Lin was was the bait and we all fell, hook, line and sinker!!!

In a lockout shortened season the NBA needed a story line that would draw the casual fan back into the mix, they have done just that with the latest "Linsanity" craze. In a what have you done for me lately sports world that we now live in and with the use of social media, the NBA has capitalized on the success of this young man. By now we all the know the feel good story of Jeremy Lin, he was cut by every team he had been associated with and was sleeping on a couch before his break out week. I like the fact that Lin is getting this attention because of his play but to say this guy is gonna be answer in New York is absurd.

The NBA needs it's big market teams to be successful for a financial gain and the fact the he is doing this in New York is just icing on the cake for Mr. Stern. Super Lintendo as he has been called, is saying all the right things and doing all the right things on the hardwood but to say he will fix the sub .500 basketball that was being played in New York is a little pre-mature. I'm not hating or raining on the Lin parade but I'm still a firm believer that to be great and be successful you have to show up every single day and work to be the best. He has done just that thus far but the media seems to latch on to a story as they did with Tebow here in Denver and milk it until its dry. 

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great and a feel good story much like I felt and said about Tebow, but just as I said with the Broncos QB, we can't crown these guys after a handful of good games. The similarities between the two start and stop with the fact that they work hard and both have a solid belief in the Lord. Besides those two points I see no other similarities, Tebow has had hype behind his name since he arrived at Florida and aside from a couple beat writers that live and breathe nothing but the NBA and college hoops, I'd challenge you to find anything regarding Jeremy Lin before this year. His emergence is what will save this NBA season and bring back the guy who works all day and comes home for a beer and decides to watch a NBA game rather than play XBOX for 3 hours and for that alone he will be considered a success, at least for this year. 

Again I remind you that I think this story is great and I truly feel good for this young man as I do regarding Tim Tebow. So before you say I'm wrong or crazy for not jumping on the bandwagon remember that if you have a great two weeks of work or if I have 10 solid shows in a row, that doesn't mean the CEO position is coming our way!! To be a legend at anything you outwork, outplay, and dominate your field for several years, not weeks!! 

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think, either leave a comment here or on twitter I'm @JoshuaDover and don't forget to check out "The Mile High Morning Rush"Monday-Friday 6-7AM on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510/FM93.7 here in Denver or world wide @Milehighsports.com Look forward to hearing from you.

A Legend passes... and thousands are outraged!

It is unfortunate that we will have a debate for the rest of time as to what is Joe Paterno's legacy? The former Penn State head football coach passed away January 22nd after announcing in November of 2011 that he had been diognosed with lung cancer. The diagnosis becoming public shortly after Paterno had been fired as the head coach at Penn State after 46 seasons. Paterno was fired after the sexual assault allegations were filed against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky is being charged for sexually assaulting 10 boys in a 15 year time span, and Joe Paterno was informed of the accusations in the late 90's and never fully reported them to the authorities, which led to his firing.

I do not think Paterno is innocent by any means, he said himself before his passing that he could of and should of done more. I ask that people remember the good and the bad that this man provided to his players and community, not that he is celebrated but that he is not crucified for one terrible mistake. I do understand that the mistake happens to be a very big one and one that some will never forget or be able to forgive but he did great things for college athletes for 60 plus years.

Paterno went to Penn State in 1950 as an assistant and eventually became head coach in 1966, where he won a record 409 games, won 2 national championships and won a record 24 bowl games. 250 young men that played under Paterno went on to play in the NFL and his team finished with a goose egg in the loss column 5 times. Those are all very impressive stats but the one that stands out to me and the one that I believe really matters, is his graduation rate. In a college sports world where education has seemed to be put on the back burner for the kids attending school and sports being a universities biggest cash grab and number 1 priority. Paterno graduated an incredible 89% of his players and that shows that he did care about his players because he knew that it about more than just football.

Again I ask that you not forgive Joe Pa for all his misfortunes but to remember all the good he had brought, not only to Penn State but to college athletes for more than 6 decades. How will you remember Joe Paterno? Love to hear from you so leave me a comment here or via twitter @JoshuaDover. Check out "The Mile High Morning Rush" on Mile High Sports Radio AM1510/FM93.7 Monday-Friday 6-7am with myself and Chris Bianchi.

THE CLOCK HAS STRUCK MIDNIGHT!

This Denver Broncos season is one that none of us will soon forget, but have any of the questions about the teams future, been answered? Tim Tebow has proved us all wrong and made a lot of us in the media eat our words from week to week. I have said from the beginning that I do not beilieve that Tebow is the long term answer at QB for the Broncos and I stand by that statement today. Tebow showed improvement each week and found a way to win when no one thought it could be done. His intagables is what makes so intriguing, while his relationship with God seems to be his #1 priority, and a big reason so many people are drawn to this young man. 

