John Wall Shuts Up High School Kid.

As I was searching YouTube as I do regularly i came across a video titled "John Wall Shuts Up High School Kid". At first I thought well this is just some charity one on one game that young Wall decided to play, but then as I continued to watch I found something interesting as the young and confident high school student known as  Tyrek Coger seems that he knows that Wall can't beat him. He quotes by saying "I swear to God I'll put my shoes on and it'll be over." He then to proceed saying that he scored on Wall once to then Wall replies with "yea you scored one time to my twenty" and proceeds to knock down a jumper. 

This game was taken place at a recent Reebok Breakout Challenge i assume was held by said John Wall. Now I don't know if Tyrek was trying on defense or not but even to an easy breezy Wall it seemed lacking. The ending is quite funny with input from fellow ballers, but I am not going to spoil it.

What I like most about this video is at the begging when Wall flat out said " you stink" which I thought was pretty cool considering what was going to happen. It is also good to see that Wall is in tip top shape heading into a 82 game NBA season, I really hope he does well.

What To Do During An NHL Lockout

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 While the NHL and NHLPA argue, talk, and discuss, the next CBA for the next few seasons fans, writers and well fans, wait for news on whether there will be a season or not while putting their opinions in. With NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stating that if there is no agreement by the September 1st deadline the season will be locked out for the third time. So as I and many others predict the start of another lockout I am here to list out what exactly there is to do with no NHL hockey )even though Canada lives and breathes it). So here I go.


1. Watch Some Other Form of Hockey

The NHL is not the only existing hockey league out there. It may be the most popular and most commonly known but it is not the only one. For starters there is the Canadian Hockey League, the premier of junior talent is shown as prospects and drafted hopefuls show off their talents in front of scouts, coaches, General Managers, you name it. There are high scoring games most nights exiting finishes and most of all you get to see how well your teams' prospects are doing. The Western Hockey League gets under way September 20^th when the WHL champions Edmonton Oil Kings host the Kootenay Ice. The Ontario Hockey League opens up September 20^th as the Erie Otters take on the Niagara Ice Dogs. Finally the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League opens up September 20^th as the Acadie-Bathurst Titans take on the Saint John Sea dogs. The season is almost under way so you can get your hockey fix quickly if a lockout is to happen.

If you are looking for some early hockey check no further than the KHL otherwise known as the Kontinental Hockey League ( or as I call it the NHL drop off league). While you may need to search the web for most games the different style of hockey with former disgruntled NHLers provided some fun and seeing talents like Alexander Radulov should be worth some time. It’s not like European hockey is a scarce for NHL players. Last lockout most players took the trip to Europe to play overseas. Some struggled, some showed their talents but overall they found a place to play so you never know who you are going to be watching.

One final league you could check out is the American Hockey League (AHL). It is the farm league of the NHL, yet not as popular as the CHL or KHL the AHL offers its times of excitement and tons of NHL players had stepped through these ropes on their way to success. Drafted youngsters are there to develop and show off their talents so they can make the big club.  In case you need any proof of the crazy stuff that goes on in the AHL check out the video below, crazy.

2. Play Some Good Ole NHL 13
No hockey video game better resembles the game of ice puck more than EA Sports NHLs series, and they continue to impress with soon to be released NHL 13. This is the newest addition to the award winning franchise that includes online General Manager Mode. Which pretty much means you run a team like a GM would do but it’s online and I assume you take on challengers from around the world. You can also take the mode apparently on the go so you can pretend to be big shot Tony General Manager. One of its most proud updates with NHL 13 is its new Hockey IQ which basically means the computer will be better, faster, stronger, and defense will make better plays so you don’t find yourself giving away brake a ways all game. The game really is trying to look as real as a NHL game as possible so you can try making it as close as to real as you can.
With NHL 13 you can put those depressing lockout days to rest and make a season of your own or maybe build a hockey star and follow the paths of your favorites, or play exhibitions for all I care, just Play.

3. Start Watching Other Sports.
Unless you are a hockey only kind of person then watching other sports is not going to increase the no hockey pain if anything it will distract you and hopefully make you forget about the dreadful time.  The National Football League or the NFL for short just kicked off its pre-season action and after a short lockout of its own it is looking pretty good and some fun games have taken place. Story lines have begun whether it is the New York Jets and their quarterback controversy or the Eagles and their situations whether it is pre-season or regular season the NFL always has stories to follow and players to keep a watch on. The regular season kicks off September 5^th with the Dallas Cowboys facing the Super Bowl champs New York Giants on NBC. So you don’t have to wait long for another sport to start to get your mind going.


