LA LAKERS 2013 CHAMPS

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

With the Lakers in 9th place and two games out of the Western Conference playoffs. The Black Mamba guaranteed his team would still qualify for the post-season. The world wasn’t too optimistic about the Lakers chances this season but I’m one of the few who was.

This summer when LA added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash it was assumed that they would instantly be the favorites to win the NBA title. But a tumultuous start to the season including a sub .500 record at the All-Star break, and one of the quickest head coach firings in history led many to believe the Lakers were done.

Alas you can never count a team out that has Kobe “Vino” Bryant on the roster. Since the all-star break, L.A. is 11-3, with Kobe averaging over 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists a game while shooting close to 55 percent from the field. Howard has become much more effective offensively and seems to be transitioning into the defensive anchor Laker-Nation was hoping for when they acquired him in a trade for All-Star center Andrew Bynum.

The cohesiveness of the team has improved dramatically as of late. With the offseason additions of Howard, Nash, and Antwan Jamison, L.A. added 2 MVPs, 3 Defensive POY awards, 8 All-NBA 1st teams (11 total), 16 All-Star appearances, and 1 Sixth Man award to its already illustrious trophy case. The overabundance of experience currently has the Lakers in the 8th seed just a half game back of the Houston Rockets for 7th.

These are the signs of a team poised to make a run deep into the playoffs. Pau Gasol’s injury may have been a blessing in disguise, as it led to the emergence of Earl Clark who immediately became a significant contributor in Pau’s absence. Gasol’s return to the starting lineup will allow Clark to add depth to an already formidable Laker bench which includes Antwan Jamison and Steve Blake. Had Jordan Hill not been lost for the season with a hip injury, we could be talking one of the best second units in the league.

Kobe merely guaranteed a postseason appearance, but I’m willing to take it a step further. The Los Angeles Lakers are going to win the championship this season. Yea I said it… take a moment to let it all sink in. 2013 is the year the most envied player and franchise in sports once again reaches the mountaintop. So remember when it happens that you heard it here first!

The unparalleled leadership of Kobe “Bean” Bryant paired with the championship pedigree of Gasol and savvy of Steve Nash will guide LA through the Western Conference Playoffs. The Spurs play incredible ball during the regular season but like in years past will run out of gas before the finals. Oklahoma City trading James Harden killed any hopes of them winning this year. And teams like the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Nuggets simply lack the “it factor” needed to win an NBA title.

So where does that leave us? With the match up everyone’s been dying to see. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat for all the marbles! The way to beat the Heat is to eliminate their transition opportunities by making it a half court game. Who better equipped to do so than L.A. with two of the most talented seven-footers in the world on the same roster? If Metta World Peace can be the all-world defender he’s capable of being, and somewhat contain Lebron James the door would be wide open for some of Kobe’s last minute heroics. Lakers win in six games on Miami’s home court capping the biggest single season turnaround in history. See you at the parade!

PUBLISHED 3/22/13
CHECK IT OUT ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharief-easterling/la-lakers-2013-champs_b_2929686.html

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MLB CHOPS DOWN CHIPPER AND THE BRAVES

