The 6 people you are guaranteed to see at a pro baseball game

Two nights ago I took a twenty minute drive from my suburb house to Frontier Field in downtown Rochester, NY. A group of friends and I had free tickets to see the Syracuse Chiefs play against our hometown Rochester Red Wings. The best part? Stephen Strasburg was pitching for Syracuse.

I'll save my thoughts on Strasburg for another column, but what I will tell you is that something finally hit me last night, and no it wasn't a foul ball.

Looking around at the near sellout crowd of 12,000+ at Frontier Field, I noticed all the different demographics of people that were at the ballgame. Kids, teenagers, adults, senior citizens. People from Rochester, people from other parts of New York, and people from out of state. All sorts of different people, with different backgrounds, from different places, in one venue.

I've been to professional baseball games before. I've been to two Yankees games, one Mets game, and a handful of Rochester Red Wings games before. I love going to professional baseball games because baseball has been a passion of mine since I began playing at the age of five. What I realized at the Red Wings game the other night though, was all the different types of people you are bound to meet when attending a professional baseball game.

So what's the point I'm trying to make? My point is that whenever you attend a professional baseball game, there are six different people you are bound to encounter at the game. I realized this when I encountered all six of these people at the Red Wings game the other night. These six people are, in detail..

The Constant Mover
When I say constant mover, I do not mean that they are always changing seats in order to get a better view. Instead, I mean that this person is constantly getting in and out of their seats. Whether it be to go to the restroom, go get food, or anything else that they feel they must do, this person is constantly on the move, thus they are The Constant Mover. The person I'm talking about in particular sat two rows ahead of me and must have left his/her seat AT LEAST fifteen times during the game. When I sat down in the top of the second inning (Yeah, we got there late), I did not get up again until we left to go home. All I needed was my ranch sunflower seeds, a bottle of water, and my communication devices. Besides that, I was set to kick back and enjoy the beautiful game of baseball. Apparently, some people have more "needs" than myself. Stay in your seat people. You're there to see the game after all...aren't you?

The Know It All
This is the fan that knows more than you. More than the umpires. More than the managers. More than Abner Doubleday. If this guy was the manager, he would make all the right decisions. This guy often heckles the manager for any decision he makes and the umpires for any call they make. Whether it be the manager bringing in a new pitcher, the umpire calling a runner out at home, or someone in the stands chewing ranch sunflower seeds rather than original, The Know It All will disagree with everything anyone does, because after all, he knows it all. Hell, why even have umps anymore? This guy knows it all.Next time a decision needs to be made by a manager or a call needs to be made by an umpire, just run up to Section 215, Section C, Row F, Seat 5 and ask The Know It All!


The Die Hard Fan
Ah, yes! My personal favorite! This is the one fan that tries to start the chants at the game. This guy sings along "Take me out to the ball game" louder than any fan in the stadium. He is often decked out in his newest team apparel, covering his entire wardrobe with his teams logo. This fan has more passion than you, and he knows it too. It's okay, not all of us can be die hard fans, but we can all strive to be. So next time you are sitting there with your bag of peanuts and drink closely watching the game, watch out for The Die Hard Fan as he may be the guy who is screaming "Lets Go (Insert your favorite teams name)!" so loud that your eardrum bursts.

 The Chatty Kathy
If you're as unlucky as I tend to be, this individual will sit in the seat directly behind you, which was my case two nights ago at the Red Wings game. This person either A.) knows nothing about baseball and continues to rant all game about hooplah or B.) actually understands the sport of baseball, but does not shut up. Either way, you as the suffering fan, are getting screwed over. I happened to have choice A. The person behind me did not stop talking all game. Not once. Not ever. They would blab on and on about someone who just called them, how someone they knew got hit in the face with a basketball while driving (I'm not making this up, people) and other hogwash. I mean I just wanted to focus on the game, is that too much to ask? Pipe down, Chatty Kathy.

