Some Athletes Websites – Part 2

In my last post, I presented some Websites of athletes from the sports of baseball and football. This post will contain sites from basketball and hockey players that I hope you will enjoy. I scan through many sites and keep just a few to view time and again.

So let's have a look at hoops and pucks sites shall we?

Basketball

Kobe Bryant – Although still in progress, “kb24.com” looks as though it could be a great official site for all Kobe fans. Some pages such as features, schedule, and media are still under construction, but I get a sense that these will be well worth the wait. You can sign up for the Kobe Basketball Academy and shop for Kobe Bryant merchandise as well. This Website looks clean and uncluttered so I suspect the finished product will be easy on the eyes.

Dwyane Wade - “D Wade's” official site “dwyanewade3.com” is well organized and easy to navigate with tabs at the top of the home page to get to Wade's blog, articles, profile, foundation, and so on. Wade's World Foundation benefits disadvantaged kids in both south Florida and his native Chicago promoting education, health, and social skills and awareness. Definitely worth a gander.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Kareem's official Website “kareemabduljabbar.com” is nice and clean with many quotes from Kareem, his legendary college coach John Wooden, and others. This site also features Jabbar's appearance schedule, his film about the Harlem Rens , the first all black professional team, and his Skyhook Foundation. I feel the section on the Harlem Rens is worth the the Websites weight in gold.

Larry Bird - The official Website of Larry Bird “larrybird.com” is a compilation of Larry's career including his bio, statistics, store, and multimedia. All you want to know about Bird is here!

Magic Johnson - “magicjohnson.org” is a two fold Website that features Magic Johnson Enterprises, serving multicultural communities, and The Magic Johnson Foundation, developing programs and education, health, and social awareness in ethnically diverse urban areas. Nothing about basketball whatsoever on this site which may disappoint some, but gives a clear vision of what the man is about.

Hockey

Martin Brodeur - The NHL's all-time winningest goalie's Website “martinbrodeur30.com” is a great site about Marty's career stats, bio, video clips, and a section call Dad's Corner featuring Martin's dad Denis, a sports photographer, about the stories and interviews with Marty. Brodeur's Website includes his charitable works, most notably his Martin Brodeur Center for young athletes near his home area near Drummondville Quebec. As a bonus, Marty's site is done in both English and French.

Mike Modano – Long time Dallas Stars superstar Mike Modano's site “mikemodano.com” has what most athlete sites does --- a career section, photo gallery, a fan zone, etc. Modano also has a section called “Mike's Favorites” in which Modano shares his favorite type of music, movies, and golf courses to nae a few. Mike's charity, The Mike Modano Foundation focuses on child abuse and how he helps those children. Very well organized, “mikemodano.com” is well worth a peek.

Bobby Orr – The legendary defenseman's Website “bobbyorr.com” is basically a huge online store. In conjunction with Great North Road America, the store is full of Bobby's memorabilia including jerseys, signed and unsigned items, and more. The site also has sections with Orr's bio, career statistics, awards, and his charitable works (although not listed). Any fan of Bobby Orr will enjoy going back in time.

Wayne Gretzky - “The Great One's” site “www.gretzky.com” has more than most athlete sites. Of course there's the career page, store, and so on, but Wayne has now a line of wines that you can view at the Website. The Wayne Gretzky Foundation provides less fortunate youths to experience the game of hockey by donating equipment, ice time and going to see games. An excellent Website for all hockey fans.

Mario Lemieux – Mario's site “mariolemieux.org” is a dedication to The Mario Lemieux Foundation to find a cure for cancer, stemming from Lemieux's own battle with Hodgkin's disease. You can research some of his programs to help cancer patients and check his celebrity golf tournament too. The last tab is about his hockey career, but the site's purpose is on his foundation. A great way to give back to the community.

That concludes the basketball/hockey Website post. May you enjoy them and let me know of other sites of interest.

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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Some Athlete Websites

I'm going to take a bit of a break from my normal blog posting and present some Websites from some sports figures. Some sites I have used as hyperlinks within posts and I will be adding a few new ones as well. In this post, I will include Websites from athletes in baseball and football. I am in hopes that you will enjoy them as much as I do

Here are the Websites I enjoy, and as the late great comedian and actor Jackie Gleason would say “ And away we go!”

