Sports (645)
Darius Jones of Craig's Gym (left) and Eric Hernandez of Craig's Gym (right) pose with promoter Cassandra White and this reporter after the event. The football White is holding was signed by members of the Washington Redskins and was given away to a lucky spectator. Photo by John E. de FreitasHealth Fair and Boxing in Benning Terrace
Various community health and civic organizations came together to create a block party atmosphere in the Benning Terrace neighborhood in Southeast Washington.
It was indeed a festive mood as groups such as the Metropolitan Police Department, Children’s Hospital, the DC National Guard and others showed neighborhood residents and others quality tips on how to live safely and securely.DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier was in attendance and happily posed for pictures with residents.Also “Antonio the Cuban Cigar Smoker” from WKYS-FM addressed the crowd and gave away CD’s.Live bands rounded out this portion of the event.
The nightcap of the event was a showcase of local amateur boxing arranged by Babie Girl Promotions, a local boxing promotions firm headed by Cassandra White, one of the few female promoters in the country and the World Boxing Foundation’s Promoter of the Year in 2009.
There were no winners or losers in the event as each participant received a trophy but many of the boxers were young kids who are involved in a very positive activity.
The list of boxers and their gyms are:
Mayor Vincent Gray joined attending guests, Washington Nationals players and area baseball kids for a photo session after the formal ground breaking activities at Fort Dupont Park in S.E. on Tues. May, 31. Photo by John E. De FreitasWashington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy
On Tuesday, May 31. Mayor Vincent Gray joined the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and three hundred guests for the ground breaking ceremony for the Washington Nationals Youth baseball Academy at Fort Dupont Park in S.E.
Developed in partnership with the District of Columbia, the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy will operate as a year-round youth development program committed to teaching the fundamentals of baseball and softball while providing after-school and summer educational programs for youth in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
The NBA Finals kicked off on Tuesday, May 31 in Miami, Fla., and basketball fans have waited for this moment for the last seven months.
The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are currently playing a best-of-seven game series to determine who will be NBA champions for the 2010-11 season.
Fans across the country are expecting an excellent series to be played as the Heat’s ‘Big Three’ – superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, along with Chris Bosh – face off against Dirk Nowitzki and a veteran-heavy Mavericks’ team. The two teams met in the NBA Finals in 2006, and the Heat won it in six games.
The Heat, led by head coach Erik Spoelstra, is heavily favored to win the NBA finals because they have home court advantage throughout the series and have a lot of momentum on their side. They have gotten through the playoffs with little difficulty and the trio of James, Wade, and Bosh has played extremely well as a unit. They won the Eastern Conference title in four straight games, defeating the Chicago Bulls.
The team is cast as the sport’s ‘bad boys’ because James generated a lot of controversy in the off-season by announcing on ESPN in a nationally televised special dubbed “The Decision”, that he had signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent.
In turn, James spurned his former team – the Cleveland Cavaliers – as well as the state of Ohio, where he grew up and learned the sport.
Many felt that James’s televised special was an example of the modern athlete’s arrogance and that turned fans against him – and the Heat.
They struggled in the early part of the season and faced hostile crowds on the road; however, they started to improve and dominate their opponents.
The Dallas Mavericks are perennial contenders for an NBA title; however, they have not been able to win a championship yet.
Led by head coach Rick Carlisle, future Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki and featuring veterans Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic, the Mavericks have played extremely well in the playoffs. They easily finished off the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games during the Western Conference finals.
In the regular season, the two teams played each other twice. Dallas won both games as they used a strong defense to beat an athletic Heat team. The difference between the two teams is that Dallas has a fairly deep and experienced bench; while, Miami -- outside of the trio of James, Wade and Bosh – does not.
However, things have changed since the two teams last met.
Miami has an explosive offense and their defense at the moment is far superior to Dallas. In the end, the trio of James, Wade and Bosh will be too much for the Mavericks to handle.
Prediction: The Miami Heat wins the best-of-seven game series and the NBA Championship in six.
Senior Della Romano struck out six male Cardozo players to lead the Wilson Tigers to their 19th consecutive DCIAA title on Sunday, June 3 at Nationals Park. Photo by John E. DeFreitasThe Wilson Tigers with Della Romano pitching in the DCIAA championship game at Nationals Park on Sun. June 5 defeated Cardozo 12-0 to win their 19th consecutive baseball championship. The game was part of the fourth Congressional Bank Classic held at Nationals Park and included games between Sidwell Friends and Maret representing the private schools, and Cardozo vs Wilson representing the public schools. Included in the 10 hours of baseball was a Citywide All-Star game and a Celebrity Softball game. Gerald Hall, director of baseball operations for the afternoon of free baseball said, "We brought in 150 kids between the ages of 7-12 years to give them an opportunity to see the high school players showing their skills and hoping one day they would also want to be play at Nationals Park. The day is definitely a treat for the seniors as they get an opportunity to play baseball using the same facilities that the professionals use."
Neno Johnson (left) uses fancy footwork while kicking the new revolutionary One World Futbol to get past Jayden Myles (right) during an 8 vs. 8 soccer game which was held at RFK Stadium on Friday, June 3. / Photo by John E. DeFreitasD.C. United, along with their non-profit partner United for D.C., held a season-ending youth soccer tournament which attracted more than 250 children. The tournament, for those ages 6-12, was held Friday, June 3, on the RFK Stadium training field in Northeast, and featured soccer games. The event consisted of carnival games, music, and health tips for adults. All of the players who participated in the tournament recently completed a 10-week soccer training program. Friday's activities gave the participants an opportunity to show their parents and fans what they learned during their training. Players were divided into groups according to age and played 8 vs. 8, 20- minute games. Those who participated received a trophy, gift bag, and were able to collect autographs and photos with attending D.C. United players. Players who won sportsmanship awards received a One World Futbol, an- ultra-durable, all-terrain soccer ball. 
