It wasn’t.

I don’t care about Lebron joining the Heat. I don’t care about him leaving the Cavs. He’s a hired gun, he can go where he wants. We all know there isn’t much “loyalty” in the work place.

The part that turns my stomach is that Lebron is a young man raised in our currently-still-prevailing “everyone is a winner” society. When I was kid, there were winners and there were losers. It is a fact of life. An eternal truth. When the leopard takes down the gazelle out on the plains, there is a winner and loser.

One result of the “everyone is a winner” philosophy is that true achievement has been diluted. It is now “okay to lose” – as long as you tried your best. (Usually the last part is left out these days.)

The gazelle doesn’t deceive itself. Neither did MJ. Neither does Kobe. When Kobe’s shot wasn’t falling in game 7, he started grabbing rebounds…violently…from anywhere he could. Why? Because he wanted to win. I’m not a Kobe fan, but I can appreciate what he did. And there is no doubt about whether Kobe wants to win or not. Kobe knows the difference. And so does the gazelle.

We’ve gone to great pains to equalize things – to make everyone feel “like a winner” and “The Decision” is the result. Lebron has been spoiled much of his adult life. We know this. In many instances, Lebron HAS been the winner – yet he undoubtedly had to watch his victories – however little or big – get diminished. Maybe the other kids got a hug first telling them that losing was just as good as winning. Who knows?

Beauty – you know it when you see it.

In the NBA right now, Lebron is not a winner. He’s not the champion. Kobe is. Ron Artest is. Ron hitting those 3’s in game 7 was a beautiful thing. His postgame interview, as crazy as it was, was a beautiful thing. It was inspiring. It was the kind of thing I want my children to watch. It’s the kind of thing I’ll be excited to tell my grandkids about when a nurse is pushing me around in a “home” somewhere.

The Decision was not a thing of beauty. Watching an uncomfortable Lebron muffle his way through prediscussed “questions” with pathetic kids as a backdrop was painful. He was the gazelle. It was a terrible moment for sports. It was confusing. It sent out a terrible message.

This morning he is being ridiculed for everything imaginable. Lebron is a basketball player. He doesn’t need to take over the world. His brand is irreperably damaged. His trusted “inner circle” of advisors are products of the same system. They are young and don’t understand the world. We know that now.

He looked scared and confused up there. He wasn’t a powerful sports figure. He doesn’t owe us an apology. We owe him an apology. Our culture produced him. Let’s hope he can settle down, put this behind him, and remember why he plays basketball – to win. Right now, he’s part reality star, part global icon, part king, and part of the “trifecta” in Miami. yet Kobe is still Kobe and MJ is still MJ.

Wise Man Say, “Lebron just needs to play basketball. Lebron just needs to win. “

Tim Lincecum is Washed Up
Tim Lincecum’s Time is Over
Lincecum will Never Hit 90 Again
….and so on.

Let’s face it: he’s at least in a slump. Everyone is quick to dismiss it. “It happens, he’ll be back.”

He’s had a phenomenal career thus far. There’s no debate there. But I want to go on record early with my nagging suspicion.

Tim Lincecum is done. He’s young, but that violent throwing motion, the flexibility it demands, and the strength-thru-range-of-motion is simply too much for his body to bear. I’m further speculating that the drug bust may have been indicatitive of something a bit more subtle. Maybe Tim wasn’t taking care of himself as much as he should gave?

I picture Tim like a Ferrari. When everything is working properly, it’s simply awesome. But if something is slightly out of tune, the problems are magnified. He’s out of tune now and the wheels are coming off.

I hope I’m wrong. I really like the Guy. You can surf his highlights all day on YouTube and never tire of watching him. He’s likeable. He’s humble.

But if he’s done, I can say, “told ya so.”

Wise man say, “he who judge quickly is a fool.”

Tonight he fractured a knee cap against Houston and he will miss the rest of the season. That’s 2 seasons out already. It’s not looking good for the big guy. The Trail Blazers have already stated that he’ll be undergoing surgery.

Oden hit the floor grabbing his left knee and wincing in obvious pain. I knew immediately that it was a bad one. He was driving against the Oregon alum point guard, Aaron Brooks about halfway through the first quarter when he went down.

Trainers and physicians stormed the court. The Rose Garden crowd got on their feed and starte chanting “Oden! Oden!” It took about 10 minutes and he was finally moved to a stretcher and wheeled from the court.

The big guy with mismatched legs missed his entire rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. Last season, he missed six games after injuring his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers. He looked average after coming back and then missed 14 games after the All-Star break with a bone chip in his left knee. He finished the season averaging a not-spectacular 8.9 points and 7 rebounds.

