July 31, 2007 at 7:29 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
The time has come, my little friends, to talk of other things. Of shoes and ships and ceiling wax, and cabbages and kings ….
With our current home being on the market and our new home needing repairs, I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out. So it was with great joy that I accepted the offer of 12 young men (basketball players) and their coach (my good friend) to come and help me get some work done on the new house.
They came, they saw, they wielded hammers and tore crap down. It was a good time.
In that short span of 3 hours they donated, I got to see a lot of interesting things. About them, myself and life as a young buck. And when I pieced the puzzle together, I stumbled upon this realization:
I’m losing my hair, slowly losing my physical conditioning, I’m past my physical prime and starting to delve ever deeper into “old man” territory. I talk of “those damn kids” and reminisce of “when I was a kid”.
I had begun to lament these changes until these kids came to help out.
It’s not that they were immature – quite to the contrary. They were very well behaved and quite grown up for 15 year olds. And it’s not that they were ignorant. Because they were well spoken and quite informed on a multitude of issues which we discussed in light fashion.
No, it had more to do with life once you’ve figured out who you are as an adult and can choose who you associate with and who you befriend. It had more to do with understanding the deeper joys and lessons that life teaches you and it had more to do with the overall scope of being a teenager in comparison to the big picture that is life.
I hear them talk of music and basketball like it’s life or death. I watch as they try to impress one another, jockeying for “cool” points in an attempt to assert their “alpha male” dominance. I witness the sound and fury of the start of work and the wilting and loss of interest when things get challenging.
I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate their help. Because I do. These kids saved me about 4 days worth of work. They were great company and their help is greatly appreciated.
No, it had more to do with the realization that I’d been pining for my lost youth and mega virility when in reality, life is awesome right now! SO WHAT if I’m getting older? I’ve gained a richer knowledge of life and have acquired a strong mind and soul through my life’s winding path.
The mind that compares the importance and relevance of age to life is a small mind indeed.
I’m not saying I hated being young. I’m saying it’s okay to get older and that I’m fine the way I am; broken back and all.
You know, the scary part isn’t so much that they’re being targeted. The scary part is the extremes that they’ll go to to protect themselves. They have ridiculous amounts of cash and I wonder if electric fences or automated gun turrets are far off ….
I wonder when we’ll hear of a fan who is electrocuted, shot or mauled by a dog because of an NBA player’s paranoia.
For what it’s worth, my opinion is that these incidents are quite isolated and that they have more to do with payments of loans or gambling bets. I’d say it’s a loan shark or something getting his money back.
This is big news as it appears the Celtics are offloading all their “potential” for a big time vet that will command major cash for the next few years. Garnett looks like he’ll sign a 4 year contract extension as well, so it looks like he’ll finish out his career in Boston.
This rumour has been out there too long to be mere speculation. Can you imagine a teaming of Garnett, Ray Allen AND Paul Pierce?!?!?! The asking price is HUGE but the payoffs could be immediate.
This kid was the ONLY reason why the Suns guards didn’t absolutely piss on the Lakers in the last couple of playoff series. Now that he’s gone, look for LA to suck even worse. At the PG position anyway.
Another Chi town hoops star is robbed at gunpoint, bound and gagged. He joins Antoine Walker as a robbery victim. It looks like the robbers are targeting shitty Chicago basketball players, so DWade should be safe. But I’m putting out a warning to:
Juwan Howard, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons, Steven Hunter, Jannero Pargo, Nazr Mohammed, Aaron Williams and Shannon Brown. It’s not that they’re “shitty” per se. I actually like all of the guys on the list, with the exception of Shannon Brown – I don’t know who he is. It’s just that these guys have “love ‘em or hate ‘em” careers, just like ‘toine and Curry. Michael Finley should be fine – he’s a champ.
The NBA World according to Charles Oakley Charles Oakley is a very outspoken guy and he’s always been great for reporters looking for an edgy soundclip. Classics such as “Just because there’s glass on the road don’t mean there’s been an accident.”
Round 2 is set to begin with Steph firing THIS salvo from his blog:
“You want to make me the clown…I’m not the dude on the ESPYs, getting carried on a throne. I’m not him. I’m the good guy, not the bad guy. I don’t want to be carried on the throne…I just want to walk among the people.”