Major League Baseball is almost at the post-season mark and has provided many stories and games that fill out the summer nicely. Players have been howling what they have while some have disappointed. The weather has been dry so far this summer so it always provides a day to enjoy a beer and dog in the sun and Post-Season baseball is the best kind of baseball so you best get tickets or get near a TV for some great excitement Unless your team is like the Blue Jays and suck then I guess go to Yankee Stadium or something in October. Nevertheless Baseball provides drama and a good way to spend your remaining MLB days.

So if the NHL and Players don’t come to a CBA agreement I have a list that hopefully shows you what exactly you can do to maybe not completely forget about a lost season but not feel too bad about it. From CHL hockey to NFL football there is always going to be sports on even if it is not the National Hockey League so quit bickering and do the things on my list, or don’t I don’t care just don’t be sitting in a corner rocking back and forth. I do hope NHL is back on but I won’t be depressed about it, and neither should you.

Alex Semin signs one year 7 million deal With Carolina

  The Carolina Hurricanes decided to make another big splash by singing Russian forward Alexander Semin to a one year 7 million deal (that is a lot of money for one year). The news came first from Yahoo's Puck Daddy contributor Dmitry Chesnokov who tweeted the singing out about an hour ago. This certainly came as a surprise to most seeing Carolina was done with moves after getting Jordan Stall from Pittsburgh and paying a lot for him.

Peoples reaction from twitter anyways was "what? how could you pay 7 million for him?", while i see why they would be confused this singing is a great move by the Canes. It gives a very talented offensive player a fresh start with some sick line mates to choose from (either Eric or Jordan Stall, it gets him out of a bad situation in Washington, and hopefully he will get a hell of a lot more ice time than he did with the Caps.

Despite a down year with the Caps, Semin has shown again that he can put the puck in the net despite people saying "he does not try, he is lazy" (which to me is absolute garbage to say about an NHL player) I see Semin thriving especially having the chance to play with a young core like Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal, and Jussi Jokinien.

Carolina is going to be a ton of fun to watch and they have made themselves serious playoff contenders (that is if there is a season). I really hope Semin does well because nothing I like more than to see haters being shut down. I also find it funny how easily Mike Green got off the hook when Semin was there, if anything Mike Green was just as bad. Goes to show you should judge the players around one before you start to judge Alex Semin. He is a great young talent that will help Carolina finally have a positive season since their cup win.

Stay Classy.

Rick Nash? No thank you.

While friends Zach Parise and Ryan Suter make millions, millions,and millions one player that has wanted out (can you blame him its Columbus) is Jackets forward Rick Nash. The two time 40 goal scorer has voiced out saying that he wants a change out of Columbus. So far 5 teams have shown interest, The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, (no surprise they tend to go after everyone) Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins , and the San Jose Sharks. I am writing to let you know why Rick Nash really is not worth the trouble and the players.

Firstly he has not gotten any better as he gained more experience as a player. From 41 goals to 30, his plus minus getting lower,  and his point production getting lower are you really going to possibly trade a future cornerstone or draft pick for a dude who is suppose  to be in his prime and soaring, instead is decline and not getting any better? I wouldn't especially not with that enormous 7.8 Million dollar cap hit contract yikes.

Secondly He does not seem to have that leadership step in him.He went 7 games without points and has had minus in those games so consistency is lacking and for a player who is payed like he his and how much hype Rick Nash gets this is concerning and worth a look through before saying he would be a good fit.

Finally  During the Blue Jackets short and i do mean short playoff stint Nash has only managed a goal and 2 assists while getting hit with a minus 4 rating. Now i know that the Jackets are not a good team whatsoever and Nash had little or no support while in Columbus during his playoff run However, only averaging one goal for the whole series is not what you would hope for for Nash. If you are a top contending team like Philly or Boston not having Nash perform in the playoffs is a concern when you expect him to help lead your team through the cup finals.

Rick Nash will eventually get dealt, i mean can anyone stand Columbus for their entire career? i doubt it, i couldn't that's for sure. Just make sure you are not the one acquiring him because a player like this could hurt Your team in the short and long term. Some of those prospects could turn out to be important even to a team like Columbus. The cap hit is huge and if you are the team that acquires him be very very cautious of what you give up because with a player like Nash the risk is far more higher than the reward, but hey for what it is worth, he did score a pretty cool goal once that you can see above.

Stay classy folks.

