Shawn Kemp's Offspring

BLOWING OUT THE COBWEBS

2009-09-28T18:58:00.018-04:00

So, it's been a minute (okay several months!) since any of us have posted on this thing. We all have busy lives--weddings, exams, relocations, and just anything other than writing, okay? Anyway, now that training camps are underway across the league, I thought I'd post some random musings about the 2009/2010 season that's just around the corner.

A couple of team revamps and player revamps (all seem to be getting their revisions on at Attack Athletics) have got me intrigued going into October.

Can Tim Duncan's new teammates get him a 5th ring? One of my favorite players is reaching that point in his career where no one is sure just what he has left, but I for one believe there's enough there to give us some great performances this season. Plus, there's certainly some interesting new blood added to the mix in Richard "sorry I don't want to marry you" Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and Keith Bogans. Is it enough to challenge the Lakers? I'm not sure, but I'll be watching and pulling for these guys.

What will Vince Carter bring to the table in Orlando. He's never wanted to be "the man" on a team even though he's talented enough to be that guy. Now that he doesn't have to save the day, will he add a dimension to the Magic that puts them over the top? How will he respond to SVG's screaming hysteria? Also, can Jameer replicate what he gave to the team prior to his shoulder injury? And can Superman II develop variety in his offensive game? I really want to see if this team can take the next step.

Shaq? Will he or won't he? That's all I'm going to say about that (for now).

As a D.C. girl, there's always a soft spot in my heart for the Bullets (I refuse to acknowledge the Wizards--such a hokey name--since it was the Bullets growing up and will always be for me). Gil has done his time with Tim Grover and says he feels like his career has been saved. He also says enough with the "entertainment", if you gotta speak about him, speak about his game. Well okay then.

Can AI find redemption?

Will Odom's personal life + Artest's unpredictability = Lakerland implosion? Well, they made it through the 2004 circus season, can it be any worse?

Chauncey will have a full season in Denver and Carmelo wants some of the props his cohorts (James and Wade) get in the press. My guess is that they start the season with some swagger. This just may be their year.

Portland, Oklahoma, Memphis, and Chicago are teams I plan to follow just for the fun of watching the young teams in the league progress. Portland, in particular, will give the teams in the West fits I think. They may even challenge the Lakers if the stars align in their favor. Oden vs. Bynum. Interesting match-up.

Finally, and closer to home (for me)--what the hell kind of team will the Heat be this year!? I have absolutely no idea and therefore no expectations. I just hope DWade gets some help because he was really frustrated last season with his young guns. Everyone's looking to Beasley to show us what he's made of, but I think the key to the season may just be Jermaine O'Neal. If he can produce and defend this season, the Heat could be a very good team. I'll be watching, of course.

BTW, is Men's Health a magazine for guys? Cuz... I'm just saying... Nice pic, D.

NBA FINALS PREVIEW LAKERS/ VS. MAGIC

2009-06-02T16:01:00.015-04:00

Do YOU Believe In Magic?

Written by Eboy

It’s that time again. Figured SKO needed something/someone to represent the NBA Finals coverage. So here we go. And just to note, last year, I correctly picked the Celtics over the Lakers in six games, so let’s see if I can continue my Finals predictions precedent.

This is an intriguing matchup, on par with the Finals that occurred last year. The Lakers have been on the tongues of sportswriters and bandwagon fans since the beginning of the season as the heavy favorites, almost by God’s will, to take the title this season. Another strong regular season and a fairly impressive playoff run culminated in the Lakers 30th Finals appearance. Pretty remarkable.

The Magic, on the other hand, basically laid in the shadows, biding their time behind the big two of the East and played their merry ole’ way into an NBA Finals berth. How’d they do it? Beating the defending champs AND the future King of the NBA? Must be Magic, I guess?

So on to the matchup. Let’s see......where to begin?

Coaches
The legend against the porn star. An all-time great against a guy just one overblown timeout tirade away from a defibrillator and heart medication. Doesn’t seem like a fair fight, does it? Well.....neither did last year’s Finals coaching matchup. Phil Jackson has lost that air of invincibility (somewhere in 2004) and no longer just commands the respect he so deserves from his peers. It’s a thing. A thing that a guy like Stan Van Gundy can expose. Stan’s a classic, meticulous planner, an in-game specialist, the type of guy who will agonize over each blown assignment and missed call that affects his team. This has long been gone from the Phil Jackson model and as Doc Rivers showed last year, you can sneak a couple of games against this Lakers team for that reason alone. Stan will figure out a way to do it too. Don’t think he can’t coach at a championship level. He can and is. I watched him lead a not yet complete Miami Heat team to the brink of the Finals in 2005, and a few questionable decisions from his chalkboard caused the Heat (and his job) a shot at a second Finals appearance. This is not the same coach. And his team is easily the best coached squad that was left in the Conference Finals. Phil is a master, Stan is trying to be respected. There’s a hunger that Stan has that Phil has long lost. Phil could muster a miracle in the blink of an eye, Stan needs magic to form his.

I’d say the advantage belongs to............neither. This is pretty even. Phil will have a humorous press conference and insult the Van Gundy’s in one way or another at some point, so his mastermind tactics will still be there but Stan seems to have built a tolerance to criticism that would have ruined him before so this will be a great cat and mouse game.

The Star Matchups

Let’s start with the superstar matchup, Lebr........whoops!!! Dwight vs. Kobe. Good vs. Evil. The almost past against the present future. Nice, right? Well, there’s such a contrast in styles between the two leading men as there is between their respective teams, it should make for a great show. Dwight, the inside terror, Shaq redux (only skinnier) with a great presence on the defensive side of the ball and the ability to be game changing on the offensive end. It’s hard to see what the Lakers will do except bring late doubles once Dwight put’s it on the floor (where he can and has been exposed) to try and neutralize him. It can be done. Against the Lakers, there’s only one player on LA’s roster who can make this matchup favorable for the purple and yellow. Andrew Bynum will have to have the series of his young career to make this a fair fight. Has to. No other player on the Lakers roster can match young Dwight. He’ll terrorize the lane and play the right way on D. He’ll (maybe) hit free throws at a good clip. He might even knock someone on their ass. It’s how it will go. But........if Derek Fisher or Kobe can gamble enough times and hope Dwight tries to do things on his own, they can cause a ton of headaches for him as he makes his (somewhat) limited moves to the basket. It’s not going to be easy, but I think Stan will have Dwight prepared for this. I think.

As for Mambo, well, what else can you say? Dude has been rock solid this playoffs. Definitely not dominant though. He’s just not that guy anymore. Without his team firing on all cylinders, you can sometimes see a tiny piece of the mamba’s beady little head peek out, but it makes the Lakers that much more beatable. The team is balanced and constructed in a way that if Kobe is going for 35 to 40 a game, they tend to bog down and become predictable and easy to guard. Kobe will have to facilitate and do what needs to be done against a team that will employ tough matchups for him. Michael Pietrus, who played Lebron James exceptionally well last round, will get a ton of minutes trying to slow him but the strategy may be to let Kobe get his and let the other guys play spectator. If I’m Kobe and want to win that elusive 4th title, I’m trying to put up about 26 a game with about 7 assists and I’d be guaranteeing myself a really strong stake at taking the title. But this is Kobe and we know he bucks the trend from game to game so this is debatable.

Advantage.....neither. They both will do what they do and keep their teams in every game performing at a high level both on the offensive end and on the D side of the ball.

The Underlings

Let’s start with Trevor Ariza, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Yes, these guys. Not Luke Walton....ever (I’ll get to Brown and Farmar shortly). It’s critical that at least three of these guys play strong EVERY GAME. EVERY GAME. It can be any combination of the three, but it has to be that way. Why? Because Kobe, moreso than Dwight, needs that space to operate at a solid pace, and anything less than three of them doing their thing is going to make it easier for the Magic to defend them (and Kobe moreover). Fisher's got be that deadeye shooter that won rings for this team, Bynum can’t sleepwalk but be the beast his ability can allow him to be, Odom can’t stay in a sugar coma but be the nightmare matchup that guys like Hedo and Rashard have been for their teams and Pau has to see the ball. A LOT. Must. If he doesn’t, and the Magic just let him play his little dink, turn and dunk/jump hook post game for 25 touches a game, they’ll be unscathed in that matchup with Pau getting about 18 a game. If he’s hitting for 25 and Kobe’s hitting for 25, this series could fall on deaf ears for Magic fans cheers. Trevor Ariza has to play his best series as well for the Lakers to have a chance as his D on Lewis/Hedo will be critical in the stopgate the Lakers will offer on D and he must hit his threes when they are there.

As for the Magic, lets see.....Hedo, Rashard, Skip, Pietrus Courtney Lee and Jameer? Well, let’s not get crazy, but I’ll say this. If the Magic can execute the same way against the Lakers (who are NOT as good as a defensive team as the Cavs were) than they did against the Cavs, this series could be over WAY before the expected date of finish. For real. Turkoglu and Lewis killed it last series and have the same motive in mind. Who’s Kobe guarding? Ariza? Pau? Lot’s of cross match problems (for both teams really) but the Magic have a bit more of a perimeter size advantage that will play heavy in their gameplan. Skip has a ton to prove at point and should win the very close battle with Fisher. If Jameer (really?) plays at all and plays at 70% of his ability that’s a win/win for the Magic off the bench. Neither Shannon Brown or Jordan Farmar can play him and even if he doesn’t get any time if he’s not ready, Anthony Johnson and Courtney Lee should prove to be the Lakers backups equals at the point/big guard. A big factor the Magic is the presence of Marcin Gortat off the bench. He is what the Lakers don’t have anywhere on their roster. A banger, a scrapper, a get your hands dirty guy that will be a huge problem for the Lakers. Plus he’s skilled. Remember I wrote this ‘cause he could be series changing.

Advantage: Magic (ever so slightly)

Intangibles

There’s a ton of personal motivation for both squads. Kobe to finally get over the “I am the man” hurdle of winning a title as the lead dog, Phil to finally catch Red Auerbach as the most title winning coach, and Stan Van Gundy trying to cement his place among the game’s great coaches. Don’t shortchange the confidence of Dwight either as all he heard was Lebron taking it to the Magic and his team being just a roadblock. They wound up derailing Ohio Line #23 so taking out Poison Mamba #24 wouldn’t be too far fetched either. Who’s dealing in spades? I like the Lakers if they can keep the team aura they had in Game Six against the Nuggets. They were efficient and pretty dominating for the first time in the playoffs. That could be a great sign for Lakers fans. The problem lies with their attitude. An attitude that has bit them in the ass before. They haven’t played an entire series with that fire and I don’t buy them turning it up another level here. Unless they play perfect ball in LA in Games 1 and 2, the 2-3-2 series format is going to bite them in that same ass. I say the Magic come out of the three game set in Orlando up 3-2 and closes it out in dramatic fashion in Game 6. Why? They’ve done it before this season. Twice as a matter of fact. And they won’t be in awe of the Lakers. Remember how the Cavs built up huge leads against them several times and the Magic would storm back and wrestle games away from them when it seemed like a blowout was inevitable? Yeah....so do I. Remember how they never seemed to get rattled in those situations? Yeah, I do too. Only Magic could make this happen for such a heavy underdog, but that’s played right into their hands throughout the entire playoffs. I know it’s the unpopular pick....but I live to be that guy so......

Magic in Six.

NBA Superstars Video Link- DaDa

2009-05-28T14:14:00.002-04:00

Since there's been nothing new on the site since...........here's a tribute to our "daddy". Been looking for a decent version on Youtube for the longest and finally found one. From NBA Superstars 3........The Reignman.

Eboy’s 2009 1st Round Playoff Preview * 4 Dead In O-Hi-O

2009-04-17T12:20:00.006-04:00

"Tin soldiers and Lebron’s coming,
They’re finally on their own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio."

Yes, people.....take that reworked song lyric as a playoff preview. Lebron and his Cavs will meet 4 different opponents on their way to the Cavs first ever title........and it’s not going to be pretty for the guys wearing different uniforms. This is coronation time for the king......and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

So let’s start from the beginning........1st Round matchups. We’ll start in the East......land of the king.

Cavs-Pistons

Man.....two seasons ago, this would have been one of the marquee matchups in the entire league......this season.....well, let’s just say that the Cavs just need to stay interested to not make it go any longer than 5. The Pistons are just so terribly.....ordinary now.....it’s shameful. Perhaps next season this matchup will live up to the billing. There will be a game where the Pistons will play well and look good doing it.....but that will only serve to fire up King James and put the nail in the coffin early.

Prediction: Cavs in 5.

Celtics/Bulls

Up until a few days ago, this seemed like it would be the “practice” series the Celts needed to get their games rounded into form for their title defense. With the potentially devastating news that Kevin Garnett will miss the entire playoffs due to his knee injury, the Celts will now have to gut out whatever playoff wins they’ll get. The Bulls have a interesting young squad.....but that youngness will still hold them back from getting by. They can probably push the Celts in every game.....but the Celts still have a great closer in Paul Pierce and they still have that championship pedigree so.....

Prediction: Celts in six

Magic/Sixers

This could be a really interesting series. Orlando is saddled with injuries but the Sixers are inconsistent. The Magic should be able to get by with the greatness of Dwight Howard clogging the lane yet the Sixers can get on a roll for a few games and stretch this out. My gut feeling is that home court will be a huge determining factor in this series. If Orlando was healthy, I’d say Magic in 5.....but with the questions surrounding Hedo and the grit that the Sixers have shown at times I’ll say....

Prediction: Magic in 6 (barely)

Hawks/Heat

Ahhhh.....now here’s a matchup close to my little red e-heart. The Heat after a season of misery last year......reloaded and put themselves in the position they are today. Respectable....and dangerous. Why? They’re slighted......and Dwyane is still overlooked.....regardless of the minor praise he received in the MVP race. Here’s the thing.......the best big game performer coming into this season’s playoffs wears #3 in Miami. He will not be denied by a middling Hawks squad....while pretty solid....just doesn’t have the defensive intensity to slow Dwayne enough to stop him from taking a game on his own....maybe even two. Two matchups stand out in my mind.....Joe Johnson trying to contain and get his against Dwyane and newly confident and superbly producing Michael “Thirty Harry” Beasley against Mo Evans & Marvin Williams. Why those two guys, you say?....well a little birdie has told me that the lineup of JO, Haslem, Beasley, Wade and Chalmers will start this series....but even if Moon stays in the SF spot and Beasley comes off the bench for 30 minutes a game....the Hawks don’t have a matchup for Beasley’s skillset and he can be the determining factor......even in his initial playoff performances. Joe will have to be superb and outduel Dwyane and I just don’t know if he’s got that in him with the run that Dwyane’s been on. It’s wont be easy but......

Prediction: Heat in six

Now let’s move to the wild.....well not so wild West.

Let’s start with the team that most of the world thinks won the title even before a game was played this season.

Lakers/Jazz

What should be a relative easy time for the Lakers.....will turn into a potential nightmare. The mind games Jerry Sloan has been playing are Phil Jackson level type shit and this is going to make for a really good series. The Jazz will fight hard and beat up on the Lakers for a couple of games....but.....the Lakers have a a lot more talent on their roster and that talent is going to win out in this series. It won’t be the most impressive of starts for the Lakers in their title quest....but it will be enough.....

Prediction: Lakers in six

Hornets/Nuggets

This should be a great matchup......two teams that have a ton of potential who can put a scare into anyone in the West. I think this matchup could be won at the point position. Whoever runs things better between Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul.....might take their respective squad to the next level. A lot of interesting matchups......good balance in some places.....I think this might go down to seven. If it does.....and Game 7 sits in Denver.....I think Chauncey might just outduel Cp3 in a game for the ages.

Prediction: Nuggets in seven.

Mavs/Spurs

Another interesting matchup......with the potential for an odd end to it. The Mavs have been playing really well and seem to have the ship on a pretty straight course for a good playoff run and it seems like luck and age and injuries may have finally caught with El Spurs. Here’s a funny thing......I don’t think that will hold true. The Spurs....minus Manu are still dangerous and still play a system that is predicated and proven on winning. The Mavs can either be really good or mediocre and unless Dirk completley outplays The Robot and Jason Kidd can flash back to 1996 and play Tony Parker even.......the Spurs can take this series......with good contributions from Drew Gooden and Roger Mason Jr. Not sure where they’d go from there.....but let’s not bury them just yet.

Prediction: Spurs in seven

Rockets/Blazers

Last but not least is yet another soon to be classic rivalry that could be one of the interesting early round series this season. After the Heat series....I’m kind of looking forward to this one the most. I’d love to see the always slept on Blazers do something of substance in this post season.....but the Rockets have something about them that makes them worrisome. That something is Ron Artest. He could be dominant in the series.....and I’m not sure if Pryzbilla and Oden can slow Yao....but something about the Blazers....their youth....the leadership of B-Roy and a strong unity on that squad has me believing they could pull the mild “upset”. I know the Rockets will be doing their damndest to get out of the first round.....but I still can’t shake the feeling that the Blazers are on the cusp of something special.....

Prediction: Blazers in 7 (again with 7?)

I’ll be checking back with Semifinal predictions when the time’s near. You can kill me then with my missteps.

Tariq's Playoff Picks (Eastern Conference)

2009-04-17T06:18:00.004-04:00

by Tariq al Haydar

- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons

The Cavs are already up 2-0, before a game is played, because the Pistons are not stealing one at the Q. In fact, I don't see Games 1 and 2 as being remotely close. That Cleveland will advance is a foregone conclusion.

I'm more interested in finding out how the Pistons' offseason will turn out. Speaking of which, for all the talk about Allen Iverson's shortcomings, Rasheed Wallace has been the most disappointing Piston this year. And you know what, perhaps Chauncey Billups's presence would have helped a little, but this squad has looked lazy and disinterested for a couple of years.

Prediction: Cavs sweep.

- Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls

So KG is out. That means the Bulls will be able to run their sets. The Celtics lose their best pick and roll defender. Chicago run pick and rolls all day. Can the C's get by the Bulls? Of course. But I smell an upset. And I can't wait to see Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo get at each other.

As a side note, let me just declare to the world that I would love to watch Big Baby consume nourishment.

Prediction: Bulls in 6.

- Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers

To me, the Sixers scream "small time". I just don't respect them at all. Sure, they have a veteran PG and Iguodala has been playing well. I guess Thaddeus Young has been impressive. Yawn.

The Orlando Magic have had a great season, but they lack testicular fortitude. And, of course, a team that lives on the three-point line is not to be trusted in the postseason. I await a time when Dwight Howard will demand the ball and go to work inside. Alas, that time is not upon us.

Still, they'll get by the Sixers with relative ease.

Prediction: Magic in 5.

- Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat

This is the best first-round series in the East. It comes down to this: Does the better team or the superior player win?

Because it's obvious that Atlanta are a better team. Horford and Josh Smith inside, Joe Smith outside, and Mike Bibby running the show. That's not a great team, but it's vastly superior to Chris Quinn and co. I wonder how Jermaine O'Neal will do. Oh yeah, and the Hawks won the season series 3-1.

And yet, it is foolhardy to bet against Flash.

Prediction: Heat in 7.

SLAM Interview Series, Vol II- Ryne Nelson

2009-04-06T09:08:00.011-04:00

Written by Eboy

Online Icon.......Facebook sex symbol.......SLAM Online Editor In Chief.....what doesn't this guy do? The long awaited second part of SKO's SLAM Interview Series turns it's attention to the new blood turning the SLAMonline experience into the way of the future that all other sports-minded websites should format copy in the future. From one-time commenter to Online EIC, Ryne Nelson is doing it big and were ready to hear just how he got it done.

SKO: What was the process of getting the nod to take over the SLAM site as OEIC?

RN: At the risk of sounding like a women’s life improvement author, let me just say this: Had I not traveled the highs and lows of my four University years, I wouldn’t know what I know about myself today and I wouldn’t be in the position that I am. I won’t get into most of the college experience. I will, however, fast forward to where most of you at SKO got to know me: January 2008.

It began with me sitting on my couch, staring at the wall. I spent my last winter break at home, shackled in an unhealthy obsession with my fantasy basketball team. I made more trades in that month than I had in the past five years. I read some comic books—a side interest I picked up a year earlier while working the weekend graveyard shift at a sandwich joint during the school year—listened to some podcasts, hung out with friends, caught some Bulls games, shoveled the driveway a record number of times, and churned through the bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. It was a good break overall—I felt I had learned a few things, stayed busy—but I traveled back through the frozen winter crop fields to Champaign, IL with a guilty feeling of over-consumption. I felt as I had too often in my recent past—that I took more than I gave back. I feared that I was becoming defined by what I read and watched and saw and found than what I could produce. To top it off, this was in my final semester, and I knew people who work produce something of value to society.

I knew I could do this—be that person who created content that people like myself were always actively pursuing—it was just a matter of figuring out what content I could produce better than everyone else. My options were endless—I had the entire Internet available to me.

I had an old basketball blog, deftly called The InkSpot. It was my public writing portfolio during the summer of 2005 when I was trying as hard as I could to become an NBA columnist. By the time 2008 rolled around, the blog was dead for all intents and purposes, but I decided I would bring it back to life as I began to once again produce content. I was writing daily about articles and quotes I found in the news—very similar to what Marcel Mutoni and all the other great bloggers out there do. I haven’t deleted any of it, so you can go back through the archives and check it out. I definitely was rusty on the writing after taking several years away from the blog.

I was one poor college kid, so poor, in fact that I didn’t own a television. This was a huge blessing in disguise because it made me look to the internet and podcasting and… online streaming video for entertainment. A former editor told me about a site called BallHype, which was extremely valuable to me at the time because it completely reshaped the way I thought about the online ‘buzz’ factor.

You can be the best blog writer in the word, and no one will ever consistently link to your work. It will be a rare occasion that all the major sports blogs will do so. The only way to build a large readership is to consistently produce good work for a long time, like Bethlehem Shoals and the rest of the FreeDarko crew. I didn’t have that time, though. I learned this quick and started to break it down in my head. It all went something like this:

What the Internets care about in basketball:
1) What players do and say off the court.
2) What players do on the court.

Just those two things. Like most bloggers, I was sitting on my couch—I didn’t have access to the players, so I wasn’t going to breaking news any time soon. I could get in-touch via email with beat writers, which made me one degree apart from these players, but they weren’t going to give me scoops—it’s in a reporter’s contract to report news only through their publication. Running interviews with reporters and columnists wasn’t going to work because, let’s face it, these guys are most just vessels through which news spreads about NBA players. Only the freakish athletes themselves are of interest. So that left me with this:

What could I produce (remember, it’s all about being able to produce unique content) about players that I had access to (from my couch)?

Well, I didn’t have the locker room, but I could have the broadcasts if I worked hard enough. What players can do on the court happen to be what people care about the most.

My biggest challenge was finding the games on my computer. I didn’t have $100+ to fork over for League Pass, so I searched through the message boards to find streams. It was the Golden Age of digital NBA broadcasts because those with League Pass could share the streams with anyone. I soon learned were I could find these links to the live streams and soon learned the etiquette of how to ask for and use these streams. I felt a lot like a helpless dog asking my master for food, “Heat/Sonics, please… Does anyone have a stream for the Rockets/Magic?” But once I got the streams, I could watch more than one at a time. As I progressed, I trained my eye for what might make a funny or dramatic clip to upload to YouTube. I made sure not to waste time capturing highlights because that’s not what people wanted to talk about the next day anyway.

I’m proud to say that in just three months, my YouTube channel hadover 2,400 subscribers and several 1 million+ viewed videos. When I wasn’t at class or watching games, I made relevant comments on message boards—RealGM, NikeTalk, InsideHoops, Basketball Forum—and the large basketball blogs—SLAMonline, FanHouse, Ball Don’t Lie. I used Digg, StumbleUpon and Twitter to expand my audience. Twitter, at the time, was a top-three traffic source for me because I spent time to find people who were interested in basketball and made sure to @reply everyone. This was a time well before any athlete or celebrity was tweeting, so it was much more enjoyable to me. Twitter was just a new distraction for tech geeks, but it was a good use of my time. The 24-year-old male Digg demographic always ate up my videos—my captures hit the front page with ease about four times a week during the height of everything.

I watched every game of NBA basketball for several months, and it was wild. My love for the game was renewed. My blog was grew by the day. I was huge on BallHype, my ultimate barometer for success. I was known for something—something that no one else did. I gained momentum to the point where I believed that my YouTube channel could be more popular than the NBA’s Channel in a few seasons. I figured they’d have no choice but to notice me… as they needed to reevaluate their cookie cutter upload policy.

When I was about to graduate, I reached out to Lang to see if he knew anyone who was interested in a guy with good community management skills who also knew the game pretty well. Sam Rubenstein was looking to pass on the torch, and the rest is history.

During those months before my graduation, I made so many great connections and had so many great conversations, I felt like it was one of the best times of my life. But I had to completely turn my world on its head to do so. I no longer went out on the weekends—I was always watching basketball. I became known for video capturing, not my writing or reporting, which is how I thought I’d make it for many years. I became a leader in online streaming video and discovered it was one of my true callings. Of course, I couldn’t do it forever. For one thing, I couldn’t make a living off it as I owned none of the rights to the videos. I had a rapidly growing audience, and countless advertisers wanted to place ads on my site, but I always turned them down. Producing video is one thing—I was appreciative that the NBA and its partners allowed fans to essentially break copyright and upload clips on the ‘Net—but earning money from a product that wasn’t mine was wrong. In addition, the League changed its streams this season such that doing what I did last season would be virtually impossible. Who even knows if I have the bradwidth to watch multiple games simultaneously like before? Without getting into the nitty gritty details, let’s just say the NBA made it very, very difficult to capture video from a live stream, which isn’t a smart move, since they’re only losing free advertising on YouTube.

A lot of things in my life now seem to have come full circle. What’s funny is I tried to tell everyone that I was either going to be an NBA writer or broadcaster during the summer leading up to college. People tried to convince me to go into a math-related field (I scored a perfect 36 on my ACT Math; missed one question—an algebra question!—on my SAT Math and never received any grade other than an A in math class), but I knew I couldn’t live a life of numbers. I knew I liked to lead, and I loved basketball. I had my many years as a fantasy basketball commissioner to thank for that. Despite all the changes, twists and turns during the following four years, despite how much I convinced myself that I wanted a different career, it’s deeply ironic that when it mattered most, I gravitated back to what I cared most about: basketball. I also started writing like a madman in 2005, produced basketball videos in 2008 and once again find myself back into writing and editing stories about basketball in 2009. There couldn’t be a more perfect bookend to wrap around the chronicles of my collegiate experience.

See, now I’ve lost half the readers after just the first question. But you hit me with the loaded joint to start it all off—I guarantee if you saved this for the end, you’d get all this condensed into about two sentences. Yes, I’m that good at editing by now!

SKO: What are the future plans for the site since you are a master of technology?

RN: It’s not really the technology, it’s the content. What it all comes down to is being remarkable at something and having unique ideas. If you’re producing the right content, technology will work for you. So I don’t worry about the technology until I can discover something to be the linchpin of the site, something that every big sports blog will feel obliged to link to and every basketball fan will visit us daily for.

Right now, the site is very good at producing feature stories, opinion columns and, in general, being a great place to discuss the current NBA happenings with other dedicated hoops fans. This means SLAMonline can be around for a long time, but to take things to the next level, there needs to be a buzz coming from the site. It needs something huge. Something that can only be found on SLAMonline. We can’t break news like ESPN, and we ultimately cannot rely on posting highlight videos or the most opinion columns.

What it comes down to is finding something that only we can produce that everyone wants. I’ve put a lot of thought into what this may be, but the thoughts have too often been littered with “can’t.” Maybe I need to take a month’s sabbatical to meditate and eat vegetarian in order to find out what that may be. The last time I did that I conned half my fantasy league and created a videocapping website. Some people say “can’t” shouldn’t be a part of the successful person’s vocabulary. I’m not afraid of it—the word “can’t” has always been my motivation.

SKO: Do you view things in the media at a different perspective now that you are actually an insider to it?

RN: Yes, I do look at certain things in the media differently now.

When I met writers, the magical reverence disappears away. Writers on popular website are celebrities to a certain extent. When you get a chance to meet them, you find they’re very nice people who happen to be painfully normal. To give you a picture of how most of the NBA media looks like, picture Joe the Plumber and mix in a little more average. I have trouble imagining the last time most of my colleagues played basketball. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, because there’s a big difference between covering basketball and being able to play basketball. The only physically astonishing media are select sideline reporters and ex-players. So when I read someone’s article, I now picture the writer as someone like you or me, not some larger-than-life personality.

That covers looks, but I also found that having a “voice and face for print” will soon become a reporter’s career death knell as more media shifts toward the television and streaming video. Reporters need to be able to do it all—look good on camera, sound good on radio, write well. He needs to have confidence and experience. The gap between a reporter and a blogger or commenter or simply a basketball fan isn’t as wide as you’d imagine. Reporters are like everyone else, just with a boost of daring and a shake of ego.

SKO: Being an Illinois graduate, what do you think of the Illini's chances in the NCAA Tourney?

RN: I wish I could have this sort of mulligan with the rest of my bracket. Sorry for my procrastination!

SKO: Since you are a Bulls fan, where do you see them in 2 years?

RN: I normally don’t look that far ahead with the Bulls, but since that will be in the aftermath of the Summer of 2010, it’ll be sort of fun to make some bold predictions. I’ll need to bookmark this and see how many of these things are correct in 2011. Alright, on March 21, 2011, the Chicago Bulls, at the very best…
-Will not be coached by Vinny Del Negro.
-Will have its first All-Star since Jordan.
-Will have a record of 38-31.
-Will be on that edge of being a Contender.
-Will no longer have Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller.

Why will the Bulls be better? For one, they can’t get worse. I believe the prospect of playing with Derrick Rose will attract an All-Star forward free agent. I think they’re in prime position to draft a steal in June (an impact player is likely to fall to mid-first round in this enigmatic Draft). Without many faces of the past, the Bulls finally will not have too much talent for their own good. The team will belong to Rose and an All-Star forward yet to be named. If they can somehow trade for Andrew Bogut and get a coach who knows what he’s doing, they’ll be on their way to building a solid team.

And, yes, like every fan, I’m probably way too optimistic.

SKO: Do you ever get tired of people calling you "Ryan" instead of "Ryne"? And is “Rynocerous” a term of endearment?

