Bleacher Report - Articles by Tyler Spence

R.I.P. Yukon, You Truly Were A Man's Best Friend

Tyler Spence — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:59:43 -0400

I am sure a lot of you reading this have dogs or pets that you love dearly that passed away or had to be put to rest, leaving you devastated.

I just got home from vacation in Seattle to learn that my Siberian husky, who was named Yukon, had to be put to sleep after a long battle with cancer and other diseases.

He was going to turn 13 years of age in November.

Now when Yukon was a puppy, he belonged to my cousin. My cousin ended up moving to Texas and we had to take care of him, and we did so for the rest of his life, the past eight years or so.

Yukon was a great family dog. He was well-loved by all of my friends that came over and my family members.

He would travel with my mother to my football games and was dressed up in a football jersey, howling in the parking lot where he had a view of the game.

Every Halloween I would dress up in my home jersey and let Yukon wear my away jersey, and we'd go trick-or-treating together. He was a great dog who always obeyed and was happy.

Now I walk around my house, so used to trying to avoid tripping over him at night, going into the kitchen to get a snack, and expecting him to be right behind me begging for part of whatever it is that I am eating. Now I am trying to avoid tripping over air, and turning around to see nothing present.

It is so tough right now for me; this loss has really been tragic to our family. We knew it was coming, but now that it is finally all over, it's all really hit us hard.

There was nothing more anyone could do; he was suffering, but I wish he could have lasted just a few more hours so I'd have had one last chance to give him a hug and a kiss and say I loved him just one more time.

And I wanted to tell him good bye.

I remember the last time I saw him before I left for Seattle, I just waved and said "bye, boy," not expecting the next time I walked up to my porch he wouldn't be lying there to welcome me home.

I wanted to spend just a few more minutes with him, but I guess the pain was too much for him to bear.

He had cancer spots on his back, couldn't walk, wouldn't eat, couldn't go to the bathroom. He was generally a mess, but he always had a great attitude and had a smile on. He just couldn't go any longer.

I love him and always will, but it will be strange watching football games this season without him lying down next to me. It will be strange getting ready to go out somewhere and not having to lay a sheet down on the floor to avoid getting his hair all over my clothes.

I'm going to miss lying down on the couch watching movies, with him lying right under me.

The thing I will miss the most will probably be when school starts again, and I'll be lying down and he won't be there anymore to come lick my face to wake me up and ask to go outside to go to the bathroom.

All of my friends loved him and never wanted to leave my house. Not because they wanted to keep hanging out with me, but because they wanted to spend more time with Yukon. He was always making people happier. You could have the worst day in the world, but, when you saw him, he could make you happy and cheerful again.

He would fall in love with other animals, too. He wouldn't bother little dogs; he'd welcome them and play with them while they were visiting.

He was such a caring dog, you'd think he was human. He was very intelligent as well. Sometimes he would outsmart me, and reach over the table to grab a snack that I had left available.

It's sad eating at my dinner table and not being able to sneak food around to him hiding underneath. It's so weird to walk around my house and expecting him to be there, thinking he is going to come out of one of the corners and he doesn't.

I had a dream that he came back, and then I woke up to reality, and that hurt worst of all. To know that it's really all over. But the hardest thing I had to do so far was tell my cousin, that his beloved dog that he bought in November of 1996 has finally taken his last breath.

He called me today and started crying when he brought it up, and that was a domino effect because I had never heard him cry before. It was something I couldn't handle because I love my cousin and Yukon very much.

My grandma and my mother are not taking this very well, either; everything seems empty and lost. We are all so used to feeding him and putting his water dish out.

Even the blue jays in the neighborhood are impacted by this. That sounds really weird, but Yukon made friends with the blue jays in the neighborhood. He would always share his dog food with them. They'd come up to the porch and Yukon would share his dog food. They were not afraid of him at all and had no reason to be. He was one of a kind.

This whole incident has hit everyone really hard. We are still in absolute shock that it's finally all over.

It hurts badly losing such a great dog, but now it's time to reflect on the great memories I had with him. Rest in peace, Yukon; I love you, boy.

In Memory of Yukon: November 1996–July 8, 2009

Health Should Be First Concern For Athletes

Tyler Spence — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:51:57 -0400

I have played football since I was six years old. I started out as a Jr. Pee-Wee playing football for the Enterprise Eagles, which was an organization that prepared youth for jr. and high school football.

It was always a dream of mine to play for the high school I just recently graduated from. I have always wanted to be an Enterprise Hornet, which is the name of the school I attended the past four years in Redding, California.

I had a teammate there that I have known since I was seven. His name was James Williams. I have played baseball and football with him since we were kids and we have always been close friends.

Last year in a scrimmage he injured his knee, which sidelined him the first two weeks of the season. We ended up going 1-1 in those two games while he was absent, but the team didn't play well in either game

When we got him back we destroyed our next three opponents, defeating Anderson 31-0 for the second straight year, then shocked the defending section champion Foothill Cougars, also ending their fifteen game winning streak, along with defeating the Red Bluff Spartans on homecoming night.