Arnaud Adala Moto scored 20pts. and grabbed 6 rebs. against King James Stars (Ohio)Team Takeover (DC) remains undefeated in the Elite Youth Basketball Leaguesponsored by the Nike Corporation. The Takeover champs captured five games in Los Angeles at the HAX athletic complex. The Takeover is the only undefeated team in the 40 team league.Game 1Takeover defeats the Howard Pulley Panthers from Minnesota 77-70. The Panthersproved to be a tough opponent for the DC based squad trailing 38-36 at the half.Syrani Charles led the Panthers with 20 points and 7 assist.
Team Takeover was lead in scoring by Jerami Grant who finished with 24 points. Arnaud Adala Moto finished his day's work with 22 points and 7 rebounds. James Robinson chipped in with 11 points and 8 rebounds The Takeover shot 59 percent from the floor to secure their first win in the third round of pool play.
To honor the achievements of six notable student-athletes, Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter High School hosted its first annual women's basketball signing day ceremony on Monday, June 6, 2011. At the ceremony, six students announced their decision to sign with NCAA Women's College Basketball programs.
The ceremony opened with Tesha Nixon Cunningham, Friendship Collegiate Academy's head women's basketball coach, addressing the assembled students, faculty and parents. She spoke of the commitment made by each student, and what it means, both on and off the basketball court, for young women to have these opportunities for scholarships.
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks claimed their first NBA championship with a 105-95 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday at America Airlines Arena. They did it by winning the last three games, including the clincher in Miami. Nowitzki, the NBA Finals MVP, said he has worked half his life for the dream of being an NBA champion. "If you win, it's great for you, and everybody looks at you. And if you lose, you're going to get hammered. It's just part of the business," he said before the finale. "I got hammered the last 13 years, basically. "Photo by John E. De Freitas. 
"All your life you just want to be a champion...To reach this height is so rewarding."Dallas, TX (June 15)... Two-time NBA All-Star forward Caron Butler is now a world champion. Since the Dallas Maverick's historic Game 6 win Sunday night over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, one which secured the franchise's first championship, Butler has been trying to soak in the win, and grasp the accomplishment, one that comes nine years into his celebrated career.
"I'm trying to take it all in stride. All your life you want to be a champion. You always carry yourself like that, and represent your family the right way. To reach this height is so rewarding," said Butler. "So many great players always fall short of this goal. It is a very humbling experience."
Butler, who went down halfway through the year with a season ending torn patella injury, says he was in fact just days from being cleared for a return by the Mavericks. He had been playing 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 in practice, and was participating in shoot around. The team even brought his uniform to Miami, just in case he was cleared. Although he was not on the court when the team won, fellow players dedicated the playoff run to Butler, one that ultimately gave him, the entire team and the city of Dallas their first ever NBA Championship.
"It took me nine years to get here. I was playing some of the best ball of my career, and life threw something at me. I kept moving forward, and that was our team's identity. Coach said we're going to continue to move forward because that's what you did. I was less than a week out from being cleared. I was so close to coming back. This team inspired me, the same amount that I inspired them. It was more and more a breath of fresh air. And together we made beautiful music."
Continued Butler, "Jason Kidd and Jason Terry saying they were going to dedicate the playoffs to me, that was really special. For Kidd, a future Hall of Famer, and Terry, whose jersey will probably hang in the rafters in Dallas one day, to say that, let me know that they respect me as basketball player, but more than that, they respect me as a person. In a sense, I felt like I was more a part of the win this way, than if I was out there myself."
While his positive outlook and work ethic throughout the season was a point of pride for Butler-who was constantly in the huddle, encouraging teammates and giving advice-he is anxious to get back on the court and compete again next year. A free agent, who will undoubtedly garner great interest from NBA teams around the league, Butler nonetheless has high expectations for what a return to Dallas could produce.
"This is the first time in my career that I'm a free agent, and a lot of teams will be calling," said Butler. "But I think it would be great to be back in Dallas. The thing about success, you want to stay there, and continue at that level. The window of opportunity for this team is definitely there. Either way, I'm going to attack this off season like I never have. I'll have a season and half worth of energy in me come next year. Tuff Juice just got tougher."
Caron Butler / Courtesy photoDallas, TX -- Two-time NBA All-Star forward Caron Butler is now a world champion. Since the Dallas Maverick's historic Game 6 win Sunday night over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, one which secured the franchise's first championship, Butler has been trying to soak in the win, and grasp the accomplishment, one that comes nine years into his celebrated career.
"I'm trying to take it all in stride. All your life you want to be a champion. You always carry yourself like that, and represent your family the right way. To reach this height is so rewarding," said Butler. "So many great players always fall short of this goal. It is a very humbling experience."
Butler, who went down halfway through the year with a season ending torn patella injury, says he was in fact just days from being cleared for a return by the Mavericks. He had been playing 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 in practice, and was participating in shoot around. The team even brought his uniform to Miami, just in case he was cleared. Although he was not on the court when the team won, fellow players dedicated the playoff run to Butler, one that ultimately gave him, the entire team and the city of Dallas their first ever NBA Championship.
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