Respecting Rose

22. Youngest to ever do it.

"I just play basetball"

That was the main point of the first Derrick Rose interview I had ever seen. It was after his playoff debut in which he dropped 36 points and 11 dimes and help his Bulls beat the Celtics. I wish I could find the whole interview but all I could get was this clip:



You've probably seen the rest. Dude sounded like a mix of Warren from Something about Mary and Boobie Miles and looked more dumbfounded than W and Eli put together. Every since then I have been making fun of his lack of intelligence, consistently calling him dumber than a box of rocks. Then of course there was that whole NCAA investigation thing which added fuel to my fire...

I've always respect Rose as a player but throughout the course of this season I've grown to respect him more and more as a person. He hasn't gotten any smarter in the traditional sense but I realized that he hasn't needed to. He's a ball player and he's done the one thing he's had to: continue to get better and smarter at being that. And boy did it show. As he dominated opponents and carried his team to the top record in the league many people consistently pronounced him as the MVP. Rather than let his ego inflate he stayed humble.When he was voted in as an All-Star starter and people suggested it was his chance to shine he deferred to the All-Star elders. And even once he was formally announced as the MVP all he could do was thank his teammates and #shoutout his mom:

If anyone deserves a moment to brag it would be Rose. He made it through the slums of the Chi to the league. He got drafted by his hometown team number 1 overall. He was asked to bring the Bulls back to a place they haven't been since That Guy left. Many would have wilted under such pressure but Rose has risen to the challenge gracefully.

I used to think his subdued and humble demeanor was moreso an side effect of his ignorance but now I realize that he is just a respectful youngster doing what he's been blessed to do. He's just a kid honing his craft, humbly accepting his accolades and being a great representation of his family and his city. It's refreshing and I respect it. Go on young brotha...

#Respect

Eli's #Jealousface

Found this photo on ESPN's photos of the week:

"I shouldn't have changed the play..."

I know its been a week but its still funny...

Jets vs Giants...Eli #JEALOUSED

Last night the the New Meadowlands "officially" opened, hosting its first ever football game. (I was there last week for the USA vs Brazil soccer match). Rightfully so the game was between the co-owners of the stadium The New York Jets and the New York Giants. Don't remember being so hype for a pre-season game ever in my life, but I really wanted to see what these "new" Jets were about. I also wanted to see what the Giants would be like after their disappointing end to last season.

I only watched the first half, as the starters played most of it (Jets starters played all of it). On the Jets first offensive series Mark Sanchez forced a ball into new Jet LT (who was double covered) and had it picked by new Giant Antrell Rolle. (I think this is foreshadowing of how the season will go for Sanchez, forcing throws to make plays and turning it over). After the early mistake Sanchez did settle down and lead the 1st teamers to 3 scoring drives. The Jets defense looks as good as advertised and potentially better then last year's #1 defense. I say potentially because they need Darrelle Revis to pair with Antoino Cormartie (who shoulda had 2 picks yesterday). Overall the 1st teams looked good though.

The Giants 1st teamers, on the other hand didn't look so great. Their first TD was set up by the interception return. While the G-Men addressed their secondary in the offseason, they didn't add a LB to take over for Antonio Pierce who was the QB of the defense and a great communicator. That lack of communication led to an easy TD for the Jets, as they caught the Giants subbing out players (Pierce would have noticed and called timeout). The offense looked out of sync and could only muster up a drive that got them a FG. That drive was greatly helped out by a broken play turned into a 51 yard gain (Ahmed Bradshaw is a beast #fantasyalert). They're seems to be some confusion about the identity of the team, do they want to run (they should) or pass. This was so evident on a play close to the goal line. The Giants were set up for a power run play, when Eli Manning saw 1 on 1 coverage and decided to adubile to a fade. Problem was only he knew what he want to do. Jacobs expecting a handoff bumped into Eli causing his hlmet to losen...it was eventually knocked off putting Eli in a #jealoused position:

#jealoused

Bad things happen when helmets come off....

#theBloodyJealous

Eli was ultimately alright, just needed 12 stitches. I hope he learned the most important lesson he could ever learn: #1 Don't Jealous Yourself!!! Although I stopped watching, the Giants went on to win 31-16 with some guy named Victor Cruz (former UMass star) catching 3 TDs. Can't wait til the regular season. #LehGo!