RN: I’ve heard someone call me almost any name that that begins with an “R,” including Renee, Rin, Rynee, and most commonly Ryan. But I’ve never heard Rynocerous until I started commenting on SLAMonline over a year ago. First off, I don’t remember exactly who dubbed me this nickname (if someone finds the exact post, I would nominate him for induction into the SLAMonline Hall of Fame, which isn’t a bad idea, eh?)(Ed Note: This nickname was originally coined by yours truly), but I actually think it’s incredibly inventive. I, at the time, didn’t like it—I actually told everyone they call me anything but that name, and that’s why it stuck. Quickly, I didn’t mind the nickname, and even sooner, I began to appreciate it. The fact that I had a nickname meant I was accepted. It means a lot to have respect from some of the most dedicated and knowledgeable basketball minds out there. It means even more that everyone is sticking around while I’m learning the ropes of this Online Editor thing.

SKO: With what looks like the death of newspapers, where do you see the future of online sports blogs?

RN: Sports blogs are a good thing. News is a good thing. We’re coming to a time where one can’t exist without the other. I’ve given a lot of thought into this over the past year or so, and there are a couple ways I can see this playing out. It’s all as bad as some people consider, though.

Physical newspapers will be gone within 25 years. That’s inevitable. I think the papers with the strongest legacy and circulation will be among the first to commit to an online-only product. Every day newspapers print another issue, they’re wasting money. News is free and news is now instant. Newspapers are neither of those things.

Newspapers will die, but I believe newsgathering will remain online. There will always be a need for information and real people who can report it. Reporting will survive and thrive as soon as a new online revenue paradigm is realized. A way to look at this in a positive sense is that only the best reporters will survive. Blogs merely take reporter’s work, link to the stories, comment about the news, and recommend people read the actual article if they want more information.

In the immediate future, we’ll continue to see increases in opinion writing. In today’s internet culture, why would a fledgling writer go “through the ropes,” reporting on men’s volleyball for three years for their school newspaper before they gain seniority enough to finally cover the men’s basketball team? Why would they take that route when they could write an opinion column online and get NBA game credentials with essentially the snap of a finger?

People are smart—if they can bypass the old hierarchical stepladder, they will. So I see the internet breeding younger writers who can write a controversial column, but lacking in journalistic grounding. He’ll never meet the players. He’ll know nothing about them besides the 35 minutes per game that they play every game, and that’s if they’re watching. So many great basketball beat writers turned to ESPN and are now mostly writing columns or power rankings. The closest they do to reporting is texting in “news” to their editor, who then relays the information online and on the Bottom Line. This is what young writers have to strive for if they want to work in basketball.

Blogs have a future because you get the commenter culture and all the news, but even those are becoming watered down. They’re full of Photoshoped photos and caption contests—things that have very little to do with reporting. People will care about a solid news report, but they seem to care more about what people are saying about the news. So these “funny” (and ultimately and unashamedly shallow) blogs will be tremendously popular, and people will bookmark them rather than the local news site… because you’re just connected more with a blog.

And who blogs? Certainly not someone who needs locker room access. Young writers will focus on their RSS reader instead of players and their stories. All the while, they’re sitting alone in front of a screen for nearly all of their waking hours. It’s “earning your stripes” 2.0—the more time you spend online, blogging, the better your chances of getting paid for it. The only problem is hardly anyone has turned blogging into a full-time job. It’s not easy and it’s only going to get more difficult as niches are carved out and divided online. So it’s a Catch 22—there are a lot of people who write about basketball, but there are only two basketball bloggers who do it full time. Beat writing jobs are just as scarce with the demise of newspapers. So people turn to the internet, keeping all their fingers and toes crossed that one day, they’ll be lucky enough to find work. For some, it will work. Many others will find they put their eggs into a basket that very well may have the bottom cut out of it.

There has to be a happy medium. Whether it’s encompassing all of these elements or just picking and choosing which elements you want to focus on, something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. People don’t have time to visit numerous basketball sites every day. They’ll go to the sites that do it best, and as newspapers and magazines gradually transition to the web-only, it’ll be a question of how well they’ve been able to grow their site, and whether they have something unique that people will have interest in. If not, the entire brand will die.

SLAM Magazine did phenomenally well because it is and was the only publication of its kind. Is SLAMonline the only basketball website of its kind? Do people visit it because it’s the best at what it does? Or… is its traffic due in large part to the magazine’s success? At some point SLAMonline needs to make a name for itself, or it will be an endangered species. Which leads us nicely to…

SKO: Does SLAM in print form run the risk of not existing soon and do you foresee the day that SLAM will just be an all-encompassing website?

Like all magazines, SLAM Magazine will reach a day when it is no longer profitable. It still seems that advertisers and marketers would still rather be in print than online—although stats show more eyeballs check out the website every month than the magazine. Magazines are different than newspapers because they generally look deeper—they run longer features, have original photo shoots. Magazines have things that we might read if we’re stuck on a train, cab or plane. But when people have internet access everywhere—which is almost true now—the focus will almost entirely shift to “quick news, all the time.” Even a long opinion piece on SLAMonline will dangerously stretch the attention span of a busy commuter. Maybe it will get even more diluted into mobile applications.

This isn’t to say people won’t be interested in reading long-form features and opinion, they’re just not going to pay for it. I see people all gravitating to a common site—when I was in J School, professors warned of the conglomeration of newspapers and the death of local news. The same will happen online. One, maybe too, sites will be the source for all breaking sports news and the best opinion. It’s going to be one hell of a tough act to ball against the big boys, and it already is.

SKO: Do you believe that the blogs dilute and therefore weaken the level of sports coverage today?

RN: I think it’s the opposite. Without blogs, do you think there would be half as much coverage? I, for one, follow basketball much closer than I ever have due in large part to the proliferation of blogs. I read many more opinions and hard news reports. People find the important news for me, and help to keep me informed. I can’t complain about that. The opinions of bloggers may be completely skewed and uninformed, but there’s no questioning the value that news gathers have.

If anyone, the media itself is diluting the level of coverage. It stuck with its traditional ways and didn’t evolve quickly enough into the new space. If newspapers can no longer support their writers and beat reporters, it’s the newspaper’s fault, not the blogs. In my view, blogs and bloggers actually support sports coverage and will eventually act as a chief supporter of quality reporting, regardless of where it comes from.

SKO: Working for SLAM, is there ever a struggle with the content versus demographic issue?

RN: This is the toughest question for me, possibly because I haven’t given much thought to this yet. For the most part, I always thought the content SLAM provides is on par with what our demographic is looking for. We’re writing for college-age males, as is most in sports media. Basketball has culture. As long as we stay true to that culture and accurately portray it, we feel we’re delivering what our readers want. Attitude and staying true to the game allowed SLAM to separate itself from the pack from the very beginning. If you miss the old SLAM, as some readers say, then you probably miss the old game of basketball.

Our readers pride themselves on being true to the game and they deserve a publication that doesn’t settle for anything less. We hope we’ve delivered the truth consistently for the past 15+ years.

SKO: Make a case for Deron again, it all seems so plausible on paper?

Deron Williams is a winner. His determination to win is unparalleled by any point guard in the game today. He’s durable. His knowledge of the game is unrivaled. He can guard big or small opponents. He’s deadly from the outside as well as when he slashes to the rim. Most of all, he’s ruthlessly pursuing a championship—his drive is probably overlooked because of players like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. Deron Williams has the same killer look in his eyes whenever it gets to a close-game situation. He keeps his calm and makes big plays when it counts. He’s realistic when things don’t work out and keeps a very level head.

Deron Williams is the type of leader every franchise hopes to draft. There are a lot of players with great talent, but the legends have an intangible motivation and leadership quality. When he walks by, folks take notice. His stats will never match with the greatest statistical seasons of all time, but I think it’s fair to say that no statistical equation can ever accurately determine a player’s value. Yeah, it’s a nice part of sports to be able to compare Chris Paul to Isiah Thomas and LeBron James to Michael Jordan, but box scores don’t paint a complete picture. Deron’s intangible leadership and toughness is why I think the Jazz traded up to pick at No. 3 in 2005. This is why Jerry Sloan, the ultimate tough guy and winner, wanted a leader like Deron Williams over a statistical monster and wizard with the basketball in Chris Paul.

If he hasn’t already, Deron Williams will earn your trust—trust that he’ll make the right play down the stretch, trust that he’ll represent a team well, trust that he won’t lapse on defense, trust that he will never back down, trust that he’ll never lose confidence in himself and, most importantly… his team. You’ll trust that Deron Williams will win a championship and when he has one, he’ll want more.

Oh, and you have to trust him even more because he attended the best University on earth!

SKO: Who, in your opinion, has the biggest impact on the game of basketball today?

RN: Michael Jordan. Just because he’s not playing doesn’t mean that his impact isn’t as powerful. As big of “superstars” as they are, when Kobe or LeBron say something, would it resonate half as powerfully as is if Michael said it? Not now, not ever.

SKO: With having more access than you've ever had and basketball being your dayjob, does this make you more or less of a fan of the sport and it’s players?

RN: I’m blessed to be able to work in basketball, and I hope to continue to do so for the rest of my life. That said, I have not become more or less of a fan of the sport or its players since coming on for SLAM. Sure, my perspective drastically changed, and I’m sure it will only continue to evolve over the years, but when you’re hooked on a game, it’s impossible for anything to alter that love.

I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing to a certain extent over the years. The way you view the game might be different that it was 10 or 20 years ago, but there’s still that deep passion for the game inside of you. That’s what keeps your motor going. That’s what draws you to the arena, to the broadcasts, to the blogs and websites.

I know I’ll always be the same fan of the game because, despite all the changes that have occurred to me as a person, my passion for that game has been one of the few things that remain unwaveringly constant. It’s a comfort and a guiding force.

SKO: You are now second in what SKO hopes will be a series of interviews with the SLAM fam....the first being Ryan Jones. Any sense of dread following such a literary champion?

RN: Yes, and I’d like to say that dread forced me to take so long to complete this interview. But… If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working with so many brilliant writers, it’s that comparison is unfair. When you can truly say you’ve done the best of your ability, that dread of “living up” to expectations is forgotten.

The Condemned: Michael Vick

2009-03-26T09:41:00.002-04:00

by Tariq al Haydar

It goes without saying that dog-fighting is a crime. Michael Vick was guilty of it.

Now, he's nearing the end of his prison sentence. But there is still a stigma attached to him.

I recognize the crime, but I don't like the stigma. After all, NFL players have been involved in setting up cocaine deals, entangled in murder cases, just to name two greater transgressions... but no player I can remember has ever had as much stigma attached to him as Michael Vick.

Roger Goodell recently stated that "I think it's clear he's paid a price, but to a large extent he's going to have to demonstrate to the larger community -- not just to the NFL community and to me -- that he has remorse for what he did and that he recognizes mistakes that he made."

To me, it seems like Goodell is just scared of negative PR. I mean, he admits that the man paid a price. And I thought Vick DID exhibit remorse during that press conference he gave before he went to prison. So I guess what I'm saying is this: Let the man earn a living again and stop demonizing him. I believe he should be given a clean slate. If he screws up again, then by all means, punish him. But don't make it even more humiliating for a man to get on with his life. Don't obliterate every iota of the man's dignity because you're worried about your image. The right thing to do is this: Reinstate Michael Vick and give him a chance to redeem himself.

Remember When I Wasn't Famous (Back in the Day)?

2009-03-16T04:58:00.001-04:00

http://www.kippreport.com/kipp/2009/03/16/racism-in-the-blood/

Across The Great Divide- Part 1

2009-02-27T09:07:00.006-05:00

Written by Eboy

*****This is the first part of what I hope will stretch into a 3 to 4 part series of posts. It’s turning into a larger undertaking than I first envisioned. I hope this will stir some intelligent discussion between our hugely diverse group of readers. Thanks.****

I’ve had this piece in mind for the better part of two years now. I was going to make this an introductory joint to my old singular blog....but never got around to working on the intricacies of how flammable the content of this piece might turn into. So I decided, on a whim, to put it down for SKO. It’s a topic many of us can relate to, I’m sure, both black, white, whatever. Race issues always seem to be the ones that get everyone in their defensive stances. I hope this reads right to the SKO audience. It will come in a few parts as my memory is dissected and gives me some time to get things right....so there’s no misgivings with anyone that reads it.

Part of the reason I felt like it was time to get this out there revolved around the last two years....seeing the goodness of so many of the SLAM family of commenters in written form from their own fantastic minds and compassion for certain issues that arise that I figured now, that our little commenting family has grown to have families of our own (SKO, Hibachi, B.Long, etc.) this would be a good as time as any to get it out there. While this is in no means meant to be disparaging in any way to any group(s) of people, I’ll expect backlash in some form for putting it down.

Try not to forget though.....I got all your backs in this discussion.....’cause I’ve been through all of this firsthand and I know the misconception thing can be really game changing in ball and in life. Every now and again I turn my back on my cantankerous alter ego Eboy and try to be the grounded man I am in real life. This is one of those times. This is written by Cliff T.

How many of you can remember the first time you played a game of basketball? An actual, semi-organized one that required more than you and three of your buddies shooting at some semi-rusted goal in some tucked away playground, far away from scrutiny? I’m sure most of you remember it clear as day. So do I..

The first time I shook the dew off my wings and hit a competitive game was when I was 11.....on a scalding hot New Jersey Saturday afternoon in a park in my hometown of Jersey City. A blacktopped court.....basically smoldering, was full that early afternoon in 1981. Full meaning, on that one whole court, there were about 30 kids (ranging from my age to 17-18) all waiting for a run. I had played with buddies, fu*ked around on my own for a while, but never felt sure enough to try and embarrass myself in that type of environment. I was on the cusp of really putting in the effort to try and get good at the game and I figured “what’s the worst that could happen?” After waiting for about a half an hour to get on with the 3rd group of cats waiting...it was time. I was sh*t scared. The other 4 kids I was running with were older than me and there looked like there may have been one kid on the winning squad that could have been my age. Did I forget to mention, I was the only white kid at the court. Yup.....it was me, about 8 Puerto Rican kids and the rest of the players were black. Yes....it was the inner city for your boy back in the day. And needless to say....I was the worst player there. Not to say I didn’t try my damndest....but it didn’t matter. These cats could dribble, shoot, trap and steal...basically whatever they wanted...and I was taking a beating the few times I touched the ball. The thing that stuck with me more than the stolen passes, the blocked shot (I only put it up once) and the strips were the insults that came with them. “Whiteboy’s sorry” “Steal that sh*t from whiteboy” “You better not let whiteboy do something”. I never felt so transparent. Literally. Growing up around these kids never seemed to be as disheartening as it did that afternoon. The Puerto Rican kids were right in on it too. I know gringo was spoken a few times. My squad lost....I did nothing of note and said to myself “I ain’t doing that again”. I couldn’t understand the ignorance of these cats. I didn’t live in a bubble. I had relatives, friends, etc. that spoke with slurs as an everyday occurrence, but here? In my newfound love of basketball? Why? What was the problem here? I just said to myself, “work harder....be better....don’t let that sh*t get you”.

That kind of held true for about a year or so. It took me a while to get my game to raise a level, and playing with some of my older cousins a few miles away that actually had some swag about them. So by the time I got back in the business of trying to see if I improved at all....that whole year went by in a flash and I was tepid at making the same mistakes again. But I had a little bit more belief in my ability to do something positive instead of embarrassing the white race, so I went back. Again. To the scene of the faux-murder. I was still the only white kid in the mix....not much changed in the neighborhood from ‘81 to ‘82 and while this day was not quite as sweltering.....the sweat I was producing was similar to being in a jacuzzi on full steam. I felt the eyes on me from the time I came through the chainlink. I knew this was potentially an abortion waiting to be executed.....but I had to try. Somehow I got lucky and was going to be teamed up with a couple of big dudes, older than me.....and ready to go out an win a game. I was along for the ride. I didn’t touch the ball....once.....and barely made a ripple on the defensive end....but it was the experience of playing ball and winning.....probably about 5 games in a row....that made me go from liking the game to falling in love with it.

I noticed that while being on the winning side of things, the insults that were in full display a year ago all but seemed to have disappeared. I couldn’t understand why.....until much later in my life.....but playing with dudes that were a) respected b) talented and c) looked like they had their beat down game right....seemed to temper the storm. After my squad finally lost a game....I decided to ride out and enjoy the day for what it was, a good experience on a basketball court without the derisevness that accompanied my previous outing. As I left...a couple of the kids I played with said “hey, good run”. I just looked over and nodded, too afraid to risk my day of acceptance by saying some dumb shit. I was confident enough to know that I could play with kids in my age group now and not be the laughing stock of the court....so things were looking up.

My basketball addiction was full-blown after that. I was now looking for runs all over my area of Hudson County, NJ. That area of Jersey, just on the other side of the Hudson River from NYC was a tough area to live and a tougher area to play ball in. Lots of great players in all styles and substances. I took my game to the various courts in that area for the next few years.....trying to get my game to the point where I could have some form of a high school career. It was during this time that I saw the ignorance of my own people in full effect. Earlier in this piece I referenced some of my cousins who played ball a few miles away. I spent a bunch of time playing ball where they played at. It was there were their ignorance reared its ugly head. I saw it firsthand on a day when we were playing with their neighborhood group.....mostly white kids...a few Korean kids...and 1 or 2 Spanish ones. Everyone was getting along....playing....no differences....until two black kids rode up on their bikes.....looking to get in to the game we were running. As if on cue....on of my cousins buddies said “these niggers ain’t getting in” and to my complete disgust.....my oldest cousin said “yeah, fuck those niggers”. Now, after what I had gone through a couple of years earlier....I was sick. My cousin....older than me....someone who I admired to a point.....was showing his complete failing as a human being at this point. They spoke low enough that the kids couldn’t hear them....but with the exception of one other kid....the rest of them seemed eager to follow suit. I didn’t want to sound like a bitch at the time....so I kept my mouth quiet (plus I was only about 14 and I really didn’t have the swag to back sh*t up at that point) and times were much, much different then. The whole politically correct thing we see today as commonplace was about as common as a Jordan Rookie card showing up in your mail today. Needless to say.....the tone of that day was ruined, at least for me. I wound up leaving after the game I was in.....headed back home....riding my bike to my house....still shook. It wasn’t the words as much as the steady agreement of the entire group. I mean, hearing the N-word was an everyday thing in that area. I never spoke it.......well, because it never was something I had to use in my life to prove my stupidity or some false bravado. Plus....in Jersey....Italians at that time were in some way still looked upon as their own racial stereotype insult group that was hurtful in it’s own way so using some other derogatory term for someone else was pure bullsh*t. But somehow being called a “stupid guinea” or a “dumb wop” didn’t carry the same type of sting.

If I only knew then what I know today. All I could think to myself was “how come this type of sh*t exists?.” My mom and dad didn’t have this type of hatred/stupidity towards all the different races/religions that were around us in our very mixed neighborhoods. If it “starts at home” I never had that stigma attached to my direct family. It wasn’t like that, and I wasn’t molded in the image that apparently people of my own bloodline had been polluted with. Years later I would think to myself.....or in conversation with friends that were liked minded....”when will the mistakes and the hate of those that fu*ked things up so badly in the past go away so that people in my generation can get past it and we can try and be unified as a people”. Nice idea, right? You know what? Today.....going on two generations later......it’s still not that way.

I still had run into my “whiteboy” hate in other parts of the county during my game development.....but being a bit better basketball wise than I was in my original introduction to that hate/resentment/ignorance that I faced....seemed to work in my favor. If I wasn’t “the sorry whiteboy” I didn’t seem to be bothered as much. I still got it in some heated spots....but it wasn’t AS commonplace. But I always knew that I wasn’t fully accepted in the runs I frequented, just as I saw that the same guys that had that grudge toward me weren’t accepted on the flip. It was just a huge disappointment. And by the time I hit high school....I began to grasp the differences and embrace my insulters instead of putting my head down and walking away in a cloud of shame, anger or self-pity. It was time to get ME right so they would take me for who I was instead of who I represented. Unfortunately, with greater self confidence came more heated confrontations. Those are stories for part two.

Legacy

2009-02-26T13:35:00.003-05:00

This will be a short one and is here to facilitate discussion more than anything.I was thinking recently that there are very few definite answers in basketball.Ask who's the best player,people will say Kobe or LeBron.Ask who's the best PG in the game,people will say CP3 or Deron(though it's getting less and less debateable).Ask who's the best defender,I can think of at least ten guys who I could make an argument for,ditto for most useless(the list is shortening-RIP Jerome James).Anyway,my point being,ask any kind of 'who's the best...?' or 'who's the most...?' relating to basketball,you'll find a littany of responses,most of them not wrong.

Bringing me to this,when thinking of which active NBA player currently has the best basketball(READ:not just NBA) legacy,I can't look past this guy:

And I don't think it's even close.

Discuss.

Foretelling the Inevitable

2009-02-25T11:02:00.003-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

Back in December 2007, when the New England Patriots had just completed their undefeated regular season, I turned to my friend, the Ant and said: "The New York Giants are a stupid team."

"Why?" he asked.

"I just don't trust them. In fact, I'll bet you 2000 riyals that the New York Giants will not win the Super Bowl."

I'm blessed. The Ant didn't take my bet.

And speaking of improbable Super Bowl scenarios, remember when we all thought the Arizona Cardinals would play in Super Bowl 43? Yeah, me neither.

Conversely, we all know that the Lakers will make it to the NBA Finals, unless the Spurs manage to pull off a massive upset in the West. And we know either the Celtics or the Cavs will be there as well.

I was watching some show on NBA TV last night. I wasn't really watching, but a statement caught my attention:

"I think we can all agree that the Portland Trail Blazers are true contenders."

And then four panelists nodded and muttered, "Absolutely."

Really? Portland is a contender?

Yeah, they may win a series. They may even somehow manage to get to the WCF, but I will be shocked if they get to the Finals. And all those other teams that look like they're in such good shape right now... your Orlando Magics and Denver Nuggets...Does anybody really give them a shot?

You shouldn't.

When was the last time a real Cinderella team made it all the way to the NBA Finals?

Let's look at the Finalists this decade:

2000- Lakers v Pacers
2001- Lakers v Sixers
2002- Lakers v Nets
2003- Spurs v Nets
2004- Lakers v Pistons
2005- Spurs v Pistons
2006- Mavs v Heat
2007- Spurs v Cavs
2008- Lakers v Celtics

Since the turn of the century, the only team whose presence in the Finals was even mildly surprising was the Cleveland Cavs in 2007. Cleveland had already taken the Pistons, the team they beat in the conference finals, to seven games the previous season. And in 2007, they won 50 games and were the #2 seed in the East.

Point being, we already know who will play in the 2009 NBA Finals. And that's kinda sad.

But then again, there's something comforting in knowing that the strongest teams will inevitably collide. I'd like nothing more than to see Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the Finals. And that's probably how it's going to play out.

The problem is that it's more difficult to get excited about earlier rounds. A potential series between, say, the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz would pit two pretty good, well-balanced teams against each other. And yet, as you watch, you already know that both teams are doomed.

Enjoy the Playoffs, kids! :)

And yet, there is one team that gives me hope:

The 1999 New York Knicks!

Blame Game

2009-02-24T12:46:00.003-05:00

I read an interesting article in today’s Detroit Free Press by the love-him-or-hate-him personality of one Drew Sharp. By most accounts, I believe Drew to be a tool of a writer and compare his writing style to that of a scorned lover or jealous boyfriend or girlfriend. To summarize, Mr. Sharp looks for negativity in his subjects and picks at it like a scab. Despite my critical assessment of his journalism, he does make some good points in his latest article on the Detroit Pistons fall from grace and where exactly blame should go.

I’ve decided to take out excerpts from his article and expound upon them my personal thoughts, while also adding in a few places I think blame should be pointed to. What is in italics is what Sharp said. My comments in bold proceed his thoughts.

1)The Darko Disaster in the 2003 draft cost them that transitional star. This is hardly a breaking news alert. Many dismissed this inevitability as irrelevant as the Pistons advanced to six straight Eastern Conference finals, but they could only outrun that mistake for so long before it eventually bit them in the back pocket. It's wasted breath arguing whom they should've taken instead. The bottom line is that an already good team cannot blow the No. 2 pick overall in what will go down as the deepest draft talent pool this decade in the NBA. But the Pistons did precisely that. Not much to argue with this. Dumars pretty much blew the chance at a once-in-a-lifetime talent by drafting Darko. Joe has basically said so himself. The problem I have is that people forget just how talented Darko was and that pretty much any scout was on his bandwagon. The only other player the Pistons even considered targeting was Carmelo Anthony, but he also played the same position as Tayshaun Prince, so they never really considered him. Chris Bosh was still looked at as a raw prospect and only Pat Riley took the Dwyane Wade hype seriously. Another thing to consider: the Darko trade to Orlando after the team had finally given up on him turned into Rodney Stuckey. Not too shabby.

2)Davidson couldn't keep his ego in check regarding Larry Brown. The Pistons knew Brown was a drama queen requiring exceptionally high maintenance when they hired him, but the normally reclusive Davidson made his distaste for Brown's dramatics public after he broomed him for Flip Saunders following the Pistons' Game 7 defeat in the 2005 NBA Finals. Davidson could've found a way to coexist with Brown, but he believed his players were more important than the person coaching them. That move effectively gave the players free run of the asylum, enabling their insurrections and pretty much excusing them from accountability. From that point on, when things went wrong -- it's primarily the coach's fault. Again, Drew makes a great point. The thing with Larry Brown was blown way out of proportion in my opinion. Yes, Larry interviewed for another position with a rival team while the Pistons were in the thick of a playoff run, but what exactly did the Pistons expect when they hired him? They knew Brown always had a wandering eye and the team wasn’t exactly proper in the way they dismissed Rick Carlisle once they new Brown was available. Owner Bill Davidson and Joe Dumars should have swallowed hard and forged ahead with Brown. If he would have eventually left on his own, then so be it. Once the players knew the control they wielded, it was the beginning of the end.

3)They never recovered defensively and emotionally from the loss of Ben Wallace following the 2006 season. The Pistons made the right move in not matching Chicago's outrageous four-year, $60-million free-agent contract. Wallace's energetic playing style had eroded, and he lost a battle for the soul of the team with Chauncey Billups. But since he left, the Pistons haven't found a comparable center who could move Rasheed Wallace to his more comfortable power forward position. Nazr Mohammed and Kwame Brown were both failed experiments. And perhaps more important, they haven't played good weak-side defense since Big Ben departed, explaining why opposing teams have penetrated the lane with impunity the past three seasons. Yes and no. I believe that Billups was always the leader of that team with his words, while Ben led with his play on the court. Ben was all-out hustle and the players respected that about him. Once he lost a step, Dumars was intent on not breaking the bank for a player that made the team play 4 on 5 on the offensive end. The problem with Rasheed was not of him playing the center position after Ben left, but that Ben kept Sheed in check. Larry Brown leaving was also paramount to Rasheed not buying in completely. The Pistons defensive numbers never got worse and actually improved some when Ben left. The downward spiral for the defense started when Chauncey was traded.

Which bring me to my extra points. While Dumars didn’t underestimate Chauncey’s effect on the game playing-wise, he did underestimate his leadership in the locker room and on the court. The Pistons traded away their main voice in a year they were harkening a new era with a new head coach. As much as I love Rodney Stuckey, he is not a leader yet. Neither is Rasheed, Rip, Tay, or McDyess. Iverson, incidentally, has only done well with a strong head coaching presence at the helm (Thompson, Brown, Karl). The Pistons problems don’t lie with talent, but with leadership. As much as I like Michael Curry the person, his coaching and leadership skills leave much to be desired.

Game Notes- Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers- 2/21/09

2009-02-23T15:54:00.001-05:00

Written by Eboy

This past Saturday I had two sport in-person viewing options presented to me. I had tickets for a Florida Panthers game in the evening from one of my co-workers or was offered a ticket to the Heat game and had to make a decision Saturday morning. After being offered the Heat ticket while on the phone with my friend, about 2 seconds afterwards, I asked my buddy what time we were going to meet up to take the ride to the AAA and leave the ice in the Panthers arena in a puddle of saddened sorrow.

We headed out about 1:00p and stopped at this place, http://www.primantibros.com/. An institute in Pittsburgh, PA (where my buddy is from) we usually stop there each time down for some good food and pretty fine waitresses. After having a great pizza, the road trip continued. Once we got in the arena....I realized that my buddy had good seats (not great) center court, 2nd row, upper level.

My ode to Moose

National Anthem is performed by Keon Dooling's daughter.....again. I've been to 4 games so far in 2009 and she's been on the mic for each game. Not sure if she signed a 10 day and then got extended....but I've never seen someone sing so often for one team. Seats are a great spot for game viewing....not too great for people watching though. We are surrounded by:

1)a couple that had to be in their 80's who seemed like they died by the second quarter.

2)a seriously fine MILF who brought along her 5 pre-teen children and seemed to be hoping that someone with money would rescue her from her life's fate of being that chick that used to be the sh*t and now is just literally in..... the sh*t.

3)a guy with his 8 or 9 year old kid who fell asleep in the third quarter and the kid seemed to be too afraid to try and wake him up. My buddy and I felt bad for him and picked him up a hot dog and a Coke and when the dad finally woke up with about 2 minutes to go in the 4th....he saw the empty hot dog wrapper and the soda at his sons seat and said "did you have money....did you go yourself?" The kid looked nervous and said "no, those guys got it for me" pointing at me and my friend. I think we both felt like pedophiles....but we felt bad for the kid. Sue me and try to stay awake, fat man, so your son won't have to rely on strangers to keep them nourished....your pre diabetes symptoms were in full effect for all of section 325 to see, Rip Van Blimple.

On to the game, for the first 24 minutes....people watching should have been the catch of the day. Poor shooting.....tons of turnovers and really a lack of focus from both teams made both of the potential playoff teams hopes of competing in a playoff atmosphere seem really overblown.

Once the first half debacle ended.....the second half actually got competitive. Andre Miller was really good for the Sixers. His off the dribble game was working to perfection and he made pretty easy work of Mario Chalmers from the tip. The rest of the Sixers are young, rangy, athletic and full of potential. The potential of the future Heat squad was on full display for about 5 minutes in the latter part of the 4th quarter. There was a nice run with JO, UD, Wade, Chalmers and Jamario Moon???? Yeah....there was some good chemistry between D-Wade and Jamario off baseline cuts for alley-oops, something that never came to fruition in Shawn Marion's time as a member of the Heat.

Here's my ode to Shawn Marion

Coming down the home stretch, the Heat executed better and Dwyane made the MVP plays he's made all season. The crowd was feeling it......even with a 1/4 of the arena empty....and that's how every game this season (except the Lakers one I attended)has been. People still really aren't believing in the team yet....so there's still a bit of uncertainty about putting out the cash to make the trip to the arena....and right now it's warranted uncertainty. Jermaine looked good at moments on Saturday (let's not talk about Sunday's "battle" with DaHowitzer...ugh)and if he can put together a full game of strong play...like he had going early on...the Heat's offense should begin to free from the shackles of D-Wade's always doubled, dribble drive game.

