No love for Timmy?

These last thre weeks we’ve had a lot of questions answered about who are the elite of the league and what teams will be in the running for the Blake Griffin sweepstakes. However, some questions have been left unanswered – until now.

Why doesn’t Tim Duncan get any love from the fans?
In my last MVP rankings I had Tim Duncan ranked sixth amongst his peers as far as MVP consideration went at the time and I got some feedback from readers saying that Duncan was either too high on the list or should have been taken off completely. As a Lakers fan who has watched Mr. Duncan destroy my favorite team on more occasions than I can count on my two hands, I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t get any love from basketball fans around the country considering the Spurs record and the number of games both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have missed due to injury this season. After starting 2-5, the Spurs have won 11 of 14 games.

With both Parker and Ginobili out, Duncan has had to start along side the likes of Michael Finley’s old ass, Fabricio Oberto, Roger Mason Jr. and the rookie George Hill. This starting lineup falls short of impressive, but guys like Mason and Finley have stepped up huge and Hill has been even better than advertised (which I guess was expected because the Spurs always draft well). What’s been the most impressive is the way Duncan was still able to play his game despite not having Parker or Ginobili on the floor to take double teams away from him. Now, with Hill getting valuable minutes in Ginobili and Parker’s absence and the great play from Mason Jr., the Spurs look as poised as ever to be contenders in the West, especially if Parker goes back to playing like an MVP candidate like he was before he was injured. If anything, I probably should have had Duncan ranked higher a couple of weeks ago.

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers really that good?
LeBron and co. just saw an impressive 11-game winning streak come to and end and it has many people wondering if the Cavs are really as good as their record is showing. The answer is two-fold bearing in mind who they’ve played during their win streak and the two teams they lost to before the streak started. The first game of the streak was an 110-96 drubbing of the Atlanta Hawks at home – and outside of their 114-94 win over Toronto – that Atlanta game was their toughest game since their loss in Detroit. Before the loss to Detroit the Cavs rattled off eight straight wins with their only tough road game being played in Dallas and their toughest home game featured a Deron Williams-less Utah Jazz team.

With that being said, I still think that the Cavs are the third – maybe even the second best team in the league right now because they’re winning on the defensive end of the floor. During their 11-game winning streak they only allowed one 100-point game, and that was in New York against a Mike D’Antoni team. Even with Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the floor, the Cavaliers have one of the quickest defenses in the league. Mike Brown has done an amazing job of getting this team committed to the defensive end of the floor, and it’s all started with LeBron James. Of course we’re going to see some ridiculous dunk from James on almost every night, but what’s been most impressive is the fact that almost all of his highlights on Sports Center’s Top 10 plays have been off of a steal – and at least twice a week one of his Top 10 plays has been a block preventing a fast break lay-up or him coming help side to make up for Daniel Gibson or Mo Williams being beat off the dribble. There are little-to-no easy buckets against this Cavs team. Sure, people are going to point at their cupcake schedule, but the good teams are supposed to blow out the bad teams, right?

What has been the biggest surprise this season thus far?
At this point, there hasn’t been one huge surprise, but there have been a few players and teams who have stood out and are as follows:

-Devin Harris has been playing out of his mind. Before this season he had never scored 30 points in a game, and now he’s the second best player on my fantasy team (not necessary, but this is probably my favorite 9th round draft pick of all time). He’s worked himself into the conversation of the league’s top seven or eight point guards right now. He has single handedly won at least three to four games for the Nets already. I get just as excited to watch Harris play as I do when a Hornets or a Jazz game comes on.

-Speaking of point guards who are trying to make a claim for a spot on that top 10 point guard list, Rajon Rondo has been simply amazing for the Celtics this season. He’s become fearless and it’s been a lot of fun to watch (and also brutal because the Celtics are a great basketball team while he’s on the floor and just a really good basketball team when he’s sitting). This is slowly – and I stress slowly – becoming his team. Rondo has learned to dictate tempo, he’s been throwing passes that he wouldn’t have even thought about throwing when he got into the league and he’s become a great on-ball defender. He’s a huge reason why the Celtics are on an 13-game winning streak and have the best record in the league.

-There have been an unprecedented amount of coaches fired before Christmas this season. The firing of the King’s Reggie Theus on December 15th marked the sixth coach to be fired before the holidays. What’s stood out to me the most is the fact that Theus was the third light skinned coach to be fired. Half of the coaches fired, a tenth of the coaches in the league or 75 percent of the light skinned coaches in the league are gone. I know this won’t matter to a lot of talkhoops.net’s readers, but it matters to us childish African-Americans who still think it’s funny that light skinned and dark skinned black people are constantly in competition. Now we’re stuck with Doc Rivers. I mean, he’s not terrible and he is the head coach of the defending champions, but I hate the Celtics and that’s just not good enough for me. I mean, I guess I can understand the firing of Mo Cheeks (not really, just more than the others), but as talkhoops.net editor asked: Why fire Eddie Jordan or Reggie Theus. Both of their teams have been plagued by injuries to key players, something you just can’t make up for as a coach in this league. I say conspiracy (I’m watching you Michael Jordan), others say changes just needed to be made (still got my eyes on you, Mike). Whatever it was, it’s not a good look for the league. We need our light skinned coaches.

-Fans across the country have to love the Sergio Rodriguez – Rudy Fernandez backcourt combination. Has there ever been a better, more exciting or more hilarious backup backcourt combination? The Brian Shaw – Isaiah Rider backup backcourt might have been funnier the Manu Ginobili – Ime Udoka backup backcourt might have been better but it would be hard to come up with any other backup backcourt combination that is as fun to watch as the Rodriguez-Fernandez backcourt. I may be one of the biggest Brandon Roy fans in the world, but I wouldn’t even be mad if I came in late to a Blazers game and caught the end of the first quarter to see the Rodriguez-Fernandez backcourt. When the Blazers play Rodriguez, Fernandez and Roy at the same time, it’s like heaven on television.

-The number of likeable players who aren’t “stars” has been ridiculous. My friend Davion and I meet up at this pizza place called Poppa O’s (also know as The Fourth Headquarters) at least once a week to catch one of the three double headers either on ESPN or TNT. Lately, we’ve been having mock drafts for our hypothetical teams that we’ll probably eventually end up making on NBA 2K9 (only because his bum ass didn’t buy NBA Live ’09), but the guys we’ve been drafting will probably never be on an all star team. We’re not picking up guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, we’re drafting guys like Sergio Rodriguez, Paul Millsap, Acie Law, Juan Dixon and Jose Juan Barea. I’ve fallen in love with the non-stars again this season for the first time since the mid to late ‘90s and I love it. Pumping up guys like Aaron Brooks, Andre Blatche, Ronny Turiaf and Spencer Hawes has been one of the best parts of this season. It’s great that there are some good non-stars to watch, but it’s also hilarious. When you can give a guy like Juan Dixon a nickname like “The Eddie House Stopper,” it’s a good basketball season.

1. L. James (1) (22-4) 27.5ppg 6.8rpg 6.3apg 50.3fg%
I really can’t imagine how this man could be stopped if he had just three fourths of the mid-range game and post up game Kobe Bryant has (or had last season… maybe?). He’s a monster in the open floor, he’s always looking for his teammates and his jump-shot is gradually improving (not at a rate we all expected from him, but he’s getting there). I think what has summed up this season for James at this point is the fact that on some nights, when he’s on Sports Center’s Top 10 plays, they have LeBron James packages. Some night’s there isn’t just one play – or two plays, but myriad plays that need to be seen numerous times. If not for anything else, he’s the MVP right now just because he has to be packaged on Sports Center’s Top 10. I can’t think of any other player in any other sport who has been packaged this many times before the half way point of his or her respective season. Right now he’s Jordan in the 86-87 season, Tom Brady in 2007, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant in 2006. He’s in a league of his own right now.

2. C. Paul (4) (15-7) 19.7ppg 5.4rpg 11.9apg 2.8spg
I tried to think of one bad thing to say about Chris Paul’s game and the only thing I could come up with is the fact that sometimes, he’s too good for his teammates. Of Paul’s 2.95 turnovers per game, I think you can attribute one per game for him making a play for a teammate who probably didn’t even think that play was even possible to be made. He sees the floor better than any point guard since John Stockton and probably has the best defensive instincts of any point guard ever. His streak of 106 consecutive games with a steal is unheard of. This seems like one of those streaks that could be up there with Cal Ripkin’s 2,632 consecutive starts, Joe Dimaggio’s 56 straight games with a hit and Byron Nelson’s 11 straight PGA Tour wins. This is going to be one of the most untouchable streaks in sports.

3. K. Bryant (2) (21-4) 25.2ppg 5.3rpg 4.3apg 1.5spg
A lot of people are already giving Bryant the washed up tag – something that I can’t understand at this point in his career. As far as I’m concerned, he’s still the best basketball player in the NBA. Sure, LeBron James get’s to the rim better, Chris Paul gets teammates involved and Dwyane Wade is noticeably quicker than Bryant, but no one else in the league possesses the skill set that Bryant has. His mid-range game is still among the league’s elite, he can still post up the majority of the guys who are stuck guarding him one-on-one and he uses angles to take advantage of defenders better than anyone in the league, maybe better than anyone who’s ever played the game. Just because his numbers are down it doesn’t mean his game is down as a basketball player. Sure, 25 points per isn’t 28, 31 or 35, but dropping 25 every night is no easy feat. Neither is leading your team to a 21-4 record.

4. D. Wade (5) (13-12) 28.3ppg 5.1rpg 7.0apg 2.2spg
More than anyone else on this list, Dwyane Wade needs to play well for his team to succeed. During the Heat’s game against the Lakers, ESPN showed a statistic that showed just how much Wade means to the Heat’s success. During a recent three game losing streak, Wade averaged just over 17 points per game. However, during the four game winning streak prior to the losing streak, he averaged just over 34 points per game. If we’re giving the award to the most valuable player and nothing else, Wade definitely has a claim for the award because the Heat will suffer more without Wade than any team who removes a potential MVP candidate. More than anything, I just can’t stress enough how glad I am to see him back and healthy.

