Now the Vegas Insiders are ready to give out their analysis and pick for game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals where the Miami Heat will faceoff against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Arena

Get the latest predictions against the spread by calling 702-721-9704 and say code “Game 7″ for the free play.

Some interesting betting facts and statistics going into game 7 are as follows:

San Antonio is 9-3 Straight Up in its last 12 games

Game 6 Recap:

Ray Allen one of the best 3 point shooters of all time hit a 3 Pointer with seconds to spare which sent the game into overtime after Ginobli was fouled but a non call was made as time expired in the 4th quarter. The Miami Heat were down by 13 points in the third quarter with 4 minutes left to go and cut the lead down to 10 going into the fourth quarter. LeBron James came alive in the 4th with 18 of his 32 points along with his 11 assists & 10 off the boards for a triple double in game 6. Chalmers was good for 20 points and D-Wade scored 14 points. On the San Antonio Spurs front Tim Duncan had 30 points and 17 rebounds where Leonard had 22 points and 11 rebounds. The turning point in the game was when Kawhi Leonard missed 1 of 2 free throws with 30 seconds left and that allowed Ray Allen to hit the 3 pointer to send the game into overtime. Tony Parker sat out part of OT but still finished the night with 19 points and 8 assists.

The Heat was on and as soon as the crowd heard DOS MINUTOS they decided that they were not going to let the Lone Star State celebrate so quickly. This series is now tied at 3 games a piece and game 7 is taking place Thursday night in Miami.

When it comes to the late rounds of fantasy football drafts I’m looking for players who have one thing: upside. I try and collect as many lottery tickets as I can and hopefully one or two pan out. Sure you could draft a guy like Mark Ingram or Shonn Greene, who will put up decent, uninspiring numbers and ultimately not help you win your league. What they will do is take up a spot on your bench, a spot that you could be using on a player who, if given the opportunity, may blow up. So that’s the type of player I’m targeting at the end of my fantasy drafts and here are a few running backs that I think fit the mold this season.

(Assume 12 team, non-ppr, standard leagues)

Shane Vereen

The third-year back enters 2013 with his stock trending up. After flashing in limited duty in 2012, Vereen will have an opportunity to shine with Danny Woodhead now in San Diego. His three-touchdown performance against the Houston Texans in the playoffs gave us a glimpse of what could be. However, he still stands behind Steven Ridley on the depth chart.

Though given Ridley’s inconsistency (4 games of under 3 yards per carry in ‘12) and history of fumbles, there is the chance he overtakes Ridley at some point. Even if he doesn’t overtake Ridley, Danny Woodhead finished as the 24th RB in standard leagues last season so it’s realistic to expect Vereen to finish there, with the potential for more.

Mike Goodson

Goodson was looking like a trendy sleeper pick early pick early in the offseason after signing a three-year contract with the New York Jets. Though shortly after, his stock fell off a cliff. First, the Jets traded for Chris Ivory during the NFL Draft and rewarded him a contract bigger than Goodson’s. Then Goodson got arrested and was facing serious drug and weapon charges. At that point, Goodson’s fantasy stock hit rock bottom as there were rumors the Jets were considering releasing him before he ever played a down for them. However, in the time since it appears as if he will not be in as much trouble as initially suspected.

Assuming he misses no time due to suspension, Goodson is looking like a great late round flier. In limited duty, Goodson has shown great big-play ability (four plays of over 40 yards on only 51 touches in 2012) and the two times when he was given 20 carries, he eclipsed 100 yards. However, he also has the Chris Ivory hype train, which seems to be picking up steam by the day, standing in the way. While there is plenty of reason to be excited about Ivory, there is also reason to be skeptical. Ivory has a history of nagging injuries, never being able to play 16 games, has had problems with fumbling, and isn’t a factor in the passing game (an area where Goodson excels). If either of those problems shows its head in 2013 and Goodson is given an opportunity to take over the starting gig, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t give it back.

Johnathan Franklin

Eddie Lacy will get the headline, but don’t sleep on the “other” running back the Green Bay Packers selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. The rookie from UCLA slipped to the end of the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and was widely hailed as a “steal” for the Packers. The Packers, who have been searching for a competent running back for years now, and now seem to have a formidable 1-2 punch. Though Franklin will initially play behind Lacy that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth considering in fantasy drafts.

Lacy was expected to be the first back drafted but like Franklin, slipped in the draft. Lacy’s toe injury was a big concern for NFL teams. I’m also concerned that two of the smartest organizations in football, Pittsburgh and Denver, passed on him to take other running backs. I’m not usually a big fan of handcuffing in fantasy football, but this is one scenario where I think it’s necessary and if someone else takes Lacy be that guy who snags Franklin.

So there you have it. Vereen, Goodson and Franklin are three running backs that I’ll have my eye on late in fantasy drafts and you should too, unless you’re in my fantasy league. But wait, there’s more. As a bonus here is one running back that I’m avoiding in the later rounds.

Bernard Pierce

As the summer progresses, expect the Pierce bandwagon to keep on growing. I’m not hopping on though. It’s not a bet against Pierce’s talent, but rather a bet on Ray Rice. Rice has been a dominant fantasy back the past four seasons and I expect that to continue this season. Some might be concerned after he had a slightly “down” season in 2012, but he had an even worse season in 2010 then responded with perhaps his best season in 2011.

As good as Pierce is, he is not as talented as Rice. Rice has also been incredibly durable, so the only chance of Pierce receiving extended playing time is a Rice injury. I look at Pierce the same way I looked at Ben Tate last season. If you’re spending a first round pick on Ray Rice, then grab him, but if not leave him alone and let someone else be teased by his potential.

For many kids, this carries over to the next day when they dread facing the ridicule of school or team mates.

As parents, it’s easy for us to tell them that their self-esteem should be based on who they are as people instead of how well they perform in their sport. But as we all know, kids may hear us, but they are not always letting the truth sink in.

How can you help your athlete keep from falling into this demoralizing self-esteem trap?

Step 1: Respect

It all starts with respect. A rather simple concept, but one that we tend to overlook as we seek out psychological insights and self-help techniques to build up our kids’ low self-esteem. Treat your children the way you want to be treated. Model respect. Conversely, if you demean or humiliate them because they make a mistake in the game or don’t play well, they will end up resenting you and perhaps even hating the sport.

Step 2: Avoid Comparisons

Parents often make the mistake of comparing siblings or athletes. In an effort to motivate, they are actually killing motivation by making athletes feel badly. Not only that, they are encouraging intra-squad and sibling rivalries.
Step 3: Challenge, not threaten

If you really want kids to stretch themselves, you have to challenge them. As you encourage them to go for it and tell them you believe in them, it nurtures their self-esteem. Threats, on the other hand, crush self-esteem and pave the way for unhealthy relationships between you and your child.

Step 4: Constructive use of mistakes and setbacks

Setbacks and mistakes are opportunities for athletes to grow and improve. Your child should never be embarrassed or humiliated because he failed or made a competitive error. When you provide an environment where he feels safe and knows it is okay to not be perfect, you encourage him to take risks. If you jump down your child’s throat whenever he messes up, you teach him to be paranoid about his mistakes, and that diminishes self-esteem.

Step 5: Separate the individual from the group

Parents should not single out kids in front of a group when they make a mistake. When you are chatting about the game with other parents and kids, talk about the team as a whole when it comes to mistakes. If you feel it is necessary to confront your child about his error, do it in private.

Step 6: Positive reinforcement

Kids need lots of positive reinforcement. They should be praised for good effort first, and then performance. Be specific with your praise: You’re a good team player. You really hustled! That was a great play!

Be careful, however, from going overboard. Too much of a good thing loses its power. Make sure your positive feedback is sincere and meaningful, not flippant.

Step 7: Stay away from Pigeon-holing

Just because a kid is short doesn’t mean he can’t play basketball. Some of the most aggressive high school players I’ve seen play were under 6 foot. And just because someone is heavier doesn’t mean he can’t move fast. I’ve seen bigger athletes that can move very quickly.

For many kids, body image is a major contributor to a low self-esteem. You can help them accept themselves by not putting a label on them that refuses to even give them a chance. Instead of focusing on body type, focus on skills, athleticism and hustle.