The Sixers can't really be considered any kind of a threat either. They're too reliant on the outside shot and missing a bona fide post presence in Elton Brand is way too much for a team like them to live and die from the perimeter on, especially without the threat of a true potent deep ball shooter.

Luckily this night ended with a Heat win. Sunday was not so cheery. After the game we wound up here.

This would make any night better.

*********EXTRA, EXTRA***************

Here's some observations I made in-game that kind of made laugh:

One sequence during the 3rd quarter...Reggie Evans and Michael Beasley got into a little war of words/pushing and shoving match for a quick minute. I'm not sure if it showed up on the Heat telecast locally, but I've noticed that among Beasley's penchant for talking comical trash....he has a little bit of fire that I hope turns inferno-like in a couple of years. Beas was talking all kinds of sh*t in a very undemonstrative way...which really pissed Wedgie off. Good work by the kid.

I think Louis Williams missed his calling for playing ball for the And 1 tour. He was a dribbling machine during halftime while everyone else was shooting around. His handle was phenomenal, btw.

Chris Quinn is still really bug eyed, really slow and really not ready for back up point guard duties. While he can make shots.....his lack of D is really putting me back on the Decapitate Chris Quinn bandwagon.

I'm convinced that Mario Chalmers is from the same acting school as Derek Fisher. A simple forearm bump sends him flying like he was shot in a gangwar in Little Haiti over some bad 4 day old grio. He doesn't get the calls yet....but I have a feeling he will in due time.

Let's just say, if they were there, the game could have gone into a vortex of perpetual airballs and I could have gave a sh*t.

Just sayin'

How the East Looks

2009-02-23T12:09:00.002-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

OK, let me start this with a confession: I do not watch as much basketball as some would imagine. First off, I don't get as much TV coverage as I like over here in the 0119661. Yeah, that's Saudi Arabia. I guess I shouldn't have used area codes to identify my spot. That was dumb. Sorry. So anyway, yeah, we only get two games a week on ESPN, plus a game a day on NBA TV, which I just subscribed to the other day. So as much as I wanted to, I couldn't watch any of the Laker-Celtics or Laker-Cavs games. But I do read a lot about the NBA, and so, along with the relatively few games I've actually watched, what I've read and what I've seen over the past few months have marinated in my head to produce the following disjointed impression of the Eastern Conference:

1- Cleveland Cavs:

I was really hoping the Cavs would do something before the trade deadline. I wasn't totally sold on the proposed Shaq trade, because it's such a huge contract, plus the guy's 37. But what about a guy like Tyson Chandler? Wally World straight up for Tyson? Think that would have made Bron happy?

In any case, I still like Cleveland to win the East, especially since KG's injury gives them the inside track on the #1 seed. And I would love to see LeBron v Kobe in the Finals. Mo Williams has been what Boobie was supposed to be. Big Z is a very intelligent post player, albeit an intelligent post player with bad knees. And Delonte West is back!

2- Boston Celtics:

The C's were 3-9 away from home in last year's playoffs. They couldn't win a single away game against the lowly Hawks or the Cavs. So unless they manage to get home-court advantage, I don't see them getting past LeBron. I'm sure they'll pick up some free agent off of waivers and that will certainly help, but they're just too thin, too old and too inconsistent away from home. They're still formidable, of course. I'm just explaining why I like Cleveland to win the East and not Boston.

3- Orlando Magic:

People are saying that Orlando can't get past Boston or Cleveland in a seven-game series, but I think they have a puncher's chance. I love their starting five with Rafer in there. Hedo should have been an all-star by now. And Dwight Howard is a beast. The only problem I have with this team is Rashard Lewis. And it's not that I don't like him as a player, it's just that I like him as a 3, not a 4. Opposing big men will abuse him in the playoffs. If the Magic had a reliable power forward who would allow Rashard to switch to the small forward position, they'd be REALLY dangerous. As it stands, they should win a series and cause some problems for one of the big two but fall short in the end.

Now, if they somehow manage to get the 2 seed...

4- Atlanta Hawks:

I honestly don't know that much about the Hawks. I mean, Joe Johnson is there of course, and Josh Smith is one of my favorite players, but I get the feeling that they're bound to fade in the playoffs. But I'm ignorant, so... moving on...

5- Miami Heat:

I saw Miami play against Philly and Orlando. I have to say that although the results haven't been great since trading for Jermaine O'Neal (they lost to Orlando and before that to the Wolves), still I like how the Heat look. JO was really good against the Sixers, and if he can play like that more often, I think Miami can make some noise in the playoffs. I also like the combination of Dwyane Wade and Jamario Moon.

6- Detroit Pistons:

I can't understand this team. They've looked disinterested for a couple of years, but I thought the Iverson trade was going to take them back into contention. I was wrong.

7,8- Philadelphia 76ers & Milwaukee Bucks:

I honestly don't care. The 7 and 8 seeds will inevitably get blown out by Boston and Cleveland. Meh.

2009 NBA MVP AWARD RACE- The Home Strrreeeeeetch!!!

2009-02-20T09:49:00.006-05:00

Written by Eboy

So here we are....closing in on the last 1/4 of the season....and the MVP race is going to be a major story as the season winds down......SKO needs something new in the mix too, so here we go!!!!

Let's stay straightforward shall we,

MVP

1. Lebron James
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Dwight Howard
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Chris Paul

This is an interesting race.....but not quite as close as some would make it out to be. Here's why:

Lebron James:
Lebron has just been........tremendous. He's made the Cavs into a rock solid group that plays efficient offense and lockdown D night in and night out. He has carried over his otherworldly Olympic play and has lead the (sometimes injury prone)Cavs to the 2nd best record in the league up until this point of the season. Can't hate how he's done it either.....28.4, 7.5, 7......MVP worthy, no doubt! He's beastlike night in and night out and even on his less than spectacular nights he'll still throw up 20, 9 & 9. Time for change starts this season. The Blueprint is finally in the construction phase and we can just sit back and watch the formation with admiration until the project is complete.

Dwayne Wade:
My man, D-Wade.....yeah....he's f*cking good too! Am I being a bit of a homer putting him 2nd? Probably, but 28.5, 5, 7......that
s airtight, and the Heat are respectable after being horrible just a season ago. He's been that guy every night for the Heat and he's showing no signs of letting up. It's great to see him healthy...so I keep my fingers crossed that the McDavid pads stays strong in all the right spots. Plus, the future is getting brighter for the squad and it may be enough to lock up dude for the long haul and to keep his game in the MIA. Finally getting some help in the Jermaine O'Neal pickup is promising....but don't get it twisted, the Heat shine bright or fizzle-out on #3's game.

Dwight Howard:
DaHowitzer.....has been the bedrock that the Magic needed and Orlando is now in the conversation as legit contender because of it. The reason for it? The play of Dwight....rebounding....scoring....blocking shots....dude is doing it all for them. And the Magic seem to have the number of some of the best teams in the league. They're legit 'cause of the 21st century Superman. Losing his point guard for an extended period may shine the MVP light on him just a little more too. And now with the acquisition of Rafaer Alston to fill the void.....the Magic could still pose huge problems for the rest of the league's elite.

Kobe Bryant:
The Defenseless Mamba has been his normal self this season. Solid....sometimes spectacular.....and if the 61 point effort in the Garden was any sign of the future...he might be able to catapult a couple of spots in this race. But for half the season, he hasn't been as valuable as those first names mentioned. The last part of the season may play out much differently though but losing the one piece which may have put the Lakers in the drivers seat for the title may just be too much for Team No-D to overcome. HOWEVA......the rebirth of Lamar Odom has been unexpected and Gasol continues his strong play from night to night....so they still have a solid lock on the West's top spot and if Kobe plays within the system....they'll be tough against anyone.

Chris Paul:
CP3....best point guard in the game and while his team has been less than spectacular, Chris is always just that....spectacular. He needs to be his absolute best night in and night out for his team to challenge any of the West's top squads. Trading Tyson Chandler and then getting him back a day later was pretty uninspiring as well, but might be the best thing for the Hornets in the long run. If his squad can somehow put it together for a strong finish and get hot at the right time....they could be a wild card, but in the meantime.....enjoy this dude. He's in a class by himself.

Tax Cut

2009-02-19T07:07:00.002-05:00

J.A. Adande has presented an interesting proposition for the NBA: Do away with the luxury tax.

In this era of expansion and cost-cutting, teams are just trying to stay financially secure. Stop taxing teams excessively, or else we'll wind up with an all-star team made up entirely of expiring contracts. Long live Raef LaFrentz.

Sounds From the Sub-Basement

2009-02-13T14:06:00.008-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

I'll never forget the first time I heard the Wu-Tang Clan's "Protect Ya Neck"; nine MCs flowing sequentially with no hook. It was, to use Wu terminology, raw. I don't think I'll ever feel that way about a song again. I guess it has something do with age.

I was tempted to vent about how nobody is making good hip-hop anymore, but I don't think that's true. Nas recently dropped an excellent album. OutKast make some noise every few years. For all his detractors, I like Kanye. Common. Kweli. Lupe Fiasco. Q-Tip's "Renaissance" is outstanding. And, of course, the aforementioned Wu are still relevant. It's just that a lot of the mainstream rappers who get all the exposure are, well, not very good. So I decided to share some of my favorite artists who will not win a Grammy any time soon. Enjoy:

- Jay Electronica:

You'd be hard pressed to find a rapper who puts more thought into his words than Jay Electronica. Subtle wordplay, allusion, and thematic complexity are all staples of Jay's work. He might go 32 bars with no hook or rap structurelessly over the score of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He's a monster. Here's a sample:

"So standardized education in this situation is useful/ I mean useless/ Pardon the slippage/ The dead'll probably talk but the jargon is jibberish/Meanwhile, I'm off in the stars warring with Iblis/ You see them atoms (Adams) spinnin/ You see them waves shimmerin/ You see them wisdoms grinnin/ The masculine energy make em feel feminine/ I transform, they start assemblin."

Unfortunately, I've been having a hard time getting a hold of his songs. I lost one of my favorites, "I Feel Good".

- Kidz in the Hall:

This Chicago duo make you feel like it's still 1995. They have this feel-good quality to their work, and punchlines abound:

"She said she like how I take charge like Battier/ But I ain't ballin, baby/ I'm more like a coach/ I'll let you be the judge/ Just like I'm under oath/ And I'm a tell the truth, so help me God/ Let me get inside stuff like Ahmad Rashad"

- Jazz Liberatorz:

Jazz Lib are three French beatmakers: DJ Damage, Dusty, and Madhi. The one album I found, "Clin d'Oeil", is basically a collection of beats over which underground MCs flow. As their name indicates, they try to take hip-hop back to its roots. I wouldn't say their sound is a fusion between jazz and hip-hop. Rather, Jazz Lib bridge the gap between hip-hop and its musical lineage. The result is a laid-back concoction which has a vintage feel.

- Black Milk:

I don't know how to describe the beats on Black Milk's "Tronic". I want to say "electronic", but it's more organic than that. As for Black Milk as an MC, it's not that he isn't lyrically sharp, because he is (To wit: "Who's the best? Heavy like dumbbells on your arm/ I bury you broads by spitting barbarian bars"), but I'd say that Black Milk's greatest gift is the ability he has to manipulate his flow to fit odd beats. "Overdose", "Try" and "Losing Out" are standouts.

- Elzhi:

I love Elzhi for his sense of lyrical adventurousness. He's willing to try anything. "Colors" is a track structured around the use of, you guessed it, colors: "I think it's quite foul while/ I sip the GREY Goose and ORANGE juice/ And twist the WHITE Widow in a WHITE Owl/How first you're painting the town RED/Beneath the night skies/Now you going to trial/For telling little WHITE lies."

"Guessing Game" is pure genius. The "game" in question is a word game in which the listener is asked to guess how Elzhi is going to change the last word of each line:

Now we can really begin
Long as this beat keep the treats falling out of my pen-
(piñ)-ata. Rather slow or faster it's disaster
I come flowing harder than a master-
(mastur)-bator. Now in the streets we a mess, try to test
We drop it, you stop, pop a two in your rest-
(resp)-tory system. They claim they the best
Hey, you ask me I say maybe they were OK, yes-
-terday."

Seeing the lyrics to "Guessing Game" written down doesn't do it justice.

So listen.

P.S.
This is the 100th post on SKO!

Ring

2009-02-04T09:58:00.008-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

Sports don't matter.

They just don't. Not in the big picture.

To me, they're a mere diversion. A hobby. There is no real importance tied to it.

But in the summer of 2008, basketball and life intersected for me. All of a sudden, inexplicably, I found myself at a critical juncture in my life. It was a strange experience. I can't really delve into what happened to me, because it would seem crazy from the outside looking in, but the protagonist of that personal experience was... the Los Angeles Lakers.

Prior to that experience, I hadn't really thought about basketball in terms of teams. I always rooted for players. So for the entirety of the 2007-08 season, I was pulling for the Boston Celtics, simply because one of my two favorite players, Kevin Garnett (the other being Allen Iverson), was abruptly thrust into contention. For the entire season, I didn't even think about the Lakers. I was only worried about the San Antonio Spurs, in fact.

And then my life changed.

And abruptly, with KG up 3-1 in the Finals, I found myself rooting for the Lakers.

I was exhausted when they lost.

In the summer, I rested. (And watched the Dark Knight on IMAX).\

This season, I just have this feeling. I don't think the Lakers will win because they have the best player on the planet (they do), or because they have the best bench in basketball (they do), but because I feel they're destined to win, if only to give yours truly a nice little wedding gift.

So does the fact that Andrew Bynum is out alter their destiny?

Only one thing alters destiny: prayer. So get on your knees, Eboy.

I am destined to be happy this summer.

P.S.

I realize I'm merely superimposing narrative onto my personal sporting experiences, but sue me; it's fun. Sports don't matter.

The Phoenix/Cardinal

2009-01-25T11:55:00.005-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

"I am going to get back here. I promise you that."

I remember Kurt Warner uttering those words, his eyes glimmering with the sheen of defeat. The Greatest Show on Turf had just been defeated by the upstart New England Patriots.

Now, I'm not going to wax lyrical about how Warner got back to the Super Bowl through sheer determination. I don't believe he "willed" his way back to the Game. There are many variables which determined whether or not Kurt Warner would ever play in another Super Bowl after that ill-fated 2001 edition, and the play of Warner himself was only one such variable. Although Warner certainly fulfilled his end of the bargain.

But this isn't really about Warner. It's about me. Because when I heard Warner say:
"I am going to get back here."

Here's what I thought:

"Fat chance."

I don't know why I thought that. After all, the St. Louis Rams had Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. They had the makings of a dynasty, but I just felt that I was witnessing the end of a cycle.

Cut to 2008.

I saw the Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys in impressive fashion. I enjoyed Darnell Dockett and the Cardinal defense. I really enjoyed Larry Fitzgerald. And yeah, Warner looked pretty darn good.

And then Wes Welker made those snow angels. On December 21st, the New England Patriots buried the Cards in an avalanche of touchdowns and tears. They beat them down 47-7, and after that blizzard, I wrote off the Arizona Cardinals. "They'll only make the playoffs," I thought, "because the NFC West is an armada of vaginal pretenders." Yes, my private thoughts are both vivid and vulgar.

And yet here we are, 3 games and 14 Delhomme interceptions later, with the Arizona Cardinals thisclose to greatness. Kurt Warner has the chance to cement his place in the Hall of Fame. so will the Arizona Cardinals pull off one more upset and win it all?

Fat chance.

A Warrior's Final Stand

2009-01-23T09:05:00.004-05:00

*****I wrote this last season when Zo went down with his injury. I felt it needed to see the light of day again with Alonzo's retirement announcement yesterday. Thanks to everyone who commented on it previously, btw.****
Written By Eboy

In The Warriors Code There's No Surrender,
Though His Body Cries Stop, His Spirit Cries, NEVER!

Last night a legacy and a warriors journey ended in a crumpled heap in Atlanta, Georgia. Alonzo Mourning's long journey could have ended two seasons ago when he was a major cog in the Miami Heat's first championship. The Warrior in him said no.... I need to try and defend what we earned. He was the catalyst for the title. The fire needed in all great teams. He was the firestarter. He was the last line of defense. He was many things in his career. From Charlotte to Miami to New Jersey to Toronto and back to Miami, Zo earned his stripes. Every night. Every Possession. There's not much more that could be said. In today's game, to find a player who plays all out every game may be reserved for only one other player, and he's from the same college alma matta. Zo was a beast. Hated. Beloved. Challenged. Beaten. Destroyer. Enforcer. Champion. All these words can describe him. None do him justice. The critics of his game hated his demonstrativeness, flexing, screaming, pointing to the sky like Hulk Hogan after a title match. This was his make-up. This was Zo. Love him or hate him, you had to respect him. He was the modern Bill Russell on the defensive end. He was the one person you didn't want to meet at the basket if you felt you had a shot to get a dunk on him. He was caught a bunch, but he caught WAY more than he took. Warrior. Who care's if you take a punch, you've got to take one to give two. Warriors don't fear pain, they relish it. They welcome the pain as just another way to push themselves. And he did that 10 fold in his career.

Every basketball fan knows Zo kidney battle. Would have ended lesser men's career's. The Warrior took it as the ultimate battle and......won. Somehow, he beat the odds. That's what all the great warriors of myth do. They overcome. They find a way. Through all obstacles. They come through in the worst situations. It was hurtful to the community of Miami at the time it occurred. They were losing their champion, the face of their franchise and the hero for their environment. If you never visited the Miami Arena in the early years of the Heat in Overtown, you were probably the better for it. A more rundown, decrepit area of the state of Florida was difficult to find. Zo knew this upon his arrival in Miami. And made it his crusade to try and fortify and revolutionize the area. Over his career in Miami, things began to change partly because of his charitable efforts, but more because of his indomitable will and refusal to surrender to suits and bureaucrats that made his goal to revitalize seem like an impossible task. Warrior. Warrior's want the impossible task. It's their life's calling. Tell me no, motherfu*ker, and I will show differently. This was Zo's way and Overtown began to change. By the time Zo returned for his second Heat stint, Overtown was now in full revitalization mode, and don't think for a minute that Zo's imprint wasn't all over the blueprints of the new highrises, rebuilt buildings and surrounding shops and clubs that made the area a place to be seen instead of being a place you wouldn't want to be caught dead in. The Warrior laid the ground work. He kept the fire burning and made an impact that will be felt for generations to come.

As a fan of his from his Hoya's days, and then in Charlotte where he made his bones to his Heat history, I can only say thank you. Thanks for your fearlessness. Thanks for the years of fire. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for being you. There's not enough of your kind left in the basketball world anymore. And it will be missed. The rest of this Heat season, regardless of record and even if they somehow can turn the ship around and right things, won't be the same. Those lowly Wednesday night games against teams like the Grizzlies just won't be the same without you patrolling, waiting and extinguishing. Maybe the boys will rally around your legacy and play hard for the rest of the season, every night, like's it's their last. It's doubtful that that type of intensity can be duplicated, though. But even if they do, it won't be the same without the granite block, the king of blocks, the Warrior. His last act as a basketball player? Going for a blocked shot. Then refusing to be carried off on a stretcher, walking away from the game he loved and the battlefield he navigated, through pain and regret. No tears, head up, fire still burning, hate for the injury that ended his run. RIP Warrior Mourning. Welcome home, Alonzo.

Peace of Mine

2009-01-19T12:10:00.005-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

Hello all.

I know I've been writing a lot about Palestine, and I know some of you may be getting bored with the whole topic. Believe me, I feel you. It's just important to me is all. And let me just state for the record that I think that Hamas are a bunch of idiots for continuing to fire their measly missiles. But that doesn't change the fact that Israel is an aggressor. In any case, I promise to write something about Kurt Warner in the coming days just to cleanse the palette, but before I do that, I'd like to share with you the Arab Peace Initiative, which was approved by the Arab League in 2002. This is a Peace Offer extended to Israel since 2002, which Israel does not want to even negotiate. Why? Good question.

The Arab Peace Initiative, 2002

Official translation of the full text of a Saudi-inspired peace plan adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut, 2002.

The Arab Peace Initiative

The Council of Arab States at the Summit Level at its 14th Ordinary Session,

Reaffirming the resolution taken in June 1996 at the Cairo Extra-Ordinary Arab Summit that a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East is the strategic option of the Arab countries, to be achieved in accordance with international legality, and which would require a comparable commitment on the part of the Israeli government,

Having listened to the statement made by his royal highness Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which his highness presented his initiative calling for full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel's acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of a comprehensive peace with Israel,

Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, the council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

II- ESTABLISH NORMAL RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE PEACE. (Emphasis mine)

4. Assures the rejection of all forms of Palestinian patriation which conflict with the special circumstances of the Arab host countries.

5. Calls upon the government of Israel and all Israelis to accept this initiative in order to safeguard the prospects for peace and stop the further shedding of blood, enabling the Arab countries and Israel to live in peace and good neighbourliness and provide future generations with security, stability and prosperity.

6. Invites the international community and all countries and organisations to support this initiative.

7. Requests the chairman of the summit to form a special committee composed of some of its concerned member states and the secretary general of the League of Arab States to pursue the necessary contacts to gain support for this initiative at all levels, particularly from the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States of America, the Russian Federation, the Muslim states and the European Union.

P.S.

I'd like to thank my fellow blogmates, especially Alan, for setting up the Gaza Relief Fund. That means a lot to me. Thanks. You may now resume consuming Guiness and raw potatoes.

Mustapha- Queen & Don't Front On The Funds

2009-01-14T16:00:00.004-05:00

Written by Eboy

In keeping with the the middle Eastern theme this week here at SKO, I figured "why not lighten it up" a little with this song from the legendary Queen.

Also, if you notice in the upper right hand corner of our main page, there is a link that allows those of us who can, the opportunity to donate to the horrors that occur to the youth of Gaza. Please, even if you are unable yourself, put the word out to others who can to help out those who cant help themselves.

Thanks and enjoy the song. My favorite part of the video comes at 1:21 to 1:23, where the camel gives me the comfort of thinking of my man Tariq.

Urge Overkill

2009-01-12T13:03:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about writing something about the wacky NFL Playoffs, about how happy I am that the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens are in their respective Championship games and how I hope they collide in the SuperBowl. I wanted to write about how moving it was to see Brian Dawkins cry after the victory over the Giants, but really... during this time I feel that sports are so inconsequential; who really gives a crap if Donovan McNabb finally gets a ring or if Kurt Warner makes it back to Super Sunday? Not me. At least not now. So instead I thought I'd share this article:
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How Israel brought Gaza to the Brink of Humanitarian Catastrophe
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Oxford professor of international relations Avi Shlaim served in the Israeli army and has never questioned the state's legitimacy. But its merciless assault on Gaza has led him to devastating conclusions

Avi Shlaim
Wednesday January 7 2009
The Guardian

The only way to make sense of Israel's senseless war in Gaza is through understanding the historical context. Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians. British officials bitterly resented American partisanship on behalf of the infant state. On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". I used to think that this judgment was too harsh but Israel's vicious assault on the people of Gaza, and the Bush administration's complicity in this assault, have reopened the question.

I write as someone who served loyally in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and who has never questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel within its pre-1967 borders. What I utterly reject is the Zionist colonial project beyond the Green Line. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansionism. The aim was to establish Greater Israel through permanent political, economic and military control over the Palestinian territories. And the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.

Four decades of Israeli control did incalculable damage to the economy of the Gaza Strip. With a large population of 1948 refugees crammed into a tiny strip of land, with no infrastructure or natural resources, Gaza's prospects were never bright. Gaza, however, is not simply a case of economic under-development but a uniquely cruel case of deliberate de-development. To use the Biblical phrase, Israel turned the people of Gaza into the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, into a source of cheap labour and a captive market for Israeli goods. The development of local industry was actively impeded so as to make it impossible for the Palestinians to end their subordination to Israel and to establish the economic underpinnings essential for real political independence.

Gaza is a classic case of colonial exploitation in the post-colonial era. Jewish settlements in occupied territories are immoral, illegal and an insurmountable obstacle to peace. They are at once the instrument of exploitation and the symbol of the hated occupation. In Gaza, the Jewish settlers numbered only 8,000 in 2005 compared with 1.4 million local residents. Yet the settlers controlled 25% of the territory, 40% of the arable land and the lion's share of the scarce water resources. Cheek by jowl with these foreign intruders, the majority of the local population lived in abject poverty and unimaginable misery. Eighty per cent of them still subsist on less than $2 a day. The living conditions in the strip remain an affront to civilised values, a powerful precipitant to resistance and a fertile breeding ground for political extremism.

In August 2005 a Likud government headed by Ariel Sharon staged a unilateral Israeli pullout from Gaza, withdrawing all 8,000 settlers and destroying the houses and farms they had left behind. Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, conducted an effective campaign to drive the Israelis out of Gaza. The withdrawal was a humiliation for the Israeli Defence Forces. To the world, Sharon presented the withdrawal from Gaza as a contribution to peace based on a two-state solution. But in the year after, another 12,000 Israelis settled on the West Bank, further reducing the scope for an independent Palestinian state. Land-grabbing and peace-making are simply incompatible. Israel had a choice and it chose land over peace.

The real purpose behind the move was to redraw unilaterally the borders of Greater Israel by incorporating the main settlement blocs on the West Bank to the state of Israel. Withdrawal from Gaza was thus not a prelude to a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority but a prelude to further Zionist expansion on the West Bank. It was a unilateral Israeli move undertaken in what was seen, mistakenly in my view, as an Israeli national interest. Anchored in a fundamental rejection of the Palestinian national identity, the withdrawal from Gaza was part of a long-term effort to deny the Palestinian people any independent political existence on their land.

Israel's settlers were withdrawn but Israeli soldiers continued to control all access to the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air. Gaza was converted overnight into an open-air prison. From this point on, the Israeli air force enjoyed unrestricted freedom to drop bombs, to make sonic booms by flying low and breaking the sound barrier, and to terrorise the hapless inhabitants of this prison.

Israel likes to portray itself as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. Yet Israel has never in its entire history done anything to promote democracy on the Arab side and has done a great deal to undermine it. Israel has a long history of secret collaboration with reactionary Arab regimes to suppress Palestinian nationalism. Despite all the handicaps, the Palestinian people succeeded in building the only genuine democracy in the Arab world with the possible exception of Lebanon. In January 2006, free and fair elections for the Legislative Council of the Palestinian Authority brought to power a Hamas-led government. Israel, however, refused to recognise the democratically elected government, claiming that Hamas is purely and simply a terrorist organisation.

America and the EU shamelessly joined Israel in ostracising and demonising the Hamas government and in trying to bring it down by withholding tax revenues and foreign aid. A surreal situation thus developed with a significant part of the international community imposing economic sanctions not against the occupier but against the occupied, not against the oppressor but against the oppressed.

As so often in the tragic history of Palestine, the victims were blamed for their own misfortunes. Israel's propaganda machine persistently purveyed the notion that the Palestinians are terrorists, that they reject coexistence with the Jewish state, that their nationalism is little more than antisemitism, that Hamas is just a bunch of religious fanatics and that Islam is incompatible with democracy. But the simple truth is that the Palestinian people are a normal people with normal aspirations. They are no better but they are no worse than any other national group. What they aspire to, above all, is a piece of land to call their own on which to live in freedom and dignity.

Like other radical movements, Hamas began to moderate its political programme following its rise to power. From the ideological rejectionism of its charter, it began to move towards pragmatic accommodation of a two-state solution. In March 2007, Hamas and Fatah formed a national unity government that was ready to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with Israel. Israel, however, refused to negotiate with a government that included Hamas.

It continued to play the old game of divide and rule between rival Palestinian factions. In the late 1980s, Israel had supported the nascent Hamas in order to weaken Fatah, the secular nationalist movement led by Yasser Arafat. Now Israel began to encourage the corrupt and pliant Fatah leaders to overthrow their religious political rivals and recapture power. Aggressive American neoconservatives participated in the sinister plot to instigate a Palestinian civil war. Their meddling was a major factor in the collapse of the national unity government and in driving Hamas to seize power in Gaza in June 2007 to pre-empt a Fatah coup.

The war unleashed by Israel on Gaza on 27 December was the culmination of a series of clashes and confrontations with the Hamas government. In a broader sense, however, it is a war between Israel and the Palestinian people, because the people had elected the party to power. The declared aim of the war is to weaken Hamas and to intensify the pressure until its leaders agree to a new ceasefire on Israel's terms. The undeclared aim is to ensure that the Palestinians in Gaza are seen by the world simply as a humanitarian problem and thus to derail their struggle for independence and statehood.

The timing of the war was determined by political expediency. A general election is scheduled for 10 February and, in the lead-up to the election, all the main contenders are looking for an opportunity to prove their toughness. The army top brass had been champing at the bit to deliver a crushing blow to Hamas in order to remove the stain left on their reputation by the failure of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July 2006. Israel's cynical leaders could also count on apathy and impotence of the pro-western Arab regimes and on blind support from President Bush in the twilight of his term in the White House. Bush readily obliged by putting all the blame for the crisis on Hamas, vetoing proposals at the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and issuing Israel with a free pass to mount a ground invasion of Gaza.

As always, mighty Israel claims to be the victim of Palestinian aggression but the sheer asymmetry of power between the two sides leaves little room for doubt as to who is the real victim. This is indeed a conflict between David and Goliath but the Biblical image has been inverted - a small and defenceless Palestinian David faces a heavily armed, merciless and overbearing Israeli Goliath. The resort to brute military force is accompanied, as always, by the shrill rhetoric of victimhood and a farrago of self-pity overlaid with self-righteousness. In Hebrew this is known as the syndrome of bokhim ve-yorim, "crying and shooting".

To be sure, Hamas is not an entirely innocent party in this conflict. Denied the fruit of its electoral victory and confronted with an unscrupulous adversary, it has resorted to the weapon of the weak - terror. Militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad kept launching Qassam rocket attacks against Israeli settlements near the border with Gaza until Egypt brokered a six-month ceasefire last June. The damage caused by these primitive rockets is minimal but the psychological impact is immense, prompting the public to demand protection from its government. Under the circumstances, Israel had the right to act in self-defence but its response to the pinpricks of rocket attacks was totally disproportionate. The figures speak for themselves. In the three years after the withdrawal from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire. On the other hand, in 2005-7 alone, the IDF killed 1,290 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children.

