Giving props to my buddies

I played four years of soccer at Cal State Bakersfield. At the time, we were a Division II school (we went D-I my senior year) and we were one of the best teams in the nation my sophomore and senior years. Just because we were D-II didn't mean we had D-II quality players. As the national champions in 1997, CSUB was able to recruit the best players from California as well as players in Europe. In my four years there, I had the honor of playing with some really talented players.

The most talented player I have ever played with is Josh Wicks. He was a goalie. And he was an absolute freak. He was like 6'3", which is perfect goalie height. He was fearless, which is the most important trait for a goalie. And he was gifted. In practice, he would play without gloves on. He claimed it made his hands stronger.

He wasn't the best looking guy (I called him Seabiscuit) and he wasn't the smartest guy (he got a red card for punching a kid after he got scored on), but he was an absolute freak in goal. Where is he now?

Playing for the LA Galaxy. After spending 3 years playing in the A-League, he was signed a month ago to MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy. RIght now he is the backup, but trust me, it won't be long until we see him between the posts.

Another player I had the pleasure of playing alongside for four years was Lyle Martin. Lyle and I both came in as freshman in 2003. By 2007, he was the best forward in Division II. He scored something like 17 goals in 20 games. On our senior day, he scored 2 goals in front of the home crowd.

Lyle was the most skilled player, but he is the greatest athlete I've ever known. He was on the track team as well (400 meters in 47 seconds...), he was our best player on our intramural basketball team, and he was deceivingly good at poker. Oh, and I didnt mention that he is freaking ripped?



This is a pic of Lyle and I after he scored a goal on our senior day. He ripped off his shirt in jubilation, and I, not wanting to be outdone, ripped off mine and hugged him. We both got yellow cards. Best yellow card I ever received.

Lyle got drafted by Chivas USA of the MLS, but decided to go play in Vancouver to develop. He won Newcomer of the Year last year for the Whitecaps, and I guarantee he will be in the MLS in the next 2 years.

Anyways, on the Cal State Bakersfield Wikipedia page, there is a "Notable Alumni" section. Lyle was listed there, but there was no link to his Wikipedia page. So I added Lyle's wiki page to the page,
and I added Josh Wicks as well.


Before and after.

Oh and I also got rid of Kebu Stewart from the "Notable Alumni" section. Stewart averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds in his 2-year career at CSUB on the basketball team. He ended up getting drafted in 1997 by the Philadelphia 76ers, He played in 15 games for the 76ers in his rookie season, averaging 2.7 points. After his rookie season, he ended up playing overseas for a few teams, but he never played another game in the NBA.

In the scheme of things, perhaps I shouldn't have deleted Kebu from the list. While he isn't really "notable," he certainly is as deserving as Martin or Wicks to be on the list. I mean, playing in the NBA is a pretty big deal, even if it is for just 15 games.

Oh well. His mom can put him back up on the list later.

**EDIT**

After some serious soul-searching, I realized that I really had no right to take down Kebu Stewart. After some investigating, I found out that Stewart was a really great collegiate player. He was rated as one of the best rebounders in the country out of college, and many scouts predicted he would have a promising career.

While his NBA career might not have planned out, he was pretty successful in foreign leagues.



So I put Kebu back on the page.

I even linked him to his Wikipedia page. In the end, my conscience, and inability to fall asleep, got the best of me.


He's like my own personal Moonlight Graham!! I feel like Kevin Costner. Only I'm not a terrible actor.

The gym is overrated

Going to the gym is cool and everything, but it has its drawbacks too. I for one can't stand everyone looking in the mirror at themselves the entire time. And then there's always that guy who makes the weird grunting sounds when he's doing squats. And don't forget the overly-sweaty guy who doesn't have the courtesy to bring a towel. And the worst thing about going to the gym is that it takes effort. Ugh..I hate effort.

So I went out to find out why people really go to the gym.




So basically what I got out of that is the gym is a busy place. I think we would all prefer working out in the comfort of our home. Most people think you need a Bowflex or a weight set to work out properly.

But the truth is, you don't.

Let's take a look at the actors in the movie "300." These guys were ripped. Every single one of them. Even the 9-year-old kids in the movie were ripped. They didn't get there by pumping iron at the gym 24/7. They got there by doing many exercises you can do by yourself. Here's a look at their workout plan.



Ok I know we don't all have tractor tires and rings that we can work out with, but we can all do lunges, pushups, situps, and core exercises.

Here's a video of a bunch of exercises you can do without weights.


