Ravens Reportedly Looking at Eric Steinbach
July 24, 2012NBA News: Cavaliers Gee may opt for Unrestricted Free Agency
July 24, 2012While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Great read on new Cavalier Tyler Zeller– “Family ties definitely play a role in summer league roster construction. It’s common to see brothers and cousins of high-profile NBA athletes play in the summer league. While most are unheralded players in the shadow of their more capable relatives, that hasn’t stopped teams from getting a free look at pedigree and the influence of genetics.
Less common are players like Luke and Tyler — and their youngest brother Cody Zeller, a star at Indiana University and a top NBA prospect for 2013 — who represent three generations of basketball prowess; a mark the three Zeller brothers proudly wear on their jerseys. Currently, all three Zellers wear No. 40 for their respective teams, the same number worn by their grandfather, Marvin Eberhard, many years ago. During Luke’s stint with the Austin Toros and Tyler’s with the University of North Carolina, both wore No. 44, the number of Al Eberhard, their uncle who was a first round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in 1974.
The Zellers’ basketball lineage is long and winding, so it only makes sense that the current generation’s dynasty has achieved a great deal of success at collegiate and professional levels. But it almost didn’t happen.” [Chau/Hardwood Paroxysm]
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Castrovince asking the questions we are all thinking– “Because if you’re Chris Antonetti, and your job is to make realistic evaluations of your talent at both the Major League and Minor League levels, you’ve got to be asking yourself what, exactly, is to be gained from a Deadline deal at this juncture?
Even in the midst of understanding the “window of contention” template upon which the Tribe operates, why sell off any more of your already gaunt future stock to prop up a club that needs more than just a few finishing touches? A club that, by virtue of its left-leaning lineup and right-tossing starting staff, was not built to go on sustained stretches of success? A club whose schizophrenic personality (hit but don’t pitch, pitch but don’t hit) appears incurable?” [Castroturf/MLB]
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Fascinating speech by Paul Brown to his team before training camp began– “I want to emphasize, particularly to our new men, that this is not college football. You’re trying to make a pro team and the responsibility for doing so rests squarely with you. It’s honest, but I’m going to say this to you, it takes a lot of man, really. Rookies are treated just like veterans here. There’s no hazing. No differentiation whatsoever. A lot of our rookies are married men trying to make a living, same as the veterans. In a nutshell, it’s just all-out open competition to be one of the 40 to make it. Man to man. There’s no sugar-coating or pampering. Whenever you have a spoiled problem player, my experience has been almost without exception he’s not very bright. That’s where the trouble comes, from that type of person. But whether you’re a veteran or a man fresh out of college, how big a name you might think you have, it just doesn’t mean much when you get into football and pro football. You aren’t going to impress anybody by how big you talk or how flashy you dress or how big a car you drive or what kind of a contract you think you have. The only thing that’s going to count here is the dedication and performance on the field. No one will be exerting or pushing you; it comes from within you. Run on your own gas.” [King/SI.com]
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A story inspired by his grandmother’s passing. Our condolences Zack. “Sports, however, have a magical way of linking together different generations. The history and tradition in baseball makes that especially easy. The Browns and Cavs didn’t always exist when my grandma grew up in Cleveland. The Indians have been around for more than a century.
I earn a living watching and writing about baseball, yet there are always facts about the sport that my grandma could deploy that I’d otherwise never know, random tidbits about Bob Feller or Lou Boudreau. That’s the thing about baseball: Everyone, everywhere has some story or memory.” [Meisel/MLB.com]
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Finally, to end on a lighter note– [Grzegorek/Scene Magazine]
8 Comments
In the cake picture I like that two of them are made out to Roberto and one of them is made out to Fausto.
wow on the paul brown talk. just wow. transcendent in that what he says in the early 70s fits equally well now.
he really is _not_ eloquent. that’s probably why lombardi always gets more acclaim. but his points and the direct man-to-man delivery of them is magnificent in its simplicity.
I like how humorless people can get about the Carmona/Hernandez cake thing. Lighten up, people! I’m glad to see that they can rib the guy in a way that seems to welcome him back. I hope he was able to take it in stride.
i love how the writer puts the Zeller family’s basketball fortunes on “fate”
umm, the trio grew up to be 6’11” or taller, lived in a basketball crazed area, with a family that had a rich basketball history. sure, Tyler says he didn’t completely ‘love’ the game until his freshman year in HS, but he had the pedigree and played it. then, he gets to HS and realizes all the perks that come with being good at bball in Indiana, I’m sure that helped 🙂 but no, it was all fate.
“Run on your own gas”
Love that phrase. I need to start using it more often. For instance:
“Andre Drummond may have more physical attributes than Tyler Zeller, but no coach is going to teach Drummond to run on his own gas.”
Good thing the Tribe players are funny because they’re not very good at baseball.
Funny how? Are they here to amuse you? How are they funny?
This transcript provides the best insight into Paul Brown I’ve ever seen. The lion in winter, knowing exactly what he wants and why, saying it precisely to his players, and handing over all responsibility for their success or failure to them. And all the while clearly defining their success as their development as decent humans rather than as athletes.
Full effort so you’ll have no regrets! Get to know all your teammates! Don’t talk politics in the locker room! Don’t embarrass us when speaking to media! Be a good husband! Respect the staff and take off your cleats in this nice clean place and hang up your towels!
Act honorably and you’ll be treated that way. Priceless, and timeless.