Dancing with the Stars - Athletes will Contend

It is certainly no secret that Dancing with the Stars, or DWTS as it is known in acronym form, has captivated the minds of the media and society over its past 11 seasons (2 per year) after beginning its run in the summer of 2005. Aside from providing the reality feel of "what is going to happen next" in addition to its competitive dance structure, the heart of DWTS fever lies within the celebrity personas that differ each year.

Generally, the show attempts to include a diverse group of celebrities, each with a unique background that helps to create intrigue amongst its viewing audience. These celebrity backgrounds have included individuals such as the world-renown astronaut Buzz Aldrin to the entertainment diva in Brooke Burke to the sports standout in Jerry Rice, just to name a few. Bringing these various talents together as one into a forum where most are considered amateurs, or novices at best, is what gives this TV series its combination of glamour and "wow factor".

Since 2005, the show has had as little as 6 celebrity contestants and as many as 16. Season 12 will have the average of those numbers as 11 celebrities have signed on to dance for the championship, which begins March 21, 2011. The participants will be Chelsea Kane (Disney Channel actress), Chris Jericho (WWE wrestler & musician), Hines Ward (active National Football League player), Kendra Wilkinson (model & reality star), Kirstie Alley (actress), Mike Catherwood (radio talk show host - "Loveline"), Petra Nemcova (supermodel), Ralph Macchio (starred in "The Karate Kid"), Romeo (rapper & actor), Sugar Ray Leonard (retired professional boxer) and Wendy Williams (media personality and former DJ).

At a glance, Kirstie Alley and Ralph Macchio appear to be the obvious underdogs. But, as we all know, with underdogs you also have the potential for upsets and great Cinderella stories. Which is exactly why these two are my dark horses for this season. Once the competition is underway, it will be very interesting to see how their dance routines unfold week in and week out. Just because Alley turned 60 years of age in January doesn't mean you should count her out. Remember that the fans have a hand in keeping her alive each week. And although Macchio isn't quite the same skinny teenager who perfected the Krane Kick some 27-years ago, he is still a personal favorite of mine in this contest. If Mr. Miyagi is in his corner, like he always was before, Macchio may have a fighting chance after all. Yes sensei!

That said, the true power within this season's group of competitors comes from the sports realm celebrities of wrestler Chris Jericho, football player Hines Ward and former boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.

I refer to Chris Jericho as member of the sports community because his boss, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment Vince McMahon, refers to his employees as sports "entertainers". Don't let the title of entertainer fool you in the slightest. The Lion Heart (his ring name) has always had major athletic abilities. And outside the wrestling ring, he is no stranger to the entertainment business as he has been the lead singer for the heavy metal band "Fozzy" since 1999. When he performs in this competition, he will have more than enough strength to lift his dancing partner high in the air to pull off crisp stunts. And, in my opinion, he also has the right amount of agility that can help him keep up with the tempo of the dance routines.

When discussing championships and a person's drive to win, you do not have to look any further than Hines Ward of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Ward has been playing professional football since 1998 and has had his fair share of glory days. In 13 seasons, he has two Super Bowl rings, is a one-time Super Bowl MVP and has been selected to the Pro Bowl 4 times. Admittedly, I have not witnessed many of his end-zone celebrations after scoring a touchdown, so not sure how he will compare to others on a dance competition level. Of these three athletes, Ward ranks third on my list due to his body fame being a bit heavier than his dancing counterparts, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 205 lbs. But his intangibles of determination and finding a way to win, however, are what will carry him to the final rounds of the show.

And last, but certainly not least, the 54-year-old Sugar Ray Leonard has an opportunity to rise above the rest with prior superb boxing skills stored away in his repertoire. If you've ever watched a match of the sport known as "The Sweet Science", at least one in which a boxer doesn't get knocked out in the first 30 seconds, you'll notice the constant footwork that is used to gain the advantage. This was a trade perfected by Sugar Ray for several years and especially in 1976 when he took home the Olympic Gold in Montreal. On the flip side, he has also had minor acting roles in television and movies. But his entertainment breakthrough came when he hosted the reality boxing show known as "The Contender" which ran for 4 seasons. Since the dancing numbers performed on the show are based mostly upon proper footwork and precise body placement on the floor, Sugar Ray is my front-runner to win it all this season.

