LeBron James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James officially announced his decision last Friday to return to his home state and play basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers again. In 2010 when James was a free agent the first time, he announced his decision to take his talents to South Beach via a live TV announcement at The Boys & Girls Club. He received harsh criticism for how he announced the news, which became known as The Decision and there were no harsher critics than Cleveland itself. His jerseys were burned, Cavs fans threw fits and the Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, blasted James through many media outlets, calling him a narcissistic coward. As the owner of the company Fathead, Gilbert reduced James’ wall sticker price to a mere $17.41 (Fatheads normally retail for approximately $50-100 each).

After 7 seasons as the face of the Cavs and continuously rising as a basketball star, Cleveland was distraught in disbelief that their son could do this to them. How? Why? It’s not right! James moved on to the Miami Heat where the Big 3 meshed, reigning as Eastern Conference Champions from 2011-2014 and heading to the NBA Finals in each of their 4 years together, winning 2 back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.

Contrary to the publicity surrounding his 2010 decision, James quietly announced his decision this time through an exclusive essay published by Sports Illustrated with the headline “I’m Coming Home.” In the essay, James explains his decision to return to his hometown, stating the decision is greater than just basketball. He is a dad and has a family to think about, and feels a sense of responsibility to inspire kids growing up in the Northeast Ohio area. He is accepting the challenge to bring talent and success back into Cleveland.

All was instantly forgiven by the city of Cleveland and Cavs fans when James’ return was announced. Criticism of the actual decision was minimal this time around, partially because of James’ chosen delivery of the news. There was only class displayed by the Miami Heat too, as the organization announced respect for James’ decision and posted a picture of the superstar in his Heat jersey via social media outlets with the caption “Thanks for the memories.”

Perhaps 2015 will be the year the Cavs finally win an NBA Championship. They certainly have their work cut out for them, but an overall young and talented roster is a great start. The King himself along with #1 draft pick, Andrew Wiggins and point guard, Kyrie Irving are valuable assets to begin making this goal a reality.

MLB All-Star Game

It’s that time of the year again – fans who enjoy hot dogs and cold drinks on a warm summer day, sunshine spread wide across a freshly manicured field and the crack of a wooden bat striking a ball at the perfect moment, with the intent to launch it into the stands or beyond the park. Yes, it’s baseball season.

MLB All-Star week is a mid summer opportunity for players to showcase their talents and provide fans an entertaining occasion to watch these highlighted skills through events such as the Futures Game, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game. The Futures Game is the opening event to all-star week and allows up-and-coming players to show their skills. It was designed to highlight “tomorrow’s stars.” 2014 will be the 16th year that the Futures Game is included among all-star activities. The Home Run Derby is held prior to the all-star game (Monday, July 14 this year) and includes the league’s top home run hitters. The goal is to see which player can hit the most home runs.

The All-Star game is played in a National League v. American League format. In 2013, the American League won 3-0. From 2010-2013 the National League claimed victory, but prior to 2010, the American League had won the previous 13 all-star games, excluding 2002 in which the teams tied.

Similar to the NBA all-star game, the MLB game moves to various host cities each year, offering different teams the chance to host and showcase what their city has to offer fans. This season’s all-star game takes place at Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins. Target Field opened in 2010 and despite the Twins’ recent on-field performance, the stadium is well regarded among baseball fans nationwide. The design was carefully crafted and took over a decade to plan and then construct. In anticipation of the all-star game, Target Field has added two unique self-serve beer machines to the stadium. They debuted earlier in the month during a Twins home game and while they are self-serve, they still remain monitored.

This season’s all-star game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15 and will air on Fox.