General News - Sport Guru

Sports World

follow this blog

6 followers

130 daily readers

rank of 1350

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Category Quick Links

Sometimes, people and seasons come and go in our lives. They enter, serve their purposes, and then they go. Lots of times, we don't want them to go, counting them as permanent fixtures that we don't want to be without. But if theres' no turnover in people and circumstances, our lives will never change.

Life is changing for me as I move toward graduating college and looking toward a career. This blog has served its purpose wonderfully, acting as my forum for airing my thoughts on sports for 19 months. I remember the day I first wrote here, and I'm blown away by how much change has occurred in my life over that time. Some not so good, but most change has been pure blessing, if not a seeming curse at first.

With my recent introduction to Bleacher Report, the fastest growing sports network on the web, I've come to the end of my time at sportguru.net. I'm not retiring, just changing teams. The demands of writing on that site are high enough that I no longer feel that I can devote adequate attention and effort to this space, and you guys deserve the best.

Thank you to all readers who faithfully follow and click on my content; my numbers are currently as strong as they've ever been. You are appreciated, even in your silence, and I would be honored to have you continue with me to Bleacher Report as I develop my voice there.

Farewell, it's been a great time at sportguru.net.

Jason Heim

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Jason Heim - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

What is Going on Here?

July 30th 2010 21:31

Remember what happened at the beginning of the investigation into the death of beloved quarterback Steve McNair just over a year ago? Remember all the unanswered questions, shady occurrences, and implications that begged you to believe that something more was going on beneath the surface? Remember how the investigation eventually bore out all the details of the gruesome ordeal?

We're just learning the details of the Lorenzen Wright situation, and something seems very familiar about the way its playing out. It seems reminiscent of the McNair case. I'm not implying by any means that the cases are even remotely related--simply that the process of the investigation and the details surrounding the death are familiar.

First, I want to address the bizarre nature of this case. Wright, a Top 10 pick in the 1996 Draft and a 13-year NBA veteran, went missing on July 18. News broke that his body was found 2 days ago, on July 28 in the woods near Winchester. At this point, we're all wondering what took place between the last time he was seen alive and when he was found dead.

Some of those details started coming in over the last 48 hours, most notably a 911 call that was placed from Wright's cell phone. The call took place around 1 AM on July 19, roughly an hour after he was last seen leaving his ex-wife's house. Roughly a dozen gunshots are heard in the background of this call, following an unclear male voice.

Next, we find out that about six weeks ago, three armed men showed up on the doorstep of Wright's ex-wife looking for Wright. The ex-wife, Sherra Wright, had kept quiet about the encounter until this week because the gunmen threatened her to not tell.

I'm very interested to hear as the investigation connects the dots between some crucial junctures in this story. While heartbroken by an apparently ruthless murder and the loss of a man, father, and ex-husband, I am curious to know why he placed a 911 call, why there were gunshots heard, why he went missing, and why his cold body was found in the woods. I am curious to know what he was into and who he was into it with.

On the topic, it seems like there is a trend developing trend of athletes ending up dead after getting caught up with the wrong people.

I don't want to perpetuate former NFL star Sean Taylor as just another victim of black-on-black gun violence, but his home was invaded twice, with nothing taken the first time. The burglars came back a second time (a stupid move for any robber to make, especially after a police report was filed) and shot Taylor. No one knows whether this was the product of some bad past relationships, as was rumored, but this idea wasn't disproven either.

Steve McNair was shot to death in his sleep by his mistress, who then shot herself. This woman, barely half McNair's age, was arrested for DUI just 2 days before their deaths. After McNair bailed her out of jail, she bought a gun from a convicted murderer that was her instrument in the murder-suicide. She was jealous and stressed, and her way of handling it was to end her own and the life of another.

Lorenzen Wright was apparently caught up in some shady business, as evidenced by the testimony about the armed gunmen who were after him far before his death. Taylor and McNair, at best, showed to be poor judges of character. The only difference between these three and countless of their peers is that their lives were violently taken from them.