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

I was under the impression that replacement officials were being used in the Nation Football League NOT in Major League Baseball. Yet in still the National League Wildcard game between the Braves and Cardinals may have been decided by one of the worst blown calls in the history of the MLB. The fact that playoff games have extra umpires to ensure the integrity of competition only adds insult to injury. As the Braves trailed 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning with two men on and one out Shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a pop up to shallow left field causing miscommunication between Cardinals shortstop Peter Kozma and left fielder Matt Holiday. The confusion between fielders actually led to the ball falling in for a hit, which should have given the Braves bases loaded with one out and six time All Star Brian McCann coming to the plate. In lieu of the obvious base hit Left field Ump Sam Holbrook ruled the play an “Infield Fly” sending the Atlanta faithful into a frenzy. Why is an “Infield Fly” being called by an umpire in the outfield? Why was the call so delayed? How could anyone with any knowledge of the game think that play was “routine”? In total disgust Braves fans showered the field with debris causing a nineteen minute delay as the incompetent umpires watched helplessly from the dugout. Even after nearly twenty minutes of deliberation the correct call wasn’t made, prompting manager Freddi Gonzales to play the game under protest. The missed call may have cost the Braves the game and ultimately their season as it eliminated from playoff contention.
An umpire, or referee should never under any circumstances be the deciding factor in a game. Whether its preseason, regular season, or post season and especially not in a one game elimination scenario. Officials should be fully committed to ensuring fair play in all contests but playoff games require even closer observation due to the raised stakes. Its ridiculous to think a team of professionals were unable to make such a routine call but I’m more disturbed by the MLB’s unwillingness to admit their mistake. Its a slap in the face to the Braves organization and all its fans. Where’s the integrity? Where’s the appreciation for Chipper Jones a nineteen year former MVP and World Series Champion playing in his last post season? Releasing a statement ruling it a “judgment call” is just disgusting! Despicable! Deplorable! I spit on you Major League Baseball! Some four letter words come to mind but I’ll keep this post somewhat civil. Every team is entitled to twenty seven outs not twenty six, there’s no guarantee the Braves would’ve won had the correct call been made but who to say they wouldn’t have? Its a shame that the season and career of one of the all time greats had to end on such a note. Chipper deserved better. His fans deserved better. The game deserves better.

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TRIBUTE TO CHIPPER JONES

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

After an incredible nineteen year career with the Atlanta Braves, future first ballot Hall Of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones will finally call it quits after this season. As a die hard Braves fan this has been especially hard for me to deal with. Rooting for Chipper and the Braves has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. A tradition that started by grandfather Harold Pace, who lived in Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville is a minor league affiliate for the Braves, and the place where our future superstars go to prepare themselves for the big leagues. In ’92 I can vividly remember Grandpa raving about the new shortstop (Chipper’s original position) from Florida who would “finally win us a championship!” I’d heard him get excited about minor leaguers before, and only being six at the time I couldn’t really identify individual players but something about this guy was special. The .346 BA .367 OBP and .594 SLG he posted in Greenville were more than enough to win over any fan but for me it all started with the name… Chipper! “Chipper Jones” sounded like the secret identity of a baseball super hero, like it was tailor made for ESPN and the cover of Sports Illustrated. I was hooked!
It was 1995 when Chipper made his major league debut, and as promised by my beloved grandfather he immediately lead us to the promise land. In his rookie season we beat the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series and I was absolutely beside myself. In my obnoxious nine year old glory I wholeheartedly believed that Chipper would then win a championship for us every year! I mean… he was a superhero! The Braves lost the World Series in seven games to the Minnesota Twins in 1991 and in six to the Blue Jays in 1992 before Chipper’s arrival. So clearly with him on third base we’d established an unstoppable dynasty, right? Gotta love that nine year old logic.
The Chipper-lead Braves won ten consecutive division titles from 1995 – 2004 and although Atlanta hasn’t won a championship since 95 they served as Major League Baseball’s model franchise for well over a decade. The sportsmanship, class, and dedication of Mr. Larry Jones Jr was unparalleled. He’s undoubtedly one of the best switch hitters and third basemen of all time and in my opinion the best player of his era.
Living in Brooklyn I wouldn’t get regional coverage of Braves games but thanks to Ted Turner’s TBS network (Thank GOD for TBS!!) I had the opportunity to watch them play everyday for years. I’ll always be a Braves fan but its going to be extremely hard knowing my main man will no longer be batting and playing third for us. Never again will I get to hear a stadium full of hopeless Mets fans chant “Laaaaaarryyy Laaaaaaarryyy” before he doubles in the game winning run. Or hear Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” as he leaves the on deck circle and approaches the plate. No more five-four-three double plays, no more walkoff home-runs, no more post game interviews. I’m very optimistic about the next generation of Braves players and the opportunity to pass the tradition on to my children and theirs, but there will always be a special place in my heart for the team I grew up with. Outside of family and friends how many things can maintain relevance in our lives for two decades? I’ve been alive for twenty-six years and Chipper Jones has been apart of nineteen of them, just as significant on my fifth birthday as my twenty fifth. Its been a pleasure tomahawk chopping for all these years and I’m looking forward to keeping it up in the future. On behalf of myself and more importantly my late grandfather Harold Pace I bid Farewell to the face of our franchise, the face of the NL East, and the face of Southern baseball. Goodbye, Chipper thanks for all the memories.