SLAM Ball Dunk gone wrong This is one of the cooler links of the day. Watch it and enjoy! Enjoy, dammit!
July 30, 2007 at 9:06 am · Filed under Uncategorized
“Remember the two benefits of failure: First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you an opportunity to try a new approach”
At first, this sounds like an excuse to accept failure as an everyday option. But it becomes clear that this is more than that when you take into account that we live in a fallen world as and with imperfect beings.
We all try and we all fail. So long as we keep trying our best and don’t give up, it’s okay.
Just remember: Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.
And a song called “My Block” is MADE for basketball mixes.
The song was originally a part of a soundtrack for a movie called “The Show” – which never really came out – not in theatres and not too much hoopla, anyway. This was back in 95. The song was mixed again and dropped on Tupac’s “Better Dayz ” CD. I don’t like the Better Dayz version too much. I suppose I got used to the West Coast synthesizer sound in the original. The song itself doesn’t have much to do with basketball, aside from the title. But the rythm is smooth, like dropping a fadeaway hook shot from 15 and the hook is hella catchy.
Anyway, this song is MADE for streetball as far as I’m concerned.
Shaq’s acting may very well be the worst thing out there. For “Kazaam!”, his movie was called “a tepid vat of cinematic sludge”. I remember reading that in one of the movie reviews back in 96 when the movie came out. I liked that comment SO much that I chose to remember it for a special occasion. This is that occasion.
Anyway …
Blue Chips came BEFORE Kazaam and it wasn’t any good for Shaq’s acting career either. He played what he knows how to play best: A good basketball player. But his acting is so “cardboard stiff” that it’s barely believable that he can PLAY! Which is a stretch, Shaq being what he is.
Fortunately, Nick Nolte swings by and saves the movie a bit with his good acting. He’s there in all his crusty, grumpy glory (classic). And along the way, you get cameos by Penny Hardaway (when he was in his prime), Larry Bird, Bobby Knight, Rick Pitino, Dick Vitale, Jerry Tarkanian and Robert Wuhl and many more. Fans of the NCAA will know who I’m talking about. Also, look for a scene where Boston Celtic (Hall of Famer) Bob Cousy demonstrates his free throw technique.
The movie’s plot can be pretty well summed up in one line:
The movie exposes the dark side of college recruitment which includes money laundering and under-the-table payoffs for top college prospects.
Back in 96, this plot was edgy. Today, it’s common knowledge that the NCAA is run like this. If you didn’t know that, here’s ANOTHER big spoiler for ya: Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny don’t exist and there are no WMDs in Iraq. Just ask Chris Webber and the rest of the Michigan Fab Five, they’ll vouch for it.
The movie was written by Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump) – so it has some decent pedigree. But overall, I’d give this movie a 5 out of 10 just because of the cameos and basketball action. But if I was to judge this flick based on ACTING … even Nick Nolte couldn’t stop me from giving it a 2 1/2 out of 10 … maybe Chuck Norris … but not Nick Nolte.
Still, it’s a basketball flick. Starring Shaq. I suppose it’s all subjective opinion anyway.
I have to wholeheartedly agree with this review of the show as it definitely has a noble purpose in mind. Think “The Biggest Loser – Kid’s edition” and you’ve got the idea of what it is – except that no one is eliminated.
I didn’t take this show seriously when it was announced. It’s hard to take any project by an athlete seriously without thinking of it as a money grab or a PR stunt. And it’s definitely a PR stunt. Except that it’s transformed into something bigger.
The show has basically exposed everything that is wrong with the North American educational system. I say North American because Canada is included in that assessment as well. The focus has shifted to cheapskate education system bureaucrats whose only concern (aside from hiding the ridiculous salaries they command) is keeping the status quo.
Kid’s today appear to be certainly more book smart than they ever used to be (part of that being the education system and part of that being the world wide web), but the emphasis on healthy living (and manners and morals – but that’s another blog post) are nonexistent in the system. And every attempt to make a change for the better is met with hemming and hawing and red tape and paper work.
Watching the show, I became very heated at times when the show’s trainers spoke with school faculty. It appears like all teachers, principals and vice principals just feel so helpless and tied down that they are merely walking encyclopedias more concerned with GPAs than the student’s actual well being. Of course this is a generalized statement and doesn’t truly represent the good intentions that most teachers have in their respective field.
