Playoff campaign message from Mitch Kupchak

*This is a class assignment, not an actual post*

On behalf of the Lakers organization and in response to the weariness and extreme concern by the media, stakeholders, and fans, I would like to advise you that this organization is one that has been built for success regardless of the current situation in which it stands. The acquisition of both Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the off season to play alongside Kobe Bryant was one that I stand behind. Both players are powerhouses at the positions in which they play and not only have a history of success, but have extensive playoff experience. The Lakers players and the organization as a whole are experienced in dealing with pressure situations and have what it takes to overcome this playoff position obstacle. During the next week, the organization will issue a press release as well as hold a press conference to further expand on the situation.  I look forward to sharing with you all information on the successful history of the Lakers organization, the moves that were made during the off-season, and how those moves affect the playoff chances. Our goal is to encourage the public at large to rest assured that the Lakers have the necessary tools to make a playoff run and will be looking to contend for a title in the 2012-2013 season.

Rondo's ACL Tear means Another Crucial Lost for the Boston Celtics

An A.C.L tear of All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo means a Crucial lost for the Boston Celtics. This injury couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time for the C’s. While I’m not a fan of Boston, it’s hard to see a player like Rajon Rondo go down with an injury of this magnitude. I didn’t like it when it happened to Derrick Rose who won my Best Professional Point Guard last year and I don’t like that it happened to Rondo. Bean Town is now 21-23 and currently holding the eight spot on the Eastern Conference. Why is this information so important? Because without Rondo the Boston Celtics can kiss their playoff hopes good-bye.

The Philadelphia 76ers are only a game and a half behind Boston and with the All-Star break looming around the corner most teams will be gearing up for the second half of the season. This means that teams will either rest or retool to prepare for the second part of the marathon. However, Boston will have to rest and retool to prepare for the future. Rondo’s injury means that the Boston Celtics will have to blow-up this team and prepare for the future by getting young. So this year is a wrap! There is some irony to this unfortunate event, being that Doc Rivers the head coach of the Celtics, stated in an interview that some changes would have to be made if the team didn’t get it to together. Now with the injury to Rajon Rondo, the team is in a vice lock. What do they do? Should they proceed with business as usual? Or should they run for cover now? Here is something to consider; Boston just came off of an inspirational win over the Eastern conference team with best record, the Miami Heat. While this win is encouraging, it could be deceptive. Winning one game against a top tier team doesn’t mean that you are a title contender or even a playoff team. Perhaps the Heat under estimated the short-handed Celtics and on any given night an NBA team can beat any team.

With this team struggling to find an identity, the one that it had has just gone down with an ACL injury. Rondo is both the chef and waiter for this team, putting heat on those dishes and serving them up to his teammates. This means that without the services of Rajon Rondo, who will provide the team with leadership on the court? Who will get the aged Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce the ball in their sweet spot? This team is a classic Chevy Camaro with a new motor. What do you do with an old car with a blown new motor? The only thing you can do… save what you can and scrap the rest for parts. So does anyone think this team can last as is, or should management look to make changes now?

Side Rant “Conspiracy theory”

The above video link from youtube lists streaming sites for the Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz fight.

Perhaps I have been affected forever by the realization that WWF, by the way is now WWE, is all a Hollywood spectacle. Maybe this is the basis for my conspiracy theory of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Victory Ortiz fight, which was titled Star Power. But, was it star power or star payer? All too often the viewers have been duped into paying high dollars for a fight that lasted just a few minutes by well thought out marketing schemes to maximize profit intake.  While the actual amount of money the fights will make is unknown, it has been rumored that Mayweather could potentially make anywhere from 25 million to 60 million dollars according to ESPN.com and USA Today.com, and Ortiz 2 million. Here’s where things get a bit dicey, Pay Per View invested a lot of resources to nab this fight, with the aspiration to recoup its investment with a lavish profit line. However, this may not have been the case. I don’t know about you, but I watched this fight free of charge via live stream from the Internet. As times are hard, many viewers don’t have the funds to spend on a fight, which was predicted and priced to be an entertaining fight. After the hyped expectation was not met, it was easily perceivable that the fight would take a weird turn to cut the fight short.