Step 8: Recognize the learning process

Low self-esteem is learned. Simply telling a kid to “get over it” will not do the trick. Good self-esteem grows through personal experiences and positive feedback from parents, coaches, and peers.

If your child suffers from low self-esteem, be patient. The length of the process to gaining self-esteem is unique to each individual, but it is definitely something that can be changed for the better with your consistent love and positive guidance.

Janis B. Meredith writes a sportsparenting blog, http://jbmthinks.com. She’s been a sports mom for 20 years, and a coach’s wife for 28, and sees life from both sides of the bench. You can also follow her on facebook and twitter.

photo credit: ambergris via photopin cc

Beckham started his career with Manchester United and also played for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. He became the highest-earning player in the sport for several years.

However, Beckham faces major hurdles on two fronts: attendance and stadium location.  The Miami Fusion held matches in Fort Lauderdale from 1998 to 2001 but closed operations because of poor attendance and financial losses.  Officials from Florida International University (FIU) delivered a presentation to Beckham and members of the FIU Board of Trustees explaining the possibilities of a professional soccer team in Miami. The majority of the university’s 52,000 students are Hispanic.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

Last month, voters rejected to fund a $350 million renovation to Sun Life Stadium where the Miami Dolphins play.  Among the 60,678 voters who voted by mail or at early-voting sites, about 57 percent opposed the Dolphins’ proposal to upgrade one of the older stadiums in the National Football League (NFL).

The rejection to upgrade the stadium ultimately led the NFL to award Super Bowl 50 to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the 49ers are building a new $1.3 billion hi-tech stadium near Silicon Valley.  South Florida’s failure to land the Super Bowl is being seen as a blow to the community because it would potentially discourage new prospects in the area, such as Beckham’s proposed MLS franchise.

Fans are increasingly demanding an impressive user experience in large venues such as basketball arenas and football stadiums, according to Click Effects, an audio and visual technology firm who has worked with the Dolphins, Miami Heat, Miami Fusion, and other professional sports teams.

The Nashville-based company says that arenas and stadiums across most professional and collegiate sports view their facilities as a conduit for entertainment shows, not merely athletic contests.  Click Effects was hired for live media production for the 2013 NBA All Star Game in Houston as well as the NCAA Final Four where concerts and special appearances took place.

During May’s Super Bowl vote, at least 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners voted against South Florida in part because Sun Life Stadium is nearly 30 years old and lack the hi-tech amenities and features available at new venues.  Houston’s Reliant Stadium is less than a decade old and is already being renovated.

Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds

On May 18, the Reds sent down Tony Cingrani. Bad news for Cingrani owners – the rookie had 41 strikeouts in 33 innings, though his ERA had more than doubled from 1.50 to 3.27 in his last three starts – but great news for Cueto owners, since it meant Cueto was returning to the rotation. Cueto, who had been out with a lat strain since April 13, was scheduled to pitch May 20 in Citi Field against the Mets.   Cueto finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2012 with 19 wins and a 2.78 ERA.

Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs

Garza, who has not in the majors since July 21, 2012, was scheduled to return to action May 21 at Pittsburgh.  An elbow injury ended Garza’s 2012 season early. Though his elbow healed, he suffered a lat strain in spring training.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Weaver has not pitched since April 7, when the righthander broke his left elbow. On May 17, Weaver threw four innings in a simulated game and appeared to be close to his first rehab start. He is expected back in early June.  In 2012, Weaver won 20 games with an MLB-best 1.018, but also had a 6.8 K/9.

Josh Johnson, Toronto Blue Jays

Johnson, who has a sore triceps, has not pitched since April 21. He was scheduled to make his first rehab start on May 20 and was expected back at the end of May or in early June.   Johnson had been off to a shaky start with the Blue Jays, with a 6.86 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in four starts.

Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics

Anderson, who had been out since April 29 with an ankle injury, was almost ready to return when it was discovered that he had a stress fracture in his foot. Anderson now may not make it back before early July.

Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves

Beachy underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2012, but is on track to make it back by the middle of this June. In 13 starts in 2012, Beachy had a 2.00 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

To learn more about weekly fantasy baseball, click here.

Did you know?

Except for 2009, when he won the Cy Young with an ERA of 2.16, Zack Greinke has never finished a season with an ERA lower than 3.47.

Miguel Cabrera, 3B – Detroit Tigers

In April, Cabrera hit .363 with 28 RBI, better numbers than he had in any month when he won the Triple Crown last season.  Cabrera was the top-rated player in Yahoo! as of May 16, hitting .369 with eight homers, an MLB-leading 41 RBI and 29 runs.  Nine straight great seasons and he only just turned 30.

Ryan Braun, OF – Milwaukee Brewers

Through 34 games, Braun was putting up typical numbers in batting average (.315) and homers (eight).  His RBI (26) and runs (21) were down a bit, with Milwaukee only ranked 20th as a team in runs scored. The biggest concern, particularly for owners who took Braun over Cabrera for Braun’s speed (consecutive 30-steal seasons) was that Braun only had two steals so far in 2013.

Mike Trout, OF – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

When Trout hit .261 with two homers in April, some wondered if he was entering a sophomore slump.  Halfway through May, Trout has raised his numbers to where he is the fifth-ranked hitter in Yahoo!, with a .293 batting average, 8 homers, 27 RBI, 29 runs and 7 steals.

Matt Kemp, OF – Los Angeles Dodgers

Hamstring injuries limited Kemp to 106 games in 2012 and then he had shoulder surgery in the offseason.  Kemp had a poor spring and has continued to struggle during the season. Through 39 games, Kemp had just one homer, 15 RBI and 18 runs while hitting .282 with six steals. His OPS is just .685. Kemp did have a 14-game hitting streak through May 16 with a May average of .321. And his only homer came off of Mets phenom Matt Harvey.

Albert Pujols, 1B – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Pujols was hitting just .243 with eight homers and 28 RBI at the end of May 2012. He is off to a similarly poor start in 2013, hitting .248 with six homers and 23 RBI as of May 16. Pujols was able to finish 2012 at .285-30-105, but this season is dealing with plantar fasciitis, which has resulted in him DH-ing in 19 of 39 games. He does, however, have an .831 OPS as DH and a .659 OPS when playing first base.

To learn more about fantasy baseball daily leagues, click here.

In 2012 the NFC East was one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions, with just two wins separating the top three teams in the division. The Washington Redskins clinched the division, finishing 10-6, with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys finishing closely behind with 9-7 and 8-8 records respectively. One of the shocks of the season was the poor play of the Philadelphia Eagles, who struggled throughout the year and finished with a 4-12 record, their worst since the 1998 season. In 2013, I expect the division title to be hotly contested by New York and Washington; I expect Dallas to compete but fall short, while the Eagles will improve, but wont challenge. Ultimately, I expect Washington to clinch the division for the second consecutive year.

In the 2012 season the division-winning Redskins were hampered by injuries to several of their star players. Two-time pro bowl linebacker Brian Orakpo tore his left pectoral muscle in week two, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. As a result the Redskins were forced to rely more heavily than they would have liked upon Ryan Kerrigan as a pass rusher.

The Redskins’ poor play in the secondary can also be attributed in part to Orakpo’s injury due to the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks – the Redskins ranked twenty-ninth in passing yards allowed.

Moreover, quarterback Robert Griffin III lost his number one receiver Pierre Garçon for six games due to a foot injury, and number one tight end Fred Davis in week seven to a torn Achilles tendon. Garçon returned and played an important role in the Redskins’ seven game win streak that cemented their place atop the division. The return of both offensive and defensive playmakers in 2013 will bolster an impressive Washington roster.

The Redskins attempted to address their poor secondary in the draft by taking cornerback David Amerson (N.C State) along with safeties Phillip Thomas (Fresno State) and Bacarri Rambo (Georgia). Expect this trio to compete for starting roles in 2013, and most importantly for the Redskins, create turnovers.

Ultimately, much of the Redskins’ success depends on the recovery and subsequent play of Robert Griffin III this season. Coming off a torn ACL and LCL in his knee, Griffin III must learn to protect himself, which means learning to rely more on his arm talent than his speed. After a 2012 campaign that earned him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, I think RG3 will continue to improve, which makes Washington a formidable force in the NFC East.

