Sports

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

@Spurt  I agree what you said about college sports. However, you probably should be careful what you say about the Mannings. Your sister might be upset with negative talk. 

I'm watching some of the NBA playoffs and I'm impressed with the Detroit Pistons. The way they came from a 24 point deficit in game 6 and handily beat the Magic in game 7. (Don't get me wrong, the Spurs are also impressive.) 

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@teganslaw 

Although she follows the NFL, my sister is not much of a "Draftnick", she just reads about the players the Giants selected AFTER the draft is over. But this year, she knew I was watching the Draft and she very innocently asked what if a player refuses to go to a team that drafted him, and I got to share the story about "her beloved Eli" and the 2004 Draft.....And I called her FAVORITE NY Giant a SPOILED BRAT, 👿   and she wasn't too happy with me 😂 😆 (BTW her favorite sports documentary is THE BOOK OF MANNING, all about the history of the ENTIRE MANNING FAMILY 🙄) (And she thought Denzel Washington's movie, THE BOOK OF ELI, was about ELI MANNING... ROFL 😂)

There's some very good teams out there in the NBA playoffs this year....not sure how far my young Spurs will go, but most people predicted they'd win only 40 games this season, but surprised everyone by winning 62 games, and are in the second round of the playoffs this year and it will be interesting to see how far they can go! Let me know who your favorite NBA playoff team is, and don't worry, if its not the Spurs, I won't be upset, that is as long as its not the Lakers (who I hate as much as the Cowboys 🤠 ) 😂 

@PARedbird 

QVC won't allow links, but the Spur's Luke Kornet gives a video tour on Facebook San Antonio Spurs Page, February 6, just search Luke Kornet and it's also available on Instagram, It's the Spur's Espresso Coffee Bar at the Spurs Victory Capital Practice Center. As a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur himself, Luke showed off the team's espresso setup. The Spurs have a long history of coffee connoisseur's earning them the nickname of the "SpursCoffeeGang"

Luke briefly touches on the Coffee Gang history, but a more indepth story The San Antonio Spurs "Coffee Gang" was an influential, player-led initiative spearheaded by Patty Mills, Manu Ginóbili, Boris Diaw, and Tiago Splitter around the 2014 championship season. The Spurs have kept the tradition going thru the years...it now includes Luke and Keldon Johnson among others...

Originally a way for international teammates to bond over coffee on the road, it evolved into a team culture builder. The group started as a routine social ritual to build camaraderie, with members often visiting local artisan coffee shops during road trips. Patty Mills often highlighted the importance of fellowship, using coffee to build chemistry, and was known to drink double espressos at halftime.

The Coffee Gang, also raised money and donated the funds to The Battered Women's And Children's Shelter. The legacy of the Coffee Gang lives on as a shining example of how off-court relationships can strengthen on-court performance and community engagement.

[Spurt]

Well if you are bored waiting on some NFL news and marking your calendar and just counting the days until the 2026 Schedule Release, you may be waiting a little little longer. Initially it looked like the date was May13th or May 14th......but now it may not be until during the week of May 18th.....WHAT'S THE HOLDUP.....why money🤑💵 of course and possibly more coming out of your wallet!!!! 😡 That's right, it all has to do with the negotiations regarding broadcast rights to NFL's new 5 game "package"; YouTube reportedly is the favorite. Netflix and Fox are also in consideration.

The only two games that have been set so far: 49ers at Rams in Australia on Thursday, September 10, and Ravens at Cowboys in Brazil on Sunday, September 27.

So everyone waits until Roger Goodell says the schecule is ready!!! Fans want to know so that they can make plans as to the games they’ll attend. And the networks want to be able to fully market their individual schedules to advertisers, especially with the traditional network upfront presentations happening during the week of May 11.

STAY TUNED!!!

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Emmanuel Forbes was one of those guys you didn't think would be big enough to last in the NFL. Some guys prove conventional wisdom wrong, but he wasn't one of them. With guys like DK Metcalf and AJ Brown bullying DBs, you need a certain mass to play the position. Forbes didn't have it.

His DC in Washington didn't help him any. When the Eagles played them the first time, the DC matched Forbes up with AJ Brown on nearly every down. That's a tough matchup for any rookie, but an undersized one? He put the kid into a position where he couldn't win. You can mess with a kid's head doing that. If you break a player's confidence, you lose the player. 

Forbes had a lot going for him. Good height (6'-1"), fast 4.35 forty, good instincts, but the weight (166 lbs) hurt him. He should have been used situationally while building up bulk. Put him in situations where he'd be more likely to win the matchup. Against the Eagles, have him go man-to-man with Devonta Smith instead of AJ Brown. The coaches seemed more interested in tearing him down than building him up. "So, you think you can play corner? Go face AJ Brown!"

He was a kid you could build into a great corner. He needed some time in the cafeteria and gym. He needed his confidence built instead of being torn down. He needed to be put into good situations instead of bad ones. The tools are there. He just landed in a bad situation. He got torn down instead of built up.

