In my humble opinion

The football season is finally coming to an end this Sunday when the two Best teams play for it all in a showdown between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.

But are they really the two Best teams in the NFL or are they the two teams Playing the Best in the playoffs.

In the end, very few people are going to remember which team almost went undefeated, which teams had record breaking seasons, which teams were the Division winners, which teams were offensive juggernauts etc.

Most people including some that don't even care or know much about football are going to know who the eventual Super Bowl Champion is going to be when it Ends.

In local High School Girls basketball, two teams have been the clear cut Best teams the last few years, John Jay and Wagner. But this year, the field is wide open with at least 10 teams having a  better than outside chance of playing in Austin. Those teams in no particular order and in my humble opinion are Cibolo Steele, Judson, Wagner, Reagan, Churchill, Johnson, Stevens, O'Connor, Jay and Brandeis. 

If you consider the point guards for these teams, you have an amazing display of leaders and talent. A few can single-handedly carry a team on their backs like in Churchill, Johnson and  Jay and some are unbelievable catalysts like in Stevens and Judson. Take a look at athleticism and its off the charts in teams like Steele, Reagan, Stevens and Judson.  Some teams have freshman contributing big time like in Steele, Churchill, Stevens, O'Connor, Jay and Brandeis. Whats more amazing is that the majority of star players in these teams are non seniors. And lets not leave out the Head Coaches. Some Head Coaches in particular can Will their teams to Austin. Do I really need to mention teams????

As the regular season winds down, there is plenty up for debate.

So who has the best players, which team has the best offensive and defensive stats, which team is the most athletic, which coach is the best, which team has the deepest bench and which team is the Best?

One thing for sure is that soon we will know which team is Playing the Best. And in the End for that particular team going to Austin, nothing else will seem to matter much.

And in my humble opinion, there shouldn't be much else that matters than being there supporting how all this unfolds.

Go Support GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL!!!!

Its a funny thing

It a funny thing that sometimes One Moment, One Act, One Instance can shape oneself and forever change who you are.

For many the day leading up to your High School Graduation, you are still viewed as a kid. 

But at that One Moment when you walk the stage......

that One Act of receiving your diploma on your hand.......

you are in One Instance automatically transformed into something more. 

One piece of paper lets everyone know you have arrived in the world. All that hard work, time and effort has paid off.

By all accounts, everyone that witnessed yesterdays Girls High School basketball game between Churchill and Reagan, were treated to one of the best non playoff games in San Antonio. And for sure they are many story lines that can come from a game like that. There was plenty of action, drama, suspense, revenge factor, comeback, highs, lows and a lot of  Leslie Vorpahl.

But on One crucial Moment of the game, freshman Mikki Flores was fouled with 16 seconds left with Churchill clinging to a one point lead. 

On One crucial Act of the game, she was sent to the line to shoot two free throws.

In One Instance, Mikki Flores is not a Freshman no more. 

No matter what happens tomorrow, the next day and in the future, in that One Moment, that One Act, in that One Instance, all that hard work, time and effort paid off.

Yes, Mikki Flores made both Free Throws.

What are we talkin about Man?

With Club Basketball season around the corner and volleyball club well underway. One of my favorite subject to talk about is PRACTICE!

First, here is a former NBA Great's take on it. Click Following Link.

 Allen Iverson talks about Practice

And here is a GREAT take on it  that I would recommend everyone to read. Especially for any aspiring athlete and parent out there. Click Following Link.

The Importance of Practice

Yeah Man, Let's talk about Practice.....

"Fall in love with your practice and compromise it for nothing in exchange on your path to greatness."

Barney Says

If you are a parent of a kid playing in any sport, you may catch yourself saying and yelling to them at one time or another or maybe all the time 

"You have to be more aggressive! You have to be more confident! You have to do more!"

