Can The Indiana Pacers Still Be Competitive Without Paul George and Lance Stephenson?

Indiana Pacers 

The NBA pre- season is coming up in a couple weeks, and besides being excited to see the Raptors play again after their great last season. I asked myself how are the Indiana Pacers going to stay competitive without their two most dynamic players?  Paul George and Lance Stephenson. George who broke his tibia and fibula during a scrimmage with his USA teammates for the World Cup, and is expected to be out for the upcoming season. Stephenson who decided to opt out of the final year of his contract and sign with the Charlotte Hornets for 3 years. Losing both guys will set Indiana Back for sure, because they brought so much offensively and defensively. Stephenson led the league in triple doubles and was a great playmaker and agitator on defense. Paul George started to come into his own last year as a rising superstar; he made the all-star team for the second year in a row. George handled most of the offensive load for the Pacers and was a big part of their highly ranked defense.

But the pacers can’t focus on all the bad things that happened this off-season for them. They still have a capable starting lineup and a couple players off the bench that can give them good minutes. All-Star Roy Hibbert is going to have to pick up the slack offensively now, with the departure of George and Stephenson. As Hibbert had one of his worst career years last year. Starting point guard George Hill and starting power forward David West will  also have to pick some of the slack along with Hibbert. Indiana also picked up two veterans to help them off the bench or come in to start if they need them. C.J miles the sharpshooting shooting guard/ small forward and Rodney Stuckey the slashing scrappy point guard/ shooting guard. These two additions could help the pacers pick up their offense, and if they can contribute on the defensive end that would help even more.  Its safe to say that this year should be an interesting one for the Pacers. This year the Eastern Conference is up for the taking.  

Michael Sam... Just let him play

An Anti-gay group will be protesting Michael Sam and the Dallas Cowboys in the name of “family values.”  They’re protesting the Dallas Cowboys season opener against the San Francisco 49ers after the team signed openly gay football star Michael Sam onto its practice squad.  Jack Burkman- conservative lobbyists “ feels that we can not just stand idly by as Christian values and morals are trampled.  Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has betrayed American values, Christian values and his own city’s values.”

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT JACK BURKMAN?

What exactly are family values? They are traditional and cultural values that pertain to the family’s beliefs, ideals, and attitudes.

The key word here is traditional. We are now in the 21^st century; therefore non-traditional families make up the majority of North American households. 

This protest demonstrates the opposite of what I was taught about Christian values. The protest teaches that being “different” is wrong and unacceptable and that it promotes hate towards anything or anyone that is “non-traditional”.

We should all be more focused on diversity, acceptance and equality!!!  I believe Christian values and morals are about love, respect and treating everyone equally.  Being Christian is NOT about protesting and promoting HATE.

In all this craziness, we are not focusing on how Michael Sam has worked so hard to get to this point.  All the hard work put in the gym and the gridiron during his high school/college years.  Also, having to go through the ups and downs of what college athletes go through to make it to the “Big Leagues” while feeling the pressure of hiding their sexuality and knowing that he will be scorned and ridiculed.  We should be celebrating his COURAGE.

Why don’t we just let him play and live his dream?  He deserves the same opportunity as any rookie that tried out for his NFL team.  This Sunday’s game vs. San Francisco should not be about Christian values and morals being “trampled”, it should be about Michael Sam trampling the 49er’s offense!!

Michael Sam with The St.Louis Rams

Is Roger Federer Too Old To Win Championships Still?

A year ago, Roger Federer was really struggling.  Losses to lower ranked players along with a second-round exit from Wimbledon made everyone wonder if his time as a top-ranked player is near the end.

But Roger proved everyone wrong this year.

He changed coaches and hired former player Stefan Edberg. He's been more aggressive and has been coming into the net more frequently.  This approach almost paid off in this year's Wimbledon.  Most importantly, never underestimate his love and passion for the game.  It kept him competitive in all of this year's tournaments and helped him get through the tough times.

Federer is not exactly past his prime yet, but he's getting up there in age in terms of sports athletes. Especially since all the other top 10 players are in their early 20's.  They're all reaching their peak, while Federer just turned 33, and although he is playing his best tennis ever, he is not getting younger.

Roger Federer

From 2005-2007, he was 23-26 years old.  There is no better time in tennis than that age period, so it makes complete sense.  It also makes his current age that much more troubling for the future of his career.

I don't really think he will be able to continually perform the way that he has been in the past year.  But I still feel he will be going down as one of the best Champions in the sport of tennis!