The Weekly Roundup

As we arrive at the conclusion of another week, the team at TPT wanted to take a moment to reflect on a few of the posts that we’ve put up on the site that you might have missed (it’s okay, these things happen) while also highlighting a few other stories from around the web that caught our eye. Here’s our Weekly Roundup:

“Are You Flipping Kidding Me?” by Jose Bautista

The bat flip heard around the world wasn’t met without criticism. However, Toronto right fielder Jose Bautista addressed the backlash that followed his celebration during Game 5 of the ALDS with an engaging piece dealing with the evolving culture of baseball.

“I flipped my bat. I’m human. The emotion got to me. It’s in my DNA. If you think that makes me a jerk, that’s fine. But let’s call it what it is. Let’s not have these loaded conversations about “character” and the integrity of the game every time certain players show emotion in a big moment. That kind of thinking is not just old school. It’s just ignorant.”

“The Spark” By David Nelson

After his first trip to Haiti in 2012, Steelers wide receiver David Nelson committed to return and help the staggering number of orphans in the country. Since then, he founded the non profit i’mME in 2014. The organization has provided over 22,000 meals, educated 250 children and prevented close to 200 children from being abandoned.

“The problem isn’t necessarily a lack of aid or compassion. The root issue, as I’ve learned, is poverty and education.

Most of these children are not merely abandoned. They’re given up because their parents were abandoned as well. It’s what we call the orphan cycle, and you see it all around the world, not just in Haiti.”

“In the Moment” by Kevin Durant

In his debut post for The Players’ Tribune, deputy publisher Kevin Durant shares one of his other passions: photography. With a new camera in tow, the Oklahoma City forward captured his teammates in a different light and weighed in on the importance of living in the moment.

“It’s not easy. We’re all built to want to look back or speed life up. But I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the future. It takes you away from the moment you’re in. This past year, I learned that lesson more than ever.”

“Mailbag” by Brian Scalabrine

Former Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine, the man known as “White Mamba,” answered questions for this week’s Tribune Mailbag. In addition to learning trash talk from the best (his former Boston teammate, Paul Pierce), Brian reflected on how one key moment defined his career. 

“Here’s how I could have had a two-year career in NBA: I get drafted by a team other than the Nets, don’t make the NBA Finals my rookie year and never get a chance to play alongside Jason Kidd. If that sequence of events goes down, I’d probably have been playing in China or Europe, when the Celtics won a title in ’08.

For the guys who are truly elite — let’s say, the top 20% of the NBA — they’re going to be successful no matter where they land as a rookie. For everyone else, the difference between a long career and a short one can be based mostly on other circumstances. So much of it is being put in the right kind of situation to succeed.”

“What the (Blank)?” by Drake Johnson and Desmond Morgan

Michigan football teammates Drake Johnson and Desmond Morgan each dared to answer our Players’ Tribune questionnaire, “What the Blank(?)”  Drake said if he wasn’t a running back, he’d be a spelunker, while linebacker Desmond would take his turn on the silver screen. Find out who’s afraid of the dark  and  whose guilty pleasure  of the moment is “Sorry” by Justin Bieber.

Five Good Reads From Around the Web

1. Attacks in Paris Leave Us All Shaken (Sports On Earth)

2. From the Bottom to the Top: The Russell Westbrook Story (Bleacher Report)

3. After rehabilitation, the best of Michael Phelps may lie ahead (Sports Illustrated)

4. The way of Andrew Wiggins (ESPN)

5. What it’s like to fight Ronda Rousey (ESPN)

One Fine Vine