Bleacher Report - Articles by E Tag

Michael Phelps? No, I Wanna Be Like Usain Bolt!

E Tag — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:42:48 -0400

On the last day, God created Bolt.

Man, did Beijing ever need Usain. After all the spoon-feeding, media-whoring, brainwashing, and forceful exposure of Michael Phelps, we finally get a gift from the heavens.

A 22-year-old phenom from Jamaica. Was I the only one who didn't see this force coming?

Sure, I heard his name whispered months ago after he ran 9.72, but the media outlets in North America certainly were not shoving it down our throats. (Hence the Phelps picture for this article—there were no Bolt pics!)

Remember all the arguments floating around last week about "our kids wanting to be like Phelps when they grow up"? I think Mr. Bolt has directed all the focus of that question to him.

And he has most definitely made the answer to it an easy one.

Even the capacity crowd of 91,000 (majority Chinese) erupted in thunderous applause when Bolt was announced prior the the race. Yes, the same audience who rarely acknowledged anyone but their Chinese athletes. This man is special.

Now I am in no way, shape, or form taking anything away from Michael Phelps. What he has done during these games is equally as spectacular and unthinkable, yet he does lack something that Bolt definitely has.

The one thing Usain Bolt has that Phelps doesn't is pure, natural swagger. The kind of swagger that embodied the likes of Ali and Michael Jordan.

I've heard commentators here and there complain about how it's ungentlemanly and too cocky. Listen folks, this man just DEMOLISHED two of the most coveted world records in Olympic history. I don't know about you, but when I think of the Olympics, the first thing I think about is track and field. Certainly not swimming.

And what has more importance and significance? The world's fastest swimmer or the world's fastest man? It's all in the words—Swimmer vs. Man. It may sound a bit immature, but it's the truth.

One thing's for sure—Puma made a genius move in securing Bolt before Nike could get their hands on him. He's the hottest commodity in the market as we speak.

This begs the question, will we be spoon-fed and covered in Boltmania á la Michael Phelps in London 2012?

If so, I'm all for it. He is a new breed of athlete.

And I'm lovin' it!

Canadian Olympic Athletics: Not Enough Talent, or Not Enough Money?

E Tag — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:05:07 -0400

Day Five...and still not a single medal.

Azerbaijan (yeah...I haven't heard of Azerbaijan either) is 12th overall in the standings, ahead of countries such as France, Spain, Brazil, and the tied for last place Canadians. How is this possible?

What drives Olympic athletes to go for the gold? Is it pride for their country? Is it self-satisfaction? Fame? Fortune?

One thing's for sure—Canadian summer athletes are clearly not at the same level as the Chinese and the Americans. There are many factors as to why this is the case, and it all starts with the question of who actually cares about these athletes.

Do Canadian citizens really care about them? Do Canadians feel angry that some of their tax dollars have resulted in no medals in five days of competition? Does the government care? One could argue that the Canadian government stiffs Olympic athletes and that more money should be put into the program.

Are you aware though that the U.S.A. does not fund their Olympic athletes? The major corporations in the states are the ones supporting Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Bode Miller, and others.

These athletes receive top notch training, and at the end of the day, they are getting PAID. Bring home the gold! You are getting PAID times TWO! That's capitalism, baby.

Now, China is a different story. In a totalitarian state, sport is an art utilized to display physical superiority. The Chinese are a very proud race. They're hosting the Olympics. You get the point.

As a Canadian, I just don't see the same type of pride from our everyday citizens (as compared to the Chinese). Nor do I see relevant Canadian companies trying to work with our athletes (Tim Horton's, Bell, y'all are a-okay).

As for the government, are they just waiting to throw their chips all in for Vancouver 2010?

Hate me if you want, but I am one of those who could care less. It's my hopeless type of attitude that is probably instilled in those who should care for the benefit of the athletes.

Roger Federer's Problems Are All Mental

E Tag — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:59:18 -0400

Gone are the days when Roger was shredding through his competition left, right, and center. Gone is the highly coveted No. 1 seed. Roger has met his bane: Rafa.

Although the sport of tennis relies on pure talent and physical superiority, the main ingredient in winning matches is mental toughness. It is evident that Roger’s head is not where it’s supposed to be.

One can argue that the classic Wimbledon match last month could be the turning point of Federer’s career (in a downward spiral type of way). Early exits in Toronto and Cincinnati following the epic all England Club loss have suggested that the clock is running out for Tiger Woods’ buddy.

But wait, there is still a flame flickering about in the guaranteed hall-of-famer’s soul. Don’t be surprised if that flame ignites into an explosion of tennis dominance that no one has ever accomplished in the sport.

If a tale-of-the-tape was constructed, based on pure skill and talent, Roger and Rafa would even out. However, I believe Roger thinks that at this point, Rafa is better than him. You can see it in his body language during their matches.

If you watch Roger face anyone else on the tour, he looks like a confident, unstoppable god. When he faces Rafa, that confidence shrivels down to near nonexistence.

It’s like when you used to play a sport against your big brother growing up. You knew he was always going to win and you tried your hardest, but even then you failed. But Rafa is no older brother—he’s a 22-year-old monster.

However, when you started believing that you could beat your big brother, your confidence would grow and eventually, you started winning.

Sure, Roger always claims before matches with Rafa that he is in better shape than he is, and that he is fully confident that he’ll beat him, but he’s not following up on his words. What Roger has to do is start thinking that he’s untouchable again, that he's a tennis god. Rafa is definitely in that mind state right now.

