Guest Writer: Danielle McGee

I have never hated a month as much as August. The month of August brings about a lot of change to my family, including a sign that it's the end of summer and the beginning of STRESS.  While some look forward to the start of school for their kids and trip to Target buying school supplies. I dread the arrival of August for a completely different reason.  It's a trip that takes the man away from his family. The reason is August is the start of basketball preseason overseas. For a short time we must say goodbye to the man of the house. For me now it's fitting clothes for me and our children in two tiny bags for the airplane, making sure our passports are up to date, and making sure plenty of Doc McStuffins is on my IPad! I'm a basketball wife but, my story is a lot different then what you might see on T.V.

My husband just signed to play in France for the next season. It's good my kids like french fries! I know bad joke. The first day was filled with looking at the main attractions of his city on google. The second day was viewing rating for the best restaurants. The third day with shopping on my mind I wanted to know just how close to Paris he will be!  Every time I remind him of what we want to do in the future, he reminds me that he has a job to do. Which means he is willing to take us to Mc. Donald's and drive to his games and back home! I understand he isn't there on vacation but, to feed his family which he kind of pointed out to me on the fourth day. So, I know my joy is to support him and I hope that the other players wives and girlfriends are friendly.

I’ve been through a lot of August goodbyes, and they never get easier.  He goes and we will join him in September after his team finishes their training camp in Italy. Another country I wouldn't mind traveling too. As I'm reminded to say it's a business trip not vacation:( Also, I should say I get used to the good byes but, it's very difficult on the kids. His departure signals the beginning of a transition and adaptation for the family.  The kids have spent 2-3 months in the summer spending every day with Daddy.  They wake him up and have breakfast in the morning, play and wrestle throughout the day and enjoy Dad tucking them in at night.  The summer is truly the vacation.

Once he leaves, we immediately get back into our daily “basketball season” routine.  Breakfast with Daddy is now done over Skype or Facetime.  While many parents think there is too much technology available to our children, I am so thankful for it.  I’ve received many looks or comments about spoiled kids when people see our kids with their mini iPads.  They don’t realize that these devices provide a connection from our kids to their Dad throughout the year.  I’m not ashamed to admit our 2 year old knows how to call Daddy on Facetime all by herself.  This is our normal.

“I don’t know how you do it when he’s gone!”!?!.  What’s the alternative, to crawl into a corner and weep?  Yes, I become a single mother for many months of the year.  We are very fortunate to have an extended family that helps us. Blessed we can afford for me to be a stay at home mom.  I knew I signed up for this life, and I wouldn’t change a moment of it.  With all the challenges and loneliness we each endure, the blessings far outweigh them. I'm happy I can support my husband while he does what he loves.  I can say he supports his family.

Let’s not forget all the amazing memories we’ve been able to make thanks to this crazy life of basketball. I have traveled to 6 countries and have been immersed in vastly different cultures.  I have been to more countries than I have states(4) in America! I have had to drive in countries where rules of the road don’t exist. I had to buy groceries with foreign currency, while guessing at what meat I was buying.  You learn very quickly how to say yes, no, hello and thank you in other languages.  My husband is right. It's not a vacation. I now realize I miss our trips overseas.  We do what works for our family, though many believe it wouldn’t work for them.  I say, don’t knock it until you try it!

Game of Thrones NBA Finals Edition

Greg Popovich as Daenerys Targaryen

Erik Spoelstra as Bran Stark

Ray Allen as Arya Stark

Dwayne Wade as Brienne of Tarth

Chris Bosh as Jon Snow

LeBron James as Lord Baelish

Tony Parker as Tyrion Lannister

Tim Duncan as Tywin Lannister

Kawhi Leonard as Jaime Lannister

Manu Ginobili as Oberyn Martell

Guest Writer: Abe Mobley

 Bedtime stories by Abraham Mobley. One of my favorite hobbies is gambling. Because of this I felt the perfect career choice for me was in the casino industry. In the 9 years that I’ve been living in Las Vegas I’ve witnessed many great triumphs and horrendous defeats. I would like to share these stories and more with you.

 I was bit by the gambling bug my freshman year in college. During a road trip to the pyramid at Long Beach State I was introduced to a card game called “Tonk”. My young, impressionable mind didn’t stand a chance. The thing I enjoy the most about gambling is the competition. I love to compete, whether I’m the favorite or not!  Why else would a 5’8” (on stilts) guy choose basketball as his favorite sport? I just enjoy a good challenge. Poker is now my game of choice, mainly because of the spirit of competition between players. Hell, I would check raise my own grandma if it meant I was going to win the pot!

