Spittin' Shorts #1

First things first, yes I was away for a long time once again. The reason is really complicated overall, but in simple form, just know that I was super busy with a lot inside and outside of the classroom. I really want to apologize to you guys for all that time gone and away from my last article. I didn't want to do that all over again, but things kept happening that just forced me to take care of everything.

Secondly, this isn't really an article, but more of one of the newest segments that I am adding to the blog called Spittin' Shorts (hence the title). The purpose of these are to make up for all that lost time and crank out some daily articles which give a brief summary and [possible] opinion about some of the top news in the world of sports. I can not say that will be very short and brief all the time because I know me and my writing, but I will try to cut them down to the best of my ability and keep them simple for everyone to read. So with that, here is the first article of Spittin' Shorts. I hope you guys enjoy!


Hock #1: King Kobe to bid Farewell after season

It's no longer a secret that Kobe Bryant is getting older. But now it's for real. The man who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and made himself into one of the most recognizable athletes in the history of sports made his announcement in a poetic article in The Players' Tribune, that this would be his last season in the NBA with the beautifully put line, "This season is all I have left to give." (Bryant).

Bryant will have been in the NBA for 20 years as of next year and has built a Hall of Fame career that anyone would love to have with five NBA championships and two Finals MVP, 17 All-Star selections, an MVP award, 15 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, two Olympic gold medals, and a number a memorable moments. The most notable one for many was his performance on January 22, 2006 when Bryant turned into Superman on the court and scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, which became the second-most in NBA history behind the "The Big Dipper" Wilt Chamberlain's monumental 100-point game. He is also, in my book, one of the few that have shown just how to have success in the NBA coming from the high school level.

The unfortunate realization for him probably came over these past few years as his seasons continued to be halted by injuries, which more than likely, came from the years of playing the game and Father Time himself. At age 37, Bryant is still playing about 30 minutes/game and looks like he is in good form for the most part. But this season has also been a telling one for him as his stats are some of the worst in his career with a .302 field goal percentage and a .202 three-point percentage.

The Black Mamba still has much more of the season to go, and right now, it doesn't seem that the Lakers will be making it to the NBA Playoffs in Kobe's last season. But who knows; Bryant has always surprised us many of times before. But this would a be a tricky one to be able to pull off with a team that is really lacking identity. But regardless, the memories of Kobe Bryant will live on forever in our minds, hearts, and in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

{Comment your favorite moments, memories, etc. of Kobe Bryant}

Hock #2: Pats' Perfection is over after loss to Denver

The New England Patriots have now tasted defeat after yesterday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos.

Although it was disappointing loss for New England, it was even worse because of the fact that they were beaten by the Broncos' backup quarterback Brock Osweiler and not Peyton Manning, the guy that usually puts the dagger in their hearts. Osweiler did not have a stellar game with only 270 yards, one touchdown, and an interception to show for it, but he was a key part of the team's ability to take control of the game and rally back after being down by 14 points in in the fourth quarter.

The two big powers of the game were running backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, who both stepped up with a combined 171 rushing yards three rushing touchdowns, including the 48-yard run by Anderson in overtime to win the game. Along side them was the NFL's No. 1 defense, who had trouble stopping Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady (280 pass yards/ 3 TDs), but was able to hold their running game to just 39 yards between three running backs.

For me, this game was a nice little way to show that the New England Patriots, as amazing as they may be, is NOT the immortal gods of football. That title will now fall to the Carolina Panthers, who sit as the only undefeated team with an 11-0 record.


Hock #3: Wladimir Klitschko can't handle the Fury of the UK

The last time Wladimir Klitschko lost a boxing match was in 2004 against Lamon Brewster for the WBO heavyweight title. Since then, Dr. Steelhammer pounded his opponents into submission and remained the dominant heavyweight in professional boxing... until last Saturday.

For those that did not know, the 39-year-old Klitschko was scheduled to fight a young undefeated heavyweight named Tyson Fury back in July. From the time up until the fight, Wladimir was continuously calling Tyson Fury "a clown" and even drove Fury to go berserk during an interview with the the two. The problem with this was that Klitschko had finally met his match. Tyson Fury is somewhere between 6'7"- 6'9" and and has a 85 in. reach with some amazing power behind each throw.

When the fight started, it was nothing spectacular to watch as both fighters finished with a 23% connection percentage with Fury landing 52 of 231 punches and Klitschko landing 86 of 371 punches. But Klitschko's numbers are because of Tyson Fury's ability to move around and keep Wladimir out of his comfort zone. Fury was able to land some hits that made Klitschko bleed, and in the end, he was able to up with a unanimous decision off of scores 116-111, 115-112, and 115-112 to win the WBA (Super), WBO, IBO, IBF, and The Ring heavyweight title belts.

Hopefully now, Wladimir will take after his brother Vitali and make a career change because this fight has now exposed him as the 39-year-old fighter that has very little, in anything left inside of him. But then again, who am I to tell the Ukrainian Behemoth what to do?


Hock #4: Who will win the the FIFA Ballon d'Or?

Three months ago, I wrote an article about how Neymar Jr. should be considered "Boy Wonder" for his amazing ability to play the game at such a high and intense level. Now, he get his chance to prove it to the rest of the world if he can win the hardware. Along side him though is some real tough competition with superstar teammate Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

For Ronaldo, he's looking to get his four trophy after first winning it in 2008 and twice more the past two years. before then, it was Messi that took home the award four times in a row from 2009-2012. Neymar is in his first year on the shortlist for the award and is considered by many as a possible long shot to win it between the two mega names, but he's proving it now, as he leads La Liga with 14 goals this season.

It's a hard call to make between all three because they are all so talented and amazing at what they can do on the pitch when the ball is at their feet. Messi is Messi and is always the favorite to win the award it seems, Ronaldo has been performing beautifully with Real Madrid, and Neymar continues to go up higher and higher with his talents. I guess time will tell on who will win this one.

{Comment who you think will win the FIFA Ballon d'Or award}

Click to see Kobe's Bryant's article from The Players' Tribune

Click to see New England vs Denver Broncos

Click to see Wladimir Klitschko vs Tyson Fury

Click to see more on Ballon d'Or Shortlist