To steal from the great Robin Williams as Sean McGuire, its not your fault Brad.

“I know, but maybe I could play better defense.”

Its not your fault.

“I know, but maybe I need to inspire others to win more games.”

Look at me son… it’s not your fault.

*Brad begins crying uncontrollably and we join in a loving embrace. Violins are playing. You feel a tear run down your cheek, only to look around and see, there isn’t a dry eye in the house*

As a fan of basketball, there are a number of things to absolutely hate about the Wizards. They don’t win very many games. DC sits 18 games below .500 and lock-jammed in the middle of a down-year Eastern Conference. Its been a shitshow defensively. They give up just south of 120 ppg, which is historically bad. I have a feeling someone in an undisclosed location is eagerly waiting to push the “Destroy the Earth” button the minute he sees them play a lick of defense. Rest assured, he will not be pressing the button any time soon.

One thing that has been an absolute treat, however, is the play of Bradley Beal, especially after the All-Star break. I will not even dignify the decision to not elect him an All-Star with acknowledgement. It still makes the deepest core of my blood boil hotter than the igneous rock (?) in the inner core of our sweet sweet Mother Earth. I won’t do it. If I had it my way, anybody remotely involved in the decision would be watching the sunset like Lennie in Of Mice and Men with me seated behind them. But after years of unanswered emails to the desk of the commissioner, I’ve learned that this is not a league where we appreciate great ideas.

Since the alleged ASG, Beal has been torching everything in sight to the tune of 41 tasty points per game. Became the first player since Kobe to drop 50 points in consecutive games. The Nets put him in a box-and-1 and the NBA drug tested him. Not to mention, he’s averaging 30.1 on the year! (And like I said, I won’t say anything about the all-star nonsense. But if I was to hypothetically put in my two cents here, I would say that anybody averaging 30 a game and voted a STARTER by their peers should have a roster spot. Figure it the fuck out Adam. But I won’t say that). Since the Wizards continue to lose despite the stretch, you big dumb idiots are quick to point the finger it Brad and say its his fault.

Beal had back-to-back 50 point games, so the Nets pulled out the box-and-1 and the NBA drug tested him 😅 pic.twitter.com/zLS1ocGJxL

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 27, 2020

Here is why it’t not his fault:

1. John Wall has been hurt for a year and a half.

People forget how good John Wall is when he’s healthy. He hasn’t touched the court in over a year, and when he does, we are a top 5 backcourt in the league behind Curry/Thompson, Beard/Brodie, Dame/CJ. Thats pretty much it. When John comes back next year, he’ll be 30 and Brad will be 27. That’s prime time for both of them. Despite what the FAKE NEWS mainstream idiots on ESPN, Bleacher Report, Fox, local DC print, TV and radio, or pretty much any other legitimate source will try to tell you, there is no animosity between them. They love each other, according to the kid with a free wordpress account and a Twitter. End of story. I’m interested to see how John plays with Bertans and the rest of the young core. Let’s see.

2. Tommy Shepherd is in his first year as a GM.

The Wizards are in the first year of the Shepherd regime, which means he’s the one who has to grab the plunger and unclog the enormous pile of SHIT that Ernie left in the toilet for him. It takes time, and I like what he’s done. He extended Beal. He flipped a dude in Europe for Bertans last year, who is the best shooter to ever grace the Earth*. He drafted Rui who looks as legit as he did at Gonzaga. He just turned Isiaiah Thomas into Justin “Mr. February 26th Big Nuts Game Winner” Robinson. Landed Napier too. Sure, he has his work cut out for him. We need another relatively big name, preferably a wing scorer/defender. But he’s been a breath of fresh air thus far.

3. We Are Young

Fun said it better than I can. We are young as shit. This has given Brad the opportunity to be a true leader. Show these young men the ropes. Gain the necessary confidence and swagger that comes with age.

I’ll also leave you with this. Do you really think that @BigDummy6969 with an egg avi on Twitter should have a say in how Brad Beal evaluates his talent and self-worth? Brad would be the first to tell you idiots that he needs to be better. That’s what we do as humans. We Monday Morning Quarterback ourselves, and often make ourselves the villain of the story when it is not the case. As a general rule of thumb, don’t do that to other people. Learn from Kobe like you said you would. Appreciate greatness while it is happening. It’s not Brad’s fault, and it’s probably not your fault either.

Now I won’t bore you with lists anymore. I simply caution you to stop disrespecting Brad Beal & stop giving him shit. Enough is enough! Stop saying he wants out of the District of Champions. Stop saying he’s being wasted on a bad team. Stop trying to talk him into going to Miami. I hear winters there are horrible and the weed is even worse! I’m tired of my friend Brad hitting me up asking why people are so mean to him. So just stop it.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

This quote, borrowed by Jim Valvano from Ralph Waldo Emerson is something that I remind myself on a near-daily basis. Enthusiasm is something that is palpable and contagious. It is something that I hope to bring to the table in everything I do, but most importantly, lack of enthusiasm is the reason I am writing today.

I have been waiting to write this article for the better part of a year. This is my first time dipping the pen in well over 3 years, and to be honest, I am surprised it is happening again. I stopped writing my sophomore year of college for reasons that I have struggled to grasp for a very long time. As I write this today, I am finally in a place of understanding where I can accept and share the simple reason that I stopped:

Failure.

