So Long Mr.Cub!!

The late great Ernie Banks is now playing two!!!!!!!!!

Just a few days ago the baseball world lost an incredible person Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks passed away at the age of eighty three. Ernie Banks started his career in the year of 1950 in the Negro professional baseball league with the team Kansas City Monarchs. He had an incredible career playing in the Major Leagues he played a total of 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs in his career he was a eleven time National League All Star along with playing in fourteen All Star games. Mr. Banks was considered by many as one of the all time greatest players to ever play the game. He played first base along with playing shortstop which many players don't even do which was amazing to read about. Ernie received his first two Most Valuable awards in the 1958 and 1959 season playing first base. He received a golden glove award which is given to the best defensive player at that particular position during the 1960 season. During the season of 1961 Ernie Banks played left field for a short time the Cubs Manager Leo Durocher made the decision to put him back at first base. The Cubs Manager was getting frustrated with Banks performance, and he wanted to pull him out of the lineup. Durocher realized he couldn't take him out of the lineup because of the popularity he had amongst the Cubs fans. Ernie Banks and Bob Nelson became the first African Americans to be owners of a Ford Company in the mid 50's.

Before being known in baseball Ernie grew up in Dallas Texas with eleven siblings ten of them were younger than Ernie. In his school they didn't have a high school baseball team so instead he played fast pitch softball in the summer. In high school he lettered in basketball, football, and track. Ernie Banks was discovered by a Bill Blair who worked for the Monarchs which lead to him playing professional baseball. Even though he got to one season with the Monarchs in 1951 he was drafted in the United States Army and served in Germany during the Korean War. During his basic training he suffered a knee injury which lead to a knee injury but he was able to recover with rest and relaxation. While serving as the flag bearer in the 45th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion at Fort Bliss he played part time with the Harleem Globetrotters. After serving two years with the military he returned back to play with the Kansas City Monarchs. What was interesting is that Ernie Banks was reluctant to join the Cubs because of how much love and support he had playing for the Monarchs. While playing Shortstop with the Cubs he and another African American by the name of Gene Baker became a dangerous double play pair that was unbelievable.

He Had a career average of being the mid 200's and five hundred and twelve homeruns, along with 2,583 hits. One of the famous quotes Mr. Banks had was " It is a beautiful day for a ball game, let's play two" it was a way for him to express for the love of the game. When he was inducted into the baseball hall of fame he was the only one to be inducted by the baseball writers association of America. Ernie Banks was married twice but his marriage was interesting because of the way he proposed to her. He did it through a letter while serving in Germany while in the military. Shortly a few years later he divorced his wife and she came away with few valuables including his 500 career homerun ball.

While playing for the Cubs he held the most games played without reaching the postseason game which was 2,528. Ernie was always asked about playing with Cubs his response was " I never had any regret in playing for the Cubs rather than signing with a successful franchise". He was the first person to have his number retired by the team. What is also interesting but a respectful thing to do was giving a statue right outside of the stadium in showing their appreciation towards him. The Cubs fans say that even though they don't have a mascot they know they can rely on Mr. Banks being their mascot for the commitment he put into the organization and the way he represented himself outside of the ballpark. He wanted to run for alderman in the early 60's but lost that election because of the way people perceived him to be which was a ball player. He knew it would be impossible for him win that election because most didn't think he would be fit for the position. He was a huge community activist while playing for Chicago. He especially gave back to those living in the projects and suburbs in helping those who were unfortunate. He felt it was important  to allow the younger children to have the chance in playing sports, and having the things they needed.

After he retired from playing baseball he served as the team ambassador though other reporters said he never was in position of authority or had any significant influence. The society of American Baseball research ranked Ernie Banks at number twenty seven out of one hundred players amongst the greatest of all time. What is interesting is that he was wanting to part of the people who owned the Cubs. He along with other people formed a group in wanting to buy the Cubs when they were up for sale. as he got older he made appearances at all star games and hall of fame induction ceremonies. In 2013 he received the medal of freedom award from President Obama he was one of the thirteen people that had the honor to get the award. As a show of appreciation he gave the President a bat that belonged to Jackie Robinson. What was also interesting about Ernie Banks was he was a ordained minister and he presided the wedding of a former major league athlete Sean Marshall.

