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Ndamukong Suh Shows Smarts, Initiative
After he was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NFL draft, Ndamukong Suh didn’t waste time making his mark. Suh — whose full name is pronounced “En-dom-ah-ken Soo” — won multiple Rookie of the Year awards and All-Pro honors and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl. But he has also…
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Texas Rangers Manager Enjoys Success, Seeks Respect
Twice last week the Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series, as close as a team can possibly come. But they didn’t get that one strike against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 — in neither the ninth inning nor the 10th inning — proceeding to lose on Thursday night…
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Not Too Proud: Allen Iverson Pleads to Play
We don’t like to see superstars hang on too long, stumbling and fumbling through the twilight of their careers. We don’t like to look at their diminished abilities and reflect on the daunting athleticism of yesteryear. We don’t like to watch younger players who aren’t nearly as good take advantage of old legends past their…
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NBA All-Stars' World Tour a Terrible Idea
It’s dubbed the “World All-Star Classic,” a proposed series of six games over two weeks played on four continents. The expected headliners are Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Amar’e Stoudemire, among the NBA’s best players and biggest stars. They’re the guys who get the max contracts and TV commercials, the sneaker lines and endorsement deals.…
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NFL Star Lectures at Harvard University
Using “brave” to describe athletes and their feats is almost always a poor choice of words. But it’s quite appropriate in describing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who has been exhibiting a form of courage that’s rarely seen in sports, especially the macho world of pro football. Marshall holds the NFL record for most…
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Donovan McNabb Falls in a Flash
The descent has been startling in angle and suddenness, a sharp decline seemingly out of nowhere. Two years ago, Donovan McNabb was enjoying his 11th season as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback in the midst of leading his team to yet another first-place finish in the NFC East. Philly advanced to the playoffs for the second…
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Bryant Gumbel: Exposing Himself or David Stern?
HBO host Bryant Gumbel made a few accurate points Tuesday in his rant against David Stern, especially the part about the NBA commissioner being “infamously egocentric.” But in trying to climb inside Stern’s head and assess Stern’s intentions, Gumbel invited questions about his own perceptions and motives. Gumbel said that Stern “has always seemed eager…
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Girl Football Player Sits for Team's Sake
Females who play tackle football against males are rare and usually found at a particular position: kicker. That keeps them from virtually all contact, but it doesn’t ensure their acceptance or safety, as evidenced by the ordeal of Katia Hnida, who in 2003 became the first female to score in an NCAA football game. Eighth-grader…
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Twitter Backfires on NBA Players
Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who is also president of the NBA Players Association, is a pretty sharp individual and has represented his side well in the ongoing lockout. But even smart guys can make dumb mistakes, and Fisher made a doozy as the NBA was canceling the first two weeks of the season.…
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LeBron James: A Slam Dunk as NFL Star
The odds of most NBA players making a successful transition to the NFL are the equivalent of them making a length-of-the-court heave. But not for Miami Heat superstar LeBron James. It’s a virtual slam dunk that he’d become one of the NFL’s best tight ends the moment he signed a contract. James caused a stir…
