What is my motivation [yelled aloud with passion]?

Could it be…

- Peyton Manning being out for possibly the remainder of the season?

- The Ravens’ collective spanking of the Steelers?

- Maybe Mike Vick earning that hundred million-dollar contract? 

- That over 2 weeks later and Kim Kardasian is still married to Kris Humphries?

- Serena’s gangsta moment with the umpire (She is seriously no joke!)?

Alast… my fledgling motivation is paled, to be revived no more. I may search deep down to muster a grouping of inspired words. It requires a focus that has currently left my very presence…

Yes, that’s a bit much, but you know, people love emotion.

So, obviously I could use this space to talk about the latest in professional sports’ lockouts, where the NBA is now the newest group containing billionaires and millionaires (and some newly drafted prospects that have virtually no money at all) fighting over millions and billions. And there is possibly some comedic value associated with NBA.com (a site dedicated to, well, the NBA) having no reference of the individual NBA teams (Good times!)… And we now know, from this site, that there can be no practices, no mentionings of practices, and no pro ball player saying words that begin with p-r-a-c (Thanks for that.)… But no, what I think is more news worthy and of more value in terms of space is the admission by veteran actor, Charlie Sheen, that he used steroids during the 1989 baseball movie, Major League, where he played Ricky Vaughn. Seriously, when you compare the two, there’s really no comparison, right?…

And while there were many quotes from Sheen, on this story, that would satisfy a litany of ills, I thought the following would offer just the right amount of  ”huh?” for your day.:

“Let’s just say that I was enhancing my performance a little bit. It was the only time I ever did steroids,” Sheen told Sports Illustrated. “I did them for like six or eight weeks. You can print this… my fastball went from 79 to like 85.”

In 1992, the New York Jets defensive end, Dennis Byrd, in a tragic second, hit head-first into his 275-pound teammate, shattering a vertebra, one of the 33 bones that make up the spine. In that moment, he was left on the field partially paralyzed… 19 years later, Byrd returns the #90 jersey, that was cut from his back on that 1992 day, to Coach Rex Ryan and the Jets organization.

Now while I don’t really understand the jersey returned sentiment (Can anyone help me with that?), I’m well aware of the emotional impact his presence made on the current Jets team. As the honorary captain for this playoff Jets team against the formidable Pittsburgh Steelers, Byrd re-energized the already awakened Jets with a speech for the ages. The profound and passionately significant point of Byrd’s speech resonated with me as a “must share” with readers.:

A man has a body, a mind and a spirit. There are times in a man’s life when his body will tell him it can’t continue on. There are times in a man’s life when his mind will tell him that the task set for him is too hard to accomplish. Those two don’t matter. It’s a man’s will and his spirit, and in those moments and in those times that will tell him ‘You can do it,’ and it will make the mind and body follow along.

While this is a powerful in-between-the-lines message, it is also such an impactful one to take into the most calm and tumultuous parts of  every day life. This man told his personal story to this Jets team, a group of men in a completely different generation, where the men can typically be bigger and the hits can potentially be harder. But, they got the message. From all the lessons taught, speeches delivered, or plays drawn out, I believe the one common thread and driving force among them is simply the hope that they get it…

The title is all the excitement I can muster…

Hubby and I were talking about it earlier and we agree: This time of year sucks when it comes to sports. I mean, baseball can’t hold the attention of anyone unless they live in L.A., New York, Florida, or Chicago (I’m a witness that Chicago baseball is a world by itself.). And, if I hear another word that begins with “Le”… Lethal, Legal, Lead, anything close to LeBron, I think I will pull out each of my twists individually. Does anyone realize that this “King” has no jewels… not one? At least with all the hype they would show Dwyane Wade the same or even more respect (air time) because he actually has a ring… Off that and on to other summer-time boredom…

Tiger Woods is sucking on the course and paying out the benjamins to wifey… Actually, the payout contraversy is more exciting than his play. Federer was knocked out of Wimbledon and Serena made it… Of course she would because her competition was non existent. I mean, I’ve flipped through every sports channel and nothing (I have been enjoying soccer though, I must say. Stop it, Kid!)…

Is it just us or are you feeling a sports void, too? If I didn’t have True Blood and the anticipation of Big Brother I don’t know what I’d do during these dog days of summer.

…You know how I know? Because, depending on the age, you’ll know how much more time you could potentially spend in jail.

Dear Mr. LT (not really, but just for effect),

Please tell me why you, Lawrence Taylor (Yes, the old-school LT), are even uttering the words, I thought she was 19? Why, LT, why are you even interested in a female with “teen” after her age (Okay, wait, besides the perkiness, tightness, and “naiveness”)? You are “LT”, still one of the greatest ever to step foot on the football field and play at the top of the game as a professional player in the NFL for the New York Giants. You struck fear in your opponents and talked “ginormous” trash with the best of ‘em (Ali included… in my opinion), yet here we are…Were you confused and thought her pimp said her name was Jus-tine, or Les-teen, or maybe even Augus-tine versus him saying she’s 16?