Whatever the numbers, killing civilians is wrong. This rule applies to Israel as much as it does to Hamas, but Israel's entire record is one of unbridled and unremitting brutality towards the inhabitants of Gaza. Israel also maintained the blockade of Gaza after the ceasefire came into force which, in the view of the Hamas leaders, amounted to a violation of the agreement. During the ceasefire, Israel prevented any exports from leaving the strip in clear violation of a 2005 accord, leading to a sharp drop in employment opportunities. Officially, 49.1% of the population is unemployed. At the same time, Israel restricted drastically the number of trucks carrying food, fuel, cooking-gas canisters, spare parts for water and sanitation plants, and medical supplies to Gaza. It is difficult to see how starving and freezing the civilians of Gaza could protect the people on the Israeli side of the border. But even if it did, it would still be immoral, a form of collective punishment that is strictly forbidden by international humanitarian law.

The brutality of Israel's soldiers is fully matched by the mendacity of its spokesmen. Eight months before launching the current war on Gaza, Israel established a National Information Directorate. The core messages of this directorate to the media are that Hamas broke the ceasefire agreements; that Israel's objective is the defence of its population; and that Israel's forces are taking the utmost care not to hurt innocent civilians. Israel's spin doctors have been remarkably successful in getting this message across. But, in essence, their propaganda is a pack of lies.

A wide gap separates the reality of Israel's actions from the rhetoric of its spokesmen. It was not Hamas but the IDF that broke the ceasefire. It di d so by a raid into Gaza on 4 November that killed six Hamas men. Israel's objective is not just the defence of its population but the eventual overthrow of the Hamas government in Gaza by turning the people against their rulers. And far from taking care to spare civilians, Israel is guilty of indiscriminate bombing and of a three-year-old blockade that has brought the inhabitants of Gaza, now 1.5 million, to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Biblical injunction of an eye for an eye is savage enough. But Israel's insane offensive against Gaza seems to follow the logic of an eye for an eyelash. After eight days of bombing, with a death toll of more than 400 Palestinians and four Israelis, the gung-ho cabinet ordered a land invasion of Gaza the consequences of which are incalculable.

No amount of military escalation can buy Israel immunity from rocket attacks from the military wing of Hamas. Despite all the death and destruction that Israel has inflicted on them, they kept up their resistance and they kept firing their rockets. This is a movement that glorifies victimhood and martyrdom. There is simply no military solution to the conflict between the two communities. The problem with Israel's concept of security is that it denies even the most elementary security to the other community. The only way for Israel to achieve security is not through shooting but through talks with Hamas, which has repeatedly declared its readiness to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with the Jewish state within its pre-1967 borders for 20, 30, or even 50 years. Israel has rejected this offer for the same reason it spurned the Arab League peace plan of 2002, which is still on the table: it involves concessions and compromises.

This brief review of Israel's record over the past four decades makes it difficult to resist the conclusion that it has become a rogue state with "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders". A rogue state habitually violates international law, possesses weapons of mass destruction and practises terrorism - the use of violence against civilians for political purposes. Israel fulfils all of these three criteria; the cap fits and it must wear it. Israel's real aim is not peaceful coexistence with its Palestinian neighbours but military domination. It keeps compounding the mistakes of the past with new and more disastrous ones. Politicians, like everyone else, are of course free to repeat the lies and mistakes of the past. But it is not mandatory to do so.

Avi Shlaim is a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford and the author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World and of Lion of Jordan: King Hussein's Life in War and Peace.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2009

Isaac and Ismail are Brothers

2009-01-10T12:18:00.004-05:00

I have nothing but love in my heart for this beautiful Jewish man:

Grilled Dolphin.....or Tuna?

2009-01-05T10:53:00.014-05:00

Written by Eboy

****I was planning on writing the first ever game notes from an NFL contest on the SKO site today, but since the Dolphins played like the NFL's equivalent to the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday, I've decided to play out my experience in images. Enjoy. I will have game notes later today on the Heat/Nets game from Saturday night, which was a more enjoyable experience.****

Happy (?) New Year: Gaza

2008-12-31T04:05:00.006-05:00

I know a lot of you probably don't know or don't care that hundreds of Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israel during the past week. I just wanted to share some images with you that you definitely will not see on CNN or Fox News or MSNBC. Enjoy:

Eboy's End Of The Year Awards

2008-12-29T09:35:00.006-05:00

Written by Eboy

So another year comes to close.....news happened.....things changed.....and the world is a different place then it was just a month or so ago. So now it's time for your boy to put his favorite things on full display for you.....my people....to be educated from and brightening your minds with my good words.

Sports Team Of The Year:Miami Dolphins

"They did it.....they really did it.....damn."
I must have said that about 20 times last night after watching that wonderful dismantling of the Dolphins most hated rival. What can I say? A true team....in every sense of the word.....never took the negativity from the media, fans and the like and let it bother them....never let their sudden success get to their heads. They just played ball. Hard nosed football. Winning football. The Architect, Bill Parcells, created the mold, Coach Tony Sparano molded it, and that outcast(sorry Mr. Mangini, I am for real)quarterback, Chad Pennington, led them every week, good or bad, with a chip on his shoulder and fire in his leadership.

Back in August, I wrote these words here on our wonderful blog:

"Leave it to an old school genius to get things back on track and the futures of the franchise seem WAY more solid then it did just a season ago. With Bill Parcells running things, the Dolphins fortunes are capable of being cemented with a championship pedigree and the promise of strict discipline (something they have needed)to begin solidifying their position of relevant NFL franchise again. No, they won't be hoisting a Super Bowl trophy this season, but it's exciting to think that the ability to have a team capable of it isn't too far away. Ridding long time mainstays Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor show the commitment to change and give the other players on the roster the fuel to move at a heightened rate because no one is safe if they are underachieving. Gotta love old school initiative."

I knew the improvement was going to be there, but not like this? Not winning the division? Not hosting a playoff game? (I'll have the first ever SKO NFL gamenotes Monday morning). They made Brett Favre look like the used up talent he is, they shut out the other waste of an NFL franchise, the Patriots, from being in the playoff picture, and most of all, they validated themselves. It's been a great ride with these Dolphins....lets see just how deep they can go in the playoff ocean now.

News Story Of The Year:The Disappearance of Caylee Anthony

I'm not going to be like every other blogger with a keyboard and a DSL line and pick Obama winning the election as the story of the year. First, there are too many others to compete with, there have been many others written by people with much more insight into his campaign than I had, and three, I'm just bored by it. I'll give the dude some pound starting in January if he starts changing things. Until then, I'll wait on the parades and the inauguration lottery.

No, I'm actually taking a truly heartbreaking story as my pick of the year. This might be in my mind because it's a local story to Floridians. Yes, it's only about the plight of one single little girl, but it was heartbreaking to me, and made me realize just how lucky I am to have my son in my life. Yeah, I'm talking about the disappearance of Orlando, FL toddler Caylee Anthony, who's mother, Casey, has been the focus of every law enforcement divisions case file since the case came to light. She disappeared back in June of this year while with her mother (supposedly), wasn't reported missing until a month later (because the mother was scared to tell anyone) and then for the next 6 months, a huge hunt for the missing girl went on, to no avail, until just two weeks ago, a meter reader out in an overgrown field, found the remains of the little girl in a plastic bag. Through DNA testing it was verified that it was Caylee, and now her c*nt of a mother sits in a cell waiting on her trial for murder.

There's so many questions left unanswered, and will take months to sort through, but the life of the little girl was taken for no reason and it burns me to think there are so many other young children that go through abuse of some form in their day to day lives.....and just happen to live through their torture....instead of being so young and so defenseless that they can't fight for their chance to live.

Blogger/Commenter/Madman of the Year: BETCATS

To bring the content back to the funny, this dude is a source of constant amusement and occasionally, brilliant content. Sure he never met a Spellcheck he liked, and sure, he cheers for one of the NBA's worst teams, but that doesn't stop him from being a verbal machete and an idiotic introduction into the mind of 16 year old kids everywhere. I wrote a tribute to him on his birthday and his use of images to describe his words is his best talent. All I can say is....Ride on Black Stallion, Ride On.

Movie Of The Year: IRON MAN

Don't play, you know that's my shit. Nothing further. Put it like this....in the real world, who ya got your money on in a battle, Iron Man or Batman? Thought so.

Movie Of The Year: Runner Up: The Wrestler

I don't know if the uneducated can wrap their minds around this, but Mickey Rourke put on a tour de force performance in this movie, like very few have done before. Incredible. I remember the first time I saw the dude in a movie was in the early 80's in a movie called "Pope Of Greenwich Village" (rent it if you like good cop/mob films). Dude was good then, got crazy in the 90's and is poised for a Robert Downey-like career rebirth with this stunning performance. Catch it in a theater, see it on DVD or Blu-Ray when it's released, but just make sure you see it. Trust.

Album of the Year:Chinese Democracy-Guns N Roses

I refuse to put lousy hip hop in this title spot.....so, I'll go with something else....Chinese Democracy. This is an album that will take the average fan several listens to pick out something that is truly "theirs" but if you were a fan of the band in their heyday, then you will find a song or four that will be in your mental playlists for a long while. For me the song "Better" does it for me. It's not old school Guns for your uncle's that used to have a mullet and a beer gut and would tug themselves to Kelly Bundy, this is a modern sound....but still with that trademark Axel swagger in his lyrics and vocals. Is it the best Guns N Roses album ever.....well no, but it has been 20 years since we've heard something from them, so this previously aborted baby has been given life and is still making good noise in the sea of shit music that is all around us.

And because we revolve around basketball:

Basketball Story Of The Year:The 2008 Draft Class

Incredible talent, franchise players, draft night steals, and an all-around feel of a "special" group of players making up this years class. Years from now we'll be looking back on this group, counting the All-Star appearances, titles, and great battles. For now, watching the young guys find their way is almost as great as the '03 class....almost.....but Mr. Rose, Mr. Beasley, Mr. Oden and Mr. Mayo have a lot of work to do to be on par with Mr. James, Mr. Anthony, Mr. Bosh and Mr. Wade. I'm just glad we're lucky enough to see it.

So, to my blogmates, I wish you all the best, to our extended cyber fams, stay happy and healthy, and to everyone else, 2009 will be better.........it better be.

The Big Question

2008-12-26T13:31:00.002-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

Where does Shaquille O'Neal stand?

Shaq has something I would like to possess: The ability to retire. Imagine how cool it would be to quit your job and do nothing but watch movies in your 50-seat home theater. But let's go back...

For many years he wept on the nights he got swept. More than a decade ago, he didn't have the wisdom to to step to Hakim. When he bolted, Pennyless, to the city of dreams, they said he didn't want to win. It might seem strange in retrospect, but, for years, he was slept on.

But then he wrecked Pippen's solo career and beat Reggie in the Finals. Shaq joined Mikan, Kareem and Magic, who all had banners hanging in the rafters. The year after, he only allowed one playoff game to go unAnswered. And then, against the Nets, he was the one who swept.

And then the empire crumbled.

The Man With No Name remained, but Big moved from the Left Coast to South Beach. For a minute they said a fourth ring was out of his reach, but he supported Wade, and in the end they prevailed.

And now he's winding down in Arizona.

So where does he stand?

And all this got me thinking: You know what? I wouldn't trade places with Shaq. I know he's rich and famous, and I know he's set for life, but I don't know whether or not he's happy. I am. What I do know is this: Shaquille O'Neal is the best center ever. Right?

2008 was a (TAD) bit interesting

2008-12-22T11:58:00.007-05:00

By TADOne

The year of 2008 was trial of up’s and down’s. Quite a few ‘firsts’ happened and lots of people around the world showed their true colors. With sports being a huge part of my life, I can say that it was quite an interesting year and also very entertaining. I have a ton on my plate for 2009 that is feeding into a lot that happened this year, so I’m going to get the stories that most interested me in the year of 2008 so I can have a clean slate of thoughts going forward.

YES WE CAN!:

Yeah, I parlayed this story WAY too much, but it truly was a monumental moment and feel that the selection of Barack Hussein Obama into the White House will have lasting effects for this generation and the generation of our children and grandchildren. While I don’t expect miracles, I do anticipate results that will positively affect a number of people in the US and also around the world.

Yeah, I don’t ask for much.

Anything Is Possible:

Yeah, Kevin Garnett is one of my favorite NBA players and watching him finally winning a championship was great to witness. It doesn’t appear he is done at 1 either.

Rising Down:

I’m a bit upset that my favorite musical group EVER will no longer be touring. I’ve lived off The Roots tirelessly doing tours, rocking crowds, blessing masses, and never doing the same routine twice. My first time witnessing this eclectic group was in the summer of ’92, a year before my junior year of high school, at the University of Delaware. I knew nothing of them and had actually went to watch a hiphop show that included Gangstarr, Group Home, Jeru, and Biz Markie. Little did I know that this group from right up the road in Philly would capture my heart and my long-standing fandom. Over time, I have seen them live almost 30 times, been to an impromptu jam session in South Philly on a hookup from a friend, and purchased every album ever done.

However, The Roots have officially announced they are no longer touring because they will be the house band for the new Jimmy Fallon late night show that is supposed to debut in 2009. I’m happy for their new success, but sad that I no longer can sit in a frenzied crown while they put a trance on all in attendance. They will be missed.

The Dark Knight:

Heath Ledger R.I.P. One of the best movies……EVER.

Perfection missed:

Eli Manning and the New York Giants put an end to an improbable run at perfection by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. From my perch on a barstool at a packed sports bar that was evenly split 50/50 among fans, I rooted for the underdog Giants and they didn’t disappoint. Amazing game. Amazing season.

End of an Era:

I am unabashedly a University of Michigan football fan, so the retirement of Lloyd Carr and the hiring of Rich Rodriguez was a big deal in my world. Different coaches, different personalities, and totally different philosophies on the football field. It was hard to watch one of the historic football programs struggle in ’08 during this transition. I’ll be expecting much more in 2009.

The Olympics:

From USA basketball winning gold, to Michael Phelps and his fish-like existence, to Usain Bolt toying with track records, to China putting on a historic showing…..this was a truly great Olympic year. 2012 will have a hard act to follow.

What is this, the 1930’s?:

Yeah, we are officially in a recession. So, while I would love to continue this list, I’m preparing my paperwork for Canadian Citizenship and updating my resume just in case.

Not Quite......Game Notes: 12/19/08 Miami Heat vs. LA Lakers

2008-12-21T14:12:00.005-05:00

Written by Eboy

Don't be confused......the title of this piece is solely meant for the villans of these notes.....those blowhards from the West......the Lost Angeles Lakers. A more unimpressive team with an overblown record that I've ever seen in my 25+ years of NBA watching. For one of my blogmates who is one of those "new" Lakers fans....all I can say to you is, I hope you can live off of the memories of champions past....because this squad is surely not making anyone forget the fantastic historical teams the Lakers fielded in years gone by. Not even close. Not quite. Like a Kobe attempt to try and win a game late.

So let's get to the game......a warm Friday evening....a highly anticipated matchup....what should amount to be a blowout if all things go as they should. Your boy is not worried though, I'm in the building and I'm ready for war.

I settle in to my lower bowl seat around 7:15p for the 8:00p start, and I'm struck mostly by the truly different appearances the two teams give off in their warmups. The Heat....pretty stoic....dudes working on footwork and pick and roll D situations, basically working on all the things that keep them from being an elite team at the moment...and they know it. It's like a high school teams practice....except these guys are pocketing millions to be mediocre. I have hope though....they look like they want the game.

The other side....well, lots of loosey goosey one on one stuff....impromptu horse games and yes....part of the reason I have such dislike for this team...the most gay bench player in the league....Sasha Vuckovic, is using a basketball like a soccer ball, bouncing the ball to and fro, from one foot to another. If it went on for a few seconds I could stomach it....but as I continued looking at my watch and keeping track of this moron....a few seconds turns into a few minutes and finally after 10 full MINUTES (no exaggeration)one of the Heat's ballboys grabbed the finally fumbled ball and scoots off with it. Sasha looked like his mom died. What a waste of a contract. Perhaps that's why dude can't do anything more than shoot wide open shots or is able to be beaten of the dribble by most anyone in the league....because you know....they isn't a soccer ball rolling across a pitch that he wants to chase and he really sucks at all the other aspects of basketball. (I promise to never write pitch in reference to a soccer field in any of my piece's again}.

Let's see what else? Well, pregame there was the obligatory Pau insults in Spanish I promised. Let's just say, I think he heard them (I was about 28 feet from him and the arena was barely filled during warmups)but he did well to stay even keeled. Oh yeah, I forgot, he's a pussy. BTW, he is easily the ugliest player in the league not named Shelden Williams. Horrid.

Got a couple words in with D-Fish and wished he and his daughter and family a healthy, happy holiday. Dude seemed genuinely touched and was cool as hell for the 2 minutes I spoke with him.

I know Udonis from a few meetings in different places around the area and I had a quick minute with him....told him I have a blog that could use an interview, and he laughed and said "I hate blogs...and you're doing that sh*t now?". I hope to see him again before the end of the year.

Kobe was overly confident, pounding his chest pregame looking all smug and basically avoiding all contact with even Lakers fans that were courtside. Senor Douchebag in full effect. D-Wade was doing some stupid-ass chin ups on the net prior to the tip....just play ball kid, your arms look fine.

I had an ongoing war of words (what...you Eboy?...never that?)with a little bitch of a Lakers fan a row back from me....reminded me of B. Long...except his hair was a little more manly. His favorite insult went something like "D-Wade, you can't win without Shaq" my retort was..."At least he doesn't rape without him". Don't fu*k with your boy on his home turf. He was visibly shaken when I stood up at one point, walked towards him like I was Ron Artest in the Mo and when I got in front of him and looked at him dude slunk back and I said "you need more people around you, this sh*t ain't working tonight" as I continued on to get my big pretzel while I laughed like the Joker going down the corridor. Little bitch.

Some random notes:

Lamar was horrible all game long....dude needs to move....for real.

Trevor Ariza is pretty good.

Sasha is useless.

Bynum is truly a 3rd rate center. Joel Anthony kicked his ass. Google Joel Anthony....actually, you may not find anything...skip it. Just take my word for it.

While both D-Fish and Farmar are both solid points, neither one of them is at Rondo's level....or Tony Parker's....or Chauncey Billups...or Chris Paul's...or Deron Williams. That spot may be the ultimate shortcoming of this year's Lakers squad in the playoffs. Remember my words. Last year I told you they didn't have the bigs for it...this year it's the smalls.

Pau is a solid player, but is never a game changer. That's where my compliments end for dude. Oh and bitch, hit a free throw.

Chris Quinn looked like his normal self...slow, out of sorts, not as good as me.

UD had an off night, but his block on Kobe was MY personal favorite play of the evening.

Luke Walton is almost the same player he was 5 seasons ago....makes a few good plays....then tries to do too much...and still has shitty hair.

Michael Beasley had an off night too, way too rushed, sloppy, he's having about 2 of these per week currently. Dude is starstruck at times.

Mario Chalmers is all heart. That's my dude.

Phil Jackson got outcoached by Eric Spoelstra. Nuff said.

Alright, on to the action....

It was really an exciting game in person.....not sure how it played out in front of a tv. Dwyane was.....well....once again....the best player on the planet (pardon his missed free throws late)and while a certain Mr. Bryant played particularly well.....well he was just a little behind the current owner of "Best 2 Guard In The World"...you know, cause that's how he do's! You know, he doesn't get dunks pinned against the backboards or misses pressure packed shots. Maybe you all need to read this....just because.

"According to Elias Sports Bureau, Bryant's miss at Friday's buzzer wasn't an anomaly. Since the Lakers dealt Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat in 2004, Bryant is 8 of 36 on shots taken with 24 or fewer seconds left and the Lakers down by three or fewer points. …"

Well, we actually need to change that stat and lower his percentage a little bit more since he rimmed out yet another game tying miss up Interstate 95 Saturday night in Orlando. Basically, stay the fu*k out of Florida boys....you don't belong here.

Can you tell I'm enjoying this?

The last few minutes were intense.....D-Wade hit some really tough shots....UD blew three free throws....Dwyane missed a couple....leaving the door open for the Lakers...and their superstar...the opportunity to tie it and get to overtime, and yes, I feel my screams of hatred and disgust caused that shot to miss. Seriously. I know it worked. It was a Christmas miracle. GOD bless us....every one.

The Lakers hearts are in their prettiness. They are very similar to the Mavs of 06. Plenty of talent, will win a ton of games, will be out "manned" in the playoffs by a more hungry, maybe not as talented team....unless it's the Celts (if the Lakers luck into the Finals) and they may win a single game this time. They better hope they don't see the Jazz early, 'cause they'll be pick and rolled right out of the playoffs.

The Heat? Well they won another close one last night against the Nets, and Dwyane was killing it again, so the possibility of them winning exactly half of their games is a really viable option at this point. They're so small, but they play defense hard and they hustle....if the Lakers played that way...they could be frightening....but alas, they don't and will not...so they'll stay.....not quite.

2008 in Lists.

2008-12-21T10:53:00.005-05:00

2008 has been quite a good year for me.I managed to do very little and quite a lot similtaneously,I had a lot of first time experiences(absinthe),am now wise enough to know that Jager-bombs are the devil's work---and I bought a really nice shirt.So instead of actually really writing about anything(God forbid),I'm going to give you some random lists of things that struck,pleasured,angered me from the past twelve months.

Top Ten Albums of 2008:

1.Vampire Weekend-Vampire Weekend

2.The Black Keys-Attack and Release

3.NAS-Untitled

4.MGMT-Oracular Spectacular.

5.Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Dig,Lazarus,Dig!!!

6.TV on the Radio-Dear Science

7.Elbow-Seldom Seen Kid

8.Bon Iver-For Emma,Forever Ago.

9.The Roots-Rising Down

10.Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes

Hounorable Mention:

Kings of Leon-Only by the Night.

Loudon Wainwright III-Recovery

Santogold-Santogold

Things That Should be Killed:

Coldplay-Viva La Vida or Death(to Chris Martin)and all his friends.

Top Ten Movies of 2008

1.Wall-E

2.The Dark Knight

3.Pinneapple Express

4.Ironman

5.Burn After Reading

6.Funny Games

7.I'm Not There

8.Man on Wire

9.Forgetting Sarah Marshall

10.Gonzo:The Life and Works of Dr.Hunter S Thompson

Wall-E is real-E good.

Sportspeople of 2008

1.Kevin Garnett

2.Christiano Ronaldo

3.Kobe Bryant

4.Padraig Harrington

5.LeBron James

6.Michael Phelps

7.Eli Manning

8.Lionel Messi

9.Usain Bolt(still suspicious)

10.Fernando Torres.

Stupid Shit of the Year:

US Presidential Election:From 'Barack Hussein High Fructose Corn Syrup Obama' being labelled a terrorist to the very existence of whatsherface,the thing was ridiculous and seemingly lasted for over 47 years.

Ireland Voting 'No' to the Lisbon Treaty:Won't bore you with the details but the phrase 'turkeys voting for Christmas' should do the job.

The sudden resurgence in population of Lakers "fans":They're freaking everywhere nowadays.Like locusts,but with less basketball knowledge.I kid.

Overall Thing of the Year:

THE WIRE-END OF INTERNET.

Photo of the Year:

The Best of 2008

2008-12-21T06:53:00.005-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

2008 has been an eventful year for me: I started a new job, I got engaged, I'm close to getting a book published, I drank plenty of root beer. Really a banner year all around. So now I'll list a few things that captured my attention during the past twelve months:

1- The Wu-Tang Clan's "8 Diagrams" and GZA's "Pro Tools":

Technically, "8 Diagrams" was a 2007 release, but I spent much of the past year listening to it. Interestingly, both Method Man and I are "trying to bring the sexy back like Timbaland and Timberlake." As for "Pro Tools," it was released the day before I spent 14 hours on a plane from DC to Riyadh, so we spent a lot of quality time together right off the bat. We have since become very good friends.

Other musical highlights include The Roots' "Rising Down", plus the discoveries of Kidz in the Hall, Elzhii and Jay Electronica. I'd like to get my hands on the new Kanye, Guns n Roses and Q-Tip.

2- Heath Ledger's The Joker:

I'm sure the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor will end up in the clutches of Sir Ben Kingsley for his role in "The House of Sand and Fog 2: Reflections on the Human Condition Through the Prism of the Eighteenth-Century Clergy" or some other such crowd-pleaser. No matter. We all know The Joker was the greatest character of 2008, and that Heath Ledger was a bad, bad man. My only criticism of The Dark Knight: You can't have popcorn in an IMAX theater.

3- Lionel Messi:

I know a lot of people think soccer is boring. Well, soccer is a lot like rap: %95 of it is crap. You just need to find that elusive %5. In world soccer, 3.7% of the %5 = FC Barcelona. Watch one game. Watch them beautifully destroy the opposition. And most of all, watch Lionel Messi, the diminutive Argentine they call "The Flea." It's amazing how it seems nobody can ever take the ball from him. Ever.

4- The Final Season of The Wire:

If you haven't seen every single episode of The Wire, you're a stupid person. Sorry, but it's true.

5- The Los Angeles Lakers:

In the summer of 2007, when Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston, I felt joy. Finally, I thought, KG may be able to get a ring. And so, for the entirety of the 07/08 season, I was praying that the Boston Celtics could somehow win a championship for Garnett. Prior to Game 1 of the Finals, I felt the same way. I was very happy when the Celtics went up 3-1.

And then I went through one of the strangest experiences of my life. I can't share all the details, because it's something you can't quite communicate. If I tried to describe what I went through, you would think that your boy Tariq had gone bonkers. That's how it would seem from the outside looking in. I CAN tell you that I had a very strange experience which had SOMETHING to do with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is in itself very odd. Also, this experience I went through in June directly led to my meeting my wife-to-be on July 9th. In a way, the Lakers played a role in my getting married. Crazy, right?

So I guess that makes me a Laker fan.

Happy 2009, everyone!

How to Get Published and Simultaneously Not Make Any Money

2008-12-16T06:19:00.004-05:00

by Tariq al Hayder

What you see up there is the cover of "Helat al Abeed," my debut novel. They'll add my name and some text on the back cover, but that's essentially it. I hate to read my own work, so it was excruciating to go back and re-read the thing. Hopefully, it won't be as painful for readers.

Initially, only 2000 copies will be printed. If they sell all 2000 copies, MAYBE I could potentially get paid.

The irony is... my writing is actually better in English. The way I see it, if I managed to get published in Arabic, then I have the potential to get published in English. So if Moose or Hursty or someone is secretly a publisher, you best give me a contract to translate "Hellat al Abeed."

I mean, in 2008/09, with the War on Terror still ongoing, one small advantage I have is that people are actually interested in the Middle East. I believe "Hellat al Abeed" gives people the opportunity to see the Saudi Arabia I live in. I wonder if people would actually like to see it.

OPEN TO DISCUSSION.....well, not really

2008-12-08T14:46:00.010-05:00

Written by Eboy.....*sorry for the disappearing act....this last month has been off the wall, Michael Jackson style.*

Back in the mix..... back to reality. At the start of this NBA season, being a Miami Heat fan made the prospects for this season as being the butt-end of many uneducated (at least in knowledge of basketball) associates and fellow NBA fans seem like a harsh reality that I lived for the last two seasons. I tried to be optimistic in their chances of being slightly respectable, but never really gave off the actual feelings I had about the team if all things went well for most of the season. Through the first 21 games, let's just say, they're doing me proud.

First and foremost, I want to take sole credit for the Dwyane Wade resurgence. Yes, me, sweet little, lovable Eboy, the purveyor of all things good and unholy. I think my constant chiding of him and his "I'm D-Wade and I like to sell things for money" attitude over the last couple of seasons got him to focus in on what's important.....his game. Allright, not really, but it really is a pleasure to watch dude ball each and every night this season. He is undoubtedly the best player in the game at the moment from games 1 to 21. No doubting from any morons who may dick ride the Kobe/Lebron skin boat. Just look at the numbers..... then shut the fuck up. League leader in scoring at 28.9 per game, 7th in assists at 7.7 per, 11th in blocks at 1.75, 3rd in steals at 2.4 per. Should I continue? Nah...why be a prick. Dude has made the game seem easy every night, he's playing his best ball ever (yes I've seen every pro game in dude's career, he's off the charts right now)and lastly, he's made the team respectable. Pretty big accomplishments for a dude most of you.......well, pretty much all of you, shitted on for the better part of the last 18 months. Nothing like quieting the doubters by shoving well placed tomahawk dunks down the throats of simple minded dum-dums (I see you Emeka).

It's not so much the numbers Dwyane's putting up, it's more the WAY he's doing it....driving the lane like Barry Sanders cutting through the Viking's D in 1992, making jumpers from all angles, shooting threes with consistency and still drawing fouls and making free-throws at a high clip. It's how he should play....it's his game...and this season....it is HIS game. Is there still a twinge of uncertainty whenever he goes to the ground? Sure, but you can't live your life waiting on something bad to happen, can you? Dwyane is THAT dude.....and that's pretty fucking great for anyone that cheers for the guy.

As for the state of the team itself.....they're not world beaters buy any stretch of the imagination....but they are a legitimate team that can give a run to any team in the league on any given night. Sure, they haven't played the Lakers or the Celts or the Cavs yet, and once they do, there can be a proper barometer of where they really stand, but in the meantime winning games, playing hard and having a new culture in place is exactly what the team needed. Props to Eric Spoelstra for getting the guys to buy in to the frenetic, small ball style they HAVE to play with the current roster they have. He's got all the Riley mannerisms on the sidelines....hopefully that's where the similarities end.

Sure, Shawn Marion is still stealing minutes from Michael Beasley, basically doing nothing but missing the most G.O.D. awful-looking shots in the league. I think Spoelstra feels obligated to give the bulk of the SF minutes to The Busted Matrix, and Beasley has played admirably off the bench. Beasley is beginning to get his niche in the game right, and I'd say by midseason, he will solidly show why he WAS the number 2 pick and not just a shadow behind Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo. His skill set is phenomenal and compared to the two forwards the Heat start, their talent comparison is like comparing me and TADOne in our SKO photos, one guy looks terse, a little out of sorts and grumpy while the other looks cool, calm and sexual. Yes, I am Michael Beasley to TAD's Shawn Marion. Coincidentally, since Beasley has come off the bench and they inserted the limited in skill, kind of limited in potential, Joel Anthony at center, the Heat are 5-1 and could have been 6-0 with a slight controversy in LA in a one point loss to the Clippers. The roster is balanced in such a way that as of right now, this is the best option they can roll out to be competitive and it's working....so it's hard to argue with it's results.

The other big story is that 2nd round steal, Mario Chalmers is ballin', straight ballin' really, and is one of the top point guards of this rookie class. Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, D. J. Augustin, and Chalmers are going to be remembered for a long, long while as one of the strongest PG drafts....maybe ever. Chalmers is incredibly mature in a basketball sense and runs the team efficiently in his minutes. Plus he's a beast on the defensive end. Backup point Chris Quinn, yes that same Chris Quinn who was the butt of several of my jokes for the last two seasons, who is 10th in the league in three point accuracy, is really playing the role of backup well. In the offseason, when it seemed like the roster was submerged like a sick manatee at the point and the five spot, today, the point is pretty solid, if not spectacular because of the two of them.

