For All My Card Bloggers in the Blogosphere

Alright been wanting to write this for awhile but just haven't got to it so this is for my Baseball card bloggers and just card bloggers in general. I want to connect with each and every one of you. I want to know what type of cards you like, sets you prefer and players that you collect. I know you all have your lists of that on your blogs but I want you to comment in the box below so I can know without having to look and we can get to trading. I have a decent amount of Baseball cards but my collection isn't limited to just that I have much better artifacts that transcend cards so if the right amount of cards were ever presented my way, then I would part ways with it.

Let me tell you guys some of the Players and cards I like to collect. 2003 Marlins are my favorite team so any Marlins card you have of anyone on that team I will take, so that means Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell,Juan Pierre,Jeff Conine and Luis Castillo are all guys who will make me jump on a trade because I will always love my Marlins. Other players I like to collect are Ken Griffey Jr, Derek Jeter, Adam Jones and Justin Upton just to name a few.

If you are one of those bloggers who collects basketball cards here are some ballers I collect. Being a bigtime Charlotte Hornets fan (Happy about the name change) I obviously collect Muggsy Bouges, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Kendall Gill, Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn, Glen Rice and Anthony Mason. Other Basketball Players I collect are Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan,Oscar Robertson, Chris Webber, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson.

So yeah there you go If you follow this blog comment if you have any Rookies,Autos or Jersey cards of any of the following players I just named. If you know any bloggers who don't follow this blog tell them about this post and tell them to follow it.

Now lets get to trading!!

Video Blog:Charlotte Hornets Are Back

Several days ago Michael Jordan and company made the announcement that the Hornets name will be returning to the Queen city in the 2014-15 season. I recently spoke on this in a video, check it out below.

I've got Mail

Hello and Good afternoon everyone going to make this short and sweet. I recently was contacted by a guy named Kevin and Kevin Runs "The Diamond King" a pretty solid Blog on Sports cards and cards in the hobby. Kevin was doing his Pwe where he sends cards to fellow writers in the Sports card Blogosphere and at my request he sent me some sick cards of some of my favorite Charlotte Hornets of All-Time Such as Muggsy Bouges,Larry Johnson and Baron Davis. I just got them in the Mail yesterday and they are really good. Shoutout to Kevin again at The Diamond King.

Check out his blog http://thediamondking.blogspot.com/

Basketball Ambassador and Street Ball legend "Pat The Roc" speaks on Ball Handling,Influences and More

@PatTheRoc

It's rare in life let alone sports that you meet someone who is both talented and equally as humble. In making that statement i am talking about Pat The Roc. Pat is a street ball legend from Maryland who made his name on the AND 1 Mixtape tour playing ball across the world. These days when he isn't touring the globe with his friends from ball up streetball he is training anyone from young aspiring hoopers to your favorite NBA Players. He also happens to be probably the coolest athlete i have ever interacted with and usually responds to fans tweets and just a good representation of the game of basketball.

Recently i got a chance to Catch up with global basketball ambassador former AND 1 basketball star and g chopped it up with him about himself and many other things basketball related check it out.Enjoy!

1.For those who don't who is Pat The Roc?

>Pat the Roc known as world greatest ball handler. An inspiration to many people across the world.

 2.can you tell people a little bit about your story and how Pat The Roc came to be?

> I was always the player who faced so many more obstacles than the average player. My perseverance has allowed me to inspire many to be all they can be!

 3.growing up who were some of your favorite Basketball Players?

>Muggsy Bogues and Spud Webb. They were always the smallest on the court, so I could relate to them.

4.Where in the World do you enjoy balling the most?

> China. Fans are so intense there.  They appreciate your talent and are die hard.  I have a lot of love for the Chinese fans.

 5.Explain to me and the rest of the world why it is you outwork everyone,what do you play for?

>I want my play on the court to be so inspirational that it causes people to believe they can achieve whatever they want in life.

 6.who is the most difficult player you have ever defended and why?

> My teammate bone collector. We play one on one everyday after practice. He gets faster everyday!

7.What Shoes do you rock when you hit the court?

> Anything with my name on it! Always wanted my own shoe as a kid, and now my dream has come true.

8.Before you go out and play what music is Pat The Roc listening to before tip off?

>Something mellow and inspirational.

My best friend Lg makes beats so I listen to his instrumentals for inspiration.

9.How did you get to the point where you became the best ball handler in the world?

> Taking my basketball everywhere.  Had it in Paris at Eiffel tower as well as in China at Great Wall.

10.Is there anybody you credit with helping you develop your elite ball handling?

> I learned tons at Univ of Cincinnati from a guy by the name of Shep. He taught me the definition of training!

11. Whats next for you?

>A lot in store.  Just devoting more time to helping other Bball players maximize their skills.  Passing on my knowledge. 

12. Whats is the best advice you can give to young aspiring basketball players?

> Good players workout. Great players Outwork!