Baseball

Albert Pujols – The National League MVP's site is named “Pujols Family Foundation” that honors God (and our lord Jesus Christ), and his helping kids affected by Down Syndrome both in the St. Louis area and in his native Dominican Republic. His Website is very professionally done and I feel is a must see and read … very inspirational.

Cal Ripken, Jr. and Bill Ripken – Ripken Baseball is not just about the Cal's little league but is an astute site of growing the game of baseball for youth. Both Cal and brother Bill are involved in coaching clinics, fund raisers, and some instruction all in the name of baseball and kids. You can check out the Orioles minor league teams, buy DVD's, browse Cal Ripken Little League tournaments, and other events on this site.

Mickey Mantle – The official website of the Yankee great, "mickeymantle.com" is basically run by the Mantle family. While not the most aesthetic site around, there is one section I enjoy in which you can hear of “The Mick's” great feats from tape measure home runs to his induction into The Baseball Hall of Fame. Along the way, check out the career stats, bio, and news of what Mantle speak of as motivational speakers.

Yogi Berra – How can any baseball fan not visit “yogiberra.com” and get a good laugh. There is The Yogi Store where you can purchase items such as books, memorabilia, and autographs to name some items, the baseball card gallery of all of Yogi's cards, and of course the Yogi-isms! That alone is a must look-see.

Ted Williams – The official sight of “Teddy Ballgame” "tedwilliams.com" not only has the life of Ted's career but there is a store to visit, a section of his hobbies and pastimes, and a section about his service as a United States Marine in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. Well worth a look.

Football

Brett Favre – Simply named "officialbrettfavre.com" has it all. Not only do you have Brett's career encapsulation, but you have all Brett's news, a fan store, and so on. The most important element is the “Fourward Foundation” for disadvantaged youths of Wisconsin and his native Mississippi. Definitely one to see.

Emmitt Smith – The NFL's all-time leading rusher site "emmittsmith.com" is simple but has much information. Asides from the career stats and store, there is a link Emmitt's charity Website “Smith Charities” that focuses on creating opportunities for disadvantaged youths in education, arts, health, and wellness. Check it out!

Johnny Unitas – To many, the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Johnny's site “johnnyunitas.com” is much a corporate site with his career thrown in. But I really enjoyed the link to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award section. The trophy is given to the best quarterbacks in college football as those on the board of the Golden Arm Award.

Warrick Dunn – Warrick Dunn Online starts with a intro page with music and stills of Warrick playing career. Once in the site, you can go through his playing career, store fan mail, and other goodies that most don't have. Of course he does charitable work through his acclaimed Warrick Dunn Foundation helping those who are economically distressed and their children who are trying to help themselves. This is one of the better websites I have seen.

Pat Tillman – As we know, the late Pat Tillman died for us in Afghanistan after putting his NFL career on hold. The Pat Tillman Foundation was started by his family in 2004 to service veterans to gain academic scholarships, as well as those who are still active along with their families. As you browse through, take note that pat's family and friends are selfless in their promotion of the foundation...it's all about others in need.

Those are just a few sites I have discovered and enjoy. If you have any other baseball or football sites you like, feel free to comment about them. I am interested in taking a look at them.

I will do other Websites in other sports in the future.

Have Fun!

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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The NFL After Week 10

The NFL regular season is just a tad over the halfway marker and it's time to see how things stand. As I did in my “quarter pole” post, I will examine which teams are the best those that are upcoming and a couple of disappointments. We've had some stunning developments of late and things have changed dramatically sine the end of week 5, so without delay, let's see where we are.

The NFL's Best Teams

1. New Orleans Saints --- The Saints are one of two teams remaining with a perfect record at 9 wins without a defeat. Offensively, we know New Orleans can put up gaudy numbers, but my goodness nearly 37 points a game and roughly 426 yards of offense is absurd even by today's standards. Drew Brees is throwing the ball around the yard although his decision making has been somewhat spotty although with 19 touchdowns to 9 interceptions and a 104.6 passer rating, that seems nearly impossible. Brees did throw 3 picks versus Miami in a 46-34 win and threw 2 more in a 28-23 squeaker over the lowly St. Louis Rams. The running game is still very strong with Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush all contributing heavily. The Saints are averaging 151 yards per contest, good for 5th league wide.