My hope is that the team keeps gelling, they make a push for the playoffs, Wade stays healthy and by this time next season, the possibility of having a contending team again will be part of Heat fans makeups. Hey, it took until April to get to 12 wins last season, so it's like Christmas already in the MIA. Thanks Santa, I knew you'd come through. Now can you make that snow on Christmas Day request come true too to quiet my little guy down?

Religulous

2008-12-03T09:00:00.005-05:00

Over here, the weekend begins on Wednesday. So one Thursday a while back I was reclining, as one does, in my La-Z-Boy. Just decompressing after a week of lesson plans and not-too-bright students. And I happened upon the weirdest show...

It was a talk show, like a violence-free, Lebanese version of Jerry Springer or something, and the topic was, say it with me... People Who Had Undergone Exorcisms. They had this wide-eyed Egyptian dude who proclaimed to only eat raw meat because that's what the demon inside him allows him to eat. He even ate a plate of bloody meat on the air. Sensationalism at its finest.

And then they brought on this middle-aged Lebanese lady named Lara or Laura or something. She very calmly explained how she had been possessed by a demon since fifth grade. Luckily, she happened upon a priest some forty years later who "cast out the demon". Then the priest walked onto the stage, where he explained that, with the help of Saint Niccosias (or something) he had managed to beat the devil out of the lady. And they showed some footage of the "exorcism," which consisted of Laura screaming her ass off while a bunch of guys physically restrained her and the priest chanted some bullshit. All very scientific.

Finally, a psychiatrist made an appearance. Exasperated, he told everyone that patients who suffer from bi-polar disorder or other illnesses are actually harmed by these "exorcisms". Of course, the fat priest looked at him like he was crazy.

This all mildly amused me. I watched for about 15 minutes and then switched to SportsCenter. But then something disturbed me: it occurred to me that since 2002, the year I decided to practice Islam, many people have looked at me funny simply because I'm religious. Many times, I've encountered co-workers, fellow students, friends, and even relatives, who have viewed me as intellectually lazy because I'm religious. It seems that one must choose between being an intellectual and a religious person, because the two are mutually exclusive.

The irony, of course, is that I came to my current religious convictions by way of extensive intellectual search.

Now I'm not one of those salesmen who feels the need to badger others about their religious convictions. I really couldn't care less what others believe. You think the world was created by Ronald McDonald and the Hamburgler? More power to you. You find the idea of God or religion off-putting? Good for you.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been in the situation where people (mostly other postgrads) have asked me about my beliefs, and then nodded smugly when I told them. It was as if they suddenly felt superior to me. Which would be fine, if they took the trouble to ask me WHY I believe what I believe. But more often than not, it's just a case of "religion = intellectually lazy person who is simply conforming to social norms". And I have to say that that sucks for me. But I guess it's understandable in a world where fat priests perform exorcisms for the Lebanese Jerry Springer.

Showbiz in Lakerland

2008-11-23T06:59:00.004-05:00

by Tariq al Haydar

I believe the Los Angeles Lakers will win an NBA championship in 2009. I really do. And it has nothing to do with my status as a newly-ordained Laker fan. They just seem to me to be the deepest, most talented squad, built around the best player on the planet. So yeah, they're my pick.

And so I shared my convictions with my friend the Ant, also a Laker (and annoying Bronco) fan.

"Listen," said the Ant, emitting an aura of faux-wisdom, "basketball is a game of match-ups, and the Lakers have one glaring mismatch among them, just waiting to get exploited."

And I knew he was right. He didn't even have to elaborate. I knew it was that nice guy, that sweetheart of a man (or so I hear)... Derek Fisher.

"Can you imagine how badly Chris Paul would abuse Fish? Or imagine if they face Detroit in the Finals? You really want to see Iverson take advantage of Fisher?"

So even before the season started, I scanned the NBA landscape in search of potential points. I had my heart set on Baron Davis, but he decided to exile himself to Clipperland. I even went through an Iverson fantasy phase: Just imagine a Kobe-AI backcourt... there would be problems, sure, but come on...

And then I found him:
Stephon Marbury.

I know, I know, it sounds idiotic, but hear me out:

- Marbury wouldn't cost the Lakers much if (when) the Knicks buy him out.

- Dude is only 31. It's not like he's so past it he can't contribute.

- Phil Jackson has a history of getting the best out of volatile but talented players.

I realize that Steph is no longer Starbury, that his all-star days are behind him, but I'd love to see this happen. In my mind, if it works out, and Marbury plays to his potential, the Lakers get a significant upgrade at point guard. And if it doesn't work, you really think Phil would lose control of the locker room? Stephon would just get marginalized.

After all, does anyone remember that in 2001, the year the Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs, they had ISAIAH RIDER on their roster?

Rankings and Whatnot.

2008-11-22T20:11:00.004-05:00

Yeah.Remember that college preview I wrote?Oh,you don't?Yeah,me neither and my apologies for that.That stupid thing called 'real life' is getting in the way lately.It's been a while since I've seen daylight,which sucks.I've been waking up in the dark and not getting home until nighttime.As a result,I've become significantly whiter.That Pat Benatar CD should be arriving in the mail any day now.ANYWAY,I did finally manage to watch some college hoops this weekend,most notably the Duke/Michigan game.Here we go.The following will be a somewhat revisionist preview.

The two main topics of conversation pre game seemed to be Steph Curry and the new 3 point line.First of all,I won't even bother to link to what I wrote about him on my old blog but suffice it to say I've been high on him for a while now.It's becoming increasingly clear that he's not just a great scorer on a low tier program.He's a star,flat out.He's proving that he can pretty much do what he pleases at the college level and although he won't be an all star at the next level,I struggle to think of a team that wouldn't want to have his range and all round scoring prowess right now.Next years draft will be interesting to say the least.We all know that a certain member of the Hoops Royal Family is a big fan of Curry and that the Cavs should probably be doing their best to keep him from becoming a Knickerbocker.Watch this space is all I'm saying.Oh and on the new 3 point line:Who cares?

This is Blake Griffin.You may not know who Blake Griffin is.You may not have even seen his face before or know what he looks like,but it is almost a guarantee,that,at one time in your life,you have been boxed out by him.Coming off the back of two consecutive 20+ rebounding games,a 26 ppg average and a 75% field goal percentage,it would apppear that Blake Griffin is,in fact,fucking serious.I may be getting far too excited about early season percentages,but watch him play,you owe it to basketball.

Let's get Ranking:
1-UNC
To me,it is as simple as this.UNC are number one until they prove otherwise.They didn't slip-up with Hansbrough watching on the sidelines in an exremely square-shouldered suit and with him back,they should take it up a level.Not that they have needed to so far.They managed to out-class the uber-uncomfortable basketball team that was Kentucky without taking it out of park.So far so good.

2-Louisville
You're not going to find a more balanced and talented team than Louisville.They have it everywhere-on the inside(Samardo Samuels,Earl Clarke),on the wing(Terrence Williams) and some great guard play(Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith).Their success this season will hinge on the development of Samardo Samuels and what Edgar Sosa decides to show up to play.If the first game of the season is anything to go by,they should be alright.

3-UConn.
Stacked and playing well.Not much more can be asked of the Huskies at this stage.Having two genuine inside threats both averaging over ten rebounds a game will instantly make them too much for most teams.I have yet to actually watch them play because ESPN are pretty much horrible at what they do.

4-Pitt
The LeVance Fields man crush enters it's final year and it promises to be a good one.They returned almost the entire team from last year.The same team that had realistic title aspirations until injury woes put a stop to them.They're already off to a good start,the Big east should be interesting this year,to say the least.

5-UCLA
The only major team to be upset this year.They're good.That is all.

6-Texas
Dear Mr Barnes,
You have a very good team this year.Some might say a better one than last year as you don't have to overly rely on one player.The problem is,that this year,your coaching will actually matter.For the past two years you could say "Give it to Kevin or DJ and get out of the way" and something would happen.You have the makings of a possible final four team.Please don't mess things up like I know you will,
Love,
Everyone.

7-Michigan State
I'm going to be lazy and just say this:Unless Raymar Morgan is playing out of his skin(which at the moment,he's close to doing),this team will be majorly overrated and dissapointing.But since I think that it's a possibility that he will,I'm going to over-rate them.

8-Gonzaga
Okay.I really like this team.I'll write about why at length some time when I get the chance,but it's something about the combination of brains,strength,athleticism and pencil thin volume scorers that really turns my head.Oh and their guards weigh more than their forwards.

9-Purdue
They were good last year as mostly freshmen,they'll be good this year as mostly sophomores.Look for Robbie Hummel to make a case for Big Ten player of the year and possibly even a DickVitale man-crush "Why isn't this guy at Duke?" or something along those lines.Either way,make no mistake,these guys are dangerous.

10-Duke
Speaking of Mr.Vitale.Duke are good this year.Kyle Singler is gettng better.Jon Scheyer has added the customary 15 ounces of muscle,Gerald Henderson is ridiculously athletic and Nolan Smith seems legit.As always Coach Baby-Eater,uh,I mean K seems to have them well drilled and both offense and defense.Can't wait for the second round 'upset'.

You could substitute the word 'sex' in this song for the words 'Blake Griffin' or 'Stephen Curry' or you could not listen at all.

And here are the Roots for some reason:

Passion or Obsession (a retro-piece)

2008-11-20T11:22:00.005-05:00

(Denzel Washington and Diddy at Laker game)

A good friend asked me recently why I love to watch basketball so much. I watch games, or at least portions of games, about three or four days a week; some games more closely than others. As a Miami Heat fan, I attend as many games at the American Airlines Arena as I can without going broke to do it (game ticket + parking + drink and snacks can get quite expensive). I get up in the morning and while having my morning coffee, I'm reading about the previous night's games--the very games I sat up all night watching! My friend wondered if I might not be celebrity obsessed. I certainly can understand the question.

I'm not an athlete, though I did play the game on the playground when I was young. A good friend and I were the only girls on the court with a bunch of the neighborhood boys. I possessed a decent jump shot, was money from the foul line, and as a 5'7" ten year old, I was big enough to give the guys my age some trouble down low. But, as puberty hit, my love of sports changed from participant to observer. Maybe it was social pressure, but I'm not so sure. I think that it was the fact that there just wasn't much in the way of organized basketball for girls in those days. I bring this up just to show that my love for the game today doesn't come from playing it as much as it does from appreciating the beauty of the game from the stands.

Given that, my questioner wondered why I didn't follow college basketball as much as the NBA. Or, for that matter, why I don't follow the WNBA as much as the NBA. Her obvious point being that if I "truly loved" the game, I'd be just as interested in the collegians as I am in the pros. I'd watch the women as well as the men, if it was really "the game" that held my rapt attention, she argued. All good points. So, here's where she asserted that my passion for the pro game had more to do with living in a celebrity obsessed culture and being "sucked into" the manufactured drama that is today's "athlete as celebrity", and less to do with a genuine passion for the sport.
Now, I could wax poetic about the grace and artistry of the athlete in motion. It truly is a beautiful thing to watch. I could also argue that the pace and finesse of the men's pro game is far more exciting than the women's and the amateur's. The intensity and the competitive fire that is a part of every NBA game; the strategy of the coaches and the players' ability to both follow that strategy and freelance when it breaks down; the joy when my favorite team wins and the anguish I feel when they lose. All that is part of why I enjoy witnessing these young men try to throw that orange pebbled ball into that hole suspended ten feet in the air. But...

We're living in a period where entertainers are "celebrated" as much for their lifestyles as for the talents they use to entertain us. We're fascinated with the cars they drive, the "cribs" they live in, and the clothes and jewelry they wear. We fantasize about being like them (remember the "Be like Mike" Gatorade commercial?). Our sports heroes are "sold" to us through carefully crafted peeks into their personal lives and life styles, so as to make us believe we "know" them and can relate to them, and more importantly, so that we buy the products they endorse. When the question was asked of me, I was forced to examine my motivations and my attachment to this sport and to this particular aspect of the culture I live in.

I've worked hard in my adult years to try to rid myself of what I consider the negative aspects of western culture. Patriarchy, materialism, classism, racism, white supremacy, homophobia, sexism--all the "isms" that I think get embedded in our psyches from infancy--form the basis of the differential treatment of human life. It tells us implicitly which lives are more valuable than others. I've tried to make sure that I don't contribute to these "isms"; that I recognize when they are in effect in my day to day living, and I fight for my right to live free of them. That work continues and I've accepted the fact that it will probably never end. I recognize that I must constantly examine my belief systems to make sure that I relate to others in ways that reflect this work.

As uncomfortable as it is to admit, I recognize that some of my attraction to following all that is the NBA has to do with the celebrity aspect of the athletes that play the game. I'm fairly certain that that's not all of it; I really do love witnessing the competition and I know more about the game of basketball than a casual fan. For instance, I love watching the Spurs play the game. In my opinion, their brand of basketball is the best example of how the game of basketball should be played. And they are considered by most fans of the NBA as the most boring team because of their perceived lack of "personality". I know my passion for the game is real, and not just about a fascination with celebrity. But I also know that I have to "check myself" when I find that I am more interested in the players than the game.

Locked-Up P Blog

2008-11-14T09:47:00.002-05:00

Hey all. I just stumbled upon an old blog of mine. I started it and then quickly lost interest. It's a parody of Prodigy's (0f Mobb Deep) blog. It may be a bit esoteric, but I figure what the hell:

http://locked-up-p.blogspot.com/

I AM MOVED

2008-11-04T23:18:00.008-05:00

I haven't really contributed much to this blog, but I wanted to say something here, that I couldn't really think of a better place to express. And I'm a bit emotional right now, so forgive if my thoughts are not complete or even coherent. My "guys" on this blog are from different backgrounds, religion, ethnicities, and age. I've never met any of you, other than the conversations that I've had here and in other blog spaces. This technology has allowed us to find each other based on our love of basketball and we've found in this passion a commonality that has allowed us to get to know each other, in a way. I am grateful for this opportunity.

I bring this up in this way because of the historic event that has just transpired: the election of Barack Obama as the new President of the United States. The first American of African descent to hold the office of President. He was able to harness the power of this medium that we are using to express our passion, to get us to be passionate again about the promise of the kind of democracy that we have dreamed could be represented in the experiment called the United States of America. I am not naive. I will not be an Obama apologist if he makes decisions that I do not agree with. I will be just as critical of him as I have been of any other politician if I feel that he is catering to the powerful at the expense of the people.

However, this is a moment that I will enjoy and allow myself the tears and emotion that I never thought that I would ever experience. What is amazing to me and heartening is that we have entered a period of unknown promise. And this blog is just a microcosm of that. That a 47 year old African American woman, a child of the 60s and 70s who remembers the riots, segregated schools, and experienced the low expectations of a world that didn't believe people who look like me were as worthy of life, liberty and the ability to experience my full potential, could find friendships with an Italian attorney from New Jersey, a white kid from Virginia Beach, an Irishman, and a devout Muslim from Saudi Arabia.

We don't yet know what line has been crossed. What opportunities for community have just been presented. But I can say that I am one lucky Sistah to be alive right now. And I'm really glad that I have you four to represent that possibility of that new community. Did that make sense?

(E)ye On The Prize

2008-10-28T20:49:00.004-04:00

Written by Eboy...

The 2008-09 season promises to be another uber-competitive race to the trophy that may rival last year's Greatest.Regular. Season .Of .All .Time.

Let's start in the East where the Champs sit. The Celtics seem to be poised for another strong run.....but I can't seem to shake the feeling that the Big Three is going to miss the Large Fourth, James Posey, being there to take up the slack and provide the hustle and guile they don't seem to have on that bench roster right now. The rest of the field is wide open.

Cleveland, led by the best player in the league, Lebron James, made a nice move in getting a strong, young, straight shooting PG in Mo Williams that may give him that compliment that he needs to move forward in his career. Will push the Celts once April rolls around.

The Pistons, well they're the Pistons, they'll have a strong regular season, will be maddeningly overconfident at times and advance to the second round with little resistance. I think their string of Conference Finals appearances ends this season though. New coach, no major moves, Kwame Brown.....not a good look for a champions aspirations.

The other possible title chaser from the East is the newly reformed Philadelphia 76ers. Adding Elton Brand is nice. Moving up in the East is really possible...getting past three veteran teams.....not so easy....at least not this season.

The rest of the East........
Orlando/Toronto,-nice, but not nice enough,

Atlanta/Miami/Charlotte-all will be exciting, not really worth a shit come playoff time though

Chicago/Washington/Indiana-team synergy and injuries will be the killers to these three squads

Milwaukee/Jersey/the Knicks-not ready for anything

On to the big bad West. So many strong teams, only one spot to give to the top team.

Let's start at the very top. Let me get the "favorites" out of the way first. No toughness, no true killer that wants it when it matters most(sorry Kobe) and a coach that seems to have lost his magic in the Finals....can only mean one thing.....disappointment for the La La faithful. Their season will be great....they'll run through the first round like world beaters and then meet head on with a couple of squads that won't give a shit about perception.

The Rockets.......interesting to say the least. Health is key.....the push to show the world their better than a first round exit is paramount, but if they run into the Lakers in the second round, the combination of a huge (Yao), talented & unafraid (Scola, sorry Pau) frontcourt and the ability to put either Ron Artest and Shane Battier on a certain Mr. Bryant can be series changing. Dangerous squad.

The Hornets....rough, ready and raw.....like a modern-day Big Daddy Kane. The "buzz" around this squad is going to be huge this season. Remember James Posey and his missing ingredient to the Celts hopes at repeating? Yeah....he's eating etouffee on the regular now. Oh, and the real MVP of last season plays there. Gangsta!

The Spurs.....it's an odd numbered year, which means The Robot has been recalibrated for a title run......I'm not sure if that's going to be enough for this odd number, though. Still a force to be reckoned with and health is key for them too.

The Jazz? Tough, hard nosed, great one/two combo, no nights off playing these dudes. If all things go right...they can be problematic for anyone.

Dallas and Phoenix......good regular season teams.....remolded.....can be either wild cards in the playoff race or quick exits, depending on where the teams jump off from. I'd be more willing to put money on the Suns to play longer into May.

Portland......the dark horse.....full of young cats and dangerous to a fault. Their youth will probably undo their season in the first round.....but not until they put a scare into one of the top teams. The team of the future.

Denver, a ton of offense, little concept of D, team will be fun to watch...not much more and just a step above....

The Clippers, Sacramento and Golden State......not ready to deal with any of the top teams in this conference. Lot's of changes....no threat to win more than 45 games.

T-Wolves, the Grizz & The Thunder-weak, crap and shitty.

So my pick? In the East......I'm going with the Celts.....by the hairs on KG's chinny, chin, chin....it's not going to be easy.

The West.....I see the Hornets outlasting everyone on the brilliance and balance of Chris Paul and once the Finals roll around....the team best served by their strengths will be just a little too strong for the defending champs and a new hero will be born. All hail, CP3!

The Love Of My Life

2008-10-28T12:09:00.003-04:00

While she left my presence a little over 4 months ago, I still remember that day vividly: the smell of champagne and sweat, the primal scream she let out from years of torment, and the unmistakable smile of content combined with the sorrow of knowing. We both knew it was over, but we decided to live in the moment. We may have had our differences, but the love was undeniable. We promised each other we would stay in touch.

I can’t quite say what an anvil being dropped on your chest would feel like, but I imagined it would feel about how I felt. I walked around everyday with my held high, bragging to co-workers that it was just a phase we were both going thru and that we needed the time apart to grow. I kept a smile on my face while walking into the coffee shop every morning, no one the bit wiser. Every night at the gym was a sweet release, letting out pent up frustration while my soul was quivering inside of me daily.

After a few months, my mind wandered and I let my inhibitions go eventually. I am not proud of the weak moments, but I will not look back and wonder. The few dalliances I allowed myself were nothing more than flings; lust, if you will. They kept me occupied, if not keeping me sane altogether. They could never compare to my love although they had their moments. However, the ups-and-downs I had with them were never as high or as low as I had when you were around and I knew I was only fooling myself.

I was at my lowest point when I got a special surprise mid-August; apparently, you were going to be in town. I could not believe my eyes when my love appeared before me: you had a completely new look, a new swagger, but you also had a look in your eye I had never seen before. Those few weeks I was in a daze from the unexpected newness of your new self-confidence, but also from the lack of sleep from having to see you at unorthodox hours of the day. Apparently, the new gig required you to do some long traveling and sleep at crazy hours. I was amazed all the new things you were showing me and opening my eyes too. You were growing, and you were allowing me to grow with you.

Email is such a cold, unassuming way to say hello or to catch up. It is the world we live in with the internet, myspace, facebook, and blogging replacing actual voice or intimate contact. However, it was better than the option of not having any contact at all with you. I kept my daily routine, but I added in time to talk about you at every chance I could get, even when I was supposed to be working. Since the brief summer reunion, that “anvil” pressure has eased and I started breathing with a bit less hesitation and getting much more fresh air into my lungs and quickening my heart rate. I knew time was moving fast and standing still at the same time, but I tried to remain patient. Like a prisoner awaiting his release date, I kept my eye fixed on the calendar.

I awoke early this morning with a renewed pep in my step and with the promise of “Change” on my mind. With election season at it’s peak and the climax a week away, my mind is racing with excitement and my stomach is turning with eagerness. My morning shave and shower was done with a smile on my face that couldn’t be wiped clean. I ironed out my clothes and looked forward to the work day, pleased with what lay ahead. Nothing could damper my spirits, not even the 40 degree weather when I woke up. The fire inside me was burning hot and my coffee tasted exceptionally grand. Anticipation is the best foreplay.

As I lay my feelings down for my love, I know the day has arrived. It all seems so familiar and yet, it all seems so brand new. You have some fresh new changes you have made, but you still have the same burning desire. I love your new look, but you are still classic beauty in an old-school kind of way. When we embrace, we will celebrate our past, but have our eyes firmly fixed on the here and now. The future looks bright, blinding my expectations. They are going out the window, because I’m just going to enjoy this one.

My baby is back! Bring on the NBA season!

The Black Stallion

2008-10-26T17:58:00.003-04:00

>

I had to.....I really did. My main man, the artist those of you know as BETCATS, dedicated a piece to me on my birthday and I promised I'd do the same. So here it is.

A young killer, strong, proud and greivous, he's provided me with with countless moments of unadulterated laughter with his wicked sense of humor and his erroneous grammar. His legendary word battles with the likes of SLAM commentors Teddy the Bear, Jukai and Tarzan Cooper are high quality streams of comedy that never get tiresome. And really, any dude that show's love, has to get some back.

To Mr. 250,000, Happy Birthday and stay strong with the Bobcats, 'cause really, they'll be gone by the time you're 21.

BET, getting "groomed" by archrival, Jukai.

"E"cstacy......thy name is Eboy

2008-10-17T18:39:00.003-04:00

So for the 69th post in Shawn Kemps Offspring's history, what could be more fitting than having the image of the sexual dynamo, the master of all he surveyors and the man with no fear, Eboy, show his face to all who worship.......not to toot my own horn or anything.

On the real though, a big shoutout to the boys (and ladies) over at Wizznut Wizznuttz.com and Motheringhut.com and thanks to my man TADOne for posting first, so that my shot seems that much more palatable.

Enjoy sickos!

TADOne revealed!

2008-10-16T20:10:00.002-04:00

Ok ya'll! Clearly, we had to rep our namesake and cop his shirt and promote away. I stepped up to be the male model and sex figure to show off SKO's clear-cut attraction to the masses. All ladies: yes, i'm accepting applications.

This will either launch our rep or have people laughing and leaving smartass comments. I assume it will be the latter.

Thanks to the guys at Wizznuttz.com and Motheringhut.com for these great shirts. Yes, I also copped an Obama throwback!

P.S.- No, I don't smile.

TV on the Radio.

2008-10-09T13:36:00.004-04:00

Hey,you know what literary device has become very popular lately?Comparing two things that seem vastly unrelated.For example, comparing toast to ironing boards,Beauty Pageants to potential vice-Presidents and the XBOX 360 to irresponsible(some would say even criminally inept) business men getting $700 billion bail-outs for being so disgracefully horrible at their job,they need to be protected.The list of possibilities in this are endless,really.You'd think that,at this point,people would be getting a little tired of said device and that,maybe,it isn't very original anymore.If you're a person who thinks this way,then please close this screen now,we have nothing for you here.

The two things we'll be comparing this week (or failing that,at least will be talking about in the same post) is the NBA,and it's players to TV and it's shows.Fun idea,huh?Maybe it's been done before.If so,feel free to crucify me in the comments,I'm talking to all 5 of you here.

Normal font=TV

Italics=Basketball.

Firstly,I have this theory that TV absolutely sucks.That's not really the kicker,however,the fact that I think everyone knows it and accepts it is.If you need proof,all you need to do is to look at this years list of Emmy nominations.Not exactly for who was included in the nominations,but who was excluded.The Wire is,as friend to you and me Tariq Al Ha(y)(i)dar put it "So good,I'm surprised it exists."And it is.This is possibly the best way I've heard this show described.To be honest,I only started to watch the Wire after it had ended.I had heard all the hype-and I was having none of it."It couldn't possibly be THAT good",I thought to myself.To be fair,I had every reason to be skeptical,I had been fooled by hype before,for example the shitheap that is 24.But,in this case,I could not have been any more wrong about the show.It simply is,remarkable.Enough of chewing on David Simon's jockstrap,this isn't what this is about.

In its five seasons,The Wire has been nominated for 2 Emmy Awards,no wins.While the unbridled work of sheer genius that is Two and a Half Men has racked up near 30.If nothing else,this should prove that the world is going to hell.And fast.

Conversely,I think that basketball is absolutely fucking glorious.Probably the best pure pleasure in life(well apart from THAT,but anyway...).In the NBA,unlike in TV,players get scrutinized at every opportunity and I'm really not sure why this is.In TV,bad shows will almost always get awards,see the above example.They'll even get good reviews.Their glaring weaknesses will never be pointed out,and if they are it's by some guy on the internet that nobody listens to anyway.In basketball,the best of the best are always the most scrutinized,the most attention is always payed to them,this is not the case in TV:

For example,I'll use another case of hype.LeBron James is and was the most hyped thing on the planet this side of Lil'Wayne and his was a hype I believed.I believed it,but at first I was hesitant too,much like with the The Wire,I was burned by hype before(hi Kwame*) and would be again(Hi Bassy!**).But this wasn't the only reason I was hesitent:if you cared enough to read on the subject,you'd find plenty at the time putting heat on his personal life,saying he was just a great athlete,HummerGate and other silliness.While LeBron has had an amazing career so far and reached a level none believed could be reached so early,he still remains the subject of heavy criticism.Some deserved,most not.

The thing I want to know,and fear I may never get the answer to is why in the name of holy hell do people like this stuff so much?Why is it that lazy,unoriginal mediocrity gets so lauded while something that is genuinely worthwhile and probably should be kept as an artefact is so ignored and will be cast off as a mere 'cult classic'?I know that what happens on TV is very much a reflection on life,or at least a reflection on how people would like their lives to be.People want to recognize desirable traits about themselves in the characters they see on the tube.Stale mediocrity does exactly this,it makes people feel good about themselves,it makes them nostalgic about relationships they may never have had.

The thing I want to know and fear I may never know is:Why do people feel that they have the right to criticize athletes so much?Not just athletes either,good athletes.People who basically excel at what they do; the average fan will always find a gripe with.They will call these athletes 'losers','chokers','primadonnas' and what have you.And to me,this isn't even a bad thing.In fandom,there always an element of people feeling that the organisation and the players owe them somethingThat's the nature of the beast.But,opposite to TV,watching people play basketball well,will never make someone feel good about themselves.Especially if the person watching has played basketball before.I honestly believe that the best way to enjoy watching basketball is to have never played it.

Watching this contains more hurt,pain and memories than Johnny Cash's Rick Rubin albums.For people,and this absolutely includes me,watching people excel and make a handsome living off something I loved and wanted so much creates an air of resentment and even jealousy.By the way,I'm open to hearing other theories as to why sportspeople are more scruntinzed sometimes than even politicians,because there is a 97% chance I'm wrong and not making sense.

Ever wonder how the whole 'Ross-Rachel,will they,won't they?' dynamic has been employed,and has worked in just about every TV show that has been commissioned since 1986?It's because everyone has been in,or at least like to think they have been in a relationship like this one.Of course,they have not been in that idyllic situation.Most of these were probably horrible,but as passing time contributes to fuzzy memories and sprinklings of mis-placed nostalgia,TV will always do the rest and serve as the form of escapism to trigger this.

Escapism is a huge part of basketball's popularity,in my opinion.It really is escapism in its purest and best form,for two hours you can forget all the bad shit that's happening in the world around you and make grown men running up and down hardwood putting (as a coach of mine used to say) 'putting the round thing in the round thing' the most important thing to you,even if you know how meaningless it actually is.Simply watching basketball works the same as the 'Ross-Rachel' dynamic,watching any team win will remind you of the times in life when you won,or even just the times in life when the team you loved won.This nostalgia is the reason that Bill Russell stock is increasing by the minute.I have only seen a few tapes of Russell play,but I wouldn't dare argue that he isn't top ten all time.So strong is the word of mouth nostalgia.

Now,that's a sad conclusion.TV doesn't need to be good as long as it's necesarry.Basketball doesn't need to have been good,as long as people remember it as so.

*I actually never bought the Kwame hype,just thought I'd say....

**Bassy still breaks my heart.

Bonus Semi-Related Quote:
"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."-Groucho Marx

Mass Exodus

2008-09-29T20:56:00.006-04:00

Ok kids, pay attention. Today we have a guest piece by a fellow commenter from Slamonline who goes by the name of B. Long. His likes are the Lakers, breast implants, guacamole, and acid trips (in moderation of course). Despite his blind love for all things purple and gold, we felt he had some good things to say. He also promised us some ecstasy pills (i'll get you that PO Box address homie).

“Brandon Jennings is doing something unpopular for the betterment of the masses, and I believe Congress will pay attention to this and see the foolishness of the ‘one-and-done’ rule. This will start a chain of events that will lead to the rule’s demise. This year and next, others will follow Brandon Jennings’ decision.”-Sonny Vaccaro-advisor, sneaker pimp, prophet?

For real? One skinny, gumby, and stunna shade rocking kid's decision will supposedly influence others to follow hundreds of thousands of dollars(millions now that he got his U.A. shoe deal) overseas instead of taking classes most of them won't care about, surviving on cafeteria food, and basically being pimped by the NCAA? You better believe it. Now I know what your thinking right now. Your replaying every Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight, and Coach K interview you've ever heard about all the glorious benefits of a college education and how nothing can compare to the college 'experience'. (Cough)bullshit(Cough). Anyways, I'm not here to point out the ridiculous hypocrisy that is the NCAA system,(Ryan Jones has already done a good job of that) I'm here with a warning to fans of college basketball. You better start petitioning Mr. Stern and Mr. Brand or get ready for the darkest days that the college basketball has seen in a long time.

