Listen below to hear Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon discuss Stanford’s star QB Andrew Luck. He talks about why he should be a great pro prospect and his relation to the Luck family.
CREDIT: victorandmatt
CAPTION: Warren Moon says Stanford's Andrew Luck has everything you would look for in a QB
Please Note: “Vic’s Picks” will be posted every Saturday that will include whatever Victor from the “Victor and Matt” show has on his mind. Whether it be a prediction, an event you must watch this weekend, linking his favorite story on the web or giving kudos to a great game or play. Here is this week’s installment of Vic’s Picks:
The 2011 NBA playoffs have been nothing short of remarkable and exciting as evident with both conference final series tied at one a piece. Regardless of which teams advance to the Finals, the competitive games seen should, and I think, will continue. The Miami Heat advancing as well as the Dallas Mavericks would draw the biggest ratings. It would be a rematch of the 2006 title when the Heat came back down 0-2 to win the title. The Heat’s Big Three would need this title to silence many of their critics who deem anything less than a championship a failure, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd could use a ring to solidify their place amongst the all-time greats. The Chicago Bulls are out to prove they can carry the success of the regular season all the way to a title, the first since 1998. And with a title, Kevin Durant and company can make a claim to keeping up with the big boys. The future looks bright for the four remaining teams and as an NBA fan, I’m looking forward to see what happens next.
On Thursday, the NBA’s all-time leading score, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar basically threw the Los Angeles Lakers entire organization under the bus. After his exit interview with Lakes General Manager Mitch Kupchak, Kareem used terms like “outsider” and “sore” after not being able to get on a team plane for a playoff, which might have been a good thing, especially with how LA played this postseason, but that’s a different story. This resentment comes because Kareem doesn’t have a statue outside the Staples Center like Magic Johnson or Jerry West. I’m surprised that the all-time leading scorer doesn’t have a statue by now, but calling out the organization who ultimately will decide if you receive a shrine or not is not a bright idea. Also saying you can’t believe they asked you to take a pay cut when they are paying the coach $10 or $12 million dollars was childish. If you haven’t noticed, that coach is Phil Jackson, the greatest coach in NBA history and deserving of it. Stop pointing blame and feeling sorry for yourself. You are considered by many people to be a classy guy, buy this behavior is far from that. If you want that statue as bad as you claim, make a public apology for the comments made about the Lakers organization and you’ll probably have your ceremony before you know it. Refuse and you might be waiting quite a bit longer.
After two games, it’s obvious the winner between the Bulls and the Heat will come down to which team grabs more rebounds, knocks down open jump shots and earns more hustle points. Each team has already shown that just showing up isn’t going to be enough. With Miami stealing home court, the Heat need to hold serve if they want to win the series. In order for the Bulls to win home-court advantage back they need to find another scorer other than MVP Derrick Rose. Carlos Boozer’s play has been disappointing this postseason. Even without a solid number two scorer and mediocre play from Boozer, Chicago still dominated Game 1. This series is far from over and with two teams that have played close games throughout the season, playing seven games just seems right. Miami rides the momentum from Game 2 and continues it’s solid play in front of a ear-popping crowd and takes a 2-1 lead in the series. Miami wins a close one, 90-87.
Thanks for reading the Victor and Matt blog. Contact Victor by email at victor(at)radioexiles(dot)com. You can also follow the show (@victorandmatt) on Twitter.
Listen below to hear Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon discuss Cam Newton, why he thinks he is going into a good situation with Carolina and what the biggest challenge will be for him. Moon also talks about his future as a mentor with Newton. Please listen below– Audio Clip (3:02): Warren Moon talks about Cam Newton
For the full interview with Warren Moon listen to our latest (5.18.11) podcast show. He discusses why Jake Locker will work in Tennessee, thoughts on the NFL labor situation, his marketing company, what kind of a pro prospect Andrew Luck can be next year and why athletes need to be careful when using social media. Plus, he talks about the idea of being on a team with an openly gay person.
This week, Rick Welts, the president of the Phoenix Suns, revealed to the public that he is gay. Former Villanova basketball player, Will Sheridan, publicly announced he is gay too. Welts came forward because he wants to break down one of the last significant social barriers in sports. Since Welts is in a position of power and well respected around the league, that barrier is now one step closer to be knocked down.
While many athletes over the years have announced they are gay after they have ended their playing careers, the feeling now is that a major athlete will eventually reveal he is gay during his prime. What type of reaction would that player get from his peers, as well as the fans? If we have grown as a society, we would applaud him for making the difficult decision and not question why he decided to come out. Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moontold the Victor and Matt podcast show, “Sports has the ability to bring people together regardless of what your race is, what your political affiliation is, what your religious affiliation is.”
Even though only a few players have admitted and openly discussed being gay, the chance that a player today who might have a major role in the success of a team might be gay, but doesn’t want to admit anything for fear of how he will be treated. Asked if would have a problem with an openly gay teammate, Moon responded, “I really wouldn’t. I think I have played with a couple of players who have been gay. I know of a couple of players, who I won’t mention their names because they have not made it public yet. It really doesn’t bother me what your sexual preference is as along as you don’t bring in your sexual preferences to the locker room. I think that should be for homosexuals and heterosexuals. That’s a personal part of your life you should deal with in that way. As long as your coming to the football team and bringing a positive influence, that’s all that matters to me. Rick Welts is a guy I have known for a long time and a good friend to me at one time. I commend him for coming out. It’s too bad it’s taken this long, but if he feels comfortable to do it now, that’s great for him.”
Having an openly gay athlete should not be a huge issue. It should not be lumped in the same category as steroids in baseball or gambling in basketball because both instances involved cheating. Moon said it best about Welts, “I am proud of Rick for what he is doing.”
Now if only the rest would follow suit and accept it.
Warren Moon talks with Victor and Matt this week (Photo courtesy of Pro Football Hall of Fame)
Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon joins “Victor and Matt” to discuss Cam Newton and his role mentoring him in the future, why Jake Locker will work in Tennessee, thoughts on the NFL labor situation, his company called Sports 1 Marketing, what kind of a pro prospect Andrew Luck can be next year and why athletes need to be careful when using social media.
For the full interview with Warren Moon listen to our latest podcast show. Plus, he talks about the idea of being on a team with an openly gay person.