During that Foothill game, we were up 17-6 before halftime. James picked up a fumble and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown, sucking any hope of energy Foothill had. His knee seemed to be ok at that point.

After we got tripped up down in Chico, losing to the Pleasant Valley Vikings 35-7, we re-grouped and shocked the section by winning the prestigious event known as the River Bowl.

The River Bowl is a huge event in Redding in which crosstown rivals Shasta High School and Enterprise High School square off.

After Shasta upset Enterprise in 2007, the Hornets wanted revenge.

Trailing 28-17 with 30 seconds left before halftime, James showed his knee was holding up just fine, by intercepting the ball to prevent Shasta from going up on us 35-17, which could have been the icing on the cake for a young team such as us.

At halftime we were still breathing, and I had all the confidence in the world we would come back and earn our bowl back.

In the 4th quarter we were up 31-28, our quarterback Anthony Williams, James' twin brother, threw a pass to James, which fell incomplete. Afterwards James was on the ground for a few minutes favoring his knee.

He later got up and played through it, and we won in the last 30 seconds as we trailed 35-31. Anthony Williams handed off to fullback Chace Taylor and the 6 foot 2 200 pound Senior muscled his way into the end-zone to hand us our 13th River Bowl Victory in the 16 that have been played since 1993.

When we got down to Chico two weeks later, this time to play the Chico Panthers on Halloween night, we needed James to come through for us again. We trailed 12-0 at halftime and were battling for a league championship.

A win meant we hosted a league championship game the following week against the Paradise Bobcats.

We got the score to 12-7 and eventually with 2 minutes left, Anthony hit brother James Williams as he dove for the game winning touchdown, and the catch that got us into a league championship battle with the much hated Paradise Bobcats.

James Williams, who was at the time just a Junior, and not fully healthy, continued to save our season.

We were up 14-7 at halftime at home and confident we could steal the EAL Championship and get the first seed throughout the Northern Section Division One, playoffs, but we ended up playing poorly in the second half, and lost the EAL title 31-19, dropping from possibly being first in the section to the fourth seed in the playoffs, which had us in a rematch with our other rivals to the east, the Foothill Cougars.

The playoff game went down as the one of the best California football games in history. It was such a back and forth game through the entire 48 minutes of regulation. Foothill led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter, and Hornet fans were anxious in the crowd, thinking Foothill could upset there beloved Hornets in front of them on that November evening.

We ended up coming back and tied the game at 21, but we both kept going back and forth. We led 41-34 with just a minute to play in regulation.

Foothill marched down the field to score a late touchdown, once again silencing the Hornets nest, and the next question was do they go for the 2-point conversion and the win. Coach Hamilton of Foothill agreed that they should, and went for the win.

Marcial Lawson got the hand off, but was wrapped up by guess who, James Williams at the one yard line, once again saving the Enterprise Hornets.

The following week we found ourselves in a rematch with the Paradise Bobcats, and a win meant a River Bowl rematch with Shasta, which would be the biggest Section Championship game in the history of the state, possibly the nation.

My football career with Enterprise ended that night, after being tied 21-21 in the 4th quarter, we couldn't handle Paradise late in the game, and let our season, and for us Seniors, our careers slip away.

After football was over, James decided to sit out the first part of basketball season. They didn't do so well while he was on the bench, but he came back after his surgery and helped them get to the State Semi-Final game.

After basketball season ended, he decided to compete in track, and ended up breaking a few records, but also tearing a few parts in his knee, again.

Now that track is over, he has came to the conclusion that his knee is not ready for football season.

Some people think his knee is fine, but in my opinion, he knows his own knee better than anyone else.

As his friend, I support his decision to do whatever he wants.

His health should be his first priority, and it seems like some people in our community are knocking on him for being concerned about himself and his safety.

This kid has a bright future, we all know it, but if he keeps wearing his knee out, his future could go down the drain.

I just don't understand how some people can be so selfish, and want a 16 year old kid to risk his whole future for a few wins. There's more to life then sports.

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love football, and love Enterprise High School, and want to see them succeed just as bad as anyone. I will always have room in my heart for the Hornets.

It's just some Hornet fans need to understand, the health of a person is more important than him going out and ruining his knee and his life for their own personal greed of a complete football team.

There are mottoes we were taught at Enterprise. "No Excuses" and "Rebuild? Hell no, Reload." That's what Enterprise should do, if they can do that, they'll contend for a championship again.

Good luck Hornets, and please for the love of god Hornet fans, leave James Williams alone. For as much as he has done for us the past years, he deserves to make choices for himself.

If you call yourself a fan that supports your team, support him and respect his decision.

Los Angeles Lakers are World Champions Again

Tyler Spence — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:06:42 -0400

We did it Lakers fans, we did it.

It feels great to be back on the top of the mountain again. When the clock hit triple zero, there was a thrill of excitement through my entire body.

A lot of people have been doubting us, but we had the last laugh. All true Laker fans knew this was our year.

Now that we have another championship under our belt, it's time to reflect on what was and think about what's to come.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the team of the '00s. No doubt about it—six finals appearances and four championship rings this decade.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher came into the league together as rookies and have won every title together during their careers.