NOW STARTING FOR PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS, LANCE STEPHENSON! Or Renardo Sydney, maybe Xaiver Henry, then Tristan Thompson. Yes sir, its coming. Whether we as American fans are ready for it or not a mass exodus is approaching. Unless the one and done rule is abolished and Myles Brand decides it's time for Obama-like change in the NCAA within the year expect to see a couple more All-Americans taking the extended senior trip to Europe next year and then even more the one after that. Now your probably saying to yourself that the only way this happens is if Brandon Jennings dominates overseas, cements his draft status and ends up being the number one pick, right? Wrong.

Let's jump in the DeLorean with Doc Brown real quick and gun it back to 1995. A tall and athletic as hell but Amy Winehouse skinny kid by the name of Kevin Garnett was causing quite a raucous with his decision to forgo college ball and head directly to the NBA. Most experts were saying no, no, no. Several were writing him off as a selfish punk who couldn't make the grades and claiming that there was no way that a prep school kid could make the jump directly to the pros and ever be successful. It just wasn't gonna happen. Initially even the Slam staff was (more than) skeptical.

A season later a decent rookie campaign of 10 and 6 and an All-Rookie second team selection was enough to convince another rail thin big man with an already NBA ready last name to test the draft waters. That same year some cocky Italian speaking guard from the Philly suburbs named after raw meat decided to buck the system. The next year a sleepy eyed super athletic swingman decided to throw his name in the lottery. And so it began.

You'd be hard pressed to find one NBA scout or anyone with a lick of basketball sense who has seen Brandon play that would tell you that he isn't at least talented enough right now to have same impact on an NBA lottery team that KG did as a rookie. We are talking about a player who many experts have labeled a young, taller, and more athletic version of A.I. I'm the last person who likes to put undo pressure on a kid by making comparisons to all time greats, but from the McDonald's game and practice footage I've seen with Vitrus Roma it's hard to argue. Now what do you think he's gonna do during the Euroleague season?

Don't get it twisted. I'm not saying that he's just gonna come out and crush the comp overseas. In fact I'll be very surprised if Brandon doesn't have some growing pains learning the lingo and banging in a much more physical professional game. Hopefully he's spending most his off-season with a chica named Rosetta Stone or in the weight room. What I'm saying that if he is just successful enough in Europe not to hurt his draft status next year and make bank at the same time, more are sure to follow.

We are living in a very socioeconomically conscious society especially in the realm of sports. Prep stars who once pondered which school would have the best student section and flyest honeys are now consulting with advisers like Sonny about what environment they should choose to best market themselves to the world. I like to call this the 'King James' effect. Everyone wants to emulate the most popular player in the game and the young guns of today are definitely trying to crib LeBron's buisness sense. Given the zero's in the mans bank account I can't say that I blame them.

Whether David Stern wants to admit it or not, Brandon is changing the game. In fact, there is a small part of me that says this is what the Commish had planned all along. He heard the rumors about Lebron, Bill Walker, and O.J. hoping the pond for a year. He had to have known that with if he enforced a one and done rule it was only a matter of time. What a better way to further globalize the NBA than to send it's future stars overseas for a year and build a strong fan base for that particular player in that part of the world without the NBA ever having to spend a dime. Kids in Rome maybe rocking Brandon Jennings NBA jerseys for the rest of his career, similar to the way a lot fans in Texas will always root for Kevin Durant after his stint at UT.

You've gotta hand it to Stern, Myles Brand never saw this one coming. Or maybe he too was looking for a way to avoid more O.J. Mayo type fiascos. Who knows? What we do know is that the world of prep stars and their decision making process has changed forever. You know what, screw Full Court. Does ESPN have a Euroleague package?

My Life In The Fast Lane

2008-09-29T09:49:00.003-04:00

******Another retro-Eboy piece, probably the last one of the offseason. I had a request to throw this back up again by one of my blogmates, and since our Ryan Jones interview seemed to put our creative juices on hold collectively due to Mr. Jones sheer brilliance, what better time to get something productive up. Hope you all enjoy it, it was a very personal piece for me then and it still is. Thanks.

I've always wanted to put into words this period of time in my life. It was where I found out first hand what it was to become a man under family duress and getting a glimpse into the lives of professional athletes and seeing the pressure's put upon them to keep their public persona's squeaky clean and almost succeeded in every one of the people I discuss in this piece. This is also dedicated to my father, the strongest person I've ever known.

1986 was one of those years when life step's up to you, grabs you by the throat and shakes you like a rag doll leaving you brow-beaten, confused and even fascinated. All those things happened to me in 1986. And they continued until 1990, the year I left my home of 20 years in New Jersey to start a new life in Florida. What a crazy stretch of time.

I was a junior in high school when the 1986 school year started. It was a good summer, played a lot of ball with my high-school teammates, went to a few concerts, a few Yankee and Mets games and just plain fucked around the rest of the time. I worked a shitty part-time job at a pizza place to make a few bucks but that was the extent of my productivity that summer. Life in East Rutherford, NJ at the time was similar to every other north Jersey town. IROC's, Bon Jovi everywhere, girls dressed like they were trying out to be in the next Whitesnake video and "guido's" gold-chained down and slicked up willy, cruised the streets looking for girls to pick up or to be in a fight. I had friends in all those categories so I was open to all the stuff going on around me. I played ball for my high school, Becton Regional, which a few years before was known as East Rutherford High, where for years the loud-mouthed legend, Dick Vitale, honed his coaching wares. That being said, the basketball program was held in high regard and we had put together a pretty tight squad from the time I transferred in my sophomore year. Our team was led by a 6' 9", 240 lb monster, Dan Hillman, who had scouts salivating over him. Unfortunately for him, his grades kept him from moving on to one of the big academic U's and it was a shame because he could have been rough in the college game. He wound up taking a scholarship to a Division 3 program, never to be heard from again. My own high school to college shot is a story for another time.

Well, school started, classes were attended, life was going on as normal as could be. In early September, my father went to his general practitioner for a routine check-up and was startled to learn that he had a growth in his neck that needed to be checked out at his doctor's request immediately for fear of a serious medical condition working on my father without his knowledge. After having a biopsy, and waiting a week for the results, I attended my dad's follow-up appointment with him and my mother (myself being an only child, our family unit was tight) to hear what the ailment, if any, might be. After a few tense moments of waiting for the doctor to enter, we were blindsided by the news that my father had stage 4A Hodgkin's Disease (one step before terminal) and if not acted upon with extreme urgency, could be a life-ending scenario for my dad within weeks. Now, to know my dad was to know a no-nonsense, no-bullshit individual who was one of ten children who was raised in the Duncan Projects in Jersey City, NJ in the 50's and 60's where he lived with the only white family in a predominantly black housing unit. He was loved by the people in his building because my dad never saw color, just the goodness in people and at that time in our history, those type of feelings between the races were rare. And that's being generous. Most of my aunt's and uncle's who lived there with him weren't as open-minded as my dad so they never get along with the neighbors. One of my favorite stories from my father, was a time he was on a date with my mom before they were married, were out picking up a pizza to take back to my grandmother's house (where my mom was living) and while walking home and passing a pool hall, were verbally assaulted and physical accosted by about 8 drunk Italians who knew my mom from the neighborhood and wanted to know why she was with "that nigger lover". Well, my dad fought hard but was out manned and once the pool hall manager separated everyone, my mother and father made their way to my grandmother's to regroup. My father borrowed my grandmother's car, returned to his apartment in the projects and proceeded to return to the pool hall with about 25 of his buddies from the projects and totally destroyed the pool hall and whoever was unlucky to be there. There was some jail time for my dad's people, but out of respect to my father, those guys took the rap and claimed my father had nothing to do with it. My dad said he was forever grateful to those guys for what they had done for him and would always let anyone know who would listen how great they were for it.

My dad was a full-time truck driver, working 16 hour days, and was a fiercely intense worker and family man. Although my dad stood about 5' 5", he had the heart and stature of someone twice that size. My dad was built like Baron Davis, squat, thick and powerful. To hear that my dad could be lost to cancer while he showed no signs of weakness or illness was mind-boggling. My family was shell-shocked. For days, it seemed like our home was more like a funeral home than a families home. It was a bad time. The new school basketball season was to begin in a few weeks. My dad began his chemotherapy treatments, twice a week, and by no fault of his own had to take a leave of absence from his driving job until his therapy was over and was well enough to get back in a rig. My dad seemed to be losing his mind at that point. Being home was a necessity at that point, but being stagnant was not in his make-up. He needed something to do. And little did he know, he would find it in one of his favorite things to do, watching the New York Giants.

Saying my father was a Giant fan was an understatement. He had loved them from when he was a boy and now that we had lived in the same town that the Giants played in, made his love for them surreal. (I myself, made the choice to be a Dolphin fan as a kid, and I was always an outcast to my friends who loved the Giants and the Jets. I did love the Giants too, because my dad did. The whole father/son hero thing.) Our home was just over 2 miles from the stadium and from most of the windows in my high school, the Meadowlands complex was clearly visible. It was about week 3 or 4 into the 1986 NFL season, and the Giants had gotten off to a nice start. Sunday's were one of the things that kept my dad going through his chemo treatments and the games took on new meaning as we were not sure how many more of them my father would get to see. My dad decided that as a way to keep his mind off his treatments he was going to prepare a hand-drawn picture each week and try to get it to one of the security guards at Giants Stadium to see if they could post it on a bulletin board in the locker room. Normally, I would have goofed on my dad for such a thought, but hey, if it made him feel better, so be it.

Week 5 was the first time my dad had a picture drawn and ready to go (he wasn't to bad of an artist, btw) and he was planning to go down to the stadium on Thursday to try and get the picture to the team. He struck up a friendship with one of the security guys who sympathized with my dad's health story and he promised that he would get the picture into someones hands before gameday.

My dad prepared a picture for week 6 and did the same thing he done the previous week. He went down to the stadium, by the players entrance, and was going to hand off the picture to the security guy again. It was that day when things changed dramatically. As he stood talking to the security guard, my dad said he heard a voice from behind him asking "hey, is that the guy with the picture?" My dad turned around and was shocked (I think his exact words were, "I couldn't fuckin' believe it") to see Lawrence Taylor standing right behind him, asking him the question directly. LT was my dad's favorite player and like a little kid, he said he was pretty much speechless. The security guard said to LT that this was the guy and he handed him the week 6 picture. LT was late for the team meeting that day and ran off with the picture and turned to my dad and said "I'll be waiting on next week's". It was like a Mean Joe Greene/Coke commercial moment for my dad. He came home that afternoon and was giddy like a little boy who just got the toy he wanted most at Christmas. This was exactly what he needed. A purpose. Something to do. And to do it for his favorite football and at the request of his favorite player, well, he was on Cloud Nine. It was the first time I saw my dad smile since his diagnosis.

The next couple of weeks had more and more of the Giants becoming friendly to my dad. They all knew him as the "picture guy" and like lots of athletes, they started to become superstitious of making sure the new picture was showing up in their locker room. It probably helped that they started to gel as a team and looked like a true favorite in the NFC. The only game the Giants lost the rest of the season was a late October game against Seattle and coincidentally, it was the only week of the season my dad didn't do a picture because he caught a bought of double pneumonia that had him hospitalized for 10 days.

There was one positive that came out of my dad's pneumonia situation. Giants DE George Martin visited my father in the hospital, prayed with him and gave my dad another bit of hope in his recovery. George was one of the classiest people I had ever met and he remained close to my dad by phone for years after his retirement from the league. George made us feel comforted and said that we had a "family" with his if we so desired. Pure class. The other player who became attached to my dad was Mark Bavaro. Mark was a sweetheart. So soft spoken, so genuine and down to earth like no other player I met from that team. Mark would give my dad a hug each time he would see him at the stadium and would always ask about my mom and I. He also made my dad's ultimate dream come true. In the break before the Super Bowl week, my dad was now down at the stadium almost every day. Bavaro came out from a late-afternoon practice with his gym bag in one hand and an envelope in the other. He had a Super Bowl ticket for my dad and cash for a plane ticket. My dad cried like a baby and thanked Mark repeatedly. Mark said he wanted him to be there and he made my dad promise him he would not do anything strenuous until the day of the game so he'd have energy to cheer them on. What a good, good guy. A great paison. And a fantastic player. My dad sat among the Bavaro family at the Rose Bowl that day and he said they too, made him feel like family for those several hours they shared together.

Eventually, I would sneak out of class to get down to the stadium with my dad on Thursdays or Fridays to see the guys and wish them luck in their next games and by the end of the season, seeing these guys weekly was like being around a group of giant (pardon the pun) older brother's. Whether it was getting in one of their cars to show them where the local 7-11 was or taking one of their cars to Burger King to pick up food for 7 or 8 guys (hey, I had a driving permit), or throwing a ball around for a few minutes before they took off for the evening, they made me feel like I was at their level. I think part of it came from the fact that most of the guys knew me as the kid who's father was sick, but I think the other reason they took a liking to my dad and I was because we didn't act like starfuckers. Never asked for an autograph (although we got plenty of stuff from them without asking), never asked for a photo even though they were willing (and eventually on the last week of the regular season we got pics with all the guys.) It was just a nice introduction into the world of the sport elite. Very cool. And with the exception of 3 or 4 guys (who won't be named here) every other player was classy, fun-loving and easy to get along with. 20 years has sure changed the modern athlete. The only player on that team who was similar to the modern-day player, was also it's highest-profile and greatest talent. Lawrence Taylor was just different. And not in a bad way.

After LT's initial contact with my dad and his picture, we came to find out that LT was always the funniest guy to deal with. Whether it was him being at practices late and having to scale a 20 foot perimeter fence to join the team (Bill Parcells mandated that the fence couldn't be opened for ANYONE that was late to practice). LT always said that he felt "Coach" put that rule in just for him. Another time LT was running in to try and get into practice before the gate closed, duffel bag wide open and his Rolex tumbled to the ground. My dad quickly grabbed it, called out to LT, and when LT looked back and saw the watch, he ran back to where my dad was like he was chasing down a back and said to my dad, "hey little buddy, I'm glad it was you and not someone else out here". He always called my dad "little buddy" and I always thought it was funny because to see them stand next to one another, it was like seeing Shaq standing next to J-Will. Funny. Other times LT would have papers fly out of his car and paystubs, bills and various other things could be seen floating around the Meadowlands parking lots on those fall and winter days.

Once the playoffs rolled around, the excitement for the team was at a fever pitch in the NY/NJ area and we were at ground zero. It was surreal. Giants stuff was everywhere. Every store, gas station, street sign and most of the houses in the area had flags, homemade signs, etc hanging from them. It was unbelievable. Right before Christmas, LT asked my dad if our family wanted to come to his home for a New Years Eve party. He said it would be crazy and said we needed to be there. It was another stepping stone in my dad's recovery. What a night it turned out to be. It was freezing cold, snowing and travelling to LT's mansion in Upper Saddle River,NJ was treacherous. Once we got there, we parked about 1000 feet from his house and froze our asses of as we made our way to the door. There was probably 100 cars on his little cul-de-sac and all of them were high-dollar vehicles. We knocked on the huge oak door and much to our surprise, LT answered the door. Wearing slacks and a dress shirt with no shoes, he greeted us like we were family. Before I could get my jacket off, Lawrence said "hey CJ, can you do something for me.?" I of course said sure. He said, "can you shovel my walkway for me, I'd do it myself but I got all my people in here." He then put a $100 bill in my jacket pocket and said "please". I tried to give him his money back, but he wouldn't hear it. He then pulled my dad aside and said "do you know any womens?(not a misspelling on my part) I got all kinds of single men in there and no womens. The cold is keepin' them at home."

Music was blasting, there was a magician, a chef preparing food, white-gloved servers, athletes everywhere. I had sensory overload. In the middle of his living room was a makeshift dance floor. Name a NY sports guy from that period and he might have been there. That night, I met NY Jet Freeman McNeal, Darryl Strawberry, a very young Patrick Ewing, Mookie Wilson and so many other guys that night I can't remember. By the time midnight rolled around there was probably 300 people in his house. It was wild. It was the greatest New Years for me for two reasons, the fact that as a sixteen year old I was in this unbelievable environment and a sports fan's fantasy and two, that my dad had made it to a new year. The transition from fear and worry to belief and happiness seemed to stem from that night.

My dad went through another 5 months of chemo and by the end of the following summer, my dad had been issued a clean bill of health and his cancer was in remission. My dad had fought with all his worth and he made it through. Lawrence had us out to his house a few times during the spring months for barbecues and was the one player who stayed in contact with my dad religiously, usually once a month by phone. By the time the next season rolled around, my dad, with his new outlook on life from his recovery, wanted to do the same thing for the guys that season too. He wanted to do pictures again and because he was only back to work with limited hours, he still wanted to make his weekly visits to see the guys. It was the strike shortened season and although the first four games were played by the "scab" players, our faith in the team never wavered. The season didn't hold the promise that the last one did and although the team still had huge confidence it wasn't translating to the field. Another New Year came, another LT party was set, we were invited again and although the party was still top-class, the group of people was smaller, the star sightings fewer, I guess the fickle state of fans carried over to house guests too.

The next year held Lt's 30 day suspension for cocaine use and that year and the following year were frustrating to the fans and to LT. My dad was invited to attend a dinner with him in 1989 that LT was the host of for cancer survivors. My dad told me that during the limo ride to the event, LT was visibly upset at how he was being portrayed in the media and felt he was losing his stance as the "best" player in the league. I would have loved to have been in the car for that conversation. LT also had a strange way about him when it came to interaction, too. He would call my dad on a Saturday morning to ask him if he wanted to shoot a round of golf, or hit Atlantic City for a weekend for gambling. My dad went a couple of times, but never wanted to overdo it because of a) my mom wasn't feeling him leaving for a weekend with a notorious ladies man and b) didn't want LT to think he was a user. My dad had stories from a couple of the trips he went on, but out of respect to all parties, it won't be repeated here. I don't think Dennis Rodman had anything on LT in the partying department.

In the spring of 1990, my parents took a trip to sunny FLA and decided that they wanted to by a townhouse in the West Palm Beach area and make the move there to get my dad out of the cold winters in NJ. They planned the move for July and in a flash, my family and I were gone. Gone from our family spread throughout Jersey, gone from our past and gone from the guys who we became attached to who wore Giant blue. The following season showed the team back on track and from afar, we were still cheering our hearts out. LT kept in contact with my dad. It always made a huge impact on my dad hearing from LT every couple of months and although my dad had LT's number, he never wanted to impose on LT by calling him just to say hi. That 1990 season saw the Giants wind up back in the big-game against the hated Buffalo Bills. (Well hated by me as a Fins fan).

When the Giants beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV, we were thrilled. We celebrated like every other blue-blooded Giant fan, but we kind of felt like we were on the outside looking in on this title compared to the last as we weren't there to experience the joy of it first-hand. The Giants haven't relieved that glory in quite some time. Betweeen the Dolphins and the Giants, it's been a long time since there's been much to cheer about for me as a football fan.

As an aside to this story, years passed, LT still contacted my dad every now and again, usually around Christmas, and although my dad passed 2 years ago (after another bout of Hodgkin's and irreparable damage to his heart, due to complications from the high-powered drugs that were used in his treatments) those years and memories were great times and a fascinating look into the live's of athletes, sometimes looked upon with fervor, other times scrutinized unfairly and even at other times, looked upon as role models when they don't want the assignment. From one person's point of view, the class and compassion that was shown to my family and I by these "heroic" figures will always be looked back upon with tremendous respect and stood to be spoken about in these times when the "classless" athlete seems to be the the only ones who receive coverage in the current sports climate. As my dad always said "Go Big Blue". We miss you. And there's still a skinny 16 year old who will never forget the strength you gave a kid's father who got hope from you when all hope seemed lost. Thank you.

Interview: Ryan Jones

2008-09-17T18:31:00.021-04:00

Professor, father, husband, writer....& all around pain in the ass, Ryan Jones is a rarity among sportswriters: You actually manage to enjoy his work in spite of his snarkiness. As a source of knowledge on topics as broad as basketball, hip hop, netball and Joe Paterno's bathing suit preference , Ryan is one of our favorite writers and a friend to our blog world. The former Editor in Chief of SLAM Magazine and working teacher at Penn State University, he is a source of hilarious content both on the SLAM site and in other media, Ryan is in a class all by his lonesome. Some would say it's by design, others would say it's because of his farming roots, but for us, it is a pleasure to have the man, the semi-myth and the quasi-legend grace us with some insight into his world.

Mr. Jones, take it away.

SKO: Chuck Klosterman, our maiden interviewee, says that "the people who write about sports despise the subject they write about". How fully does that apply to you?

RJ: As someone who A) enjoys Chuck's writing and B) drank lots of Miller High Life while watching the 2006 Orange Bowl from the comfort of his couch, I must respectfully disagree. (Those things have nothing to do with each other, or with your question, but you seem to want me to name drop, so there you go.) I'm not sure, but I THINK Chuck was referring more to beat writers, the guys who cover a team 8 days a week for 9 months and probably DO end up hating everyone and everything related to that sport and that team when the season's over. From my brief time in newspapers pre-Slam, and from knowing a lot of beat writers while I was at Slam, I can certainly co-sign on the number of miserable cats who do THAT job for a living. It's the relentless nature of the schedule and having to deal with the same people every day for so long, particularly when those people are often uncooperative at best.

That said... the beauty of how we did/do things at Slam is that it had almost the opposite effect. While I was usually sort of burned out on the day-to-day NBA grind by the end of any given season, I never came to hate the sport. If anything, being at Slam made me more of a hoop fan than I ever was. Let me be clear: I was always a big basketball fan, but until I got to college, my love of the "game" was overly reliant on my love of the Los Angeles Lakers. Then I went to a Big Ten school and had front-row seats for Bobby Knight, the Fab Five, Mike Finley, Big Dog, Shawn Respert and, um, John Amaechi. That, and the Lakers falling off a bit in the early-mid '90s, made me more of a BASKETBALL fan. Then I started at Slam in the fall of '99, and my immersion in the game went next-level.

So, Klosterman doesn't know what he's talking about — although his latest Esquire column (August or September issue) is one of his best yet. His first novel is out this month, too, I think. Not that he needs my help selling books... Ok, back to me now!

SKO: Lebron James is transcendent at the game of basketball as is your distinct writing style, and you have a well defined connection to him. Do you think Mr. James can focus his energies to the game he gets payed to play as stringently as he does the rest of his money making ventures and if he does where can he wind up in the pantheons of NBA history, in your opinion?

RJ: 1, LeBron... should I know that name?

2, Did Myles put you up to this question?

Anyway... It's pretty impossible for me not to sound defensive or jock-riding on this or any question that is critical of LeBron. But you guys are paying me a lot of money to do this, so I'll give it a shot.

Rule No. 1 of successful debating is (I think), Present your opponent's argument first, then refute it. So: You're absolutely right to imply (as I think you're implying) that LeBron still isn't getting everything out of his game. There are absolutely still times where he seems to... not DISAPPEAR, really, but settle for jumpers or fail to demand the ball when you know he's the only guy on the court who can do what needs done at a particular moment. It's frustrating to watch, particularly for someone like me. I've had conversations with his old high school coach about this, and he sees it and absolutely agrees — sometimes you just want to scream on the dude and say "Take this sh*t over!"

That said... I disagree with almost everything else your question implies:

1, My writing style is not that distinct. Or distinctive.

2, It's worth noting that LeBron makes a LOT more money through endorsements than the does actually playing basketball. That said, I've never really been down with the whole "he'd be a better player if he didn't worry so much about off-court distractions" argument. I didn't buy it with Shaq, and I don't buy it with LeBron. I've watched him work out. I've heard too many coaches talk about him leading through example and hard work. I just don't think it's an issue.

To me, the flaws in LeBron's game are inseparable from the things that make him great. What has ALREADY made him transcendent is his selflessness — yeah, he's got two-guard skills in a PF body, but far more important, he's got the mind and eyes and heart of a point guard. I'm honestly not trying to make excuses here, but I really think this explains him: dude CAN take over most games, but he'd rather get everybody going, dime his mediocre teammates into respectability, etc and so forth. That he's willing and able to do this is so much of what makes him great; that it often means not using all of his physical gifts to just run sh*t himself is what leaves us wanting more.

I blame some of this on coaching and some of it on the quality of teammates he's had since entering the League, but of course it ultimately falls on him. LeBron can (and must) continue to improve, and that fact that he's still got room to do so is frightening — in a good way. As it is, right now, he's f*cking amazing, arguably the best player in the game, and he WILL get better, as he has every year so far. Pardon the broken record or skipping iPod or whatever, but he's STILL just 23.

And with that, to your ultimate question: I think he's on pace for top-10 all-time. Whether he's top 5, or maybe even in the GOAT argument, will depend on how many (if any) chips he stacks. I'm optimistic.

SKO: What, in your opinion, are the major flaws of the American high school basketball system?

RJ: Can I sound arrogant and judgmental for a minute — or at least, more arrogant and judgmental than usual? To me, the problems with high school basketball are reflective of the problems in larger society. People are greedy and short-sighted and selfish, all things that society tends to reward (short-term, at least) and encourage. I guess I could try to break this down a little more, talk about the AAU system and the sneaker companies and the NCAA, but... sorry, this election season has me feeling particularly misanthropic. Plus, David Foster Wallace just killed himself. So my fallback answer to everything is "People suck."

I don't think high school basketball is any more screwed up than anything else, is my point.

SKO: If you were named NCAA commissioner for one day, what are the top three things you would change?

RJ: 1, Disband the NCAA. Do I really need two more?

The problem with the NCAA is that its hypocrisy is sort of too deep to even fathom — as a governing body, it only has power because the universities it governs ALLOW it to have power, and the universities grant that authority because it (the NCAA) makes them money. So, I'm not sure how to really solve the big-picture issue, because you'd have to tear up the very foundation of college athletics, and there's a lot of coin weighing that foundation down. (Sh*t is HEAVY). In lieu of that, I guess I'd try the following:

1, Appoint a board of student-athletes to go over every single rule in the NCAA book and ask this question of each one: "Does this rule ultimately exist to benefit student-athletes?" If the answer isn't a definitive, absolute "Yes," that rule is off the books.

2, I'm not fan of out-and-out "paying" student athletes, but there is middle ground between amateurism and professionalism that the NCAA is too stupid to consider, but should. Varsity athletes in pretty much any sport — and this goes well beyond big-time D1 football or hoops — obviously don't have time to work in-season, and for most kids, the "season" these days is pretty much year round. Plus, if they DO get a summer job or something, they face scrutiny about getting hooked up by a booster. Beyond that, there's the simple reality that a lot of these kids come to college from NOTHING. I know of a ballplayer here at Penn State who is one of four or five kids, dad's out of the picture, older brother's in jail, the whole sad cliche. He had to bum rides to get home to visit his mom over the summer. There are thousands of kids like this in schools around the country, every year.

The obvious solution, to me, is some sort of stipend or allowance system, by which kids get something — $100 a week, $300 a month, $1000 a semester, whatever — just to have some money in their pocket. Maybe they have to qualify, like they would for financial aid; maybe they pay it back only if they make a certain amount of money after graduation, or maybe they don't pay it back at all. Whatever — the NCAA could absolutely afford it (anybody see how much CBS pays for the Tournament?) and it solves or at least cuts down on a lot of potential problems: Poor kids would be less likely to be tempted by street agents or runners or boosters, and coaches wouldn't have to think about risking the NCAA's wrath for giving a kid bus fare to go see his mother during his very brief summer vacation.

3, Disband the NCAA. Unless I already said that...

SKO: Also, if the NCAA top brass were to magically disappear from the face of the earth tomorrow, would the world be a better place?

RJ: What's that phrase about "The devil you know..."? I've been thinking about that a lot this election season, and I suppose it applies here. But, short answer: Yeah, I imagine so.

SKO: You've got to put together a squad of 5 dudes (any NBA player past or present) to run against a team of robot Kobe Bryant's, who ya got?

RJ: PG: Magic Johnson

SG: Michael Jordan

SF: LeBron James

PF: Randy Couture (robots are an exception, so I figured I get one, too. Couture > robots).

C: Bill Russell

SKO:Fill in the blank: Eazy_E is to Alex English as Ma$e is to .......

RJ: This one has Tariq written all over it.

Answer: Kobe Bryant. Ha!

SKO: With details if possible, who has been your best interview ever and who has been your worst?

RJ: This is a tough one. For a lot of reasons, NBA guys tend not to be great interviews, and I feel like most of my most memorable interactions from my time at the magazine have NOT been in a formal interview setting: Making fun of Damon Jones' feet in front of his teammates; watching two different Slam writers (not me, in either case) get one-on-one time with Rasheed Wallace after he'd basically told a slew of waiting newspaper guys he wouldn't be talking after a game; sharing a half-full NYC subway car with Steve Nash (after he'd won his second MVP) when no one else on the train recognized him; talking about Radiohead with Tom Gugliotta; hanging out with Mark Cuban in his room at the Ritz in Philly at 3 in the morning after a Mavs-Sixers game — this after Cubes had already picked up the tab for Russ and I and a female who will go unnamed... yeah, interviews are boring. Kobe was a pretty good one. LeBron had his moments. Shawn Marion's cockiness was always welcome. Derek Fisher is one of the nicest dudes ever, from what I know of him. And Morris Peterson — just a cool guy to BS with about whatever.

My most MEMORABLE actual interviews would probably be LeBron as a high school sophomore (just because it was LeBron... as a high school sophomore), OJ Mayo and Bill Walker when they were in high school, and Kobe back in '03. More on that later.

Oh, and Jordan, for Slam 100, just because. It last 13 minutes start to finish, but it was a one-on-one at a time when he pretty much didn't do those anymore. So that was cool. Interesting sidenote: The shoes I wore to that Jordan interview, some relatively hard-to-find seamless AF1s, are now the shoes I wear to mow my lawn. Symbolism, b*tches.

SKO: And who's the one person you'd love to get some time with?

RJ: Bono. There are no basketball players that I haven't spoken with that I care to. That'll be a hugely disappointing answer here. Sorry.

SKO: Any plans for another book?

RJ: No. You're welcome.

SKO: All political affiliations aside, you'd totally do Sarah Palin, right?

RJ: No. I mean, as 44-year-old mothers of five go, she looks pretty good... but she's still a 44-year-old mother of five.

SKO: Finally.....Kobe? There's got to be something you can give us, isn't there?

