It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s the most – wonderful time of the yeeeeeaaaarrr…… Just kidding it’s not that great but it is pretty exciting. Ladies and gentleman it’s time for the 2019 NBA Playoffs, starring my hometown team and favorite sports franchise ever the Detroit Pistons!

I’m pretty excited that the Pistons made it to the Playoffs this year. I’ve been checking their standings for the last month or so hopeful that they would get to the post season. I rarely watch NBA anymore because I don’t have time most evenings and the NBA only broadcasts about eight teams repeatedly. My Pistons are not one of those teams. So I’m thrilled to get to take in some basketball that I actually care about.

In the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs my Pistons are playing the #1 Milwaukee Bucks. Under different circumstances I would be cheering for the Bucks. I don’t recall them having a lot of success over the years and I like to support small market Midwestern teams. If I was a betting woman I would always bet on the long shot and the sleeper teams. But the Bucks are playing my Pistons so I of course want them to lose so my boys can make it to the next round.

The Golden State Warriors are playing the LA Clippers in the first round in the Western Conference. I would love to see the Warriors lose. They are a great team, Steph Curry is a good, Christan family man. I really do like them but I’m sick of them. I don’t like dynasty teams of any kind. And national NBA broadcasts are pretty much the Steph Curry Show.

I hope the Rockets win their first round so they can defeat the Warriors in the second round. Realistically the Warriors will probably get to the second round. If they get to the Finals again this could turn into another snooze fest just like the Superbowl LIII. We get sick of watching the same teams every year. I mean I would watch because Golden State vs. anyone in the East could be a compelling match up.

There are some exciting teams in the East. Toronto and Philadelphia have been fighting to become dominant. Indiana has been pretty solid and respectable the last few years. And it will be interesting to see what Orlando and the Nets can accomplish in the Playoffs. I hadn’t thought of the Orlando Magic in years.

My adopted team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. I can see some of their games locally on cable. Love the one you’re with right! I also think that Russell Westbrook is fantastic. He is a heck of a player and he seems to be a great family man. Some say that he has an attitude but I think that he’s assertive and has leadership skills. He also doesn’t tolerate people disrespecting him or treating him in a condescending way. You see, the way American society is set up that will get a Black man labeled as having an attitude. I would love to see the Thunder do well.

In order for the Thunder to do well they will have to get past the Trailblazers. I’m a 90s NBA fan so the Trailblazers bring back fond fantastic NBA action. The Blazers were always in the 90s pro basketball mix. The current star of the team is Damian Lillard who seems like a quality human being. But I’m still hoping OKC takes them out.

Anyway, best luck to all the teams in the 2019 Playoffs especially the Detroit Pistons that kind of need it. There’s nothing in the world like a good basketball game. I’m look forward to getting enthralled in the matches and sad once it’s all over.

Golden Tate

I was born and raised in the metro Detroit area and I became a football fan because of the Detroit Lions. They are one of the least successful teams in the entire NFL but they will always have a soft spot in my heart. If it wasn’t for them I don’t know if I would enjoy football today. Golden Tate was one of their star players over the last few years. He was surprisingly traded last season to the Philadelphia Eagles and they made a good run for another Superbowl appearance but they fell short against the Saints.

I can’t say that I have ever been a fan of Golden Tate particularly. If he wasn’t a key player on one of my teams I don’t think I would know him. But today I feel close to him and it’s because of this quote.

I have never played a sport competitively. I haven’t played sports for recreation much either. But I do know what it is like to feel like you have payed dues and you are ready for success. I also understand the fear that time is slipping away until you are in a different stage in your life and you may never have the opportunity to realize your dreams.

Golden Tate is only thirty which is young by most accounts. But as a professional athlete especially in a rough sport and playing a very physical position someone like his is more aware of time than most of us.

We all go through up and downs in life but after learning lessons, having false starts and paying dues you are ready for success. Whether it be a Superbowl ring, your own career success or relationship success you continue to work towards it and hope for the best. You run out of patience for situations that have little potential or that have a very uncertain outcome.

As you get older you become smarter and you learn what to look for in various situations. You’ve learned what red flags to look for that may make something a bad investment in your time and you’re not afraid to say no thank you and walk away never to look back again. As you get older you learn to value your time and even more important your energy. You become laser focused and you learn to assert yourself and ask for what you want.

My advice to anyone that is young that is reading this is to learn these lessons early and focus on whatever goals and targets you have. There will be distractions, dead ends and detours but don’t waste your time on things that you don’t really want. The most important thing to do is to learn what that is.

Youth offers opportunities that maturity often times does not. That is a failing of Western society. But even if your goals are not youth oriented like winning a Superbowl ring keep in mind that we all have limited time. Have a goal, make a plan and figure out how to get there while time is on your side.

The Reason I’m a Sports Fan – Shannon in Kansas City

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It’s time for the NFL Playoffs. My favorite team, the Detroit Lions didn’t make the Playoffs and my second favorite team the Kansas City Chiefs lost in the second round which ended their season. Watching sports on TV or in person has become one of my favorite past times.

Sporting events are one of only a few examples of wholesome programming on TV. Almost everything on television these days is a vapid reality show, a show about murder or something that I consider to be demonic. I enjoy a few of the Real Housewife shows but all of the subsequent casts have saturated the airwaves with manufactured images of selfish, mean and sometimes violent women.

There are dozens upon dozens of TV shows about murder. “CSI”, “Forensic Files”, “Snapped”, “The First 48” are all compelling series but geez Louise don’t people get tired of stories about people killing other people. I sure do. And all of these shows use graphic and explicit images. I get it. He got his throat cut. I don’t need the bloody visual thank you very much.

Almost everything else on TV is somehow demonic and dark sided in nature. I don’t have much interest in zombies, vampires or people that communicate with the dead. At least I’m not interested enough to watch a weekly series about these subjects.

So much of American television programming is devoted to the occult, violence and reality TV that glorifies people for behaving in a way that would never be accepted in day to day life. It’s great to see a celebration of youth, strength, fitness and hard work. That’s what sports competitions are to me.

In a largely sedentary country with an obesity problem it’s great to see physically fit people using their bodies to reach accomplishments and earn a living. Seeing athletes on TV inspires me to get off the couch and move around. And they all look great. I have to say that some professional athletes are made of stardust. Stardust is the active ingredient in all of our dreams.

I think that athletes are so glamorous. They are young, rich and have the world by the tail. I love it and I wish it was me. I know that they are only human and they have personal struggles like we all do. In fact, when you follow the careers of athletes you know that a pro career is full of struggle. But I don’t know any of these guys personally and I only know what I see on TV and in the stadiums. And it is absolutely lovely and inspiring.

Professional athletes are great role models for children and all the rest of us. They are young, prosperous, athletic and in the prime of their lives. Many of them came from disadvantaged backgrounds and now they appear before crowds of thousands and millions on TV. The real stars are attractive, articulate and have a lot of personality. I sure want to be like that. I’m constantly working on it.

I’m glad for the NFL, NBA and MLB. There would be very little worthwhile to watch on TV without it. And they give us young stars to admire that will one day be legends that we remember with fondness and pride. In a world filled with divisions the camaraderie amongst fans transcends race and economic background. It is a thrill to watch a man fight for his pride and childhood dreams. There is nothing else like it. I love it!

#ChiefsKingdom #OnePride