 I would like to start my “bedtime stories with Abe Mobley” segment off with a magical tale from one of the greatest franchises in NBA history, the LA Lakers. It was the 2011-2012 season and the Lakers were at home. I do not remember whom they were playing, but the events that would occur on this cold November evening will forever be etched in my memory.

 The day of gambling had not been going well for me. I couldn’t pick a winner if my life depended on it. I was losing to the tune of over $2000 and I did not want to end the night a loser. So in true degenerate fashion, I looked to the last available bet of the night to get me even. I decided the under on the Lakers game would work. So I fired $2200 to win $2000 on under the total of 196.5. The game pace was definitely playing in my favor and I really felt that something was finally going to go my way. Going into the fourth quarter the score was tied 68-68, well under the pace! But the fourth quarter began with a flurry of 3’s and free throws. It was a frantic pace all the way to the final seconds. The Lakers found themselves on the wrong end of a 10-0 run and there was only 26 seconds left on the clock, with the score being 103-91. The away team had the ball and the Lakers are no longer fouling, I am golden!!

 The away team gets the ball past half court and takes a shot clock violation. With 2 seconds left on the clock Lamar Odom inbounds the ball to Andrew Bynum and he chucks a meaningless 3 pointer from 40 feet and BANG, he f***ing hits it! FML. And that, my children, is how homeless people are made. Sweet dreams Muthaf****ers!

 I am now the Casino Manager for the first licensed online gambling site in Nevada called REAL gaming. 

Just Opened A Can Of Worms...

 Colin Kaepernick just got PAID.  My question is what has he really done?  Wrong question. What has he accomplished? I'm not being a hater because I'm a Raider fan.  Listen, Raiders gave 61 million dollars to JaMarcus Russell to be a bust. I'm just saying it as a NFL football fan.  Kaepernick has won more games and better stats then JaMarcus. What has he done comparable to the elite quarterbacks of the league?  If Russell Wilson signed that contract, I wouldn't blink an eye.  As it stands now, Russell Wilson just won the Superbowl and is the third highest paid quarterback on his own team!  Which brings me back to my point...what has Kaepernick done?  Why in professional sports do we pay players for potential and not for their body of work or for their success?

Justin Tuck has won two Super Bowls and the talk is at 31 he is washed up.  Yet he signs contract for 4 million, and the pundits think he is overpaid.  Kaepernick is guaranteed 61 million and has won nothing.  Every time he scores a touch down he doesn't need to kiss his bicep, he needs to run to the sideline and kiss Jim Harbaugh!  If I was playing John Madden football on PS4, I would love to play with the Niners.  A quarterback who can run and pass in that game is gold.  If the 49ers are playing on Monday Night Football, I want to see Kaepernick run 120 yards and throw for 300.  Let's get real, if I'm an owner would I give Kaepernick this kind of money?  The answer is no.  He is still unproven. You basically just sent a message that he doesn't need to get better.  But hey, I'm also not paid to make decisions like this. I'm no General Manager.

 More than anything else this changes the dynamic on the 49er's team.  This contract throws away the blue collar mentality.  This contract will hurt the chemistry on the team.  Now you will see other Niner players seeking to get paid.  Frank Gore will want a new contract.  Vernon Davis will complain to the media he needs a new deal.  Michael Crabtree will state he is the best receiver, and his agent will whisper to the Niners to "Show me the money!".  The Seahawks aren't their top competition anymore.  I see a lot of in house fighting this season.  The individual players on the team are now their own worse enemy.  Add that to all the many negative story lines this off season:  Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh not seeing eye to eye (probably pertaining to how much money to give Kaepernick), Aldon Smith bomb threats at LAX airport (really who does that?) and Navarro Bowman's gruesome knee injury.  It's a big blow to there defense and the question is will he ever be healthy again?  It doesn't matter, because Kaepernick can put on his Dr. Dre Beats earphones.  He will tune everyone out as the Aloe Blacc chorus goes, "Well you can tell everybody, I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man. Yes, I'am Yes I'am, Yes I'am!".

Curtis Haggins...

