The 5 Greatest Sports Movies

Have you ever noticed that movies rarely capture the essence of sports? With so many interesting characters and topics in the sports world I find this hard to believe. Sports is more dramatic than Hollywood and furthermore it's real. I don't know why they can't get their act together. Maybe the effort is there, but most of the time they fall miserably short. That being said here's the best of the worst or depending on how you look at it the 5 greatest sports movies of all time.

Honorable Mention: The Blindside. Given all that Sandra Bullock has been through recently I am compelled to give this movie a shout out. Plus it's based on a true story and that always helps.

5. Bull Durham. You gotta love the storyline of the old veteran taking the young hot shot under his wing and teaching him the ropes. The jealousy at the end lets you know how emotional sports can be.

4. He Got Game. The amazing part about this movie is that it barely scratches the surface of what top recruits really go through and it still looks over the top. The fact that Ray Allen isn't a great actor made the movie that much more believable.

3. North Dallas Forty. The first movie that took an honest look at what happens behind the scenes of football. The scene where Nick Nolte pops all his joints back into socket always gives me the chills.

2. On Any Given Sunday. Picks up where North Dallas Forty left off. In addition it delves into ownership, spouses, burned out coaches, and talk radio. You will never look at pro football the same way again.

1. Hoop Dreams. By far the best sports movie ever made. The research, time, and dedication it took to make this movie blows me away. It breaks my heart every time I watch that young man miss those free throws.

UFC 114 Or Rocky III?

Is it just me or does Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans remind you of Clubber Lang vs. Apollo Creed in Rocky III? Of course that fight never happened (unfortunately it was just that square off in the middle of the ring) but the personalities are eerily similar. Rampage is the Clubber type and ironically stars in the A Team movie as BA Baracus, a character Mr. T made famous. Rashad is the Apollo type smooth, polished, and resentful of the stereotypical images his counterpart projects. I'm not sure how good this fight will be though. I personally think Rampage is going to maul Rashad inside of 2 rounds. What's more curious to me is that this is probably one of, if not the biggest fight the UFC can put together. With all the talk of MMA being more popular than boxing why don't we see bigger pay per view numbers? Say what you want but neither Rampage or Rashad will make $40,000,000 for this fight. In boxing welterweights can make that much. MMA has a long way to go to be more popular than boxing but small steps lead to giant leaps. Lets see if this fight moves the UFC up the ladder.

Lebrontegate Is Real

You ain't heard it from me because I'm not one to gossip, but word on the street in the 216 is Delonte West boned Lebron James' mom. At first I tried to dismiss the story as a vicious rumor created by an overzealous fan starving for attention. Now that I have confirmation from the CLE I don't even know where to begin. Can you believe you have to explain to some people that boning your FRIEND/teammates mom isn't cool? Can you believe that some professional athletes still don't understand they live in a fishbowl and technology is everywhere? How do you justify boning your boy's mom? Instead of approaching Lebron and saying "hey bro, your mom's starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable" Delonte just rolled with it and did the deed. I know Delonte has emotional issues, bi polar disorder, and multiple personalities but they all should've known better. This whole situation is beyond repair. The fallout from this fiasco will cause a ripple effect throughout the league. Lebron is done in Cleveland. There is no returning to a situation that convoluted and dysfunctional. Even if they trade Delonte it would be difficult if not impossible for Lebron to remain in that environment. The memory of that betrayal would haunt him forever. The loyalty bond has been broken and it's time for King James to move on. I feel sorry for Dan Gilbert. There's no contingency plan for this kind of nonsense. Nowhere in the business plan does it stipulate watch out for teammates who might bone the star player's mother. He's probably huddled in a corner somewhere hoping Aston Kutcher jumps out and tells him this whole thing is a sick joke. Unfortunately the truth is far more disturbing than fiction. When all is said and done Delonte West will have to explain to the city of Cleveland why the 2 time NBA MVP no longer plays for the Cavaliers. He will have to explain to Dan Gilbert that although he paid him $4,254,250 last season his actions cost Dan over $100,000,000 with the departure of Lebron. He will have to explain how he single handedly DESTROYED an NBA franchise. I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that one. Stay tuned.

