Down The Road

So, it's that time again, another post to deliver :).

I had the chance to receive an interesting email this past week, from a guy who stumbled across my blog.

Besides being a really nice guy he also has MS, a disease that from the little I know doesn't have a cure, and hits you without
a warning and basically changes your life, from your daily routine to other things that you might not be able to do anymore.

The most interesting thing was to hear from him staying optimistic, smiling and taking the best of everyday and what life has to offer.

Of course he has a lot of positive things in life and I'm not trying to say that the disease defines him or should prevent him from doing anything he wishes, I just admire the optimism and the beautiful look on life, his partner and his cute dog.

I guess a lot of times all of us go through life dealing with our little problems and after we hear about things like this we look at things differently. We give those things a couple of minutes and a part of our day, things that hit home harder than any small thing that bothers us, but I know that after those couple of minutes we go back to dealing with our life.

This is reality and we first of all and almost always look only upon ourselves, and I guess in some way that's what nature intended for us.

He also brought up a interesting question during our conversation, what would happen if I meet Mr. right down the road while playing basketball.

First of all, as for now, I'm not doing anything that might make that possible, so unless someone comes up to me in the street and wants to date me, then I think it won't be happening any time soon.

If I look farther away then surely it's a possibility, what would I do? that's a good question, I know it will be problematic since there is no way we could live together, since I don't see anyone thinking that a basketball player taking up a roommate is something that makes sense.

Meeting wise, I'm sure it will be OK and that's never a problem, but I know that it depends a lot of that person, cause I wouldn't be able to give him a lot of things. If that's going out together, been seen in public, acknowledging any kind of relationship, I know some guys are built for that and some aren't.

I have to admit that like anyone I do wish it would happen. I know that I put basketball above my personal needs in the romantic field, and I do wish I had company and do wish I had someone to share things with.

Maybe lady luck will through something at me, in the meanwhile I will try to enjoy the gift that I got and that's been able to play pro basketball.

I'm sure everyone is waiting for the weekend to start, so hope you have a good one.

One More Time

Hey guys

what's up? Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, I'm doing OK, haven't been posting more then once a week. The truth is that I have both been busy and also the ideas don't come as fast and as easy after 50 posts. I'm guessing not too many people want to read about basketball and pick & roll, 2-3 zone and so on, but the things around.

I read a couple of small reports that talked about the locker room and the interaction with journalists, guess it might seem more revealing and more sexy then it really is. Usually everyone walks in while us the players are usually without a shirt at this stage already, but with pants or in worse case situation in a towel.

It's not like we are just walking around naked and everyone can chose to look at what ever he wants at the moment. Just thought I would put it out there for those who read any of those articles.

I'm going back to a subject that has been discussed here a lot of times and probably will be discussed many more times in the future, coming out while playing pro basketball. I know I mentioned this before, but I totally understand why no one comes out and why no pro athlete has done this in the last fifty years give or take a few.

I know that Amechi came out and Gareth Thomas and a couple of swimmers or gymnasts, but you never or at least I have never heard of a well known pro athlete that has decided to come out in the prime of his career,of course I'm referring to team sports and not individual sports.

Also, If you look at athletes that came out in college, I don't think there is one who moved on to the pro level, either by choosing not to or not being able to level wise, but that reason doesn't change the outcome.

I'm aware that I wrote this before, but sometimes I don't think that I grasp the situation to the fullest and neither do others. Of course there are enough gay basketball, baseball, football players, NONE of them are out.

I think I'm just making the point again that people don't understand how homophobic the world of sports is and how it's different from any other reality they know.

I sometimes hear comments from people that mean well and think that nothing will change if someone will come out, but I guess me and other athletes think differently. I also mentioned this before, at least I think I did, there is this "No Homo" expression that is used everywhere, it's not that I'm hurt or feel bad when I hear it, but it comes from everyone.

From the smarter one's, the more intellectual players, I guess in some point of view being macho and being in sports almost requires you to be homophobic.

This post hasn't revealed anything new or something that I haven't said before, but I'm just trying to emphases and deliver that message.

To the younger ones who are just starting their first steps in the sports world and happened to be gay, I can only say that there are a lot of us out there and while it's never easy, you can build a life for yourself and you can manage and be happy, you just have to be more cautious than others.

Like always, if anyone wants to ask anything, anything I can answer feel free.

Book Time

Well, another couple of days went by, can say I feel better with every day that passes. My legs feel better, got more air and getting ready to go.

My mind is sometimes a different story, I have my moments. Sometimes all I can think of outside the court is basketball and there are times when other things run through my head.

