Summer's Been Cut Short...

The "do or die" season that Sasha Vujacic was heading into for the Lakers next season was supposed to be one that would be helped by the Summer he would spend playing basketball for the Slovenian National Team...well, that didn't last long.

It was reported earlier today that he had been cut from the team.

There haven't been any details, just a basic "he was released...blah blah blah...minor knee injury". Something's not right here...

Based on a report I read on Sasha's site, "announcing" that his knee was 100% healthy, and then these reports say the knee was bothering him, I have no idea what to believe. All I know is, he went to Slovenia to work on his confidence in his shooting and he ended up being cut, which probably won't help his confidence.

The saddest thing about all this is many of his fans believed that he would be able to turn things around with the help of this Summer in Slovenia. And now, we're back to worrying about if/when he'll be traded/released.

I want to stay positive, I want to say he'll turn things around, and I want to say he'll prove everyone wrong, but at what point do you just say "it's not happening"? When he's missing all of his shots? When he's getting ZERO playing time? When he's cut from his country's national basketball team? (I'm sure many people couldn't name a single player on the team, which is even more embarrassing)

This post is all in frustration and I'm sure tomorrow or months from now, my thoughts will be different from what they are in this post, but, am I wrong for posting this?

And in no way is this anger towards Sasha, this is anger towards whatever reason he was cut, anger towards whatever reason he's missing shots, anger towards all the fans who criticize him, and anger towards the pressure on him going into next season.

I haven't given up on Sasha and I haven't had that thought ONCE cross my mind and I do believe he will turn it around...but at what point do you stop praying?

From A to B and Everything in Between...

"World Champions."

In 2003, I found my love for sports. I was a "late-bloomer" because my parents weren't into sports. It wasn't until I met my would-be stepmom that things changed. I fell in love with sports and it hasn't stopped since.

Since 2003, it was tough because I had never known the feeling of winning a championship. I had loved the Broncos from 03-06, Dodgers 05-now, Lakers 05-now, and it seemed like they always got pretty close but never won. So when the Lakers won this year, it was meaningful, like truly meaningful and amazing.

The strange thing though is that I didn't feel any different at first. I felt like any other day. I expected to be crying and going crazy, but I was about as excited as if we won a preseason game. It didn't feel like we won. I feel like it's too good to be true that I didn't believe it.

It wasn't until Sasha tweeted "World Champions." that I realized the greatness and significance of this win. Then I realized how amazing it's been to go from disappointment to the very top. But what is also amazing is what has happened in my life in that time period.

Since the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the Finals last year, I've gone through one of the most amazing up-and-down rollercoasters I have ever been on. From being the "Fan Spotlight" on Sasha's site and being known as one of his biggest fans to getting kicked out of another high school and going through my mom and stepdad splitting up.

The creation of Sasha's site was something that I would've never guessed being significant in my life. I remember being excited for Sasha's site but I didn't expect it to be as great as it is. I remember thinking how cool it would be to be the "Fan Spotlight" only after it's first week. And to think that I would be the 2nd ever(first male) to do it, is just amazing. The amounts of friend requests and messages were crazy but I didn't expect it to get as crazy as it did.

Being viewed as this "Sasha look-alike" was silly to me. Some look at it as intentional, but I'm saying it now: I'm not trying to look like Sasha. It started off with just growing my hair, then people said things and others caught on and then it became this big thing, which I don't mind at all. I'm having a lot of fun with it and enjoy every minute of it.

4/4/09. That was the day of the Sasha/AT&T signing in Torrance. If there was one day I'd wish to relive, it would be that day. We were all around L.A. that day. I woke up at like 5( I slept like 3 hours), went to work with my dad, went to Irvine, then Torrance, then back to Irvine where we slept in a hotel for my sister's pageant. It wasn't just the signing that was crazy, it was everything about that day that was nuts.

The signing though, man, nothing like I expected it to be. The idea that girls were taking pictures of me and with me, I've never been in a situation like that. Another unknown thing about that day was that I had to pee before the signing and didn't get a chance till after the signing. I got there around 2 and didn't pee till about 5. If you can imagine, right before I went up to Sasha, I had to pee the most. Haha.

I still can't believe talking to everyone and all that going on. There was one family who apparently really liked me and one girl wanted me to go see a movie with her and all this stuff. Like being known as the "Sasha look-alike" has so many positives and that's why I'm doing it. I'm having fun with it and people like it so why stop?