The defense isn't as stingy as it was earlier in the season as opponents are moving the ball much more freely in recent weeks. If the Saints are to remain the dominant team in the NFC, the defense must step up to earlier performances.

2. Indianapolis Colts --- The Peyton Manning led Colts are the other 9 and 0 team and have a great offense, albeit one dimensional. The 3rd best yards per game average at 401 yards and the best passing game with roughly 315 a game, the Colts would like to improve on a dismal 86 yards rushing a game, ranking a measly 29th across the league. Mr. Manning does what Mr. Manning does best...completing 70% of his throws, 20 TD's to 7 INT's and a passer rating of 104.2...simply not slowing down yet.

The defense is known as a bend and break type allowing much yardage against while giving up the league's fewest points although the New England Patriots torched them for 34 this past Sunday night. This team has a chance at 16-0 before it's all said and done with.

3. Minnesota Vikings --- At 8 and 1, this is probably the team in NFC that could give the Saints fits should these two meet in the playoffs. Wonderfully balanced offensively, the Vikings average 30 points a game while running and passing are a good balance. When you have Adrian Peterson toting the rock behind a humongous offensive line, it's quite easy to control the ball. Then there's Brett Favre...I've already covered him 2 weeks ago, so I will say no more.


Minnesota on defense is stingy against the run, therefore teams tend to throw more often than desired. The pass defense should improve once cornerback Antoine Winfield returns from a foot injury. I think a very deep run in the playoffs is possible.

The Most Pleasant Surprise

Cincinnati Bengals --- The Bengals don't wow anyone offensively, although the running game is solid averaging 122 yards per game with reclamation project Cedric Benson carrying the load, although he was injured against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a hip flexor. Quarterback Carson Palmer hasn't been tearing up the league, but he has been a savvy leader and just having him behind center provides Cincinnati with the confidence knowing turnovers will be minimal.

It's the defense that has been the talk of the NFL. Allowing 16.3 points a game (2nd stingiest) and allowing only 83.4 yards on the ground (2nd), Cincinnati has gone from outhouse to penthouse in the AFC North Division. At 7 and 2, these Cats have beaten the World Champion Steelers twice by being physically dominant defensively without leading sacker Antoine Odom (IR, torn Achilles), safety Roy Williams (IR, forearm) and linebacker Keith Rivers (calf). In short, the Bengals are for real!

The Biggest Disappointment

The New York Giants --- How the mighty Giants have fallen! Losers of 4 consecutive games, These G-Men still move the ball well, but in the red zone it's bogged down. Much of that has to do with the the caliber of teams the Giants feasted on early ( Raiders, Chiefs, Redskins, and Tampa Bay) as opposed to recent opponents ( New Orleans, Arizona, Philadelphia, and San Diego).

On defense, the Giants have totally wilted, although injuries haven't helped. Currently missing are safety Kenny Phillips ( IR, knee), cornerback Aaron Ross (soon to return), and both Justin Tuck (shoulder) and Osi Umenyiora( not 100% from knee surgery) are playing hurt. We'll see how the Giants come out of their bye week versus Atlanta at home.


If you have anything to add, feel free to comment.

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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Baseball's Team of the Decade --- New York Yankees

The 2009 Major League Baseball season has come to a close and a decade has been completed. Sixty division titles have been won, 10 wild card teams decided, and 10 World Series champions have been crowned. It's been a decade that has been marred by accusations and congressional hearings about rampant steroid use, ungodly free agent signings, and umpires blowing calls at an alarming rate this past season. But we have also had some monumental feats in baseball too --- The Boston Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series for the first time since 1918, the Chicago White Sox winning the World Title in 2005 after decades of frustration, and the New York Yankees winning 2 championships in the bookend years of 2000 and 2009.

We have also had amazing player accomplishments such as the emergence of players like Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki, major milestones with Barry Bonds becoming the Major League home run king, Ken Griffey, Jr. reaching 600 homers, and Alex Rodriguez doing what Alex Rodriguez always does. We saw the retirements of Cal Ripken Jr. and Greg Maddux as well, two of the greatest players at their respective positions.