The 2012 Super Bowl winning Giants couldn’t quite pull it together last season, however, they were, and still remain, the Redskins’ biggest threat for the NFC East title. Quarterback Eli Manning had another solid season, which saw him selected to his third Pro Bowl. Assuming the Giants resolve the contract dispute with Victor Cruz – which I expect them to because Cruz is one of the NFL’s most complete receivers – Eli will retain his favourite target and the Giants’ best offensive threat.

Defensively, in 2012 the Giants were poor; they ranked second worst in the NFL in average yards allowed per game, with 383.4. In order for the Giants’ to improve, Jason Pierre-Paul’s recovery from back surgery is of importance. Pierre-Paul’s production decreased in 2012 as teams constantly double-teamed him, which resulted in his sack total falling from 16.5 in 2011 to 6.5. If he can recover anything like his 2011 form, this unit’s production will improve.

Like Washington, New York’s secondary play must improve. The Giants ranked fifth in average passing yards allowed per game. This season is a make or break year for 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukamara, who has struggled to remain healthy thus far in his career, and has failed to display the ball skills to merit a first-round selection when he has played. The Giants lack a number one corner, and they drafted Amukamara to be that guy; he needs to step up this season.

I like what the Giants did in the draft this year; they got great value in the third-round with defensive end Damontre Moore (Texas A&M), and further bolstered their defensive line in the second-round with Johnathan Hankins (DT, Ohio St.). The pass rush these two can provide should ease some of the pressure on the Giants’ secondary. The Giants and the Redskins are both strong teams and it is possible that the race for the division could come down to their week seventeen meeting at the MetLife Stadium.

The 2012 Dallas Cowboys finished .500, which came as another disappointment to Jerry Jones. This offseason, the Cowboys signed quarterback Tony Romo to a six-year contract extension worth a whopping $108 million with $55 million guaranteed. After signing such a huge deal, there is great pressure on Romo’s shoulders to come in and lead the Cowboys to the playoffs. He is, however, helped by the play of Jason Witten (TE) and Dez Bryant, who is emerging as one of the game’s most talented wide receivers. Moreover, the addition of Terrance Williams (WR, Baylor) in the third-round of this year’s draft gives Romo another weapon.

In order to provide offensive balance, the Cowboys’ running game must improve after finishing thirty-first in rushing yards with 1,265 – a team total that was less than the individual total of Alfred Morris, Washington’s halfback. The health of running back DeMarco Murray is important to Dallas’ success in the running game. Murray has shown signs of greatness, however, he has been hampered by injuries in the last two years.

Another area Dallas must improve is on their offensive line. Poor play resulted in less running-lanes being opened for the team’s halfbacks and more pressure being put on Romo, who was hit seventy-five times last season. Despite the selection of Travis Frederick (C, Wisconsin) in the first-round of the NFL Draft being a reach, he does fill a need and should help their offensive line improve.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys must adapt to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Despite this switch to a four-man front, DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer will continue to provide excellent pass rush from the defensive end position. The additions of J.J. Wilcox (S, Georgia Southern) and B.W. Webb (CB, William & Mary), along with the improving Morris Claiborne should solidify the Cowboys’ secondary.

There is pressure on Dallas for immediate success, and, if it does not come, Jason Garrett’s dismissal is a possibility. Despite his large contract extension, I don’t think Romo’s play will greatly improve. Therefore, Garrett’s future may well rest on Romo’s shoulders.

The Philadelphia Eagles represent an unknown quantity in the NFC East; they have a stacked roster but they finished with a poor 4-12 record in 2012. The offseason coaching change from Andy Reid to ex-Oregon coach Chip Kelly provides more confusion over how the 2013 Eagles will play.

There is currently a quarterback battle occurring in Philadelphia, with veteran Michael Vick and second year player Nick Foles competing for the starting role. I expect Vick to emerge as the starter, however he must learn to protect the ball after throwing ten interceptions and fumbling seven times in just ten games. This year’s fourth-round draft pick Matt Barkley (QB, USC) should be the team’s third-choice quarterback this season, which will give him the chance to learn the Eagles’ offense.

Moreover, after an average 2012 season in which he missed four games due to a concussion suffered in week eleven against the Redskins, LeSean McCoy is poised for a break out season in Kelly’s offense. McCoy amassed only 840 rushing yards in twelve games, which is a poor total for a running back of his calibre. Much of the Eafles’ success depends on McCoy’s play.

Like the Cowboys, the Eagles’ offensive line must improve in 2013. The group allowed a league-high 118 quarterback hits and the NFL’s fifth highest sack total. First-round selection Lane Johnson (T, Oklahoma) brings great athleticism to the Eagles’ offensive line, and the expected return of five-time Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters from a rupture Achilles tendon should help solidify this group. Moreover, the predicted improvements of the Eagles’ offensive line will aid McCoy greatly.

The Eagles’ defense actually played better than their record suggests, finishing eighteenth in the NFL in average yards allowed per game. Look for Brandon Graham (DE/OLB) to contribute this season, along with Connor Barwin (DE/OLB) and Fletcher Cox (DT). Ultimately, it will be interesting to see how well Chip Kelly’s system transfers to the NFL.

In 2013, all NFC East teams will benefit from players returning from injury. However, I expect the Redskins to retain the NFC East. Their potent offense led by Griffin III, along with their returning starters makes them the strongest team in the division on paper. Much of their success depends on how their rookies in the secondary can play, as Washington has lacked a real enforcer at the safety position since the death of Sean Taylor in 2007. New York will make a strong push and possibly finish with a wildcard slot; I feel they will beat the Redskins in week seventeen at the MetLife Stadium, which could indeed decide the division.

Unfortunately, I feel Dallas fans – along with Jerry Jones – will be left disappointed again in 2013, and will miss out on the playoffs for a fourth straight year. Murray’s health remains an issue, and Romo can only rely upon Bryant, Witten and Terrance Williams so much. The Eagles will improve in 2013, however, they will not compete for the division title and they will remain the weakest team in the NFC East for another season. The start of the Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia signals a large change from that of Andy Reid’s era, thus Philadelphia fans must remain patient, but this team will emerge in time.

Roy Jones JR. Versus Anderson “The Spider” Silva would be amazing to say the least…

If this happens, it would be absolutely amazing. Roy Jones JR. stated that he’s willing to fight Anderson Silva in a boxing match, but it has to happen very soon.

Anderson Silva made a comment to the New York Post that he would love to have the opportunity to fight a “great champion” like Roy Jones JR.

As of right now, Anderson Silva is under contract with the UFC. However, Dana White could easily set up a match between Roy Jones Jr. and Anderson Silva if he wanted to. Hell, maybe that could be one of the fights that is going to happen at Dallas Cowboys stadium IF the Anderson Silva VS Jon Jones fight doesn’t happen.

Roy Jones JR. was once considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter out there and he says that he’s ready to make this fight happen.

I would love it … Call me and we’ll make that happen. – Roy Jones JR.

However, Roy Jones JR. did say that if they’re going to fight that it needs to happen soon. Roy Jones JR. is getting up there in age and he’s concerned about it. Unfortunately for Jones JR, Anderson Silva typically only fights twice per year. Jones says that he would love to make the fight happen right after Anderson battles it out with Chris Weidman at UFC 162 which takes places on July 6th.

Anderson Silva V.S. Roy Jones JR. in a boxing match — who would win?

I want you to let me know who you think would win in a boxing match between these two legends.

Personally, I see Roy Jones JR. taking this one. Boxing is a completely different sport. We already saw what happened when boxing legend, James Toney, entered the octagon for a MMA fight against Randy Couture. James Toney lost due to an arm triangle choke.

In May, the San Francisco 49ers announced that Levi’s had bought the naming rights to their new hi-tech stadium in Santa Clara in a 20-year deal worth $220 million.  That averages to about $11 million per season.  Levi’s has the option to extend the deal five more years for $75 million.

