Brandon Jennings gets paid!

Touted as the best point guard in the class of 2008, Brandon Jennings signed with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma of the Italian pro league. Jennings who played at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) last season, decided to bypass college and sign a ‘multimillion-dollar’ deal with the Rome-based team.

At 18, Jennings could not enter the NBA draft due to the league’s age restrictions for prospects under 19 years old. Bypassing the opportunity to be a “one year” player after committing to Arizona (he was academically ineligible), Jennings opted to explore immediate payment for his services in Europe.

His advisor, longtime former shoe company representative Sonny Vaccaro, negotiated in Las Vegas during the weekend with Virtus Roma GM Dejan Bodiroga. Without disclosing the exact numbers, Viccaro described the deal as a three-year multimillion dollar deal with buyout considerations that will allow Jennings to leave the team and enter the NBA draft when eligible next year. The GM commented further explaining a comprehensive plan for Brandon that included specific training, education, tutoring programs, and media training.

I honestly have no problems with him going after money. The 19 age limit rule doesn’t make much sense to me, I don’t see a point in a player taking up a scholarship spot in order to leave the very next year. I predict a whole lot of future players exercising this option. Time will tell.

7/16/08 – 4.1 miles in 39:32 (slow run right after biking home)

Records falling – Swimmers or Suits?

Record breaking… An accomplishment held above all else. In essence, one has achieved something no one has EVER been able to attain. With 44 (probably more now) world records falling in a span of 4 months, why am I not impressed? All these records were broken by athletes using Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuit.

The Speedo LZR Racer forces swimmers’ bodies into an aerodynamic shape and repels water as they swim (it can take 20 minutes just to get the suit on). I understand that the Olympics Committee has approved the suit and that there is no wrongdoing on Speedo’s part. It’s just ridiculous that this was allowed to happen. Some have touted it “technology doping”, I have to agree. The results speak for themselves. While some records might have fallen regardless of the suit, it is obvious the suit played a large role in the majority of them.

Several swimmers sponsored by companies other than Speedo have been given permission to use the new suit. Still it seems unfair to those swimmers who either have not been given permission or cannot afford the new $550 suit. Time will tell how this will work out, for now it seems unfair to me. One wager I am willing to place is that more than 90% of the gold medal winners this upcoming Olympics will don the LZR Racer suit.

6/30/08 – 3.92 miles in 46:58 (slow run with Paulette and Sparky)

7/02/08 – 3.92 miles in 38:00 (9:41/mile pace)

7/05/08 – 3.92 miles in 38:28