 This is a very personal post.  There is talk that I have been nominated to be inducted into the California Community College Hall of Fame.  Previous inductees include Jackie Robinson, Bill Walsh and John Madden.  And now, Justin Love?  This kind of notoriety gives me pause because I feel I like I don't deserve this honor.  I was just one piece of a puzzle.  I had a great coach in Mike Legarza.  We had great players and together we made a great team.  The committee may feel I earned and deserved this looking at my stats and team production.  I know I worked hard my two years at Cañada, but let's give credit to the right people.

As my senior year was winding down at Sacred Heart Cathedral, I had no idea what came next. I was Player of the Year for West Catholic Athletic League, and my team had just won the championship of the league.  Obviously I was a good player but not good enough to get a Division one scholarship.  I thought about walking on at a 4 year university, but I didn't just want to be on the team.  I didn't want to be a cheerleader.  I felt I had enough talent that I could play at that level.  I also didn't want my parents to pay 20 thousand dollars a year just to see me sitting on the bench.  It was going to be a waste of their money.  I wanted to go to college and play basketball.  The only way that was going to happen was to figure out what community college I could go to and play basketball.

 I was invited to play in the Golden Gate Classic, which was a basketball All-Star game for seniors in high school in the Bay Area.  These were the elite players in the area, the who's who of Northern California.  If I hadn't already played against a player in this game, I for sure had read about their success in the sports pages.  I was humbled just to get a chance to play in the game.  Not only did I play in the game, but this game changed my life.  If fact, a certain person changed my life.

 I'm not one to brag, but I dominated the game.  I didn't win the MVP award however.  The person that did win the award is who this post is about, and his name is Curtis Haggins.  Maybe he didn't deserve to win that MVP, but he is the MVP that lead me to where I am today.  I knew Curt from my high school team beating his during my senior year (I had to throw that in there!).  Curt was the big name on my team for this All-Star game.  I'm making shots, but I'm confused because he keeps passing me the ball!  He's not only passing me the ball, but more importantly I'm getting the ball right when I'm open!  This is strange to me, it's new.  I thought hard about it during the game, like is he trying to get assists?  He is trying to get assists!  Curt was enjoying me making shots MORE than I was!  I don't want to bash my high school point guards, but during my sophomore year our point guard led the league in scoring.  This lead to me learning how to be a good offensive rebounder.  My junior and senior year we ran plays, but if the play wasn't for me I wasn't getting the ball.  Curtis was going out of his way and looking for me, because he knew I was going to make the shot.  After the game the discussion was where everyone was going to go to college.  I had no clue.  Curt tells me he is going to Cañada and wants to know where I'm going.  I thought about it for a second or two and my mind was made up.  I was going to Cañada too!  I would have followed Curt anywhere.  We just had chemistry, and I loved playing with him.  He wanted to play against the best players and didn't back down.  Curt made other players better not just with his play but also by verbally motivating them.  He was a true leader.

 This blog was about being nominated into the California Community College Hall of Fame, and I don't feel I deserve it.  There were games where I played terrible and Curt would whisper in my ear, "Come on Justin we need you right now!".  Does he not see how bad I'm playing?  I'm trying to be invisible, but my bad play doesn't matter to him.  Curtis was our team's engine.  When your teammate lets you know he's right there with you, then you can't disappear from big moments.  We are a team. In today's game if a player has an off day, other players would look at the situation as it's my chance to shine.  Me Me Me Me Me!  I can ball too!  I'm going to take over!  At Cañada we could be down two points late in the game, and Curt would tell me and the whole team, "look we are going to get a stop on defense.  We will get the ball back and then we will win the game".  Then he would whisper in my ear, "when we get the ball back I'm coming to you and we are going to win the game".  He said it so matter of fact that I couldn't do anything but believe him.  Curtis always was the one to validate the teams trust in me.  I know it wasn't just me but every player on the team.

 Fifteen years later, and the wrong person gets credit.  I've got so much respect for Curt, and I owe what I have to him.  He was my mentor, my friend and my dad all rolled into one.  After I think about everything, Curtis was the man.  I looked up to him.  He took a step back for the team to succeed, and not because the coach told him to do this.  The players on the team didn't tell him to do this.  He just did it, and he was the star.  Even though he had two teammates who went on and went big time, he will always be big time in my book.  I never asked him why he did what he did.  Even in situations in the game when he had beef with our coach, he never let that beef interfere with what we had to do as a team.  Curt's focus was always on what we had to do next to win the game.  He is a true leader and the real person who should take my place in the Hall of Fame.