RJ: Um... I imagine I'm guilty of having overplayed this whole thing to get a rise out of website regulars over the years. There really is no big, interesting story. What happened was a combination of A) my naivete and immaturity with B) his engaging yet possibly psychotic personality; I'm sure he's not really psychotic, but there's SOMETHING going on there...

Anyway, I'm culpable in that, as a life-long, diehard (I thought) Lakers fan early in my days at the magazine, I was maybe a little too willing to give dude the benefit of the doubt where so many others were questioning aspects of his personality. It all started in the spring of 2002, when I went out to L.A. to interview him for a feature. My idea was to talk about how "misunderstood" he was, whatever the f*ck that meant. Anyway, the game I went out for was Pacers @ Lakers in March of '02...

Jog your memory for a second.

That's the night he and Reggie had their little end-of-game brawl at Staples, an incident perhaps best remembered for Austin Croshere's oh-so-sexily torn jersey and Reggie's post-fight comments about "issues," a vague and titillating reference that may not have meant anything, but only added to the sense that he was a dude people couldn't really figure out. Me, I thought I'd figured him out, at least a little. I did more reporting for this story than any other I did while with the mag (pretty much none of which ever saw the light of day), asking a boatload of players and coaches about him, what they thought made him tick, why he caught so much hate for not being "real," etc. Personally, I eventually arrived at an amateur psych analysis, which is that he was this upper-middle-class black kid who grew up in Europe, then came back to the U.S. as a teenager, at the height of hip-hop culture, and was never quite sure where he fit in. Authenticity was ALWAYS a problem for him, and I felt bad for him. I figured he needed a hug.

Anyway, back to the moment: I'm in L.A. hoping to get some one-on-one time with him the day after the game, and now of course he's going to get suspended, and I'm thinking I'm screwed — I won't get any time with him. But he plays ball, gamely shows up at practice to answer questions from the beat writers, and then we get a few minutes face to face. One of the things I brought up right away was how many letters the mag got about him, such a weird mix of love and hate, and basically how our readers — these loyal, involved, die-hard hoop fans — spent so much time trying to figure him out. I don't remember the conversation verbatim, but he was basically like, "Yeah, I read the letters." That led into a broader (though still brief) discussion of perception — that was the key word that kept getting repeated, and would come up again when I finally interviewed him at length six months later — and he was like, "Yeah, I think about that all the time, and you're the first guy who's really asked me about that. I want to talk more about this. I never do this, but here's my number."

Well, he f*cking had me.

I guess I'll never really KNOW if he was being sincere, but in retrospect, I tend to think he wasn't. At the time, though, I was completely wrapped around dude's finger. I believed I was the only basketball journalist alive who UNDERSTOOD this guy, which, even if it were true, would've been a dumb thing for me to get too excited about. It didn't help that we actually traded calls a few times, including HIM calling ME a couple times, unsolicited — once while he was waiting for the team plane to take off, at like 7 in the morning or something — for no other apparent reason than to say what's up. No joke. Think about that: This guy, calling me, just to bullsh*t and say hello. That never came CLOSE to happening with any other player I ever dealt with, and certainly not one on his level (who also happened to play for my favorite team). This only cemented my sense that he was sort of lonely (still seemingly exiled from his own family, aloof with his club-hopping teammates, etc) and, yes, misunderstood, and that he saw me as someone who actually "got" him. Like, you know, I felt his pain.

Or how's this: The Lakers played the Sixers at some point not long after, and for reasons too annoying to get into, I got screwed out of a press credential. Only I didn't find out until I was already on the train from NYC to Philly like four hours before the game. Desperate, I call his cell and leave a message basically saying, "Hey dude, I'm supposed to have a credential but it fell through, I'm on my way to Philly, I'm sure it's a dumb question since this is practically your home town and you must have 100 people to leave tickets for, but any chance you've got one to spare?" Not long after, I get a call back from one of his bodyguards — one of the same dudes he was apparently hanging with in Colorado not long after — saying he was leaving a ticket for me to pick up at will call.

After all this, I was pretty much ready to name my first born after him.

Anyway, that fall we do the interview which became the cover story in Ish... um, I can't remember the number, but the yellow one with him in the black Nike Swingman uni and the trophies lined up in front of him, which remains one of my favorite all-time covers. Anyway, we get back into the whole perspective thing, and I think it ended up being a pretty good Q&A, and that's that. The phone calls mostly cease, but whenever I was at a Laker game in NY or Jersey or wherever, it was always love, big pounds in the lockerroom, etc.

Then Colorado happens. My general take, which I spouted on a couple of brief, stupid appearances on Fox New Channel (!), was that, you never know what could happen, but I really didn't think he was capable of something like that.

Things just got weird from there. Our face-to-face interactions were never anything less than warm and positive, but there was a combination of rumors and work-related encounters that slowly changed my opinion of him. The rumors came from people — sneaker-industry folks we knew and trusted, NBA team PR folks, other players or friends of players — some of whom, it must be said, were affiliated with companies he once endorsed but had since left under less-than-amicable terms. But, still, there were a LOT of stories, and they came from a lot of different people. Stories about him menacing or mistreating assistants, coming up with wack marketing or product ideas, then blaming the company when they weren't well received, just generally being two-faced and a diva. Again, just rumors, but...

The work-related stuff was more of an issue. Basically, we tried to get him for a story post-Colorado, and he understandably wanted to hold off talking to anybody about anything. When we finally did get him, things seemed different. He was offering weird ideas — cover ideas, story concepts — and sort of playing hardball with access. Again, his right to handle all that how he wants. Maybe he's changed by the whole Colorado thing, maybe the people around him (fam? agent?) were pushing him in a different direction. Whatever, it was like pulling teeth trying to get something done. Then we finally DID get something done, only it fell through last second, entirely because of him. There seemed to be a lot of bullsh*t and manipulation going on, which was both professionally and (for me) personally really, really frustrating.

I feel compelled to state that, throughout, whenever I actually SAW the dude, it was friendly and cool and all was well. Always polite and accommodating and professional. But all this other sh*t going on behind the scenes... for a lot of reasons, I'm reluctant to be too specific, and I'm aware that this may sound petty or whatever, but this is how it went down through my eyes, and it really soured me.

Anyway, this played out over the course of a couple years, I guess. Contrary to what some in our little bubble-roofed corner of the world would love to believe, dude never bitch-slapped me or dated my mom or anything. I imagine if I ran into him today, I'd get a smile and a pound. But the combination of things I heard from people I trusted, and then things I dealt with myself, made it hard for me to root for the guy, and, by extension, the team I'd lived for since I was seven years old. Which was a bummer, but I'm over it. Go Cavs!

***To read more of Ryan's work, check the SLAM site and pick up a copy of his book: King James: Believe the Hype---The Lebron James Story

Christmas came early!

2008-09-12T14:32:00.004-04:00
For anyone who follows our site (yes, I can see all 5 of you!), this is a must have. Shoutout to Lang Whitaker over at Slamonline and everyone over at Wizznutzz.com for putting me up on this. Clearly a must have! Check out some of the other great shirts they have as well.

Remembrance

2008-09-11T14:32:00.003-04:00
*********Just because.....I had this piece posted on my old blog last year.....remember, always. Thank you*****************

Written by Eboy

9/11. Two shittier numbers put together may have never been imagined. Since tommorow is the 6th anniversary of that horrible day, I wanted to put my own two cents in about the day, what the towers meant to me and how it has affected me personally.

Growing up in Jersey, I lived in Jersey City, just across the Hudson River from New York City. What seemed like a brave new world on the other side of that grimy body of water was really just a huge stone's throw away for the residents of my town. During the day, facing the east, you could see the Twin Towers ominously in the distance, standing far and above all the other huge buildings surrounding it. At night..... well at night, the towers took on an otherwordly feel. Most of the building's would be dark with stray floors here and there lit up for cleaning crews and maintenance workers. The antenna on the top of Building 1 was lit in three red segments that stood so high in the night sky that sometimes at first glance it would give of the impression that is was an unidentified aircraft of some sort. I can remember countless trips from my grandfathers in Hoboken as a kid, laying in the back seat of my dad's car and seeing the towers out of the passenger side window, lights flickering in the distance, signalling another night ending in the big city. And another ride back to my crappy place in the world.

It's funny, after seeing the towers every day for almost 20 years and then leaving them, seeing them brought down was unbelievably heart-breaking. Never mind the horrors and the tragedy that befell the victims, rescue workers, poilce and fireman on that day and the months that followed, those heroes can never be forgotten. They were so incredibly brave and deserve any goodness that can come their way for their rest of their lives. Seeing those imposing structures come down in a destructive barrage of cement, glass, plaster, dust, dirt and debris was symbolic to how our country took more than black eye that day. We were dealt a concussion blow. Some would say we are still recovering.

Watching that day unfold at home, on a planned day off, seemed almost like I was fated to watch the entire day play out, hour by hour and minute by minute. I was in bed when the first plane struck. I was watching Sportscenter but during a commercial I flicked through the channels and hit CNN. They had that first burning tower image up on the screen and like everyone else, couldn't understand how a pilot could have lost control so bad that he hit the WTC. It had never happened before so what made today so different? The weather looked gorgeous on tv. No rain, no clouds. Nothing. No sooner than I had that thought than the image of another plane taking aim, LIVE, showed on my tv. I was......paralyzed. I knew something was incredibly wrong. I ran out the door and jumped in my car to see my dad about 5 miles from me. He was disabled and at home and I had promised him that I was going to mow his lawn and take him to lunch. My mom was at work. My wife was at work. When I got to my dad's, the buildings were raging with flames and the news people couldn't grasp the situation much like us. Within minutes, the first tower fell. I think my dad and I said in succession, "what the fuck is going on?" We started panicking. Is this the end of the world? Are we at war? In our own country? Symbolically, I ran out of my parent's front door and standing in the corner of their front yard was a United States flag that I had just taken down a week or so earlier which had gotten twisted in a rash of heavy storms that moved through our area. It just seemed like it HAD to be back up, waving proudly in the warm September Florida air. By the end of the day, we had touched base with most of our families in Jersey and New York and we started to have the events of the day sink in beyond the shock and disgust of the initial acts themselves. We knew the day was going to be forever remembered. And it was horrible to think of the reason that it would.

I made my way back to "Ground Zero" in June of 2002 and seeing the memorials, the barren buildings footprints and the sense of despair that still surrounded that area left me with a feeling of sadness that could never be taken away. I donated money, my wife created handmade pins that she sold for a minimal cost and we donated the take from the sales to the victims. We wanted to do something, and we did, but it just didn't seem like it made a difference. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me that there were thousands of others doing the same and that it WOULD make a difference to someone. A lot of our country has put this date and it's actions in a far corner of their minds because it didn't affect them directly. That is so wrong on so many levels, but our country and it's people have a way of downplaying even the worst acts because it's just too much of a bother to try and relieve or rehash something that can't be wrapped up in a nice, neat half an hour package. It's shameful. But it's the truth.

So to commerate the day, on it's sixth anniversary, I wanted to express my deepest thanks to the brave men and women fighting the war in Iraq for whatever reason they are there for. Every person that lent a hand, a dollar or a minute of their time during that bleak hour in our history, they deserve our recognition. I had an image of the Trade Centers tattoed on my back in October '01. It will never allow me to forget that day, even for a minute. My aunt, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in Tower 2, lost her job and her way of life and luckily on that day was able to keep her OWN life because her daughter was sick and she needed to stay home with her. A twist of fate never forgotten. I have a small statue of the towers on my desk at work and a beautiful, one of a kind painting in my family room of the towers at night at home. I didn't lose anyone in particular like so many other's did that day. But I attached myself to the towers and it's a way to always see them in all their glory. I will never forget. The horrors of the day, the victims in all three locations, the resurgence of our people, the bonding of our communities and the love and compassion shown to all those involved in the rescue effort. And most of all, I'll never forget those two metal masterpieces. Steel and mortar can always be rebuilt. But memories are hard to erase. And mine are still there all the time.

Always remember, 9/11/01.

I Adore Mi Amore

2008-09-09T14:04:00.012-04:00
In an effort to kill time and space and surely spark conversation amongst the masses, I wish to enlighten everyone with a list of my 10 favorite females at the moment. This was spurned on by a wild dream I had and an even wilder imagination that I possess. I tend to have an overall preference that I’m sure you will see, but there should be at least one person on the list that everyone can be in agreement with me on (with apologies to our sister of the group, Ms. Cheryl, who is beautiful BTW)

Without further rambling:

Meagan Good: Anyone that knows me even a little bit knows that Meagan is my Roni girl (shout out to Bobby B.) No explanation needed.

Halle Berry: Baby or no baby, Halle is timeless. If this was the VH1 Hip-Hop Awards, she would be the one receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Erin Andrews: Being a basketball and just overall sports junkie that I am, I get continuously bombarded with Erin’s presence. I’m not complaining, at all.

Nicole Scherzinger: Better known to the masses as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. Her music sucks and I could care less.

Megan Fox: I have yet to see Transformers (I know, I know), but any girl who utters these words is good in my book: “I really enjoy having sex,” says this 22-year-old Transformers temptress. “I’m young and have a lot of hormones. I’m always in the mood.”

Gabrielle Union: Ms. Union used to be my #1 back in the day, and I feel she will always have a place on my list. A raise of hands for anyone who can’t forget the strip scene in the forgettable DMX movie “Cradle 2 The Grave”. (Raises hand high)

Sanaa Lathan: “Love and Basketball” and “The Best Man” are 2 of my favorite movies, ever. A timeless beauty.

Eva Mendes: If I could die and come back as any body part in the world, I would want to be the mole on Eva’s face. Wait, that is a body part, right?

Alicia Keys: Some people say she has a big forehead. Well you know what? So do I. So f*ck it, this is my baby.

Candace Parker: I did mention that I love basketball, right? Well, I love Candace as well. As a bonus: our kids should have enough in their genes to make it to the NBA. Win!

Karma: I heard she can be a b*tch

2008-09-08T11:42:00.004-04:00

Will you know your 15 minutes of fame when it comes? For Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, that time is upon him. A little known player from Purdue University, the 3rd year of his career will no doubt go down in the NFL history books as possibly his most known season. Unfortunately, he won’t be known for his spectacular play as he will for the “Hit Heard Around The League” on New England Patriots QB and all everything man Tom Brady. A hit Randy Moss has already termed “dirty”. Welcome to the Matt Cassell Era, Patriots fans.

Just last season the Patriots were the scrounge of the league for Spygate and the subsequent findings, fines, and suspensions. The Patriots soldiered on thru the season thumbing their noses at all who called the cheaters and bullies and beat all comers and even were accused of running up the score on teams. They and their fans had a swagger about them that turned off anybody outside of the Boston sporting area. It was already bad enough that the Red Sox were reigning World Series champs and the Celtics had just acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for 30 cents on the dollar, but now they were cheaters? Hate is not a strong enough word for the heat that was being stared straight thru the Boston common area.

Perseverance and a few lucky calls carried the Patriots thru an undefeated season and playoffs, and straight to the Superbowl against the New York Giants. All that were not either a faithful fan or family of New England quickly became fans of the gap-toothed Michael Strahan and the choir-boy-looking Eli Manning. David Tyree was the first sign that karma was on the comeback trail. The final score reinforced a complete 180 for the good of mankind. However, the Football Gods were clearly not done.

It is always funny and ironic how payback seems to always find the right time to spring from the bushes and surprise an unsuspecting foe. Payback waited until the 1st quarter of the first game against an inferior opponent to show its hand. It enlisted an little known overachiever to add insult to injury. The final result is Tom Brady-Bündchen has suffered a season ending ACL tear in his knee and NFL fans everywhere are cheering the hopes their team has now acquired of actually being able to compete for an NFL Championship with the Bully on the Block now kicked to the gutter. How ironic indeed.

From my perch at the sports bar and the subsequent cheering at the moment karma completed its comeback, I can confirm the b*tch does not kiss first.

Are We There Yet?

2008-09-02T14:41:00.003-04:00

(Things that are keeping me going until the NBA season tips off)

Like my colleagues, I felt compelled to drop some knowledge on what keeps my mind and body busy until my first love comes home to me. Also, work is slow and I’m still not recovered from my holiday weekend 3-day drinking binge. My baby comes home October 28th!

1) Yes We Can!

I am in no way a political aficionado, but Barack Obama has seized my attention and sparked a fire in my soul. I don’t know if he will make actual change or if he is spitting the regular political rhetoric, but he seems genuine enough. I have actually met his running mate Joe Biden being that I am a former resident of the tiny state of Delaware and know that this man has a good character.

I know what I will be doing November 4th, what will you be doing?

2) 2008 Olympics

Specifically, the Redeem Team. The gold is back where it belongs. However, there was so much more to these Olympics than Kobe, LeBron, and the re-emergence of Dwyane Wade. Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, the USA men’s volleyball team, Lisa Leslie’s fourth gold medal, China’s domination in gold medal’s count, the USA women’s beach volleyball team extending their winning streak to 109 matches, the great show put on by the host country China, etc. Yes, I was watching.

3) Summer Ball

What is the best way to get over the blues of the NBA off season? How about actually picking up a ball and playing! After breaking my foot last summer and effectively ruining my regular ball sessions for almost 10 months, I’m back in the swing of pounding the blacktop (or the rec center floor). Got game?

4) The Rich Rod Era

Anyone who knows me knows where my loyalties lie. One of my most fiercest loyalties is Michigan Football. The Rich Rodriguez Era has gotten of to a slow start, but in time we shall have the right recruits for the spread offense. The days of 3 yards and a cloud of dust are gone. Go Blue!

5) Fish Tacos

Living in Virginia Beach for the last 6 years, I have gotten acquainted with different things I had never been introduced too. One of those things happens to be fish tacos from a place called Baja Cantina on 23rd street at the ocean front. If you are ever in the area, this is a must have.

6) Margarita’s and The Ocean Breeze

Just another luxury of living at the beach in the summer time. It is also fun to make fun of fat people in swim trunks and bathing suits while drunk.

7) Fantasy Football

Yeah, f*ck it, I’m a nerd. And a loser. Sue me.

A Difficult Medium: Is "The Wire" Art?

2008-08-29T19:36:00.004-04:00

by Tariq al Hayder

It's very easy for me to classify Al Green's rendition of "Just the Two of Us" as "art". I also have no qualms describing Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" or e.e. cummings' "the boys i mean are not refined" as such. Music is art. Literature is definitely art. But I always was a little suspicious of celluloid. As much as I loved "The Godfather," I often wondered if it was a different breed of creativity, something a little too close to commercialism perhaps. Is "Pan's Labyrinth" art or just a superior piece of entertainment?

Of course, this is an entirely subjective question. But I like to think that in the arts, objectivity is to be strived for, even though it can never be reached, and in my subjective opinion, The Wire, more so than anything ever before filmed, deserves to be classified as "art."

Why?

I could point to the superlative performances from a cast that, over five seasons, has exceeded a hundred actors. Their performances are so good that I only remember the names of the characters: McNulty is not some British actor, he's real Baltimore po-lice. In real life, Marlo Stanfield is Marlo Stanfield, forever the gangster. And there is no Michael K. Williams...there is only Omar. But still, the acting is not what makes The Wire art; many films and TV series can boast equally impressive performances.

So what is it?

I'm not really sure, but it begins and ends with series creator David Simon. See, I think that The Wire just HAPPENED to be a TV show, when really, it's just an artifact. When people fifty years from now see The Wire (and they will), they won't see a cop drama, they'll see a living, breathing Baltimore, with its corrupt and honest cops, its criminals with codes, its scoundrels, its fiends, its politicians who want to make a difference but can't, its teachers who desperately want to believe that the kids they come across aren't doomed and the people who are all players in one game or another.

Oh, and then there's the writing.

I want to write a novel. It's a dream of mine. I try to steal stuff from Vonnegut and from Conrad and from Murakami. But you know what I also do? I take a little spiral notebook and a blue ball point pen, pop in episode 1 of season 1, turn on the subtitles, and study. I study Landsman's monologues. I study the Chicken McNugget and chess metaphors D'Angelo shares with Bodie, Wallace and Poot. I study the intricacies of character, how something small, like a kid staying put when the others around him are running, reveals what MUST happen. How a look or a gesture is a valid form of communication. I watch this and I actually learn, because this is how real people interact.

I'm not writing this to lament the lack of Emmy recognition or the low ratings. I'm writing this with sadness. I'm in mourning, because last night I saw the last episode of the last season of The Wire for the first time, and I know I will never see anything like it ever again.

Fu*k It......They Deserve It!!

2008-08-26T13:54:00.011-04:00

********Disclaimer********This isn't a popularity contest so I really don't care how the comments sound after you read this. Thanks for your support.

Written by Eboy

So I've been flying high since the "late night Saturday/early morning Sunday American time vampiristic live telecast" of the Unites States/Spain gold medal basketball game. The game that the much ballyhooed Redeem Team proved themselves in as being able to deal with slight adversity and closing out what most expected them to do. I was one of the people that caught the exhibition games, the prelim matches and then the important games the Olympics require. In actuality, the US squad should have just had a 2 game bye to the gold medal game, but you know, rules are rules. While I thoroughly enjoyed almost all of the players contributions to the collective prize American basketball fans have been waiting on, the things that caught my attention in these games were, in no particular order:

A) LEBRON JAMES

Lebron James is ridiculous. Simply remarkable. I know most people that are under the age of 30 really can't comprehend the history of the NBA before 1990, but believe me, Lebron is like nothing seen before. His strength is in the highest ranks of great power forwards in the history of the game. His athleticism is on par with super freaks like Shawn Kemp & Josh Smith, except Lebrons game is 10 times more well-rounded than either of those guys. His ability to be unstoppable on the offensive end is in the same class as guys like Jordan & Barkley, putting their heads down, taking and giving punishment and taking points, just not getting them. His passing is not quite at the level of Magic Johnson, but there is an eerie feel of sameness when he is in the open court with guys running with him that he can make THAT pass. And due to these Olympic games, the feeling of him being a hyped up defender is right there on the table. If he gets that part of his game in check, forget it. There may be new record books that are needed for dudes accomplishments. To anyone who can't comprehend it, this is the guy EVERYONE in the league is fearing. No one else is close. You can hate the guy all you want for speaking about his off the court endeavors but there is no way you can dispute the continued progression of the prototype player of the 21st century. One thing is clear, Lebron James is good at basketball.

B) THE MAMBA'S LUCKY STRIKE

Kobe Bryant changed nothing in my mind as to his place in the game. A truly gifted scorer, legendary in it's completeness, a fierce competitor, a proven winner and truly overrated at this point of his career. Yes I know I'm famously known as a Kobe basher, but hear me out. Kobe has had three phases of his career. The Young'n phase were he suffered through trying times with the Lakers including most famously his wide open failure in the Utah Jazz series when he struggled to close the deal on several occasions in the most heated of circumstances. The dude was talented and cocksure, but not ready for that type of pressure. His age was the big factor at that point. But he had that promise.

The second phase was his title years and should be known as his Legacy years. Teamed with an elite Shaq, a really fantastic set of teammates and the coach who molded Michael into the ultimate winner, Kobe's fire shown brightest in that phase. He became a hero and matinee idol and gained fans worldwide. He became a multiple champion and began to garner mentions in the same group of players that most basketball historians hold in the highest regard. It was well deserved at that time. No question.

This current phase would have to be deemed the Failure phase. From his much publicized and criticized off the court troubles to his continued basketball failings since the departure of Shaquille and the reforming of the current Lakers squad, there has never been a player who has failed so often (on the court and off) who gets so much leeway because of his past accomplishments. Guess what? It's going on six seasons that Kobe has done nothing resembling the winning ways he became known for. Kobe has gone in reverse as to the career paths most great winners usually follow. Lose early on, win in the prime of your career and then fade away into the sunrise. Magic, Larry, Michael, Hakeem, Shaq, these legends have done this in some form or another. Kobe has done something opposite of that. Not a bad thing, just odd. These Olympic games did nothing to change that perception of him though. His 4 minutes of fantastic play in the 4th quarter of the gold medal game didn't erase what basically amounted to simply mediocre international play from the so called "best player on the planet" and until he can right the Lakers ship and do what is expected of him (winning titles), those free passes should be held for someone more deserving.....someone who is back on the rise up........someone like....

C) DWYANE WADE !!!!!

Fine, I'm being slightly ridiculous, and yes, I am a homer, but I've waited a long time to give the dude some actual good words compared to the things I've been saying for most of the last two seasons and now seems like the time for it.

Dwyane's performance in the Beijing games was bordering on awe inspiring. Awe inspiring because no one knew or expected what he has going to bring to the table. I'm not saying it as a fan of his, but the American media and the large majority of fans from SLAM, local supporters in South Florida and on webboards on the "Worldwide Leaders" website, among others, seemed to bear out the same, shocked result. Dwyane Wa.....D-Wade, Flash, was back. Take one guy off the Olympic squad that would have given the US the largest handicap? It was Dwyane. Hands down. Try not to forget that almost every game (except Angola) had a close first period score that seemed to jump incredulously once D-Wade came off the bench. Odd huh? No, actually, not really. It was a forced move due to the perceived slight it would have been to ask Kobe to come off the bench, but anyone with a sliver of common sense knows that it should have been the Mamba as the Miracle to D-Wade's Smokey in this tournament.

Dwyanes determination to silence the critics and his desire to prove himself on the world stage was motivation enough that made his "benching" each game the fuel to his fire. His athleticism was off the charts, his speed was on par with....well no one else was close in the Olympic tournament except possibly Pat Mills from Australia or Jamaican wonderman Usain Bolt and his attitude showed his swagger to have returned full force. This is great news for the fans of Miami Heat basketball. Sure they won't be winning a title anytime soon, but there is hope again that the Dwyane Wade that rocked the basketball world in 2006 will again be driving into foreign paints starting this October and actually make the Heat a respectable foe to great teams and not so good ones that they struggled with last season. If Lebron and Kobe are now 1a and 1b in greatest player ranking in the current NBA landscape, Dwyane has positioned himself to be on the outer fringes of the conversation again, like he was in 2006, and the results he shows this coming season will be looked at under a microscope due to his excellent work in China.

Lastly, I think the thing that shot out at me the most that really was unexpected was the tremendous play of Toronto Raptor F/C Chris Bosh. Dude proved a ton to me, and I know millions of others during the Olympics. He was clearly the best big on the squad and his passion was something most fans don't normally see on the networks due to Lebron, Kobe and San Antonio overload. I know there have been whispers in the Miami media that Riles is planning on making a strong play for Chris to pair up with Dwyane in Miami in 2010, and if this tournament was any indication of what the two of them might be able to do together...well damn, bring him on.

In closing, I'm glad the games are over, I loved watching the team as a unit accomplish the goal/gold and look forward to another great season of NBA ball. This was a summer of redemption for this group but for United States fans, this was where we NEEDED to be, back on top, by hook or by crook. Hey, it's the American way!

Album Review: "Pro Tools" by GZA

2008-08-21T23:49:00.004-04:00

by Tariq al Hayder

My American sojourn was scheduled to end on August 20th, so I was thrilled when I realized that GZA's new joint was coming out on the 19th. Nothing like some new GZA to make a 12-hour flight a bit more bearable. And the Genius did not disappoint, although I have to admit I miss those old Kung-Fu samples and extended chess metaphors.

Don't get it twisted, this is no Liquid Swords. But if you don't get caught up in comparisons, it's easy to appreciate "Pro Tools" for what it is: A superlative artist delving into the intricacies of the craft he's mastered. You get the feeling that the erstwhile "head" of the Wu-Tang Clan is comfortable in the knowledge that he needs to prove nothing. Even "Paper Plate," in which he annihilates his "rival" 50 Cent, is devoid of any real rage. This is probably the only diss track I've ever heard which contains almost no profanity. It's almost a lecture: GZA successfully cuts Fiddy down to size by illustrating what Curtis lacks: lyricism. He points out that 50 Cent has "got a few hooks but no jabs." And then almost matter-of-factly drives home the difference between the two of them:

Have you ever been stung by a thousand hornets?
Five hundred killa bees, buzzin' and really on it
Whipped with CUBAN LINX, cut with LIQUID SWORDS
Choked by IRONMEN 'til we crush your vocal cords.
You ain't nothin' but a pig in a blanket
Hoghead, the deadliest food at the banquet.
All this rap crap that's trapped in your colon
Only means, get rid of the wack sh-- ya holdin'

And that's the one hushed, aborted profane word in the entire song: "Sh--", but the way GZA censors himself, it sounds like "shhh", like he's simply silencing 50. I would really like to see 50 Cent respond to this emasculation.

"0% Finance" is the latest offering in which GZA builds a song around a single theme. Remember how "Animal Planet" and "Fame" revolved around using the names of animals and celebrities? In "0% Finance" the Genius flips car metaphors: "...like the distance from MERCURY to SATURN". "Cinema" is a chilling horror-film-type track, which is followed nicely by "Life is a Movie". "Alphabets," meanwhile, sees GZA casually strolling through each letter of the alphabet with characteristic ease.

Throughout, the GZA's lyrics remain sharp like cactii. That's the focus of the album, to show the "pro tools" with which he has honed his craft. There aren't many appearances by his fellow Clansmen. RZA pops up a couple of times while Masta Killa appears on "Pencil". But that's OK, because GZA more than hold it down. To borrow a phrase from Masta Killa, "Pro Tools" sounds like the work of a master.

Interview:Chuck Klosterman

2008-08-13T16:08:00.005-04:00
Some people call him the next Hunter S.Thompson,some people call him the definitive voice of Generation X.Well we just call him the guy who shockingly agreed to answer a few questions for us.Although mainly a music and pop culture critic by trade(you can find his work in the pages of Esquire and GQ,among others),you'd be hard pressed to find a writer with better Hoops knowledge than Chuck.In his books he has devoted whole chapters to Steve Nash before he was a two time MVP and NBA Officiating.His latest book and debut novel Downtown Owl is available from September 16th.

SKO:In the NBA,there's a commonly held view,that almost paradoxically,the general talent pool of the NBA has been diluted but there has never been so many transcendant stars.Do you buy this and if so,why do you think that is?

CK:This is true. And while it does seem paradoxical, it actually makes sense. The reason is expansion. Look at it like this: Let's say the NBA had only 20 franchises. This would mean that the league would only have 240 players, so every team would be much better. The worst player on the worst team would be the equivalent of a role player on an average team today. More importantly, the 21st best player in the entire league would (quite possibly) only be the 2nd best player on his own team, assuming the talent was distributed equally across those 20 franchises. In other words, a guy like Elton Brand would be a very good team's second option. A guy like Joe Johnson would be a second or third option. A guy like Drew Gooden might be coming off the bench. So all the teams would be more complete and more dangerous. Practices would be more competitive, so young teams would improve at a faster rate. The league would be better overall.