You might turn blue in frustration or even red in anger. You might wonder in your mind and have doubt about your child's ability. You might even threaten them, 

"If you don't start producing then you are not going to play any more"

No matter what you say and how you say it, your kid may seem to block you out. You may even think that they are never going to get IT.

Heck you just hope that after all the work and time that eventually one day they will get IT. And maybe after they get IT, you can relax and enjoy and brag to your family and friends.

When my daughter was barely able to walk, I spent hours upon hours trying to teach her the basic colors.

I would go over and over the colors with her. When I would test her, she didn't have a clue. This went on day to day, week to week, but to no avail, she just didn't get IT. I started to think that maybe she didn't inherit any of my Genes. I would point to something Yellow and would ask her what color it was. She would calmly respond Black. Aaaaaah, I wanted to yell as my frustration grew.

One day after I picked her up from the babysitter and we were driving home, she calmly told me

"Daddy I know what color the sky is. It's Blue. I know the color of your shirt is Red"

She went on telling me all the way home the color of everything she could think of and visibly see. I didn't dare interrupt her. I let her go on and on cause I knew finally she had IT. When we got home, I asked how she knew all the colors and she responded

"Barney says the sky is blue. Barney says ........"  She went on and on

So next time you feel frustrated as can be at your child's performance and feel like you need to yell cause it may seem they are blocking you out, Remember that Barney says................ Use your IMAGINATION. And then one day when your child finally does get IT, you can relax and brag to everyone including family and friends

"Yeah, you know......... he or she inherited all my GENES!"

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Ok, I know a lot of parents and basketball fans look down and don't have a favorable view on middle school basketball for many reasons. And yes I admit that puts me in that category. 

My mom would always have a knack of living her life by not judging a book by its cover. The greatness in her was that she actually never preached it, but lived it. She never saw the bad and the ugly in anything. She focused on the good and the positive. OK yes I admit again, I still have a long way to go in that category!

So now I have to say this about middle school ball.

Over the weekend, the end of year tournament for Judson and East Central ISD girls middle school took place. It was a great atmosphere and even greater showing by future athletes going to Judson, Wagner and East Central High Schools.

In the 7th grade division, Metzger Middle School led by Kiana Williams played Legacy Middle School led by Brittany Rodgers. While in the 8th grade division, Judson Middle School led by Lena Wilson played Kirby Middle School led by Belle Tovar.

Both games were as equally as exciting and both games were not settled till the time expired . Above mentioned future High School stars left everything on the table battling every second they were on the court. It was a great experience to be part of, especially seeing other girls step up that normally you wouldn't expect. For the most part, fans for all the teams were positive and engaged. In the end two teams had more points, Metzger for the 7th grade division and Kirby for the 8th grade division. But there is no doubt in my book, everyone came out winners, the players, the fans and more importantly Girls Middle School Basketball! 

Yes there was some bad food and ugly calls, but there was a LOT of GOOD Basketball!

Everywhere you looked there were PROUD moms. So as I walked out of the gym, I looked up to the heavens.

Thanks mom, and yeah I know I still have a long way to go.

Party Rock

Driving in San Antonio or any major city, it is inevitable that you will be will stuck in traffic. Driving at a snail pace isn't the best thing in the world , but it does offer you a chance to escape for a moment. 

Everyone has those special songs that take you back to a special time, remind you of a special person or take you back to the good old days.

You know those days, when you had to walk home every day 5 miles through rain and shine after school. Or what about when you played basketball or any other sport outside with your friends till 3am in the morning.

But in reality, you wouldn't want your kid to walk home 5 miles or be out and about till 3am in the morning. Parents naturally want better for their kids. 

Being a parent of a club basketball player or any other sport for that matter is not any different. You find them a team, provide them equipment, find them a specialized trainer, take them to camps and clinics. You do what you need to do to give them a chance to succeed.

I SALUTE those parents.

And hopefully in the future when they hear a certain song, their kids can reflect on their own good old days.

