Dwight Howard Haters ... Why the Hate?

Dwight Howard announced late last week that he would be signing with the Houston Rockets to join an up and coming team that, while likely not the favorite going into the next season, will certainly be a team that can make waves and have a shot at the title. I know that in the last season or two Howard has seemingly replaced perennial MVP LeBron James as the most hated player in the NBA and that hatred has only been magnified by Howard opting to leave the Lakers, the most popular team in the NBA. 

However, I’ve got to ask the haters. Why are you hating on this guy? This is probably going to be a controversial statement, but Dwight Howard has been one of the NBA’s five best players of the last decade. He’s a triple-time NBA Defensive of the Player of the Year Award winner and likely isn’t finished with that award; he’s a perennial All-Star and a guy who probably should’ve won a previous Most Valuable Player Award. He’s the best center in the game, bar none, and probably has the best personality of any generally hated player I’ve ever seen. Those are all reasons why you should respect Howard, but not really reasons why you shouldn’t hate him. After all, people hate great players all the time.

Here are the two main reasons you shouldn't hate him:

The biggest reason people seem to loathe Dwight Howard is because of his indecisiveness. The guy has shown a big propensity to not be able to clearly make up his mind. But, my question to his haters is … can you? Most of the people I know, particularly of my generation – which makes up a large number of today’s sports fans, can’t make up their minds about the smallest of everyday things like what they want to eat or watch on television. Yet, many of these same people expect that Dwight Howard should automatically or quickly make up his mind on the biggest decision of his life? Come on, guys, you’re being a little bit too harsh on the big fella.

The second reason – or newest reason – many people seem to hate Howard is because he’s perceived to have jilted everybody’s seemingly favorite team the Los Angeles Lakers and Lakers fans are aimlessly offended that he’d do so – it is America’s team after all. But, here’s what Lakers fans and any other fans annoyed that Howard would leave L.A. are failing to realize … the Lakers are a sinking ship and one that’s sinking incredibly fast at that. This team is not going to be a playoff team next year – hell, they were barely a playoff team this year with Howard and a mostly healthy Kobe Bryant. It’s a team that there’s really no telling when they will be competitive again. And, if you’re a free agent looking to make an incredibly large sum of money and want to try to win a title at the same time, it’s simply not the place for you to be right now. Signing with the Houston Rockets was simply a good career move for Howard and if you can’t see that you’ve probably got your biased sports fan blinders on.

So, there’s really no reason to hate Dwight Howard based on his play (he’s one of the best in the league), there’s no reason to hate him for his indecisiveness (it really is rampant in this country among many) and there’s no reason to hate him for bolting on the Lakers (he made the smart move). So, again, I must ask the Dwight Howard haters … Why the hate?

My Complete 2013 National League All Star Game Roster

Lineup:

1.       CF – Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies)

2.       3B – David Wright (Mets)

3.       DH – Joey Votto (Reds)

4.       1B – Paul Goldschmidt (Diamondbacks)

5.       RF – Carlos Beltran (Cardinals)

6.       SS – Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies)

7.       LF – Michael Cuddyer (Rockies)

8.       C – Yadier Molina (Cardinals)

9.       2B – Brandon Phillips (Reds)

SP – Matt Harvey (Mets)

Reserves:

C – Buster Posey (Giants)

1B – Allen Craig (Cardinals)

1B – Adrian Gonzalez (Dodgers)

1B – Freddie Freeman (Braves)

2B – Marco Scutaro (Giants)

3B – Matt Carpenter (Cardinals)

SS – Jean Segura (Brewers)

SS – Everth Cabrera (Padres)

OF – Andrew McCutchen (Pirates)

OF – Dominic Brown (Phillies)

OF – Jay Bruce (Reds)

Pitchers:

Jordan Zimmerman (Nationals)

Adam Wainwright (Cardinals)

Shelby Miller (Cardinals)

Lance Lynn (Cardinals)

Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

Cliff Lee (Phillies)

Patrick Corbin (Diamondbacks)

Mat Latos (Reds)

Mike Minor (Braves)

Craig Kimbrel (Braves)

Jason Grilli (Pirates)

Kevin Gregg (Cubs)

Mike Dunn (Marlins)

First 5 To Miss:

1.       Yasiel Puig (Dodgers)

2.       Edward Mujica (Cardinals)

3.       Hunter Pence (Giants)

4.       Carlos Gomez (Brewers)

5.       Mark Melancon (Pirates)

My Complete 2013 American League All Star Team

Lineup:

1.       CF – Mike Trout (Angels)

2.       LF – Adam Jones (Orioles)

3.       3B – Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)

4.       1B – Chris Davis (Orioles)

5.       DH – Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays)

6.       RF – Nelson Cruz (Rangers)

7.       C – Joe Mauer (Twins)

8.       2B – Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox)

9.       SS – Jhonny Peralta (Tigers)

SP – Max Scherzer (Tigers)

Reserves:

C – A.J. Pierzynski (Rangers)

1B – Prince Fielder (Tigers)

2B – Robinson Cano (Yankees)

2B – Jose Altuve (Astros)

3B – Manny Machado (Orioles)

3B – Josh Donaldson (A’s)

SS – Jed Lowrie (A’s)

OF – Alex Gordon (Royals)

OF – Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox)

OF – Nick Markakis (Orioles)

DH – David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Pitchers:

Matt Moore (Rays)

Clay Buchholz (Red Sox)

Felix Hernandez (Mariners)

Hisashi Iwakuma (Mariners)

Yu Darvish (Rangers)

Bartolo Colon (A’s)

Justin Masterson (Indians)

Justin Verlander (Tigers)

Mariano Rivera (Yankees)

Joe Nathan (Rangers)

Tanner Scheppers (Rangers)

Grant Balfour (A’s)

Jesse Crain (White Sox)

First 5 to Miss:

1.       Evan Longoria (Rays)

2.       Chris Tillman (Orioles)

3.       Howie Kendrick (Angels)

4.       Daniel Nava (Red Sox)

5.       Greg Holland (Royals)

Best Sports Can Be, Worst Sports Can See - All in 24 Hours

It’s amazing the kind of different emotions 24 hours can elicit – particularly in sports.

