JUSTgottaBELIEVE

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 06:49 PM) If you are gonna get all philosophical on us, I would argue that the kid who grew up inner city poor to a single teenage mother is way more of an underdog than the two guys whose Dads had long NBA careers. Lebron was a celebrity by high school and a multi millionaire by 18 years old. Despite a tough start and it was definitely tough, I'd say he's done alright financially. The single mother thing I feel for but is it really that unusual for majority of the AA community currently playing in the NBA? Most of these guys grew up in broken homes with basketball being their only way out.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 06:15 PM) None of that has anything to do with it. The Warriors were favored to win the series. The only thing this post was missing was "and the warriors were forced to play without former first overall pick Andrew Bogut" To me it does. I pull for guys that were under appreciated through the early parts of their careers. Who doesn't? It's what makes MJ's story that much more appealing (cut from high school team).

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 04:28 PM) I was in the camp of really disliking LeBron after the decision and tbh his flopping has always been pathetic to me (however after watching GS whine all series you realize even more how much apart of the game it is now) but I found myself really rooting for LeBron to win this year. You have to appreciate watching someone deliver on a promise to bring the first championship to their home city in 50+ years. Add on top of that they were underdogs and left for dead down 3-1 and had to win 3 consecutive games, including 2 in GS against a team who only lost 9 games all season. My one gripe about the finals were that every game besides game 7 was a blowout. I guess for this series they were but it's hard for me to think of the Cavs as underdogs when their top 2 players were drafted first overall and enormously hyped starting in middle/high school and their third best player was taken fifth overall. Meanwhile, GS top three were questioned and relative unknowns throughout much of their amateur careers. Even though Thompson and Curry were drafted in the first round most evaluators placed huge question marks on them leading up to the draft and doubted their ability to be difference makers at the next level. Few felt Green would even make an NBA roster. Maybe GS let some of their success get to their heads (hard not to with that much success the past 2 years) but those guys have been "underdogs" for most of their playing careers unlike Lebron/Irving/Love.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 09:25 AM) I still will root against Lebron, but much respect to Cleveland and just an amazing job by Lebron, best player in the universe. Kind of underscores the point that nobody should be looking for the next steph curry, the next Lebron is way more powerful. BUT, it's hilarious how people are acting like he took some middle school team to the finals to win. Remember how he left then CLE inexplicably won every lottery opportunity and were able to trade excess talent for Love? How they were basically given shumpert and JR smith? Lebron has had a very good team this entire decade. Last years finals was the only time you saw him with absolute crap. Yup. This isn't the 2006-2007 cavs roster.

QUOTE (TRU @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 08:18 AM) I guarantee you no one in Cleveland cares about LeBron going to Miami now. He left as a free agent, get over it already. What other superstars are winning championships without a decent team around them? How is that a knock on LeBron? 6 straight trips to the finals (With two different teams), 3 championships, and probably another 4-5 years of dominance left in the tank.. As hard of a pill as it is to swallow, he will be the greatest of all time even if the Jordan crowd refuses to admit it. I would have much more respect for the guy if he stuck with Cleveland the entire time and then won a ring with them. I didn't say others could win titles without decent players around them but he went to Miami solely because they had two other superstars there and was basically guaranteed a ring (think MJ leaving to Phoenix or Houston in the early 90s). He took the easy way out to ensure he got a ring because he knows that staying in Cleveland meant years of very good teams but that it would be difficult to become a great team unless they struck gold with one or two late first round picks (I.e. Spurs). Do you really think he would have come back to Cleveland two years ago if they didn't have Irving and cap space to bring in a guy like Love? Because of this path he will never be on the same level as MJ. Also you forgot to mention MJ's college title which in many ways is more difficult to obtain than an NBA title because of the one and done nature of the college tourney.

Here's another thing. No way MJ gets completely outplayed by a player such as draymond green in a series deciding game of the finals. Draymond is a nice player and all but there were a couple plays last night that he literally blew by Lebron one on one. The Warriors lost because they went away from green in the second half and instead resorted to curry and thompson chucking up shots at a 33% clip.

QUOTE (SleepyWhiteSox @ Jun 19, 2016 -> 11:59 PM) Fitting that Kyrie had to make the clutch shot +1 Lebron was short arming everything in the fourth quarter. His lack of clutchness in the biggest moments of the biggest games will keep him firmly entrenched as #2 and MJ as GOAT. Still can't respect a guy that conpletely turned his back on Cleveland for an "easy" ring in Miami only to return to Cleveland after they had Irving, a decent team around him, and significant cap space.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Jun 9, 2016 -> 12:40 PM) How does this myth keep going that Sox fans won't tolerate a rebuild? That seems to be the rationale for whatever-the-f*** this approach has been for years now--oh, no! We can't clean house and rebuild or Sox fans will stop coming forever! Huh? I would go. I would rather see some promising youngsters lose with some effort rather than the corpseball we've been fed for damn near a decade. Didn't the Cubs basically rebuild? Not just on the field but in the front office? How's that working out for them now? I'm tired of hearing that supposed reason as a rationale not to do it. Agreed. I don't know what this perception is based on. Even if attendance dips by a few thousand per game over the next 2-3 years, if they can successfully rebuild and put together a consistent winner for a 4-5 year stretch, it will more than offset the near term losses. I think the fear from ownership is that rebuilding doesn't necessarily guarantee success and they are right in some sense but it is also an indictment on the front office and scouting if they think this way. Still, there are may teams throughout MLB with below average fanbases/attendance that have been willing to undertake major roster overhauls in recent years (Braves, Reds, Brewers, etc.) - not sure what makes the White Sox any different.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 07:07 AM) Someone remind me how Rauner got elected? Good question, feels a lot like the Trump approach; however, it seems like both sides share at least part of the blame with this particular issue. How can elected officials be so incompetent and/or petty? It's doing no one favors.

http://wgntv.com/2016/06/02/illinois-budge...ame-each-other/ I can't even begin to imagine the impact of not opening CPS this fall.