Guess it's not always fun to be someone that reflects a lot on what's going on. In my case maybe I reflect a lot of what could have been or could be if things were different, but i know they aren't.

I just got the chance to finish reading a book, called "Clay's Way", it's a book about two teenagers, both guys that are in a realtionship. One is sure about his feelings and not afraid to accept them , the other, is really afraid and not always willing to admit his true feelings.

It took me a very short time to finish the book. I got home from practice and started reading it until bed and did the same once more, before practice and after practice, don't think the book is a masterpiece or something, but this is more or less the first romantic story about two guys/teenagers that I read.

The story doesn't talk too much about what's going on around those two guys as far as community and everything, but this story also reminds me and I'm sure others that read it that a lot of a persons problems are from within, gay or straight.

I think that a lot of gay guys are homophobic, I mean, no one asked us if we want to be straight or gay and I think a lot of us have a problem accepting this and accepting ourselves, which brings us to be homophobic even towards ourselves.

Anyway, if anyone has any books that he would like to recommend, I would be more than happy, I guess I could find someone to get them for me.

On a different subject, I'm sure most of you heard about Stephanie Rice and her anti gay slur. Now I'm just as sensitive as everyone else and I don't like hearing those kinds of things, but sometimes I feel like not everything has to have the same reaction.

Of course it was something stupid and she got her punishment, but we sometimes judge people too fast, especially when there is the online life that doesn't have to much censoring on it.

I mean it's not like she was directing her comments towards a gay person she stumbled across, it was just something that was better left not said, and the fact that Mitcham defended her can only mean that he knows the real her.

Again, of course any comment like this is totally unacceptable, but sometimes I feel like people look too deep everywhere to find proof and show everyone how homophobic people are, when in fact a lot are and some aren't and I guess it's not going to change anytime soon.

When people direct their comments towards a individual or a community that's different, but when it's used like this, I feel that the picture isn't as black as some people color it. Of course that's only my personal look at this...

Besides that NFL season just started and I missed it, sure my team is going to be nothing more than mediocre, but I'm used to it.

If anyone wants to leave his favorite for winning this year, they are more than welcome.

Last Time

Hey

Hope everyone is doing well, small response to a comment that was left before I move on. About sharing a room with teammates,
it's usually a policy all over the basketball world overseas, doesn't have anything to do with how much a room costs, or the sorts,
it's just the way things work in those areas of the world.

Anyway, this is more or less the last post that is directly connected to the last summer. On the last night out before leaving to go back home , I went out to a bar, I already felt that the trip went well and I was in a good mood, which I always thinks makes the chances of anything good happening better.

After 20 minutes a cute guy came up to me and said hey, he was really shy and just said hey and left. I hoped he would come back, after a while he did, he was with friends who wanted to go somewhere else.

I told him that it would be cool if he stayed out to hang around a little, he decided to stay and from there on we just had a really great time.

I'm not talking about him being the sexist or hottest guy I met, but it was just the he was cool, easy going and fun. We stayed until the late hours of the night, just dancing like crazy, there were songs that we both loved, and we just danced and danced and danced, so fun I can't even explain.

Maybe it was just the great mood I was, maybe it was just the fact that it was my last night, maybe it was both of them together, but it was just great.

We ended up spending the night together, something that usually doesn't happen, since most of the time I don't stay over until the morning, but it was just nice, calm and genuine fun, so It was different.

After that we said our goodbyes and I made the trip back home, but it definitely closed a cool summer and vacation with a good feeling.

I'm waiting for next summer already, the truth is that it's not on my mind right now, but I'm sure as time comes closer it will be.
For now, I'm basketball minded, got no choice, it's still my job. :)

P.S - if any of you that follow my blog got the chance to go to the gay games, I would be happy to hear from you and hear about experiences that you took from there, it sounds like a real big adventure.

Well, I had a long day and the bed has my name all over it, so enjoy your week and will be in touch soon. :)

Busy!!

Hey, sorry for not posting lately, it's just been a busy couple of weeks.

Like every pre season we spend most of our time in camps or on the road at practice games and things of the sort.

Usually those trips involve sharing a room with another player, which is always nice, but it kills the privacy a little bit, since I don't exactly ask him for tips for my blog and if he wants to add anything.

This is the hardest time of the year, since we are never in the best shape in the beginning of the year which makes everything harder and a struggle, but like every year, in the end it gets better.

There are some more things I wanted to write about, but practice is calling and I'm about to leave the room, I will write again in a couple of days.

Enjoy your weekend...