Tim Tebow is not the only reason that this Denver Broncos team seemed to excel after the Kyle Orton experience was over. The Broncos defense stepped up to the challenge when Tebow got the starting job, and seemed to be motivated from the always up beat and positive attitude of Tim Tebow. The defense did their part to keep the game close and allow the offense to work that "Mile High Magic" in the 4th quarter and overtime periods to bring the AFC West title to the Mile High City. Another factor in the Broncos success and in my opinion the biggest contributaor to the team was RB Willis McGahee. McGahee carried the team when the young QB clearly struggled to get the passing game going, McGahee rushed for just under 1,200 yards on the season. Tim Tebow is the MVP of the team for the way he was able to rally the troops but without the threat of Willis McGahee this team would not have won the AFC West.

So now that the cinderella season had come to an end, what does the team do from here? Draft a QB or bring in a veteran to create a competetion for starting QB job? The Tebow-maniacis will say that he has earned the starting job in 2012 and I wouldn't say their completely wrong, but in my opionon the team knows that with the NFL turning into a passing league, they need a consitnet QB that can get the job done week in and week out. I would also like to thank Tim Tebow for taking all of us on this ride, and thank him for showing professional atheltes what it means to be a role model for young children. He is truly a role model for kids and should be celbrated for that, he is a man that young men can look at and see that you don't have to be covered in jewerly and tattoos to be the big man on campus. 

Thank you again Tim Tebow and the entire 2011-2012 Denver Broncos for letting myself and many others cover the amazing ride that you've taken us on, I can only hope next year will be as good as this one. Although I do not believe he can carry this team to the promise land, I do beileive he can and will be a role model for kids world wide for many years to come and that is something you can't say about 90% of professional athletes. Catch me on Mile High Sports Radio M-F 6-7 am on "The Mile High Morning Rush" or I'd love to hear from you via Twitter I am @JoshuaDover and I look forward to hearing your take on the wild ride we were all a part of. 

Shocked the nation!!!

I tweeted earlier Saturday morning that December 10th 2011 the Indiana Hoosiers have a great chance to shock the world. Shock the world they did, Christian Watford's 3 pointer as time expired was the dagger that did the job. The young Hoosier squad was in control for most of the game and if you follow the team, it was a sight we have become familiar with and also afraid of at the same time. Indiana was leading at the half in each of the last two meetings against the Wildcats of Kentucky only to fall apart in the 2nd half and lose the game.

The Hoosiers took a 1 point lead into the half only to see it slip away as Marquis Teague took over in the 2nd half, which was an unpleasant sight for Hoosiers fans as Teague was highly recruited by Tom Crean. Teague being an Indy kid decided to not go with the home state school and rather go with the hated rival Kentucky Wildcats. Just as the lead dwindled away and the energy was sucked right out of Assembly Hall, Doron Lamb stepped to the free throw line for two shots leading 71-70 with just 5.6 seconds left on the clock.

Lamb missed the first of the two shots and sinks the second to give the wildcats a 72-70 lead, with no timeouts left for coach Crean, Verdell Jones took the inbound pass and raced up the court. Jones dribbled to the left of the free line and looked back and found a trailing Christian Watford with his feet set and shoulders squared. Watford was ready to fire and as soon as he caught the ball,  he did just that, Watford and the thousands of IU fans watched as the ball went through the bottom of the net as the game clock struck 0!  

The Hoosiers beating the rival Wildcats and more importantly getting a big time win on a national stage, that will put them into the top 25. IU improves to 9-0 for the first time since the 1989-1990 and defeats a #1 ranked team for the first time since 2002 when they defeated the Duke Blue Devils 74-73 in the NCAA tournament. It felt great to be an Indiana guy yesterday and with Indy being my home state I can only hope the young men can grow from this experience and use it to improve themselves as men and as a team. Tom Crean getting his first Gatorade shower as the Indiana head coach and lets hope its not the last! Check out Overtime Monday night for a full game breakdown and much more, gomilehigh.com or livestream.com/gomilehigh 7-9 pm mnt time, or @JoshuaDover on twitter if you'd like to chat about all that is going on in the sports world. AAAAAAHHHH AAAAHHH I GOTTA GO!!! GO BIG RED!!!!!!

How To Lose!

I wrote this in the midst of the Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton controversy here in Denver and was going to perform on Overtime (my weekly sports talk show on gomilehigh.com Monday nights 7-9 mnt) but turns out I'm a sports reporter and not a rapper. It is a parody of the Lil Wayne song "How to Love."


"You had a lot of teams try and test your arm, never really had luck cause you always figure out, how to lose... how to lose. Haven't scored in the red zone, it seems like forever, now your on the sideline, trying to put it together, how to lose... how to lose.
   For a second you were a Bear but now you over here and it's hard not to stare, the way you settle for field goal's, you've made it clear that you know how to lose... how to lose. You had a lot of dreams you couldn't transform to visions so they sent to the bench, for making bad decisions. We know it wasn't your fault you probably had  good intentions, now the media has questions and you don't wanna listen, now I admire you neck beard and Prius, just as much as you admire Tim Tebow and Jesus! So don't be mad ain't nobody else trippin, see you throw a lot of pics and them pics still hurtin. Cause you had a lot of teams try and test your arm, never really had luck, cause you always figure out, how to lose... how to lose. Haven't scored in the red zone, it seems like forever, and now your on the sideline, trying to put it together, how to lose... how to lose.
    See I just want you to know, the deserve the bench your pitiful, your pitiful. That neck beard is far from the usual, yeah it's far from the usual. Cause you had a lot of teams try and test your arm, never really had luck, cause you always figure out how to lose... how to lose. Haven't scored in the red zone, it seems like forever, now you on the sideline, trying to put it together, how to lose... HOW TO LOSE!!!!!"