5. D. Howard (3) (20-6) 20.8ppg 14.1rpg 3.8bpg 56.9fg%
If he’s done nothing else for the Magic, he’s helped them become a very good defensive team. If there’s anything you want to have when building a defensive minded basketball team is a solid big man who rebounds well and alters shots. Howard has done all of that and more for the Magic to help them to their 20-6 record. It’s much easier to play tight on the parameter when you know you have the league’s leading shot-blocker behind you. With more contested shots, means more missed shots for the opposing teams, and when you have the league’s leading rebounder, you have less demoralizing defensive possessions where offensive rebounds are given up despite a great defensive effort. Because of Howard, the rest of this Magic team has become much more confident on the defensive end, and that’s where the elite teams are winning their games this season. The Magic are third in the league in defensive efficiency, numbers one, two and four are the Celtics, Cavaliers and the Lakers respectively. If Howard stays healthy, the Magic will remain one of the league’s elite teams.

6. T. Duncan (6)
That’s right, Timmy is still sixth on my list of MVPs, but it’s going to be hard for him to climb the list is the Spurs can’t beat some of the league’s better teams. Big losses to Orlando and New Orleans isn’t going to help much.

7. C. Billups (9)
Chauncey Billups has completely changed the culture of the Nuggets. They’ve moved from a team that might have been fighting for an eighth seed to a team that could be playing for a third or fourth seed. It’s amazing what a quality point guard can do for a team.

8. P. Pierce (7)
The only reason Pierce has moved down is the fact that he’s not as valuable to his team as the other MVP candidates are. In fact, Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen (barf) and Rajon Rondo are all pretty much interchangeable here. I just put Pierce because he’s “better than Kobe.”

9. B. Roy (NR)
On December 18th, Brandon Roy scored 52 points, six assists, five rebounds and had no turnovers. Want more? During the Blazers last five games, Roy has been averaging 36.4 points, five assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He deserves to be here.

10. D. Nowitzki (NR)
The Mavericks are playing well and Dirk may be playing the best basketball of his career. His 26.4 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game are better numbers than what he put up in 2006, the year he won the MVP.



Agree? Disagree? Let me know. I'll be addressing all arguments in the next edition of my MVP rankings.

Top 10 MVP Candidates Week 1: Giving Thanks

Lebron is off to a quick start. But remember, he was off to a fast start last season and didn't bring home any hardware to show for it.

Weekly MVP Rankings 1st Edition

Were a little over a month into the season and just days removed from Thanksgiving – and it seems like everyone is already done giving thanks. Why stop when there is so much to be thankful for?

I give thanks everyday for family and friends, the opportunity to continue my education and the fact that I’m not an Oklahoma City Thunder fan (or a Detroit Lions fan, yikes!). I’m definitely giving thanks to the wonderful job that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have done and to LeBron James (yes, Lebron James) for his endless highlights this season.

I continue to give thanks to the Portland Trailblazers for the few times that I’ve gotten to see Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez on the floor together. Is there a more exciting Spaniard in sports outside of Rafael Nadal? Absolutely not, and that is why I give thanks.

I give thanks to Michael Curry for holding a practice on Thanksgiving morning, supplying the basketball world with another shipment of what already seemed like an endless supply of Allen Iverson “practice” jokes. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We’re talking about Thanksgiving practice.

I have to give thanks to guys like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups and Ramon Sessons (!) for giving us one of the deepest collections of pure point guards since the mid 90s. It’s been amazing watching all of these guys, especially Rose, who has been as good as any rookie point guard I’ve seen in a while, during the course of this first month of NBA basketball.

I’m definitely still giving thanks for signing up for Khlid El Amin’s mailing list so I can get coupons to the El Amin Fish House out in Minnesota. I swear, when I get the time I’m going to get out of California and get to that fish house so I can get the Special #7 – 50 catfish steaks for $64.99. You just can’t beat that.

I give thanks for my seven-month old nephew who cried when Celtics highlights were being shown on Sports Center and when a Boys II Men song was played. Not that I have anything against Boys II Men, I just think it’s hilarious that he has something against them – but best believe that I can’t stand the Celtics.

I give thanks for Dwyane Wade’s return as one of the leagues elite, for Dwight Howard being a man and for Tracy McGrady exclaiming, “Welcome to Houston, BABY!” in one of those Addidas Brother hood commercials, it gets me every time.

(Side note: McGrady and Tim Duncan pick teams between the kids for what I’m assuming is going to be a pick up game and T-Mac says, “My team’s going to win and if you’re not on my team you’re going to wish you’re on my team.” Every time I watch that commercial I think, “there’s no way a McGrady led team is going to beat a Timmy led team.” I’m right, right. I mean, I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but McGrady is looking ridiculously old. He isn’t the guy he was three years ago. Injuries have ruined his career, and I wouldn’t be surprised, even with Ron Artest and a healthy Yao Ming, if the Rockets still couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs. His window is closing very fast, and could be closed by the time his contract expires after the 2010 season. There will be a lot of stars on the market that off season, and so will McGrady. By 2010, he will not be a superstar anymore. In fact, I feel like I can argue that he isn’t a superstar now, but I digress).

Last but not least, I give thanks just because I have basketball. I don’t have a lot of things in life that I’d like to have, but I have what I want right now, and it’s basketball. I could fail my History final (which I might have done), I might not remember the last time I got a full night’s worth of sleep and my relationships with some friends may have faltered during the course of this last year, yet, none of that matters, at least not right now because it’s basketball season (and the new Kanye West album just dropped). I’m definitely thankful for that.

Without further ado, here are your 2009 MVP candidates after one month:

1. Lebron James (12-3) 27.9ppg 7.2rpg 6.3apg
Just because I gave thanks to James and have him at the top of this list don’t get the idea that I’m becoming a fan of his. His jump shot is still abysmal (24.6 3P%) and I’m still waiting for him to completely take over the league by developing a post game. However, James has been great this season. The Cavaliers have the second best record in the Eastern Conference and have the third best record in the league – and that credit is not going to Mo Williams. James has been nothing short of spectacular this season and has the funniest shoe commercial out right now.

2. Kobe Bryant (12-1) 23.7ppg 5.0rpg 1.77spg
Kobe definitely isn’t second in the MVP voting because of his statistics. For almost anyone else in the league these would be great numbers, but this is a down season for Bryant, but you can’t argue with the results, a 12-1 record. The Lakers only loss this season came on the only night Bryant took over 30 shots, this is something you might want to monitor. Another thing you should definitely monitor is the number of unnecessary no-look passes (UNLPs) Bryant throws. My friend Davion pointed this out to me a few weeks ago and now I can’t watch a Lakers game without keeping track of his UNLPs. There have been countless times this season when it was strikingly obvious who Kobe was throwing his pass to, yet, he still looked the other way – but the worst part is he always looks the other way after the pass. Can we please get Kobe to stop trying to look cool can continue to play as one of the most fundamentally sound guards of all time? Thanks.

3. Dwight Howard (12-4) 21.2ppg 13.5rpg 3.9bpg
Dwight Howard has six games with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds – and I’m disappointed in this. Howard is A MAN (!), I don’t see why he couldn’t have 20 and 15 at the very least every other night. Outside of his lack of a killer instinct, I’ve loved watching the development of Howard’s game. I mean, just think of what he would be if he got angry every once in a while, it would be scary. I remember at one point in The Incredible Hulk when Tim Roth’s character, before he became the Abomination, was fighting the Hulk and asked him, “Is that all you got?” Immediately after asking the question the Hulk kicked the hell out of him and Roth went flying into a tree. I loved that. Why can’t Howard get that pissed and start kicking people – or at least dunking on them and yelling in their face and blocking their shots into the 47th row of arenas and pulling down rebounds with his elbows out? It has to happen at some point.

4. Chris Paul (9-5) 20.6ppg 12.0apg 52.4 FG%
The only reason Chris Paul isn’t higher on this list is because of the Hornets unexpected slow start. Despite starting off the season with seven straight games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, the Hornets were only able to manage to win four games, just imagine what their record would have been if he wasn’t playing out of his mind. Since the Hornets embarrassing loss to Sacramento, they have won four straight with Paul logging two triple doubles during that span. Also, his 52.4 field goal percentage is outstanding considering he and Tony Parker are the only two guards in the NBA shooting over 50 percent from the field with at least 10 field goal attempts per game. Sometimes I find myself wondering if there has been a better point guard in my basketball watching lifetime (from any season after the 1991-1992 season) and I can’t think of any. Not one.

5. Dwyane Wade (7-8) 27.4ppg 7.5apg 2.53spg
I understand that the Heat’s record is under .500 right now (and they were blown out 106-68 by Portland), but you have to understand what Dwyane Wade has done this season. With a rookie starting at both point guard and power forward, a starting center who is 6’8’’ with shoes on and Shawn Marion’s jump shot, Wade has almost single handedly made the Heat a competitive team while posting some ridiculous numbers. Wade has already had a stretch of four straight 30 point games and a four game stretch with ate least three or more steals. If the Heat had a legitimate center you’d be looking at a team that was three to four games over .500 instead of one under right now. I’m just glad Wade is back and healthy. He’s looked quicker this season that he has at any other point in his career, and that’s just scary.

Rounding out the rest of the Top 10
Tim Duncan
Duncan is the reason the Spurs are still a winning team despite injuries to both Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker. This is going to be a tough team when everyone’s healthy.

Chris Bosh
Bosh is second in scoring and fifth in rebounds. Even with those great numbers, the Raptors are just 7-7.

Paul Pierce
For some reason, he still thinks he’s the best basketball player in the world and for some reason, that’s still beyond me. He’d be higher, but his stats are down in scoring and assists this season – and he wasn’t an MVP last year (don’t forget he plays for the Celtics).

