A Decade of Class and Professionalism

As we wind down this decade, I wanted to write a column on an athlete that was my personal favorite these past 10 years. There is one player in the NBA that I have enjoyed watching, really since he entered the league back in 1996 - his name is 'Walter' Ray Allen.

You must be saying to yourself....why?!? There is no flash, no fancy dunks, no tattoos, no exotic Sportscenter highlights. Well, there you have it...you probably just answered the question, why? For more than a decade, Ray Allen has represented the game of basketball and the NBA with style and class. It's no surprise that David Stern has more often than not used Ray Allen for the league's public service announcement spots on television. You won't find Ray Allen's name in the police blotter or on TMZ. You will find Ray Allen in Springfield, MA when he decides to retire.

For a guy who dabbled in Hollywood himself, with a starring role in He Got Game, he'll still tell you his favorite movie is Schindler's List. Back in 2008, before a game vs. the Washington Wizards, Ray Allen insisted some of his teammates join him on a field trip he has taken many times before...a trip to the U.S. Holocaust Museum. He first did it when he was in Milwaukee when the Bucks' owner Herb Kohl was a donator to the Museum. After one of his trips, one of his friends, as they were walking out, said, 'Well, what about slavery?' To which Allen replied, 'That was slavery. This Museum is a lesson for all of us.'"

Without waxing too poetic about how "perfect" Ray Allen is off the court, let's talk about what the quiet superstar has achieved on the court. First some background: my interest in Ray Allen started when he was at UCONN. I was fascinated at this small-framed, 6-5 shooting guard who had a jump shot that was carved out from the heavens above. It was smooth and silky and perfect enough to land him BigEast Player of the Year and All American status. He landed in my hometown of Milwaukee in 1996 as a rookie and I knew then, this was going to be 'my guy.' While everyone else was claiming Jordan, Karl Malone, Pippen, or Iverson, I choose Ray.

This decade started off with a bang for Ray Allen. Aside from being part of Olympic Gold in the 2000 Games in Sydney, in the 2000-01 season, Ray Allen helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals. Although the Bucks lost a heartbreaking Game 7, I was happy 'my guy' in the small market, finally had his chance to shine on center stage. Yet, midway through the 2002-03 season, something terrible happened to me. It's one of those painful moments in sports that many of us go through --- 'my guy' got traded. It was like a kick to stomach. I remember it happened during All-Star Weekend and to this day, I'll never understand why. Ray Allen was not just shipped out of town, but he was exiled to the Pacific Northwest, to the Seattle Supersonics. This meant I now had to stay up until 10:30pm (Eastern) to watch the smoothest jump shot in the league. No way would I be able to keep this up. They say time heals all wounds...and eventually I stopped staying up late watching Sonics games. It was too much effort and more frustrating than anything to see him playing for another team.

Flash forward to the final 'trimester' of this decade and Ray Allen was freed of the small market doldrums when he was traded to the storied Boston Celtic franchise in 2007. His time had come, his chance was now and Ray took advantage of this opportunity immediately. Surrounded with two future Hall of Famers (Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce), Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics achieved greatness by winning an NBA title in the 2007-08 season. How fitting that in the clinching Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Ray tied an NBA record with 7 three-pointers. Arguably the greatest 3-point shooter the game has seen, took center stage and let fans outside of Milwaukee and Seattle witness just how smooth he was and under appreciated he'd been for most of his career.

Ray Allen. He's a gold medalist, a 9-time all-star, and an NBA champion. Over the past decade, his game and his personality have been as consistent and stoic as his jump shot. You won't find too many kids on the playgrounds today or in the high school gyms trying to be "the next Ray Allen" but that's OK. He's been my guy and when youngsters today ask why, I'll probably just give a simple answer: Why not?

Frat House or Brat House?

In college athletics, the term "coaching fraternity" is thrown around about as much as Mark Mangino's 2nd chin. Fraternity typically means a brotherhood of people in the same class, or in this case, profession. Well, with the college football season winding down the college basketball season ramping up, it occurred to me there is a glaring difference in these two 'frat houses.'

The fraternity that makes up the college football coaches feels about as warm as a Charlie Weiss Christmas card to Pete Carroll. There is so much angst and tension amongst college football coaches starting day one at conference media days and it runs right on through the bowl season. No one likes each other and hand shakes at midfield after games are quicker than you can say B-C-S. Think about the 'fraternity' of coaches in the S.E.C. First of all, it's clear NOBODY is inviting Lane Kiffin at Tennessee over for a July 4th picnic next summer. Kiffin, in just one season, has figured out how annoy his fellow S.E.C. coaches about as much as 'Rocky Top' aggrevates visiting fans at Neyland Stadium. How about Nick Saban and Les Miles? You think those two are hitting the links after the bowl season? Urban Meyer and Mark Richt? I don't see any trips to the Bahamas with the wives anytime soon. How about Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh? Or Pete Carroll and Rick Neuwiesel? Charlie Weiss? You get my point...