James Gleason (@jaysgleason)

P.S. he also was the cover athlete for nhl 2k9 so yeah there is that.

Lebron Wins title, so shut up!

Lebron Wins Title, so shut up!

He did it, finally he captured what took him 9 years of struggle and criticism to take. The beautiful Larry O Brien trophy by blowing out the heavily supported Oklahoma City Thunder 121 to 106. Years of being called choker, not a "4th quarter guy", a dude who doesn't care, he shut every hater or critic cough *Skip Bayless* cough by once again showing off his pure talent by notching a triple double  of 26points 13 assists and 10 boards he also hit a clutch three in game 4 after cramping up earlier on. that put the heat up late and put Miami in a 3-1 series strangle hold. No one on my twitter feed ripped on him one bit they simply were in awe of this talented talented superstar. He became only the 7th player in NBA History with 40 points, 15 rebs and 5 assist in the playoffs over the last 5 seasons, think about that for a second, that is crazy.   Lebron also hit clutch free throws down the stretch that led Miami to their title. Lebron also was the third THIRD person In NBA history to led his team in points, assists, and rebounds in the Finals and captured the Finals MVP for most valuable player in the Finals. This dude can do it all, we have not seen this amount of mixed talent since the Jordan era possibly. More importantly he is still at a reasonable age and right in his prime, we could see this dominance go for a very very long time. In 2007 he went to his first career NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs and came up short as the Spurs swept the young one man armed Cavs in 4 games, he did not get blasted as it was expected the Spurs would win, though he would repeat having best records for Cleavland posting a 60 win season one time. Sadly though he would face early exit after early exit and that's when the critics and supposed haters kept whispering into Lebrons ear saying he shrunk during the big game, during the 4th he quit on his team.

His image changed from "Chosen One' to the choker.It took 6 years until Lebron became a free agent and then did the famous and controversial "Decision" that was televised in his hometown Akron of all places and announced to the world that he would take his talents to South Beach. This put the world against Lebron even getting him to say " I embrace this villain role". He would join his pals Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami in what was said as the biggest free agent splash ever. Did not take long for those egos to arise when soon after a downtown outside celebration of sorts by having all three be introduced and dance their horrible dance moves and so boldly say " we're not here to win one, two,three,four, that little 10 second comment that put more pressure on this man than anyone. Despite season struggles and days of sobbing they made the NBA finals almost to their goal, only to have it halted and to have the door slammed right in their face by the Western Conference Dallas Mavericks. The hate that was directed more specifically at Lebron was enormous. No team was called out and judged more than this team as soon as the celebrating went down expectations were that they would win right off the bat. I thought that it would take time for them to jell. Lebron got mocked,  hated on, used in pretty much every punchline till it got tiresome there were even some discussion of splitting this team up.

Though despite the rough rumors Pat Riley and coach Splostra remained confident in their team only adding a  few key pieces in Shane Battier and getting rid of old man Mike Bibby. What benefited this team most was that it kept quit which was key especially for Lebron who averaged 27 ppg close to 6 boards a game and 6 assists per game and captured the scoring title and also capturing the 2011-2012 NBA season MVP one of eight players to grab three NBA MVPs.. Lebron was more focused than ever in the postseason scoring 45 points and grabbing 15 rebounds on his way to beating his rival Celtics in 7 games playing 45 minutes and shot 19-26 from the field. It was one of the greatest performances i have witnessed from this dude and any doubt about him winning it this year certainly was fading. He would move on to face the Thunder in what some thought was going to go 7 games. It was not to be as Lebron and the Heat beat the Thunder in 5 Games and finally finally Lebron holds that beautiful gold trophy in his arms because he and the rest of his squad deserved it.Completely outplaying the Thunder in every aspect experience and desperation came into play for LBJ, he was ready to win, ready to get a ring, and ready to shut the haters up for good. No more will i see Lebron has no rings written on boards in classes (yea that happened). no more  doubters saying he can't win the big one. its all bout how he can win the big one because he did, he is the king of the world, enjoy it.

Why do i say enjoy it? well you are a fan of basketball or you would not be reading this.So why not celebrate and enjoy such a great all around talented dude who who the big one. We may not see a player like him in a long long long time maybe never again. He is young and hungry he's got talent with him so the weight isin't all on him even though it is his team yes Wade even said so. It should be more of a privilege to watching him rather than a curse. He is the best player in the world right now for a reason, lets celebrate that.
Fly High Lebron, you are still young. Oh and a future rap career?

