The Hate Runs Deep

The Neches River runs, twists, and bends all through Southeastern Texas. It is a natural barrier for towns, cities, and counties—most importantly, Hardin and Jasper Counties. Within these lie two historically renowned high school football programs: The Silsbee Tigers and the Jasper Bulldogs. The thing to remember about these two programs is this: sheer hatred runs deep.

Thank goodness there's a river between the two of them.

It's not a rivalry that's necessarily celebrated by news and media, but to the residents of Silsbee and Jasper, there's nothing more important than beating the ever living tar out of the other. It's one of the oldest rivalries in Texas.

"If we lose every game but one in a year, as long as that one came against Jasper, you can count it as a winning season," says a Silsbee High School teacher as she explains that she once had to run an errand in Jasper and mistakenly left a Silsbee Tiger towel in the back of her car. She returned to find the window shattered and the towel ripped.

Former Silsbee lineman Zach Skinner recounts an experience in 2004 when both teams were undefeated, and ranked #1, and #2 in the state. "The tension was high, when we ran onto the field both teams went to mid field and taunted each other, I was sure a brawl was going to break out. Tigers Stadium was packed and the roaring from both sides of the crowd was deafening. In the end we won in overtime 29-28 and all of our fans stormed the field. It was a night I will never forget."

"I hate Jasper, my dad hated Jasper, his dad hated Jasper, and I'm pretty sure his dad hated Jasper."

When these two get together, you know you're in for a treat. There are few places where football is bigger than Texas, and there are few schools that absolutely despise one another as Silsbee and Jasper.

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This offseason in the National Basketball Association has been busy, particulary the Miami Heat. Since signing superstars Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh the Miami Heat have been considered favorites. Some are going to extremes, claiming they will win 70 plus games next year, and that they are a lock for the NBA finals where they will clash with the Los Angeles Lakers in a thrilling and epic series. This may be true, but before you go filling out your 2011 playoff brackets in ink, you may want to take a closer look at the most consistant team of the last decade, the team with the least offseason exposure. "Experts" and fans who claim the Miami Heat are already 2011 World Champions are forgetting one thing; The San Antonio Spurs.
There are many reason to write off the Spurs: age, lack of scoring, lack of star power, mostly age. Some have said the Spurs' "Dynasty is over", or that their anchor Tim Duncan is "over the hill". However, in my opinion, there are many more reasons to believe the Spurs will be right back where they were as heavyweight contenders in the Western conference. They are still a fundamentally sound team with young, up and coming stars meshed with experience and talent.

The second round playoff matchup between the Spurs and the Phoenix Suns taught us two things. The Spurs need bench scoring, and they need youth. The Spurs had arguably the best draft in 2010. No, they didn't pick up John Wall or Demarcus Cousins, but they did manage to nab the 2009 Big 12 player of the year, and first team All- American, James Anderson. At Oklahoma State Anderson was a pure athlete and a dead-eye shooter. To be the best player in the Big 12 means something. the Big 12 isn't a cupcake conference by any means. To be first team All-American means of all the shooting guards in America, he was the best. How a player of this caliber fell out of the lottery picks and to the Spurs is truly mind blowing. Some had him projected in the top 10. He's a great asset that will have an immediate impact. The Spurs also signed the reigning Euroleague MVP Tiago Splitter. The Brazilian will add strength and rebounding to the Spurs' inside game. With the inevitable decline of Tim Duncan it's getting easier and easier for other teams to get points in the paint. Splitter will take a lot of that pressure off of Duncan. They didn't sign LeBron or Wade, but the Spurs have had a tremendous offseason.

The Spurs are also returning some very dynamic young players. George Hill caught the sporting world's attention in the first round of the playoffs against the Mavericks lighting up the scoreboard, hitting big time shots, and really taking over games at times. He is quick, smart, and clutch. He finished runner- up for the Most Improved Player award. The thing is this: he is only going to get better in 2010. Also, let's not forget Dejuan Blair another young talent that didn't exactly explode onto any scenes but showed us alot of promise. At 6'7" he's not the biggest big man, but he fights for rebounds, hustles for put backs and honestly looks like he could bench press an 18-wheeler. I'm not by any means saying he's the next Shaq, but he will definitely make an impact. How big of an impact remains to be seen. If anything he gives you a bench player you can give Duncan or Splitter a breather with, and not have your stomach cringe as your lead evaporates. They also return two very experienced players in Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyss. These two probably have the biggest question marks because....you guessed it, their age. If (and this is a big IF) Jefferson can regain some of his dominance, that will add another scoring threat to their arsenal. Last season he had his moments, but was far too inconsistant to be considered dominant if his scoring average can hover around 16-17 points a game he will be far more than adequate.

Now, the number one reason the Spurs should not be taken lightly and absolutely no one should leave them dead in the water :
The BIG three (of San Antonio)
2 time league MVP, 3 time Finals MVP, 12 time first team All-NBA Tim Duncan. All-Star and Finals MVP Tony Parker and All-Star Manu Ginobili refuse to let their team slip into mediocrity. Together these three have won 3 NBA titles, and there's no substitute for winning experience.
Though Tim Duncan may be past his prime he is still regarded as one of the best big men in the league. Why else would he have been voted All-NBA? He's still the "Big Fundemental" in every aspect of his game. He'll never be the player that's on the highlight reel on Sports Center every night, but he doesn't have to be, he gets the job done. He is THE BEST POWER FORWARD OF ALL TIME! He has been the anchor of this team and next season shouldn't be any different. He may not be as fast or as athletic as he once was, but he is still a true leader.
Most Spurs fans will tell you Manu Ginobili is their favorite Spur, and for good reason. He plays with heart night in and night out, he is the first player on the ground diving for a lose ball, he is the their leading scorer, and he is their best and most consistant free-throw shooter, which is a problem they have yet to resolve. He is vital to their success as a franchise next season.

The Spurs finished the 2009-10 season with the seventh best record in the Western Conference. viewed by many as the end of their dominance. However, something huge was missing for a good bulk of the Spurs 2009 campaign: Tony Parker was injured. He did come back for the playoffs, though he didn't do much; just helped the Spurs beat their passionately hated in-state rivals the Dallas Mavericks. If Tony Parker remains healthy next season (which he has no reason not to) there's no reason the Spurs shouldn't be right back in the conversation of title contenders. Parker is THE BEST point guard when it comes to getting in the paint and creating difficult shots. He's not the best premier passer in the game, but he gets points. Parker is also a steller defender, and arguably one of the best point guards in the game today.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, George Hill, Dejuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, James Anderson, Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyss.... Let's not forget Gregg Popovich, he's a pretty good coach too. A great mesh of experience and youth, talent and fundementals, the Spurs are known for being a defensive and fundemental TEAM, in every sense of the word. All in all, The Spurs are definitely a force to be reckoned with, and by no means should we crown next year's NBA champion today. Keep in mind, this is my opinion, the opinion of one individual. I'm not predicting the future, the Miami Heat may very well win 70 games and defeat the Lakers in the Finals. Don't forget the Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic either. the Utah Jazz will be pretty good too. I just don't see how you can not take the Spurs seriously and consider them a legitimate threat. As I said, I'm not guaranteeing anything, but watch out for them. They're dangerous.

If you don't care about Sports and have managed to read this far I apologize for your lost time.

GO SPURS GO!

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