Supposedly, Oden dieted in the off season and lost some weight to alleviate potential injury problems. It didn’t matter and he’s going to miss another season. He was averaging 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds this season as a starter.

He could mature into an impact player, but the injury odds appear to be against him. It’s too bad, he was great to watch in college.

Rating and Review of Tiger’s Mistresses (so Far)

Rachel Uchitel – oldest of the bunch so far. Sounds like she is going to pocket somewhere between 1 to 3 million. She played it pretty shrewdly by denying right off the bat and retaining an attorney. I thought she was scooped by Jaimee Grubbs, but I don’t think Jaimee got as much money – even though she beat Rachel to the punch – from US WEEKLY. She is the best looking so far, so it’s probably for the best that she pocketed the most money.

Jaimee Grubbs – a skeezer, somewhat haggard looking, aspiring reality starlet… wow… Tiger, c’mon. Pick someone with at least something to lose…. Amazing that Tiger was either that stupid (I doubt, he’s a Stanford guy…) or that arrogant to think this wouldn’t come out. I hope Tiger put a bag over this girl’s face.

Kalika Moquin – a magazine cover proclaims that she is one of the top 31 most influential people in Vegas nightlife… Apparently, being on that list doesn’t pay the bills – so she came forward to catch a ride on the Tiger gravy train. I’m guessing she doesn’t have the arsenal to back her up. Silly girl, she probably deleted the lurid text messages. Rumor has it she’s been chasing down Verizon trying to get them back… She’s a distant #2 in looks, but she’s a longshot to break 7 figures on this deal.

So now we wait on the Orlando girl to pop out. I don’t understand how these girls can wake up and look in the mirror after this, but I guess they can…

Tiger’s Medicine

Just out of curiosity, I’d like to know what medicine he was on? Anyone know?

The Asics Gel Hyper’s have a very small patch of Gel right under the ball of your foot. Other than that, they are very basic racing flats consisting of a mesh upper, a long lacing area and tongue and a very thin, soft but suprisingly strong sole.

When I first put them on it felt like my foot was too wide for the sole. Like my foot was big and fat and oozing over the sides. Of course, it wasn’t but the shoes gave me that sensation. I could also “feel the ground” through the soles of the shoes. I wouldn’t recommend running on trails or rough surfaces with these shoes, but they are just fine on pavement and even better on a track.

Asics Gel Hyper Review

So, there are really two main things to note with these shoes: (1) how they perform training, and (2) how they perform racing.

Asics Gel Hyper Training: Good, but that isn’t what these shoes are about. They are simply too light and too “unstructured” for daily running unless you are moving toward running minimalism (barefooting). I think they would be a good way to build strength in your foot and probably are about the right precursor to the Vibram five fingers. If I were going the barefoot running route, I’d wear these for about 3-4 weeks before transitioning to the Vibram five fingers. If you’re a traditional runner, you are going to injure yourself trying to train significantly in these shoes.

Asics Gel Hyper Racing: You’re On! That is what these shoes are all about. I wouldn’t wear these for a marathon, but for 5 and 10K’s, I’m willing to bet you could shave some serious time off – if you’re already a good runner. If you’re a big time heel striker, these shoes will kill you. If you’re already running softly upon your feet and have a high turnover ratio (high “cadence” in Newton terminology), then I’d bet these shoes are better than your current racers. In fact, I can’t think of a shoe I prefer over these. I once had some nice Nike flats (mental note- need review!) and I thought I’d never beat them, but these do. I won’t say these crush them, but these are some great, ultra lightweight running shoes.

So that is it for Fitness Friday!

Wise Man Say, “Asics good running shoes!“

First, I visited the Newton website. The website is actually pretty cool and contains a lot of running information, some informative videos and a slew of information on the Newton Running shoes. The one awkward thing was that they have a “Patents” page that doesn’t reference a single patent? (although they claim to have been granted 9…) I found the relevant Newton patent and read the abstract – pretty cool technology they employed with the actuators.

Anyway, I immediately let a good triathlete friend of mine try them out for a mile. (”Yes,” we wear the same size shoe.) He came back and said they were “very hard” on his calves, but liked the weight and the “fast feel” of them. The comment about his calves intrigued me so I went back and Googled more information and found the calf strain comments to be a recurring theme. Newton recommends you slowly become accustomed to their shoes.

Although the calf comments concerned me, I also found plenty of people who weren’t bothered by them because they were already running correctly.

Newton Running Shoes First Run Review

Luckily, I fell into the no-calf-pain camp. I wore the shoes for about a mile the first time out. They felt extremely light, stable and helped my overall body position throughout the run. I felt virtually no residual calf soreness. They make you “feel fast” similar to the way young kids think they can run faster with a new pair of shoes.

