Baller quits HS to play overseas

Well, it's official.

San Diego High's Jeremy Tyler (rising senior) shocked the world after becoming the first American born student athlete to leave high school to play professional ball overseas. That definitely surprised me to hear that. I originally read a story and saw a report of Tyler thinking about the move earlier this year.

The 6-foot-11, 260-pound baller announced in the spring that he was going to forgo his senior season at his prep school because it had become boring.

The whole time I was shaking my head, saying to myself, "This kid better not quit high school with only one year left." But news spread quickly when the 18-year-old kid from Cali signed a $140,000 contract to play pro ball with Maccabi Haifa weeks before the school year began. That's a team in the Israeli League. Tyler averaged 28.7 points per game as a junior.

"I think I made the right decision," Tyler told The Associated Press on Wednesday evening. "I think this team is a good fit for me and it's the right country. I feel good. I feel blessed. I got past the easy part. Now the hard part is to perform and show the world I got a contract for a reason. Now I can play against grown men."

That transition isn't as easy as some ballers may think. Former Oak Hill Academy baller Brandon Jennings found out last year when he signed with an overseas team after not academically qualifying to play for Arizona. His stats dropped tremendously overseas, compared the numbers he put up in high school. And, Jennings was considered to be the number one senior in his class.

So, it's simply hard for me to believe that some kid I hadn't really heard about until a couple months ago is ready to play pro ball after his 11th grade year in high school. I personally thought he should've just put up crazy numbers and perfected some things this year before jumping to the next level.

Plus, he's going to have to miss out on games like the McDonald's All-American game, the Jordan Classic and several of the other prestigious all-star games due to the fact that he's going to be a pro baller already.

It's completely his decision. And, his family seems to be with it. I only hope he didn't rush things by trying to get the MONEY too early.

"It's a huge step for him and his family and the things he's about to get into," Tyler's agent, former NBA player B.J. Armstrong told the Associated Press. "The basketball will be the easiest part in this equation. Now he's got to get things adjusted off the court to what a professional does, how he lives. It'll be a challenge. The rest will take care of itself."

Maccabi Haifa opens its season on Oct. 25.

DO SECOND CHANCES WORK?

Some of us are guilty of being the cause of the end of a relationship. I'd be telling less than the truth if I didn't admit to messing up a few times during my younger days. Some of us have had to leave a relationship prematurely for one reason or the other too.

Sometimes we feel that the grass may be greener on the other side. Sometimes we take our significant others for granted. And, other times we simply want to move on. There's countless reasons to feeling the need to move on.

My question is: When is it cool to give it another try? Or, should a sequel to a relationship even be visited? Sometimes people actually learn from their mistakes after a period of time. Sometimes people even realize that things weren't what they thought when they left a good relationship.

With sites like myspace, twitter and facebook -- there's countless ways to reconnect with someone from your past. Sometimes you see how well things turned out for people in your past. You also get a glimpse of what your life could've been like. That's when you have to keep smiling and giving compliments on their life... knowing you'd love to switch places with their husband or wife ... to prove that you were the man or woman they once thought you were.

People even have a chance to run into ex-lovers that happen to be single or divorced. They may begin conversing again... and realize that they miss one another, or what they had once upon a time. Should that even be re-visited?

I don't know. I feel like a lot of relationships end for a reason. Maybe that reason won't be the cause for an doomed part two of a relationship. But something usually is. Like I said earlier, though. Sometimes people learn from their mistakes... and sometimes it's a mistake to end certain relationships in the first place.

P.S.: I am obviously not talking about EVERY failed relationship. We all know that EVERY relationship doesn't need to be re-visited. I'm talking about the one or two special relationships that ended before they probably should've. You know what I mean?

Former NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden chats

Former Miami Dolphin and Winston-Salem State receiver Oronde Gadsden used to be one of my favorite wide outs years ago simply because I liked the Dolphins. I was a huge Dolphin fan until Dan Marino retired.

I actually didn’t know that Gadsden played his college ball at Winston-Salem State University (an HBCU in North Carolina) until I moved to Winston in 2002. I met Gadsden for the first time after he was inducted into the WSSU athletic hall of fame in 2006.

I was interested in finding out what has been going on with Gadsden since he retired. Oronde was busy in ’06. He was the partial owner of the Florida Frenzy, a National Indoor League Football (Arena) team in central Florida. He was also dealing with the launch of his own clothing line, and dabbling with a new meat product.

Check out some of the other things Oronde and I talked about during a recent interview.

Anthony: Oronde, what’s going on?
Oronde: What’s happening with you?
Anthony: Nothing much. It’s good to see you. I used to be a big fan.
Oronde: (Smiles.) ‘Preciate it.
Anthony: I’ve asked you this before. But for the fake of this interview I need to ask you again.
Oronde: It’s cool.

