L.A. SPARKS REVISITED!

THANKS TO SUE FAVOR AND HOOPISM
 FOR THIS RECENT FLASHBACK ARTICLE.

http://hoopism.blogspot.com/2014/07/larry-burnett-sparks-life-well-lived.html

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BEWARE THE UNDERWEAR GODS!

While most of us are keeping our "eye on the ball" at sporting events, somebody is keeping a lookout somewhere else. It has been reported that several female tennis players, at Wimbledon, were forced to play bra-less because their sports bras were too colorful, showed through their tennis outfits and broke the Wimbledon "all white" rule for tennis attire.

Only a very slight hint of color is allowed at Wimbledon and referee, Andrew Jarrett wrote to the players: 
"Undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white and contain no more than 1 cm of colored trim."

So, if a colorful undergarment showed through at the All England Club, the player was sent back to the locker room to change it. If she did not have a white bra to replace it, she went bouncing back onto the court without. 

BTW! I pat myself on the back for showing great restraint in not posting a titillating photo to demonstrate the above. Your imagination will have to suffice unless, of course, you choose to Google "bra-less at Wimbledon", but who would do such a thing?
--
Continuing with our "undergarments in sports" theme, Brazil's Neymar was spied wearing unsanctioned underwear during the FIFA World Cup Soccer (Futbol) Championships. That is a "No-no!" Players are only allowed to wear underpants manufactured by World Cup Sponsors.

Believe it or not, an investigation into Neymar's underwear was started and he was in danger of being fined for his under-handed crime of violating the "disciplinary code, which prohibits players from displaying religious or political messages as well as publicity slogans and non-FIFA sanctioned products."

My questions are:

1. Who are these "great and powerful" people whose job it is to be 
     on the lookout for heinous underwear transgressions at 
     Wimbledon and the World Cup and who knows where else?

2. What are their qualifications for the job?

3. Did they have to pass a test that allows them to spy on other 
    peoples' undergarments?

4. Do they have to report to local authorities every time they move 
    into a new neighborhood?

5. Doesn't the hierarchy of sports have anything better to do 
    than legislate the underwear of its male and female athletes?

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BEST MOVE OF THE 2014 NBA DRAFT!!!

Pro sports is a business! 

We all know that, but it does not mean that pro sports people can't be compassionate and classy. 

Thursday night, at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn, the NBA showed that it actually has a heart. 

NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, took time out from a frenzied evening of decisions, draft picks and trades to honor a young man whose dreams were to hear his name called on draft night and get a chance to play in the NBA.

 Last night, the NBA went out of its way to make, at least half of, Isaiah Austin's dream come true.  

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/commissioner-adam-silver-selects-former-prospect-isaiah-austin-in-the-coolest-moment-of-the-2014-nba-draft-024735914.html

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WORLD CUP- THE "REAL TEAM USA " PERSPECTIVE!

I was wondering what our U.S. servicemen & women in Afghanistan must have been thinking as they watched the 

USA v Germany World Cup match today. 

What did they think as America's fans, around the world, hoped for a draw, then cheered when a loss propelled Team USA to advance to the round of 16?

 What happened to "winning is the only thing?" 

Isn't that the American way? 

Then I thought, 

"Our armed forces are the real Team USA! 

They realize, more than anyone, that 

"winning is NOT always the only thing.

They understand best that 'staying alive',

  getting the job done,

 and advancing 

are of primary importance."

You do it any way you can 

and then prepare to fight the next battle

 and, hopefully, 

fight even better.

**

MIXED MESSAGES IN PRO SPORTS!

I understand that there are salary cap ramifications involved here, 

but it seems as though the same people who

 do NOT want "un-proven" rookies to be paid huge salaries

 when they enter professional sports 

are the same people who

 do NOT want Kobe Bryant to be rewarded with a huge contract 

for what he HAS accomplished.

 You CANNOT have it both ways.

Management can choose to either 

pay a young "just out of college" player for his potential

 or 

pay proven pros for what they have actually done and the successes they have actually earned. 

If you choose the former, you roll the dice.

If  you choose the latter, there is no expiration date.

**

DIVING INTO THE FIFA WORLD CUP!

THINGS I HAVE SEEN DURING THE

 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL!

1. More grown men flopping in two weeks time than in the history of boxer shorts!

2. More dives than in a Jacques Cousteau special.

3. More bad acting than in WWE RAW!

How can so many world-class athletes flop so badly on the great international stage of the World Cup and why do the highly-trained referees keep falling for such horrendous acting?

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I'M BAAAACK!!!!

I don't know where it went, 

but I am happy to report that the website is baaaack!

Aliens? Gremlins? Website witches?

I have no clue, but it is grew to be back and I am celebrating with a piece on Lebron James that I participated in for bio.com.

http://www.biography.com/people/lebron-james-399748#awesm=~oHQLixedTIDNqz

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