College football coaches don't like each other. Recruiting is big business and every recruit they don't get means one of their 'fraternity brothers' did. That's so not cool bro! The pressure to win is unbearable and for many of these guys there just isn't any benefit or value-add in making friends within their fraternity.

Conversely, in college basketball, you won't find a more tight knit group of guys, that can often be seen dining together at their annual "family reunion" known as the Final Four. Guys like Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski have been very close friends for decades. Jim Calhoun and Roy Williams have both won a couple national titles and you get the sense that both guys have probably told war stories at a hotel bar many-a-summers on the AAU tournament trail. Even the youngsters...the Jamie Dixon's, Jay Wright's and Tom Creen's of the basketball fraternity were welcomed in with open arms by the "senior class" of coaches. When Jay Wright landed at Villanova back in 2001, he found his bunk in the BigEast 'frat house' and quietly went about his business. Coaches in college basketball are seemingly happier people and handle the pressures of winning in stride.

Perhaps it's no coincidence college basketball coaches end their season with the "big dance." A dance? Well that sounds fun. Sounds like a bunch of friends getting together for good times. Conversely, college football coaches end their season praying that the statistical data entered into a computer will allow them to compete for a national title. No dancing, just computing.

So let's see....dancing or computers? Which frat house would you chose?

City of Brotherly Love...And Second Chances

The city of Philadelphia has always been known as a tough, rugged sports town. It's not for the faint of heart if you are a visiting fan or even Santa Claus (as noted in 1968 when Eagles fans boo'ed ol' Saint Nic during a halftime performance.) They've boo'ed their own native son, Kobe Bryant during the 2002 All-Star game in Philadelphia. Donovan McNabb has been criticized, just as Randall Cunningham was throughout his career.

Yet as unforgiving and rambunctious these fans have been over the years, the city has shown in the past few months, a kinder, gentler side can and does exist. There is no better proof of this than Michael Vick and Allen Iverson.

Both guys, ironically from the same area (Hampton and Newport News, Virginia), are trying to rebuild their image and career with the help of a fan base that has been known to run guys out of town with not so much as a cheese steak from Pat's or Gino's to take wit' em.

Mike Vick was left for the dogs (sorry, pun intended). After spending time in prison for two years, Vick not only had to convince NFL owners that he was a changed man morally, but that his skills as a quarterback could still be harnessed. Most owners didn't think the risk/reward factor was worth the aggravation.

However, it was Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie who stepped up and signed Mike Vick. Lurie put his reputation on the line with a rabid fan base that tends to analyze every off season transaction like a Goldman Sachs broker on Wall Street. At first, the city was divided on this move, however, once the season began and the initial "shock and awe" wore off, Eagles fans were snatching up Vick jerseys in stores and online and screaming for Andy Reid to incorporate #7 into the offense a lot more. Keep in mind, just 5 years ago Vick and the Falcons were the Eagles nemesis in the NFC Championship game....a game which Philadelphia won.

Although his play has been limited in his return, Mike Vick can be proud of at least one accomplishment. He has won over the support of a fan base that is as welcoming as Bill O'Reilly at a Ludacris concert.

And then there is 'the Answer.' Allen Iverson was shipped out of Philadelphia back in 2006 after overextending his stay with the very franchise he kept on the map for 10+ seasons. Iverson's act had worn thin in the media and we all know how he felt about 'practice.'

After a failed experiment in Denver with Carmelo Anthony, the organization and it's fan base decided they didn't want him anymore. The Nuggets sent Iverson to Detroit where those same sentiments rang loud and clear after only a few months coming off the bench. With no where to go and feeling unwanted in summer of 2009, the Memphis Grizzlies decided to offer him a 1-year contract. Iverson humbly accepted. After a cup of coffee and two refills (3 games), Iverson was cut by the Grizzlies. So there he was....future Hall of Famer. All 180 pounds (soaking wet) blowing in the wind wondering if this was how it was all going to end. A storied career cut short in Memphis?

But wait...that same city who gave Mike Vick another chance, wanted to rescue their once proud face of the franchise, and allow him to go out with some dignity. So the 76ers welcomed Iverson back with open arms and an immediate spot in the starting line-up, where he belongs. In his first game back, fans in Philadelphia sold out the arena and greeted him with a standing ovation. Life in the NBA felt good again for Allen Iverson. This was home. This was family.

Two great athletes, who were practically begging for a second chance, found one in the same place - the city of Philadelphia. The fans checked their attitudes at the turnstiles and have been very gracious to Vick and Iverson. While the rest of the country may think Philly fans are rude and obnoxious, these two stars understand why it's still called the 'city of brotherly love.'