This post will focus on the one team that dominated the decade of 2000-2009. In my opinion, no other team can match what this team has done as far as overall accomplishments are concerned. Without further delay, the team of the decade is:

The New York Yankees

This decade Yankee teams has had an amazing group of players come through the hallowed halls of old Yankee Stadium and the new Yankee Stadium --- Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Roger Clemens, Bernie Williams, Alex Rodriguez, and more recent additions Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and Robinson Cano. They have had a core group of four players this decade --- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte whom has defined the Yankee way by showing class and respect for baseball.

They have had one great manager in Joe Torre and I believe a good one in Joe Girardi. Both led teams quietly and let the players play. Torre was considered a push button manger that could do little wrong with the teams he had, while Girardi may have micro-managed at times, but with the shaky bullpen of this past season, I feel he had no choice.

Now let's look at the hard numbers to validate dominance of these Yankees:

*Easily Major League Baseball's best record in the decade
*9 time playoff participant
*8 American League East Division Titles
*4 World Series appearances (2000, 2001, 2003, and 2009)
*2 World Series Titles --- in 2000 (defeated the New York Mets 4 games to 1) and 2009 (defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2).

While Yankee starting was good and the bullpen was spotty at times (2009), there were two constants that were always outstanding:

*The “Bronx Bombers” hit like no other team could, especially with power and patience.
*The Yanks had baseball's best closer in Mariano Rivera.

What other teams come close to such dominance? I'll examine three teams in comparison.

Boston Red Sox

While Boston equaled New York's 2 World Championships (2004 and 2007), they can only lay claim to 1 AL East title (2007), and 6 playoff appearances. Pretty good by most standards but pales the Yankees in every way except World Titles.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels do have a World Series title under their belts (2002), 5 American League West Division titles and 6 total playoff seasons. That may be better than Boston, but is far short of what the Yankees have done.

St. Louis Cardinals

The World Champions of 2006, the Cards can boast 6 National League Central Division pennants and a wild card appearance for a total of 7 seasons in the playoffs. Better than both Boston and the Angels but again short of the Yankees.

I believe I have proven without a doubt that the New York Yankees are by far and away the best team this decade. The numbers prove it and I defy anyone who can argue otherwise. Love 'em or hate 'em, let's give the Yanks all the accolades they deserve.

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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C

Dear Brett, Please Retire --- Revisited

On August 19th, I wrote that Brett Favre should have retired from the NFL instead of signing with the Minnesota Vikings. I had deduced that Brett was for all intents and purposes finished as an NFL quarterback. He had a bum shoulder and a terrible December with the New York Jets last season ... totally finished.

Yet in 8 games this season, Favre has looked rejuvenated as he has led the Vikings to a 7 win 1 loss start. In the process, he has gone from game manager to gunslinger, as the game against the Green Bay Packers shows.

It looks like that I am wrong about #4, but didn't he have a similar start to the season in 2008? Let's do a comparison, shall we?

Through 8 games last season, Brett's Jets were sporting a 5 and 3 record and Brett was okay with 15 TD throws, including 6 versus Arizona in week 4, to 12 interceptions.

This season, Favre has thrown an amazing 16 TD's to being intercepted a mere 3 times. Included in those 16 touchdowns are two 3 TD games and last Sunday's 4 touchdown passes against Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

So far, Brett has made a fool of me, but I am waiting to see what the final 8 games will bring.

Now the last 8 games for the 2008 Jets started well but ended in disaster. Here are the facts:

Favre was tremendous from 9 through 11 as he threw 5 touchdowns to 1 interception as New York won all three games, including an overtime victory over the New England Patriots. During that stretch, Favre's QB rating was 117.7, 119.4 {Pats game), and 103.6. The Jets were 8 and 3 and looked like they would walk away with the AFC East title.

Then the mighty Brett collapsed in the final 5 games of 2008 as he threw only 2 TD passes against a whopping and incredible 9 interceptions as the Jets lost all 5 games to close at 9 and 7 and Head Coach Eric Mangini losing his job. A sore shouldered Brett Favre couldn't throw deep and the defensive backs could cheat on short passes knowing this.

I just wonder if Brett can hold up for the second half of the 2009 NFL season ... only time will tell. He looks like the Brett Favre of old at this moment but with the facts I have presented within this post, it's still a gamble he can continue this type of play.

Let me know what you think.

Dick

Send email to dlafrance2@207me.com

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