Sports – Page 10 – Disaesthetic

Kick It Sunday

OAKLAND RAIDERS PRACTICE

First Sunday of the NFL 2017 season is here. My fantasy line ups stand ready. I’m confident in my teams this year. I have a few question marks, wait and see’s, however I expect a strong year in both leagues again. The Choose One, Derek Carr and my Oakland Raiders face their equals in the humble Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans at 10 AM (PST). This week couldn’t end any better. Next week couldn’t start any better.

The last few weeks have challenged my patience and confidence in myself. I just need to remember to keep faith in myself. Don’t underestimate myself. Don’t under sell myself. Keep believing in my personal and professional goals. Continue doing the right things, even when no one sees it or appreciates it. I have a huge ego which I need less of. Don’t get in my feelings all the time. It’s a strength and a weakness. I need to make sure I use the strong side of that sword, and avoid the dull side.

Today I’m taking the opportunity to enjoy some football, see the glass is half full, not empty, and appreciate the things I have now. Look forward to realizing my dreams. Have more patience with my fantasy teams, The Raiders, my career, my personal life. Learn when things don’t go how I want them to get frustrated so easily. Don’t give up, be persistent for things I want. They say life’s too short, but there’s so much life still left to live. Start enjoying it more and often. Life is too short not to take every opportunity to experience it but long enough to avoid living in your short comings.

Raw Thoughts After Season Opener

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

The Patriots defensively rely too heavily on Dont’a Hightower. After he went down it was open season on the Patriots defense. Alex Smith looked like Joe Montana.
Tom Brady is still a legend, but his running backs and receivers were just a bunch of guys. Danny Amendola is no Edelman. There’s no threat in the middle of the field. Gronk was invisible.
This defense is still really vulnerable from last year. Yeah they won a Super Bowl but got burned by Atlanta and I’m pretty confident saying New England got every break they needed cap off an amazing come back. Give credit where it’s due but The Falcons lost that Super Bowl rather than New England winning it.
The Chiefs are the real deal when Alex Smith’s job comes into question. Smith played with urgency I haven’t seen since his Jim Harbaugh days. It’s like he finally has something up his ass to get his shit in gear. He was at his best. Let’s check back after week four but they can go all the way if he plays like this throughout the year.
Say what you want about Tyreek Hill the person. He’s trash. As a fantasy player on my team, he’s highly productive. Looks like he’s the number one receiver for The Chiefs and makes Alex Smith better by being a reliable target and world class athlete. Again, garbage person, but promising player.
I wish I drafted Kareem Hunt. Don’t we all? For a guy I knew nothing about and where he was drafted in my leagues there was no way I’d take him. No one has a crystal ball but he was stout last night. Let’s also be fair, New England’s defense was pathetic and vulnerable. I don’t believe Hunt will have a better performance this year but will he continue scoring touch downs and racking up yards, no doubt. He’s a legitimate work horse back for this team. Best since Jamaal Charles.
The New England Patriots will still at least make the AFC Championship. Look, it’s no secret. They’ve gone through many changes to their roster but the last three times during the Brady-Belichick era the team started 0-1, The Patriots won the Super Bowl. Don’t forget the last time The Chiefs routed them, even Bill Simmons called the era dead, during his Grantland days. The Pats will adjust to their failures and the personnel changes. I’m not going against that brain trust until it’s truly over, i.e. they leave the team.
Don’t fall into classic Belichick mantra. Virtually everyone is perceiving doubt on The Patriots now, which is probably what the team wants. With a big loss to a very good team, he can really get into his players mistakes and shortcomings. It’s a lot harder to do that with a winning team. A losing one, the coach has leverage to get on everyone’s ass, including Brady’s. Now Belichick can preach to this team about how everyone doubts them and they have something to prove now.

Moving on Down

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Brandon Ingram goes to the Lakers

A lot has happened since my last post. I went to Big Bear last weekend, Lebron won, I’ve been working out, Bill Simmons underwhelmed, I’m preparing to moving, and emotionally I’ve come a long way. I’m starting to see my own progress and believe in the steps I’ve taken to get better and improve myself. It’s been a long road on recovering but I’ve accomplished a lot over the last 4 months.