300 Spartan Workout Training. Home Version - Funny home videos are a click away

Here are some diagrams from a site of some exercises you can do without weights.

Biceps (Indian Pushup)







Triceps (Wide Decline Pushup)








Shoulders (Semi One-arm Pushups - It's like the previous execise, but when you go down, tilt to one side so only one shoulder touches the ground)





Ok...so there is one downside to all these execises - it takes longer than conventional weights to see results. But I look at it like this:

A normal, everyday, semi-lazy, semi-active gym goer goes to the gym 3 days a week. (That's me.)
I can do all these exercises in my apartment every single day. 7 days a week.

I'm not a nutritionist or personal trainer, but I am betting that if I work out everyday using nothing but body resistance, I would be just as toned, if not more so, than a dude who goes to the gym 2 or 3 times a week.

See, the secret is in protein shakes.



Cytosport's Muscle Milk is one of the more popular brands of protein. I think this is because they taste the best. But not all flavors are created equal.

Good flavors - **Cookies and Cream, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Mocha, Rocky Road
Bad flavors - Strawberry Banana, Pineapple Banana, Peach Mango

Basically, stay away from the fruit flavors. They are gross. Too fake.

But I'll tell you what's not fake - working out. It makes you feel good, makes you look good, and shows people that you care about yourself.

So now that you have all this new information, go to your bedroom, shut the door, turn on some Paula Abdul and start working out!

A letter to a friend

I wrote the following in an email to my friend Phillip. He's writing an article about NBA stats being completely objective. (his argument is that Abdul-Jabbar has the most points of all time, but he isn't considered the greatest scorer of all time). He asked me for my input, and this is what I wrote him:



You are absolutely right.

Don MacLean scored more points than any other basketball player at UCLA. Does that make him better than Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, Syndey Wicks, Marques Johnson, Walt Hazzard, or Reggie Miller?

of course not. Pete Maravich averaged like 44 points a game during his entire college career, but he's never considered the best college player of all time. (the argument there is between walton and alcindor)

I think in basketball, your measure of success ultimately comes down to the success of your team. That is why ANY NBA executive would pick Tim Duncan over Kevin Garnett. It's why Malone isn't even a top 25 player of all time, even tho he's #2 on the all time points list.

On a basketball court, you have 5 guys on a court. on a baseball and football team, you have 9 to 11 guys on the court. You have a much bigger impact on a team of 5 than on a team of 10. You are expected not just to score points, but to win.

That is why Lebron and Kobe need to be commended this year - they make the most with the least talented supporting cast. (So what if Joe Johnson and Michael Redd average 23 points a game...their teams fucking suck!) Shareef Abdur-rahim has nearly a 20 point career average...and he will never, ever be mentioned outside of the 5-person fanbase of the already forgotten Vancouver Grizzlies.

But some stats are objective. Assists - John Stockton. he was the greatest passer of all time. Blocks - Hakeem. 3 point shooting - Reggie Miller.

But scoring is the most untelling statistic of all. Mitch Richmond outscored Magic Johnson by somthing like 4000 career points - but that doesnt mean shit. Johnson is the greatest point guard of all time, and there is no argument whatsoever. I dont give a fuck if Iverson goes on to score 35000 career points - he will never surpass Johnson.

I think you've got a great point, and I dont know if I helped, but I had a great time writing all that. This a very interesting topic, but I don't know if you can say that basketball is the only sport where the stats are objective.

As a soccer player, I find stats overrated. Just cuz Brett Favre has the most passing yards doesnt mean he's the greatest QB of all time. I would take Joe Montana in a heartbeat. Barry Bonds may have the most home runs, but would you take him over Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, or Lou Gehrig? (one sport that cant be argued is hockey - that's why they call wayne gretzky 'the great one')

I think you may want to focus your story on ALL sports. Stats dont man a fucking thing. All stats are objective. I dont care what people tell me, but Randy Moss isnt the best reciever in the NFL. I dont care how many TD's he had. I would take Reggie Wayne, Stever Smith, and Chad Johnson all before I took Randy Moss.

All stats are objective Phil. That's why John Hollinger comes up with a PER stat. That's why a "______ per 40 minutes" stat appears. its not all about the PPG, RPG, and APG. its about the rings.

You can call it the Karl Malone Law. Just give me credit when you make it big one day.

Hope I helped some.

ps the best news I heard all last week was the Philadelphia Inquirer demoting Stephen A. Smith from columnist to reporter. So he quit. fucking priceless.