Chauncey Billups
The Nuggets are 9-3 since Billups has joined the team. Even though his numbers have been far from great, why are there still Nuggets fans mad about Iverson being traded?

Amar’e Stoudamire
Stoudamire’s numbers started out great, but he’s only had one multi-rebound game since his 49-point, 10-rebound game on November 5th. He needs to average more than eight boards a game.

Let me know who is too high or too low. Who got left off? Who shouldn't be on the list?

Why I'm obligated to buy Kanye's album

One of the things I love in life almost as much as basketball is hip hop. I’ve been a Nas fan for as long as I can remember (actually since the “I am” album, my stuttering friend Reggie bought the album when it came out and we listened to that shit in my friend Marcus’ room for hours while playing Madden ’99 on Nintendo 64). I remember loving the album cover because I was a fucking nerd (I’m saying was like I’m not anymore, don’t let the past tense fool you, I’m still a fucking nerd), and I thought the Ancient Egyptians were some of the illest people in history and Nas’ King Tut looking album cover made me a fan, yeah, it was that simple back then, but I was only 12.

I also remember around the same time Beanie Sigel dropped “The Truth,” something I normally wouldn’t have paid attention to back then. However, being the nerd that I was, I loved (I can’t emphasize the word LOVED enough) great production because I was in band and just loved the way some instruments can be put together. I remember watching 106 & Park (I was 12 haha) back when AJ and Free were still there and Sigel’s song The Truth from The Truth album debuted at something like 10 or something and I remember that beat being ridiculous. It’s not very often I hear a beat and just instantly start feeling that shit, but that Graham Nash sample with those simple, but effective drums had me bobbin my head with a face looking something like I just tasted some mashed peas. A few weeks later my friend Reggie had the Beanie Sigel album and brought it over Marcus’ house and we played Madden while listening to it.

The first two songs on that album were “The Truth” and “Who Want What.” These two songs were the cause for our second longest debate about hip hop (the first being about who we thought was better between Red Man and Method Man, I’m still not sure who I like more, but I digress). We argued for hours about which beat was better produced. At this time both, no one really knew who the two producers were. One was Just Blaze and the other was Kanye West. Don’t get me wrong, I loved “Who Want What,” but I just thought “The Truth” was one of the coldest beats I’ve ever heard. Later that year Jay-Z released “The Dynasty” and I thought Just Blaze was the best thing to happen to hip hop because of that damn intro (still a top 10 beat to me) and “Streets is Talking.” Kanye was on the album too, but he just produced “This Can’t be Life” and I really can’t listen to that shit.

The next year J-Hova released the Blueprint (I still think the album is overrated, but whatever) and I had to switch back over to Kanye as the best thing to happen to hip hop (as far as producers go, of course) because of “Heart of the City.” “Izzo” and “The Takeover” get a lot of love, but “Heart of the City” is still my favorite beat of all time (I even wrote this article about how I knew the Lakers were going to win Game 3 of the finals because their pre-game montage was shown with the Heart of the City instrumental playing in the background). Since I’ve heard Heart of the City, I’ve been a Kanye West fan – die hard Kanye West fan at that. As far as fandom goes, it’s the Raiders, the Lakers, USC football and basketball, the Giants, Nas, Kanye West, UNC basketball and Lupe Fiasco. Everything else falls somewhere after those.

I remember how I felt when I heard Kanye West was releasing The College Dropout the same way I remember going to see Eddie Jones play at the Great Western Forum for the first time. I remember where I was the first time I heard Through the wire the same way I remember where I was when Jordan drained the game winner over Bryon Russell. I remember getting goose bumps when I heard the “Good Morning” beat the much like the way I got them when Baron Davis bumped on AK47 and sent the game to a commercial break. I remember not knowing what to do with myself when I heard “Diamonds,” (maybe my second favorite beat of all time and the second verse may be the best 32 bars of his career) just like the way I sat there not knowing what to do with myself when Kobe dropped 81 on the Raptors. Kanye is the only artist who has points in his career that I look back and reminisce on the way I do with sports, which is why I was so pissed when I learned that he was releasing an album that was going to be strictly recorded in auto-tune.

You see, much like several god awful sports moments, there are god awful moments in music, and I thought 808s and Heartbreak would be one of those god awful moments in music. I must say that I definitely overreacted when I heard that the album was in auto-tune. I mean, did I overreact when I learned that the Raiders traded Marcus Allen (who was a god to me in elementary school) to the fucking Chiefs? Probably. But did I stop loving the Raiders? Absolutely not. What about when the Lakers got rid of Eddie Jones or when the Giants traded Matt Williams for Jeff fucking Kent (I’ve never hated a baseball player more than I hate Jeff fucking Kent). I still haven’t stopped loving the Lakers and I still haven’t stopped loving the Giants.

So why should I stop loving Kanye’s music? I shouldn’t. There is nothing I hate more than Chingy, and people who lack loyalty is one of those things. I’ve been loyal to Kanye’s music for too long for me to just drop him off because of what I thought was a potentially bad career move. The funniest part about it is his album leaked about a week ago and I still haven’t stopped playing that shit. Hip hop heads will probably hate it, but artistically, it’s an amazing album. It’s definitely completely different from anything anyone has out right now. Even though he’s using that heinous auto-tune affect, it’s not nearly as obnoxious as the way T-Pain uses it. The production is still amazing, he has some good messages, it’s definitely his most personal album and its creativity is on another level (which for him is amazing considering the fact that he’s been one of the most creative men in hip hop over the last decade).

I’m obligated to buy Kanye’s new album the same way I’m obligated to watch the Raiders game tomorrow. I may hate the way the Raiders are playing, but I’ve invested too much of my life into the team that I have to be there through the good and the bad – except this album isn’t bad as much as it is different. I just thought it would be bad. I’ll write an actual review of his album and Ludacris’ new one after my finals next week. Time to study. Yikes.

Ball don't lie

Talkhoops.net was linked to yahoo.com's Ball Don't Lie blog. It's not something completely huge, but the more readers we get the better. We got linked for a picture talkhoops.net editor, Zach Harper, posted on the 8 Second violation (ESV). Readers on the yahoo.com blog can post and come up with their own captioins, you should go through and post your own.

Here is the link for the Ball Don't Lie post on our 8 Second Violation

Here is the actual ESV that was posted.

It's the second time I've had something written posted on the blog and the fifth or sixth time the website has been posted there. It's good recgonition I guess.


NICEEEEE!

Notes on the NBA [pt. 2]

I'm back with another edition of my NBA's observations. You can read this post, along with the rest of talkhoops.net's Eight Second Violation here.

This edition of my observations I get into the Atlanta Hawks. Also, my cousin asked me my thoughts on the Lakers and NBA.com moving Lebron James up six spots in the MVP voting, so I'll share my thoughts on that here too.



Atlanta Hawks
After an impressive first round loss to the Celtics in last season’s playoffs, many wondered if the Atlanta Hawks were going to be able to come back this season as a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. After seven games, the Hawks have answered those questons going 6-1 with their one loss coming from a last second shot dropping from the NBA Final’s MVP (I just threw up realizing that Paul Pierce has a Finals MVP), with Al Horford in early foul trouble and without Josh Smith. How have they been doing it?

The Hawks have been winning by playing defense. The Hawks have the league’s fifth best scoring defense allowing just 91.4 points per game. The Hawks didn’t allow any team to break the century mark against them until Smith went down with an injury and only allowed one team (Toronto) to break 90 before Smith’s injury. What’s been most impressive about the Hawks is they’ve played extremely well on the road. Before Smith’s injury, they were only giving up 83 points per game on the road, which included trips to Orlando (85) and to New Orleans (79).

Their athleticism has translated into a legion of versatile defenders. Unlike most teams, the Hawks are able to switch on the majority of screens set by their opposition, which has really given opposing offenses fits. Guys like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are able to guard multiple positions and have been able to reduce the number of open looks teams would normally have off of pick and rolls. If veterans like Mike Bibby, Johnson and Ronald Murray can keep the youngsters in line and if they can stay healthy, this could be a very dangerous team in the East.

Not expected: I just spent the previous two paragraphs talking about Atlanta’s defense, but Mike Woodson has seven guys currently averaging double figures. They’re also turning it over at a low rate (just overt 13 per game, seventh in the league) and they have the leagues eighth best assist to turnover ratio (1.57). Also, the Hawks have shown that they won’t have to rely on Joe Johnson to have big numbers or to take over fourth quarters for them to win games. Against Chicago, Johnson was only four for 16 with 17 points, but got 27, 17 and six blocks from Al Horford and nine points from Mike Bibby in the fourth quarter.

Something to consider: Atlanta’s next nine games are against teams that are a combined six games under .500, playing only two teams (Indiana and Cleveland) who currently have winning records. If the Hawks continue to keep their defensive intensity up, they could finish November with a record somewhere between 16-1 and 14-3. I’m not saying that’s how it’s going to play out, but it’s a definite possibility. They’ve been playing as well as anyone in the league outside of the Lakers and the Jazz. This beyond belief considering that some predicted that Mike Woodson would be the first coach fired this season.



Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have been scary good to start off this season, and in my opinion, they haven't even scratched the surface of how good they can be on the offensive end. There have been several times this year where the Lakers have gone more than three minutes without scoring, with the majority of those times coming when there were at least three starters on the floor. The Lakers' second unit has played brilliant this season and can be directly attributed for at least two of their wins so far.

What I've liked most about the team so far is the fact that their average margin of victory has been something like 18 points per game (I don't feel like looking up the actual number right now lol) and Kobe still hasn't had one of those games where he's "Kobe." I love the fact that he's keeping opposing teams defenses honest while still getting his (just over 24 ppg). Just knowing Kobe can still go off at any time (as we've seen in three separate fourth quarters this season), makes me feel great about where this season is headed.

