Posts
Issue 4
Favorite Athletes
N: Hello, and welcome to the 4th edition of my boys at the Round Table. I’m your host, Nate Confer and this is all a bit ridiculous so let’s get started.
N: You boys know who your favorite football player will be in about 5-6 years time?
LK: I just really like football, dad. It’s going to be so hard to pick a favorite. I think that every team has a couple of guys that I could really get behind. I love that Leonard Williams out of USC. A big interior pass rusher, I think he could be just as good as your generation’s Suh.
N: Thank you Logan, but I’m not quite so young anymore. Suh is probably of the generation behind me, I grew up with the Warren Sapp, John Randle and the Goose. You might be right though, I’ve had my eye on Williams for years.
LK: I also like Luke Kuechly. If I keep growing at my current pace, I might be close to his size. He’s probably the best player on the Panthers.
LT: No. He is good though. Cam Newton is the best player on the Panthers. Greg Hardy may have been better too. Kuechly is good because that defense is built to have everything go through him, a la Zach Thomas on the Miami Dolphins. He was a nice player, but never a world beater.
N: Lucas, our favorite players don’t have to be world beaters.
LT: Not saying that, only that Kuechly isn’t one.
AW: Larry Fitzgerald is my favorite player right now, but I also like Von Miller, Andrew Luck, Justin Tuck, Kendall Wright, Andy Dalton and Philip Rivers. I can’t really predict that far ahead, but I did enjoy watching Amari Cooper on Saturday afternoons with you dad.
N: Yeah, those were good times. There’s a lot of nice talent on Saturdays that you guys will be able to enjoy on Sundays soon. Lucas, is there a guy that stands out to you?
LT: Odell. He’s already one of the best, when I’m in kindergarten, he will be the best. Small like me. Fierce.
N: Just way more talented... on to baseball.
AW: Mike Trout. Easy.
LT: Yeah, Aiden’s right about that. While I think there is an abundance of talent coming through, who wouldn’t want to cheer for a guy like that. Best player in baseball already, and hustles like he’s trying to make the team.
N: I heard a scout say that he’s only seen two players in his lifetime that would generate perfect scores. Trout, and Mickey Mantle.
LT: How good was Mantle, dad?
N: Uh-huh. Logan, who’s your guy for baseball?
LK: I would have to agree with the boys. Even you said that he was your favorite player, dad. We’d be hard pressed to find a guy that we can all agree on.
N: Yeah, true. I probably liked Josh Hamilton a little more a few years ago when I got to see him drop bombs at Target Field, but Trout keeps me glued to the TV.
LK: A close runner-up would be Adam Jones though. He’s got so much raw talent, kind of like me, right?
N: Nothing like you, Logan. He’s more speed around the bases, plays in the outfield. You’re more swing as hard and as far as you can. Mark McGwire, maybe? Anyone think they can predict who they’re favorite basketball player will be?
AW: Andrew Wiggins. Isn’t that an easy one too?
N: Yes and no. I think the Wolves have a special talent, but to be honest with you, I wanted Jabari Parker for the Wolves.
LT: Jabari is probably the second best player on his own team, pop. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the real deal, will be better than both of them, and is easily my favorite player in the NBA, even right now. He has the Milwaukee Bucks... the Bucks, in a playoff spot.
LK: I like the young Australian. Ben Simmons. Even dad said there’s been no one in the league that resembles the skills that this kid has... right, dad?
N: Yeah, from what I’ve seen. I thought he was a cross of Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, and most of the scouts agree with me. His athleticism is off the wall, he sees the game like a point guard and can hit from anywhere inside of 20. If he continues to progress and develop correctly, the sky is the limit. Should be next year’s #1 draft pick, easy.
LK: The good news for me is the Lakers and Knicks should still be garbage for a few more seasons, and so I should have a favorite player that I can see just about every night! Isn’t it great, dad, how the NBA accommodates the largest markets?
N: ...
LK: May I be so bold as to suggest that the Australian national team could pull down a silver medal come the 2016 Olympics? Exum and Simmons is a pretty good start, and Andrew Bogut has skills for a center.
N: Andrew Bogut will probably miss the entire tournament due to some undisclosed injury. But you may not be far off... they should be challenging for a medal anyway.
LT: Tony Parker will make Dante Exum look silly at the Olympics. And that’s nothing to say of Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon. Australia will be lucky to finish in the top 6.
AW: Don’t forget about the Brazilians. Not only are they hosting, but with the likes of Nene and Anderson Varejao, they could be a force to be reckoned with.
N/AW/LT/LK: (much laughter and general amusement)
N: So, moving on to hockey...
AW: Why?
LK: Yeah, we hardly ever watch it. Kind of hard to make impressions of a sport that’s on in our house about once every fifteen days.
LT: Easy for me, PK Subban. Bad. Ass.
N: He is good. Makes the Canadians fun to watch.
LK: Well, considering that I wear a Wild hat every single day and it’s the only logo in hockey that I recognize, I’ll probably go with Matt Dumba. He looks like the poor man’s version of your PK Subban.
AW: Staal. I’m not sure which one, but I feel like my odds are good with what? 3 of them?
N: Yeah, I think so. And your dad has a Jordan Staal jersey already, so I can pass it down to you.
AW: I’m not wearing that hideous alternate Carolina Hurricanes jersey, dad. Have you even taken that thing out of the closet since you got it?
N: Once.
AW: Should have got the red one. Carolina didn’t need to mess with a good thing.
N: On to soccer.
AW: It’s about time!
LK: Thought you forgot about it, dad!
LT: Only sport that matters, really.
N: So... proud... (tears streaming down my cheeks) Funny that it took me 17 years to realize what you guys figured out in less than 24 months. So, any early partiality?
LK: Well, I know that your favorite player was Zinedine Zidane. I figured why not continue with a good thing and pick his son Enzo. We watched him once, didn’t we?
N: Yeah, but he needs time to develop. Definitely has the talent though, and there are worse places to learn other than Real Madrid. I wonder who pulled those strings?
LK: Do you think I can play like him?
N: ... Lucas, do you have a favorite player?
LT: Duh. Neymar. He plays like I do. Balls to the walls, and doesn’t back down from anyone. Legen... wait for it...
AW: Yeah?
N: Waiting...
LT: I don’t know. Thought I was going somewhere with that.
AW: I like Tottenham. And Chelsea. And Real. And Manchester United. And Manchester City. (Real Aiden quotes... oh lord) Those are probably my favorites dad.
N: Uh-huh. Any players?
AW: Well, I wore #7 in soccer. Who is the best #7?
N: There are plenty of good number 7’s. Guys like... ah, who am I kidding? Your favorite player will probably be Cristiano Ronaldo.
AW: The one you say is so pretty?
N: (sigh) Yeah, that’s the one.
LT: Dary! Legendary!
No comments:
Post a Comment