The reason the NBA seems to have so many transcendent players right now is a product of necessity -- because they league is watered down, the best players have to do more. In 1985, James Worthy was the third-best player for the Lakers. He averaged something like 17 points a game, but he still deferred to Magic and Kareem. That would never happen in this era. Now, Worthy would become a free agent, jump to Memphis or Minnesota, and score 30 a night. We would all classify him as a transcendent superstar. But the consequence is that there are no transcendent role players anymore, and those are the guys who make a league great.

SKO:Which impending event transpires first: A- An expansion NBA team pops up in Chisinau, Moldova; Or B- An NBA team relocates to Vermont and renames itself the "Vermont Verizon Wireless"?

CK:I would say "B." I wouldn't even mind if that happened. The one thing I like about Europeon soccer is that all the teams are whored out to every advertiser, which allows the networks to broadcast games without commercial interruptions. For TV audiences, corporate sponsorship can actually be a benefit.

SKO:What,in your opinion,would be more beneficial to the NBA,the NBA abolishing the Age Limit,more players cutting their teeth for a few years in Europe or the immediate resignation of David Stern?

CK:This is a good question. I think it is finally time for people to admit that Stern has been a bad commissioner for the NBA. There was a point (early in his tenure) when everyone in the media was saying stuff like, "Stern is a genius. He's the basketball equivalent of Pete Rozelle." So many people said this that Stern actually came to believe them. He now seems to think all his decisions are right, simply because he is the man who makes them. The NBA has some authentic problems right now, and most can be traced back to Stern. Expansion has hurt the league substanically. His unwillingness to overrule a bad league regulation during the Suns-Spurs playoff series in 2007 was terrible management. The fact that Stern has been so adamant about making basketball a global sport is going to become a real quagmire -- it's only a matter of time before some team in Italy DOES offer Kobe Bryant $50 million to jump to Europe, and that would be a disaster. And this gambling situation is *so much worse* than anything happening in the NFL or MLB ... the idea of refs fixing games is much more disturbing that SpyGate or steroids, because nothing destroys the integrity of any league as much as gambling. It's time we just admit that David Stern has become a bad commissioner. His singular skill is public relations. He has hurt basketball in this country.

SKO:Pitch a geographically appropriate name for the new Oklahoma City NBA team that also fits the teams status in the NBA.

CK:The Oklahoma City Citizens

SKO:How deflating is it to realize that the difference between McCain and Obama, especially in terms of foreign policy, is like the difference between a Double Whopper with Cheese and a Double Whopper with Cheese (extra pickles)?

CK:Well, this is complicated. In every political race, there is a "perceived difference" and an "actual difference" between any two candidates. In 2000, the perceived difference between Gore and Bush was virtually nonexistent -- however, time has shown that the actual difference was substantial. Right now, the perceived difference between Obama and McCain is unspeakably vast, but the actual difference is relatively small. But that still matters. Because America is a country with an inordinately high percentage of uninformed people, perception generally matters more than reality. In other words, the fact that people *think* Obama represents a new kind of political culture is probably more important than whatever policies he would (or wouldn't) enact. Culture beats strategy every time.

This Brand is Your Brand, This Brand is My Brand

2008-08-07T13:59:00.012-04:00

by Tariq al Haydar

"I'm a human being, God damn it! My life has value!"
-- Howard Beale, played by Peter Finch
from the movie "Network"

"A LeBron James team is never desperate."
-- LeBron James

"We have come to be...one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world...A government by the opinion and duress of small groups of dominant men."
-- President Woodrow Wilson

My favorite t-shirt is a Jordan Brand t-shirt. It's red. It has a bunch of squiggles, and it says "All-Star MVP 88-96-98". It's not too short or too big, and it's soft and comfortable. I love it. One hell of a product. I'm not going to go off on a diatribe here about how we should all turn our backs on consumer goods and live somewhere between a cave and a cloud and subsist on berries and vegamite. Not at all. In fact, I'm going to buy my cousin a LeBron James navy blue jersey, because my cousin loves the King.

My cousin loves the brawn of LeBron. In basketball terms, the player who most resembles Jordan is that anti-christ of shooting guards: Kobe. Bron is too strong, too physically anomalous to be compared to Jordan's sleekness. Don't get me wrong, James is plenty graceful, but he's too close to the forces of destruction, too far removed from the image, the icon, of Jordan, aerodynamic in flight like a cross between a salamander and a ballerina. Bron is a bulky forward who possesses some, but not all, of a 2-guard's finesse. He's more forceful and more formidable.

And that's what makes him perfect.

See, Jordan isn't a basketball player, he's a myth. His myth is that of the young man who got cut from his varsity team, who was the unlikely (?) hero of his college team's triumph. With the third pick, he made the Earth sick. Woe unto he who chose Sam Bowie instead of the Chosen One. He overcame the animosity of the Bad Boys. He vanquished Magic. And three rings in, he died, or rather his father did, but Jordan was resurrected. The Shot. The Shoes.

That's his mythology. That's why people were uneasy when he signed with the Wizards: Don't fuck with the mythology, Mike. And you know what? He played pretty well with Washington. In two seasons, he averaged around 21, 6 and 4. Those are all-star numbers. But it was still an aberration, because it skewed the mythology just a little bit. And that can't be tolerated. Jordan transcends the sport.

Someone who also transcended his sport: Muhammad Ali. I was never really into boxing, but I love the guy. He invented rapping in a way, and he never shut up. He wasn't always right, but he always spoke his mind. And his image? His mythology? He couldn't care less about it. He threw away some of the best years of his career because he dared to go against the status quo. Now I'm not trying to idealize Ali, because I've seen him make mistakes. His falling out with Malcolm X, for starters. In my estimation, he was too taken with Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam. And yet, I admire him, because I got the feeling that Ali at least stood up for what he believed was right. That he had an iron jaw was peripheral to me.

What does Mike believe in? Winning?

Enter King James.

"Try Vitamin Water. It works for LeBron James."

I really, really don't hate LeBron James. I actually kinda sympathize with him. I wouldn't trade places with him for all the Dolphin Girls in cyberspace. He's a 23-year-old kid trapped in the body of a conglomerate. An exploited millionaire. He can't even blow a bubble without someone sticking a contract in his face. He's the kind of dude who speaks of himself in the third person not because he's conceited, but because LEBRON JAMES (TM) is actually a different entity. One that wants to surpass Air Jordan. The Second Coming of tube socks.

I wonder what mythology King James will leave us with. What will we witness? I don't know, but I'll tell you this: I always rooted against Jordan, and I will always root against LEBRON JAMES (TM), but I'll be rooting for LeBron James. Here's hoping you DON'T conquer the world, kid.

P.S.

I would really like to buy ANY product with Ali on it. A t-shirt, a hat, something. Anyone know where I can find one?

After the Purple and Gold Rush.

2008-08-06T15:58:00.005-04:00
"You just say you're out there waiting
for the miracle, for the miracle to come."

Sometimes things just aren't meant to be.No people currently with-pulse know this to be true more than Lakers fans.Rewinding things back to the start of the season makes for some interesting thinking and discoveries.Well they're maybe not discoveries so much as they are realizations.If you put yourself into Laker fan mode[TM]for a minute [and I don't mean that to mean thinking things like 'I can't fucking believe I missed George Clooney and Judd Apatow hanging out at the Ivy the other day' and 'Tanning should be tax-free' by the way] and set your mind back to October 31st,you realize a few things about this past season.You'll realize that after a summer of insane and inane trade speculation sparked by your best player things might not go so well this season and maybe things in LA are about to change drastically.It is entirely possible that you might get to thinking that this guy is not all he's cracked up to be,after all,why would he insist on having the team to himself and then start complaining that the team isn't good enough when he got his wish?Why was he requesting things he knew he couldn't have?Why would he criticize the team's brightest talent?Was it a sign of him wanting out or maybe a contrived way of showing his leadership 'technique',as if it's him saying:'Sure I'll I'm free from the Lakers for the summer and sure I'll be playing with the best for the US,but I'm still the leader of this team and Bynum,you better bring it next year!',maybe just another poor Money parody,this is of course pure speculation and is now very irrelevant so we'll move on.Maybe you start to think that all this thinking is hopeless and maybe he won't be a Laker much longer anyway.He gets moved before trade deadline and the Lakers get a new start,not like that fake new start like after Shaq left,I mean a real new start-a-wipe-the-slate-clean-and-start-actively-scouting-Ricky Rubio new start.A win-less hope driven new start that will be as depressing as it would be exciting,as exhausting as it would be worthwile,a most appropriate style of new start for a city wherein hope is born and killed simultaneosly,dreams shattered and realized in the blink of an eye,just look at the Clippers.

This maudlin thinking may have gotten you down,so you prefer to deal with the guaranteed's,the here and nows,the things we know we have instead of dreaming up plausible yet unlikely doomsday scenarios.So,the deal is(my storytelling isn't great so remember,we're still in October 31st,2007),Bean is still in LA and the Lakers have a second round of the playoffs if they play their cards right type of team.Things could be worse.I mean it's not like your the Clippers with little hope and a team who's star player is fittingly injured for the season,a succinct yet cruel commentary on the organization's place in basketball,with one perrennial all star and one mould breaking point guard with a sky high ceiling,and they can use neither.You take little solace when thinking about this however,after all the Clippers are not the Lakers,the Clippers never had a point guard playing center and winning a finals game,they have never had teams with their own names.The 'Showtime Clippers' have never and will never exist,ditto for 'Clipshow'.The Clippers are very much the seedy under-belly of LA,representing everything that can and does go wrong in the town.The Clippers are the Porn Industry,the B Movies while the Lakers represent the glitz,the red carpets and the award shows.The Clippers are the 29 year old actor from North Dakota,who decided to give Hollywood a shot and ends up with nothing more than a few bit roles in indie movies,a slew waitering jobs and a heroin habit.A victim of following his own dreams.Conversely the Lakers are the celebs the whole world are interested in,regardless of talent or ability.A raper of good fortune and social status(most likely a republican).Not that the plight of the Clippers will ever bother the Lakers fan and why should it?The Lakers fan has its own team in turmoil to worry about.The important thing for this Lakers team and perhaps its one saving grace will be the development of some of their up and comers,most notably Andrew Bynum,maybe winning's a lost cause this season but not out of the question next season.If development is accompanied by some savvy off-season moves-that is.By now,your thinking in Laker fan mode has probably made you come to the realizations that a)an immediate ring is completely out of the question and b)that the upcoming season with all it's variables and lack of real Lakers history relevance might not be so fun.You'd be forgiven for thinking the only thing that could make this a real worthwhile year for the Lakers as an organisation(This clearly means a 'chip) and for you as a fan(see last bracketed sentence) of an historic organization would be a minor miracle.

If you thought that,you were both wrong and right at the same time.

Fast forward to Tuesday June 17th,2008 .The same feelings lie within the Lakers faithful,disappointment,serious questions about the team and very unsure about the future.The feelings are not so different to those felt at the end of October,but are more visceral,they cut deeper,though the feelings are the same,the circumstances couldn't be anymore different if one was represent by GeorgeW.Bush and the other by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.You see,you got your miracle and what good did it do?Sure you may have rid the crest of a wave for about three months,the Lakers temporarily became box-office again,people were even talking about dynasties.What I'm asking(only half in jest) is would the Lakers have been better off in the long run without the Gasol trade?The first and almost reflexive answer would be a resounding no.But I think there might be something to this thought,call it reactionary or contraryist all you want but maybe the Lakers might have been better off rebuilding naturally rather than having to deal with the expectations that come with a block busting trade,maybe their finals fall was because of the weight of expectations,maybe they crumbled because of it.It could also be argued that their meteoric rise post Gasol trade could be attributed to how the players responded to the expectations,it is entirely possible they used the new found interest and hope held by the fans for good and as a catylist for wins,over performing their way to the finals and eventually being found out by the better team.But whatever your take on it is,the facts are that the fans were made subject to dissapointments the likes of which they could only dream about at the beggining of the season.I'm still not quite sure whether that's a bad or a good thing,in sports,I find,the lows are always lower than the highs are high,something,as a fan you come to know and come to get sick of.Who reading has never questioned their interest in sport?Who after a crushing defeat hasn't screamed to themselves 'Fuck you sports,you evil fucking pig dog!You've taken all I've got you filthy swine.I give up,I fucking give up'.If you say you've never done this,then you're a better person than I am.You'd no doubt expect these feelings to be the feelings of the Lakers faithful,you could see why but would you feel any sympathy?The same Lakers fans screaming 'dynasty' prematurily,the same Lakers fans who seemed to have at least quadrupled magically since the trade,something you'll only see the next time the Lakers start winning big.

Me being somewhat of a basketball atheist(with one exception),I usually don't care much about the outcome of a series or a finals as long as the basketball is worth watching-I'm happy.I will sometimes take an interest in certain players that I find intruiging or likeable or whatever.But I never root for one team over another-not in basketball.So,what made these last finals so different?I mean both teams have intruiging players and sub-plots,both have a likeable story.I have nothing against a single player on either team,not even Bean.Odom has long been one of my favorites,ditto KG.So,in theory I should have been laying back and enjoying what was to come with no bias.This wasn't the case,I was biased,very biased.I wanted the Lakers to lose,very much,it wasn't even a case of wanting the Celtics to win,I wanted the Lakers to win.I was confused at the time and I now know why.To put it simply it was the fans,but it wasn't just the fans.Sports and especially teams like the Lakers always fall the merry victim to the bandwagoner,I'm sure the population of Lakers fans swelled during the Showtime Lakers and Lakeshow era and that made sense,it was understandable,it wasn't even a bad thing.These teams had massive public appeal,celebrities that people loves supported the Showtime Lakers.James Worthy would grab a rebound,fling an outlet,run up the court-on the way having sex with at least 3 of LA's finest actresses and still end up finishing the break with a smooth dunk.LA equals celebrity and could you blame people wanting to be an indirect peer to those they respected and admire?The same goes for the Lakeshow era Lakers,they represented celebrity and evevrything most people wanted to be,such was the perception of celebrity back then.But,even since the Lakeshow era,things have changed,celebrity has changed.People are more interested in watching and laughing at the demise of celebrities.The same celebrities who were once lauded and loved by many seemed to outstay their welcome,people may not have been enamoured by these stars constant and very public displays of gaudy wealth and superiority.So,somewhere between one Lakers era and another peoples perception of what the Lakers stand for.For some it's the awesome place where the girls from the Hills live,to others it's the mildly disgusting place where people with little talent and bare vaginas get more exposure and interest than stories of actual importance.I'm very much in the second camp,along with many others.Though as shown by the volume of new Lakers fans that were recently exposed,the first phrase is not without it's supporters.Both sides are polar opposites and cannot peacefully co-exist,thus my recent anti Lakers agenda.In short,as long the Celebutard movement is still alive and well,I will be rooting against LA.It may seem meaningless and unrelated,but it's not.....but it is.

So the Lakers have a cloudy yet bright future after a spectcular yet depressing season.Confused yet?

Be careful what you wish for.

Here Comes The Reign Again

2008-08-06T10:21:00.005-04:00

by Eboy

Since our namesake is on the verge of an international comeback and is back in the public eye, why not take in some of best moments and celebrate the killer that was Kemp.

Eboy

The No-Write Zone

2008-08-06T01:56:00.005-04:00

by Tariq al Haydar, unfortunately.

My legions of fans are fully aware that I'm writing a novel, one version of which is in English. Of course, I'm sure it'll end up on Oprah's Book Club and everything, but writing, and especially re-writing, can be tedious. Naturally, I manage to waste a lot of time; procrastination is an important part of the creative process. So, to celebrate the completion of Part 1 of my book, I thought I'd let myself be inspired by Eboy's list of things that have helped him endure the summer and come up with my own list of diversions, things that help me avoid writing:

1- Compiling Stupid Lists.

2- Facebook.

Now, if there's a more meaningless slab of cyberspace out there, I'd like to see it. I don't know why I still have a Facebook account, but I do. And it's the first friggin' site I log on to. Yes, even before...

3- slamonline.com.

Chukaz lives.

4- iTunes.

I am the king of making stupid, stupid playlists. After years of study, I have mastered the art of mashing together songs that have no business being together. I like to open things up with Radiohead's "Everything in Its Right Place" just to be ironic. Here's a sample:

- Nas "Fried Chicken"
- Neil Diamond "Sweet Caroline"
- Some Arabic song you've never heard of.
- Something with maybe, let's say Pharaoh Monche.
- Al Green "Let's Stay Together.
- Beck "Gamma Ray"
- Nas "The Slave and the Master"
- Nas "Nas is Like"

OK, so I've been listening to way too much Nas. Sue me. Speaking of which, fun fact: Nas's real name is Nasir, which is Arabic for "One who brings victory". And what's the opposite of "Nasir"? Yes, that's right: "Kwame" (well, not really, but it should be).

5- Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch.

I love Cap'n Crunch. You know what else I love? Peanut Butter. Hence, I love Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. I wish I could do this with other stuff I loved. But then you'd live in a world which contained things like Jessica Alba Fruit Punch and Sony PlayStation Lobster Bisque. I'm weird.

6- Thinking impure thoughts about junk-in-trunkish Dolphin Girls (ask Eboy).

7- Starbucks.

I JUST discovered the beauty of the triple shot. I drink way too much caffeine. Fun fact: "i before e except after c" is a pretty good rule, but it is shattered by the word "caffeine." Think about it.

8- Kurt Vonnegut.

I'm probably gonna write a Ph.D. thesis on this dude one of these days.

9- Good TV Shows that Get Cancelled.

It wouldn't bother me so much that shows like Futurama and Arrested Development get cancelled. It is just TV, after all. But what irritates me is that people would rather watch shit like 24 and Lost and and Desperate Housewives and CSI: Skokie, Illinois and shows where people eat vats of mayonnaise and then proceed to vomit. It tells you something about where we are on the evolutionary chart as a species. Thank God for DVD. Here's hoping 30 Rock stays on the air. Oh, and this doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but if Heath Ledger doesn't get a posthumous Oscar, I'm going to make numerous pencils disappear.

10- Dang, that Dolphin Girl is fine! Thank you for ruining my brain, Eboy.

There, I just wasted 20 minutes.

There Can Be Only One.......

2008-08-05T15:51:00.005-04:00

Don't let the cheesy smiles fool you.....

Written by Eboy

Since the 2008 Olympics are upon us and the United States men’s basketball team, dubbed The Redeem Team, just finished it’s preliminary games, I thought I would do something to pass some time. Comparing this current squad with the hallowed, never to be challenged, legendary Dream Team of 1992. Not fair, I know, but I heard something similar on a Sirius satellite radio sports show and while not necessarily compelling, I thought it would be worth a look. Let’s begin:

The Rosters

Dream Team

Charles Barkley
Larry Bird
Clyde Drexler
Patrick Ewing
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
Christian Laettner
Karl Malone
Chris Mullin
Scottie Pippen
David Robinson
John Stockton

Redeem Team

Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Kobe Bryant
Carlos Boozer
Dwight Howard
LeBron James
Jason Kidd
Chris Paul
Tayshaun Prince
Michael Redd
Dwyane Wade
Deron Williams

Not much of a contest, right?

The one thing that I think the Redeem Team has a slight edge (by slight, I mean pubic hair tiny) in is the amount of “in their prime” perimeter players. Melo, Wade, Bron and Kobe are probably stronger as a whole than the Jordan, Pippen, Drexler, Mullin at the respective time frames the two teams were constructed in. Excluding Michael & Scottie (who easily trumps all the Redeem Team pieces), Drexler and Mullin were late in their careers and the legendary status of the two of them are unquestioned but I think they’d have their hands full with the quaddrupo unit the Redeem Team has to offer, at that particular moment. If the Dream Teamers were a couple years previous and Mully wasn't ailing, it wouldn’t be a contest though.

Let’s look at the big men, shall we? This is where the biggest discrepancy comes into place. Barkley, Bird, Ewing, Robinson, Malone vs. Howard, Bosh, Boozer and Prince (?). Forget it. The Dream Team’s big’s were killers, all five. Not including the original victory cigar, Laettner, who was coming of an equally deadly college career. The Redeem Teams bigs are what was best available at the moment, not historical figures that are looked at in Hall Of Fame perspective. And to think, a young Shaquille O’Neal was passed over for Laettner late in the game. That would have made the ridiculous even more than it seemed possible. The Dream Teams D was anchored by Ewing and Robinson, two of the greatest defensive centers ever. The Redeem Team has a gaping hole in that area as currently constructed.

Finally, the point position is pretty even in my mind. J Kidd, CP3 and Deron Williams may not have the resumes of Magic Johnson and John Stockton, but they wouldn’t be run off the floor by no means. Magic would have been a terror to the smallish Redeem team guards but the quickness and strength of the combined efforts of CP3 and D-Will would be plenty rough for Stock. Kidd would be the least productive of the three in my estimation for Team Redeem.

Coaching isn’t even a category for me. The Dream Team really didn’t need a coach just a barometer. Chuck Daly did that extremely well. Coach K seems to have a good grasp on his talent, although he hasn’t seemed to be able to utilize it to it’s fullest extent so far.

Let’s just put this into perspective though. The Dream Team had 10 Hall Of Fame players on their 12 man roster. The Redeem Team has 3 definite’s and maybe a couple of more after several seasons of work. Tough D, an unbelievable amount of unselfishness, incredible basketball minds and a ridiculous level of competitiveness made the Dream Team the greatest single team ever assembled, in any sport. I’m not trying to hear about some futbol team either. Sheer domination and a historically place in the game are just too much too overlook. Could Kobe slow Michael? Please. Scottie would have shut down Kobe, Michael would have taken pride in showing up Bron. Or vice versa. Scottie and Michael were “those” guys. Trust. Carmelo’s time as a PF would be parcel posted to him by a hard charging Mailman. D-Wade’s drives off determination would have been sorely rebuffed by a certain Admiral. Sir Charles would have made an example out of the larger Boozer and Patrick would have made Da-Howitzer’s days of interior dominance seem bleak by comparison. Michael Redd, meet Chris Mullin. And let’s not forget the “magic” that a certain good ole’ boy from French Lick and the ultimate showman coming from LA could have put together for portions of a game. Just too much talent, too much history, too much...........too much.

One game for all the marbles?

I have the score somewhere in the 118-82 area. Not close, not funny and not threatening. For the Dream Team, I mean. How could it be? It's THE DREAM TEAM!!!!

I'd Rather be Elsewhen

2008-08-03T17:50:00.006-04:00

by Tariq al Haydar

One day, and that day may never come, my hair will fall out. I'm 29, so I still have plenty of time to go bald, or at least it SEEMS that I have plenty of time. I'm sure I'll be 56 in no time. OJ Mayo will have retired. Players who I haven't yet heard of will have retired. Maybe a few current household names will have died, and I'll remember the summer of 2008 like it was yesterday. The summer I went to DC, Atlanta and New York. The summer after Kevin Garnett got his ring. The summer Kobe and Bron got their gold medals.

I may remember all that and smile wistfully, and wonder why I was ever so heavily invested in sports in the first place. What has the sport(s) given back to me, aside from a few memories? My favorite player(s) doesn't even know my name, unpronounceable as it may be.

Remember when... Remember when Anthony Mason had all those patterns shaved into his head? Remember the only time he made the all-star team, in his mid-thirties, with the Heat? The same Heat that collapsed after Zo's kidneys gave out...

Remember when Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the stars and stripes?

Remember when Kidd was just a kid, when he was supposed to take over the world with Jamal and Jackson?

Remember The Shot... When Michael pushed off that irrelevant Jazz player (Byron Russell) and cemented his image as a much-needed hero in our minds?

Way back in 2006, Ronaldinho was the king of futbol. He had just won the Champions League. Murmurs were heard of him possibly becoming the greatest soccer player ever. He did things that seemed to be out of a graphic novel: passes with his back, skipping past defenders like a little girl playing hopscotch, elasticity in his feet... Now, two years later, he's a has-been at 28, sold at a reduced price to a club that didn't even QUALIFY for the Champions League. Two years is an eternity in sports.

One day, I may lose my hair, and I'll sit back, massage my scalp, and wonder what sports have
given me, aside from memories.

Hot InThe Shade (7 Things Keeping Me Going This Offseason)

2008-07-25T10:36:00.015-04:00

Well, the doldrums of summer have been kicking my ass since the last game of the NBA Finals came to a close. A hot summer in Florida, a slower than normal work load and nothing on television to keep my interest has lead me to turning my attention to these things to hold onto whatever little sanity I have left. Kill me if you must, but you don't know what your missing!!!!

In no particular order:

1. The Dark Knight

Yeah, yeah, I know. Everyone loves the fuck out of this movie and this isn't a review. Let's just put it like this, as a lifelong comic fan and a purveyor of all things good in previous Batman incarnations, this Joker-led story is what Batman fans of all ages have been waiting on. Heath Ledger was ridiculously good and brought the most complex comic villain to life in such a way that no one EVER will be able to step into those purple and green shoes again. Also, to echo others comments, Maggie Gylenhall does get the repeat beat from the ugly stick without even trying. Two viewings of this film has confirmed that as well as the fact that the story is so solid, costumed hero and villains needn't have been included to make this a fantastic story of crime and heroism. Chris Nolan is that good. And not to be petty, but for my money, Iron Man was way more digestible after several viewings due to it's humor and lack of "morality" issues. In no way is it a better film, just better for getting through a afternoon at home after repeated views of my kid's burned copy. Still, this is a masterpiece.

Lebronze no more!

2. USA Olympic Basketball

Call me an All-American apologist, but I'm not sweating the USA's chances in this upcoming Olympics. There's an air about this squad that wasn't there in 2004. Revenge and talent are going to be two nasty bitches to overcome not seen since the days of Octopussy and Lara Croft. Let's put it like this......even I will be behind Kobe Bryant for the next month. The summer Olympic games are usually a borefest but the promise of a fantastic basketball tournament is going to make my August bearable. Gold is the only color that matters!

3. Fire Rock Pizza-West Palm Beach, FL

http://www.firerockpizza.com/

Look, for a Jersey guinea like me, great pizza is a cornerstone of my existence. Having had great pizza at my fingertips before I left Jersey for Florida on a everyday basis, spoiled is not the word I would use. Overindulged would be better. Now, after almost 20 years of Florida living, there is FINALLY a fantastic pizza place that serves it up with straight ahead greatness in a beautiful location to boot (no pun intended). Going into it's second year, Fire Rock is the favorite spot for my wife, son and I for a great pie, fantastic ribeye steak bits, fried calamari, and excellent chicken wings. The rest of their menu is solid too. If you ever come through the Palm Beach area, make this a place to go. Located right across the road from the Intracoastal Waterway, it's a perfect place for a date, an informal business meeting or a night out with friends and family seated right in the middle of the booming West Palm beach downtown area. (BTW, they need to give me a free meal for the endorsement)

4. Nintendo Wii Fit

Here's something I never thought I would get behind. I have mad love for my Wii (that's funny!) but the idea of sitting in front of my tv "exercising" just didn't seem like a possibility worth investigating. My wife, who also loves my Wii, (OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) bugged me to look for one for her since one of her co-wokers got it and helped her to tone up, lose a few pounds, etc. So I looked. And kept looking and could not find one for the last couple of months. Ebay prices were ridiculous, on-line outlets were sold out and every place I went, the salespeople just looked at me oddly. Finally, earlier this week, a buddy of mine was in a local mall and stopped in an EB games, saw some being put out and picked one up for me. For a couple of days now, both my wife and I have worked it out and you know what? It's actually pretty efficient. No, you're not going to get ripped from it, no you won't make life changing weight loss efforts with it, but for a fun light workout, in the privacy of your own home, it's definitely another creative step in the Nintendo universe that all the other game manufacturers need to find a response to.

This pic was for Tariq.

5. Miami Dolphins football

Miami sports have been pretty horrid for the last couple of seasons. Since D-Wade and Shaquille O'Neal MC'd the championship parade down Biscayne Boulevard, the sports scene here has taken a downward spiral rivaling that of the American dollar.
Leave it to an old school geniuse to get things back on track and the futures of these the franchise seem WAY more solid then it did just a season ago. With Bill Parcells running things, the Dolphins fortunes are capable of being cemented with a championship pedigree and the promise of strict discipline (something they have needed)to begin solidifying their position of relevant NFL franchise again. No, they won't be hoisting a Super Bowl trophy this season, but it's exciting to think that the ability to have a team capable of it isn't too far away. Ridding long time mainstays Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor show the commitment to change and give the other players on the roster the fuel to move at a heightened rate because no is safe if they are underachieving. Gotta love old school initiative.

6. Predator and Rocky III

Guilty pleasures? Yes. Iconic movies from the 80's? Yes. Two cheesy, poorly acted films? Absolutely. But after picking them both up in a 2 for $10 bin at Wal-Mart, seeing them again, without commercial interruption, just shows how entertaining both of them were and still are. Rocky III's best feature to me was the appearance of B.A Barac.....I mean Clubber Lange, a villain in the mold of Mike Tyson (or would that be the other way around?). Full of piss and vinegar and classic lines like "UUUUHNNNNNN" and "HEY FOOL", Rocky never stood a chance. Sure he won in the end but without the Eye Of The Tiger and an injection of soul from Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang should have worn that imaginary title for a long, long time.

And speaking of not standing a chance, only Governator Arnold could overcome a futuristic alien hunter with incredible technology and unstoppable weaponry. Great characterizations, a decent story and fairly ahead of it's time special effects made this a must-see for any fan of action-adventure/sci-fi movies. The Predator became an iconic anti-villain and Arnold continued cementing his legacy as the premier silver screen hero of the time. Need to kill a couple of hours this summer? Push and play either of them.

7. DC Comics-Watchmen graphic novel

If I can just hit back at the #1 entry on my list, if you were there early enough to catch the hour and half long previews to The Dark Knight, you may have noticed a trailer for a movie called The Watchmen. Accompanying it was a Smashing Pumpkins song, superhero imagery and some destructive frames which foreshadow the storyline. Let me give you a bit of advice. Run don't walk, RUN to track down a copy of this mid 80's graphic novel. It's available in reprinted form and will be in high demand as 2009 approach's. It is widely considered the greatest piece of comic book storytelling and one of the most complex tales written in that genre. From my experience, it is one of the most entertaining and highly evolved reads, in comic form or not, I've ever put eye to word to. Don't be one of those people who when the movie hits says "I never read the comic" like it was beneath you and act all dumb and highstrung. Read it. Trust me. It will not be what you expect. Plus it's a long read, so you can kill a lot of time once you get going. As the tag line of the book goes "Who watches The Watchmen?" Hopefully anyone that reads this will be one of them.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and keep the heat to a simmer.

Eboy