Most people who grew up watching Ernie Banks they said he was an incredible hitter as well as an amazing fielder. Many people enjoyed watching him at shortstop in how smooth, and clean he played the position. He didn't have much power but he was a very smart hitter who made it impossible for pitchers to get him out. His patients at the plate drove a lot of pitchers insane because of how competitive he was. On January 23, 2015 Ernie had passed away from an heart attack just a few days before his 84th birthday. Ernie was an incredible leader for the game of baseball, and for the city for Chicago. Many people enjoyed his optimism and his eternal faith and that one day the Cubs will go all the way and win the World Series. He leaves a huge whole in the game of baseball that we will never forget. Since I was to young to ever see him play the game looking up videos of how he played the game made it very exciting. I know myself and other fans of baseball will truly miss him and still cant believe he is gone.  Everyone should think anytime you step on the field and it is a beautiful day for a game just think what Ernie Banks would say " Lets Play Two".

Are we in for an exciting Superbowl or will it be a huge failure?

Is Superbowl 49 going to have the fans at their edge of their seats or just be a complete failure?


Now that the NFL playoffs are behind us we are set to what should be an exciting game between two great teams. In the NFC conference the defending Superbowl champions Seattle Seahawks are coming off an incredible come from behind win in the conference championship game against the Green Bay Packers. What stood out about this team is the perseverance and the never say die attitude to win this game. Many teams who have won the Superbowl the previous year haven't gotten back to the big game but the Seahawks broke that streak this year. Unlike New England the Seahawks don't have many stars on their team. The big names on the team are Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Marshawn Lynch, these guys are of who people know. Most of these guys weren't a high draft pick and look who they have become a dominant force. Even though some pieces of the team from last year have gone on to play for other teams this Seahawks team has adjusted to playing for one another. In the beginning of the season many people including myself doubted they would make it to the playoffs because of there struggles. As the Season went on they turned it around real quick with being dominant on both sides of the football.  This Seahawks team is very disciplined coached by Pete Carroll who many have grown to understand his actions to playing on and off the field.

On the offensive side of the football for the Seahawks they have become a well balanced football team lead by Russell Wilson. Most people believed he wouldn't be a Quarterback in the league because of his height and that it would be a major issue. For his first three years in the league he has been to the SuperBowl twice this to me is impressive. He is also a very explosive player with his speed and especially his arm. With his speed he gives many opposing defensive teams many headaches in how to stop him. Marshawn Lynch is still a man that is on a mission in wanting to be remembered as one of the best running backs in the league. Many defensive teams are stacking the line in trying to stop Lynch but in some way he is still impossible to bring down easily. When I did my research on the wide receivers and tide ends many of these players you haven't heard of. Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin, Cooper Helfet, Tony Moeaki these guys have made key plays and play together as a team. Some of these were drafted late in the rounds you just have to say the owner and General Manager were very lucky and look like geniuses in how they draft.

I think with this SuperBowl they are going to have to come with mixture of deep and short plays to take pressure off Wilson. The Patriots secondary is a very good one leading the way is  Darrell Revis  along with Brandon Browner who are considered the top corners in the league. Marshawn Lynch will need to have a big game as well along with helping out in covering the blitz's the Patriots like to use. It will be a test to see how they move the ball against the patriots aggressive defense. I think the way they could move the ball if they take the game plan from when they played the Cardinals late in the season as well, and they should use the game plan they used against Chiefs.

The defense for the Seahawks I think will cause a major issue for Tom Brady because of how physical they are. The question everyone will have is how healthy Earl Thomas, and Richard Sherman will be since they got hurt during the NFC championship game. The MRI they took the next day both came back negative the positive thing about this is that they had a extra week to recover and are ready to go SuperBowl Sunday. Another player who has to be looked out for is Michael Bennett their defensive end who can cause major problems coming off the line of scrimmage and can force a fumble at any time. The Seahawks need to come with a strong game plan in needing to stop the high power offense for the Patriots. They need to look at the success the teams that have defeated the Patriots this year. I notice when teams have not given Brady a chance  to read the coverage he has trouble picking it up more. If they are able to sack him for losses and begin to get in his head he will start to show his frustration and not play well which they need to do.

Now lets talk about the AFC champions The New England Patriots who were the dominant team with convincing fashion this year. They are coming off a dominant performance by beating the Colts forty five to seven. After the win many reports were coming out speculating that the Patriots were using underinflated footballs which is illegal. That speculation has now lead the NFL to do an internal investigation. With the biggest game coming up this cheating scandal has taken over the news instead of talking about the SuperBowl.  Many people don't seem this should be a big deal but others are out there making this a big deal. We can only speculate to what will be the out come.


New England's offense looks like a juggernaut with there leader being Tom Brady his ability and pose is indescribable. His offensive weapons are healthy and much better than previous years when they were in the playoffs. His wide receiver core starting with Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Brandon Lafell. These three players have been a big reason for how successful Brady has been in the passing game. We also cant forget about his two big tight ends Tim Wright, and Rob Gronkowski these are two big targets that are very difficult to bring down. The big plus the Patriots have this year on the offensive side of the ball is they are balanced with the running game with Shane Vereen, and the other running backs.