And what does that get you? A nation that is filled to the brim with not only overweight kids, but ridiculously overweight parents as well! That leads to a SLEW of health problems ranging from diabetes all the way to heart disease. These health issues don’t appear to be THAT big a deal at first. But when you consider that preventing ANY of those health issues involves an active lifestyle, it becomes apparent that today’s health pandemics are the result of poor lifestyle habits that are established at the earliest ages possible.
Health issues aside, it represent a HUGE strain on the health system of their respective nation because of all the care and medicine that is required to treat them! I mean, it’s great for drug companies …. but for the average North American, a sedentary lifestyle only causes more harm.
Shaquille O’Neal has earned new respect in my book … sorta. While Shaq makes appearances on the show and does SOME of the work, the real stars of the show are the trainers (and the kids). They look after each of the kid’s physical well being and run those kids like drill sargeants. They stress the implications of an unhealthy lifestyle and place challenges in front of those kids with attainable goals.
And the kids are great too. In the first few episodes, the kids were mired in “woe is me” and “this is so hard” attitudes which irritated me to no end. But in the last few weeks, they’ve transformed into the positive, hard working kids they have the potential of being. They’ve gone so far as inviting other overweight friends and starting after school programs. They show up voluntarily and encourage classmates.
And the fruits of their labour is beginning to show. They’re not only looking better, they appear to be FEELING better; about themselves, about their work and about life. It has been a joy to watch and I have to admit that I’ve become hooked. I hope they do a second season.
At the VERY least, the show proves that even with scads of money, people can still care. It also sends a message out to other pro athletes that doing the community service you’re ordered to do because you signed a contract sometimes doesn’t mean anything. Why? Because sometimes the real issues require you to go out and challenge them. Sure, you can hand out food at shelters and give toys to sick kids and live your life respectably. But if you wanna say you made an impact during your life, sometimes, taking Shaq’s approach and taking on a seldom acknowledged problem is the surest way to cement your legacy. Not all the problems are race and gender related. And donating money to drug companies will not fix the problem either.
As we’ve seen on the show; sometimes the problems you face can only be solved by one thing: good old fashioned hard work.
Originally I went to Burnsville because I wanted to show Byrneses that there was a mall named after them. It may not be exciting to anyone else, but I found it kinda cool. If I had delayed my vacation by … oh … 3 months, I could have met Stephon Marbury!
“There are so many people out there that face a more difficult life than many of us,” said Nash, speaking above the loud cheers of a home-province crowd at GM Place. “You have to try and use that as inspiration to enjoy your life and do what you can to help people and be good to people.
“A lot of people go through a lot of things. There is no rhyme nor reason and it isn’t fair. It’s difficult to see people struggle. I’m just glad we have a foundation that can help some of these people.”
The more time Steve Nash is in the League, the more I can appreciate how down to earth and nice he is.
July 25, 2007 at 8:02 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Congratulations go out to my boy TJ and his girl Lyndsy as they are expecting a baby of their own! TJ just had one about a year ago or so (give or take a few months) and they didn’t waste any time in making another one!
I’m proud of TJ and all the ways in which he has grown in the last few years. He’s made a great dad for one little girl and there’s another baby on the way who will be equally blessed.
I don’t know why it’s such a huge deal that this happened. I mean, anyone can become crooked. It’s not uncommon. So why does everyone have to make such a big deal of this issue?
Just cart the man to trial and let the courts sort it out.
I posted that Mo Pete was a Utah Jazz member a while ago, but as it turns out, I know nothing. News came out today that it was New Orleans who just signed Peterson – not the Utah Jazz.
Either way, I was right about one thing: Mo Pete will not be a Raptor next season.
July 23, 2007 at 8:43 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Don’t Quit!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low, and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, when he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, It’s when things seem worst, that You Must Not Quit.
This is a great flick – as far as my own tastes go, anyway. Every time I bring this movie up, I get a groan and a “haterade” attitude, but no one has ever really seen it – aside from me, I guess.
Eddie is the story of a New York grunt cab driver who is also a hard core Knicks fan (Whoopi Goldberg plays the role of Eddie). She gets the prize of a lifetime when she’s chosen as the “guest coach” at halftime of a Knicks game. That prize is extended when the team owner realizes that the fans love her. She tries to improve the Knicks, comical highjinks ensue and everyone learns valuable lesssons about life and basketball.
