/11)….BLAZERS 110 (ALDRIDGE 44/13) NUGGETS 105 (CHANDLER 18)….**NBA ALL STAR STARTERS EAST (((ANTHONY/NYK…GEORGE/IND…IRVING/CLE…JAMES/MIA…WADE/MIA)))….WEST (((BRYANT/LAL…CURRY/GS…DURANT/OKC…GRIFFIN/LAC…LOVE/MIN)))**….what the HELL is this ?????…where are CENTERS ????…..these selections are not bad but ummm…who is gonna take opening tip ????…..AFTER FURTHER REVIEW NBA ALL STAR SELECTIONS soon come !!!!….((NCAAHOOPERY)) 1-ARIZONA (ASHLEY 15) COLORADO 57 (JOHNSON 21)…6-FLORIDA 68 (FRAZIER II 18) ALABAMA 62 (RELEFORD 14)….womens side 2-NOTRE DAME 79 (ACHONWA 23) MIAMI 52 (WILLIAMS 10)…3-DUKE 85 (LISTON 25) FLORIDA STATE 77 (HOWARD 28/22)…VIRGINIA 86 (WOLFE 24) 6-MARYLAND 72 (THOMAS 27/10)…7-NORTH CAROLINA 83 (GRAY 19) WAKE FOREST 65 (HAMBY 22/11)…ALABAMA 57 (SIMMONS 21) 9-KENTUCKY 55 (WALKER 18)…..its CONFERENCE TIME yall !!!!!!…..watch out for those fake tickets being sold at games…ummm yeah…who are the TOP FRESHMAN now ???…..((we like TYLER ENNIS/SYRACUSE…JABARI PARKER/DUKE(he might stay in school anotha year)…JULIUS RANDLE/KENTUCKY))….WHO you LIKE ??…..((NHL)) winners include HURRICANES…BLUES…BLUE JACKETS…LIGHTNING(SO)…PENGUINS…WILD…STARS…PREDATORS…DUCKS…SHARKS….LONG STREAK (BLUE JACKETS 8 )…..WRONG STREAK (CAPITALS 6)……((NFL)) you ready for SUPER BOWL SATURDAY or MONDAY ???…..CLEVELAND BROWNS name MIKE PETTINE HC….yaaaaaaaawn…..its PRO BOWL weekend..((umm will TEAM SANDERS “cook” TEAM RICE..do you care ???))….AFTER FURTHER REVIEW will be talking SUPER BOWL all next week….((BOXING)) MIKEY GARCIA (champ) v JUAN CARLOS BURGOS–WBO LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP–945pm/HBO……LAMONT PETERSON (champ) v DIERRY JEAN–IBF JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP–900pm/SHOWTIME…..both cards have nice undercards…check em out…..((MLB)) MILWAUKEE BREWERS have (allegedly) made a deal with MATT GARZA 4YR/$52M…that’s a nice rumor……anybody ever play STRAT O MATIC BASEBALL or APBA BASEBALL or REPLAY BASEBALL ???….holla at THE MAYOR !!!!….((TENNIS)) AUSTRALIAN OPEN ’14—-RAFAEL NADAL over ROGER FEDERER (7-6(4).6-3.6-3) to reach final v STAN WAWRINKA…..umm we have a trade to report in WORLD TEAM TENNIS (who knew ??…….AFR did !!) BOB and MIKE BRYAN traded from TEXAS WILD to SAN DIEGO AVIATORS for C.R.E.A.M………its DOUBLEHEADER FRIDAY NBA GAMES of the day SPURS (32-10) v HAWKS (22-19) / GRIZZLIES (20-20) v ROCKETS (29-15)…….NHL GAMES of the day CAPITALS (22-20-8) v DEVILS (21-19-11) / CANADIENS (27-18-5) v RED WINGS (22-18-10)…….TRUE SCHOOL JAM of the day “LIVIN IT UP (FRIDAY NIGHT) – BELL and JAMES…..its FRIDAY….don’t wake up in a chicken coop !!!!!…….the BALLISTICS have been kicked !!!!!!!……..AFR.

