The NBA Season is finally back

The NBA season has finally kicked off! Everyone is excited except if you are a New York Knick fan like myself.  The Knicks last season ended happily for fans because they could not stand watching that terrible form of basketball. The Knicks as well as the fans have seen some positive change with the hiring of Phil Jackson and cleaning house of all the negative energy in the clubhouse. Derek Fisher being hired as the new head coach and the new triangle system offense replacing the isolation offense. These are all positive changes for the Knicks as well as their fans. 

         Throughout training camp and preseason all I ever saw was certain players complaining about how "hard" the new offense is.  I personally believe a player can a learn a new system very quick as long as they are determined to make that change or step forward to possible success. The triangle works as history has proven.  Yes their is a need of specific players but the Knicks unknowingly have these pieces. These players need to develop as well as be confident in themselves. Obviously Melo is main piece of this offense.  These players are looking to him for guidance. He needs to give these young players as well as the veterans the confidence that they can learn this new offense and be successful in this new offense. Watching the most recent games for Knicks I have noticed the player with the most confidence is Iman Shumpert. He will excel in this offense because he is willing to make that change in his game to succeed. Early in preseason he said he will take any advice he can get from new head coach Derek Fisher.

        Some players that have impressed me during preseason and the first couple of games so far are Shane Larkin, Quincy Acy, Amare and Shumpert. Amare is playing in a contract year, if the Knicks resign him well that's up them and his play throughout the season.  He needs to stay healthy and continue to work on the court. I like him coming off the bench because of the energy boost he will give the second team.  The second needed help from what I saw against the Bulls and STAT is the veteran that can help.  STAT is obviously not the same player he once was from his Phoenix days but he still has the ability to help the Knicks during the season.  Now Shane Larkin oh my did not see him coming.  Larkin will be a great backup to Calderon. I love the way he plays. He plays fast, scrappy and under control usually. He is still young but with the guidance of Fisher and Calderon he will develop into that energetic player the Knicks will need in the long run. His fast and fearless play reminds me of the Nate Robinson days when he played in New York. Acy is the exact player that Fisher and Jackson are looking for.  His skills may be slightly raw but the way he plays is what the whole Knicks team needs to look at as a model.  Acy is always moving, going to the boards and finding ways to help the Knicks score. He is very active on defense and plays as hard as he can when he plays. He plays to win.  And finally Iman Shumpert.  His offense declined last year and I believe like everyone else that it was because of the type of offense he was playing in.  Shumpert is the type of player that needs to be running the baseline, offscreens and popping out for his shot.  He does not excel just standing in the corner waiting for the ball. The season just started but the way he has been playing is already better than last year. His defense added to possibly having a improved offensive year will help the Knicks succeed this season. I know that Shumpert will turn it around in the Triangle offense.  He will always be moving rather than being stagnant and he will receive more opportunities to score where he will capitalize on those chances.

    GO KNICKS!!

Dog Weight Pulling

From what I have research Weight Pulling is a great way to waste your dogs energy.  It is also a great way of exercise for your dog. Some people believe that weight pulling is inhumane. The response to this acquisition is that if a dog cannot or does not want to pull the weight he/she will not pull the weight.  Most dogs especially pit bulls have a huge drive to please their owners.  Athletically and strength wise I believe my dog will be able to compete at a high level.  He exercises daily and is in great shape.  Once he is fitted for his harness he will begin weight training.  I'm looking forward to this because I love spending time with my dog and it will be nice to give him something to do rather than hiking, running and walking.  I want him to feel success just as he feels when he performs all his tricks the right way.  Wish us luck because once I feel he is ready for competing I will be traveling around the east coast to pull at the competitions. 

My dog

Today I felt like blogging about my dog.  I have a one and a half year old Blue Nose Pit Bull. When I was a junior in college I decided to go and get a dog with out my parents knowing or anyone else that I lived with for that matter. Because of his type of breed he did stir up some problems everywhere that I went but he amazes me every day I am with him.  Once I bought my dog I first did a ton of research to see what I was getting into truly and then I wanted him to have a niche.  I wanted him to have something that made the both of us happy while doing it.  When I first thought about this I looked up Pit Bulls and agility, flying disc, dock dogs, etc.. The one dog that I came across was Wallace the Pit bull.  I was absolutely amazed with him and decided that is what I want to do with my dog.  Wallace was a flying disc champion nationally and worldly on multiple occasions.  So I went and tried working with my dog and at first he loved chasing and catching the disc but then he ran into this issue where he would outrun the disc and the disc would fall before he caught it.  He soon lost interest because of this.  Now I have finally figured it out!  I have therapy dog testing in the beginning of November as well as a cancer for dogs walk.  His niche is going to give his breed a better reputation. Obviously, I can't do this alone but changing one person's perspective at a time is a start. 

USA Mens Soccer

I couldn't help but to watch the USA vs Honduras game last night October 14th.  After a great performance at the 2014 World Cup why does it look like the U.S. has slowed down?  I understand they all have their own seasons going on but even in a International Friendly you should be fighting for your spot which Klinsmann has been preaching to all the players.  The decision to place Jermaine Jones at center-back even though he lacks discipline defensively left me with questions.  The U.S. has a pool full of Center-backs so why Jones over them? Jones is 32 right now and the next World Cup 2018 Russia he will be 36.  Will Jones be able to keep up with all this new talent around the world such as the Neymar's or James Rodriguez's?  At 36 your body will be breaking down no matter how great you workout or exercise.  I believe Klinsmann needs to start breeding a young talented Center-back that he can mold into the player he wants.  Keep Jermaine Jones around to have that Veteran experience but Klinsmann should be working on molding U.S. young talent for the 2018 World Cup. Also I know Mix Diskerud has been criticized for his soft play but honestly that was the worst time to show your coach you have a tough guy side.USA lets up late goal to Honduras This foul this late in the game in that spot! Terrible decision. That foul allowed Honduras to score.  Even though Honduras was pressing the U.S. the entire second half.  The U.S. didn't handle the pressure very well. The foul inevitably lead to the goal being scored off of the free kick.  This is the second game in a row that the U.S. has let up a late goal.  What is missing? There is ten minutes left and they can't close out the game? There is another piece of the puzzle that still needs to be figured out.

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Whether it's dogs, sports or dogs playing sports I am all about it!  I was a college athlete that follows many college and professional sports as well as a loving dog owner who tries to be as active as possible with his dog.