The Drunken Fool
This guy may be the most infamous of the six. In fact, he's so popular, you can see numerous drunken fools at not only pro baseball games, but mostly any sporting event! This particular fool that I saw two nights had probably four to five beers too many. He was yelling at Strasburg and even posed the bold question "What is the umpire Strasburgs dad?". How did he know!? In fact, the International League scheduled Strasburgs dad to umpire in Rochester on the EXACT day that his son Stephen was pitching. The drunken fool was right! What a genius! Nothing gets past the drunken fool! While some of the things The Drunken Fool can be entertaining, we all know that he will likely spend his night with his head in his toilet. Poor guy.

The THAT'S GONE guy
Everyone knows this guy. This guy either struggles with depth perception or obviously is in need of a pair of glasses. Or maybe both. Anyways, this guy feels the need to scream "THAT'S GONE!" every time a ball is hit in the air to the outfield. I mean, I understand sometimes a ball is hit to the warning track and it someone yells "THAT'S GONE!", but when you say it every time a ball is hit in the outfield, you probably deserved to be punched in the neck. Just saying.

Now it might sounds like this column is just one big complaint, and maybe it is, but the morale of my story is that these six people are the reasons that I love attending professional baseball games. Seeing pro hockey, football, or basketball games in person are all very COOL experiences in their own right, but in no way, shape or form do they compare to the ballpark experience. I don't care how popular football or any other sports is in America, baseball is and always will be Americas pastime.

These six people only make the ballpark experience a better one, if they don't get out of hand of course. In closing, I would like to thank these six people for all that they do, because without you, seeing a professional baseball game just wouldn't be the same.

Third time's the charm for Kobe, Lakers

When the Los Angeles Lakers think of past playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, it usually stirs up bad memories.

In 2006, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers blew a 3-1 series lead in the first round, as the Phoenix Suns won three straight games against Los Angeles, shocking NBA fans across the nation with the improbable comeback.

In 2007, Phoenix again defeated the Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Phoenix made quick work of the Lakers, needing only five games to send the Lakers packing.

In 2010 the Lakers and Suns are set to square off again, only this time the winner advances to the NBA Finals.

Lakers fans are hoping that the third time is the charm for Kobe and company.

Kobe and the Lakers are looking to avoid getting sent home by Phoenix for the third time in the last five postseasons, meanwhile two time MVP winner Steve Nash looks as determined as ever to make his first ever NBA Finals appearance, as Nash is the only MVP in NBA history to never have played in the NBA Finals.

There are plenty of storylines to discuss with this series. How healthy is Andrew Bynums knee? Kobe just had his knee drained, how serious is that? Can Nash make his NBA Finals debut? And on, and on, and on the storylines go.

While all the storylines fill the newspapers and sports shows, what truly matters is what happens on the court tonight in game one at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Suns and the Lakers are polar opposites on the court. The Suns try to run opposing teams out of the building with their up-tempo, fast break oriented offense. The Lakers on the other hand try to slow the pace of the game down, using their size to their advantage in a half-court offensive tempo.

Tempo, tempo, tempo. Let me pound that into your head. Got it? Good, because game tempo will decide this series.

If the Lakers can capitalize on their size advantage over the Suns, they will win this series. Seven footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can decide this series. If Bynum is somewhat healthy and can contribute numbers close to 15 points and 8 rebounds each night, the Suns will be in for a heap of trouble. However, if Bynums knee continues to get worse, the Suns won't have to worry about defending two seven footers in the paint each night, thus allowing Phoenix to run their up-tempo offense. If the Suns want to have any chance at winning this series against the Lakers, they must win game one in Los Angeles tonight. Lakers coach Phil Jackson is 45-0 all time in playoff series after winning game one of the series. If the Suns drop game one tonight, history is certainly not on their side.

To be honest, the Suns very best does not beat the Lakers very best. Plain and simple.

Even despite the recent fluid draining of his knee, Kobe has had time to rest and has looked like he is finally healthy again. As I mentioned, the Lakers have a significant size advantage over Phoenix, and I believe they will be able to successfully implement their halfcourt offense against the run n' gun Suns.

