Life In The Weeds

The Invention of Basketball

Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891.  Naismith was a Director at a YMCA Training School and was looking for a an activity that could be played indoors during the harsh winters in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was interested in developing something for the students that required skill and not just strength.

And yes, it's true, the first time it was played the goals were peach baskets affixed to the Gymnasium walls and a soccer ball was used in play.

Here are the original 13 rules Naismith used to distinguish his game:

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.

mj

All-Time Best Basketball Players from the Big East

Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across a program highlighting the all-time best basketball players from the Big East.  Needless to say, I stopped.

Growing up on Long Island, I was a huge St. Johns fan...back when they were The Redmen!  I was fortunate to have attended a few Big East tournament match-ups in Madison Square Garden.  Instant classics between St. Johns and Georgetown during the mid 80's were unforgettable.

#1 and #2 on the list are no surprise.  I think there is room for debate on the rest of the top 10...or, at the very least, debate on where they fall on the list.

10 - Eric "Sleepy" Floyd

9 - Kerry Kittles

8 - Ray Allen

7 - Richard Hamilton

6 - Dwayne "Pearl" Washington

5 - Walter Berry

4 - Derrick Coleman

3 - Allen Iverson

2 - Chris Mullin

1 - Patrick Ewing

Thoughts?

mj

Of traffic circles & short track speed skating

I love the Olympics and short track speed skating is a favorite - the skill, the strategy, the athleticism, the conditioning, the guts, the coordination, the burst of amazing speed, the ability to avoid a razor sharp blade.

I have always been aggressive when entering and driving thru the various pressure points in the storied Jersey traffic circles. But, ever since I was reacquainted with speed skating, I have been taking an even more steely tack, squeezing past the out of state drivers at the last moment around the turns - take that!

Hey, I'm know I'm no Apolo Anton Ohno but I can try, can't I, or at least make him proud of me. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Silver or Bronze

Obviously, the Olympic athletes in Vancouver have one thing in mind while competing...winning the Gold medal.  Standing on the highest podium and listening to your countries National Anthem must be the most thrilling experience for any athlete.

But, what about those athletes that win Silver or Bronze?  Which would you prefer?  The obvious answer that jumps to mind is Silver, right?   Maybe, not...

I guess it all depends on the sport and how close you were to finishing Gold..I would imagine that the athletes that finish in 2nd place, and take Silver, spend much of their time saying...what if or if I only did x or y...it could have been me up on the top podium.  The Silver Medal up on their mantel could haunt them for the rest of their days.  After all, Silver represents "first loser"...

Bronze, on the other hand, might, in fact, be more satisfying!  The athlete coming in third may say to themselves...hey, I pushed it hard and was so psyched to just "make it to the podium."   Their Bronze medal may sit on their mantel as a great achievement, with no lingering memories of a slow start or missed step somewhere along the line.  

Silver or Bronze?  Which one could you live with?

mj

The Hurricane

I'm still glued to the Olympics...and the United States is still kicking some significant ass!

Last night, Jeret "Speedy" Peterson took silver in aerial freestyle skiing...he landed "the hurricane" to put him into medal contention. This jump consists of five twists and three flips as he soars about 60 feet into the air.  It was the same jump he tried 4 years earlier - and missed. Big props to Speedy for going for it again.  

Here is a cool graphic that breaks-down The Hurricane.

Two things jumped out at me while watching Speedy last night after his jump:

1. He was wearing a brown leather belt...completely out of place...must be a superstition?

2. He was wearing an Under Armour top...first I have seen at the games...hhmm?

mj

Super Bowl Ads

Well, the game lived up to the hype...but what about the Ads?

We were watching the game at Super Bowl party, which makes it hard to catch the commercials...here is a link to ALL the commercials, in order.

From the ones I saw during the game, it looked like Bud Light and Doritos were the best...

Super Bowl Commercials

mj

J - E - T - S, Jets, Jets, Jets

C'mon...in your wildest imagination, did anyone really think the Jets would be playing for the AFC Championships against the Indianapolis Colts...

As a lifelong Jets fan, I really did not think it would be possible...especially after their performance during the middle third of the season.

Last time the Jets played for the AFC Championship was in 1998, against the Denver Broncos.  We were living in Denver at the time...we lost and Denver went on to win the Super Bowl.  After such time, my son became a committed Denver fan!

I'll be cheering for Gang Green!

mj

Open Letter to Tiger Woods

Tiger,

 I was your fan.

A lover of golf, a man of faith, a passionate entrepreneur, a dedicated husband, a father of young kids, a son to my own hero, a man whose family is my most important possession without a close second.

 I am sad, and oddly feel some sense of personal loss by way of your actions.  In virtually an instant, we no longer had in common what I thought we did.   I don’t suggest I really know you, or think you ever owed me anything, or believe you have given up your right to privacy.  But to be clear, you were sure to use your public platform to craft an image of what you wanted me to believe about your determination, loyalties, and character as a man.  A “world changer” was what your Dad said, and you know he didn’t mean just golf. 

 You were the singular sports icon to a guy who was honestly sure you deserved my respect for taking advantage of the gifts you received from God, were nourished by your parents, and that ultimately came to fruition through your fame.

 I do sincerely wish you well.  I wish you success in recapturing the trust and respect of your wife and family.  It will be a tough story to explain to your children someday.  I also wish you luck in piecing together the bandwagon of fans who have made you a phenomenon of sport and in life; but unfortunately for us both, I will not be one of them.

 Sincerely,

 HJS (guest blogger)

Catch a Tiger by the toe!

Tiger Woods is in the woods...deep!

There is no spin doctoring needed on this one...he was caught red-handed, and as a result, almost got a 9 iron wrapped around his head by his wife Elin.

Here are some random thoughts:

Why? - how awful could it be to come home to Elin ever night

31 month? - He has only been married like 5 years and OVER half that time he was sleeping with someone else...why get married in the first place?

Where's Stevie Williams? - his faithful and unbelievably rich caddy has not surfaced at all.  You know Stevie knows EVERYTHING.

HIs reputation will certainly be tarnished.  And, it will be interesting to see how the fans react out on the golf course...hecklers will be all over the place! 

I would not be surprised if he takes 6 months off to get his home life back in order and focus on restoring his reputation...at least that's what I would be telling him if I were his PR guy.

He's obviously got lots of game left in the bag, but catching Nicholas and his 18 Major titles just inched a bit further away.

mj

Soccer is for Girls

Soccer is a beautiful game.  It is the ONLY sport, worldwide, that is still a players game.  Once the whistle blows, their is absolutely nothing a coach can do to truly effect the game.

It is often said that Women's soccer is a prettier game to watch than the men's game...women are very technical, play a more finesse style game and play a "cleaner" brand a soccer.

Take a look at the following woman's collegiate soccer highlight.  This clip played on ESPN over the weekend and has received millions of hits...unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.

I am a big believer in playing hard and leaving nothing on the field...I certainly was not the cleanest of players...but, this athlete went over the line. 

FYI, the University suspended her indefinitely from the program.

mj