My question is, why do athletes--with Stephen Jackson and Pac-Man Jones leading the way--so consistently get caught up in such bad, and often dangerous, crowds? Is there something about their wealth, fame, and ego that naturally draws them into relationship with shady people? We know shady people are drawn to them, but why do they appear to meet them halfway? I'm not wealthy, famous, or supremely egotistical, and I don't have the answers.

I am cautious to generalize, because for every gun-wiedling, public-endangering, shady entourage-ing athlete, there's a Manute Bol, Warrick Dunn, or Tim Tebow. Yep, I went to Tim Tebow. Not every athlete is out of control, entitled, and selfish, but it seems to me that we're trending that way. The good ones never make the news, only the bad ones. We're lucky that we've only lost a few to tragedy, yet heartbroken that we've lost a few to tragedy.

144

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Jason Heim - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

For Me, Less Really IS More

July 13th 2009 23:21

Have you ever experienced too much of a good thing? Ever found something you really loved, consumed/used a disproportionate amount of it, then lost all desire or attraction to it to the point that you can't tolerate it anymore? I've gone this route with being in the sun, Fresh & Easy burritos, Pop Tarts, video games, and Pokemon cards in the past. Sometimes these things go in cycles and you rediscover your love for them, sometimes they are never the same after the burnout.

I fear I'm reaching this Saturation Point with sports. Don't get me wrong, I love sports as much as the next fanatic, and my passion hasn't waned. I simply feel like I'm overexposed to constant news, games, analysis. Some of this, admittedly, is self-induced. OK, most of it is self-induced. Regardless, the result is the same.

I recently realized while watching one of the countless games of my hometown Angels that this single game was absolutely meaningless and irrelevant to me and my memory. They play so many games every year and I watch such a huge amount of them that its next to impossible for this one game to have significance to me.

This wasn't the initial realization of its kind for me. Almost exactly a month ago, my beloved Lakers won their 15th NBA title and first in 7 torturous seasons. My team is finally back on top of the world, finally realizing everyone's championship predictions and expectations. Kobe Bryant is finally vindicated and validated, Phil Jackson is finally triumphant over Red Auerbach, and Shaq finally looks like the idiot parasite that he is instead of Kobe.

Yet this landmark event in my sports history is barely memorable and surprisingly hollow. They won Game 5 to clinch the title and I didn't really react beyond a slight mood spike and a few fist pumps. Other than that, life went on for me unchanged. Very little competitive satisfaction has been derived from the Laker title. Watching the parade back in LA, I saw a sea of fans decked out in Laker gear, screaming jubilantly, following their heroes in stifling southern California heat in manifestation of their joy. I couldn't help but feel like a subpar and weak fan. But more thought and game-watching has shown me that I've simply reached a point where a small amount of my sports consumption is memorable and significant.

I've resolved to check my iPhone sports app less, avoid leaving ESPNEWS on in the background, watch the SportsCenter for the third time in a row, and monitor my fantasy teams less. I'm fasting these things in hope that some of the joy and memorability of sports will return to me.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Jason Heim - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

The Celebrity-Obsessed Culture of America

July 10th 2009 07:37

There have been an unusual amount of celebrity passings lately that have made some aspect of our society very apparent to me. This is something that is not covert or unknown, and it is something that I have certainly realized before. The reaction to the deaths of Michael Jackson and Steve McNair, however, have been very off putting to me.

Have you ever seen any spectacle like that of Jacko's memorial service? I was shocked by the response that occurred after the news of his death hit the wire. So much support, so much nostalgic reminiscence by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. I could expound upon this point further, but the point I'm trying to make is that a sizable portion of our country, and world, have gone very far in glorifying the King of Pop--his life, his music, his quirks--and haven't really held much back.

My problem is with the ignorance that is inherent in his glorification. It seems like people are so easy to forget that this guy is wrought with personal demons, identity issues, and endured allegations of sexual abuse against young boys. THIS is our hero? THIS is someone to whom we give honor, praise, and respect? People will ignore anything that is contrary to the personas they want to glorify. Americans are in so deep with celebrity obsession that our core values have been perverted and corrupted, even abandoned to conform to the demands of fame and celebrity.

