Ballou’s marching band has been accepted into July’s Pepsi Refresh contest to win $25,000. Vote each
day to help them get to the top ten. Three easy steps:
1) Vote by clicking here. http://www.refresheverything.com/ballou
2) Send the link to your friends and family.
3) Vote again tomorrow!
George Steinbrenner has passed away. He was 80 years old.
I think he is the most recognizable sports team owner in history.
He won many championships. He always made news. He loved is team. Rest in peace.
I am so proud of the people who work so hard in the blogosphere.
I enjoyed reading this blog post. Nice photos as well.
Check it out.
Alex Ovechkin works out like a maniac. He practices all of the time — he skates, he runs, he bikes, he lifts, and he naps to recover. He drinks gallons of water! There is no easy way to be an elite athlete.
This article is serious. Nutrition for young players. Learning how to work out well, how to recover, how to drink enough good fluids and the like is all part of the process.
Read this one. I think it is eye opening.
I am leaving Las Vegas.
It was 105 degrees yesterday night at the game. I wore a suit as I came directly to the game from my first NBA owners meeting. I was hot but the heat is dry. No perspiration, but if you don’t drink lots of water you begin to hallucinate. 
The NBA summer league is a tough, workman-like environment. The crowd was loud and raucous.
Many NBA owners, scouts, general managers, and coaches are in attendance. As are folks from the D league and the International leagues. The players play hard. The games are fun, but they are played in an intense manner.
John Wall played well once again.
I thought our team played well, too.
We are seeing glimpses of a young star in training. We are seeing John’s confidence build possession by possession. Our Mr. Booker looks like a player as well — very confident, very physical, and very fast with the ball.
I am glad I came to see firsthand the NBA Summer League and meet some of our young players.
I was honored to attend my first owners meeting as well. I mostly listened in the meeting. I have a lot to learn.
AOL’s Black Voices has a terrific interactive feature going today around health and child care.
You can ask our First Lady Michelle Obama questions and she will respond in kind. Click here to go to the splash page with instructions.
I am proud to say that AOL launched the first African American programming ventures online back in 1994, and also acquired Black Voices under my watch back in the day.
Get involved. Check this one out.
No, not about a free agent — in the NBA or NHL.
About “The Jesus Guy.” Who is he? Why does he do what he does?
Click here. Watch, learn and be inspired.
A truly great character. Committed and authentic. One of a kind on SnagFilms.com.
All teams have needs — all teams.
There is a hard cap.
Thread the needle wisely. Use your dollars correctly. Read this article in Puck Daddy.
We have many needs, but we can’t forget we have a lot of what other teams covet too — size, speed, skill, scoring, youth, and upside. Great young players signed to good and very long term deals. Some young prospects in the pipeline that can turn out to be stars, who have been developed as winners. We have two great young goal tenders ready for prime time now. We have young D men ready to compete in the NHL. We think we have a couple of young centers that we drafted that can and will make an impact over the next few seasons.
We could use some more grit. We could use another center. We all agree we could use a vet D man too, but we have trades we can still make. We have trade deadline deals to be consummated as well. We have young players who maybe can fill the roles. Every team has holes. We have fewer holes than most teams in the NHL right now. We will find ways to improve. We will tweak now. We will add to our nucleus. We will build around our core.
But we must never forget… every team has needs and holes to fill.
Streaming is hot. DVD’s are not.
See this chart. Hulu vs. Netflix. Very interesting data and quick analysis here.
SnagFilms wants to be the uber environment for streaming and distributing docs and Indy films. I think we are well positioned here, and we have a great and growing partnership with Hulu as well. A well done look at these two companies.
A nice win. A good intro to NBA life for John Wall.
Summer league. Don’t get too excited. Don’t let the mistakes get you down either.
John is certainly fast with the ball in his hands. He is a blur. He plays D, and he wants to make his teammates better. He will pass at the right moment. An assist to him is as important as scoring a basket. That is a great instinct to have as a point guard.
It also means his teammates will run the floor, as they know if they get open, they will get the ball delivered in their comfort zone.
A good start. Don’t get too high with the highs and too low with the lows.