BANNED!

Rookie NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and the longest-tenured owner in the NBA would be banned for life from the NBA and fined $2.5 million.   

On April 25, 2014, a day before Sterling’s 80^th birthday, TMZ Sports released an alleged recording of a conversation from September 2013 between Sterling and his previous mistress, Vivian Stiviano.

I’m sorry, but when I first heard this story; I stopped listening after I heard “TMZ”.

For the record, only a clip of the hour long conversation has been released, but that fraction of the phone call was enough to set a racial and media frenzy across the NBA. The summary from the short recording that was released was of Sterling being livid that Stiviano posted a picture of herself with Matt Kemp and Magic Johnson on Instagram. So my first reaction was that Sterling was jealous/embarrassed that his  young, half black & half Latino, girlfriend was flaunting that she was posting pictures/hanging out/cheating on her old-man, billionaire, married, boyfriend with younger men and that could suggest she was cheating on him.

Until now, I had no idea who the owner of the Clippers was. If you Google, you can see that Sterling has a document past of bigoted actions. This is not his first racial rodeo. That doesn’t mean this is an excuse, but it shouldn’t be a huge surprise if it is known in the league that Sterling has had several racial issues before and until Tuesday, he was still an NBA owner.

Magic Johnson said “we have made him money, but we’re not welcome at the game. We can’t get over that. That’s why we’re upset”. And Magic has every right to be upset. Sterling has used African American talent to make him billions. How can you slap the hands that feed you? How can it bother Sterling that Stiviano wanted to associate with “black” people, but it didn’t bother Sterling to associate with Stiviano when she is half black?

And what a hoe! Stiviano chose NOW to release this alleged tape? It’s the playoffs, and it’s playing out to be one of the best playoffs in years. Oh, of course blackmail is the motive. Sterling's legal wife has filed a lawsuit against Stiviano for being a gold-digger, also known as fraud and Stiviano told Sterling that “she would get even” with him. So far, Stiviano is winning.

The lifetime ban from the NBA sent a huge statement for zero tolerance on racial issues. Sterling will dispute the ban over an invasion of privacy and any edits that could have distorted and mislead the message in the recording. Until it is appealed, is Sterling banned from watching Basketball Wives?

Starter Jacket

On Monday, I was asked my multiple people if I had connections to Washington Wizards tickets for this weekend. Oh, so nowww the Wizards have fans! After all these years of not being able to give away tickets and then boom, everyone’s a Wizard fan around here.

If I’ve never heard you talk about “your” team, I don’t feel obligated to do you any favors just because ‘your team’ is now in the playoffs. Then, I was asked who my NBA team was and I said I love the game, but I root for players, not a team. There was a confused look staring at me. It was like a what’s wrong with you (why are you still wearing a Starter jacket) kind of look. So I had to break it down and justify my fanhood.

I’ll be honest, just because I currently live in the DMV, it doesn’t mean that I automatically root for the local teams as “my team”. (But I will never turn down a chance to go to any live sporting event.) Growing up, I was a Phoenix Sun’s fan. I still have my Sun’s Starter jacket at my parents’ house that I got while I was in middle school and yes, it still fits me!

I was eight years old when Sir Charles was traded from Philly to Phoenix. Even though a basketball was HUGE in my little hands, I still remained the only girl in the league and just knew that once my growth spurt kicked in, I’d have a full ride to play for Coach Summitt. (To this day, I’m still waiting on that growth spurt to kick in.)

I was attracted to Chuck on the court. I was in awe of his strength and dominance on the boards. Ah rebounding, something I was never able to do. But, just like Sir Charles, I wanted to be aggressive and show those boys I wasn’t scared. (I was more scared of my father who (coached most of my rec teams) would yell at me if I “played like a girl”.) Chuck was no lady, he is a comedian, but he was a beast and I loved watching him in the paint and in post-game interviews.

Once Barkley left the Sun’s and the NBA, I felt like I couldn’t pick another team. I was team Barkley and that team was on the couch eating Doritos. So I waited until there was a player who could captivate my attention. And then in 2003, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James were both drafted and for me, the NBA became exciting again. In 2007, while watching Duke vs. Davidson, I was basketball smitten by a kid who had the smoothest shot and a cocky, but humble swag about him. I was a Stephen Curry fan at first sight.

Can you just be a fan of individual players in the NBA and not have a team? YES! Is it wrong that I also root for Mark Cuban on the bench? Of course not! He’s the coolest owner in the NBA! Will I ever be loyal to one NBA team again? Do they still make Starter jackets? The simple answer is probably not. (But if Starter jackets make a come back I’m getting my twin brother and both Big and Lil Bush one for Christmas.)

