Celtics back in Finals!! Yipee!!

So now the rematch is on. How sweet it is. Last year the Celtics had the worst record in the Eastern Conference and now they are in the NBA Finals. The idea that they "bought" an Eastern Conference Championship is wrong because their was no guarantee that bringing 2 top dogs in to a group of players would turn out the way this has. Guys like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett come from teams where they were the #1 scorer and then they have to mesh with Paul Pierce who is the #1 man in Boston. And they all put their ego aside and made it happen. What a story that all of us can learn from.

Interesting facts:

• The Celtics have won 16 NBA Titles and 8 have come at the cost of the Lakers.

• Famed ex-coach of the Celtics, Red Auerbach won 9 titles as the head coach in the late 50's and 60's. Those 9 titles ties him with the CURRENT Lakers' coach Phil Jackson who won 6 with Michael Jordan and the Bulls and 3 with the Lakers. So the Celtics may have a little more motivation to deny Jackson the chance to topple their legend, Auerbach.
  
• Auerbach died in October of '06 and has his signature replicated on the Celtics home court.
  

My Camikins

This little girl right here is the female version of her daddy. How funny it is that we actually named her Cameron when she was born. We weren't sure we were gonna have other kids so we decided this was the one. hmmm. (Actually, that isn't suppose to be a hmmm in the enquizzical or thought provoking sense but more of a low a hum done with a big smile on your face..........See? Did you try it? I just couldn't figure out how to spell it. ) She is the sweetest little girl and has one of the most loving hearts I have ever seen in a person. Ok, not that she got THAT part from me, but lots of other things she did!

Anyway, this picture is from field trip her mom and I went on with her to the Alligator Farm or Zoo. I can't remember. I just know this is one of my favorite photos of my little Cami. (loving sighhh). Better? If any of you know how to spell what it is I am trying to relay, please let me know!

Where has sportsmanship gone in the stands?

I want to point out an incident that happened in the NBA playoffs 2 weeks ago. For those of you not big NBA fans, I will give you the quick version because I want you to hear this story. The Lakers' Derek Fisher was about to shoot a free throw when a camera took a picture that showed a Utah Jazz fan in the crowd covering one eye and screaming at the player. What's the big deal you might ask? Well Fisher has a daughter, who last year, when she was 11-months old, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare type of eye cancer. (in the US, less than 300 kids a year are diagnosed with the disease.) Hold on, it gets worse. Fisher who actually played for the Jazz and these same fans last year, asked to be released from his contract before this season. Fisher needed a situation that allowed him to play close to a treatment center so he could be there for his team and family. So this year, as a Laker, he returns to Utah to face the Jazz in the 2nd round. Several fans who attended the game said that some Jazz fans were chanting "cancer" over and over again when Fisher touched the ball or shot free throws.

What if his daughter had been in the stands? "Mommy, are these people talking about me? Are they making fun of me? What did I do to them? What did daddy do to them?"

What could any player ever do to deserve being treated that way? All in the name of sports and competition?

Celtics win another game 7

How sweet it is to see my favorite NBA team, the Celtics back in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wow, it brings back so many memories of the Larry Bird years but one thing still is missing. I can't explain it and I didn't notice it as much until today watching game 7 vs. the Cavs. I think what I was noticing were the fans in the crowd. Not as intense, lots of sitting down. Kind of like I envision the LA Dodgers fans. It's more for being seen at the game and to tell their friends. It use to be so rowdy that you would be scared to bring your kids to the game. They were famous for wearing shirts that had an expletive before the words LA, a reference to their hated rivals the Lakers. Now, it's kind of trendy to go because of the recent sports success in Boston.
I think the newness of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen plays a small role. People don't have any history with these two and weren't around for all those years like McHale, Parrish, Ainge, etc.
Can the Celtics win it all for the 1st time since '85-'86? Possibly. But the whole fan base issue still kind of bugs me. Maybe I am just being silly. Yea, I probably am.

Favorite Flag Photos...

I want to share a few of my favorite photos from this past flag football season. You can see more here and here if you really want to.

One Amazing Wife

I must share something with you that my wife will likely be upset about. But she shouldn't be. This past flag season, my wife along with her sister Kristee Ford, volunteered to coach two of our flag football teams in the church league. They were the two teams our daughters played on and I was so impressed at how well she did and the enthusiasm she had all season.

But hold on...this is where the amazing part comes in. She coached cheerleading back in '07 and then the above-mentioned flag football and NOW she is coaching indoor soccer which starts this Saturday. And before all this, she hadn't coached anything and I was the one with the many years of coaching experience! I am just so impressed how she has stepped out of her comfort zone and filled in where in most cases the dad usually would. I love seeing mom's come out there and coach and be an example to these kids that women belong on the sideline as much as men do. Way to go ladies!

Attached is a rare picture capturing the two of us on the sideline of a football game she was coaching. Funny thing is she's really getting on to me for the calls I was making!

True Sportsmanship

Two weeks ago, I heard about something from a friend of mine from Mandarin Christian School. The second she told me and my wife about this particular story, i knew I had to share it with others because it was so awesome and because I figured not many people would hear about it. To my utter amazement, within two days, I must have received six emails with the link to the news story. And then to top it off, it was featured a few days later on ESPN (link to video).
I can't tell you how deeply touched I was when I read more about it and watched the video. It was something that less than 100 people witnessed but wound up reaching millions once it played on ESPN several times. This is the kind of act you hope your own child does one day. Just amazing...