NBA 2k13

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a huge NBA 2K fan and recently this Saturday got the chance to play it NBA 2k13 this Saturday for the 1st time. Let me tell you I heard all about the improvement’s that the 2K game developers made but when you play the game it is a complete 180 from 2k12. The Ball handling and dribble moves are much smoother with all dribble moves being moved to the analog stick for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Now it is easier and more enjoyable to get creative with your crossovers and dribble penetration. Also When you dribble the Basketball into a defender you don’t get that bump the defender actually plays with the Ball handler and allows the ball handler to beat the defender with a move and makes defending a lot more challenging. Take for example when I was playing my Friend Hamiyd and my Ball handler was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Chris Bosh was the defender he was playing incredibly aggressive on MKG and I hit him with an in and out crossover to the left in traffic which led to a thunderous dunk by the rookie. In last year’s game that wasn’t possible because if a defender played you tight more times then not you would wind up dribbling it off the defender’s foot or getting the ball stolen. So the game play has definitely improved. Another cool feature is the dunk meter which measures the intensity of you dunks.

Another thing I always look for in NBA 2K Is to see what classic teams or what classic players have been put in the new installment of the game. This year 2k Sports went all out in that department adding some of my favorite players and classic teams such as Allen Iverson, Elgin Baylor, And the 2001 Sacramento Kings with Chris Webber, Bibby and Peja and of course it returns Muggsy Bouges and the 92-93 Charlote Hornets. But the most important addition was adding the 1992 Dream team and this years Olympic team to settle the debate between the younger and older generation on who is better on the sticks. The game all around is more improved and more enjoyable for all basketball fans and most importantly a hell of a lot more realistic. It is most defiantly a must buy!

Throwback Thursday: Muggsy Bouges

@MuggsyBogues

Today is thrusday and here at Tru School Sports I have a new segment called “Throwback Thursday” where I look at and reflect on some of the the players, trends, and Arenas back in the day. Today we will look at Former Charlotte Hornets Point guard Muggsy Bouges. Anybody who knows Muggsy knows he beat the odds as the shortest player in NBA history at 5’3,he looked like a skittle running in a Hornets uniform around the atheltic specimans known as NBA players. He was taking by the Washington Bullets with the 12th pick in the 1987 NBA draft. After a season of not cracking the Bullets rotation he was left un protected in the 1988 expansion draft where he would be selected by the expansion Charlotte Hornets where he would be made the starting point guard. He would go on to become the shortest player in NBA history to average a double-double in the 1993-94 season averaging 10.8 points and 10.1 assists. The Hornets would make the playoffs three times in the Muggsy, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning. Muggsy and the hornets never made the NBA finals and won a championship but during his time in the queen city the Hornets were always among the leagues best. He would go on and play the rest of his career with the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. He lasted 14 years in the league, Not bad for a guy who was too short, not strong enough and had an inconsistent jumpshot. These were the words of many experts and critics of Tyrone Bouges but Muggsy was fearless he wasn’t even afraid to guard the likes of a Michael Jordan or a Patrick ewing. Muggsy even made former Atlanta hawks Shooting guard Steve Smith change his position saying “he made me change my position from a point guard to shooting guard saying I wont play point guard for long”. Muggsy played with heart hustle and unmatched tenacity and his supreme confidence allowed him to be successful to the point where he made a player change his position. Next time you are playing the game of basketball and someone tells you “ your too small” or “your too short” think about Muggsy Bouges and try to emulate his defensive intensity and effort. Muggsy himself even said philosophicly “your never too small to ball”. So Muggsy Bouges i salute you!

Top 5 NBA Snapbacks #1 (Charlotte Hornets)

Call me biased for this one being a queen city native but honestly nothing goes better than teal and purple in my book. I remember my earliest memories of dribbling a basketball of when i was 4 years of age i had that hornets logo on. There are so many special things about this logo let alone the hat. Now if you look at the logo you wlll notice the hornets sporting white basketball shoes with the hornet skin on the bottom.Look at the hands with the Michael Jackson like white gloves dribbling a basketball.The logo lets you know that North carolinas team as about buisnesss,especially if you look at the hornets chest it reads "Charlotte". The logo itself is genius but that teal/purple color way meshes like peanut butter&jelly or cereal&milk. Lets not also forget that while in Charlotte the hornets were among the best teams in the league led by Muggsy bouges,Larry Johnson,Alonzo Mourning,Kendall Gill. All of the aformentioned players gave all 24,042 Charlotte colisiuem reasons to cheer a reason to cheer on a nightly basis in the nba jam era.Although the team never won a championship there outstanding play left its mark on the city and you still see teal and purple roaming the streets of the (704). I have this hat in my closet and rock it on a regular basis although im still a Charlotte bobcats fan my heart still bleads teal and purple. Even rapper kendrick lamar has an affinity for teal and purple when he said "buzzin like charlotte hornets,when that tape dropped" in his hip hop masterpiece "wanna be heard".