Just because I don’t name an individual team as “my team” it doesn’t mean that I’m not a fan of basketball. I’ve never judged someone based on his or her NBA affiliation, I will totally judge you on being a bandwagon fan and by your NFL affiliation.

Like Father, Like Son

Bubba Watson shot a 69 in the final round at Augusta National to win his second Masters Championship and green jacket in three years. Bubba joins eight other players including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus to win multiple jackets in a short amount time.

Bubba is also the seventh golfer whose first two major wins were at the Masters.

Bubba gave Adam Scott the green jacket last year so it was only fitting that Scott gave it back to an emotional Bubba this year in Butler Cabin.

His wife and newly adopted two-year old son, Caleb were both there to witness his victory. Caleb may have stolen show as he waddled his way on to the 18^th hole in his green and white Masters attire to congratulate his dad!

Like father, like son, they both define what I like to call “Bubba Swag”.  As a lefty golfer with a pink driver, Bubba is just a different player. An SEC golfer whose golf style is known as “Bubba Golf” is more like a “freak show” according to Tim Scott, his long-time caddie.

"I can't describe it any other way," Scott said. "I've played golf with him probably 40, 50 times and every single day that I play golf with him or watch him play golf I just go, how do you do that? And I asked him on 18, after he hit the tee shot, "Are you from Mars or something? Because I don't believe you can hit these shots that you hit."

For some, golf isn’t as easy to watch as other sports. But watching Bubba is entertaining. He can’t stand still and his fidgeting demeanor makes me feel like he might be one of the most fun golfers to play with. He’s the perfect example of someone who respects the game and can still make golf fun. It’s intense with a smile.

Bubba’s three-shot victory over rookie, Jordan Spieth ended Spieth’s shot at becoming the youngest to win the Masters at 20 year-old since Tom Creavy won in 1931 at the PGA Championship.

“A small town guy named Bubba has two green jackets.  It’s pretty wild.” Said Bubba. He might be one of the most humble athletes playing today. And to celebrate his  green jacket, he ate his championship dinner at Waffle House.

Other notes about the Masters: I should just marry Adam Scott so he can be a legal citizen of the United States. I’m usually not a big fan of accents, but I decided that after watching him bogey his green jacket away that he needs to spend more time on his golf game on American soil and less time earning frequent flyer miles. I’ll do it. I’ll marry him.

The best warm up on the course goes to Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 50-year-old from Spain. He shot 71 and finished fourth. Here’s his warm up routine before the final round of the Masters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBfLieDYf0s

Way-To-Go Florida, Way. To. GO!

It’s all fun and games until you finish 3^rd in your bracket. Don’t get me wrong, some people like Brian Jones, would go to extreme measures to even place if they could. But luckily for the rest of us, this is not his league and no one is tying to keep up with the Jones’ in March Madness stats.

I play in three different March Madness tournaments; work, family and Bush’s. I won both work and my family brackets, again, but finishing 3^rd place in Bush’s league feels more like I’m on the same, low, level finish as Little Bush. (I’m pretty sure Little Bush picked Virginia Tech to win his bracket, if he even remembered to fill it out.)

In all the years of playing the only person to win back-to-back years has been the Senior Bush, Ricky. Somehow, this high school Heisman winner manages to do well every year and my guess is that he drinks a cold beer after each pick. With his second place finish this year, clearly there is some magic when you add beer with brackets.

It wasn’t about winning the money for me this year; it was all about bragging rights. Being able to join the Senior Bush as back-to-back champs would have been legendary.  How does Dennis, the guy who finished dead last in last years bracket, win this year? (Even my mom beat him last year.) Big Bush was pissed too. If the Florida /Wisconsin matchup would have happened, Big Bush could have beat the Senior Bush. (Actually, Big Bush probably just high-fived Little Bush in the back with a PB&J and called it a win for him.)

As a Tennessee fan, I do not like Florida. And now, after how painful it was to pick Florida each round and then to pick them to win the NCAA National Championship, it makes me hate Florida even more. What the jort, Florida! Individually, Florida wasn’t that special, but when they played together they were historic.

The Gators won 30 games in a row and made history by setting the nation’s longest winning streak. They also went 21-0 in the SEC beating Kentucky three times, THREE TIMES! Way to go Florida, Way-To-Go!  You let UCONN beat you at your own game. And now, a team of seniors is going to watch Kentucky; a team of one-and-done freshmen win their National Championship, historic fail!

If you’re a Florida fan, maybe you see the silver lining in this season. As Tennessee fan, I really don’t care about Florida’s feelings, I just care about my bracket and Florida ruined it for me.

But I guess as long as I beat Brian Jones, 3^rd place isn’t so bad.