Candlestick Park had been the oldest stadium in the NFL.  The team’s new $1.2 billion facility will be the most hi-tech stadium in the league and will host Super Bowl L in 2016.  Cowboys Stadium near Dallas cost $1 billion and was completed five years ago.

The open stadium will feature the largest lower bowl in the league, and the entire facility will seat at least 68,500 fans.  Extensions for Super Bowl L will install a few additional seats.  Fans and visitors from throughout the Bay Area can take mass transit via buses and BART.

Credit: Commons/Wikimedia

Bike lanes will also be available for roadways near the stadium.  Fans can also check on the Internet to check traffic congestion and select the best route for getting into the stadium.  Santa Clara is located near Silicon Valley.  49ers fans will have the option to conduct transactions cash-free and ticketless.  Software engineers are also building apps for cellphones that will allow attendees to order food, watch replays, listen to audio broadcasts, and check bathroom lines from their seats.

The team has said that wireless connectivity won’t slow down despite thousands of fans connected simultaneously.  All fans will have access to fast Internet connection wherever they are seated, according to Click Effects, an audio and visual technology firm who has worked with the 49ers and other NFL teams.

The Nashville-based company says that arenas and stadiums across most professional and collegiate sports view their facilities as a conduit for entertainment shows, not merely athletic contests.  Click Effects was hired for live media production for the 2013 NBA All Star Game in Houston as well as the NCAA Final Four where concerts and special appearances took place.

However, Cowboys Stadium and Levi’s Stadium are expected to have premium audio/visual content delivery systems at every event, whether during football games or at seasonal events such as motorcross or wrestling.  The 49ers new stadium will have some of the largest high-definition jumbotrons in the league.

In terms of funding, $800 million will be provided through seat and luxury box sales.  As mentioned, a total of $220 million will come from the naming rights agreement with Levi Strauss and Co.

The San Antonio Spurs are 12-2 in the nba playoffs and have not played a game since May 27th. The Spurs last won an NBA title in 2007. The craziest fact about this series is that it has not one but four NBA Final MVPs dating back to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to Dwayne Wade when he and Shaq won a title and finally Lebron James with his victory last year. Since 1999 the Spurs have taken home just as many NBA championships as there are past MVPs playing. During the regular season when these two teams met both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili sat and when the Spurs hosted the Heat Lebron James, Mario Chalmers, and Dwayne Wade were resting. This means that this will be a fresh matchup with a lot of surprises that we have no idea what to expect.

According to leading Las Vegas, Nevada sports stats website  the San Antonio Spurs are 6-1 against the spread in their last 7 road games and the Miami Heat are winless in their last 5 games ATS following a straight up win. The under has hit 13 times out of the last 16 away games for the Spurs while the under is 20-5 in the last 25 games.

Other interesting facts to note for those who may be interested in betting on the various proposition bets available: Lebron James has scored as many as 36 points in a game and his worse game was in the Chicago Bulls second round series of the 2013 NBA playoffs when he accumulated just 19 points. Dwayne Wade has only had 20 points 2 out of 15 games but he has also been doing an excellent job working the ball around the court and leading with assists. If Tony Parker scores more then 20 points then there is a 90% chance of the Spurs winning that game.

Current betting odds have the total at 189 points – 2 points higher then the 187 it opened at and the Miami Heat favored by 5.5 points.

Pick – Heat in 7 games.

In the 2012 season, the Kansas City Chiefs finished 2-14, which was the worst record in the NFL. Consequently, the Chiefs parted ways with general manager Scott Pioli and replaced him with John Dorsey, while Andy Reid became the new head coach. The Chiefs also made some key offseason acquisitions that will improve their team. The addition of Alex Smith (QB) via free agency and the drafting of Eric Fisher (T, Central Michigan) with the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft fill great needs for the Chiefs. As a result of these offseason moves, along with others, I think the Chiefs will be one of the most improved teams in 2013.

The Chiefs, despite their 2-14 record, don’t actually have a bad roster; in fact they have one of the stronger rosters in the AFC West. In 2012 the Chiefs had six players selected for the pro bowl. To put that in perspective, that is the same number as the Washington Redskins who finished the season with a 10-6 record and won the NFC East. The pieces are there in Kansas City, but as with all teams in the NFL, a large portion of a team’s success depends on the play of their quarterback.

In 2012 the Chiefs finished twenty-fourth overall in offensive yards per game. This low ranking was due to poor play at the quarterback position from Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn, which saw the Chiefs rank rock bottom in in passing yards. Clearly, the Chiefs needed to address the quarterback position in the offseason. They did this by trading a second round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and a conditional pick in the 2014 NFL Draft to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for veteran Alex Smith. As NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus reported, Smith has already impressed coaches in Kansas City with his leadership and football IQ. Smith, who led the 49ers to a 13-3 record and the NFC Championship game in 2011, instantly improves the Chiefs’ offense. He will help reduce turnovers and will provide Dwayne Bowe with the service he has been craving for years in Kansas City.
Perhaps the only highlight of the Chiefs’ offensive play in 2012 was their rushing offense. The Chiefs finished fifth in the NFL in rushing yards, with their top rusher Jamaal Charles achieving the fourth highest rushing yards total with 1,509 yards. With teams being forced to defend against an improved passing attack led by Smith, I expect the Chiefs’ rushing game to continue to be dominant.

On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs are strong. Despite Kansas City’s defense finishing twentieth in the NFL in yards allowed per game, and twenty-fifth in the NFL in points allowed per game in the 2012 season, I feel this unit is much better than where it ranked last year. It boasts names such as Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, Eric Berry and Brandon Flowers who are all difference makers. In 2013, this unit’s play should improve as the play of the offense improves. The offense will score more points and Smith’s game managing skills will enable the Chiefs’ defense to rest more during the game, resulting in improved play.

Expect second year defensive tackle Dontari Poe’s play to continue to improve. After a strong rookie season in which he posted thirty-eight combined tackles, Poe will continue to anchor the Chiefs’ defensive line from the nose tackle position. Moreover, the addition of Sean Smith from the Miami Dolphins gives the Chiefs another starter to line up opposite Brandon Flowers at cornerback. This defense is solid, and I expect their play to greatly improve in 2013.

So, will the Chiefs be a play off team in 2013? Many experts have predicted that this could be the case, and I think that even though it’s a long shot, it is possible. The Denver Broncos will likely be AFC West champions again in 2013, and I don’t expect the Chiefs – or anyone else in the AFC West – to beat them. However, Kansas City does have winnable games, particularly against their division rivals the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. Moreover, in weeks one and three, the Chiefs travel to Jacksonville and Philadelphia respectively, two games which are winnable. Other games that the Chiefs could win include games with the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills. Consequently, I feel the Chiefs could finish 9-7, which may be enough for them to achieve a wild card berth. However, much of this depends upon how quickly Andy Reid’s new team can adapt to his style of play. Ultimately, Reid has a winning record as a coach, and he has all the pieces in place in Kansas City to resurrect this franchise.

That said, it’s a great idea to get your kids active early on, and with summer break coming up they’ll have a lot of free time to put towards something like sports. There are more ways than one to get your kid started but here are a few suggestions that can get the ball rolling.

Sports Camp

There are tons of summer sports camps around that you can sign your child up for. These are great if you’re working long days and don’t have a lot of free time to spend looking after your kids uring the day. Also, one of the best parts about this is that it really encourages your kid to make friends and learn how to work with others.

Hire a Coach

If you are serious about your kid getting into a specific sport, hiring a coach may be the best way to get them going with a strong base in the fundamentals. There are coaches that do group lessons with other kids which is a great alternative to private one on one lessons which tend to be more expensive and stressful for your child.

The most important thing to think about when considering this option is how your child feels about getting these lessons. It should be an activity that they enjoy and look forward to, which depends heavily on finding the right coach for your child. Make sure you talk with your child and get feedback from them because after all, they are the ones going through the lesson, not you.

Teach Them Yourself

There’s nothing better than spending quality time with your child and sharing your passion for sports with them. Having enough energy and time is always going to be an issue for busy parents, but you should always remember that they’re only kids once and you’re not going to get the time back once it passes you by.

In the end, it’s all about getting your kids active and giving them a chance to grow through sports, so talk to them and see what they’re interested in. You both will be happy to see the results after it’s all said and done.