These three sports figures also have some statistical data at their back that suggests they will make it deep into the competition. Per the Dancing with the Stars Wikipedia page, five of the eleven dance champions have been individuals with a past or present career in sports (3 Olympians, 1 auto racer and 1 football player). And four of the eleven runner-ups have been involved in a professional sports career (3 football players and 1 Olympian).

The point to be made in this entire piece is that those contestants possessing athletic ability AND an element of entertainment in some fashion generally leads to championship contention on Dancing with the Stars. Now, if only Ralph Macchio will once again dawn that white headband and "wax-on, wax-off" the competition, I will feel young once again.

Knicks' Stars Aligned

Forget about the glitz and glamour that is "Hollywood-East" down in Miami. There are new sheriffs on the eastern seaboard and they play hosts in Madison Square Garden. Or as us sports buffs like to call it: "The Mecca". The New York Knick's drama-filled acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, just to name a few, have proved to be quite the pieces to the puzzle it would seem. Since the newest personnel additions on February 22nd, the Knicks have gone 2-1 in the 3 games they have played. They took down the Bucks at home, lost to the worst team in the NBA in the Cavs on the road (not sure what happened here), then turned around and beat one of the best teams in the league in the Heat on the road. Kind of a roller coaster ride, I know, but that is to be expected after exchanging 3 of 5 positions in the starting lineup.

But the point to be made here lies within statistics. We all know that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni executes a run-and-gun style of play that focuses none whatsoever on defense. New York had a mediocre scoring team before the blockbuster trade of the franchise's history. But after "out with the old and in with the new" in the Big Apple, Billups, Melo and Amare are scoring at will while spreading the wealth.

After their first three games in a Knick uniform, Carmelo Anthony has averaged 27.7 ppg and 9.0 rebounds. This is more than his current season averages of 25.3 ppg and 7.7 rebounds. It is also more than his career averages of 24.8 ppg and 6.3 rebounds. Making the leap with Melo from the mile high land of the Rockies in Denver to the city that never sleeps in New York was veteran Chauncey Billups who is also seeing increases in production over his last 3 games as a Knickerbocker. He has averaged 21.0 ppg and 6.0 assists during this span. These numbers are also up from his season averages of 16.7 ppg and 5.4 assists, and up from his career stats of 15.5 ppg and 5.6 assists.

Great nights on the basketball court can only be spread around so much, and someone's numbers will eventually have to suffer. That someone has been Amare Stoudemire. Mr. Specs, or Numero Uno, as I like to call him, has seen his points and rebounds value drop since February 22nd. But in the world of the NBA, this isn't entirely a bad situation. With the scoring production increased at the point guard position (Billups) and on the wing (Anthony), Stoudemire has now had the opportunity to showcase a sliver of his defensive skills. Shhh, don't tell coach D'Antoni I said that. In the past 3 contests for the Knicks, Amare has had the luxury of being more aggresive defensively. He fouled out against the Bucks. But without Anthony and Billups, this would have been an absolute tragedy in the fourth quarter and chalked up as a come-from-behind victory for Milwaukee. With more scoring options at his back, Stoudemire has become a flexible option and can be a risk taker when it comes to rebounding and blocking shots. And speaking of blocks, he logged only one versus the Miami Heat on Sunday night, but it was one of the most important blocks of the game if not the season. His rejection of LeBron James with only a few seconds remaining proved to be the winning factor for the orange and blue.

I applaud the Knicks' organization for finally taking a leap of faith and pulling off the type of star-studed trade that they so desperately needed. It has been over 10 years since New York made the NBA Finals, and they could now be poised to set their sights on this goal once again. Gone are the days of drafting over-seas athletic talent from Europe who never rose to the stature of the league's best players and would develop into trade-bait. The glory days are here and here to stay. And the potential thought of grabbing Chris Paul or Deron Williams to run the show in 2011-12 would make for an electrifying dream team.