Phil Jackson has 10 championship rings as a coach, surpassing good 'ol Red for the most titles ever.

The rest of the players on the Laker team will be getting their first ring, and it must feel good.

Hopefully, we will be able to re-sign both Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza, but if not, Ariza is the obvious choice because of age.

They both bring different things to the table, though. Odom's an amazing rebounder, shot-blocker and ball-handler, while Ariza makes plays defensively and hits clutch shots.

If they're both smart, they'll take a paycut and come back to get another ring.

I hope the Lakers will get another title in 2010, but it's hard to win twice in a row. They will however get at least one more ring within the next three years, you can can't on that.

The only thing that's a bit of a drag is we didn't get to celebrate on our own home court, but that's OK. The parade in Los Angeles will definitely be special.

Los Angeles Lakers Fans Feeling The Electricity

Tyler Spence — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:02:17 -0400

Can you feel it Lakers fans? I know I sure can.

You know one of the most famous plays in Lakers history, was game seven against Portland where Kobe had an amazing alley-oop play to Shaq, to start the dynasty, and prevent Portland from coming back from a three games to one deficit at one point in the series.

Eventually the Lakers faced the Pacers in the NBA Finals, and after that six game series, and the Lakers celebrating Phil Jacksons seventh coaching championship, there was huge celebration outside the Staples Center.

Just go to www.youtube.com and search "Lakers-Pacers game six final moments." I never get tired of watching the interviews from players such as Ron Harper, Robert Horry, and although I wasn't to fond of him while he was in Los Angeles, Rick Fox.

After they show the interviews you see a huge bonfire and crazy fans cheering in celebration for their teams victory.

The feeling of winning an NBA title is amazing, but I forgot how it tastes since the Lakers last one in 2002. I have no doubt in my mind however, I will get another chance to taste the glory this June.

You heard it here, I am guaranteeing a championship for the Lakers this season. I am not being a homer, it is just what I predict, and feel extremely confident in doing so.

I was not very confident going into Boston last year in the finals, and it turns out my doubt turned into fact, as the Lakers got beat four games to two in the 2008 NBA Finals, rejecting Kobe, Phil and Fisher of their fourth ring for the second time in their careers.

This time however, I do not see anyone stopping them. Pau Gasol wants a ring as bad as anyone, as does Lamar Odom, and it showed in Game five Wednesday night.

If the Nuggets beat the Lakers Friday night, I believe the Lakers will take care of home court in game seven.

Orlando also will beat Cleveland in game six, giving Lakers the home court advantage in the 2009 NBA Finals, which I believe will go like the NBA Finals last year, only reversed.

Lakers will take game one and two, lose game three, win game four, lose game five and win game six, giving Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum their first ring, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher their fourth, and Phil Jackson the record with ten, and the best part is they will get to do it at the Staples Center for the first time in nine years.

The Man Who Saved Los Angeles

Tyler Spence — Sun, 24 May 2009 22:23:06 -0400

There is no doubt how great of a player Kobe Bryant is. He is deserving of mention in the same category as Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. The man had three NBA championships at age 23—that's something Michael Jordan can't say, and it would be no surprise to me, nor should it be a surprise to anyone, if Kobe Bryant adds a fourth one this June.

Going into last night's game, the L.A. Lakers were faced with serious adversity. They trailed the Nuggets 52-48 at halftime, and 79-71 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers remained calm under hall of fame coach and nine-time world champion Phil Jackson; however, I am sure fans around the globe who bleed purple and gold were a bit nervous, knowing that when a series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game Three wins 76 percent of the time.

You know LeBron James made a night to remember in Cleveland 24 hours before the Nuggets and Lakers game had been played; however, Kobe Bryant had a plan to make his night something special, as well. He recorded 41 points in Saturday night's crucial Game Three, but none of those were bigger then the three-pointer he hit over J.R. Smith with 1:09 left in the game, to take a 96-95 lead.

Trevor Ariza later matched his Game One effort with another late steal to seal the deal. So with that being said, the Lakers fought and never gave up, and ended up getting home court advantage back in this series, which looks to be a huge thing, considering how close all three games have been so far.

The Lakers now have seven straight road playoff wins in Denver, matching the NBA record held by the Lakers' playoff road record against the San Antonio Spurs from the 1982 season through the 1988 season.

The Lakers are in awesome shape right now; however, even with a win on Monday, Lakers fans shouldn't write anyone off with a 3-1 lead, if that was to occur. Back in 2000, the Lakers had a 3-1 lead on the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, only to have them storm back and lead by double digits going into Game Seven, before Kobe, Shaq, and company came back to win and eventually win the finals over the Indiana Pacers.

But if the Lakers are able to force the Nuggets to win Game Seven to move on, they'd be in decent shape. The Nuggets better hope they can win three straight against a Phil Jackson-coached team with arguably the greatest player on the planet, and that doesn't seem to likely. A lot of people expected Denver and Cleveland in June. I expect Orlando and Los Angeles.