PUBLISHED 10/1/12
CHECK IT OUT ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharief-easterling/tribute-to-chipper-jones-_b_1921572.html

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DREAMS VS REALITY USA BASKETBALL 2012

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

Evolution is inevitable. It’s human nature to increase efficiency as time progresses. A computer or automobile from 1992 can’t compete with a 2012 model, and neither can an athlete. This is as it should be. Without steady improvement in all fields how else could society advance? People were outraged when Kobe Bryant said his 2012 roster could beat 1992′s Dream Team but quite frankly he’s right! With the theory of evolution and advances made in sports science and nutrition over the past twenty years why wouldn’t the current team be better?
People get too caught up in the mystique and historical significance of the players that were on the Dream Team. Magic, Jordan, Bird, Pippen, Barkley represent the start of the “pro sports renaissance” that created the hundred-million dollar contract, endorsement driven market of today. To most fans these athletes symbolize the “golden era” of the sport, and this feeling manifests itself into the unrealistic belief that they’re unbeatable. Of course they won every game by forty points, the opposition was sub par! Remember, we only used professional players in 1992 because we didn’t win gold in 1988 when America was represented by college athletes. Nine out of ten times prior to that American amateurs won the gold. Somewhere along the line the rest of the world gradually narrowed the gap to a point where they could actually compete with the American pros.
The current international influence on the NBA is undeniable. In the past decade we’ve seen foreign born players like Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki win the NBA finals MVP. Some of the best players in the league are now actually from over seas, which drastically raises the level of talent for their respective countries. Players like Marc, and Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Luis Scola, Jose Calderon, Loul Deng and the recently retired Yao Ming all played Olympic Basketball for a country other than the United States. While Team USA is still superior its obvious why some of the games in 2012 are more competitive then those of 1992.
No disrespect to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird but they were certainly past their prime by the time the Dream Team was assembled. I find it hard to believe they’d be able to keep up with Kevin Durant, Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony at this point in their career. John Stockton would look like a sacrificial lamb in front a point guard like Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook. The evolution of the sport has resulted in a league of “hybrid players”. A league where the guards are much larger and more athletic, and the big men faster and more multidimensional. Think of it as “Athletic Darwinism”; future generations naturally improve upon the talent level established by their predecessors. The same theory can be applied to the NFL with players like Cam Newton, Michael Vick, and Robert Griffin III who are athletically superior to the quarterbacks of the past. In order for them to be successful in today’s league they have to be! Freakishly gifted defensive players like DeMarcus Ware, and Julius Peppers make the immobile statuesque quarterbacks of yesteryear obsolete. (See Drew Bledsoe)
Even if you’re skeptical about the “Athletic Darwinism” theory and you still believe the 92 team was better you have to admit the Twenty Twelve-ers are more than capable of wining a hypothetical one game elimination scenario. If it were somehow possible for the two teams to meet in a gold medal game who’s to say Kobe doesn’t go off for eighty points? Or Lebron doesn’t have one of his forty point, seventeen rebound, thirteen assist performances? Truth is, they don’t need a legendary performance to win but anytime players of that caliber take the floor such a performance is a possibility. Kobe, Lebron, Durant are the evolved forms of Jordan, Magic, Bird. The talent level of the NBA will continue to increase as the game and its players continue to evolve, its human nature. And if the best players from the U.S. are chosen in 2032 they’ll most certainly be better than the 2012 team. Its okay to revere the players of the past but its ridiculous to think they set an unreachable precedent, that the last twenty years have been spent in regression rather than progression.

PUBLISHED 7/30/2012
CHECK IT OUT ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharief-easterling/dream-team-92-vs-2012_b_1704391.html

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Lebron’s Not The MVP

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

Most Valuable Player to me means the player most significant to their team’s success. LeBron James won the award for the 2011-2012 season, marking the third time he’s taken the trophy in four years. Although this was his best season statistically there are other players whose individual contributions were more vital to their respective team’s success. The two previous times he’s won the award were during seasons of 60+ wins, and more importantly number one seeding for his Cleveland Cavaliers. Undoubtedly the team leader James was the only elite level player on the roster, single handedly leading them to the top of the conference. There’s no better reflection of LeBron’s impact on the team than its record the season he took his talents to South Beach. In 2010-2011 the Cavs went 19-63 ironically losing a record tying 23 consecutive games. It’s astonishing to think that one player could have so much impact on a franchise, but the Most Valuable Player can.