I'm probably the most featured guy on Sasha's site, being mentioned in probably every other article. I almost feel guilty because I feel like people look at me as 'obsessed' and trying too hard for attention. I just happen to be in the right spot at the right time. I'm lucky, that's all it is. But I still feel like people won't understand. I haven't heard anything yet, but I feel like seeing my name all the time makes me seem crazy. Or, maybe I am wrong and people like seeing my name.

In no way do I regret being mentioned or hope to be mentioned less, because I love it. My life has never been better. I really have to thank Sasha and everyone who works on his site for making my life so much better. Everything that's gone on in that time period wouldn't have been as easy without being mentioned on Sasha's site.

So, there was all this negative happening around me yet all I cared about was positive over the past year. I still can't believe everything that has gone on and really am truly grateful for everyone and everything positive that has happened.

I usually never write about good stuff that happens in my life in fear that I might jinx what is happening but moments like this don't happen often and I really felt it was time. I've always written about the negative points in my life and they were always depressing for people, but I have no idea. I just felt like writing something positive for once.

But anyways, to end this "rant", I really have to thank some people for making this year so great:

1. Sasha Vujacic(obviously) and the Los Angeles Lakers
2. Everyone who works for Sasha's site, you have no idea how much it means to me.
3. TheLakersNation Forums, everyone on that site has been amazing.
4. My best friend Alysa.
5. My family, definitely definitely definitely. Working through everything.

So now what? Life doesn't end here, does it? Right now, I gotta live in the moment and just hope we can do it all over again next year.

What An Amazing Night.

When I heard Sasha was throwing the first pitch(3rd really, 2 people threw before him) at the Dodger game, the first thing I did was text my mom. The message said:

'Mom, is there any possible way we/I can get tickets to the Dodger game this Friday? Sasha is throwing out the first pitch...'

That was at 11:06 on June 3. I got this message at 1:57 the next day:

'I got tickets for all of us to go tomorrow.' ('all of us' being me, mom, sister, brother, mom's friend)

Filled with excitement, I watched the Lakers win Game 1 of the Finals later that day, already knowing that the next day would be a good one. However, I was so excited, I had a hard time trying to fall asleep. I finally fell asleep a little after....5 A.M. 

I finally woke up around 3 P.M. and just waited for time to go by. Then we left for the game. When we got there, the weather was much more beautiful than it was at home. We read it was possibly going to rain, but there was no chance with how nice the weather was that day. 

When we got into the stadium, I kind of left everyone else. I was focused on trying to find Sasha. When I found him, I took a picture from my phone, but there was no way you could find him. I sent that picture later that night to twitter and joked "Where's Sasha?"

While the rest of my family was walking to their seats, I stayed and watched from the top of the lower level seats, wanting to get close, but I didn't know what the Dodger stadium security would do, so I just stayed there. 

The funniest part was after awhile, Sasha got a glove, and started warming up with the Dodgers' ball boy. Sasha's throwing style is interesting, because it looks like he's gearing up for a big throw, and then it comes out slow. They did that for about 20 minutes. After they were done, Sasha was given his own Dodger jersey, a white home jersey with the name 'Vujacic' on the back and the #18.

When I had a chance, I went to find my seats. I talked to my mom about what was going on, and she said I could use her camera. So I went back to my spot, and just 'stalked' the situation, using the zoom on the camera to follow what was happening. 

When it came to the pitch, I started feeling chills. I spent the previous night watching videos of first pitch bloopers, so I was in this 'zone' where I felt this pressure like "Oh please don't let that be Sasha." As his name was called, the crowd was amazing. It was loud and just absolutely nits. I didn't expect that at all. With the way he's been playing lately, I was sure it would be either quiet or fans would boo. But I was wrong, thankfully. 

As he walked out, the excitement was building. He walked to the front of the mound, and then took a couple steps back to the pitcher's mound. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a picture or not, but I got one right before the pitch. The pitch, from where I was standing had decent speed, and I didn't see Brad Ausmus'(the catcher) hand move at all, so, in my eyes, it was a perfect pitch.

After the pitch, I walked to my seat and got ready for what would be the most exciting Dodger game I had ever watched live. 