This article was written by Andrew Poon of the Bluefields Coaching Blog.

Over the last few seasons, the NFC West has developed from one of the weakest divisions to what is now arguably the strongest division in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers were division champions and Super Bowl runners up in the 2012 season, but they will not have an easy task repeating this feat due to the play of the revitalised Seattle Seahawks franchise, which won a wild card spot in the play offs last year and made it to the divisional round. Granted, both the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals are improving teams, however, Seattle are by far the biggest threat to San Francisco’s title hopes. Seattle’s 11-5 record was nearly good enough to clinch the NFC West; they only finished one tie behind San Francisco’s 11-4-1 record, after they tied their week ten game with St. Louis. After another solid offseason by both teams, predicting the winner of the NFC West is a difficult task.

This offseason, the 49ers have made some good acquisitions that should help them stay atop the NFC West. The trade for Anquan Boldin, one of the most reliable pass catchers in the NFL, gives Colin Kaepernick another weapon on the outside. This trade gives the 49ers arguably the best receiving corps in the National Football League.

However, last Wednesday during OTAs, Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon and, as a result, Kaepernick has lost his best receiver for what will seemingly be the majority of the season.

Moreover, the 49ers drafted receiver Quinton Patton in the fourth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft, giving them another good receiver. In light of Crabtree’s injury, Patton should see significant playing time.

After losing starters Dashon Goldson and Ricky Jean-Francois to Tampa Bay and Indianapolis respectively via free agency, the 49ers headed into the draft with serious needs at safety and on the defensive line. These needs were filled with selections of Eric Reid (S, LSU) with the eighteenth overall pick, and Cornellius Carradine (DE, Florida State) with the fortieth overall pick. Reid is a physical safety who possesses good coverage skills and tackling ability. If Carradine can recover fully from his torn anterior cruciate ligament injury, he will be another quality lineman to add to a group that already boasts the likes of Justin Smith.

In short, the 49ers have made some good moves this offseason, replacing expensive players, such as Goldson, with younger players who can contribute this season, along with adding more depth. The 49ers’ roster is one of the most complete in the NFL.

However, despite the stellar work of the 49ers offseason, the division rival Seahawks also had a positive offseason.

Perhaps the biggest move of Seattle’s offseason – and one of the biggest moves in the whole of the NFL this offseason – was the trade with Minnesota for the dynamic wide receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin is a playmaker that has the ability to turn the slightest defensive mistake into a touchdown with his speed and elusiveness. He caught 62 passes for 677 receiving yards in nine games in 2012 with Christian Ponder as his quarterback; imagine his numbers with Russell Wilson throwing him the ball. Harvin’s addition gives Seattle one of the best and most versatile receivers in the NFL – Pete Carroll even plans to use him as a running back!

This year’s second-round pick Christine Michael (RB, Texas A&M) could be a great pick if he plays down character concerns that damaged his stock entering the 2013 Draft – he had issues with A&M coaching staff in 2012 which lost him playing time. I think he will prove to be a solid back up behind the beast that is Marshawn Lynch.

Moreover, the Seahawks’ only obvious position of weakness in 2012– albeit it wasn’t very weak – was their pass rush, which was solidified by the acquisitions of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, who combined for 18.5 sacks in 2012. The defensive line was further solidified by the addition of Jesse Williams (DT, Alabama) in the fifth-round of the draft. Williams would have been taken much higher than the fifth-round were it not for his late season knee injury. If he can get healthy for this season, he will be a solid addition to the interior of Seattle’s defensive line.

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the free agent addition of veteran Antoine Winfield from Minnesota gives the Seahawks another starting-calibre cornerback to line up alongside Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, one of the NFL’s better defensive back pairings, in the nickel-back role. Like the 49ers, the Seahawks boast one of the most complete rosters in the NFL.

So, who will win the division? Firstly, I’d like to point out that these teams are both stacked. Regardless of who claims the NFC West, both will still make the play-offs.

However, I have to favour Seattle. I like what their front office did in the offseason more than what San Francisco did and as a result, Seattle has the stronger roster of the two. I would also argue that the likes of Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Christine Michael give the Seahawks more explosive players on offense.

Rosters aside, the Seahawks’ home form last season was perfect; they went 8-0, whereas the 49ers were beaten at home by the New York Giants in week six, and suffered another setback in the week ten tie with St. Louis.

When it comes down to it and the two teams face each other – in Seattle on September 15^th and in San Francisco on December 8^th – I think the Seahawks will win, although I don’t expect Seattle to produce another blow out win such as their 42-13 week sixteen victory.

Moreover, Michael Crabtree’s injury will make a difference to the 49ers season. Until his return, Colin Kaepernick will be lacking his number one receiver who accounted for twice as many receptions as anyone else on the 49ers offense in 2012. Would I have predicted differently if Crabtree were healthy? No. Although I feel his injury does affect the 49ers, I think the Seahawks’ secondary is good enough to compete regardless of whether Crabtree is on the field or not.

Nike had already made moves to distance itself from Lance Armstrong, and now its announced it will stop making its line of Livestrong products at the end of 2013. Nike dropped Armstrong’s personal sponsorship last Fall when the cyclist admitted to years of performance enhancing drug use. The cancer survivor also stepped down as chairman of his cancer charity, Livestrong, after delivering an apology to the staff.

He said, “I think it’s pretty sad that so many Americans only feel patriotic shortly after a national tragedy or acts of terrorism like 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombings. We should feel patriotic every time the national anthem is played.”

I couldn’t agree with him more. The national anthem isn’t something we have to put up with before the game starts. It’s a time to reflect and show appreciation for the opportunity to live in a free society. It’s pretty sad that the Kiss Cam gets more attention than the flag does during the national anthem.

Another thing my friend said was, “It made me wonder if dads today are telling their kids why they need to take off their hats and cover their hearts.”

So now I’m asking you…

Do You Tell Your Son To Remove His Hat During The National Anthem?

Do you lead by example?

Does Your Son Know Why He Should Remove His Hat?

This isn’t a time to play the “Because I said so” card. After the Anthem is over, tell him why removing his cap is so significant. It defeats the purpose of having him take off his hat if he has no clue why he’s doing it. (If you’re curious about when playing the national anthem before sporting events became a tradition, here’s a good brief article on it.)

What Properly Observing The National Anthem Teaches Kids

It’s OK for some things to get lost with each passing generation, but patriotism should not be one of those things. Far too many men and women have given their lives for that to happen.

When we teach our kids why they need to remove their hats and properly observe the flag during the playing of our national anthem, here’s what else we can teach them in the process:

• Understanding
  The freedom we are fortunate enough to live with is anything but free. Talk to your kids about what it took for our nation to be the “land of the free” and “home of the brave.” Help them understand the sacrifice so many members of our military have made and continue to make every day.
• Appreciation
  Once they understand the sacrifices it takes to live in a free society, help them appreciate it. Put it in a context they’ll understand. Talk to them about the thousands of kids who will never see their dad or mom again because they lost their lives fighting for our freedom and safety.
• Pride
  Being an American is like being on the roster of the greatest team in the world. The national anthem is our team’s fight song. The flag is our team logo. Be proud of your home team.
• Unity
  Regardless of political or religious beliefs and financial status, we’re all Americans. We may disagree on 10 out of 10 topics, but one thing we can all agree upon is that we love this country and want what’s best for it. I wish we could all treat each other with the love and respect we shared after 9/11. That was one nation united like I’ve never seen before. It was awesome. When the national anthem plays at sporting events, I can still feel a glimmer of that unity within the stadium. We owe it to our kids and to our country to raise them to show and feel that kind of unity with their fellow Americans.

This Memorial Day Weekend

I don’t know how soon you’ll be with your son at a professional sporting event, but I’m guessing you’ll be with him over this Memorial Day weekend. Make sure he knows why you get to be off work on Monday. Make sure he understands that while you guys are talking and enjoying your day, American Soldiers are risking their lives around the world so that he can grow up with opportunities to do anything he sets his mind to.

And make sure he knows why, at the next game you guys attend together, he will be removing his hat and properly saluting the flag during the national anthem.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend with your family.