Guest Writer: The Fitness Tech

The last time Justin had me as a guest blogger, I talked about setting specific goals.

Having a specific goal and an end date is very important if you want to achieve success. But, the road can be filled with obstacles along the way that can derail your progress.

When you hit those obstacles, your goal may seem so far away, maybe even unattainable. That's why it's a good idea to focus on ACTIONS, not OUTCOMES. 

In other words, it's very difficult to focus on say, losing 30 pounds since it's an outcome that's out of your control. Every day you step on that scale, you're focusing on what you don't have........

You look down at the scale and see you still have 25 more pounds to go can be very frustrating and discouraging. 

Instead of focusing on what you don't have (the outcome), start focusing on what you can do (your ACTIONS) to get there. Small, healthy things you can consistently do everyday. For example:

"I am going to get in a workout today, no excuses."

"I am going to drink more water today."

"I am going to eat more vegetables at lunch and dinner."

"I will walk for 20 minutes at lunch everyday."

Or, in my case, way back when my goal was to make my college basketball team, that goal seemed impossible 1 year before try outs. Just an FYI, I never played high school basketball, am Asian, and short (5'7'').........not your typical college basketball player LOL.  

That's why I just focused on making sure I got my shots up everyday, played pick up 4-5 days per week, running and lifting weights every other day, etc....

I had that BIG goal in mind (trying out and making the basketball team) but I mainly focused on what I could CONTROL (MY own ACTIONS) every day and eventually I ended up making the team.

ACTIONS practiced consistently over time will lead to great results! 

Keep working hard and NEVER GIVE UP! 

Gary

 

http://www.thefitnesstech.com

High, deep, and out of here!

 Giants are one of the best teams in the majors right now.  Okay, I will gloat because I'm a fan like that.  They ARE the best team in the majors right now.  Which makes me ask this question:  when was the last time in Major League Baseball the team with the best record actually won a World Series?  It has been 16 years since the format expanded to what it is today, and only 3 teams have had the best regular season record and won it all.  The Yankees did it in 1997 and 1998, while the Boston Red Sox did it in 2007.  The last NL team to do it was the 1986 NY Mets, and that wasn't in the wild card era.  Let's stick to the last 16 seasons.  Three AL wild card teams advanced to the World Series with two teams taking it all, the 2002 Angels and 2004 Red Sox.  The NL has been even more crazy.  Six Wild Card teams have made it to the World Series with one team winning it all twice, the 1997 and 2003 Marlins.  Which means in the last 16 seasons, Wild Card teams have won as many World Championships (four in both leagues) as the teams with the best records. 

 You can see how uneasy I am about the Giants and their success so far.  Do I really want them to win so many game right now?  A part of me is thinking that they are doing too well this season.  I mean I don't want them to lose games, but winning the most doesn't exactly equal that the season will end with a ring.  How they finish the regular season isn't the main goal.  The big picture is do they have what it takes to win a title? 

 Timely hitting has been their calling card so far.  The Giants are first in the majors with hits with two strikes and runners in scoring position.  That's a great statistic, but I can't pick out one player who is an All Star.  Posey is the face of the team, but he is struggling hitting .264 with 7 home runs.  Who is the engine of the team?  Only two players have a shot to be voted in as All Stars, and that's pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Hudson.  At the same time the two players who are the best hitters are injured, first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Marco Scutaro.  Hypothetically they could be even better!  That's a scary thought. 

 Giants are 37-20, which is the best record in the majors.  With their "stars" struggling I have no idea how that's even possible.  The Giants pitch and play great defense, that's for sure. You know the Dodgers are going to make a run, and Colorado is an improved team.  Yet the Giants are 7 games up already in the division.  The trade deadline is coming up, and I have no idea what the Giants can add.  History has shown that the teams with the best records rarely win rings.  It's a confusing mess. 

 There is a pattern.  Giants won in 2010, again in 2012 and now its 2014. The trend leans to the SF Giants winning it all again this season.  I'm feeling uneasy that the Giants will end the year on top knowing the facts about the history of baseball in the last 16 seasons. Root, root, root for the home team. If they don't win past the regular season it's a shame. I want a RING!