Ironically, before the game, I said that, lately, the Dodger games haven't been crowded like they usually are. Little did I know, there would over 50,000 rocking at Dodger Stadium. The energy was crazy. At one point, 'the wave' started and it was so crazy that everyone started doing it and didn't notice that Phillies' 2nd baseman Chase Utley hit a ball down the line, scoring 2 for the Phillies.

There were a lot of Phillie fans there. We were down for the entire game, so they were saying anything they could. We managed to get lucky on our 2nd run, where the ball bounced right under Phillies' outfielder Eric Bruntlett's glove, bringing Furcal home to make the score 3-2.

As the game went on, they showed a recap of Sasha's pitch and "The Bangles" singing the national anthem on the big scoreboard. When I saw Sasha's pitch from that angle, the pitch was perfect. And Sasha's reaction was the best, because not only was it excitement, it also seemed like he was relieved because of all the talk about him possibly bouncing the pitch.

The Dodgers' bullpen was the key to the game(along with some nice catches by outfielder Matt Kemp), keeping the Phillies scoreless from the 5th inning and on. When it got to the bottom of the 9th inning, a Phillie fan behind me said "Lidge will put this one in the fridge, he's gonna close it down."(Brad Lidge is the closer for the Phillies)

That 9th inning was...amazing. 2 outs just like that. Fans were about to leave. But Casey Blake kept it alive with a single, then James Loney worked out a walk. The biggest play to that 9th was the botched ground-ball to Phillies 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz, which allowed Russell Martin to be safe and put the game in Andre Ethier's hands.

Our seats were in the outfield, 1st base side, field level. When Ethier hit the first pitch into the outfield, it was right in front of us. We saw Eric Bruntlett's glove miss the ball just barely, and we won the game. I went crazy. I high-fived everyone. It was such an awesome feeling.

After the game, we were able to go down onto the field to watch the fireworks and it got crowded fast. I've been on the field once for the "Father's Day Catch" thing in 2007, and that was at daytime. This was at night-time and it was an amazing sight. Not only the fireworks, but to look up at the lights and the stadium all-around you, it's amazing. They shut down the lights and that was even cooler, because it's just a weird feeling, like "Why am I here? Why am I standing on the field of Dodger stadium, the field where so many legends have stood before? I'm not worthy, and why are the lights off?" It's a crazy feeling.

Then the fireworks went off as "Beat It"(Michael Jackson), "Panama"(Van Halen), and "Livin' On A Prayer"(Bon Jovi) played. It was the perfect ending to an exciting day. And to think, I would've never had that feeling if Sasha didn't throw the first pitch....

Also, Ethier's game-winning hit was the 2nd walk-off hit vs. the Phillies I have seen live. The previous walk-off was last year on August 12th. The Dodgers are 6-4 in games I go to, 2-0 vs. the Phillies.

The Playoffs are coming/ "Best Friend Anniversary"

With the playoffs around the corner, I can't help but think of last season's playoffs. Last season, although ending in losing the Finals, was still huge for the franchise. I still can't believe last season to be honest...

Last season's playoffs really meant a lot to me. There was one game that really made my life special...

Lakers AT Jazz Game 6

A couple days before the game, I sent out a bulletin on myspace asking if anyone missed me. Although a strange post, I was a pretty strange kid. But I ended up getting a message from someone who I hadn't talked to in close to 2 years, my current best friend Alysa. It was basic "Ya, it's been a long time..." stuff until I asked her if she wanted to go to BJ's(restaurant) to watch the game.

 I didn't expect her to say yes, but she did and we ended up meeting up at the restaurant. 

 We ate and watched the game, I was trying my best to point out the players, saying that Sasha was my favorite player. I remember so clearly trying to talk to her but being glued to the TV.

I remember a little after pointing out who Sasha was, he ended up taking a charge that caused the entire place to go "Ooooh", like an "Ouch, that's gotta hurt" Oooh. I told Alysa "Yep, that's my favorite player." Haha.

 The moment that really was perfect though was the end. We were up by 3, 15 seconds left. I remember so clearly, looking around, Laker jerseys everywhere. One black woman was standing up against a wall, praying. 

So, Derek Fisher has a chance to put the game away with a free throw and misses it. At that point, I start to stand up. Jazz go up the court, Okur shoots a 3, misses it. Im standing up now, I didn't care if anyone was laughing at me then. Jazz get the rebound, Deron Williams has the ball and shoots a 3 and he misses and the game is over. The restaurant explodes with huge "YA!", and I end up high-fiving like 5 random people.