(Special Thanks to “A&B Woods, Inc.” for the idea behind this post.)

Kevin Duy is a Sports Dad of three boys & creator of www.SportsDadHub.com – a website where you can fuel your child’s passion for sports (without burning him out.) Learn how to help your child become the best athlete HE wants to be, and use sports to teach life lessons along the way. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and Twitter.

After 13 seasons, legendary Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher says he will retire from the NFL, capping off what many believe is a Hall of Fame-bound career. Urlacher announced his retirement over Twitter. “It was an honor to play my entire career for the @ChicagoBears,” leaving a link to a long description further explaining his departure.

ESPN, the top dog in sports, may have just trimmed its roster. ESPN has acknowledged the layoffs, which could encompass 300 to 400 people. “We are implementing changes to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs…” That 400 number comes from Deadspin, a frequent critic of the company, who said the employees were set to be told Tuesday, and spoke to one laid off employee. He said he was let go for profit margins, without warning, and received a severance package.

The film’s director, Michael Bonfiglio, was kind enough to talk to me about the film, its origins, and the filmmaking process.

Read this, then watch that. Or watch that, then read this. Your call!

John: How did you get this project going? Did ESPN pitch you? Or were you pitching ESPN?

Mike: It actually was sort of a weird thing. I work with @Radical Media and one of the executive producers here, a guy named Dave O’Connor, he came to @Radical from ESPN. For years when he worked at ESPN, he and a bunch of his colleagues over there had been talking about doing a Bo Jackson film. Everyone at ESPN was a really big fan and about one year ago, they decided they wanted to do it. ESPN had two criteria for the film. They wanted to focus primarily on Bo’s professional career and they wanted to make sure that the Nike campaign was a part of the film, since it was such an iconic campaign and part of Bo’s story. Those were really the only two directives that I was given.

@Radical has long-standing relationships with a lot of advertisers including Nike and Wieden and Kennedy, who was the ad agency for Nike. So, it was sort of a natural fit to bring it to @Radical. So, they came to Dave, who’s now an EP here at @Radical, and they talked to a bunch of directors here. For whatever reason, Dave decided that he would trust me to be the guy to do it. And, ESPN went along and agreed. We were off and running from there.

I’m not a sports guy. I’m… I’ve never been much of a sports fan. I don’t know much about sports at all. I really kind of just knew Bo from just being alive at that time, you know. I was a young teenager when he was at his height. And, so I knew the Bo Knows campaign. I knew he was that guy who plays baseball and football. But that was pretty much it. So I just started diving into research. I watched tons of highlights online. I read his autobiography. I read a couple of other books about him, one really great one called “Bigger Than the Game” by Michael Weinreb, who’s in the film.

I came up with this sort of take on it which was, based on everything that I’d read about Bo, the thing that just kept coming up again and again and again, in the way that people talk about him, was that he was just like this superhero, and I thought that was kind of cool. Because, I think, I don’t really like sports, but I like sports movies, and I like superhero movies, so let me make that. So I pitched that back to ESPN and they were totally into it and so we kind of just took it from there.

Director Michael Bonfiglio

The thing that was initially really challenging about it was that, you know, “30 for 30″ has been such a good series and the bar was set really high. I’d seen a few of the films before the project came to me, I’d seen them and I thought they were great. I started watching more of them when I got this project and was basically like, “Oh, fuck, (laughs) this, you know, there is a really high bar to these things, you know?”

John: (Laughs) Right.

Mike: Before I hit on the whole superhero/legend concept, the thing that was sort of daunting about it was that it was, in so many of the “30 for 30” stories, there’s this kind of dark underbelly. They tend to focus on stories that have a lot of drama and that often have a dark side to them. And it’s great. But everything that I could find about Bo, everything that I read about him and watching highlights and watching everything on Bo I could find… It was just like, “This guy’s great”, you know, and I was almost secretly hoping that he had fallen off the rails and was living in a dumpster someplace…

John: (Laughs)

Mike: …But instead, he was always really smart about his money and he was a professional business man, and he lives very comfortably. He has a happy domestic life. He’s just totally fine. He has a really nice life. So I was wondering, “What is this thing?” Where’s the drama? And then I realized that the apparent “perfection” of Bo is actually where the story was. I wanted to examine the creation of a legend.

John: Yeah.

Mike: The way everybody now talks about Bo is that he’s this larger than life figure and an almost impossible character, so that was really interesting to me. How are legends created? That, to me, is kind of what the movie is about, as much as it is about Bo.

John: Got you, got you. Well, it’s great, man. How did you go about… did you put together an outline with act breaks you thought were going to come up when you were researching? Or did you kind of go along with what people were telling you when you’re actually shooting?

Mike: Another challenge of it too was this – it was a story that had happened basically 20 years ago and really since Bo retired, there have been no real updates in the story. He’s just lived a very normal life. And, so, I was like, OK, well what is this story? There isn’t really anything new for hardcore fans of Bo. You’re not going to find anything new in “You Don’t Know Bo” that isn’t in his autobiography, or in other articles or other things that are already out there.

John: Um-hmm (affirmative).

Mike: And that initially to me was kind of scary, because it was like, well, this is a story that’s already been out there for 20 years. Initially I was like, “Oh, fuck. There’s just nothing new to say about this.” But what I realized in talking to people was that people didn’t really know the story and enough time had passed that it was fresh, even though all the stories are old. There’s no journalistically uncovering new information in the film. It’s all been out there and I decided that my job was to just to kind of synthesize it into something exciting and tell it in a fresh way. I was encouraged when I would talk to people, mostly younger people in their 20′s and younger, and my 13- and 16-year old cousins were like, “Who’s Bo Jackson?” That became kind of interesting to me. Here’s this guy who was, you know, the most famous person in the country for a while and he’s kind of forgotten. That was part of what gave me the idea for the title “You Don’t Know Bo” – younger people literally didn’t know who he is.

And in my mind, the fact that he had been somewhat forgotten – or certainly seemed to be at risk of being forgotten – opened up the story even more, and freed me up to not worry about delving into statistics and things. Sure, many people could make the case that his numbers or whatever weren’t as impressive as the visceral experience of watching him or remembering him, but I was kind of like, “Who cares?” People can debate his ranking among the greats on Twitter or wherever. The film is about the way he captured the imaginations of a generation and how he lives on in our memories. The statistics don’t matter.

So, basically, the really iconic plays were there, and in the film I kind of just built around that. And, to me, in reading his story, a very clear narrative came about that mirrored the great superhero stories – this idea of the kind of urban legends that surrounded him.

John: Yeah.

Mike: Um, his sort of origin story as a little kid, you know, having this like superhuman strength, and killing the boars with rocks as he’s jumping over a 40-foot ditch, and that kind of stuff.

John: (laughs) Yeah.

Mike: And then he goes to Auburn and basically takes this underdog team and almost single handedly puts them on top and beats Alabama. It was all just there.

John: That’s great. Yes, it’s interesting because at the beginning of the movie, you know, I’m watching it again, and I’m wondering – he never talked about working out. No one’s ever saying, “Oh, yeah, he was doing squats all day.” It’s like he’s just a fucking freak. It’s amazing. (laughs)

Mike: He’s just like from the planet Krypton, or something like that.

John: Yeah, totally. It’s … It’s … It’s nuts. It’s amazing and, yeah. All those stories are sorta like, wow! (laughs)

Mike: (laughs) …and those stories are fun.

John: He’s … He’s got … He got … He got his arm strength from …

Mike: You know, they’re fun. Like …

John: Yeah.

Mike: I had the narrative mapped out before we went in. I wrote up like a five page treatment or something for ESPN before we started shooting and they were like, “Great! Go shoot that.” And I was like, cool. So, I (laughs) I did. ESPN was just amazing to work with.

And then every single person that I interviewed, everybody with the way that they talked about Bo, like they just light up and there’s this enthusiasm and excitement that fills people when they talk about him.

The thing that really got me excited was the way that people had just extraordinary enthusiasm when they talked about him. Their … their faces light up and their whole bodies would light up, like, “Oh my god, you wouldn’t believe, he’s so amazing.” And so I wanted a film that reflected that kind of enthusiasm and, along with that enthusiasm, comes this almost unbelievable kind of a legendary quality. The film sort of reflects that, or that’s what I was trying to do anyway.