So, am I to believe that you didn’t have sex with her and only, I repeat, only performed a “masturbatory act”? What? Okay (Sigh!). You know, for me, “convenient” comes to mind when I think of this “act”, especially when I think of New York’s law that pretty much says it will put someone under the jail for having sex (the regular kind) with a minor of  age 17 and under. Now, you know what? I’m actually believing you. This wasn’t even hard for me… I mean, after saying she was abused and raped, the young lady then said she was apparently over joyed in feeling like she didn’t have to do anything and still got $300, so I’m okay with that (And wait, the whole $300 is another matter… You are a legend. Can a sista’ get more than $300?). Okay I’m back…

All joking aside, Mr. LT… I would think at this time in your life you’d like to have the negative life issues to a minimum. I mean, you kicked the famed drug habit years ago and we haven’t heard about any run ins with the law for some time. You even got your dance on during your stint on Dancing with the Stars… So, why now? Why this? Why you? I’m sure this won’t keep you down, but maybe in the future you’ll contact Patti from Millionaire Matchmaker. I’m sure she’ll be able to find you a more suitable match… Someone still much younger (Let’s say 35ish), but someone who, I’m sure, will only require a recent photo and not a mug shot or pimp referral.

Fondly,

A fan of legal age

Someone contacted me (Yes, I got permission to spill the beans.) and asked for practical advice on how to cope in a situation that had them frustrated and, seemingly, beyond the point of mending. Surprisingly enough, this happens to all the time, but it’s the subject matter that varies. So, for this one, I’m calling on you guys for help…

What if your home was literally filled with sports and you couldn’t get away from it? That, in a tight nutshell is what I’m bringing to you. This guy (yes, guy) is in a relationship where there is now no more room for him in it because sports has literally spilled out into every part of his household. When his love interest comes through the door, there is no more “What are we going to do today?” or “I thought this would be nice to do together.”… Nope. It’s television, ESPN, chat rooms, telephone conversations, ordering paraphernalia, blogging, you name it… and then sleep. He says he doesn’t know what happened and honestly, he’s at the point of not caring any more. I sat there listening to the unfortunate details of the state of which this guy is finding himself, while also feeling honored (and burdened) that he thought to contact me as a last-ditch effort in getting his home and love of his life back… He actually said, “I wish it were another person rather than this… At least I could understand it.”

I told him I’d bring this situation to you guys to see what you all had to say and that it would also give me time to digest what he’d entrusted me with. You know, as I’ve said in several earlier posts, Wait Tila Commercial is about bridging that gap and making sports something that makes for a relationship stronger and I’m up for the challenge with this guy because everyone deserves to be happy. Life is too short for anything else… More details to come.

Okay, for one week (just one!)… if you could be ANY athlete who would it be and why?…

Hmmm… Let me think on who’s jersey I’d like to swap out for and get back to you.

Literally. What’s left in the heads of those athletes who suffer concussions… yes, some have endured more than one.

I guess, moreover, my question is why would an athlete return to a sport when a concussion is suffered? I mean, the symptoms are real and the long-term consequences are real? A good number of concussions have occurred of late and one by one the athletes are returning to the game.  A sports loving friend of mine says having a concussion now days is as common as getting a headache. Wow.

To me, it’s never that time. One shaky skull and I’m done. I just don’t get it…

Why didn’t I know Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the founder and chairperson for the worldwide Special Olympics movement? Isn’t that so random (that I didn’t know, that is…)? I mean, I would never equate the two… anyway, she just passed and obviously all of her contributions are coming out.

I mentioned it to Hubby and a totally surprising conversation started up. Before (like me) he realized what she’d contributed (to sports), he didn’t realize why her death was on random channels, like the sports’ channels. He summed all the publicity up to her family’s dynasty… He felt like people shouldn’t just live off the name without contribution to the name. I could see his point.

When we discovered her contribution, to not only her name (I mean, let’s not kid ourselves, the Kennedy name is synonymous with scandal), but to the world, there was a new found respect for her because of her insight and forward thinking… She maintained that a person’s disability and state of being had nothing to do with a person’s spirit. And, she desired that people with disabilities were included, accepted, and valued.

Now although I feel this was a major sports’ blunder on my part, especially with the pride I have in being a history and knowledge “mini”-buff, I am happy to learn something new (Hubby, too) about such an impact to the sports’ world (FYI, I did know her sister suffered with a disability so now that I think of it, it makes total sense.).

You just never know… Hey, is it just me or has anyone else experienced assuming something (or that they something) about a person, only to realize you were premature in judgment?

Greed and contentment. I’m thinking about these two words and I’m curious about your thoughts…

Recently, a boxer was robbed and killed in Atlanta. Vernon Forrest, a former boxing champion, was murdered senselessly because of greed. A guy robbed Forrest at a gas station, took off with his wallet, and shot him repeatedly from the back. I literally have to ponder on this murderer’s actions because it is just so random. I’m captivated by the notion and the obvious reality that I can choose to kill you because I want what you have…

What’s hard for me, I think, is the very public life of Forrest outside the ring. He resounded contentment as a humanitarian and lover of life. I mean, this guy wanted to change the world and imparted into children this same desire.

Why is this okay? I’m not really asking about the murderous aspect of it all because, unfortunately, stealing lives is very much a reality in this world. I’m more referring to the disproportionate meeting of greed versus contentment. I asked Hubby to give me an example of my lack of contentment so I could share it with you guys… He said that situationally, he felt that I am always content with where I am, good or bad (Stop buttering me up, Honey! LOL!). But he then continued by saying that regarding greed, I am quite greedy with my time (Don’t judge me… Crack up! And hey, he didn’t expound and I didn’t ask.)…

I’m showing my greed/contentment contradiction because I think we all possess it… That innate contradiction, that is. Well, don’t we?