 

Christopher “The Mayor” Dinkins of GeeQue Sports Palace, for War Room Sports

McCoy, Mathis on Team Rice; Jackson, Foles join Team Sanders at Pro Bowl

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

 

DeSean Jackson proudly displaying his Team Sanders jersey.  (Image via jaccpot10 on Instagram)

DeSean Jackson proudly displaying his Team Sanders jersey.
(Image via jaccpot10 on Instagram)

The NFL’s attempt to invigorate the Pro Bowl by having teams led by Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice has begun, with the draft selection of Pro Bowl players completed on Wednesday night. It remains to see if the elimination of the AFC and NFC designations will add additional interest to the league’s all-star game. For now, a two-day draft to select who among the best will be selected to each team was enacted to try to drum up enthusiasm. Just where did the four Eagles in Hawaii for the game land?

Evan Mathis and Ryan Kalil, proud members of Team Rice at the Pro Bowl.  (Photo via @nflnetwork on Twitter)

Evan Mathis and Ryan Kalil, proud members of Team Rice at the Pro Bowl.
(Photo via @nflnetwork on Twitter)

Evan Mathis and LeSean McCoy will be together on Team Rice. They will face teammates Nick Foles and DeSean Jackson on Team Sanders. Foles escaped the embarrassment of being the last player chosen to a team, leaving that honor to former coach Andy Reid’s new quarterback, Alex Smith.

But does any of it matter? Will more people watch—or care? There seems to at least be mild interest in knowing where players wind up and who will be their opponents. Beyond that we’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out.

The Pro Bowl airs this Sunday, January 26 at 7 pm on NBC. Will you be watching?

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

Hate him or Love him, we need Richard Sherman

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

by Jim Racalto

(Photo via CBS Sports)

(Photo via CBS Sports)

Disclaimer: This article expresses the views of the author. These views do no represent Sports-Kings or War Room Sports.

By now, everyone knows that Seahawks’ outspoken cornerback Richard Sherman made the play of the game in Sunday’s NFC Championship game. For those who don’t know, after he caught up to a Colin Kaepernick pass intended for Michael Crabtree and deflected it into the hands of a teammate for the game-sealing interception, Sherman went on to taunt Crabtree on the field and belittle him in an interview.

First, let me give my personal OPINION about over-the-top trash talk in football. I have never been a fan of it, no matter the player, the reason, or the situation. Unlike a sport like boxing, where self-promotion, hype, and trash-talk have traditionally been the norm, football is a team sport. There is obviously an expected amount of talk that will take place on the field between 22 grown men, but sometimes players can break that threshold. Richard Sherman is one of these players. I have no vendetta against him, nor am I a “hater.” I have held this stance on trash-talk for the longest time – it could have been any player acting in such a fashion, and I would have said the same thing: I am not a fan of it.

Now that I have cleared that up, let me tell you I don’t think my opinion is gospel. Plenty of people believe Sherman’s actions were fine, and they’re entitled to that. I don’t think Sherman needs to be berated or criticized outside of a football context either. I like him as a player, and if he toned it down a bit and didn’t make himself larger than the team at times, I’d be cool with it.  Some don’t like over the top talk, some are fine with it. There is no correct answer on a matter of opinion.

Some of you may be asking how can I defend Sherman if I don’t like how he acts sometimes? Simple! I understand the difference between being critical from a football standpoint and being critical from a human standpoint. Richard Sherman grew up in the harshest of cities (Compton, CA), graduated second in his class from a high school that posts less than impressive graduation rates, and then graduated from Stanford – one of America’s most prestigious universities. As a human being, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is a more feel-good story than Sherman. He is a well-spoken, intelligent, and intellectual human being. You can’t judge the character of a man by his actions on a football field.

To make matters worse, there were racial slurs all over social media after Sherman’s interview. This amazed me. How ridiculous are people these days? It’s fine to have your opinion on Sherman, the football player. But to make personal attacks and actually think what he does or says in the heat of the moment between the sidelines is actually a reflection of his character as man is irresponsible. It is because of these personal attacks and outrageous character judgments that I felt the need to clear the air and defend a guy I criticized. Why am I allowed to do that? Because I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE between football and reality.

In closing, the NFL – and the world – needs guys like Richard Sherman. Although I don’t like overboard taunting or talking, Sherman is the best defensive back in the league. He has earned the right to say what he wants, and thus far he’s backed it up. Whether or not I like it is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

I think Sherman is an example of a guy who knows how far he’s come, is ultra-proud of what he’s accomplished, and is such a good football player that he’s not scared to let you know he’s the best. He will then dare you to prove him wrong.

Your opinion, my opinion – neither will change that. Sherman has since apologized for his post-game outburst. I wish he hadn’t.

 

Jim Racalto of Sports-Kings, for War Room Sports