You see it a lot in sports. A kid with tons of potential lands in the wrong place at the wrong time and never becomes what he could have been. Some coaches are more interested in "putting a kid in his place" or "teaching him a lesson" than working with him to make him as good as he can be. Forbes had the tools. Tall enough, fast enough, agile enough, good instincts, but spindly. He needed a good thirty pounds of bulk added. He needed to be built up. They seemed more determined to tear him down. At 195 lbs he could be a stud CB. At 166, he wasn't.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

@Spurt 

Emmanuel Forbes was one of those guys you didn't think would be big enough to last in the NFL. Some guys prove conventional wisdom wrong, but he wasn't one of them. With guys like DK Metcalf and AJ Brown bullying DBs, you need a certain mass to play the position. Forbes didn't have it.

His DC in Washington didn't help him any. When the Eagles played them the first time, the DC matched Forbes up with AJ Brown on nearly every down. That's a tough matchup for any rookie, but an undersized one? He put the kid into a position where he couldn't win. You can mess with a kid's head doing that. If you break a player's confidence, you lose the player. 

Forbes had a lot going for him. Good height (6'-1"), fast 4.35 forty, good instincts, but the weight (166 lbs) hurt him. He should have been used situationally while building up bulk. Put him in situations where he'd be more likely to win the matchup. Against the Eagles, have him go man-to-man with Devonta Smith instead of AJ Brown. The coaches seemed more interested in tearing him down than building him up. "So, you think you can play corner? Go face AJ Brown!"

He was a kid you could build into a great corner. He needed some time in the cafeteria and gym. He needed his confidence built instead of being torn down. He needed to be put into good situations instead of bad ones. The tools are there. He just landed in a bad situation. He got torn down instead of built up.

You see it a lot in sports. A kid with tons of potential lands in the wrong place at the wrong time and never becomes what he could have been. Some coaches are more interested in "putting a kid in his place" or "teaching him a lesson" than working with him to make him as good as he can be. Forbes had the tools. Tall enough, fast enough, agile enough, good instincts, but spindly. He needed a good thirty pounds of bulk added. He needed to be built up. They seemed more determined to tear him down. At 195 lbs he could be a stud CB. At 166, he wasn't.

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@gardenman 

I think a lot of Forbes problems had a lot to do with the transitioning from the Snyder regime into the Harris Group....The new coaches probably felt that Forbes "wasn't their guy", so why waste time on building him up and developing someone that would at best end up being only a situational player, he just didnt fit into DC Joe Whitt's plans......And Forbes had an attitude problem that didn't help his cause either!!!

Your right, a lot of a player's success is about where they land and whether the player's talent fits the coach's schemes....some argue this is why taking "the best player available" doesn't always work out vs a "team need" approach..... 🤔 

[gardenman]

Given a choice, I'd take YouTube for the games. They have the bandwidth to actually give us real 4K (or better) images. Fox does okay with their streaming services and 4K quality. YouTube just looks better on my sets.

[PARedbird]

@Spurt - thanks for that wonderful info on Luke!  I'm going to look it up as soon as I finish writing this!  I like the fact that they also raise money too and donate!  

Speaking of raising money, our Eagles were here in my hometown over the weekend, at the Iron Pigs baseball park, which is 5 minutes from me. Devonta Smith held his annnual celebrity softball tournament.  They didn't say what Eagles were there besides him, but it was to raise money for charity.  Always love to hear when they do that!  

I have to admit, I don't have a clue either and have always wondered, what if a player refused to go to the team they are drafted for and that goes for any sports!  

[teganslaw]

Analysts like the Colts draft picks LB CJ Allen and S A.J. Haulcy (who they say is a good replacement for Nick Cross.) I hope that they work out well. 

SPURT, I don't have one favorite NBA team; several are good. I would like to see another team win the Championship in place of the Thunder, just for someone different, but it won't bother me much if they win again. 

However, I want to see the Knicks eliminated. Last year when they played the Pacers in the finals, broadcasters were fawning all over that team. They showed blatant favoritism to the Knicks, not giving the Pacers a chance.  Turned me against the Knicks. 

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

Analysts like the Colts draft picks LB CJ Allen and S A.J. Haulcy (who they say is a good replacement for Nick Cross.) I hope that they work out well. 

SPURT, I don't have one favorite NBA team; several are good. I would like to see another team win the Championship in place of the Thunder, just for someone different, but it won't bother me much if they win again. 

However, I want to see the Knicks eliminated. Last year when they played the Pacers in the finals, broadcasters were fawning all over that team. They showed blatant favoritism to the Knicks, not giving the Pacers a chance.  Turned me against the Knicks. 

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@teganslaw 

Your right, the Knicks are one of the national broadcasters favorite teams.....the Spurs first championship was a win over the Knicks and in NYC too...back in 1999.!!!