Anthony: It’s not even that serious. I’ve built it up as if it’s some question about drug use or something. (Both laugh.)
Oronde: We both know better than that.
Anthony: (Laughs.) OK. Kind of tell me how special it was to be inducted into the Winston-Salem State University Hall of Fame a few years back?
Oronde: You know it was real special. It’s definitely good when your peers recognize you for what you have done. It’s like family. I came to Winston as a young man that was trying to get a degree. I just feel fortunate that they felt like I was worthy of going to the hall of fame.
Anthony: You weren’t even a football player at first, right?

Oronde: Right. I played basketball coming into Winston-Salem State. Playing football was a big change. But they (football program) made a difference in who I am today.
Anthony: I bet. You still look like you can play today. Do you have thoughts of getting back on the field today?
Oronde: Uh, people ask me that from time to time. At 36, it’s tough. I don’t think you’ll get a good contract. But if the situation was right I’d take it. If I could just come in on third down, and not have to do training camp and all of that other stuff – I’d do it. (Both laugh.) I couldn’t make it happen if those things weren’t in place.

Anthony: I hear you. How much football do you watch nowadays?
Oronde: I watch it all the time. I’ve even in three fantasy football leagues and everything. So I pay close attention to what’s going on.
Anthony: I can’t believe you’re on the fantasy football thing.
Oronde: Yeah, I’m big into that. This is my second year. Each year I grow into more leagues.
Anthony: I simply do the PlaySation. But I’m honestly thinking about finally doing some fantasy football.
Oronde: I used to be heavy into that when I was playing. But I haven’t picked up a joystick for the last two years.
Anthony: You played with Dan Marino, so you’ve got to give me a Top 3 of players you’ve played with in your NFL career.

Oronde: I went to Dallas and won a Super Bowl my first year in the league. There were a lot of great players on that ’96 team. I played with Prime Time (Deion Sanders), Michael Irvin. He’s probably my top choice because he taught me everything I know about the position. He’s my mentor.

Anthony: OK. What’s your favorite television show?
Oronde: “Sanford and Son.”
Anthony: What about music? What’s your favorite CD to pop in nowadays?
Oronde: I have quite a few that I like to pop in. I have to go old school and say, “Zhane.” Do you remember them?
Anthony: (Smiles.) Yeah.

Oronde: Yeah. They give me everything. They give me fast, slow and old R&B. If I’m just riding I know I’ve got to ride to “Reasonable Doubt.” (Jay-Z’s first album)
Anthony: Cool. What do you think about T.O.? (NFL receiver Terrell Owens)
Oronde: Good show. (Both laugh.) He is who he is. He’s a great athlete. Obviously he does some questionable things, but hey… think that’s just who he is.

Anthony: True. Let’s finish with free association.
Oronde: OK.
Anthony: Winston-Salem State.
Oronde: The Rams, baby.

Anthony: Miami Dolphins.
Oronde: Football team that gave me a chance.
Anthony: Dallas Cowboys.
Oronde: Super Bowl.

Anthony: Deion Sanders.
Oronde: The best corner to ever play the game.
Anthony: Oronde Gadsden.
Oronde: I got it done. Like Larry the Cable guy says, “Get ‘Ur Done.” My dad always told me there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I wasn’t the fastest, but I got the cat’s skin.

Anthony: No doubt. Best WSSU receive of all time.
Oronde: Probably Yancy (Thigpen). But I am going to have to go with myself. I think I have more touchdowns than him. (Both laugh.)

What's the REAL key to sustaining a relationship?

I hear select friends talk about the secret to staying together all the time. Some of those same friends are single now. I'm not throwing a shot at them. I'm just sayin.'

How do you really sustain a good relationship, whether that be a marriage or a serious dating situation? I was recently communicating with the mother of an ex-girlfriend of mine. I consider her to be like a mother to me. Anyway. I was going to ask her what the secret was, being that she's been married to the same man for many, many years. Then I thought about it. That would be unfair to ask her that because she's truly married to a very great man. He's got many sides to him too. So, I'm sure there is never a dull moment in their marriage. I know there was never a dull moment when I was around. Plus, a lot of older couples were able to stay together because times were different back in the day.

That was before facebook, twitter, email, myspace and so many other things that tend to play as a distraction in certain relationships these days.

But I'm really talking about the countless relationships that don't make it after a seemingly long run. Everyone isn't a great communicator. Everyone doesn't like to party or go out a lot. Bascially, everyone isn't into the same type of things. Most people act as if they can deal with select differences when meeting someone interesting at first. Actually, most relationships start out relatively well...mostly because a lot of people ACT the part of the significant other well.

