12-25-2019, 01:25 AM
MIAMI -- The only thing that keeps LeBron James up worrying at night is basketball, which simultaneously makes perfect sense and no sense. Blackhawks Jerseys 2021 . On one hand, hes the games best player. On the other, hes rarely impressed with himself. Even after a year like 2013 -- when a spectacular wedding, a second NBA championship and a fourth MVP award were among the many highlights enjoyed by the Miami Heat star -- he still is, as he puts it, striving for greatness. Or, technically, more greatness, since his enormous list of accomplishments just keeps growing. James was announced Thursday as The Associated Press 2013 Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the third basketball player to capture the award that has been annually awarded since 1931. James received 31 of 96 votes cast in a poll of news organizations, beating Peyton Manning (20) and Jimmie Johnson (7). "Im chasing something and its bigger than me as a basketball player," James told the AP. "I believe my calling is much higher than being a basketball player. I can inspire people. Youth is huge to me. If I can get kids to look at me as a role model, as a leader, a superhero ... those things mean so much, and thats what I think I was built for. I was put here for this lovely game of basketball, but I dont think this is the biggest role that Im going to have." Past winners include Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Carl Lewis, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps. Serena Williams was the AP Female Athlete of the Year, announced Wednesday. James joins Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as NBA players to win the award. "I dont think Ive changed much this year," James said. "Ive just improved and continued to improve on being more than just as a basketball player. Ive matured as a leader, as a father, as a husband, as a friend." So far in 2013, with a maximum of three games left to play, James has appeared in 98. The Heat have won 78 of them. None of those was bigger than the four Miami got in the NBA Finals against San Antonio. In Game 7, James was at his best, scoring 37 points, including the jump shot with 27.9 seconds left that essentially was the clincher. "He always rises to the occasion when it matters the most," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Business-wise, James is booming. Some estimate his annual income around $60 million, less than one-third of that being made on the court. His wife has opened a juice bar in Miami, and David Beckham wants James to be part of the Major League Soccer team he plans on bringing to South Florida in the next couple years. Countless people want to align with James. Few make him listen. Beckham did. "You want to be a part of it, but it has to feel real to you," James said. "You dont want to do something that doesnt feel much to you, that youre just doing for the money. We all have money. For me, my time is more than money at this point in my life." James has another "decision" to make in 2014. He can become a free agent again this summer, though still smarting from the circus atmosphere that followed him during his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers four years ago, James is staying largely silent on what might happen. He insists he has no idea. "Im so zoned in on what my task is here this year that its hard to think about anything else," James said. "A guy the other day asked me what Im going to do for New Years, and I havent even thought about that." When asked if theres anything he doesnt like about Miami, James offered few complaints, other than the often-clogged street -- Biscayne Boulevard, or U.S. 1 -- that leads to the arena the Heat call home. "What is there not to like about Miami?" James said. "It is a home. My family is very happy; Im very comfortable. But U.S. 1? I wish that was a highway." Bear in mind, hes not always unhappy when that street is gridlocked. The last two years, hes been largely responsible for hundreds of thousands of people lining that road for Heat championship parades. And if he gets his way, theyll be back next June. Wholesale Blackhawks Jerseys . Now he can be had by any team willing to pay his salary. According to a report from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shopping the veteran CB and plan on releasing him Wednesday if they cant find a trade partner. Fake Blackhawks Jerseys .com) - Former FBI director Robert Mueller said his investigation found no evidence that the NFL saw the elevator video of Ray Rice striking his then-fiancee before the tape was released in September. https://www.cheapblackhawks.com/ . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136.OTTAWA - Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris seem to have found their touch again — and thats good news for the Ottawa Senators.Hoffman, who had one goal in his last 15 games before Friday, scored twice to lead the Senators in a 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Turris, who had just two goals in his previous 10 outings — both of them on Wednesday — added a goal and an assist on Friday as Ottawa recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since early November.Its something that comes and goes over an 82-game season and you just try to take advantage of when its coming, Turris said of his recent goal-scoring success.I feel like weve been playing better and playing with more pace and better through the neutral zone and I think we showed that.Erik Karlsson had two assists to help out the cause while Milan Michalek, Mark Stone and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Senators (14-12-6).Craig Anderson made 32 saves to record his second straight win.The Ducks (22-8-5) got two goals from Ryan Getzlaf two minutes and 33 seconds apart over the second and third periods. Anaheim lost for the second time in three games following a 2-1 win at Montreal Thursday.The Ducks also got two assists from Ben Lovejoy and a shaky 25-save performance from Ilya Bryzgalov, who made his first start of the season after being re-signed by Anaheim last week.After scoring late in the second period, Getzlaf scored at 1:49 of the third to quickly cut the Senators lead from 4-0 to 4-2, making for some anxious moments for the home side.Hoffman quickly resolved any tension when his goal at 5:50 of the final period gave the Senators a 5-2 lead.You want to be scoring goals and it does feel good when it happens, but its the National Hockey League and youre not going to score every night, said Hoffman, who had his third two-goal game of the season.You have to be patient and wait for your chances and capitalize when they come.Zibanejad restored the four-goal cushion with his goal at 16:32 of the third.It didnt look like we had a lot of energy, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said.Im not finding too many positive things. I could do that and use cliches and excuses, but the last time we were in a back-to-back (situation) it was our best gaame of the year in Winnipeg. Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys. It was just not a great effort all the way around.The Senators went into the second period with a 2-0 lead and it looked as though they were headed to the third with that same advantage before three goals were scored less than three minutes apart late in the second.Turris gave Ottawa a 3-0 lead with a short-handed goal, crossing the Ducks blue-line and cutting through three defenders to put a shot over Bryzgalovs shoulder at 16:18 for his third goal in two games.Hoffman intercepted a clearing pass inside the Ducks line just 42 second after the Turris goal and put a quick shot past Bryzgalov for a 4-0 lead and his first goal in eight games.Getzlaf crashed the net and chipped a bouncing puck over Anderson for his first goal of the game at 19:16.We didnt show up in the first period and we didnt give ourselves much of a chance, Getzlaf said. We were missing passes, we were not crisp, we werent fore-checking and the list goes on. They outplayed us throughout most of the game and Im not taking anything away from them. They played well and they executed in their system.Im not going to make excuses for our group. A lot of teams have a lot of road trips so we have to play though them and play all the way through. We didnt show up to play and Im embarrassed.The Senators got a power play just 32 seconds into the game as Lovejoy was called for holding. Michalek made him pay with a goal off a cross-ice slap pass from Karlsson with 29 seconds left in the man advantage.Stone gave the Senators a 2-0 lead when he converted the rebound of a Mark Borowiecki point shot at 8:21 of the first.Notes: Patrick Wiercioch was the lone scratch for the Senators while Devante Smith-Pelly and Hampus Lindholm were scratched for the Ducks. … The win was the first for the Senators over the Ducks on home ice since Game 3 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Final and their first regular season win at home against Anaheim since January 2003. … As a team the Senators went 107 minutes and 55 seconds without allowing a goal before Getzlafs second period goal. Anderson went 115:14. … Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano is the NHLs active ironman leader having played in 575 straight games. ' ' '