P,S, Chris Bosh is awesome i want a pair of those shades

Sports and Social Media

In the world of sports social media has grown and been a big part of how teams, players, and sports networks interact with their fans or supporters. It’s what has created bloggers and fan journalism through the years. Especially in Twitter where fans and people like ether can praise the athlete or broadcaster or rip them apart and just by typing in their username or handle they can make sure those people hear what they say.

The Major Sports Business relies heavily on Social Networking. That’s their way of promoting their product whether it be team hats jerseys or other memorabilia. They rely on Social Media to connect to fans, players, and update whether or not players will be playing.  Social Media platforms like twitter are the most common used sites for Sports organizations the way twitter works, the information they send certainly reaches its fan base in a quick and efficient way. 

I especially like Twitter for discussing and debating topics with Sports Journalists. I communicating with some of the best in the business with just a few simple steps certainly feel like a cool experience.  

A good example of great use of social media in sports, more specifically twitter was When the Professional Hockey team known as the Los Angeles Kings took to twitter after beating one of their rivals Vancouver Canucks and said a pretty smart, funny, and true comment that said “to everyone in Canada outside of BC, You’re welcome”. Saying what is true that most if not all of Canada hates said canucks. That one comment got noticed by Sports Stations everywhere that created a buzz and a popularity surrounding the franchise that has not been seen for a long time.  This created a trend that has seen recent NHL twitter Clubs be more fun with what they right, even the leagues worst team the Blue Jackets from Columbus had fun taking shots from fans and retorting with wit. Some people have found it obnoxious I personally think it is great. Players chirp all the time on the ice so I have no problems having clubs trade blows with others and their fans.

 

Social Media is growing and it is not going to stop. Sports as a whole are going to embrace, use, and grow when they have a chance with social media. Email has taken over paper mail, facebook continues to grow despite its recent falls, and twitter has been a big and relevant social media site that sports have used, Interaction with athletes and broadcasters have never been as easy as this, and it is great.

Its always cool to have a sidekick. The Role of Role Players in Hockey

A lot of the time. Fans, broadcasters, and  Writers, like to pin point the star players, positive or negative the pressure is a plenty for big name players. When you think Pittsburgh Penguins you think Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin. When you think of Washington Capitals you think Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin. Rarely  do we shine the light on those other players the second third and sometimes fourth line players that  work as hard as those more focused. Some love it that way, they love the pressure that is being put on the star players, that is when the role players step up that is there time to step in score the goal or make a diving block to win a game. Only then do some realize how special Role Players are the not so big bucks paid skaters getting the job done at the clutch times always makes for a good story. They certainly do not do it for the money, they do it because its hockey, they do it because its the playoffs they do it because  they want to win, now not saying the higher paid dudes don't like winning ether. I am  just giving respect to other players who pay their dues.

 



David Clarkson is a good example of a role player. He contributed 30 goals this season, added 14 assists and was only a minus 8 this season after having just 12 goals 6 assists and a minus 20. Minus 20. that's like Jack Johnson numbers, i think that is quite the jump! especially playing for a team like the Devils that rely on defense and low scoring games to win so when a known grinder and tough guy puts in 30 that's  gotta be good.

 


 Another good role player i like is Radim Vrabata who plays for the Phoenix Coyotes, yes i know that team is just stacked with no star studded talent but this particular player especially after the year he had certainly caught my eye. He scored a career high 37 goals , had 27 assists a 62 point season after having 48 last year.Weird thing is he has his most success when he is with a not so talented team in Phoenix.



The Coyotes have shown despite lack of star power that you can go far in the playoffs, now they are facing a 3-1 deficit in their series against LA, but no one expected this team to go all the way into the West final. Most picked them to exit in the first round. Instead they showed that by playing a team smart game they could go deep into the playoffs.




Another Team that has a lot of Role Players in it is the St Louis Blues, i don't need to remix what i said about how much they improved. (see other posts). a lot of the success and praise that went into the Blues having a great season is there coach and there goalie, but others shined to. forwards Like TJ Oshie, David Perron, Andy Mcdonald, and upcoming defenceman Alex Pietrangelo   all had great years Pietrangelo had a career year having 12 goals and 39 assists. People actually thought he would be considered a Norris Trophy candidate, he is one player who has really grown into a reliable defenceman.
 



The Importance of Role players in hockey is so important. Being a team sport you want to make sure that those certain players contribute as much and as positively as possible.








This is James Gleason signing out. its 2:30 am i gotta go to bed!
stay classy Canada

James