Remember the Titan

The nickname "Air McNair" is only appropriate for Steve McNair as is "the Titan" seeing as he was quarterbacking the team during the transition from Houston to Tennessee.

He was drafted out of Alcorn State by the Oilers in 1995 and spent 13 seasons with the organization before playing his last two years in Baltimore. He led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 1999 where his team fell a yard short to the Rams. He was also split the MVP award with Peyton Manning in 2003. He is No. 5 all time in rushing for a quarterback.

One of many definitions of the word Titan is "a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power and influence". McNair wasn't a huge man physically but I'd say all the others applied.Throughout his career he fought through injury after injury and put up season MVP numbers and still helped lead his team to the post season and Super Bowl.

The tragic news of his death was shocking to everyone. The 36-year old recently retired from the game of football and was missed on the field by fans everywhere, now fans will by mourning the loss of a man of character that goes beyond football. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends.

Independence Day

As Americans, we love our holidays, especially our Independence Day. When the fourth of July rolls around, it's always easy to be patriotic but what's tough is approaching it from a sports perspective and being original seeing as July 4th doesn't necessary hold a ton of sports memories since baseball and tennis are about the only in-season sports.

You can always point to your favorite athletes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country's freedom or discuss your favorite sports memories when it comes to patriotism. Look for example at the tragedies 9-11. After these tragic times, sports were there as a positive escape as we saw fans and athletes alike celebrating their freedom and love for this country.

I've got many memories of July 4th that I will never forget and I will remember every little detail about them. The same is true of sports. I remember exactly where I was when Mark McGuire broke the record, even if he was juicing. I will never forget Emmitt Smith running his way into history to become the all-time leading rusher. I remember when Cal Ripken broke the record for most consecutive games played. Who can ever forget Brett Favre's performance on Monday night? Yeah, I know, I'm leaving something out but there are just so many.

I've read and heard stories that will never get old like the Miracle on Ice or the Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.

Unfortunately in life, we often times remember the negative events, again, such as 9-11 or the Oklahoma City bombing but sports brings that positive aspect and on this fourth of July, we can create more positive memories, like going to the ballpark, getting a hot dog and watching fireworks. What's more patriotic than that?

On that rambling note, I'd just like to wish everybody a happy and safe Independence Day.