The real draw to this movie are the characters which take exaggerated liberties with the “average” personality found in the NBA. There’s the token great vet, the new star, the import with the thick russian accent, the shy, spineless assistant coach …. cliches abound. But the WAY in which those characters are brought out are golden! “Ivan (Eee-Vaan) shoot basket!”
I say this is a great popcorn flick that doesn’t force the viewer to think about wider issues like racism and ecenomics of sport. A funny flick with great one liners, a good soundtrack (Coolio’s basketballized remake of “It’s all the way live” is definitely Song of the week material) and a light mood. A muct have for true hoop heads.
He left a star, he returns as just a role player. I wonder, with 3 point guards, how the point guard situation in Houston will play out. Mike James, Rafer Alston AND Steve Francis are all members of the Rockets. The more this off season goes by, the more I see Rafer Alston being traded away from Houston.
Sure, LA may have great medical facilities to treat his daughter, but I don’t see why he asked to be released from his contract in Utah. From a man I’ve come to know as a stand up, honest guy, this move sure smacks of dishonesty.
What … Greg Oden wasn’t good enough? Or did he want too much money? He got a frickin’ $10 Million signing bonus!!!! That would buy ME a LOT of slurpees …
I’m not much on American cities keeping their NBA Franchises. I’ve never been directly impacted by it; more than that, if the city is “meh” then I say they kinda deserve it for not supporting their franchise. But when Vancouver lost it’s NBA franchise, and since we (in Winnipeg) lost our Jets, I can definitely understand what the people go through when they’re desperately trying to keep a franchise in a city, especially when it defines who they are as a city in one way or another. So I’m really hoping Seattle keeps its franchise there and I hope the owner isn’t a complete ass through this process.
The man may have “broad shoulders to carry the load” but a mother and brother in jail make for a tough go of things. I can see why he plays ball. And it’s impressive that he’s stayed clean this long. I like STAT.
I never would have expected this. I wonder is this is a publicity stunt to further his “Starbury” clothing line or whether he’s serious …
Spurs re-sign Oberto
This is surprising. And good. I’m glad that Fabricio chose to stay in SA. They’re a good fit. And with Timmy, hell elevate his game and value as they strive to win even more chips. Good choice.
I, for one, am glad that he’s gone from Toronto. I don’t think he ever really achieved what he was capable of as a pro in Toronto. That being said, Mo Pete was the last player on the Toronto Raptors from that fabled 2001 Playoff Run. So, in a messed up sort of way, I’m sad to see him go.
I hope that fans in Toronto show some class and cheer this guy on for all the years of hard work and challenges he faced as a member of the organization.
David Stern isn’t even waiting before the season starts to suspend Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest …. I’ve got mixed emotions about this, but ultimately, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.
After reports that he was heavily favoured to take the PG job in Miami, Mo Williams decided to stay in Buck Town for another 6 seasons. I say, good work Mo! Way to not go to Miami! It would have been the end of your career. Now he gets to play with Yi.
Though it’s not a foregone conclusion, popular belief is that PJ Brown is going to retire. This move by the Bulls signals that, even if PJ Brown does NOT retire, that they are ready for his departure. I don’t know that this is a better acquisition than PJ Brown (if he plays elsewhere next season) but at least the Bulls are thinking.
Mikki Moore left the Nets, on Friday, and signed a deal with the Kings. BIG loss for the Nets as Mikki Moore was a MAJOR reason why they did so well in the first place. But the addition of Magloire provides a rough and rugged centre who plays aggressive D on opposing posts. Is it the best acquisition? Doesn’t seem like it right now, but time will tell better.
It’s so easy to take a negative approach to how things turn out. It’s so easy to put your head down and sulk and whine and complain. And there’s so many daily scenarios that allow us to do that; jobs, family, relationships, health, sports, politics, religion ….
I think this quote is similar in meaning to “when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade”
I never used to be an optimistic person. And to an extent, I still don’t consider myself one. But I’ve found that life is more fun (and more enjoyable) when I take a positive approach to things. Are things always peachy keen? Hell no. But I don’t think I’d ever be happy if I chose to dwell on the things that aren’t going my way.
We all have choices to make in life. Me, I’m choosing to take a more positive approach to life – for MY OWN sanity.