Seeing as the Lakers are 6-0 at home in the 2010 postseason and hold homecourt advantage over the Suns in this series, I'll take the Lakers in six games over the Suns. I know Steve Nash is on a mission to lead the Suns to the NBA Finals,  Kobe Bryant is perhaps as motivated to win as the NBA has seen since Michael Jordan, and a healthy Kobe Bryant spells trouble for the Suns.

Game 6: More than just a game for LeBron

This isn't just any regular game 6. Of course whenever a team is facing elimination on the road in the playoffs, the stakes are a bit higher, but tonights game 6 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics is more than just an elimination game. Tonights game 6 is the biggest game of LeBron James young career.

Yes, you heard me. Bigger than all four of the NBA finals games he has played in. Bigger than game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, when James scored the Cavaliers final 25 points in a double overtime victory that gave the Cavaliers the 3-2 series lead over the highly favored Detroit Pistons.

No, game 6 tonight will not define LeBron James' legacy. Nor should the abismal performance LeBron and the Cavaliers put on during game 5. After all, LeBron is only 25 years old. He is still young. His best years are still ahead of him. But while LeBrons legacy won't be defined by game 6 tonight, or even this series, we did learn a great deal about LeBron in game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and we will learn even more about LeBron tonight in game 6.

We will learn how LeBron responds to adversity. We will learn how LeBron responds to the media and the public, after some media sources tore LeBron apart for his game 5 performance. We will learn whether LeBron is not simply a guy who wants to win, but rather someone who needs to win.

Although he is only 25 years old, LeBron has accomplished almost every task there is to accomplish as a professional basketball player. He has won a regular season scoring title. He has made numerous all star game appearances. He has led the Cleveland Cavalier to an NBA Finals appearance. The one thing he hasn't done though, is win an NBA title.

In 2007, LeBron single handedly led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, where the Spurs swept the Cavaliers in four games. In 2008, the Cavaliers lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 2009, LeBron James won his first regular season MVP award and led the Cavs to a league leading 66 regular season wins. The Cavaliers were a favorite among many to win the NBA Finals and finally get LeBron his first title. However, the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This past season, LeBron led the Cavaliers to 61 regular season wins, which again led the league. The off-season addition of C Shaquille O'Neal provided an experience presence in the paint. The mid-season acquisition of former two time all star PF Antawn Jamison made the Cavaliers look almost invincible. Not to mention the Cavs already have PG Mo Williams, a former all star in his own respect. C Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a capable scorer as well for the Cavs.

My point? There are no excuses for the Cavaliers or LeBron James this season. None. Zero. Nada.

No longer can Cavs fans claim that LeBron James has no supporting cast. LeBrons supporting cast may not be as talented as Kobe Bryants supporting cast on the Lakers, as the two are often compared, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have absolutely no excuses for losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If a team leads the league in regular season wins in back to back seasons, and doesn't make an NBA finals appearance, there are no excuses. LeBrons elbow is not a valid excuse either. At this point in the season, everyone is banged up, and one injury is no excuse to lose by 32 points at home in a pivotal game 5.

My point is that tonights game 6 between the Cavaliers and Celtics in Boston is not just your average game 6. We learned, as fans, in game 5 that LeBron has another side to him that we have not seen before game 5. LeBron appeared unmotivated and complacent in game 5. He didn't seem like he had that dire need to win, as the truly great players do. LeBron let his attitude get the best of him, and when the Cavs were down and LeBron was struggling, he didn't rally the troops and put his foot down and say "Enough is enough. This is our house, and we're gonna win this game." Instead, he let the game pass him by and it left a permanent image in the minds of NBA fans forever.

I understand that LeBron James is only 25 years old. I understand that he is still learning. But as the leader of a team, and even an entire city, LeBron has to at least show he wants to compete. I didn't see that out of him in game 5. Which leads into my reasoning of why tonights game 6 is the biggest game of Mr. James' career.

Its the one question that everyone watching tonight will want answered: How will LeBron respond?