When the Lakers traded for Trevor Ariza last season I couldn't be more excited, and all of my boys who hate the Lakers couldn't under stand why -- now they do. He's been amazing off the bench for the Lakers, and so has Jordan Farmar (who I think will be the Lakers starting pg either by the end of this season or the beginning of next). Sasha has been streaky, but that was expected and I love the way Phil Jackson's been using Luke Walton. Every time the Lakers go on those 5-7 spurts of one-on-one basketball (like we saw at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth against the Hornets) he brings in Walton who he knows will move the ball around. Just the fact that Jackson has the personnel to do that makes me smile (lol).

I can't wait for this game against Detroit tonight.



NBA.com's MVP Voting
As far as NBA.com moving LeBron ahead of Kobe in the MVP race (from 7th to 1st is a huge jump) I could really care less at this point. It's the middle of November and Bron was at the top of everyone's list at this point in the season last year. I do think, if he can keep numbers like this all season and the Cavs win 50 games, I think he'll win the MVP as long as the Lakers don't win something like 70 games or CP3 doesn't continue this ridiculous streak of 20 and 10 games. I really like what Joe Johnson has done this season and he could be a major player for the MVP if the Hawks can stay atop the Eastern Conference. Dwyane Wade's numbers this last week have been stupid. I think he might be quicker than he was before the surgery, and that's just scary.

Gone 'Till November... 10th

I'll be making my four day trip covering about 36 percent of California's length. I'll be heading out from Bakersfield to Tulare on Friday to visit my mom and a few friends. From Tulare to Fresno early Sunday morning to catch up with a cousin. Then from Fresno to Turlock after that to meet up with another friend, then from Turlock to Sacramento for the Kings-Warriors game after that.

On Monday morning, I'll be attending Associated Press Sports Editors Conference. I'm pretty excited because I'm going to get to meet Randy Harvey, the Sports Editor of the Los Angeles Times, a newspaper I grew up reading.

Then I'll be back in Bakersfield on Tuesday morning to layout my newspaper more inspired than ever to become one of the nation's top sports journalists. I figure three more years of hard work and I'll be well on my way to where I want to be. Three more years...

The Iverson-Billups Trade

[Note: I started this at 4:30 and just finished it now. It has not been edited in any way, so please, excuse any grammatical errors, spelling errors or any factual mistakes about the game of basketball. Thank You.]


One of the negative aspects about being a college student is the fact that you have ridiculous priorities – essays, newspaper editing, meaningless reading etc. – that you’re forced to put ahead of more important things, like analyzing the recent Pistons-Nuggets trade involving Detroit’s Chauncey Billups and Denver’s Allen Iverson.

Talkhoops.net editor, Zach Harper, wrote this article on the day of the trade on why it was terrible for both sides, and before I really had a chance to think about it (I was editing news stories at the time I heard the news), I pretty much agreed. However, just days after the trade, I have a couple thoughts on why this works for both sides – which will be listed in no particular order. Let’s look at the Pistons’ side of the deal first.

1. Since Chauncey Billups joined the Pistons, ‘Detroit Basketball’ has been the same “go out and play tough on defense and team ball on offense.” We got six years of that, and those who consider themselves true basketball fans who love the game in its purest form had to love every minute of it, I know I did. However, with age becoming a factor (Rasheed Wallace) and the development of their youth (Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey), it can be argued that Joe Dumars is doing the right thing in getting rid of Billups and bringing in Iverson. He brings a change of pace to a core of guys who know how to play together. Instead of not knowing who they’re going to go to at the end of games (Chauncey wore out the nickname “Mr. Bigshot after the 2004 Finals), they now have a proven scorer in Iverson who can close games out.

2. Allen Iverson is in a contract year, and this is important because A) Iverson is 33 and will need to prove that he’s still “The Answer” so he can cash in another huge payday and B) Iverson is being paid over $19 million this season and would he a huge cap relief at the end of this season considering that Billups is just in his second season of a four year contract worth about $46 million. Also, Wallace’s contract also expires at the end of this season, giving Dumars and the Pistons the option to completely make over this team with their young core without completely giving up on this season. Iverson is still the NBA’s toughest competitor and you know he’s going to do his job night in and night out. If he can take the collection of Theo Ratliff, Dikembe Mutombo, Aaron McKie, Eric Snow, Tyrone Hill, George Lynch, Tony Kukoc and Matt Geiger (yes, I did need to name the next eight leading scorers from that team – just for the effect – hell I’ll add in Rodney Buford too) to the NBA Finals, and take a game from a Lakers team who went into the Finals unblemished, it’s safe to say that this Pistons team with Iverson can definitely compete.

Why does this work for the Nuggets? Keep reading.

1. Chauncey Billups has been the leader for the most consistent team in the NBA over the last six years, this cannot be argued. Billups spent six years in Detroit, made six trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, made two trips to the NBA Finals and took the title in 2004 (and yes, I’m still bothered thinking about that season). Unless you’re giving up Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Paul or Deron Williams (I’m only considering parameter players), your team doesn’t get worse by acquiring Billups. In fact, I think that Denver actually gets better with Billups in Iverson’s place. Denver is stacked with guys who can put points on the board (Carmello Anthony, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza all averaged double figures last season), but they really haven’t had a guy who could control the pace of the game, especially in the half court set – which happens to be everything that has made Billups’ a great basketball player.

2. Let’s just take a moment and reflect on last year’s post season’s biggest joke: The Nuggets defense. In their four games against the Lakers, Luke Walton averaged over 13 points per game. Luke Walton! Not only that, but they gave up over 114 points per contest in that series. As the old homage goes, defense wins championships, which is why Billups has a ring and no one on the Nuggets does. Instead of two guys who don’t play any defense playing over 78 combined minutes per game, you’ll only have one guy out there who’s allergic to playing both ends of the floor and Billups, one of the leagues best defending point guards. Just his presence on the defensive end could make this a second place team instead of a third place team in the Pacific Northwest.

Who got the better end of the deal? In the short run, it’s definitely the Nuggets. There was a possibility of them not even making the playoffs in the Western Conference this season, but with the addition of Billups, I don’t think there’s anyway they don’t make the post season. Are they title contenders now? Absolutely not, but they are a much better basketball team and George Karl might actually get some sleep not having to worry about how to make the Nuggets a more defensive team with Iverson and Melo logging significant minutes.

However, in the long run, this could potentially be a huge deal for the Pistons considering in the summer of 2010 the likes of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh become free agents. Dumars will have ample amounts of cap space to lure in one of the big names, but again, you really can’t count out the Pistons this season. Iverson, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Sheed is still a great core, especially when Jason Maxiell, Jarvis Hayes and Rodney Stuckey on the bench. I like the trade for both teams.

Thought's on the trade yourself? Let me know!


Obama '08! I hope you voted!

Two Things

1. Fuck that essay. Glad that shit is over with.
2. Go out and vote tomorrow. I don't care who you vote for as long as he (or she) is not a republican lol.

ps
3. Basketball is back! I'll have thoughts on the Iverson for Chauncy trade either later on tonight or sometime tomorrow.

Notes on the NBA

During the course of the NBA season I'll be offering my insights on the league about things I think are interesting or things I think may have gone unnoticed. Ususally, they'll be on one specific team and will be posted on talkhoops.net's Eight Second Violation section, a portion of the website that is updated daily. My first observations, posted today on the website, are on the Lakers and their dominance during their first two games.

Notes on the Lakers:

After the Lakers routed both the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the most surprising things about the Lakers this season has been their defense. They’re only allowing 77.5 points per game and a measly 36.4 percent from the field – and they’re doing it by playing long stretches of good, solid defense. There have been six separate occasions just in their first two games where they have held their opponent scoreless for longer than three minutes resulting in runs of 8-0, 10-0, 9-0, 17-0, 10-0 and 12-0. What’s more impressive is the fact that one of the Lakers 10-0 runs and their 17-0 run against the Clippers came while their second units were on the floor during the second quarter of each game.

The depth of this team has also made Kobe Bryant quietly more dangerous. It seems ironic because Bryant is only averaging 19.5 points per game and only attempting 14.5 shots a night. Great scorers are always itching to go off and this season, it isn’t going to take much to set Bryant off. It seems Bryant is only going to put up big numbers when he needs to or when he is given a reason to – like he was in the third quarter against the Blazers. Going into the third Bryant had only scored six points, but after a hard foul by Portland’s Joel Przybilla, Bryant rattled off 17 of his team high 23 points in a 9:11 span. Look forward to short, quiet scoring binges at random times and during crunch time from Bryant all season.

Not expected: No one expected Trevor Ariza to play this well this early. He seems to be completely comfortable in the offense and his teammates are very comfortable with him on the floor. Also, he’s shot very well from behind the arch where he was two for two on opening night and two for three against the Clippers. If Ariza can keep up the hot shooting the Lakers bench could potentially be one of the most productive benches in NBA history with Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic all playing well too.

Something to consider: This trend obviously will not continue during the course of the season, but the Lakers are averaging 11 different scorers per game after their first two. In their game against the Blazers, nine different Lakers scored at least five points and Chris Mihm came in and pick up two points at the end of the game. Against the Clippers, all 12 Lakers who suited up contributed at least four points to their 117-79 victory.

No on Prop 8

As an aspiring journalist I've grown to learn that without the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, I basically have nothing. I love my freedom of speech, my right to peacefully assemble, my right to petition the government and my right to practice any religion I like. The First Amendment is probably the only great thing about this country outside of the NBA.

On November 4^th (or earlier if you're voting absentee like me), we all will have the opportunity to have our voices heard and we'll have some pretty important decisions to make, especially out here in California. On the ballot this year, there is a Proposition in line set to take away some of our most fundamental rights as citizens. Proposition 8, if passed, will take away a minority group's First Amendment right of freedom of expression.Taking away the rights of gay and lesbian citizens is just the first step in taking away the rights from the rest of us. If one can say that the First Amendment doesn't apply to those who aren't heterosexual, who's going to stop them from saying that the First Amendment doesn't apply to me? If we can't fight for their rights now, there will be no one to fight for ours later. This isn't about whose religion says what, it's about interpreting the constitution the right way. Let's all grow up and do the right thing. Gay and lesbian couples are not going to stop you from practicing your religion. Your priest or pastor is not going to have to perform gay or lesbian ceremonies – and most importantly, your children are NOT going to be taught gay marriage in public schools. Hell, they don't even teach regular marriage in public schools.