Big Bear had moments of awkwardness, for me, but overall I had a great time and got out of my comfort zone. I needed to get out and meet new people. Hiking Pine Knot Trail was great. I was afraid of struggling during the hike but I did just fine. Everyone was very friendly but it I had difficulties talking to them or getting to know them better. I have a ways to go with my confidence as far as socializing with people I don’t know well. At least I put myself in a situation where I could meet people. Improvements were made in that regard. I came home Sunday for father’s day only to have Lebron ruin a great ending to the weekend.

While I feel good for Cleveland, who were due for a championship, watching Lebron win bothers me. I don’t like the guy and I can’t really explain it. Anyway game 7 was great but not all time. Golden State simply couldn’t get Curry going, Klay struggled, Iggy was hurt, and Bogut on the sidelines hurt them the most. Sure Bogut is no super start but presence in the paint made going inside difficult for Lebron and Kyrie. With him gone, Cleveland dominated inside. Golden State couldn’t do enough to stay on top and close out Cleveland. The game came down to the end but honestly GSW lost the game more than Cleveland winning it. They could not score in the last 4 or 6 minutes. In a game that close it’s not surprising GSW lost when they couldn’t score at the end. I hope it doesn’t haunt them. They need to dump Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli this summer and add better depth. Word on the street is they will pursue Dirk Nowitzki which would be an unlikely addition but move them back up as front runners for the 2017 finals. They also need to find a back-up and future replacement for Bogut. His presence in the paint couldn’t be more valuable for this time. They need to prepare themselves for life with out Bogut.

This NBA season ended on a bad note with Lebron winning but next season already has me excited for the Lakers and the West as a whole. We got Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac in last night’s draft. Both will improve our team right now. Ingram’s small hips and lean frame bother me but he’s got a great skill set that will help us immediately. I don’t know much about Zubac but it’s a big center that I hope turns out like Kristaps Porziņģis. We are in need of dominate center again. Ingram, Randall, Russell, Clarkson, and Zubac looks like a great young line-up I can get behind. Oklahoma City got richer in the draft too moving Serge Ibaka to Orlando for big haul in Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and draftee Domantas Sabonis, son of Arvydas Sabonis. I’m not sure what the fuck Orlando is doing but as it stands right now OKC has the best collection of talent in the NBA. They are the favorite in my mind as the teams stand now. Imagine it, Durant, Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, and you can pick between Kanter, Roberson, Ilyasova, and Sabonis as your 5 starters. That’s great fucking team on paper. GSW and the Spurs have catching up to.

Good job by you Billy?

Speaking of the NBA, Billy Simmons debuted his show Any Given Wednesday this week without much fan fair. Maybe I’m out of touch with things or removed due to my recent schedule or lack of attention. The first episode underwhelmed me. Ben Affleck’s appearance has gotten Simmons and the show a lot of attention but it wasn’t for anything he said. Affleck’s behavior and slurring attracted attention. I don’t think he was drunk but accusations have been made. It was a short episode that lacked anything super interesting. It was kind of like his podcast but I was watching it instead. Audio may be Simmon’s arena. Watching him did nothing for me. It’s only been one episode so things can only get better.

The past few weeks have been better superior to the past 4 months. I’m stronger emotionally and mentally. I don’t feel weak anymore. My confidence isn’t at full strength but I’ve improved tremendously. Negative thoughts don’t control my mind for hours and days. I have moments of weakness but I see them as an improvement. They don’t control me for more than a few minutes. I’m able to overcome them with reason and positive outlook. Being able to move out soon has really helped me feel good about myself. Now I can focus my new dwelling and the area I will live in. There are new experiences to have where I will live. Everything will be new. I won’t drive by places I have memories that haunt me. I can make new experiences somewhere else. Looking forward, I can’t wait to explore and live closer to the city. There are places to hike and discover in my new neighborhood. I hope to make strong relationships with my roommates and make new friends in this area. Once I establish myself again I can start looking for companionship again. I miss the comfort and affection I used to receive. I miss giving those passions to someone. I can tell I’m making progress there. I can muster enough strength and confidence to speak to women I find attractive and interesting. Sometimes they speak to me. It’s only happened at work and I don’t see anything happening there. It may not be best to seek a relationship with someone from work but it’s a boost in my confidence in myself.