The defensive line and secondary has changed a lot and it seems that the Patriots concentrated  on that in the off season. They added two big key additions with bringing in Darrell Revis and Brandon Browner a former Seahawk. It will be interesting in how he will play against his former team and who will he cover when lining up on the line of scrimmage. The question is if the Seahawks receivers if they will be able to create space to get open. It will be a difficult task because Pete Carroll has been known to use a lot of trick plays. The front defensive line lead by Vince Wilfork will need to create penetration against a talented Seahawks offensive line who is coming off a bad game. The whole season the Patriots played a different style of football than previous years by blitzing a lot more than they normally would. Rob Ninkovich and Wilfork are two key players that need to be doubled team on the line. The Patriots have created more Quartback sacks this year than the previous years. Another Person who I think will be a huge X-factor is safety Patrick Chung he has something that the Patriots missed a few years back. His speed and ability in getting to Quarterback. The problem I think the Patriots will have is keeping Wilson in the pocket. If they are able to keep Wilson in the Pocket than it will make him very uncomfortable. The guru Bill Belicheck will come up with something that will cause many problems for the Seahawks that they were not expecting at all.

This years Superbowl I think will not disappoint us one bit unlike last years because of how balanced both teams are. It wont be a high scoring game it will  be a very close game than most are predicting. The one who is able to control the clock and score on their first possession will win the game. Unlike last years where the Broncos looked very scared and didn't want to be there New England is a much better team. I think this game will very intense from the opening kickoff until the last play. The key thing for this game as well is how disciplined will both teams be. Both teams are very high in averaging penalties per game. I think the outcome of the will the Seattle Seahawks repeating as Champions with winning 24-21. I know I can be wrong but I think Russell Wilson will cause a big problem along with Marshawn Lynch. I just think the deflating Scandal will be a major distraction for the Patriots. Let' see what happens hopefully we have nail biter of a game.

Can the New York Knicks be fixed and become a scary franchise again?

Is Derek Fisher the guy that can fix the Knicks and help bring a championship to NY?

 This season for the New York Knicks has been a big disappointment since the 62 -64 season when they only won twenty one games between those seasons. The Knicks are heading down the path of finishing this season with a record of twelve wins and seventy losses. This could also mean that they could end up being one of the worst teams in league history. We all know Phil Jackson was an incredible coach for how many championships he won. The question we all have as fans is can he be the president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks. He along with Derek Fisher is trying to install the triangle offense which worked throughout the Phil Jackson era as a coach. Fisher was a good player but becoming a coach is a different aspect of the game that many can't handle. The franchise had let go of  two  key stars by trading them away they were J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. Phil Jackson did the trade to free up salary cap space for this summers free agents. I wonder why you would trade them and not get anything back in return for these players. You were able to convince your star player in Carmelo Anthony to stay home by giving him the big contract, but so far you have nothing to show for it.

It seems that coach Fisher has no real passion when on the sidelines, he seems like he is there to collect a paycheck and leave. Players a lot of the times feed off the energy coaches show it lets the players know that the coach wants to win. Phil needs to bring the right coach in and not just someone who knows the offense he wants. New York is anxious and wants a championship now they want it bad. The last time the Knicks have won a championship Phil Jackson was apart of it. He needs to attract players who are committed to the plan he has in store for them. The pieces of the franchise he shouldn't trade are the young players Tim Hardaway Jr., CleAnthony Early, and Shane Larkin. These players are good role players who can come off the bench and give you the points and the help on defense. Many fans are losing interest in attending the games along with even watching them on the television. When it comes to being a fan of sports team in New York City they are very passionate.  This years all star festivities should not be held at the Garden it should be just at the Barclay Center. It is a true embarrassment they are having it here this year just because of the outcome so far this season. The best thing Fisher could have done was become an assistant coach and learned how to coach a team.

Converting from a player to coach has not turned out so great for Fisher he should learn the aspect of coaching. He may have took a job that he thought he could handle but really he is having trouble adjusting to being a coach. The Knicks at the moment are on the longest losing streak in franchise history with a sixteen game losing streak. The players let themselves get into this situation in continuing to lose. I think they are accepting the losing which is unheard of they should play with frustration,  and win these games. I know these are professional players  but they need to stop playing for big contracts and play the game they love so much. Fisher I believe lost the trust from the players and needs to stir things up and gain back the players trust in them.