I feel the same about the Steve McNair situation. His memory is being honored by several memorial services, which is appropriate and acceptable in itself. Again, fans and supporters are well within their rights to grieve and mourn a fallen star, but the extent in this case is extravagant to me. The media coverage and news breaks have been constant since his passing on July 4. An inordinate amount of attention is being afforded to a celebrity who was, by all accounts, an adulterer who may have carried multiple affairs beyond the known one. His judgment of character was clearly flawed, as evidenced by the discoveries about his now-deceased girlfriend.

Yet this is someone who people are calling a great MAN and FATHER, not just a great football player. In my book, a man who leaves his wife and four young sons is not worthy of any such praise. Is this lip service? Is this the superficial, ingenuine courtesy that is paid to everyone in this situation? I'm floored by the values that 21st century Americans are exhibiting.

These are our heroes? These are the people we look up to? These are the figures we deem acceptable for our children to emulate? There are things evident in these two people--not to mention the countless other screwed up public icons--that I won't want my kids to even know about. We have to be a little more aware of our thoughts and actions, as well as the repercussions that follow.

Nobody is perfect. I don't expect any such thing. Everybody, even these immaculate superstars and celebrities, have skeletons in the closet. I don't want to soil the memory of certain people, but I feel the need to ruffle some feathers about the things we value as Americans. Maybe everything's changed and I'm just old-fashioned and outdated, but there's been a distinct shift in the values of our society, and I don't think its for the better.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Jason Heim - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

A Misplaced Perspective

July 1st 2009 20:06

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel recently benched his leadoff hitter, former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, for a full weekend slate of games. Rollins has been in a terrible swoon all season long, to the tune of a .250 on base percentage, which is the worst in the major leagues among regular starters.

I take issue with this whole situation: not with the benching itself, but the verbiage Manuel used to describe his goal for Rollins while benched is my problem. Manuel wanted Rollins to take a few days off, get away from all baseball activity, and "clear his head."

Of all the phrases to use, Manuel used "clear his head"? This represents a startling lack of perspective by Manuel in my opinion. I would expect to hear that phrase used in actual real life situations, such as someone recovering from an addiction, or grieving a sick or lost loved one, not a struggling baseball player. This just rubbed me the wrong way when I first read it, and still does. The billions of dollars and incredible fame that run through sports leagues have seriously rearranged priorities and clouded a right perspective on life. It seems very much as though sport has become equal to or greater than life itself for many involved.

On the other hand, Charlie Manuel and others in sports should not shoulder all the blame. We all are guilty of losing perspective and mixing up our priorities from time to time. The important thing is that people have some thing, some idea, or some person that will always keep them grounded in order that we don't lose sight of what is truly important in life.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Jason Heim - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

General: Greatest Sporting Movie Ever

June 28th 2008 13:39

There have been many posts as to what the greatest sporting movie ever made has been. While this is an interesting topic, one question arises above all others: should Kevin Costner ever be allowed to play a golfer or baseball player in a movie ever again?

My own personal favourite is the original Rocky. The film depicts the underdog overcoming all odds to get to the top.

Cool Running is in the same vein, and is another that I liked.

Of the documentary style, When We Were Kings, about the Ali-Foreman Rumble In The Jungle boxing comes to mind.

Fictional: Robert Redford as a baseball pitcher in The Natural leaves Kevin Costner for dead.

Comedy: Caddy Shack with Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield. Or maybe Happy Gilmore, with Adam Sandler.

Real Life: Chariots of Fire is the only contender in my mind, and a classic in it’s own right..But there are other notables. Bend It Like Beckham or Phar Lap are memorable.

A great Aussie sporting film is The Club, despite the fact it is about Collingwood. On the plus side, Graham Kennedy showed he could actually act, and John Williamson showed why he is Australia’s greatest playwright.

Sporting films come in many genres – comedy, drama, action, or whatever. The point is, sport reflects life, and the fact that sport is portrayed in so many different genres is proof that sport is an integral part of the lives of almost everybody, to varying degrees. It also shows that sport means different things to each of us.

And Kevin Costner really isn't that bad...

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: KC Hill2 - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend

Sport Guru Network Introduction

June 23rd 2008 08:39

I am a journalist and writer, and I have just taken over writing this blog. These are my views on Australian and international sports, and how they affect Australia.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: KC Hill2 - Category: General News

Email this Post to a Friend