April 14, 2013 was a day that represented everything sports, and life for that matter, should be all about.

April 15, 2013 was a day that represented something completely opposite. Something that should be unthinkable, but here we are thinking about it. Something so ghastly, so horrific it seems like it should only exist in a nightmare or a really bad action movie.

The final round of the Masters Tournament on Sunday afternoon was a sports fan’s euphoria.

You had about 10 different golfers with a decent chance of victory, great stories (like the three Australians: Adam Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman, trying to win the nation’s first Masters and Tiger Woods still attempting to win his first major in five years), great characters (Angel Cabrera, who’s the everyman golfer, and past champion, affectionately called “El Pato” or “The Duck” for his waddling gait) and a leaderboard that wouldn’t stand pat for more than 10 minutes at a time with golfer after golfer making a run to the top, only to fall back down to the rest of the oncoming pack.

Like so many Augusta Sundays before this year’s Masters was the definition of nerve-wracking. Even though I’d see many a close Final Round Sunday before this one seemed to be the tops, the best, the most nail-biting … particularly when it came down to the 18th and final hole and the ensuing two-hole, sudden-death playoff for the coveted Green Jacket, one of sport’s most enchanting and visible honors. Adam Scott, one of the game’s best without a major championship, and Angel Cabrera, a former Masters and U.S. Open champ who seems to step up his game when the trophy’s mean the most, went mano-a-mano and hit some of the best and most beautiful golf shots that you’ll ever see – and all of this with incredible pressure on their backs. The final holes and sudden-death playoff at the Masters this year was among the most intense sporting moments I’d ever witnessed – the kind of good intense where you’re heart beats rapidly, like when you experience your first kiss. In the end, Scott made two incredible putts that fell in and Cabrera made a few equally incredible shots that just missed. I, admittedly, was rooting (and very hard, in fact) for Cabrera so a slight disappointment crept over me, but it vanished almost immediately as it set it, because this tournament, these last few holes were just too damn good to feel upset about.

And, then after all the shots had been hit for the weekend and just before the patrons shuffled to their cars to head home came the moment that truly summed it all up – the moment that represents everything sports and life should be all about. Cabrera doffed his hat, walked over to a celebrating Scott and the Argentine, who doesn’t speak much English, if any, embraced the newly crowned Aussie champion in a hug. It was a moment where two warriors of the ultimate gentleman’s game showed what true class and sportsmanship is all about. Grace both on and off the golf course – fitting for Augusta, fitting for the sport, fitting for the world.    

The final round of this year’s Masters was truly magical – something I won’t soon forget – something that I’ll go out on a limb and say won’t be topped by any other sporting event this entire year, as far as sheer excitement goes.            

Magic sometimes vanishes as quickly as it appears.

Monday morning started off glorious for those competing in the 117^th Boston Marathon, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathons. From explanations given by participants both in the marathon and within the marathon community – this event is one of true communal spirit and celebration, ideals that should pervade throughout the sports world.

It was going to be a good day – then came 2:50 p.m. Boston time. Two bomb blasts, 15 seconds and reportedly about 550 feet apart, ripped through the celebration right where spectators gathered near the finish line cheering on family and friends. Billowing smoke filled the sunny skies and an appalling amount of blood covered the ground – something that undoubtedly and unfortunately will remain embedded in my memory for as long, if not longer, than those enchanting golf shots from the day before. The nightmarish image on television couldn’t even possibly measure up to the scenes experienced by those at Copley Square, where the bombings took place.  The lives that are changed forever now – whether dead, maimed, only slightly injured or just witnesses of the horror.

 

We all knew it could happen. After 9/11, I know it sounds cliché to bring up every time something incredibly tragic happens, but it’s our generation’s tragedy measuring stick, we knew that sporting events – whether large or small – could be targeted for terrorist attacks, either foreign or domestic. Surely it was bound to happen. But, in the almost dozen years since 9/11 there hadn’t been any tragic incidents at sporting events involving terrorism in this country. Maybe that’s why the bombing of the Boston Marathon seemed so surprising, so out-of-the-blue, so heinous. Maybe we had told ourselves it wouldn’t happen here – it wouldn’t happen someplace where people gathered for celebration, for enjoyment, for relaxation from their everyday lives. Maybe they would only target high rises and government building and monuments.

That was too naïve.

The evil want to inflict maximum pain and joyous occasions turning to chaotic terror accomplishes that. Whoever did this to the Boston Marathon, to this country, to the world – may they be brought to justice – essentially made a sport out of terror. They took something that many hold as sacred and destroyed it, but only for a little while. Sports fans, Americans, most of the world’s people are resilient. We won’t forget, but we’ll experience that joy again.  

Whoever did this turned a sporting event into a catastrophic news event. They brought sadness and pain to where joy and comfort belong.                   

The best thing sports could be took place on Sunday afternoon. The worst thing sports could see took place on Monday afternoon. Thank God when it comes to sports there’s an awful lot more Sundays than Mondays.