Dwight Staying?

Dwight Howard on Monday stated his commitment to the Orlando Magic, saying he wants the franchise to grow in stature. He also said he needs help on and off the court to make that happen.

"Not only do I need the right teammates, but I need the city behind me. That's the only way it's going to get done. We can change this small city that we have — this small market that we have — and we can make it a big market," the Magic center told the Orlando Sentinel during a Memorial Day barbecue he held for fans in Orlando.

Dwight Howard makes it clear: Surround me with better players so I can lead the Magic to greatness. (AP Photo)Orlando tried to improve the All-NBA center’s surrounding cast last December with two major trades. The Magic acquired Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards for Rashard Lewis, and they reacquired Hedo Turkoglu from the Phoenix Suns in a six-player deal that sent Vince Carter out west. Orlando finished second in the Southeast Division with a 52-30 record and was eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

The 25-year-old Howard told the Sentinel he wanted to "start my own path" in Orlando. "I'm not trying to run behind nobody like Shaq or be behind somebody else," Howard said, referring to Shaquille O'Neal's exit from Orlando 15 years ago for the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. is considered a primary option for Howard, who can opt out of his contract a year early in 2012.

Howard told the Sentinel he came up with the idea of a cookout Monday morning as a way to address fans' concerns about his future in Orlando. The Sentinel reported that hundreds of people attended even though the event was announced only on Twitter.

"As of right now, I'm a part of the Orlando Magic and I plan to be here," Howard said. "And I want the Magic to do whatever they can to make sure that we can get our city behind us. That's the only thing that I want to happen: just to have the city behind me and the support of our fans.

"I never said I was leaving. I never, ever thought about leaving. That's basically where my head is right now. I never said anything to them [the Magic] about what my plans were because that's not what I'm focused on right now."

The forthcoming Einhorn (new minority owner of the Mets whose middle name is Finkle btw) wasted no time in humanizing himself to the fanbase with this relatable quote:

“In 1975, I even dressed in a homemade jersey as a Met for Halloween. I have been a baseball fan for my entire life and have enjoyed teaching the game as the coach of my daughter’s little league team.”

Good for you buddy.

Bulls layed to rest due to Heat stroke...

The big 3 showed up big last night, each scoring over 20 and equally contributing to the elimination of the best team in NBA. The Bulls had a great run but they might need to go grab one more guy because the Heat are a year ahead of schedule and something tells me they're not going to get worse in the coming seasons.

If his career in the NFL doesn't workout...

A Couple Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery...

David Kahn (on the left) looks like someone just stole his lunch. Don't worry buddy, if it makes you feel any better Michael 'Air' Jordan was selected 3rd overall.

I didn't realize the kid from Jerry McGuire was related to Dan Gilbert.

Is the dude from the Jazz even paying attention? I guess it doesn't matter..they'll probably just draft the 'Great White Hope' Jimmer Fredette with the 3rd pick.

20 seconds in...did he just throw up Longhorns?

Fake hand shake, fake hand shake.

(To Dan Gilbert) And that my friends is what I like to call a slump buster.

What's the deal with the backpack Kevin? Whatcha got in there??

LeBron City or Wade County?

     LeBron James and Dwyane Wade broke into the league in 2004 and have been mega stars since day one. Now that they are teammates the question is whose team is it? Every team has a leader and while you COULD say in this case that this Heat team has two, I’m not going to allow that argument. No fence sitting here. Pick one…Whose team is it?

     LBJ is thought of as quite possibly the best player in the NBA. He is the most remarkable talent that this league has seen since MJ and rivals Kobe Bryant in popularity. There is no doubt that this guy is the reason why the NBA has seen a spike in ratings the past few years. Everytime this guy is on televison the public is glued, from his first day in the league to game one of the Bulls/Heat series which set a record for the NBA on cable television. He might not have a title but he’s got an impressive resume. He did take a miserable Cavs team to the NBA finals and lead the Cavs last season to having the best regular season record. 7 time All-Star, 2x MVP, blah blah blah. You get it, he’s good.

     Then there’s Wade. A lot of what I said for LBJ could also be said for his teammate Dwyane. One big difference though, Wade has an NBA Championship and a Finals MVP. Many will say that he couldn’t have done it without Shaq and while that might be true, I will always dismiss that argument. Here’s why, name the one player in the history of the NBA to win a title without a tremendous talent helping them along the way. Go ahead…I’ll wait…go on, Wikipedia it. Every team gets to put 5 professionals on the floor; no team will ever win the title with just one great player. That’s a weak argument so don’t use it.

     LeBron James was on a team that was 100% his, no debate. He could have went to almost any team in the league and it would have been 100% his. However, on July 8, 2010 LeBron announced he was taking his “talents” to South Beach or better yet, Wade County. My personal opinion is that LeBron is the best player on the team and probably the best in the league but it’s not his team. It’s Wade’s team. Just like A-Rod is the better player for the Yankees, it will never be A-Rod’s team as long as El Captain Derek Jeter is taking the field. LeBron is the best player on the Heat but Dwyane Wade is the Heat.