Will LeBron come out with a fire that we haven't seen before? Or will he simply crumble like he did in game 5 and once again simply just go through the motions rather than playing his game?

We have all seen LeBron when he wants to win. What I'm looking for tonight out of him is the need to win. As the face of the NBA for the next ten years (at least), LeBron needs to prove to the world what type of player he is.

Rarely has LeBron ever had to prove himself. Rarely has LeBron been torn apart like he was following game 5. But now is a time like no other for LeBron James. Tonights game 6 is all on LeBron. Whether the Cavaliers win or lose, the world will know much more about LeBron James than we do now. What is he really made of? Only time will tell.

Although in Boston, tonights game 6 between the Cavs and the Celtics is LeBrons stage, and its time for him to show the world who LeBron James really is.

LeBrons Elbow: Why the fuss?

Enough is enough. LeBrons elbow has now surpassed Tommy John's elbow as the most famous elbow in the history of sport.

It all began on the night of Tuesday, April 27th. LeBron "injured" his elbow in the process of the Cavaliers defeating the Bulls in game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, thus clinching the series for Cleveland. LeBron injured his elbow while making contact with Bulls guard Derrick Rose. LeBron visibly showed that his elbow was bothering him throughout the rest of the game, and even had to resort to shooting a free throw left handed (which he missed) in the last minute of the game when Cleveland had the win secured.

Now there are two ways to view LeBrons left handed free throw shot. You could A.) Believe LeBron is sincerely hurt and that he HAD to shoot that free throw left handed because his right arm was in too much pain or B.) Think that LeBron is exaggerating his pain and that he is showboating.

I choose choice B.

LeBron loves the limelight. He wants all the cameras on him at all times. He is a diva and acts accordingly so. LeBron knew before the shot that if he took it left handed, he would be the talk of America for the next week, and he was right. SportsCenter basically cleared their schedule for Wednesdays show and replaced opted to cover "the latest" on LeBrons right elbow. On the front page of nearly every newspaper in America, there was a picture of LeBron and a caption pertaining to his "injury." Hell, the world is so engulfed in the story of LeBrons elbow, that as my friend and sports journalist for The Daily Iowan Brendan Stiles pointed out, THIS exists.

Sorry LeBron, I know you think you're crafty and witty, but you're not fooling me. You might have fooled the majority of the sports world, but you're not fooling me.

Do I believe LeBron James is injured? Yes. Do I believe he is exaggerating the pain? Yes. Do I believe LeBron is a diva and absolutely adores all of the extra media attention he is getting due thanks to the injury to his right elbow. After all, LeBrons elbow has only been described as a "bone bruise." A bone bruise will hurt. A bone bruise isn't fun to deal with. A bone bruise, however, should not completely force you off of your game.

Maybe I'm wrong though. Maybe LeBrons elbow is causing him more discomfort than I believe. Maybe LeBron is hurting more than he is letting the media know. If so, I would urge all Cavaliers fans to start praying now.

If LeBron is actually as hurt as he says he is and his elbow is affecting his play, Cavaliers fans and the rest of the NBA should question his durability.

I know, I know. You're thinking "Question his durability? This is his first major injury of his career and you don't think he's durable?"

That's not what I'm getting at people. LeBron has avoided suffering any serious injuries throughout his career. Until now.

LeBron has never played with an injury this serious before. He doesn't know how to deal with the injury.

Kobe Bryant is considered by many the toughest player in the NBA today, as well as one of the toughest athletes in the world today. Injury after injury, Kobe continues to do his thing, and he does it well. Right now, Kobe has a broken finger that he is forced to tape up for each game. Kobe also has a sore knee. Earlier in the season, Kobe also suffered from back spasms and ankle injuries (although he claims to have ankle insurance).

Even throughout all of these injuries, Kobe has continued to play his game, and he does it well. Part of this may be due to the fact that Kobe has played with injuries before and knows what he can and cannot do when injured. Not to mention, Kobe is thirty-one years old and is in-between his prime and the decline of his career. Even with his injuries and age, Kobe has consistently put up impressive numbers and has helped his team win in the playoffs.

