Inside the Mind of Suz

If I had a quarter for every time I’ve seen someone (mostly on Twitter) make a comment about the way my boy Evan Turner speaks, it would fund a nice trip to Vegas; which, coincidentally, I need to start saving for.

There are harmless comments, which I don’t mind seeing because a lot of people have just started becoming familiar with him. But it’s the ones making uncalled for comments and jokes that make me want to gouge people’s eyes out. But again, these people probably wouldn’t make those comments if they knew his back story. I try to keep that in mind, but it’s just so damn tacky.

So this post is dedicated to NBA fans, and Philadelphia 76ers fans in particular.

Don’t know his back story? Let me fill you in right quick. Evan had a rough beginning to his life. He had so many incidents and medical issues in his early years. Consider this short passage from ESPN:

A strapping 10-pound baby at birth, Turner had chicken pox, pneumonia, asthma and measles before he celebrated a birthday. When a measles epidemic swept through Chicago in the winter of 1989, Iris found her baby so ill he couldn’t even cry. She called a doctor who, presumably figuring she was exaggerating, suggested she come to the office. Guided instead by her mother’s instincts, Iris took him to the emergency room.

“Doctors took one look at him and just took him away,” Iris said. “They had tubes and machines and everything there in a second. He nearly died.”

Turner survived the measles but had severe breathing problems. Surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils eventually eased the struggles, but for the first year of his life, Turner slept on his mother’s chest every night because when she put him on his back in his crib, he would almost stop breathing.

Continuing through his Job-like childhood, Turner survived being hit by a car as a 3-year-old (his mother saw him flip in the air and land on his head, but Turner walked away with just a concussion and stitches).

Oh, but there’s more…

He also struggled to speak as a toddler. Saddled with oversize baby teeth and a difficult overbite, he was capable of talking, but only his older brother, Darius, could understand him. Even Iris would turn to Darius for interpretation and translation from the boy who called her “Bobba” because he couldn’t say “Momma.”

“I don’t know what he would have done without Darius,” Iris said of her two boys’ special bond.

Intense speech therapy helped Turner, but the sting of special classes and the frustration of not being understood left Turner reserved and insecure. “I’d be yelling, ‘Darius, what does he want? What does he want?’ and poor Evan would get so frustrated, he’d say, “Oh, nebber minb [mimicking the way Turner spoke].”

Still got jokes?

And no, he is not deaf. I’ve seen quite a few people asking that.

Just want people to keep that in mind next time they’re ready to go in on Evan Turner’s voice. He’s going to be a force in the NBA, so learn the story, spread it, and get used to hearing him speak!

S/O: Did y’all peep Evan’s NBA debut in his Orlando summer league game tonight? He had almost as many rebounds as points. Should sound familiar to us Buckeye fans. He was also rocking Scarlet shoes. Once a Buckeye…

Postgame interview after you jump!
(more…)

Evan Turner continues his post NBA draft tour tonight in his hometown by throwing out the 1st pitch at the Cubs/Pirates game. He also gave a so-so rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch. But let’s be real. Has anyone ever heard a really good celebrity take on the popular tune? Hmmmm…

Good thing he has that whole basketball thing going for him, right? Still love me some ET, though!

Here are some pics of him at the game, all found on Twitter via Crowdreel (awesome, awesome resource for photos shared via Twitter. Check it out!)

Catch his ceremonial pitch from his Philly debut, Friday, after the jump…shot. (more…)

BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

The only reason I watch the WNBA, the amazing Candace Parker, has been placed on the LA Sparks IR. (Yes, I’m aware basketball teams don’t have IRs, but just go with me here, ok?)

She dislocated her left shoulder in a recent game and is out for the remainder of the season now that it’s been revealed that the injured shoulder needs surgery.

So, what do I do now? Is it football season yet, or what?

In other CP3 news, Candace is up for the Subway Sportswoman of the Year at next week’s (June 27) BET Awards.

ETA: Candace tweeted her thanks for fan support after news spread that she was on the shelf for the rest of the season.

I always come to this conclusion after the NFL holds their draft, but never really put my thoughts down in writing…UNTIL NOW!

Dear NFL GM’s,

Please stop drafting players that play one position only to move them to another one after you sign them. This isn’t the NBA, where teams frequently draft the “best available” and then figure out where to put them later. There are only 5 positions in basketball, so it’s a lot easier to mix and match than in professional football where there are complex defensive and offensive schemes. Draft the wrong player and you set yourself back a ton of $$$ and potential success on the field.

For instance, if your team runs a 3-4 defense, why draft a player who has played nothing but DE his whole career, and then try to immediately turn him into an pass-rushing OLB. It’s not the same thing!

Then you and your fanbase will bad mouth them if they don’t mirror their collegiate production from the 1st snap. It simply doesn’t work like that!