I think it's imperative that we, as a state, make the right decisions when voting just days from now. When we look at the underlining of Proposition 8, we have to consider everything that minority groups have had to go through in the past. African Americans had to struggle just to become citizens in this country. Women had to struggle just to have the right to vote. 18 year old men had to fight for the right to vote while they were being sent off to wars and now we think it's a good idea to say that men and women don't have the right to marry who they want to marry.

Obviously, a man marrying a man or a woman marrying a woman isn't the "traditional" marriage, but really, who gives a shit? In a society where the number of "traditional" divorces per year consistently hovers around 1,000,000, why should we be worrying about gay and lesbian couples tying the proverbial knot? More importantly, who decided that banning certain groups from being married is constitutional?

We live in a country where the citizens have the wrong idea about how this country was founded. We tend to assume that this country was built on Christianity when it clearly states in our constitution that this country was built on the freedom of religion – which also means the freedom from religion. As U.S. citizens, we have just as much a right to not practice Christianity as we do, so why should the union of two people who feel they are in love be based upon one particular religion's views? The short answer is, it shouldn't. As much as one might not like the idea of a gay or lesbian union, it's unconstitutional to revoke the right to marry from anyone.

Become media literate, read something and go out and vote. Stop feeding the bullshit, starve all of it. This shouldn't be a controversial issue. It's 2008.

Quick questions

I was just reading this book I have to write an essay on by Monday and for some reason I just started thinking about these two questions (which have nothing to do with the book or have everything to do with the book).

What is the purpose of having a good heart within such a cold world?

What purpose would it serve to conform to the coldness of this world?

Tomorrow Night

I can't wait for my favorite holiday, the NBA's opening night. It's the only night of the year where I'm strictly opposed to working (yes, I'll be skipping class tomorrow night). We'll have a TNT double header with the evil ass Boston Celtics taking on the Cleveland Caviliers in the first game and the Portland Trailblazers traveling to Los Angeles to play all that is good in basketball, the Lakers. I can't wait! It's the most wonderful time of the year.

NBA Predictions

On Monday, Talkhoops.net will have their annual predictions round table. It will feature all of our writers' opinions on who will win the various NBA awards and who will win it all. I just though I'd post all of my predictions on here. Agree or disagree, these are my thoughts on this up coming season.

Post your predictions too!

(note: I've also been writing some individual team previews on the website too. Be sure to check out talkhoops.net for all of the team previews and some fantasy basketball articles too.)

MVP- Kobe Bean Bryant
His scoring average may come down, but field goal percentage, assists and steals could go up. Oh, and wins too.

Most Improved- Mike Conley Jr.
He was playing great at the end of the season and has a couple of scoring threats who should help his assist total rise.

6th Man- Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey had a great season last year and he’s going to be a huge reason the Pistons stay a part of the Eastern Elite.

Defensive Player of the Year- Ron Artest
He’s playing on a good team, he’s one of the best parameter defenders since Pippen and he’s in a contract year.

Coach of the Year- Nate McMillan
I know Jerry Sloan seems like popular choice for reasons I don’t understand. Portland can increase their win total by 10 and the media already loves this team.

Rookie of the Year- Rudy Fernandez
I’ve been waiting for this. That’s why he’ll win.

All NBA 1st team (5 guys)
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan

All Rookie 1st team (5 guys)
Derrick Rose
Eric Gordon
Brandon Rush
Michael Beasley
Mareese Speights (He’s played well in Dalember’s absence.)

All Defensive 1st team (5 guys)
Note: I wanted to just write Dylan (from Da Band) for all five spots.
Bruce Bowen
Ron Artest
Shane Battier
Kevin Garnett
Marcus Canby

Team with best record- Boston Celtics
Anyone who thinks the Lakers are going to win 60+ games this year hasn’t been watching Western Conference basketball for the last decade.

Team with worst record- Oklahoma City Thunder
Because Stone Cold said so

Biggest surprise team- Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are going to be markedly better this season. They could very well finish second or third in the East this season.

Most disappointing team- Utah Jazz
There are very high expectations for this team that will not be met because Carlos Boozer is overrated.

1-8 Playoff seeds for each conference

Eastern Conference
1. Celtics
2. Pistons
3. Philadelphia
4. Orlando
5. Cleveland
6. Toronto
7. Miami
8. Chicago?

Western Conference
1. Lakers
2. Houston
3. Utah
4. New Orleans
5. San Antonio
6. Portland
7. Phoenix
8. Dallas

ECF Prediction (Celtics over Pistons)
I’m hesitant to pick any other two Eastern Conference teams. No one else in the East has proved that they can win in the playoffs.

WCF Prediction (Lakers over Rockets)
Tracy McGrady will finally get out of the first round, but there is no way he’s going to stop Kobe from getting back to the Finals.

Finals Prediction (Lakers over Celtics)
Southern California and Boston basketball fans are giddy just thinking about a rematch. Honestly though, this could go either way. Don’t count out the Celtics just because the Lakers have Andrew Bynum (sigh).

Rookie Bust- D.J. Augustine
Everyone is in love with this kid, the Bobcats will make a huge mistake when they trade Felton away.

Best 2nd Round Pick- Luc Mbah a Moute
His pre-season numbers: 31 rebounds; 11 assists; 11 steals. Who cares how much he’s scored (8.3 ppg, but who’s counting?). Everyone needs a utility guy like Mbah a Moute.

Coach first to be fired- P.J. Carlesimo
Quoting talkhoops.net writer, Ed Maisonet: If your coach has previously been choked by his own player, you should expect him to eventually get fired.

GM first to be fired: Rod Higgins
It has to be Higgens. He drafted D.J. Augustin while Jared Bayless was still on the board… and the Bobcats have to be one of the worst put-together teams in NBA history.

Games until Vince Carter quits on his team: 15
It’s the number he wears.

Big Name Player most likely to be traded: Lamar Odom
The Lakers need a more conventional small forward and Lamar Odom is in his contract year.



Any other predictions? Questions? Disagree with anything? Let me know!

One Week Away...

We're just one week away from the NBA's tip off. I'll be on edge until next Tuesdasy, but until then I'll be having a few predictions and I'll be writing some previews on a few teams on Talkhoops.net.

The NBA... It's Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnntassssstic!

The Future

These three guys, along with Rudy Fernandez, will do great things in the NBA. Personally, I can't wait to see the rest of the Brandon Roy era in Portland. I'm definitely a fan.

Lupe Fiasco

I was listening to him this morning and heard this line. It's far from amazing, but it's the realist shit he ever spoke. He's taking the game to another level and is the double entendre/punchline champion and I'll go line for line with anyone who disagrees.

"I will take rap to where niggas can't conceive/ to the point where niggas can't agree on which song is best and the argument is if I am better than me"

Fuck the Dodgers

I grew up in the greater Los Angeles area as one of the only Giants fans south of Central California, and I grew up despising everything Dodgers. Much like the color green, I don’t own anything even remotely close to royal blue because I hate the team that much. Well, I’m in college going in Bakersfield (what I consider Southern-Central California – damn this state is enormous) and the people out here have pretty much adopted Los Angeles’ teams as their own. After the acquisition of Manny Ramirez, I heard nothing but World Series talks from everyone who decided it was okay to start sporting that heinous Dodger blue again and, as a Giants fan who wears that logo on every hat I own (except one Phillies hat – I because a huge Rollins fan his second season after reading about him in ESPN the Mag), I was obviously disgusted with this sudden wealth of fanaticism.

The Dodgers came into this post-season as one of the hottest teams in the league and ran through the Cubs the way Karl Malone runs through unsuspecting high school girls, and this just furthered my annoyance with all Dodger fans out here. Just as soon as the Phillies finished off Heavy P (Prince Fielder) and the boys everyone and their mothers were writing off J-Roll and the rest of the City of Brotherly Love. I really felt like I was the only guy out here giving the Phillies a shot. This is why it was a breath of fresh air when I read a Ross Newhan article when I picked up the Los Angeles Times this morning (God the Times is brutal when the Dodgers make the playoffs).

Here's the story:

It's unbelievable, truly unbelievable.

This is what the archives serve to remind me that I have read over the last week:

* The Dodgers lost Game 1 of the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies because starter Derek Lowe was allowed to stay in too long.

* They lost Game 2 because Philadelphia's Brett Myers was permitted to pitch inside with impunity and Chad Billingsley didn't respond.

* They won Game 3 because Hiroki Kuroda did pitch inside, throwing a fastball over the head of Shane Victorino in the process (of course, none of the scribes telling Dodgers pitchers they need to send a message to Philadelphia hitters have ever stood at the plate against a head-high fastball, or seen their son in the dirt after being hit in the helmet by a major league fastball, as I have).

* They lost Game 4 because this time starter Lowe wasn't allowed to stay in long enough.

My head is spinning, and I need to ask:

Has anyone stopped to think that the Dodgers are trailing, 3-1, in the series because Philadelphia is a better and more complete team?

Does anyone realize that Manager Joe Torre isn't operating with a full complement of postseason-caliber players?

Can anyone recall that only two months ago the Dodgers were a sub-.500 team trailing Arizona in a National League West that didn't exactly resemble Appaloosa and the only difference between that Dodgers team and this one is Manny Ramirez?

I mean, Ramirez is having one of the greatest stretches of big-time hitting any of us has been fortunate to see or will be fortunate to see again, but by now his back must be bending from the load.

How far and for how long can one man carry a team?

Of course, the way he's hitting there's still a possibility that he can tote the Dodgers into the World Series, but they will have to come back against a team that boasts the last two winners of the league's most valuable player award, an array of All-Stars, a closer who hasn't blown a save this year and a balanced bullpen and bench.

