Alex Rodriquez

With baseball being in full swing… we’ve had a couple interesting games so far, as well a couple of big wins like on the 6^th the New York Yankees beat the Houston Astros by a score of 16-6.

              Everything seemed to be working out for the Yankees. The bats were working just nicely and the pitching could always be better. Now the pitchers both had 5 strike outs, but the down side was Pineda allowed eight hits, six earned runs, and three home runs. He now has an ERA of 10.8. And last time I checked that wasn’t very good. When Nova came in for relief he didn’t do as bad as Pineda did. Nova allowed four hits and one walk. But his ERA is still 0.00.

              The Yankees big name guy Alex Rodriguez did not do too hot. Even though he scored once, he still got two walks and struck out twice. He didn’t do as well as everyone would have liked, but he helped get the job down. Carlos Beltrán probably had the best night out of the whole team. In his four at bats he struck out once, had two hits, and scored twice. Plus he has two more RBI’s to add to his resume. 

              The Astros on the other hand didn’t have the best of night. The whole pitching last night just didn’t go as planned. The most a pitcher pitched was 4.1 innings. They gave up seventeen hits, sixteen runs, and fifteen earned runs. It just wasn’t their night. Out of all the pitches thrown by the Astros (234) Barely over half of them were strikes. That’s just terrible by the astros.

              The Astros batting wasn’t all bad either. They just couldn’t score runs. Astros had plenty of hits (12), they just didn’t translate to runs. Carlos Correa had the best night on the team. With his five at bats he scored twice, had four hits, and only struck out once. Plus he has two RBI’s. 

Kobe Bryant

                Everyone knows Kobe’s historic career. There is no one better than the Black Mamba. From when he started at Lower Merion High School to now, he has played with nothing but class. Kobe has been a mentor, a friend, and like an older brother to most of these players. With such as impressive career there’s simply not enough time to talk about his whole career. Even after his career is over he will still be a part of the game some way, shape, or form. Like Kobe said in an interview, “Basketball holds a special place in his heart and it was a hard choice to give it up.” But I’ll sure give it a try.

                Quick Facts about Kobe’s Basketball Life

·         MVP 2008

·         5-Time NBA World Champion 2000-2002, 2009-2010

·         2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist winner

·         Finals MVP 2009 & 2010

·         All-NBA 1st team 2002-2014, 2016

·         All- NBA 2^nd team 2000, 2001

·         All-Rookie 2^nd team 1997

·         All-Defensive 1^st team 2000, 2003-2011

·         All-Star MVP 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011

·         2016 earnings $25,000,000

After being drafted 13^th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets made a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in a three player trade. In the beginning of Bryant’s career, he wasn’t a huge role player. In his first 2 seasons he only started 7 of this 150 games played. The biggest change was from season one to two. Kobe didn’t start more games, he averaged more minutes and more points. He put in the work and he made a legacy.

This teammates are what made him great. Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol helped him become a legend. Shaquille O’Neal probably one of the best 7-footers to ever play the game. He was Kobe’s best mentor Kobe ever had. With his guidance they went on to beat the Indiana Pacers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets, all in 4 games. Even though Shaq was The Finals MVP, Kobe really showed that he could play. Plus that he was there to stay for a little while. Pau Gasol was “Big Man number 2.” He showed Kobe that he could rely on someone. And again in 4 games the Lakers took back the The Finals trophies in back to back years.

Kobe Bryant was the Michael Jordan of our era. He was the best player in the league. Everyone loved to see him play, no matter what team you loved. He always put on a show every game he played. He could do it all. He was the best.

Customization

             Even though this has nothing to do with sports, I thought I'd share it with you.

Customization

Why is something custom so much better than something mass produced? What is it about driving or wearing something that you helped design yourself? Why do these items always cost so much more? It’s the fact you have this little sense of pride. The joy you get from riding in something that you made yourself. Maybe it’s the fact that you created a one of a kind item only for you. I think if you can get something custom, go for and get it. Think about it, sitting next to your parent looking at a vehicle, that essentially is just a dream of having. Until 3 weeks later that dream SUV becomes your fathers new SUV.

                Having things custom made is something most people think about and most people want. The whole thing is that you can have the same items that the pros wear, but with your name on it, your colors, and your style that you want. Now with Custom shoes on NikeID or Mi-Adidas all your dreams of custom apparel comes true. Think about it you spend maybe twenty to thirty minutes on a Sunday night and you create a pair of shoes, a shirt, or even a backpack. Then four weeks later, you get the magical Nike box on your door step. You see that pair of shoes, the bag, or the shirt you made finally camp. You can’t wait to wear your new gear. It’s that sense of joy and pride right there, that makes the experience worth wild for everyone.

                Instead of calling them “Custom Cars” the car industry calls it “Build and Price.” It’s another way that you can have everything you want in your car, everything to make it yours. Now these car manufacturers and the shoe makers are very similar. They both want to make the buying experience as painless as possible, by giving you the options that you deserve. All colors, different materials, even better entertainment options. As the customer you’re number one priority. Just like creating gear on NikeID, it doesn’t take long for you to build your dream vehicle.

                As great as this all sounds, it does get very expensive. Having a car with everything you want means thousands of extra dollars put into the car. Even a custom pair of shoes can be 100 dollars more and their retail price. But it does boost your confidence. I do know that from experience.

The World of Endorsements.

Everyone knows, that athletes make more money than just their contract earning. And those other earnings are called endorsements. Endorsements are just ways companies can sell their products easier. Because who doesn’t want to use the same gear as the pros?!

                Now you’re probably thinking that the most endorsed person in the world is Christiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, or even Lionel Messi! But you’re wrong its ATP professional Roger Federer. Federer has 5 notable endorsements: Wilson, Gillette, Rolex, Nike, and Mercedes-Benz. All these big name companies want the best athlete wearing their gear and driving their cars. Rodger Federer is the highest endorsed athlete, because he has been playing at such a high level for his whole career. He’s had Nike, Rolex, and Mercedes-Benz for over 10 years. The part that is the most shocking is the fact that Federer makes 52 million dollars a year on endorsements alone.

                Tiger Woods has had a lot of mistakes these last few years. Well, more mistakes than a lot of people make. But he still has five major endorsements: Upper Deck. Nike, Rolex, Muscle Pharm, and Fathead. As you know from Rodger Federer, Nike and Rolex pays pretty well. Nike is currently paying or was paying Woods, 40 million dollars. And Tiger Woods will makes a pretty 50 million dollars each year from his endorsements. So he can afford to crash his brand new Cadillac Escalades whenever he wants.

                Now number three might be a bit shocking to most people, but the next person is Phil Mickelson. Most of you know his as “Lefty” from the PGA tour. Phil Mickelson is credited with 42 championship wins, and five of them being “Major championship wins.” Mickelson’s most notable endorsements is ExxonMobil, Callaway, Barclays, KPMG, and like the two before Rolex. But with Phil Mickelson being diagnosed with a disease that uses Enbrel as a treatment. So naturally he become the face of Enbrel. But in a year he will make about 44 million dollars a year in endorsements alone. I feel that he deserves it, because he has been the best golfer in the world for such a long time.