I remember having a conversation very early on with Jonah Moran, who edited the film, and we were saying, “Let’s try and make the most sports movie-est sports movie ever. Let’s not worry about being cliché or over the top – that will be part of the fun.” And there was something so fun about approaching a documentary that way.

John: Yeah, I think so. Definitely. Was Bo already on board when ESPN was talking about it, or did you have to go out and try to get him?

Mike: When they decided to green-light the film, we didn’t know if Bo was going to do it or not. He was kind of on the fence. He’s a really busy guy with all of his various businesses and philanthropic ventures, and he’s never been really into talking to the press. Michael Weinreb quotes Bo as telling him, “I know how to feed you press people – with a long-handled ladle.” You know, he always kept the press at bay.

John: (laughs)

Mike: We really didn’t know if he was going to do it or not but we were going to make the film with or without him. I’m so glad, obviously, that he’s in it. I think it would have been a real shame if he hadn’t. I don’t think the film would be even a fraction of what it is without him. Around this time last year, he did a charity bike ride called “Bo Bikes Bama”…

John: Oh, right, right, right.

Mike: …to raise money for the tornado victims in Alabama. Dave met with him there and he seemed inclined to do it. He was mostly just interested in “OK, how much of my time do you need?” We didn’t really know. His involvement could change the film in a huge way, you know what I mean? I mean, do you follow him around for a few weeks and shoot verité of what his life is like now post-athletics? To me that was never really that interesting because he’s such a, on the surface, such a regular guy. His life is a very regular life now.

John: Hmmm.

Mike: And I think it was clear that he didn’t want to spend a lot of time on the film from his work and his family…

John: Right.

Mike: So we did one interview and then after the interview I asked him if we could come over to the house and just shoot him, you know, shooting arrows or get some sense of his life now.

John: Yeah. Yeah.

Mike: And that’s the stuff that’s at the end of the film – which I was really glad that he let us shoot. We shot all of that in a couple of hours.

John: That stuff’s great when he’s making the arrows and he’s talking about the Man Cave and all of that.

Mike: Yeah. Yeah.

John: Naw, that’s fantastic. I love that stuff.

Mike: Yeah. It’s really fun, but I also think it has a sort of melancholy to it, which I really like.

John: How did… when he’s talking about his mother’s death and the first hit for her when he made his comeback, was he… did you have to kind of… I don’t know what the right word is, but did you cajole or coax that out of him? Was he willing to talk about it?

Mike: To be honest with you, I don’t remember. I’d like to take credit for it, but I’m really not sure I did very much. I’ve been doing a lot of interviews over the past couple of years with really high-level people. I’m kind of proud of my interviewing skills at this point. I feel like it’s one of my few, if any, strengths.

John: (laughs)

Mike: And as a documentary maker, I think I’m pretty good at interviewing and drawing emotion out of people and stuff like that. But, with Bo, I didn’t know what to expect from him when we showed up for the interview…

John: Um-hmm (affirmative).

Mike: From everything that I’d heard, he was not like somebody who really likes doing all the interviews. He sat down in the chair and we had a pretty elaborate setup. We did it with the, you know, the Interrotron, and it was all giant green screen and we had him set up on this riser, and we had two cameras, and we had a dolly on site. It was a fairly impressive looking set to come sit down in, which was important I think in making it clear to him that this wasn’t just some little interview – we were making a real film about him. And he walked in and he sat down, and we started. And he just held court. I mean, I … I …

John: (laughs)

Mike: I asked fewer questions of him than I had anticipated. I mean, I had pages and pages of questions and I think the first question… I can’t remember what the first question was that I asked him, but it was something very simple, and he started talking, and like 10 minutes later, I was thinking, “Oh, my god, this guy’s amazing.”

John: (laughs)

Mike: He has brain power [John: I don’t think this is what I said. Maybe “He’s a great storyteller.”?] I think the whole interview lasted maybe three and a half hours, and I asked far fewer questions than I had anticipated. He just seemed to be really into it. I think he must have just been at a place in his life where he was ready to sit down and talk about it, you know?

John: Yeah.

Mike: So he was a dream interview subject. And he was really willing to go pretty much anywhere including the more emotional stuff. And that moment where he talks about his long home run for his mom, it gets me every time, really…

John: Yeah.

Mike: It’s really, really touching.

John: Yeah. And to have this man, this man who is one of the strongest, biggest, fastest men in the history of America and maybe the world, on the verge of tears talking about his mom, it’s a beautiful moment. Goes beyond sports or anything else.

END PART ONE

The second part of this interview with “You Don’t Know Bo” director Michael Bonfiglio will be posted next week.

Thanks, again, to Mike for taking the time to talk “Bo” with me!

Annoying

There’s a third twist to the annnoyances: parents annoying other parents.

After writing posts for Coachup on parents annoying athletes, and parents annoying coaches, I was reminded by readers that parents should be mindful of how they annoy other parents. So I asked for some feedback and this is what parents claimed to be the most annoying behaviors by other parents.

Coaching from the stands.

One parent said, “I’ve seen kids stop playing to try and listen to what mom or dad is saying in the crowd.”

“It’s one thing to cheer,” claims another parent. “ It’s another thing to yell and get pissed off with every little mistake. It’s it uncomfortable for all.”

“Parents should not give tactical or playing direction,” explains a mom. “Leave that to the coach; your job is to encourage only.”

Constant yammering at the officials, coaches, players.

“If you know so much, get out there and help,” says a frustrated sports parent.

Verbally putting down their child, especially in front of the team. It’s awkward for everyone witnessing this and embarrassing for your child.

Intimidating a child on the opposing team. “I’ve seen parents stand too close to the court and clap loudly about the opponent’s mistakes, trying to intimidate them, it seems,” recalls a dad.

In my opinion, that is a poor display of sportsmanship and a huge display of immaturity.

Criticizing the play of kids on your own team. One mom claims that she’d often hear another mom moaning and saying critical things to players on her daughter’s team who made a mistake. “Seriously? I so wanted to tell her to shut up! And on top of all that, she always blamed other players for her daughter’s ‘mistakes.’ Like if her daughter didn’t catch a basketball pass, it was because she was thrown a bad pass, not because she dropped it!”

When my kids played sports, I often sat away from the cluster of parents so I didn’t have to listen to their nonsense. I found it more than annoying; it often angered me and I was afraid I’d say something I’d regret to an obnoxious parent.

How about you? What do you do when spectating parents are annoying during your child’s game?

Janis B. Meredith writes a sportsparenting blog, http://jbmthinks.com. She’s been a sports mom for 20 years, and a coach’s wife for 28, and sees life from both sides of the bench. You can also follow her on facebook and twitter.

photo credit: modernowl via photopin cc

Germany have always been at the forefront of European football, not only have they produced performances at domestic level which are rivalled by many teams throughout the continent but they’ve been fairly successful on the international stage too. Most recently Germany’s international team was represented by no less than 12 players who have only played 1 or 2 games for the club. With the success of the two German Clubs in this years Champions League and the impact on the youth players at International Stages, it begs us to ask the question that if the work that is going on behind the scenes at many of the German Clubs domestically is what is the key factor in aiding there success? Of course, with the benefits of having huge financial benefit on the clubs involved by participating in these competitions it also helps. The below infographic takes a further insight into how and where the players of the last 20 years have developed, and offers a detailed focus on whether other countries may be missing out with their youth policies at home.

The question that should be on each of the domestic associations lips is “Are we investing enough into Youth Development in our country? And is the impact widespread rather than only displayed within certain regions?”.

Source: The Soccer Store

Now, as the president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, Charchian has seen the evolution of the game to the point where some 33 million players in the United States can see the touchdown just scored on television reflected in their matchup in a matter of seconds. And it’s cutting-edge technology that could create a whole new way of playing fantasy football.

“From the beginning, live scoring has been the killer app for fantasy sports and it’s gotten to a point where you can’t consider going into the marketplace without having that as an option,” Charchian says.