Yes, the Dodgers had it all together and swept the Chicago Cubs in the division series. The commissioner didn't require a saliva test, so we're not quite sure how that happened except we're all aware that the Cubs have to cope with decades of historical baggage in October, as well as the opposing pitcher.

Maybe the Dodgers can win three in a row again and salvage this series with the Phillies, but consider what they will be looking at and for once they have played their final game.

* With Lowe headed to free agency and no assurance Brad Penny or Jason Schmidt will be back, they will need to acquire at least one starting pitcher.

* With Takashi Saito's elbow becoming a prolonged issue and Jonathan Broxton lacking the reliability of Jonathan Papelbon, they may need a closer and definitely have to rebuild the bullpen with healthier and more versatile arms.

* With Jeff Kent heading into retirement as a pinch-hitter, Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake eligible for free agency, Nomar Garciaparra enduring another season of injuries and Blake DeWitt yet to play a full major league season at one infield position, who is on first is the only question that can be answered definitively about the 2009 infield.

* Then there's Ramirez, also eligible for free agency. If owner Frank McCourt, as I recently wrote, doesn't take equity out of his new Malibu mansion and hope that the Ramirez of late '08 will hold up for four or five more seasons, as performer and personality, he will be back where he was two months ago with a floundering offense.

These are the shortages, outages and plain facts with which Torre and the Dodgers are dealing.

So, second guess if you must, dissect if you want, but keep one verifiable aspect in mind:

If the Dodgers had beaten the superior Phillies, or if they rally to beat them in what will now take seven games to do, it would have been an upset or will be an upset, pure and simple.



Thanks, Newhan. You made my day.

What we've all been waiting for

Remember when basketball players use to wear goggles (see: Horace Grant or Kareem Abdul Jabar)? Well, Amare Stoudamire was recently poked in the eye by teammate Boris Diaw and said that he's considering wearing goggles for the rest of his career. I couldn't be more excited.

Let the Amare with goggles era commence!

Why my school is lame

This is Horace Mitchell, the president of our school, and a cow. We may not be having a midnight madness here at CSUB (for the second fucking year in a row) but our president sure has a long time to go hanging out with cows.

fuck bakersfield

Nothing new here [from ESPN.com]

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Darius Miles says he has no clue what made him fail a drug test that will cause him to serve a 10-game suspension if he makes it through training camp with the Boston Celtics.

Speaking at length Tuesday for the first time since his suspension was announced by the NBA over the summer, Miles said he never took diet pills -- the over-the-counter medication in which the banned stimulant he tested positive for, phentarmine, is most commonly found -- and had never taken any medication other than what was prescribed by Portland's doctors and trainers.

"I wish I knew. I really do wish I knew, but [Celtics president] Danny Ainge told me 'leave it alone,' so I left it alone," Miles said.

The NBA e-mailed teams over the summer to alert them to Miles' pending suspension after it became clear he was serious about a comeback. The Portland Trail Blazers released him and had an insurance company on the hook for his salary after an independent physician confirmed the team doctor's opinion that Miles would never be able to return from microfracture surgery on his right knee.

The move allowed the Blazers to remove the remaining $18 million and two seasons left on Miles' old six-year, $48 million contract off their salary cap, but that money would go back on Portland's cap -- reducing their max available cap space next summer from roughly $30 million to $21 million -- if Miles is able to play in 10 NBA games.

As it is, if Miles makes the Celtics (who have 16 players in camp, with Miles and Sam Cassell the only ones with non-guaranteed contracts), he would be ineligible to suit up until Boston's 11th game, Nov. 15 at Milwaukee. If Miles were to play in that game and eight of the next nine, he'd have an opportunity to both seek revenge against his old team and kill two-thirds of their cap space for next summer if he steps onto the court for what would be his 10th game, Dec. 5 when Portland travels to Boston.

The 26-year-old Miles, who has not played in an NBA game since the 2005-06 season, said he worked out for Charlotte, Dallas, Phoenix and New Jersey before deciding to to take a shot at replacing James Posey for the defending NBA champions.

He said there is no pain, only stiffness, in his surgically repaired right knee, and he was the fastest big man on the court Tuesday afternoon when coach Doc Rivers ordered the losing team from a scrimmage to run 17 cross-court wind sprints, with the enticement that the first big man to do eight would not have to finish all 17. Miles also bragged that he had dunked over rookie Bill Walker during his two months of workouts with Celtics players over the summer. He did not seem bitter over the drug suspension, although he admitted his willingness to appeal was altered when he learned that the lost earnings from the suspension would be deducted from his Celtics' contract, not his more lucrative Blazers' deal.

"I'll just serve my suspension. I could have gone to a team that would have me to appeal it and fight it, but I went to a team that told me to leave it alone, so I'll leave it alone," Miles said. "What's better than to come back from an injury and play for the champs? That makes me look good and other teams look bad."

ESPN.com senior writer Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

Yes! Yes! Yes! pt. 2

The first NBA pre-season games are only four days away. I'm not going to sit here and front like I'm not excited.

NBA: Where verve-less guys like Mr. Barnett actually show enthusiasm happens.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is ridiculous

This has to be one of the greatest impressions of all time. Tina Fey is a beast.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Just 29 days until the NBA tips off! Best believe I'm on that count down.

Screw Christmas, opening night of the NBA is the most wonderful time of the year!

Stay Hideous
PB

On that USC low...

After two weeks Adrian has jumped out ahead of everyone with 22 correct picks. Zach and I have picked correctly for two weeks straight while Mike is one off of our pace. Ed, well, he missed a week. Lets check the standings.

Adrian 22-9
Phillip 19-12
Zach 19-12
Mike Turner 18-13
Ed the Sports Fan 10-6

Before I get my picks in, know that you can join in at any time, after week four I start posting picking percentages, so if you haven’t been with us from the beginning, you can still win by picking at a higher rate than the rest of us. Here are my picks for the week:

Minnesota
>Tennessee

>Denver
Kansas City

>San Francisco
New Orleans

Arizona
>New York Jets

Green Bay
>Tampa Bay

Atlanta
>Carolina

Houston
>Jacksonville

Cleveland
>Cincinnati

>San Diego
Oakland

>Buffalo
St. Louis

Washington
>Dallas

Philadelphia
>Chicago

>Baltimore
Pittsburgh

Football... what's the point?

The Raiders suck, USC loses to bums, why watch.

I've never had both of my teams out of contention for a championship before the end of September before. I'm deeply saddened by USC's lack of heart -- and more importantly, I now have to hope North Carolina can deliver me that damn Sports Illustrated Subscription. Bastards.

My picks will be up before Sunday

Quick Update

I promise that I'll catch up with the NFL picks. Consider week 3 our bye week. I've been super busy lately. Here are a few updates on sports and life. Word to your mother.

Football
The Raiders actually look like a football team. Sure they still suck, but they're at least watchable (well, everyone except that punk ass DeAngelo Hall; he's just moved ahead of Harvey Williams long ass neck and Aaron Brooks on my list of most hated Raiders of all time). They're 1-2, but if it weren't for Hall's inability to earn his fucking keep (who decided he was worth 7 million fucking dollars anyway?). Fuck DeAngelo Hall, that's all I'm saying.

Baseball
Fuck the Dodgers. I hope they crumble this final week and the Diamondbacks snatch the NL West back from their punk asses.

Basketball
I desperately need it to start. I ain't too proud to beg.

School
All of my professors have conspired to give me several hours of reading to do every fucking night. I'm pretty much behind on my reading already (only the second Monday of the quarter!) and I'll have a test on every Tuesday and Wednesday night (on the reading that I'm behind in!). My GPA is either going to be above a 3.5 or below a 2.0 this quarter. There will be no inbetween. I better catch up on that fucking reading.

Editor in chief
So far I feel completely unprepared for the position. I'm responsible for way too many people and I don't have the time to be responsible for them right now (behind on my reading!). I've re-learned that I could possibly be the worst public speaker alive (um...) and I don't know as much as I thought I did (um...) and (um...) these first couple of (um...) weeks are (um...) going to be brutal. The first edition of the paper comes out on Wednesday. Hopefully it doesn't come out shitty. Well, it won't because there were a few good stories, but shit, I want to be sports editor again.

Chuck Klosterman
I bought his new book, Downtown Owl, the day after it dropped (like that shit's an album or something). This may have been the dumbest mistake of my collegiate career. I keep wanting to read it knowing all of the other shit I need to be reading (like the shit I'm behind on!). I'm only a few chapters in but the temptation to pick it up is forever nagging. If you have free time, and if you're a fan of his work (because, unfortunately, I don't think this is a book you can appreciate unless you're familiar with his writing style) I suggest you go pick it up as soon as possible. It won't disappoint.

Week 2: On that USC high

I don't have much time to post the records from last weeks picks right now, they'll be up tomorrow. But I'd like to say USC did that tonight -- bum ass Ohio State didn't even sniff the end-zone. Anywho, here are my week two picks. Sorry they're up so late...

SUNDAY
Green Bay
>Detroit

Oakland
>Kansas City

>New York (G)
St. Louis

>Indianapolis
Minnesota

Tennessee
>Cincinnati

>New Orleans
Washington

Chicago
>Carolina

>Buffalo
Jacksonville

San Francisco
>Seattle

Atlanta
>Tampa Bay

New England
>New York (J)

Miami
>Arizona

San Diego
>Denver (upset special)

>Pittsburgh
Cleveland

MONDAY
Philadelphia
>Dallas

Fucking Kanye, man...

I just got some terrible news about my favorite producer-rapper (not to be confused with him being my favorite producer [still Quincy Jones] or my favorite rapper [still Nas being closly followed by Lupe Fiasco]). But I have mad love for Kanye (well, at least had until recently).