Now, what must be really ticking Federer off is that Rafa is so much like him. He's a class act. Rafa has the gall to still call Roger the best ever. He clearly states this after defeating him at the French Open and at Wimbledon.

Wow, imagine a UFC fighter beating the best MMA fighter of all time twice, and then saying, “He’s still the best ever.” Sounds like sarcasm. But Rafa pulls it off in classy, sniper, ninja style. Clever...very clever. It must kill Roger inside.

2. Roger is at a crucial point in his career. Losing stinks. Everyone hates to lose. The Olympics will serve as a huge confidence boost if he brings home the gold to Switzerland. Isn’t it great to see professional athletes who make millions of dollars fighting it out for their countries?

How awesome would it be to see a Rafa-Roger final for the gold and silver? I'm not sure how the brackets are structured, but that would be an instant classic. It’s not about the money, it’s about your country and, in this hopeful scenario, pride.

It will also be a great tune-up for the US Open. If Roger doesn’t come out on top in New York, critics will be on him like jackals. Look for Roger to bring his A+ game to the Big Apple.

3. The thing that people are ignoring is that Roger is still great. He lost to a Djokovic in Oz (Novak was playing the best tennis of his life), while Roger was battling mono.

Sure, he lost to Nadal at the French in disappointing fashion, but Nadal on clay is like Mike Tyson in the '80s Nintendo game: "Punchout". Rafa is virtually undefeatable at Roland-Garros. You need some serious cheat codes to beat him.

Then came the heavyweight bout in Wimbledon, and we all know how that ended. So Roger makes the semis in Australia and the two finals in Paris and London. And because he lost, his skills are now disappearing? I think not. The champion that he is, he’ll regroup, rethink, and come back in grand fashion.

The true greats in sports have done it. Michael Jordan did it. Tiger Woods did it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger has made a few calls to Roger telling him that everything will materialize the way Roger thinks it will.

Now as I mentioned earlier, Roger just has to believe. His talent, determination, and heart can still bring him multiple grand slams.

Roger, if you ever read this, just remember: "Cogito Ergo Sum," or "I think therefore I am."

Hope is the Key Word for the Toronto Raptors in 2008-09

E Tag — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:02:23 -0400

Remember all that hype surrounding the Raptors prior to the '07-08 season?

Raps fans were buzzing about the '06-07 Atlantic Division champs. The season looked promising.

A two-headed monster at PG (Ford and Calderon), a maturing Andrea Bargnani, and a more confident Chris Bosh were supposed to give the Celtics a run for their money as the leaders of the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately, the season turned into one of turmoil and disappointment—to say the least. Colangelo and Co. had to come up with a new plan for '08-09—and although there are many skeptics, there is reason to hype up this season again.

The acquisition of Jermaine O'Neal is an interesting one. When he says he's here to support the team and help them win, I hope he means it. When I heard Ray Allen and KG say the same things last year, I heard voices in my head saying "BS, BS, BS". Those voices were wrong.

As the leader of the once-elite Indiana Pacers over the last few years, Jermaine is now coming to a team that is organized in a non-patriarchal fashion. Sure, Chris Bosh is the bonafide leader of this team. However, although his talent and play is superior to others, he is not one of those players that can take over a game a la King James, Kobe or Dirk.

This is a team that will have to run on all cylinders, on the offensive and defensive (primarily) side. Bosh will benefit from J.O.'s presence. One only has to remember the days of Oakley-Davis-Willis—a trio of big, hard bodies that all benefited from each others presence.

If you look at CB4 and J.O.'s game, they certainly have an edge over Oak-Antonio-Willis. Throw a resurgent/confident Bargnani (everyone cross your fingers) into the mix—and man, now we're talking.

Calderon will be the Calderon of the '07-'08 season. The reason why he faded somewhat through the second half was because he was playing 42-46 minutes a game when TJ went down.

If Ukic can back him up with 15-20 minutes of average (hopefully above-average) play, then the PG position that was somewhat of a problem last year is solved.

Newly-acquired Solomon brings experience, and can step up in case of any injury. No offense to Darrick Martin, but these back-ups can play.

It's looking like the starting lineup will be:

C - O'Neal , PF - Bosh, SF - Kapono/Moon, SG - Parker, PG - Calderon

Parker is at a crossroads in his career. He'll have to shine this season—he's a free agent in 2009—to get the money he wants in the NBA. He is certainly one of those players who may take the ever powerful Euro over Uncle Sam's paper.

If Sir Kapono plays like he did against the Magic in the playoffs, Jamario Moon may be out of the starting lineup. On the flipside, if Jamario bulks up and shows an effort to start driving a little more, there could be some healthy competition at the SF position.

Now, to coaching. Love him or hate him, Sam's the man next year. I still think the jury's out on him.

This will be a defining year for Sam. One year his team was the Atlantic Division Champs, the next year they had to fight their way to the .500 mark. It's Sam's time to bring this team to another level.

As a devout Raps fan, I try to stay away from "he's not an X's and O's guy," or "Sam doesn't play this player enough," or "Sam plays this crappy player too often". The fact is, he has brought us an Atlantic Division banner in the past.

But the Raps must get out of the first round of the playoffs to ensure Sam still has a job at the end of the season. This was the goal last year, and will most certainly be this year's realistic goal as well.

In a perfect world, the Raps would win a championship within three years. Bosh is entering his prime. If the Raps continue with their teasing mediocrity in the playoffs, I don't expect CB4 to re-sign after his contract expires.

So my friends, that is why this year is a hell of an important year for the Raps. I would hate to see the dark years creep up on Raptor land again.

In the words of Chuck, "Always a pleasure!"