Failure is a difficult concept to accept, and it is something I have been running from for a long time. That stops today. As some of you know, I was given the opportunity to run Barstool UMD with the great Sean Cottle (I would never say this to his face, but I am eternally grateful for that blessing and often wish I took more advantage of it). It was an opportunity that I never thought in a million years I would have, but it gave me a direct line to my dream job: making content and writing for Barstool Sports in New York.

My senior year, without an inkling of what I’d be doing after graduation, I was awarded the opportunity to interview at Barstool in NYC. I was supremely confident that I was the man for the job, so me and about 8 of the fellas packed up several cars and made a weekend trip to the big city. Word spread like wildfire, and soon everybody I knew was wishing me luck.

I didn’t get the job.

This failure was a hard pill to swallow, and I resented a lot of people because of this outcome. Circling back and telling everybody that I didn’t get the job was even harder. Acknowledging to the world that I had failed made me bitter, and because of this, I decided that any desires I had to write or entertain were a foolish dream of the past.

In that thinking, I was responsible for the ultimate failure: not believing in myself. Taking one bad experience, the opinion of one interviewer, and translating that value to my own sense of self-worth was the real failure. I let myself down by putting myself down and by letting external factors rob me of my self-confidence and enthusiasm for life .

That shit stops right now.

This long-winded story is to say that I have landed in a place of self-awareness and epiphany: I need to write. I need to do this.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me. It is a creative outlet that allows me to organize my jumbled brain, challenge myself to be great, and most importantly, connect with those around me. I am not doing this to get a job at Barstool. I am not doing this to be on ESPN. I am doing this because I will no longer rob myself of the enthusiasm that I so desperately crave. I will no longer allow self-doubt to cloud my confidence. I will no longer allow the anxiety of peer-acceptance stop me from sharing my gifts with the world.

I don’t care if my words reach 1 person or 1 million. I love to write, feel a sense of passion when I do so, and inspire myself through it. That is why I am sharing this with all of you.

So if anybody actually made it down this far: Thank you. I am not sure how often these words will come out, nor am I certain of how well they will be received. But fear of failure is no longer something that exists to me. I have failed many times. I will not fail myself again by living in a world of self-doubt and emptiness.

Finally, I leave you with a quote from the great senator Cam Brady: “Welcome to the fucking show.”

Talk to you soon.

Imagination. Obsession. Inspiration. Artistry.

Genius.

These are words that come to mind when I think about Kobe Bryant. I sit and write this with he inability to truly wrap my head around the fact that he is gone, and even more tragically, that his 13-year old daughter is gone with him.

These are moments when we are forced to collectively acknowledge the fragility of life. We take the time to let those around us know that they are loved, appreciated, and important in our lives. Through tragedy, we prove the resilience of the human spirit, the innate compassion that exists in all of us, and the shared inspiration that we draw from those who instill it.

Imagination. This is the word that I have heard all day when peers recollect times with Kobe. In imagination, there are so many factors at hand. There is curiosity, creativity passion, diligence, enthusiasm and confidence. Imagination drives progress. It is the vision to conceptualize to others what may seem impossible, and push yourself to make that impossible a reality. Think about an 81 point game. This is something that only a true madman would imagine happening in the modern NBA. Kobe Bryant made this impossible a reality in front of our eyes. Let him be your reminder to imagine, visualize, and create everyday.

Obsession. Kobe Bryant was obsessed with the game of basketball. He was obsessed with not only winning, but doing so at the highest level possible. In obsession, exists determination, tactical precision, tireless work habits, and a bit of insanity at times. Stories of his work-ethic are those of an insane person. My favorite being the fact that he watched film of sharks stalking their prey in the wild in order to guard Allen Iverson. Normal people don’t do that. Kobe Bryant was not a normal person.

Artistry. Kobe Bryant represents a rare breed of individual who transcend the traditional concept of their industry and exist on a higher plane. Through obsession, imagination and inspiration, they become something greater. They become artists. The way that Kobe Bryant played the game of basketball was not normal. It was a work of art. The ingenuity to take risks that aren’t considered acceptable moves the needle forward in all facets of our society. To visualize angles of attack, create shots, and perform moves that have never been seen before require a level of knowledge and fearless thinking that only few possess. The court a blank canvas, and we were privileged to see him paint his Sistine Chapel for 20 years.

During times of great loss, we are tasked as a society to look in the mirror and ask “How can we be better?” Our only hope is that we move forward with a sense of understanding and appreciation for what was taken away from us. Often those who embody the very same characteristics that we are celebrating Kobe Bryant for today, such as risk taking, removal of self-doubt, and attempts to create, are belittled by those around them. It is imperative to appreciate and love those who are bold enough create, as they are the ones who inspire the next line of creators to be better than their predecessors.

All of this to say, today is a very sad day. We lost a rare breed of individual and his daughter, who no doubt would have contributed incredible things to this planet. I task you to look yourself in the mirror today and ask how you can be better, and that you are honest with yourself. With honesty comes an understanding that perfection is impossible, and the desire to improve does not have to be a self-destructive process. Understand that you are never a completed project. Understand that you are good enough. Remove self-doubt and create something incredible. Lace your boots up and climb YOUR mountain– whatever it may be.

Without the Kobe Bryants of the world, society remains stagnant. Progression is vital to our very existence. While it may seem impossible, the journey to the peak of your mountain begins with the confidence to take the first step. Imagine the detriment to society if Kobe Bryant never touched a basketball. The inability to utilize your gifts is a disservice to your peers. Draw inspiration from the Mamba, and take the first step up your mountain.

Finally, thank you Kobe for everything you’ve done. The world is a worse place without you here, but we will not only endure. We will prosper.

Mamba Out.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.