For a man who had no institutional training, I must admire Johnny Cupcakes for his gift of corporate prowess. In the interview I can recall John Earle mentioning how in the beginning as his company first started, he found humor in the fact that customers were dumbfounded when they realized that Johnny Cupcakes indeed did not sale cupcakes but rather t-shirts. His ingenious linked customer’s needs and wants into advancing this company along with its brand.  

Secondly, as soon as I heard the Newbury Street, I automatically thought what a ring. Not knowing much about Newbury Street, the name alone had a powerful ring, which suggests a place for commerce. I can do nothing but appreciate how Mr. Earle keenly uses his business sense to situate himself by using the geographic business segment as a vehicle to taxi him atop of the clothing industry. By taking baby steps, his company over-flooded Newbury Street and extended as far west as California.

I have read that if you want to find success, then find a success story and repeat that process. I most certainly can’t speak for the world, but I can say that by the nature of our entertainment mechanisms, humans are very visually and auditory stimulated. Knowing this information, I have decided to take a tool used by Johnny Cupcakes blog, adding video as an interactive initiative to rouse viewers. 

The Truth on Jackie Robinson

The Truth on Jackie Robinson

Negro’s have been trying to mount the athletic ranks of professional sports for many years, in fact dating as far back as the 1800’s.  For example, by 1860 there was a pool of black amateur baseball teams competing against one another with the hopefulness of hope to one day leap the giant hurdle set before them and the spirited gumption that they were every bit as good as the common pro baseball team (Library of Congress, n.d.). “The world would forever be affected!” On April 15, 1947, a distinctive star was born, as a brilliantly gleaming tinted light to guide the way for those of the sports world who would dare to follow. Ancients of many cultures have believed that stars were placed in the sky above to pilot the way to our destiny. Jackie Robinson was that star, a contrasting torch which casted color into a lucent ocean of white.

Jackie Robinson appearing as the first African-American professional baseballplayer was a day that most certainly went down as a historic occasion. Jackie “the Colored comet” swung his way through the thick blanched wall of seclusion. Actually, it was Branch Rickey, the Dodger president, who made it all possible.  By giving Robinson the official go ahead nod (signing him to a contract), it paved the way for what would become one of the greatest multiracial sports of the world. On this heroic day, for some, it was a major accomplishment; however for others it was a devastating debacle. Jackie Robinson took the field debuting for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. The number in attendance of fans brewing with a distasteful sense of skepticism were 25,623, which was nowhere near the buildings capacity. This signified that this event wasn’t the most admired spectacle in town.

As Robinson stepped up to bat, I could have only imaged the thought that must have repeatedly dashed through Jackie’s mind and the paralytic force of doubt that must have gripped his body as jeering fans spewed brutal and vulgar remarks, as well as the notion that not even his own teammates embraced him. Peering out across the battlefield at what appeared to be an ambush by the forward facing opponents on the hilly mound and the treachery of friendly fire, while Robinson stood at home base the forest of baseball fans surrounding him provided no concealment from the element and harsh environment that engulfed him. Jackie Robinson stood valiantly as a warrior with sword and shield in hand ready to combat the assault that would be launched at him from the rifleman firing off fierce white cannon’s, which appeared to be laced with blood.

The leagues players had not yet approved of an African-American infiltrating their sport. Also it would have been a travesty to have a Negro smash a ball out of the stadium for a homer. So in an attempt to commit an in game prohibition, the pitcher of the Boston Braves would not pitch a hittable ball to Jacko. As a result, Robinson was able to impact the game without even making one hit on the baseball during that game and thus concluding a win for his Brooklyn team. Who would have ever thought that the son of a sharecropper would make such a significant impact that would not only affect baseball, but the sports world at large in such an enormous manner.