Love this https://mobile.twitter.com/Cut4/status/738157798677057538

Not a fan of Braun but he can still rake. The DH slot might keep him healthier too. Would need the Brewers to eat some of that contract though considering he's probably only got another 2-3 good years left in him.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 27, 2016 -> 04:02 PM) You tell me. Is there evidence out there that players speculating = guy is a steroid user? I bet there isn't. Per usual baseball has brought this on their own so speculate away but there is testing now a days and Jake hasn't failed anything. I certainly wouldn't be shocked if he is on something but some of the opinions in here are pretty ridiculous. Was Sosa ever suspended for a failed drug test? Hard to trust the league or the testing given past history on this issue. I'm sure the tests are more sophisticated now than before but so are the masking agents and ways of circumventing the system. If something doesn't pass the eye test - i.e. abnormal jump in production, noticeable change in physical appearance, etc. it certainly warrants suspicion. How many pitchers have gone from bust to an ace, let alone best pitcher in the league, in their late 20's? At the end of the day for many of these guys it's all about the money and the fame and gaining a competitive advantage to achieve both: http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=42...t=bryant_howard

QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 27, 2016 -> 11:26 AM) He very well may be clean. As we've seen too often over the last 20 years or so in MLB, usually when someone starts doing unprecedented things, suspicion has become reality. If you didn't know the situation and learned that a pitcher that flopped in the majors all of a sudden became the best pitcher in the history of the game with the body of a Greek god and was hitting 440 foot homers, I think everyone would start wondering. It's not like people weren't questioning it last season...it's just now it's come out his peers have questioned it also. I've been saying Arrieta is on something for nearly a year now and everyone thought I was crazy. The only thing crazy to me is how long it took for these suspicions/accusations to be publicized. The funny thing is most of the past suspicions surrounding stars like bonds, Big Mac, sosa, clemens, etc. were spot on. There are many parallels to Arrieta's sudden rise of dominance, well except for the fact that those guys were already all stars and then became all time greats with PED assistance. Arrieta was a high draft pick bust until his sudden resurgence. Yea, I'm sure it was all just a change in mechanics, that seems more plausible lol.

http://sportsmockery.com/2016/04/ozzie-gui...aking-steroids/

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 05:48 PM) Practically this entire site can be the pot or the kettle here Nope. Some posters are clearly more assaulting and condescending than others. It's not a one time thing either, it's consistent. If you can't distinguish between those posters then that's pretty alarming.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 05:39 PM) I have a hard time believing you're that f***ing obtuse. You are taking sports way too seriously. The others have pointed out that wishing injury on someone is just some scumbag type s***. I really hope you're were just in the moment saying some stupid ass s***. Is it really that far out? I encountered many Bears fans being happy when they knocked Aaron Rodgers out for a couple months a few seasons back. That's actually worse because an opponent caused the injury rather than self inflicted like throwing your shoulder out.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 05:37 PM) If you are wishing for sports players to get injured because they play for the wrong team, you may want to reevaluate your life choices. Yea I just sit here every day hoping and praying all Cubs players get hurt. You got me. I don't even know what the second part of that post means.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 05:27 PM) f*** the Cubs but that's absolutely awful news for that kid. I'll risk the reprimand or what but JUST you are a f***ing heartless son of a b****. Why? Like I've said before I hold no ill will towards Schwarber. That's a tough break for the kid, hasn't even got paid yet.

QUOTE (Tony @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 04:00 PM) Great, you wish for a player to be injured. There isn't a single person in this thread that agrees with you. You're entitled to your opinion, as is the rest of the board. Let's all move on. I have a hard time moving on when no posts like this are directed at Steve. It's not my forum so the mods can choose to run it however they choose but it sets a poor example in my opinion. And this isn't the first time I've read posts from Steve in which he was mocking or condescending of other posters. I guess that is condoned here. That's unfortunate.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 03:36 PM) Where's a good face palm emoji when ya need one? Oh well. Despite my die-hard fandom for the Sox and distain for the cubs, I do wish Schwarber well and a speedy recovery. I have to admit that I was surprised Schwarber covered as much ground as he did on that play. Runs quicker than I would have thought for such a big dude. I see no disparaging remarks towards Schwarber in my initial post or any other subsequent posts. I did, however, say I wouldn't mind if Arrieta went down. I fully admit that.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 02:10 PM) More just making fun of you for being the lowest of low type of sports fan.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 03:19 PM) And everyone else is entitled to their opinion as well. Agreed but see post above. I am defending myself after being called out or as Steve phrased it "made fun of."

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 03:20 PM) are you being arrested? Are you being censored? Or are we putting our opinions here as well? I'm the one being ripped on, told how I should think or feel, and called out. So in an indirect way yes. I didn't call any one else the lowest of low class fans or tell them how they should feel about this situation did I? I simply expressed my opinion and then defended it after being attacked.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 8, 2016 -> 03:12 PM) Wishing for a year ending injury isnt really a far leap from wishing for a career ending injury. It really isnt cool to wish injury on anyone, you should just hope they suck if the Cubs bother you that much. It's a huge difference. Many pitchers have successfully returned from year ending injuries. Why are people here telling me what I should or should not hope for? Am I not entitled to my own opinion? Did I do something illegal?