Oops someone just honked at me to get a moving. Let me turn up the radio......

Party Rock is in the House tonight........

Everybody just have a good time

Reality TV

Why would you want to stay home and watch tv when you can go catch a Middle School or High School basketball game?

Heck it's like being in your own Reality TV show.

Case in point, this Friday Churchill vs Johnson girls basketball game should provide plenty of everything.

Before the game, you could say Oprah would have come out of retirement. Everyone will be all calm and friendly, saying all the nice things your supposed to say.

As the game starts with so many stars on the court at the same time, the burning question will be....SA who will be the next American Idol?

If the game is as close as advertised, once any questionable call is made, the referees could be in their own remote island starring in Survivor!

Instead of Basketball Housewives, you will have supporting moms expressing their emotions in Basketball Mothers. And lets not leave out dads starring in CSI/SA HS Girl BBall unit.  Analyzing every move, uncovering every angle and questioning every coaching decision making sure no stone is left unturned.

Aaaahhhh. The drama, the suspense, the highs, the lows. The game comes to a conclusion.

Walk over to the winners side and you will automatically feel the energy and electricity in the air. The Biggest Winners will be showing over and over till the next opponent comes.

Walk over to the losing side and you might hear the familiar song in your head introducing the People's Court.

Endless supply of witnesses passionately stating their case. Your Honor, we were ROBBED!

Go support Girls Basketball!

Pick One of the Above

If you don't play to win, why keep score? It's not if you win or lose, but how you play the game.

Whatever quote you may agree with, you would have to agree that Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos plays with Heart and Passion to try and will his team to win. Putting aside his religion, he sets an example for which is hard to measure. How do you measure someone's Heart and Passion?

Which leads me to this. I would always ask the following question:

If you were the coach and you had to choose one player, which one would you choose?

The most athletic or most fundamentally sound player.

But now I would have to add to the mix, or the player that has the most Heart and Passion.

Of course you can add a lot of more intangibles and possibilities, but for argument sake, you can only pick one of the three scenarios.

I reserve the right to change my answer at any time. But as I went to see some middle and high school girls game over the past week, I would definitely take the players with the most Heart and Passion. 

Why? They will never get tired of learning and training to get better.  Which in turn breeds Winners.

But hey it won't hurt to say a prayer or two when you want to win. Just like they say,

"THE LORD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS!"

What's up with that?

The New Year is well under way and I already have a list of things.........What's up with that?

The Dallas Cowboys are home Again for the playoffs. Is it the owner, lack of talent, the coach or Who Cares?

Is it just me or are both Baylor Bears basketball teams really undefeated as of Jan 4,2012.

Manu Ginobli is missing 6 to 8 weeks on a shortened NBA season. Does that mean the Spurs have to make the finals for Manu to come back and play this season?

RGIII or Robert Griffin III (Heisman Trophy Winner) is not coming back to Baylor or entering the NFL draft. He is seeking the Republican nomination to run against President Obama.

Catching a high school game at Paul Taylor gym, I could not help notice the lack of support for Girls High School basketball. So as I went to get some nachos at the concession stand, they told me that they didn't sell nachos. Are we not in San Antonio? Tortilla chips, Jalapenos or salsa, nacho cheese or any cheese for that matter should go hand in hand with any sporting event, function, dining experience etc here in San Antonio.
No Nachos and Not enough Support for these young ladies playing their Hearts out......


What's up with that?

Really...... Are you serious?

As middle school and high school basketball seasons reach their midway point for most teams, I have had an opportunity to make the rounds and watch some of the games from time to time.
It always amazes me when parents of kids that don't play AAU or highly competitive basketball make comments that are off the wall regarding players that do Play.
There is a reason some players stand out. Simply put, they have put in the time, work and commitment.
So when I hear things like "That girl is only good cause she is fast" or "That girl is just lucky" or how about "She is not that good!"
 
Excuse me sir or mam......
Really...... Are you serious?