As fantasy football transitioned from the pen-and-paper era to the Internet, live scoring was somewhat of a premium – Yahoo!, for example, charged for it. But when sites like CBS and ESPN offered it for free, Yahoo! did it as well. “It was sending people to other services like ESPN, and secondarily, it became easier to offset the cost because the fantasy marketplace grew,” Charchian says.

Those numbers you see filling up your scoreboard every Sunday are thanks to STATS LLC, the Illinois-based company that works with Yahoo! to deliver live data, something they continue to focus on making as fast as possible.

“Our challenge on this side as we’ve delivered live data to more and more clients is we have to scale to deliver that load without adding any latency,” says Jim Corelis, STATS’ VP of product development. “Our customers want the data before you can see it on TV, which is possible with the video lags. And we’re delivering it as fast. We’ve put in a lot of redundancy in our systems to make sure that we handle the load from our perspective.”

Those immediate stats, however, are starting to go beyond yards, touchdowns and two-point conversions. Corelis explained that the company can now provide predictive analytics immediately. “So it’s not just what happened,” he explains, “but what’s going to happen next.”

That means there could be a growth in popularity with a type of fantasy game that doesn’t just allow users to change their lineup before the start of games. Instead, an owner could have a situation in which he or she subs out players on every offensive drive or every quarter. Those predictive analytics would be extremely useful in making decisions on who should move in and out of the lineup – let’s say you own a pair of running backs on the same team and you want to pick the one more likely to score in the red zone. Those stats could help make that decision much easier.

In other words, it’s going to make fantasy that much closer to reality.

This offseason, the Miami Dolphins have been given a lot of attention for being one of the most aggressive teams in both free agency and the NFL Draft. Despite the loss of some veteran players such as Jake Long, the additions of potential difference makers on both sides of the ball have led some to believe that the Dolphins may be set for a break out year.

In the NFL, a quarterback-driven league, a large amount of a team’s success depends on the play of their quarterback. Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins’ 2012 first-round draft pick, came in and played fairly well at quarterback last season; he threw for 3,294 yards, twelve touchdowns and thirteen interceptions. Tannehill seemed to improve every week and led the Dolphins to a 7-9 record, which was an improvement on the team’s 6-10 record in 2011. Tannehill was no RG3, Andrew Luck, or Russell Wilson, but he was solid.

This offseason, the Dolphins’ front-office added offensive weapons Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson to their receiving corps in order to aid Tannehill’s development, as well as re-signing of Brian Hartline. Wallace is one of the best downfield threats in the NFL today and is a true speedster. His ability to take the top off a defence should enable the Dolphins’ run-game to flourish, whilst giving Tannehill a legitimate number one receiver. The addition of Brandon Gibson gives Tannehill another reliable receiver, despite the fact that he’s not a “big name”, unlike Wallace. Gibson had his best season for the St. Louis Rams in 2012, with 691 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Moreover, Miami also retained the services of Brian Hartline, their best receiver in 2012, who recorded a team-high 1,083 receiving yards. Clearly, their receiving corps is in good shape, thanks to some good offseason work by the Dolphins’ front office. With the help of these receivers, Tannehill’s play should continue to improve, which could result in the Dolphins being an aerial force in the AFC East.

Despite the fact that the Dolphins failed to retain the services of Reggie Bush, their top rusher in 2012, they may well be set at running back. Both Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller remain on the roster, and the addition of Mike Gillislee in the fifth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft should provide competition in training camp. I’m quite a fan of Gillislee, who seems to be an all-around solid back. If one or two of these running backs can step up this season, the Dolphins should achieve good balance on offense. Don’t be surprised if Gillislee emerges as Miami’s first-choice running back during training camp.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Dolphins have also managed to improve. The addition of ex-Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan gives the Dolphins another explosive pass-rusher, capable of making big plays. Along with Cameron Wake, Jordan’s addition gives Miami one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL, and should result in Wake’s productivity increasing, as offensive coordinators will also have to account for Jordan in their game plans. Dannell Ellerbe’s addition gives the Dolphins a quality linebacker with a winning pedigree who should come in and contribute right away. Moreover, the addition of cornerbacks Brent Grimes, via free agency, and Jamar Taylor in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft fill a huge need for the Dolphins after the loss of Sean Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs. Grimes is recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury, however, if he returns to his pre-injury form, he may well be one of the steals of free agency. Taylor has all the skills to become an effective NFL cornerback: he has good size, he’s quick, and he can cover and make tackles well. I expect him to emerge behind Grimes as the Dolphins’ number two cornerback.

So, what should we expect from the 2013 Miami Dolphins? The Dolphins have winnable games on their schedule, particularly against division rivals Buffalo and the New York. In week one, the Dolphins travel to Ohio to play the Cleveland Browns, which is another winnable game. There are, however, plenty of games on Miami’s schedule that I could see going either way, such as against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers in weeks ten, eleven and twelve respectively, along with a trip to Indianapolis to face the Colts in week two. Moreover, Miami has to play the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, in what will be five very difficult games. On top of this are two games against division rivals the New England Patriots, who are still one of the best teams in the NFL. I feel the Dolphins – along with many other NFL teams – will find it very difficult to beat any of these six teams.

Despite improvements on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins have a very difficult schedule. I’m not saying it’s impossible for the Dolphins to reach the playoffs, but realistically, I don’t expect them to. I expect the Dolphins to finish second in the AFC East behind the Patriots, with a record of around .500.

Tears, standing ovations and a victory was how soccer superstar David Beckham ended his more than two decade long career Saturday night. Beckham’s family, wife and even the former French president were in the crowd to watch his last game. CNN reports as Beckham realized his 847 game career was winding down, his emotions got the best of him.

If you want to bend it like Beckham, you may have to do it from a couch soon. The legendary British soccer star is about to hang up his cleats, and step off the pitch. How big a deal is that? Well, you know your’e kind of a big deal when the prime minister gives you a shout out on Twitter. David Beckham’s 20-year career is chock-full of the stuff of legendary moments.

There are a number of reasons why this is done – and more importantly – there’s a reason why it should be done.

Here, I’ll explain some of the benefits of imitating some of the greats.

Confidence Building

Young athletes can draw a lot of confidence in using some of their idol’s favorite moves. If they consistently practice these moves, whether we’re talking crossovers, step-backs, or low post moves – it can benefit them greatly when it comes to their confidence. For a second, they can feel as if they’re actually that baller for a second. This does a lot, because there’s the chance that they’ll actually feel unstoppable in that aspect.

As we know, confidence counts a lot when you’re on the court. However, the same can be said about many different arenas in life. If you’ve got it, you’ll go far.

Effectiveness

The confidence isn’t the only thing here. Watching, learning and imitating can lead to success. The pros use their battery of moves because they work against the competition. The same can be said about sports at the youth level. Seriously – if a kid can perfect the Dream Shake – they’ll probably eviscerate the competition. It’s as simple as that. The same can be said about Iverson’s crossovers, which is still one of the most beautiful – and most effective – moves for any point guard.

Pros Watching Pros

The most interesting thing about imitating these moves is the fact that it doesn’t really stop at the youth level. Professional athletes also get in on the act. Look no further than Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant for evidence. Dirk Nowitzki has one of the most popular fade-away jumpers in the NBA. Before him, there wasn’t really anyone who used that leg kick. When he popularized it, you eventually saw both Kevin and Kobe doing it.

Not to take anything away from Kobe – who still has one of the largest range of offensive moves in the history of the NBA – but we’ve definitely seen him do it.

These two aren’t just some bench or “role” players, we’re talking about two of the best with the ball in their hands. If it works, it works.

It’s crucial that kids watch pro games. It’s not even something that’s exclusive to basketball, as all athletes of any sport can learn a lot from watching people who do it for a living. In watching them, they’ll not only be able to show their teammates, but they’ll also be more committed to their craft. For some, it’ll even make them go straight to the drive way with their favorite ball.

Eddie D. Shackleford is a Senior Editor for Cable.tv and loves to write and research topics about sports and more specifically youth sports. Eddie is a father of 2 and understands how important it is to coach kids the right way in youth sports. He believes in helping kids foster a dream and helping them achieve those dreams. Eddie loves coaching in youth sports as well.