Coach Kay

No, this post is not about Coach K, it's about Kay Yow, the legendary women's basketball coach at North Carolina State University. Despite a long battle with breast cancer, she has continued to coach (basketball) and teach (about life) and inspire thousands of others to be not only better players, but better people.

In her honor, I've decided to add two more Basketball Charitable Organization Links (on the lower right column of this blog). While not directly involving basketball, these organizations use the power of the game (and the people who love it) to raise funds to fight cancer.

Why focus on cancer? Not only is it predicted to become the leading cause of death in the world by 2010, it's also become very personal to me. At the moment, I'm at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where my father has just underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, discovered a short while ago.

The diagnosis changes everything - who you are, what you think about. It also clarifies and crystalizes things - like what's important in your life.

While I spend more time thinking about my father's cancer and lending help and support to him and my mother, I'll be spending less time on this blog.

I'll still upload content, but not as much for a while. It gives me pleasure to share my thoughts and to see that, in some small way, I can help others learn important information, so I'm sure I'll get back to blogging more in the future.

In the meantime, don't forget to tell your parents (and anyone else important in your life) that you love them. And consider donating to the V Foundation or to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund so that researchers can find more cures, and good people won't be taken too early from this earth.

Hand's Down

AP Photo/David Zalubowski


Best wishes for a quick recovery to Denver Nuggets' star Carmelo Anthony, who suffered a non-displaced third metacarpal fracture in his right hand in the 3rd quarter of last night's game against the Indiana Pacers.


As reported by ESPN.COM , Anthony sustained the injury to his shooting hand when the Pacers' Jeff Foster slapped down on him as he was going up for a shot.


While they don't occur as often as ankle sprains and knee injuries, hand and finger injuries are not uncommon in a ball-sport like basketball.
Most people who play often enough will eventually have a jammed finger, mallet finger, dislocation, or fracture. Wrist injuries are also commonly seen and fractures of the scaphoid bone are often missed because someone assumes it's a (more commonly seen) wrist sprain.

Chris Mullin, the former St Johns and Golden State Warriors shooter supreme, went through 3 hand surgeries during his career. Although, they were to his right (non-shooting) hand, he once said, "Saying it's OK because the injury is to the non-shooting hand is like saying it's OK to have an injury to your non-walking foot".

So what will likely happen to Melo?

• He'll get a splint to support his wrist and hand while he heals.
• He may get some electrical stimulation or hyperbaric oxygen treatments to help with bone healing.
• He'll keep working out to maintain his cardiovascular fitness and strength.
• As time goes by, he'll get some occupational therapy to work on regaining strength and flexibility in his right hand.
• He can work on his left hand skill more.
• Once cleared to return to practice, it will probably take some time to get his shot back and regain his confidence that he can take some bumps and bruises without the injury recurring.

He's demonstrated his toughness in the past. Here's hoping that he'll come back and play well with the hand he's been dealt (sorry).