Then, time goes by and the real THEM comes out. Sometimes that means that they have a bad temper. Sometimes one realizes that their significant other isn't the smartest or most romantic person around. That doesn't mean those men or women don't have other great qualities.

So, what keeps people from seeking what's missing in their relationship? I don't mean cheating either. I mean, what keeps a people from thinking they need to be with someone else after being with the same person for a seemingly long stint?

How do you look at the same person for years and still want to see them for another 20 or so years? A lot of people have a hard time keeping an old relationship new. I guess the real key is making sure you know a person before you begin to think about marriage or the years to follow.

All right, I'm through rambling for now. What do you think?

Women love harder than Men

I've come to the conclusion that women love harder than men.

What I mean by that is: MOST Women will remain with a man through a lot more bullshhh than most men will tolerate.

Let me give an example. A lot of women have either been cheated on, or knows of someone that has. More times than not the woman or women that were cheated on took their significant others back.

I think it's deep and genuine love that probably pulls a lot of women back to their man when something like that happens. On the flip side, there's many men that have called it quits and never really opened that door again after his lady cheated on him. Some men might still have sex with their ex-lady after something like that occurred, but the trust and deep affections slowly slip away or get hidden.

My mother took my father back after he had a child outside of their marriage. I can't say that my dad would've done the same if my mother had flipped the situation. (Note: I'm glad my mother was strong enough to remain in the marriage.)

I can't even say that I would remain in a marriage if that had happened to me. But I know of many relationships and/ or marriages that have remained after incidents like that have occurred on the men's side.

I know there are a number of women that are quick to say they'll leave their man if he cheated or had a baby outside of a marriage or deep relationship. Some of those same women would be right back with him by the end of the week after he pleaded his case, and announced his stupidity. I'm not saying that's wrong. A lot of guys make mistakes in relationships. I'm included.

I'm simply saying that women seemingly put up with more. Maybe it's the idea of living a fairly tale life, or having that happy ending with a big, happy family.

I personally just believe that women love harder than men.

Roethlisberger in major trouble

Don't let the "side bar" (weak) coverage or short reports of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben "Big Ben" Roethlisberger being accused of raping a Nevada woman take away from the severity of the incident.

I've been watching the slow news coverage of this ordeal, and I'm wondering why it's just now being talked about freely. Roethlisberger supposedly raped a 31-year-old (a Lake Tahoe casino hostess) woman last year. She filed a civil lawsuit saying that the Steelers QB raped her in a hotel penthouse last year.

Roethlisberger held a press conference today (July 23) at the Steelers practice complex to announce his innocence. He called ole girl's allegations "reckless and false."

According to Associated Press reports, the woman was working as a VIP casino host at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe at the time, and claims in the lawsuit the rape took place in Roethlisberger’s room after he called her on a bogus complaint.

“Saturday was the first I heard of her accusations,” Roethlisberger told the Associated Press. “Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever force myself on a woman.”

Roethlisberger vowed to fight what he called “outrageous allegations.”

He said he would remain focused on the upcoming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending Super Bowl champions. The Steelers open training camp on July 31.

WHAT ABOUT THE REAL ISSUE?

The real issue here is that Roethlisberger is getting wonderful treatment by the NFL commish and the mainstream media, because no one has hammered him yet.

Kobe Bryant was immediately dropped from numerous endorsements after he was ACCUSED of raping a young lady. Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended from the NFL after being investigated for numerous crimes or incidents. Jones still has yet to be convicted of any crime. Here, Roethlisberger is being accused of raping a woman and he's still able to promote a reality TV show appearance he's making with Shaq. Isn't that some shhh?

There simply seems to be a lot of sypathy being shown for BENNIE. That's just wrong. This almost feels like it did when everyone was seeming doubting that Roger Clemens took steroids, but would bet their houses that Barry Bonds was guilty of cheating.

I'm not wishing any harm or hateful reports about Roethlisberger. I'm only saying that news coverage or bashing should be fair. This is no different than the Kobe incident. It's going to take quite a bit of luck and money to get Big Ben out of this one.

Forget what the news is talking 'bout. Big Ben is in trouble.

Throwback interview with my boy Chris Paul

Note: This was my first interview with NBA star Chris Paul. We've done numerous interviews and other things since then. But I thought I would post a real "throwback" interview. This is from Paul's senior year of high school. This was before the NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up honors. Take a look.

(From 2003) It seems like everyone across the country is talking about St. Vincent- St. Mary's phenomenal high school player, LeBron James. Well, West Forsyth has an incredible player of its own in senior guard Chris Paul.