So, while I had a great time, I was unsure if Alysa had a great time. For it to be our first time seeing each other in 2 years and all of that happens, it was pretty crazy. But, like I said, I had no idea if she had a good time or not...

She did. Next day, on myspace, all over it, bulletins like "I love Daniel" or "Go Lakers!" were all over the place. I got a comment like "Sasha Vujacic is hot!" and at that point, we were best friends.

So, as the playoffs come, I can't help but think about a "Best Friend Anniversary". If the Lakers won the Finals last year, it wouldve been perfect. But maybe it was destiny. If it wasn't for losing the Finals, there wouldn't be a "Green ban" or as many "All we want to do is win a championship" interviews with Sasha.

So, we'll see what happens this postseason. Maybe it's crazier, maybe it's not. Maybe I make a new best friend, maybe nothing happens. The Lakers are 3-0 in games when I watch them at BJ's and I have a history there, so you know where I'll be this postseason...

It's All A Tribute. That's All It Is.

 When I got comments like "you'll never be the next 'Machine'" or "you look nothing like Sasha" or (my favorite) "you sorta sound gay", I laughed and thought it was hilarious that people had me all wrong. 

 I don't wanna be the next anything. Sure, it would be great to have everything Sasha has, but then I'd be known as the "Sasha-wannabe" rather than Daniel Hays. 

 I mentioned it on my "Fan Spotlight" that my tribute to him was growing my hair out.(like when Pat Tillman died and Jake Plummer grew a beard and his hair out as a tribute)

 It was all a playful joke, but then people started catching on and telling me I look just like him. I also play a similar style of basketball, so it all makes me look like I want to be just like Sasha.

 And while the good comments of "you look just like Sasha" or "you look cute" or whatever are nice, I wanna make it clear that this is all a way of support. This isn't a child saying "I wanna be just like Sasha when I grow up". Haha, no. This is just a fun way of supporting him.

 It may sound like it, but I'm not angry about this. I love the attention, I gotta be honest. It's all fun, since the Fan Spotlight thing, things have thing amazing. I just wanted to make things clear. 

A Story That Needs That One....."Finishing Touch".

When I think of Sasha, I see an icon in my eyes. Most of his fans are females and most of them only like him for his looks. So it may be rare for some to see a male fan of Sasha's. It may be just me, but he's a hero of mine.

Years ago, Sasha was that unknown guy on the Lakers. The guy who doesn't get much playing time, usually found sitting on the bench. He had his moments but most of the time he was out there making silly mistakes. The guy who some saw as horrible or a bust. That was from 04-07.

Then here comes 2008, Sasha gets the playing time he believes he deserves. And he becomes one of the best players on the Lakers. He becomes "the Machine" and a fan favorite. Ladies start to notice him and they go crazy. Men question the long hair but love the facial hair. Sasha is just out there having the time of his life. But the Finals come and ruin the 'Cinderella' story...

2009 comes, he has ladies following his every move. He has struggled most of the season when it comes to shooting but he has done some things that you would've never thought he'd do before. Whether it's playing the game saving defense against the Pacers or throwing up that sick alley-oop to Powell, you can count on 'the machine' to do whatever it takes to win games. Sometimes it may not be pretty, but a win is a win and a wise man once said "You play to win the game."

Sasha basically has everything he wants. Ladies, respect, money, his own website run by beautiful women, pretty much everything men(and some women, I guess) dream of....

Except for that one 'thing'. That championship that he guaranteed after they lost in the Finals. That championship that he talks about in every interview. That championship that all Laker fans want so badly If Sasha and the Lakers gets that championship, it'll be an amazing story.

I believe I may cry. It'll be a crazy story. I'm cheering for the Lakers every day, game days, off days, all of that. I wanna do whatever I can to help the Lakers win the championship. There isn't much fans can do but whatever it takes, I'm always ready. Just like Sasha....

I Never Thought That The "Fan Spotlight" Would Shine On Me....

When I saw that it was posted, I was more nervous than ever before. I was nervous all weekend. As soon as I got that message from Emily, I got all excited but I almost wanted to decline the offer because I thought "This is too good to be true."

But I sucked it up and accepted, answered the questions and learned something about myself: I am a very impatient person. I was on my computer all weekend. I kept a page open just for Sasha's website, and refreshed every 5 seconds. And even though nothing changed, I could sense that it would be posted any second.