My question is: If LeBrons play is being affected this much by an elbow injury at age twenty-five, what will LeBron be like when he is Kobes age and his body starts breaking down? Kobe has played in 478 more NBA regular season games than LeBron has. Not to mention all of the Olympic competition, playoff games and more that Kobe Bryant has played in during his career.

Kobe's body has MUCH more wear and tear on it than LeBrons. If LeBrons elbow actually is hurting him, it better be severe, or else Cavaliers fans and the rest of the league should be concerned about LeBron not being durable.

If Prince James is struggling with his elbow injury as much as he is, I just can't picture what LeBron will be like when he is in his thirties, and he has played hundreds of more games, and his body is not as strong and durable what it once was.

The last ten paragraphs only apply though if I am wrong about LeBrons injury. I still believe that LeBron is acting more than he is hurt, and he's blaming his poor play on his "injury". Like I said before, I do believe that LeBrons elbow is actually hurt, but I do not believe that the injury is as severe as LeBron is making it seem on the court.

LeBron has won two straight MVP's for a reason. That reason being, he means more to his team than any other player in the NBA. Therefore, Cavaliers fans should be worried, because if LeBron isn't at full strength, the Cavs are going nowhere.

The NBA: Where two first names happens.

Have you ever noticed how many players in the NBA have two first names? You probably haven't. Don't feel stupid though, it's not something that many people have noticed.

Now maybe this is just a coincidence. Maybe I'm just being a sports nerd. Or maybe it's a sign from the basketball gods. Whatever you want to make of it, it's just plain creepy.

Look at all of these examples of NBA players with two first names:

Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Dwyane Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Dwight Howard
Paul Pierce
Ray Allen
Richard Hamilton
David Lee
Brandon Roy
Baron Davis
Vince Carter
Tim Duncan
Steve Nash (As in Nash Bridges; Nash can be a first name!)
Zach Randolph
Rashard Lewis
Kevin Martin
Jameer Nelson
Tony Parker

The commonality with all of these NBA players? They have all been selected to play in at least one NBA all star game and most have been selected numerous times! Twelve of the players listed above even played in this years 2010 NBA All Star Game in Dallas! Shocking I know!

Now I'm not saying that in order to be an NBA All Star, you must have two first names, because there are obviously exceptions (Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki etc). However, I do believe that if you are blessed enough to be born with two first names, you are automatically good at basketball. This theory of mine may be the explanation of why I am not exactly an outstanding basketball player, because no one in the right mind would ever name their kid "Mentz". Ever. "Mentz" just simply isn't a first name. However, if my last name was "Anthony", I would be re-writing the New York State high school basketball record book.

Do me a favor. Think of all of your friends. Which of your friends excel at the sport of basketball? Do they have two first names? Exactly. If you answered no to that question, you're just being ignorant.

To further prove my point, here are some more NBA players with two first names:

Tony Allen
Nate Robinson (as in Robinson Crusoe)
Stephen Jackson
Ben & Eric Gordon
Devean George
Blake & Taylor Griffin
Gerald Henderson
Josh & Juwan Howard
Jarrett Jack
DeAndre Jordan
Koby Carl
Courtney Lee
Roger Mason
Kevin & Cartier Martin
Randolph Morris
Joakim Noah
Anthony Parker
Chris Quinn
Anthony & Shavlik Randolph
Quinton Ross
Chris Richard
Jermaine Taylor
Jason Terry
Hakim Warrick

Hell, you could even include Tayshaun Prince if you wanted to. (The musician known as "Prince" was actually born as Prince Roger Nelson, meaning he has three first names!)

Now again, I'll make my point clear. You are not required to have two first names in order to succeed at basketball, but if you do have two first names, you are automatically good at basketball. The evidence is indisputable. Like it or not, and as creepy as it may be, if you have two first names, you have a gift when it comes to the beautiful sport of basketball. Case. Closed.