Running Longer Distances with the Newton Racers

I started wearing them exclusively and for longer and longer runs. In my case, my body became accustomed to them almost immediately. After a couple runs, I could no longer even tell that I was wearing them. I literally couldn’t feel the lugs in the bottom (strange?). I did consciously try to shorten my gait on a couple occasions. I also stepped it up a bit by speeding up my running cadence which also perhaps forced me a bit more onto my forefoot. I ran as far as 10 miles with them and they were comfortable and supportive throughout.

Running a 5K Race in the Newton Stability Racers

I wore them for a personal best 5k. I don’t know that I can say much in this regard as I was admittedly in much better shape than at previous 5ks. They are very stable and protective for such a light shoe. I also have a pair of Asic Gel Hyper 3’s that I’ll be reviewing. The Asics may be a tad lighter than the Newtons, but they are no where near as protective. I don’t feel comfortable venturing off pavement in the Asics and they are probably best on a track surface.

There is one significant drawback to the Newton racers: they look FAST! In other words, unless you are perfectly comfortable with your racing – these are intimidating shoes to walk to the start line in….especially if you typically start toward the back. Also, know that people will take great satisfaction in beating you just so that they can say, “well, I was faster than that guy wearing those bright yellow $200 running shoes.”

You can always get them next year. Life is too short. Buy the shoes.

Also, one of the best things about a fancy new pair of shoes is that they increase your enthusiasm for running. I couldn’t wait to put them on and go for a run. I started thinking about running all the time. It was as if I had just running!

Wise Man Say, “A Change Is As Good As A Rest“

Until I witnessed the video below, I thought Michael Phelps was the most incredible athlete of these Olympics. Then, Usain Bolt broke the World Record for the 100 Meters while LETTING up toward the end? As a former sprinter, I have a great appreciation for this event.

Anyway, I don’t mean to discredit Phelps. His record is amazing. It must also be put in perspective since he is breaking another swimmer’s record…..

He has 6 world records thus far in this Olympics…… And many others have been set by others…. There will be very few world records set in track and field. And I REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS after watching the race below. Then I wondered, “did Usain Bolt ever have access to a pool? swimming lessons? swim instructors?”

“How about Tyson Gay?”

All I know is that I NEVER lived in a state with a competitive swimming program (including Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma – that rules out a bunch of kids). Clearly, this needs to change. There’s a reason a very few countries DOMINATE swimming while track is open to the world.

KIDS ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN RUN!

VERY FEW KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO A POOL.

Michael Phelps is a great person and a great athlete. I can only hope that I can someday watch an underprivileged athlete from a third world country break his record as well. That is what the Olympics is all about……

Enjoy….. (ignore the French)

Dixon’s left knee buckled under him when he planted it to turn upfield on an option play with 5 minutes in the quarter. He was wearing a brace on the knee when the game started. Until now, Dixon has been this year’s leading Heisman candidate. He sprained the same knee when playing Arizona State on Nov. 3. Dixon scored a touchdown on a 39-yard run on the Ducks’ first possession. His stats were 5-of-8 for 62 yards with an interception in the end zone before leaving the game.

Dennis Dixon has been having a great year and has proven to be quite a playmaker. Unfortunately, this happens all the time in College Football. In fact, it happened just last year to this year’s NFL Super Star, Adrian Peterson, at the University of Oklahoma. Peterson was on track to win last year’s Heisman when he broke his collarbone and sat out the majority of the season.

With Dixon out, the race is wide open with Tim Tebow as the accepted leader. Missouri’s Chase Daniel is the main challenger. But, this year is now a heisman disaster. There is no standout player and no one has the name recognition that is so crucial in the late season voting.

After reviewing that list, I realized it is not quite accurate. Instead, it should read:

Lunchtime Driving Range Golfer
Occassional Lifter of Weights
Fledgling Writer
Purchaser of Expensive Hiking/Mountain Gear
Treadmill Runner

Different companies are offering their services for web design and development. Due to increasing demand of web page design professionals, different institutes are offering web development degree. A large variety of web design development samples is available online for the guidance of IT students. While on the other hand it has become trend among leading companies to place web design contract on site.

This got me thinking that my “optimistic” look at my hobbies is very similar to the current state of IT resumes. I’ve reviewed hundreds of resumes and all of them list “expertise” in some language or operating system. However, most times, the people claiming the expertise suddenly lose their knowledge when it comes to the interview.

I’ve had C# experts who couldn’t create a C# project in Visual Studio. I’ve interviewed VB experts who couldn’t use a MsgBox.

Wise Man Say, “He who Lie on Resume Stand on Shaky Ground.”