Let's be honest. Chris is the man around here. And, every fan that has seen him play thinks he is one of the greatest high school players to perform in this state. He hit up an opponent for 61 points earlier this season, along with a stellar performance in the Frank Spencer a few weeks ago.

I caught up with Mr. Paul moments after he put on another impressive show in an 84-47 victory over South Rowan last Friday (Jan. 2003) night.

Anthony: What's going on Chris?

Chris: I'm all right. I'm just chillin'.

Anthony: Man, it looked like you simply exploded on those boys tonight. You must have been feeling it.

Chris: Well, South Rowan has always been a team in our conference that has played us real dirty by applying a lot of hard fouls. So, I was real pumped for this game.

Anthony: Speaking of hard fouls. I saw that guy come up under you before you "yoked" (dunked) on him. It looked as if you got a little mad and had a choice of words for him. What were you two jawing about?

Chris: I ain't say nothing. (Laughs.) It's just all in the game. I just want to win.

Anthony: What exactly did he do?

Chris: When I went up for the dunk he came up under and acted like he didn't do anything. I don't remember what I said. I don't even remember what he said. They were talking so much tonight.

Anthony: Man, it doesn't look like you even get tired out there. What kind of fuel are you running on?

Chris: You know what? I just wanna win so bad that I don't really get tired. That's just the emotions of basketball. This is what I do.

Anthony: Now, you scored 61 points on a team earlier this season. Is that the most you've ever scored in a single game.

Chris: Yeah. That was the most.

Anthony: What motivated you to score so many points?

Chris: My grandfather was murdered on Nov. 15. I signed to play with Wake on the 14th. My grandfather was my bestfriend and he was 61. After his funeral I felt like I was going to score those points for him. I had know idea I was actually going to score that many points though. Someone said something to me about it before the game. I just got on the court and started to do some things and then I felt like I could do it.

Anthony: Wow. That was truly amazing. Let me ask you this, Chris. You're one of the premier players in high school basketball. What made you commit to Wake so early?

Chris: I had offers from every team in the ACC and other teams that I liked. But, I knew where I wanted to play. I figured I wouldn't waste any other colleges time by recruiting me.

Anthony: You have a catalog of sick moves on the court. It looks like you've been watching a few "And 1 Mixtapes."

Chris: Yeah, I watch them. But, some of that stuff I wouldn't try in a game. I have full-court basketball court at my house and me and brother used to always play one on one everyday. I got most of those moves from him. He and my dad are definitely the reason I'm the player I am today. My dad used to make me and my brother put our right arms behind our backs so we would have to use our left hand to shoot.

Anthony: Let me ask you this: What are your interest outside of basketball? What are you going to pursue in college?

Chris: I'm going to Wake and I'm not really sure what I'm going to major in. I was thinking about computer science or something like that.

Anthony: Answer this for me. Which is better — a thunderous dunk or an embarrassing block?

Chris: Dunk. A "facial."

Anthony: What? But, you just started dunking this year.

Chris: True. I don't know. I guess I will say a good pass is the best feeling. (Both laugh.)

Anthony: Did you ever think about playing another sport? Or has basketball always been your main concentration?

Chris: I was the back-up quarterback for varsity my sophomore year. Everyone thought I was gonna drop basketball to play football.

Anthony: Really?

Chris: Yeah. I played football for 10 years.

Anthony: So what made you decide to play hoops?

Chris: (pause.). It was more fun to me. I started to think about which one I would rather do in college. So, I chose basketball.

Anthony: Let's switch this interview up a little bit. (Pause.) Did you have a favorite cartoon when you were growing up?

Chris: Woody Wood Pecker.

Anthony: (Both laugh.) Is there an athlete in which you've looked up to your entire life?

Chris: Oh yeah. Definitely, Michael Jordan. I used to watch him and see all the amazing things he's done throughout his career. So, I would say him.

Anthony: I'm sure that you have a lot more people claiming to be your friend now that you're getting all this media attention and praise. How rough is it having all kinds of strangers acting as if they know you?

Chris: It's rough, but I know who the people are that were with me from the beginning. Family comes first for me.

Anthony: Let's jump into something I like to call "free association." I say one word and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind.

Chris: All right.

Anthony: Josh Howard.

Chris: Incredible defense.

Anthony: R.J. Reynolds Demons.

Chris: (Pause.) Rivalry.

Anthony: Favorite class.

Chris: Math.

Anthony: Dream date.

Chris: Halle Berry. (Both laugh.)

Anthony: Kobe Bryant.

Chris: One of my favorites.

Anthony: One final question. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

Chris: 10 years from now, HOPEFULLY I'LL BE IN THE NBA.

Anthony: Good luck with that, Chris.

Chris: Thanks a lot man.