Although this current MVP season was statistically his best, the circumstances in which they were achieved lead me to question its credibility. It isn’t an award for best player, or best statistical season. Its for the player most important to maximizing his team’s potential. The Miami Heat finished second in the East to a Chicago Bulls team that played virtually half the year without 2010-2011 MVP Derrick Rose, not very impressive. Especially with one of the most talented rosters in league history. A roster that includes three of the top fifteen players in the league, an NCAA Championship MOP Mario Chalmers, a former three-point contest champion James Jones, and a perennial member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team in Shane Battier. With that roster a far lesser, non-MVP-caliber player could be interchanged with Lebron and achieve the same regular season success. I could easily see a team of Wade, Bosh and say Danny Granger being the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. Players like Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, or Rudy Gay could all be eligible candidates as well.

There’s no way someone on such a heavily talented team should be voted MVP. This season’s scoring champion Kevin Durant was irreplaceable for Oklahoma City. No one other than an all world MVP-caliber player could’ve led them to the second seed in the highly competitive Western Conference. At 33 years of age Kobe Bryant put together one of the most remarkable seasons in NBA history. In his sixteenth year after losing the greatest coach of all time, and tearing ligaments in his shooting wrist during the preseason Bryant still managed to
finish second in PPG leading the Lakers to the third best record in the conference. All this after the “Chris Paul Fiasco” divided his locker room and led to the departure of former Sixth-Man of the Year Lamar Odom. Tony Parker even led his wildly over-achieving San Antonio Spurs to the best record in the league, and are now the favorites to win the title. Not saying they’re better players, or even that they had better seasons, but they all played more of an essential role in their respective team’s success than Mr. James.

Most Valuable Player is an individual award but one’s supporting cast must be taken into consideration when voting. Finishing second in an inferior conference when you have one of the most dynamic rosters in history isn’t an MVP season to me. Lebron was most certainly worthy of the award, I just think the other candidates were a bit more deserving.

PUBLISHED 6/01/12
CHECK IT OUT ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharief-easterling/lebron-james-mvp-award_b_1551501.html

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BRIAN MCNAUGHTY

October 21, 2013 by carnegiekid No Comment

Brian Mcknight, sit yo ass down! This attempted come back and “Adult Mixtape” was an epic fail! There isn’t anything wrong with trying to re-invent your image or sound but this is just down right terrible. “Let me show you how your pussy works??” Seriously? These lyrics from one of the best singer/songwriters of our era? I’m ashamed of you, Brian. Although I’m extremely thankful for the lifetime of laughter your viral video has provided me, HA!

The desperation to sell records is at an all time high but you can try harder bro. This song couldn’t be worse if you added rap verses and auto tunes. It sounds like your 1992 hit “One Last Cry”… if Uncle Luke rewrote the lyrics. Your music was already certified baby making material there’s no need to be X-rated. Its tacky, classless, and coming from you, Mr. McKnight, just feels
wrong. You added insult to injury by claiming the song was merely a “parody,” and blaming it on the boredom of being immobilized by an achilles injury. Please spare us the lame excuses, this was undoubtedly a serious attempt at a comeback. The sad part is that with the current state of R&B you’d probably be rather successful if you just stayed in your lane.

In this age of techno-pop and Rap&B, some classic Brian McKnight would be quite refreshing. Unless you’re making an appearance on Saturday Night Live in the near future this should be the first and last release from your “Adult Mixtape.” I’m sorry but a “Brian McKnight Mixtape” sounds like an oxymoron in itself. You’re a legend dude, don’t tarnish your legacy with the likes of this.

PUBLISHED 5/4/12
CHECK IT OUT ON HUFFINGTONPOT.COM – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharief-easterling/brian-mcknight-adult-mixtape_b_1469777.html

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