I also LOVE Michael Jackson. His music was the soundtrack for my youth. I remember wanting one of those red “Thriller Jackets“. I remember watching “Moonwalker” at home with my parents as a pre-teen, roller skating to “Beat It” and I know all the words to “Wanna be startin’ something” (mama-say,-mama-sah, mama-coo-sah!).
So when Michael Jackson released “Dangerous” in 1991, I was all of 15 years old and (I’m ashamed to say) this song flew under my radar. At this point in my life, I had barely discovered basketball and was still trying to find myself as an awkward teenager. I was 20 when I discovered this song and I’ve loved it since.
Here’s my breakdown of WHY this such an important song: Michael Jackson did a Basketball song with Michael Jordan (Check the YouTube video here). The two biggest forces in the sports and music industry of their times came together in one three minute magnus opus. That’s it. (oh, and Heavy D was in there too)
Time has treated this song well as it still sounds every bit as cool as it did the day it came out. While most people cite “Black or White“, “Heal the World” and “Remember the Time” as the great singles of that album, I am ALWAYS willing to argue that this song is THE best song in the album.
Why, you ask? Well, how many times can you listen to those tracks without feeling like they’re a bit cheesy and “90′s” in style? That does NOT happen with Jam. Especially if you associate it with the video.
I know most people will cringe at the mere mention of Michael Jackson’s name. And I know that people mostly remember him for the wacked out crap he’s done recently. But I remember a time when Michael Jackson was the king of the music industry. And this, his “permaneo valde opus” is a great reminder of why he commanded such admiration.
If you want to learn more about Jam, try this site. It’s a Wikipedia Entry on the music track.
The average score for this movie from RottenTomatoes.com is 3/10. From IMDb, it’s an average of 4/10. I’ve been looking through websites for about 25 minutes and can’t find a score over 4/10 … except from one cracked out user who gave the movie a 6/10.
I’ll be totally honest and confess that I haven’t seen this movie. I don’t think I can bring myself to do it, either. It just seems wrong …. I remember seeing the trailers for this flick and saying “Oh you have got to be ***king kidding me!” right out loud.
——
Here’s the plot: Jamal Jeffries (Miguel A. Nunez, Jr.), the reigning ‘bad boy’ of basketball, gets kicked out of the league and without any prospects. Financially strapped and untrained in anything but basketball, Jamal comes up with a plan so outrageous it just might work: dress up like a woman and try out for the woman’s basketball league. To his surprise, he makes it, but now the real challenge begins – to cease being Jamal and start new life as Juwanna. Matters become even more complicated when Juwanna realizes that he is falling for his teammate Michelle (Vivica A. Fox), who shows him that there is more to women than meets the eye.
——
As IF the entire world wouldn’t be able to figure out that it’s a guy in drag trying to play basketball in a women’s league.The premise is just so half baked (and I don’t mean “Half Baked” half baked) that it’s a wonder the movie’s producers were able to get ANY money whatsoever for making this dredge.
Juwanna is predictable and not very original and the plot and acting were less than stellar, but I liked it anyway. It doesn’t pretend to be deep or thought provoking. It is what it is – pure summer fluff. Tommy Davidson was the standout as a “KUNTRAY” rapper named Puff Smokey Smoke who happens to be in love with Juwanna. She spends half her time practically beating him off with a stick and he keeps coming back for more. The interaction between these two totally cracked me up. Not to mention my favorite Diva on the planet – Jenifer Lewis, makes a few appearances as Jamal’s auntie. That alone was enough to make me like this movie. This is a cute little date film and if you miss it while it’s in the theater, it’s a definite rental.
Now, the review was written by a woman. And we all know that men and women share different opinions on what a good movie is. Knowing that I enjoyed Eddie and The 6th Man, I’m want to believe that there might be something that I can take away as positive from this movie. Heck, the fact that it’s a basketball movie alone endears this movie to me in some messed up masochistic sort of way.
I think I’ll definitely have to watch it, to make up my mind; cuz, you know ….. I’m a sucker for punishment. And in order to give it an accurate (personal) review. And I’ll be updating this review when I DO see it. But in the meantime, I have to say that there’s no way I could possibly recommend this movie to the average basketball fan.
It’s like watching yourself kicking your own junk in the mirror. It’s just not humane.