Send Ichiro to New York

It's time to let Ichiro go. He's been exiled on Mariner Island far too long. During his time in Seattle Ichiro has won rookie of the year, AL MVP, Allstar MVP, 9 gold gloves, recorded 9 consecutive seasons with 200 hits, and broken the record for most hits in a season. All this production has generated exactly 1 playoff appearance and 4 winning seasons. This is hardly Ichiro's fault. Blame management for poor decision making and botching free agency. You don't surround hall of fame talent with the likes of Willie Bloomquist, Scott Spiezio, and Richie Sexson. Ichiro has wasted ALL his prime years in Seattle with nothing to show for it. What's done is done. Now it's time for the organization to do what's right and let Ichiro ride into the sunset as a champion. There's no better place than New York. The Yankees are odds on favorites to win it all without him but with Ichiro at the top of their lineup Vegas would stop taking bets on who will win the 2010 World Series. Ichiro has been loyal to seattle for many years. It's time for the Mariners to return the favor.

I Am A Hip-Hop Snob Part II

I may be a hip-hop snob, but at least I'm not a hip-hop purist. Hip-hop purist are so set in their ways they think Public Enemy are new school cats. For the purists everything is always in a historical context paying homage to the roots of the music. The definition of what constitutes authentic hip-hop has never changed. They fail to realize the nicest MC's are no longer huddled around park benches in the Boggie Down Bronx spitting rhymes for no paper. Nowadays there's more to rap music than battles and street cred. 2 turntables and a microphone at the playground is a far cry from videos, concerts at Madison Square Garden, and the world wide web. I'll be the first to admit the transition from underground to mainstream has diluted the product. Rappers with great skill and no marketability get buried while rappers with a catchy hook or gimmick go platinum. That doesn't mean hip-hop shouldn't be allowed to change. The purists don't understand that it's a young man's game and very difficult to compare eras. The exposure is greater and the corporate dollars have a great amount of influence. In the end purists are more critical of how hip-hop has evolved while snobs are more selective about what they listen to. I invite the purists to come to the new millennium with us. After all it's 2010 and Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Caz are not walking through that hip-hop door.

The New Stockton To Malone?

Give the Phoenix Suns credit. They showed a lot of heart in their 118-109 victory over the Lakers on Sunday. Amare Stoudemire looked grown mannish on the court going for 42 points and using Ron Artest like a rented mule. During this series one thing has become clearly evident however. Amare Stoudemire shouldn't leave Phoenix. His game is predicated on going to the basket off the pick and roll and he has no ability to create his own shot. He's dependent on Steve Nash to score the same way Karl Malone was dependent on John Stockton. Without a true point guard Amare is nothing and Nash is the last true point guard. The Lakers will win tonight and go on to take the series because they're too big up front and Kobe senses there's a REAL possibility of catching Michael Jordan and his 6 titles. That being said Phoenix has some positive things to build on. Steve Nash has 3 good seasons left, Robin Lopez is coming into his own, and Grant Hill has found the fountain of youth. If they can get Amare to stay and sign Steve's good friend Dirk Nowitzki Phoenix has a legitimate shot at a ring in the next few years. Lets see what the summer free agency period has in store for them.

The Huskies Need To Be More Of A Slut

The mass exodus of basketball talent from the Northwest to the state of Kentucky has gone from puzzling to troubling to embarrassing. What started with Slick Rick Pitino cherrypicking Terrence Williams and Peyton Siva from the 206 has evolved to slime bucket John Calipari stealing the Turkish Delight Enes Kanter and Oregon's finest Terrance Jones. This has got to stop. By all accounts coach Lorenzo Romar is a class guy that exudes high moral character and integrity. He's the kind of guy you'd want to send your son to play for and teach him the fundamentals of basketball, life, and lessons that will make him a better man. Unfortunately that approach is losing the UW top recruits and as Andre 3000 so eloquently put it, turning and walking away just aint gonna work when they be robbing. The time has come for the UW to channel its inner Jenna Jameson. Tell the kids what they want to hear and let them know the school will do whatever it takes to keep them and do it well. The alternative is constantly losing on talent that has no interest in becoming a better person, only in becoming a better basketball player. The UW lost a recruit at a press conference with his entire family present wearing Husky colors! How is that possible? What could Calipari possibly have said to change his mind? High school kids nowadays are no more than Vegas flings and Whistler weekends. They'll be gone before morning trust me. The game has changed. Stay competitive Huskies!