Now, I understand that if you’re paying all that money, players should be able to learn a new position. Totally understand that. But if your expectation is that he learn it during fall camp and have it perfected by the 1st regular season game, you need your head checked. That’s just not realistic! Players take years to learn their positions and you knew what you were getting when you drafted them. Don’t act all shocked if they suck at the position you moved them to. You don’t draft a kicker to QB your team, do you? (Yea, bad example, but sometimes I feel like these teams are that stupid)

You’ve got no one to blame but yourself for your 1st round NFL Draft disasters. If you have a position that is a crucial and immediate need, DRAFT SOMEONE WHO HAS PRODUCED AT THAT POSITION IN COLLEGE or go the free agency route! If you can afford to wait a year or two before heavily relying on this player, then by all means, take that risk and develop them.

You get paid the big bucks, so why not actually do some homework before the draft, k?

< / end rant >

So, if you’re a basketball fan you know the LA Lakers are playing the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA Playoffs. You probably also are aware of Lakers star Kobe Bryant’s very “interesting” photo spread for LA Times Magazine. If not, click here.

I don’t know what he was thinking, letting stylist James Valeri get him in those outfits, but what’s done is done. The blogosphere has been clowning the Black Mamba ever since the photos surfaced, and now Utah Jazz fans are piling on!

Peep some pics of them trying to get into Kobe’s head during the Jazz home game tonight:

Classic. I give them an “A” for effort. Too bad, for them, it didn’t work. Lakers won and lead the series 3-0.

You’re all welcome

It’s been a hot minute since I blogged about my girl Candace Parker. (Are you a fan? Join the fanlisting!) She’s been sharing her awesome hoops skillz with Europe this winter, so other than her entertaining tweets, things have been pretty quiet.

Until now!

Candace teamed up with peta2 (it’s not what you think!) and shot an ad for their anti-fur campaign. She’s pictured with her dog, Fendi, in “If You Wouldn’t Wear Your Dog, Please Don’t Wear Any Fur”. Interesting angle. I certainly wouldn’t wear my dog; if I had one.

Check it out:

Lately, I’m getting a whole lot of referral hits from people searching “samantha prahalis boyfriend” via their search engine of choice.

Their searches led them to this post, where all I did was mention the fact in passing. But that was really a post dedicated to the awesomeness that is Sammy Prahalis and her hoops skillz. What you’re reading now is all about the couple!

I’m guessing a lot of people are getting more interested in the adorable couple. And if you’re here looking for info, I’ll just come out and stay that Evan Turner, the soon-to-be NCAA Men’s POY ( ) is Samantha Prahalis’ boyfriend.

ESPN cut to ET about fiftyeleven times during today’s Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship game. It seemed that possibly the camera crew knew what was up, but the announcers sure as hell didn’t.

Now, this is ESPN we’re talking about. They are very TMZ-like with their sports coverage. Remember how many times we got to see Colt McCoy’s now fiancée during Texas football games, and Tim Tebow’s parents during Florida’s games? If they’d have known that Evan and Sammy were a couple, they so would have run that storyline into the ground during the telecast. You know they would!

So I got a good laugh out of that this afternoon!

But back to the happy couple — since Google sent you here and all — Here’s what you need to know. They are both awesome basketball players for The Ohio State University. Both rock the #21 jersey. And if you’re curious, both have Twitter accounts. [Evan's Twitter, Sammy's Twitter]

Want more? Local TV station, ABC6, has a video interview w/ the couple (separately) that you might like.

I went to campus (again) last night to watch the Ohio State Men’s Basketball team host Illinois, in what was effectively a Big Ten regular season Championship game. If Ohio State won, they’d earn at least a share of the regular season Big Ten title. And since, they did, they helped complete the sweep, as the women already locked up their title weeks ago.

I only decided to go to this game a few days in advance. My cousin, Charlie, and I wanted to see Evan Turner in person because we think he’s off to the NBA. And Charlie’s birthday is this weekend, so I thought a ticket to the game would be a great bday present. (I know. I’m awesome)

So, by the time I got my tickets, all the good seats were loooonnnnggg gone. That was pretty hard for me to accept considering how big of a ticket snob I am. But I put all that aside and soaked up the experience! After all, I’ve already seen the Lady Buckeyes twice! It was time to give the men’s team some love!

Below is a zoomed out picture that accurately displays how far away I was.

Everyone looks so tiny!

Now, behold a zoomed picture of the team after the starting lineups were announced.

See? My camera is oh-so-badass! I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a quality digital camera.

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Who else?

Seriously, if you don’t think she’s exciting to watch, then you’re blind. It’s just as simple as that. Now the Big Ten Network wants you to learn a little bit more about Sammy’s back story.

She played tackle football when she was younger and also engaged in a ton of pick-up hoops games on some of New York’s most notorious courts. Explains a lot!

I love Sammy’s story. I love her boyfriend, Evan Turner’s story. Both wear #21. Both will probably be POY in the Big Ten conference. Makes for a very cute basketball couple, right? That’s what I thought too.

I’m trying to decide which women’s game to go to next!