There it is, the first song I've ever wrote and when your reading this I encourage you to sing it and have Lil Wayne's " How to Love" playing in the background. Just wanted to have a little fun on this weeks blog and I would love to hear what you think about the song and the blog in general. Thank you for reading and look for me on twitter for updates on what I am doing and how you can find my sports talk show, @JoshuaDover

The Deal is Done!... Well Kinda

If your like me, then waking up Saturday morning with the news that NBA owners and players had reached a deal was exactly what we had been waiting for. Don't get me wrong had there been no deal or even this tentative deal that they have agreed upon, I would of got my fix from the NCAA or even tuned in when I could to the players that made the trip overseas. It wouldn't of  been the same though and that is something that only a select few feel about the NBA. The NBA much like the NHL does not have the luxury that the NFL has knowing that the fans, although they don't agree with the fact that billionaires are arguing with millionaires they will still show up on game day.

The NHL has long been struggling to get back the fans and the national attention it lost during its 2004-05 lockout. The NBA owners and more importantly David Stern is fully aware that the fans the NBA gained during last years outstanding playoffs would be hard to get back after a missed season. Although some will argue that the damage has been done by missing games thus far and not coming back until Christmas, I will argue that Christmas day is the perfect day to come back. A day that the general public has grown accustom to seeing NBA on T.V. With the NFL airing just one game on Christmas day it leaves the sports world wide open and all eyes available to be on the NBA.

The tentative agreement is basically what the owners have been wanting the entire time. The owners getting their wish to have players BRI cut from 57% to 50% and the mid level salaries to be cut, and teams that are not making it financially have the a chance to survive. All of this seems to be settled in the tentative agreement but a few issues that still remain could be the deciding factors. Draft age and how D-League player salaries work after being sent down or called up being amongst those still to be discussed, I think that the drug testing issue that is yet to be resolved will be a big hurdle to get through. Players not opposed to in season drug testing for PED's and other illegal substances but the NBA is pushing for year round testing, and that could be a tough pill to swallow for some NBA'ers, no pun intended.

For the time being I am happy to hear that the NBA is back and they have given us a nice gift in the form of Christmas day games.  Lets hope that this tentative deal can turn into a real deal that is in writing and all sides can agree upon. As I tweeted when I heard the news if anything else comes from the news Saturday, it gives us a break from all the Tebow talk here in Denver. At least for now.
 

THANKS RUDY!

Well, Well, Well... Here we are again, I'm writing my blog entry and Bronco fans are going absolutely crazy. The Broncos getting an impressive come from behind win this week against the Jets, and who else but the future Pope EEERRRRR Rudy, EEERRRRR Tim Tebow leading the game winning drive and capping it off with the winning touchdown run. I have clearly stated that I do not think this kind of offense can work long term in the NFL and I still believe that, but for the time being this has been amazing.

I have tweeted, said on Overtime, Monday nights 7-9 mnt on gomilehigh.com (Shameless plug) that the NFL is big boy football and the draw read/option offense will not work and I thought that a Rex Ryan ran defense would have shown us just that. I was wrong, even the big fella himself seemed to be confused as to how it was still working. Rex Ryan giving the ol MJ shoulder shrug during the game Thursday evening, I couldn't help but laugh when I seen him throw his hands up in frustration. Mr. Ryan, welcome to my world... Myself along with several others in the Denver area have no idea how this is still working.

All though I still DO NOT believe that this young man is a long term NFL QB, I do believe that  a lot of people can learn something from Tim Tebow, myself included. He truly has a positive mental attitude and lets nothing get in his head or distract him from his goals. If we could all take that approach to our daily lives and set short term goals even just daily goals, and not quit or make an excuse as to why we can't achieve them, we will all be in a better place. So for carrying himself in this manner I would like to thank Mr.Tebow for shedding some light on the fact that if you work hard enough and stay focused on what you want unbelievable things can happen.

With life changing everyday and Thanksgiving coming this week, I ask that each of you take the "Tebow" approach to life this week, and no I don't mean dropping to a knee and praying randomly. I mean be grateful for what you have and appreciate the challenges that God has laid down for you, because one day we will be looking back saying I wish I would of done something different and maybe things would of turned out different. Well this is our time and it's your life so make what you want of it, a saying that my Mom has had posted in her kitchen for years says it all, and I hope if you take anything from this blog its this. "If God brought you to it, he can bring you through it."   I'll keep that in mind as I am out MAKING MY OWN LUCK, I hope you 'll do the same!