"Find out when Kanye West returns to hip hop! So, an EXTREMELY reliable source (Young Legend, GOOD LOOKS!) has just revealed to me that the title of Kanye’s 4th solo Lp is, 808’s & Heartbreak and it’s arriving December 16th. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, LowKey ain’t BS’ing, 808’s and Heartbreak will be hitting stores December 16th and you heard it from LowKey FIRST! I’ve also learned also that Kanye’s vocals for the entire Lp will be sprinkled with the Auto-Tuner (T-Pain’s magic vocal toy, lol). Why?? Don’t ask me, but I can assure you this will probably be 2008’s most interesting piece of audio.

After finding out the title to the LP, I now understand the title of the first single and its content. Legend also explained to me that this project will be somewhat equivalent to Andre 3000’s, The Love Below. Some are confused as to why he’s returning so early, but with the loss of his mother and the split with his fiance, Alexis Phifer, one could only imagine that type of ish he has to get off his chest!"

The first thing I thought was, "noooooooooooooooooooooo!" Then I thought about that song he did with Young Jeezy, "I Put On", and thought about what I said to my boy Davion, "If Kanye continues to do this shit I'm no longer a fan."

So what did I do, I picked up the Blackjack II, texted Davion about this "rumor" and told him if it's true I'll no longer be a fan -- and I'm not kidding.

For those of you who know me you're probably thinking, "nah, you'll still love Kanye, he'll still be hilarious and the beats will still be fresh." And you're right, he will still be funny (see: Swagger Like Us, a TI song featuring Ye, Hova and bum ass Lil Wayne), and the beats will still be dope (see: Jockin' Jay-Z or Swagger Like Us), but fuck that shit, I have standards. Wayne is funny every once in a while, so is Young Jeezy but I don't listen to those bastards just because of that -- and I'm sure as hell not going to listen to Kanye's ass if he keeps up with that autotone bullshit. That shit was cool when Black Street used it. That shit was cool when Roger and Zapp used it, but it's 2008 damnit, I don't need one of my favorite artists in the game ruining my life with that annoying ass affect -- the fucking reason I despise every damn song T-Pain is on (and yes, I loathed "The Good Life" when that shit dropped.)

Kanye is starting to piss me off. I went from being his biggest fan (mostly for his pre-College Dropout productioin, production and lyrics on The College Dropout and his hilarious mixtapes), to an even bigger fan (mostly for his Late Registration Productioin) to a really big fan who felt he sold out (mostly because he had Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Common on his first album and T-Pain and Lil Wayne on his third) to being utterly disgusted (mostly because there are rumors of him using auto tone for his whole fucking fourth album.)

I'm just letting you know, if that shit is true, I'm never actually buying one of his albums again (and I bought the first two twice! only because my first copies were stolen though).

Damn I'm pissed.

Stay Hideous
-PB



PS!!!!! IF ANYONE CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON A MIXTAPE CALLED "THE LAST DRAGON" BY SOME GUY NAMED OZY REIGNS PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND GET ME A COPY. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND THIS SHIT FOR THREE DAYS! OZY REIGNS IS A NEW HOT LYRICISTS -- REMEMBER WHO PUT YOU UP ON HIM WHEN HE GETS BIG!

BUT REALLY THOUGH, HIT ME UP IF YOU CAN FIND THAT SHIT -- AND YOU KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE I NEVER TYPE IN ALL CAPS!

THANKS

NFL... It begins [Week 1]

Last season on my blog on myspace I was posting my picks every week and had a few other friends join in and it got a little competitive. This season I'll be doing the same, only here on my damn blog. Last year Zach Harper of Talkhoops.net finished the season on top -- I don't plan on letting that happen again this year. Since I don't have much time right now I'm just going to get my picks out of the way.

By the way, there will be a prize for this years winner -- a hideous shirt! If I win, I'm getting myself another one!

My picks will have the carrot next to them, away teams will be on top

THURSDAY (Note: this game already happened and I had the Redskins anyway.)
>Washington
New York (G)


SUNDAY
>Detroit
Atlanta

Seattle
>Buffalo

>New York (J)
Miami

Kansas City
>New England

>Tampa Bay
New Orleans

St. Louis
>Philadelphia

Houston
>Pittsburgh

>Jacksonville
Tennessee

>Cincinnati
Baltimore

>Carolina (upset special of the week!)
San Diego

>Arizona
San Francisco

>Dallas
Cleveland

>Chicago
Indianapolis


MONDAY
Minnesota
>Green Bay

Denver
>Oakland

The Willie Lynch Letters, really?

Earlier today I received an e-mail from one of my estranged aunts about a picture caption on my myspace page. The picture is of my sister and I in the stands of our cousin’s graduation with a little girl in the background trying to get into the picture. The caption reads “There’s a little dark girl trying to get into the picture in the back.” The e-mail that was sent to me included the fact that Egyptian queens and princesses were considered beautiful back in their prime (okay…), super model Christy Brinkley is hot (I’ve never heard of her…) and the mentioning of the Willie Lynch Letter (a speech given almost 300 years ago). Obviously bothered, I had to respond to her damn e-mail. The following contains an excerpt from the e-mail (actually, the whole e-mail minus a few sentences) and starts out with a quote from her e-mail to me. She spelled perpetuates wrong…


“Society pertuates that light or white epitomizes what beauty is i.e. Super Model Christy Brinkley or light skinned girls with long straight hair in the black videos is what is use to symbolize what beauty is. As a result the "Willie Lynch Letter" is in full effect!”

This shit never fails does it? I make a joke on my myspace page about a girl who is obviously of the darker nation and every black woman in her 40s and 50s who experienced the Civil Rights Movement first hand has to jump on my back as if statements like yours are helping to end the proliferation of racism and sexism in the United States. As an educated black man who happens to hold grudges, I’m more than offended that you’d throw the “Willie Lynch Letter” in my face not knowing the circumstances. Sure, I’m a light skinned brotha who pointed out that some young woman is darker than I, but there was nothing more to be read into that. I didn’t say that she was an ugly dark skinned girl (which she obviously isn’t) nor did I say that I wouldn’t be attracted to a woman whose skin is darker than mine (because I’m definitely not that shallow).

I know what’s going on with race relations in this country, and in reality, I feel that everything that is learned about racism, sexism or ageism (if we really want to get technical about that damn speech given almost 300 years ago), is learned in the home. The experiences that are learned from our families are the experiences that we take with us into the real world, and I’ll hold that truth to be relevant until my days on this earth are up and only the words that I’ve written over the years live on – which is why I took immediate exception to this e-mail. The “Willie Lynch Letter” was written to keep African-Americans divided and to keep plantation profits up. If one thing remains true from that letter, it’s Lynch’s statement that black men and women will carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years – and this truth was never more evident to me than a few months back when you, Auntie Bridget, tried splitting my immediate family apart by attacking my mother through both my sister and me.

I don’t know what you wanted, but I do know that you went about it the way slave masters from the 1700s would have loved for you to do it. I’ve taken that experience and learned that everyone in the world can be as cut-throat as they need to be to get what they want, even if it means coming between family. I understand where you’re coming from as a black woman, because I lived exclusively with black women for five years of my life. However, I don’t need you, or anyone else, throwing that “black is beautiful” bullshit at me because that phrase is the epitome of the propagation of reverse-racism. Instead of seeing colors, how about “people in general are beautiful.” If for some reason I happen to find a white woman extremely attractive and marry her, it isn’t because of societies perpetuation of what is or is not beautiful, it’s because I have found her beautiful (or intelligent or hilarious or all of the above). We need to give up this “media is controlling beauty” argument because it’s just become an excuse for why black women are losing black men. Instead of consuming so much of the mass media, why not go out and create your own reality.

Further more, instead of chastising me for pointing out the obvious, why not go after the black men and women across this country who live and die by what is written in the Bible. This country was built by the hands of African American’s who had their basic rights as humans taken away by white men who need the cheapest labor possible to make this the “world’s greatest country.” I mean, there are specific passages in the Bible that men used to justify slavery and prolong subjugation as long as possible. In the wake of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, the president of the confederate states after the South broke away from the Union said, “Slavery is an established decree of Almighty God. It is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation.” We hear about everything morally right about the Bible ad nauseam, but the same people who were oppressed because of this book continue to warship the God who condones such an evil practice of the human race. In Exodus, the guidelines for buying, selling, and treating slaves is clearly outlined. In First Timothy, we learn how slaves should look at their masters and in both Matthew and John it clearly states that slaves are not better than their masters.

I want to read your assumptions about how I feel about women of color as much as I want to hear anything about race equality, sex equality or class equality from the mouth anyone who totes a Bible around with them all day and claims that the way of the Lord is the right way. I’m tired of being preached to about race issues from people who don’t look at things from both ends of the conjectural spectrum. I merely pointed out that a girl was dark skinned to get a laugh from a couple of friends on my myspace page, something no one should ever take seriously. Had I known that I was going to get “The Lynch Letters” thrown in my face like I’m just some average ignorant nigga (a phrase not to be taken literally, please, spare me) maybe I would have written a more controversial caption.

This shouldn’t be a big deal.

Stay Hideous,
PB

Phillip on this, Phillip on that

Phillip on the Democratic National Convention so far…

I was strangely consumed with one speech in particular last night, Mark Warner’s, for two reasons. One, he looked plastic and looked like he was taken right out of the cartoon “American Dad” and two, he was a terrible speaker with an amazing message. I sat on my bed late last night (I didn’t get to see it live because I was working) both amazed and disgusted at the same time. He often paused for roaring applauses he was sure would come, but didn’t, and had one of the corniest voices I’ve ever actually sat and listened to (and I wouldn’t have if his speech wasn’t so good). But he caught my attention early when he said that the race for the future was the most important race we’re currently in – and it can’t be won with a president who is stuck in the past. That shit was brilliant, however, not as brilliant as Bob Casey’s speech.