Answering those questions, the only thing I really worried about was the picture I had to send in. Being known as a "Sasha Vujacic look-alike", I wanted to send in a picture that "lived up to the expectations". I had a few pics of myself from the webcam on my laptop that were more up close but I also wanted to show my Sasha jersey. The pic that's up on the site, it was basically a quick, "we'll just send this one in and see what happens" kind of thing.

When it was posted, I had to tell my mom about it and even though she was "excited and happy for me", she didn't like the picture. She said that it didn't even look like me and that it was just a bad picture. I laughed and said "It all starts now."

By saying that, I believed that, while being a huge Sasha fan, being young, and being featured on my hero's website, I have a lot in store for the future.

It's Official: Sasha Vujacic's Official Myspace!!!

I, like many people, couldn't believe the game against Charlotte. A double-overtime loss in a game Sasha couldve won at the end of the 1st OT if Luke wasn't so blind on the inbound pass. I was very sad and distraught, mainly at the fact that most Laker fans were angry at Sasha for this game. I was just very sad. But then I got some really great news.....Sasha has his own myspace!!! http://www.myspace.com/sasha_vujacic

When I heard, I knew it was real. Many doubted, I believed it as soon as I checked it out. So I went to go add him but as I went to go check it, I noticed I had a friend request but ignored it cause I wanted to see his profile so bad. So I went to go add him and he accepted but when I went back to my home page and checked the friend request, it was him. So he tried to add me before I added him. That's a little weird, it's kind of like destiny.

Of course I added a cheesy comment on his profile:

"Sasha, thank you so much for the add. Youa are my favorite player of all time
and it means so much to me to actually talk to one of my heroes. Thank you once
again."

Notice how I added the a to "you", I was nervous. I was shaking and everything. If I get a comment back, I'm gonna go crazy. There was also a lot of hating on him on the site, something I hope Sasha erases as the season goes on.

Okay, So I Was Wrong About My Guarantee But I Have An Excuse.....

I know I guaranteed that Sasha would score 15 points(scored his only 2 in the last 2 minutes) against the San Antonio Spurs and that he would leave Manu Ginobili under 20 points(I don't think Sasha was ever on him but he had less than 20) but my excuse for my failed guarantee was an unexpected entrance by Jordan Farmar.

I didn't see it coming and I was surprised. But the way he came in and blew everyone away was crazy. It looked like he was never even injured. He was amazing on offense and played good defense.

The sad part about this though is if Farmar continues to play like this, Sasha won't get much playing time. Oh well, as long as we are winning games, we'll be fine. Well, I'll be fine.

Sasha Vujacic: "The Manu-Stopper"

The last time the Lakers played San Antonio, it was one of those games Laker fans would like to forget mainly because 1. It's the Spurs and 2. The refs gave them the game.

One positive of that game was that we only lost by one on their home court without one of our best bench players, Sasha Vujacic, who is known(at least around the Laker Nation) as "The Manu Stopper". Spurs guard Manu Ginobili went off for 27 points in that game and was left open for 3's numerous times, something "The Machine" won't let happen this Sunday afternoon.

I'm 100% confident that he will keep Manu under 20 points and Sasha will score 15+. Trust me.

Introducing Myself....

Welcome to my blog. I'm Daniel Hays. I have been a crazy blogger on Myspace but I felt restricted there so I chose to move to a bigger site(blog-wise). I usually write about my life, sports(mainly Lakers, Dodgers, NFL) and whatever else everyone is talking about.

I enjoy watching the Lakers. They will win it all this year, I know it. My favorite player is Sasha Vujacic. I love his energy, his shooting, and pretty much everything about him. I am a guy but I'll admit, I love him. Haha. I have't worn green since he banned it and I am not cutting my hair till we win the championship, like he is doing. (I'm obsessed.)

I also love the Dodgers. I predicted Manny was gonna come and well, he did. My favorite player is Andre Ethier. He's one of the Dodgers' more consistent players. Also, the way he goes about himself is entertaining.

I don't have an NFL team but my all-time favorite player is Jake Plummer. He's one of my biggest heroes. I met him in Colorado and it was life changing.

I am a positive person, when things are going bad and most people would get angry, I slow things down and try to make myself comfortable. I've learned over the years that I am much better than I expected.

Well, I'll post more later. I'm planning on posting about the Superbowl, the Lakers, and more.