STAY DWIGHT...

...Constant coverage of Carmelo Anthony possibly being traded has sparked a conversation for us here in Orlando to take a closer look at what Dwight Howard might do when it comes time for a new contract in 2012. We’re starting a ‘Stay Dwight’ campaign on 740...And I understand why, look at Cleveland, watch what happens to Denver, or better yet look at Orlando 15 years ago after Shaq left town. Stars leaving town can WITHOUT QUESTION cripple a city and turn it into a a shell of itself…and being that us as tax payers are basically funding this new 500 million dollar Dwight castle we have every right to be concerned!

History would tell us that Dwight probably won’t stay…and I’m not talking about Lew Alcindor history, I’m talking very recent history. While many people might credit Lebron for this new fad in the NBA of stars aligning you can really credit or better yet blame the Celtics for starting this trend. Now I realize that they didn’t invent free agency in ’07 BUT I think that was the turning point for this era in the NBA. Most professional sports are ‘copy cat’ leagues and the NBA is no different.

Everyone knows the Lakers are going to be riddled with stars every year that’s just the way that goes, they’re the Yankees of basketball. But once the Celts got back to their championship status the whole league took notice and BOOM! Here we are. Lebron & Bosh take their talents to South Beach, Amare leaves the desert for the big apple, and Carmelo wants out of the Rockies to head for greener pastures.

So Dwight I get it, Magic fans I get it, city of Orlando…yes, I get it. I hope he stays, I hope he realizes that here he is king, that here he can become the name synonymous with the word Magic. I hope he realizes that in L.A. he’ll go down as just another good Laker. He’d be a big shark in an enormous ocean. While here he’s Godzilla on an ant hill. Own it Dwight…and that’s all I am going to say on this issue because one thing I refuse to do is beg. I won’t beg, and YOU shouldn't beg either. We all witnessed how pathetic LBJ made Cavs fans look…let''s not be those fans, let’s be better. We can’t be the annoying girlfriend/boyfriend that does too much to keep the other person around, so much that it drives their significant other away. In a way, Dwight is our significant other and we can’t handle this situation like that…This is how we have to handle it Orlando…Open your arms to Dwight, throw a ‘Stay Dwight’ bumper sticker on your car as a sign of loyalty, but by no means will we beg. We are better than that, if Dwight wants to leave let him, and let him without crucifying him. That will just make us look foolish, it'll make it seem as though we didn’t even deserve him in the first place.

Gain Some Perspective

Quick thought...isnt it funny how we judge our athletes? Just like any celebrity we tend to put them on a pedestal whether they deserve it or not--Why is it always a shock when they act immorally? These guys aren't running for president, they're professional athletes. Take football for example...these men are paid to annihilate one another for 60 minutes each week, in that line of work your not going to get a lot of Ghandi's. Logic would tell you you're more likely to get the Charles Manson's of the world. So that's that point...let me get to why I'm writing in the first place>>>

Perhaps its the "TMZ" era of media that makes it appear as if there are more 'crap bags' in sports than ever. Its probably always been like this but we as fans just never knew or never cared---Take a look at whats gone on recently with athletes, not just semi-famous athletes either, I'm talkin' some of the biggest athletes on the globe...guys like Kobe Bryant, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger, Lance Armstrong, and last but certainly not least Tiger Woods.

The guys mentioned above have been accused of some pretty heinus acts within the last few years...things like rape, murder, steroid use, infedelity, and yes even dog killing.

Each one of these athletes has been pummled by the media and sports fans at one time or another...each one has been vilified and perhaps deservedly so, although not all of the men listed above were charged with crimes or found guilty. I'm not here to get into that..whether guilty or innocent, every single one of those stars has had their images at least slightly tarnished. With that said, it seems as though the general public has forgiven these guys. Well, forgiven might be taking it too far but people definetly haven't skipped a beat on cheering for them, buying their jerseys, or yellow bracelets.

Ok ready...

WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! My point...if you were to strike up conversation with a random sports fan on the street and you were to ask that person who the most hated man in sports is they will more than likely say this name...Lebron James. I saw a poll on a sports website that asked that same question and the leader in votes was...you guessed it...Lebron James. R U KIDDING ME?! Now, I'm not saying that 'The Decision' wasn't annoying (cause it was)_I'm not saying that the WWE style intro the big three took part in when they got to Miami wasn't over the top (cause it was), but how is it that this guy is the biggest villian in sports? I truely don't get it.

The way I perceive this sports fandom phenomenon is that fans are basically saying "Cheat on your wife, sure."--"Shoot a needle in your butt, that should solve that level field playing problem"--"Feel up an unwilling girl in a public restroom, why not?"--"Mercilessly kill animals...who cares?!"--"BUT DO NOT!!...under any circumstance leave your team when your contract expires in order to chase titles!"

Ridiculous.

My First Rumble..haven't looked back since!