Like many of the greats, he was born in New Jersey in 1961. (http://www.famousnewjerseyans.com/sports.htm)
He grew up in Dallas.
He stands 6 feet 6 inches tall.
He was a virgin until age 20.
He’s won championships alongside the best players of all time, he’s excelled on teams led by the top coaches of all time.
His accolades include:
- 5-time NBA Champion
- 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- 7-time All Defensive First-Team
- 2-time NBA All Star
- Carmen Electra
The NJ Nets’ minority owner (1.4%) is music mogul Jay-Z. He is worth over $300 million, and has a $4.5M annual stake in the team.
JayZ and NBA Commissioner David Stern
In 2009-2010, the Nets started the season 0-18
Jay-Z responds on Track 3 (Ni**as in Paris) of his latest album Watch The Throne
So I ball so hard muhf***as wanna fine me / But first ni**as gotta find me / What’s 50 grand to a muhf***a like me / Can you please remind me? / This sh*t crazy / Ya’ll don’t know that don’t sh*t phase me / The Nets could go 0-82 and I look at you like this sh*t gravy / This sh*t weird / We ain’t even spose to be here / Since we here / It’s only right that we be fair / Psycho, I’m liable to be go Michael, / Take your pick / Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6
NBA Legend and Bobcats Owner Michael Jordan with Nets minority owner and Rap Legend Jay-Z
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, Game 6 vs Utah Jazz in 1998 NBA Finals
(Kanye) Sorry I’m in pajamas but I just got off the P.J. / And last party we had, they shut down Prive (JZ) Ain’t that where the Heat play? Ni**as hate ballas these days (KW) Ain’t that like Lebron James? (JZ) Ain’t that just like D. Wade? Wait.
Wait….what?
As part of Harlem RBI, I was privileged to experience the energy of baseball in the Northeast this weekend. All-Star teams from the NE region, including teams from Boston, Providence, Newark, Syracuse, Pawtucket, New Jersey, and all the boroughs of New York, competed in a tournament sponsored by Major League Baseball for the RBI program. “Harlem RBI provides inner-city youth with opportunities to Play, Learn and Grow. We use the power of teams to Coach, Teach and Inspire youth to recognize their potential and realize their dreams. ” (from http://harlemrbi.org/)
While the aim of the program is to use sports for development, the tournament is competitive to say the least. The finals for the Sr. Boys team (18 & under) and Junior boys team (15 and under) were held at Yankee Stadium.
The girls’ softball held their finals at the RBI Field of Dreams on 101st st in Manhattan. The Jersey City girls won the Softball championship, and also sent teams to the finals in each of the 2 boys divisions. While they won the regional championship in the Junior boys division, they lost the Men’s Sr Division at the last moment, after leading 1-0 the entire game. In the bottom of the seventh, their opponents, the Sandlot team of Greater New York, had runners on 2nd and 3rd and sent Joe Arena to the plate. Arena ripped a single between the shortstop and third baseman and the coach waved both runners home. Steven Goldstein, pinch running for Jon DeMarte, slid into home to win the game.
Scoreboard – http://rbinert.harlemrbi.org/results.shtml
Click here for more photos of the tournament. The weekend featured an excellent group of coaches, fans, volunteers, and players
Netherlands-born pitcher Bert Blyleven was a model teammate and has been a great ambassador for baseball.
But, does astonishing longevity now qualify you as a Hall Of Fame pitcher?
Things done changed!
Bert won 20 games once (20-17), never won a CY Young, and averaged 34 starts and 12 losses per year, but had an incredibly long 24-year career. Koufax is interesting from the other side, as he was mythically, historically, the definition of dominant for a few years, and the “just” the best pitcher in baseball for almost a decade, but then because of arthritis he was out of of baseball in 12 seasons. So who’s a HOFer?
Here’s a look Hall of Famer, Brooklyn’s own Sandy Koufax. Koufax, a Jewish left-hander, won the Cy Young and pitching triple crown in 3 of his final 4 seasons, and pitched 4 no-hitters in his short career.
1963: 25-5 with 306 strike-outs, 1.88 ERA, and 11 shutouts in 311 innings
1964: 19-5 with 223 strike-outs, 1.74 ERA, and 7 shutouts in 223 innings
1965: 26- 8 with 382 strike-outs, 2.04 ERA, and 27 complete games in 335.2 innings
1966: 27- 9 with 317 stike-outs, 1.73 ERA and 27 complete games in 323 innings
I guess I’ll go with both.
Insight into the stars of a south asian softball league in Long Island, NY – www.southasiansoftball.com
Music produced by DJ Iron Kutz
Can you imagine…
But on a real note, for the past 25 years Oprah has helped showcase athletes and bring their stories, triumphs and challenges to her massive audience.
From Magic to Tiger, LeBron to Laveranues, Oprah Winfrey has shared her Chicago stage with the top athletes of her time.
Check out ESPN’s feature on the best athlete interviews in Oprah’s 25-year career.
And after the jump, read the full one-on-one interview she did with legend Michael Jordan
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Long Island’s Finest…Christopher Mad Dog Russo!
We got attached to this guy when he was the co-host on the Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN in NY. He’s since moved to SiriusXM and runs his own channel – Mad Dog Radio.
Talk about passion and sports knowledge – this guy embodies it
This is a random interview on David Letterman in 2010.
Funny Impression of doggy after the jump
