It's been a pretty nice week and a half for me, and being that today is a day where Americans put on their red, white, and blue, throw some good ol' American hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, and bubble over with pride for our great nation, I decided to delay my own proud post for such an occasion.
If you didn't know already, I love my Baylor Bears. I love it even more when we do great things that even ESPN and the other sports networks, who loved to bash and hate for years, have to give us props for. Like putting 3 players in the NBA this year. Sure North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, and the other big "powerhouses" do that year after year. But for Baylor this is big. And I love that Quincy Acy got drafted. He's a guy with tons of heart and a motor that doesn't stop. A blue collar baller in an age where it's cool to where shirts that say, "Lazy But Talented." I wish Curtis Jerrels would get picked up already, but we'll just keep waiting for that and wish him the best in Spain. Still, BaylorNation is proud when we see things like this.
And of course, with the latest edition of EA Sports' NCAA Football hitting shelves next week (July 10th to be exact), I'm very proud that Baylor University has a "cover athlete." Even more exciting is that he is sharing the cover with Barry Sanders, a legendary figure in the running back community, and collegiate dominance. It's good stuff. Not quite ready to jump on the Redskin bandwagon, but RG III is going to be a household name.
But of course, I'm not just going to talk about how great my Bears are doing without throwing in my two cents on the matter. These guys, and those who had success before them, had such pride that helped drive them. It wasn't all just natural talent and gifts. They were driven. Driven by wanting to uplift the community that gave them the platform to showcase their talents and cherished them as family. Respect for the hard work of the people who wore the uniforms before them that went unnoticed yet continued to strive for excellence among the haters and nay-sayers. Moved by the understanding that every game was bigger than themselves. For too many kids, its about the name on the back of the jersey, rather than the people they represent on the front. I guess we have the likes of Chad Ochocinco, Terrel Owens, to thank for that. Too many times have I seen kids get upset that they didn't score any points in a win, but be ecstatic that they dropped 10 in a game we'd lose. You have to play with pride when you compete. Talent can only take you so far, but pride will get you through those hostile arenas, help fight back from what most would call insurmountable odds. Pride is what keeps you from being complacent and being stagnant. Talent brings championships, but legacies are built on pride. The old school teams that would win champions back to back to back wouldn't get lazy in the off season. Nope they'd be looking at where they could grow because they knew everyone would be gunning for their spot. When was the last time an NBA team won back to back titles? In most cases, the champion got eliminated from the playoffs really early, if they made them at all.
It's something you have to have every time you put on the gear. Every time you touch the ball, every time you break a sweat. All the things I've been talking about this season - commitment, team identity, toughness - comes from that sense of pride. If you don't have it, your just wasting time.
Happy Fourth of July, everyone! And of course, SIC 'EM BEARS! :)
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