I don’t remember anything that fucker said, but he had that whole crowd chanting “four more months” twice during the course of his speech. Not four more years, but four more months of that Republican bullshit that has been tearing this country down for eight years. I only watched Hillary Clinton’s speech just to see Bill Clinton’s reactions. If you missed it last night, you missed seeing the proudest man in America while Hillary spoke. I mean, if you could have seen the faces that fucker made you would have been envious of the love (or admiration) he had for Hillary. It was ridiculous and disgusting and amazingly entertaining to watch. And when Hillary mentioned Bill’s administration in the 90s, he leaned back with that “yeah, I did that face.” I was in tears from laughing so hard. I’m interested in seeing Bill Clinton’s speech tonight. It could be the funniest speech yet, or the most disturbing as far as Obama’s candidacy goes. Either way, it’s must see TV.

Phillip on women and ex-GFs…

Before I get on my rant about ex-girlfriends (well, I actually won’t be ranting because I’m above that shit) I just want to point out that pretty women are the root of all evil. There is a saying that is along the lines of “everything is done to pay the mortgage.” Well, for those of us renting out apartments, everything is done to please a pretty woman. I know every dude in the world who thinks he’s the pimp of the year or just has a glut of hoes on his jock is going to say that he doesn’t need to do shit to please a woman – well, that’s where you’re absolutely wrong. There is nothing more capable of making a great day terrible or a terrible day great than a pretty woman, and this truth is becoming more and more evident as I watch the moods of my friends change simply by communicating (or not communicating) with different women – hell, I’m even a victim of this from time to time (calm down Davion hahaha). I just wanted to let all of the fellas know, stay away from pretty girls if you can! They’ll murder your soul (and to all of the pretty women out there reading this, I don’t really mean that!).

One more thing, my boy Davion and I went out to a club together for the first time last weekend (you think that’s weird, we’ve known each other for about seven years or so and actually shook hands for the first time a couple weeks ago, strange indeed). I must say, we were totally caught off guard by the drunken bitches in the club that night (I’m only calling them bitches because I didn’t know all of their names individually hahahaha). I was actually disgusted not only by them, but by dudes who don’t have enough game to pick up sober girls. I mean, it’s obviously easy to pay a few dollars to get into a club and walk out with some broad who had one too many. Dudes, step your games up, ladies, stop drinking so much because niggas like us laugh at you and write blogs about it (yeah, you too Jessica, I told everyone about you falling while trying to dance with me hahahaha!). Drunk girls are overrated, but best believe we’re going back for the sheer comedy. I’m tripping drunk girls on purpose next time.

About a week and a half ago my (ex) friend Fernando came into town. He and Davion did their little dance thing then we all met up at KFC (I know I know, make your black people love chicken jokes. If I choose the restaurant, however, it would have been churches, KFC is more overrated than Megan Fox). Well, we all hung out at the restaurant for way too long cracking jokes and shit like we were in high school at McDonalds after school. Well, my ex-girlfriend walked in with some scrub ass nigga (I’m not saying this because I'm jealous, I’m saying it because he still has a fucking s-curl in 2008). I had my back to the door so I didn’t see her walk in, but Davion did, but didn’t recognize her at first. I’m pretty sure his exact words were “damn, who’s that fine bitch over there, she looks like Ebony.” So, naturally, I turn around to see this girl, and it’s, of course, Ebony. I turn back around without making any eye contact with her because she’s crazy (you were right on point Celia, don’t let your brother date any half black half Mexican girls, they’re wild) and I didn’t want to talk to her. Fernando’s bum ass had never seen her before and was like “how could you let her go,” and Davion was, I’m about to prove that I am, in fact, a nigga by referencing this movie, but hey, it’s fucking hilarious, like DL Hugley’s character in “The Brothers.” You remember, after Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union broke up and then she showed up to the club with some other nigga and DL was like, “that’s not even her type.” Well, that’s exactly what Davion was doing, but way funnier. So I got one dude to the left of me telling me that I’m stupid for letting her go just because she was pretty (well, maybe he should go and get a pretty girlfriend and stop worrying about my ex, ouch) and another basically talking trash about her for being with a scrub and I was just sitting there thinking, “man, your main niggas care way more about your ex girlfriend than you do.” And it’s true. We all hate (or admire?) our friends ex-girlfriends more than they do. It’s in interesting dynamic within the male community, and I feel like it’s completely different for women. Women and their friends all hate whoever’s ex it is equally, and that shit is weird. I just thought I’d share the story since I had nothing else to talk about.

Phillip on having roommates…

For about the last two years I had been living by myself (single dorm for the 2006-2007 school year and a studio from that summer until this past July). It’s been a month since we’ve moved in and I have to say that it’s been better than I expected. Sure, they could be a little cleaner (bastards need to learn how to wash out my fucking pots and pans after they cook shit, hungry ass niggas), but outside of that, they’ve been cool. One of the guys, Dhevin, I’ve known him since his day of birth. He’s my mom’s best friend’s son, so he’s always been around. The other guy, Darryl, is his best friend and I’ve known the nigga four about for years. Davion and I basically looked after these little niggas while we were in high school and taught them to be just like us, and it’s scary how they’re the younger versions of us. It’s been good having them around so far because they’re fucking hilarious, chips off of the proverbial blocks. I’m cool as long as they keep their asses in school and out of trouble (and out of my damn bed, I’ll murder them if they bring one of their little skeezits in my room!). Nice.

Phillip on Halloween…

I’ve decided that I’m going to dress up as Prince this year. At first, I was joking around (if you’ve heard me say this before) but since Halloween is no where near NBA’s opening day this year and Davion found a basketball court that can’t be any higher than 8-feet high, I think it’s imperative that we take the video camera out on Halloween and get a game going on that court. Best believe that I’m going to be dunking on everyone who goes out. Game. Blouses.

Phillip on music…

I had a conversation with a friend the other day that had me coming to the conclusion that every artist that I can’t stand had a terrible debut album. With that being said, I’ve come up with a list of my top 20 favorite debut albums of all time (not the best, just my favorite – so I don’t want anyone ripping me a new one if the list looks weird, I’m looking at you Turner lol).

20. Get Lifted- John Legend (this is only on here because it has production from Kanye, and I’m not at home with all of my music to pull up better debut albums)

19. I- Led Zeppelin (easily my favorite classic rock album of all time)

18. The Carnival- Wyclef Jean (I remember my mom got this album for me when I was like 10 or 11 years old. Amazing album)

17. Jada Kiss- Kiss the game goodbye (that line, “I got you scared I can tell/ I get bucks like Milwaukee cuz like Sam I can sell” made me a Jada fan from that point on)

16. St. Elsewhere- Gnarles Barkley (only the second weirdest album I own, but it’s production is amazing. Danger Mouse is a beast)

15. Obie Trice- Cheers (probably one of the most slept on albums of all time. Obie Trice is a great MC)

14. Styles P- A gangster and a gentleman (this album has like four or five crazy stories on it and he and Jada connect on a few songs, they switch off better than anyone on a verse since Run DMC)

13. Reasonable Doubt- Jay-Z (Some classic songs on this album like 22 two’s and Feelin It. I probably would have been a Jay-Z fan before the Black Album came out if I had heard this before I heard the Blueprint)

12. Baduizm- Erykah Badu (Neo-Soul at its best. Songs like Apple Tree and Four leaf clover stay in my playlists.)

11. Back for the first time- Ludacris (Anyone who slept on this album was a damn foul. Punch lines galore.)

10. Black on Both Sides- Mos Def (New World Water still may be my favorite Most Def song and I LOVED rock and roll)

9. Back to Black- Amy Winehouse (For all of you who think she’s just some crack whore: Listen to this fucking album. Every track on here is amazing – and every track on her real debut album, “Frank,” is amazing too. Find me one other artist who put out two albums with no bad songs, just one.

8. RUN D.M.C.- Run DMC (Run DMC will forever remain my favorite rap duo. They changed the world with this album. Anyone who doesn’t feel Rock Box or Sucker M.C.s needs to kill themselves.)

7. Lord Willin'- Clipse (I don’t care if the whole album is about selling coke, this shit was amazing from beginning to end. I must have played this shit non stop for three months when it dropped.)

6. Juslisen- Musiq Soulchild (This nigga came on the scene and lifted the R&B game up with this album. This is the epitome of contemporary Neo-Soul for generation-xers.

5. 36 Chambers- Wu Tang (What do I need to say about this album. Wu Tang changed hip hop with this album. How many times have you heard someone say C.R.E.A.M. in another nigga’s verse? How many times have you been pumped when you heard that hideous ODB howl? M-E-T-H-O-D Man? C’mon, you know this shit was amazing.)

4. Illmatic- Nas (Well, there’ll be no more surprises from here on out if you know me. I can’t emphasize enough how ill the song Halftime is. It may be my favorite song of all time. I mean, he said it himself “with no famous guest appearances, the outcome, I’m crowned the best lyricist.” Illmatic is one of those albums that will live on forever.

3. Food and Liquor- Lupe Fiasco (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played this album, and I’ve been amazed by what this nigga says every time I listen to it. He has a ridiculous balance of punch lines/storytelling that seems unmatched. I don’t know if there is a better MC out (right now) who is matching his skills lyrically [and I’m willing to go line for line with anyone who doesn’t agree])

2. The College Dropout- Kanye West (we all know how I feel about Kanye West, but this album is head and heels about both of his others. He put so much of himself into this album and it had something everyone could relate to. And I don’t even need to get into the production of this album. This is about as perfect as a mainstream debut album can get.

1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill- Lauryn Hill (If I were creating a list of top 10 hip hop albums, this would crack the top 5. I created a list of the top 10 R&B albums, this would crack the top 5. if I created a list of the top 10 albums of all time, this would crack the top 5. Hill not only rapped and sang pretty much every thing on this album, but she also wrote all of the music, arranged it and produced it. She is the most talented woman of my lifetime. Bar none.

Phillip on work…

I burnt the fuck out of my thumb on the ID machine today. Ouch. And I’ve just realized that kids born in the 90s are starting to get to college this year. Yikes! I must be getting old. Time to hurry up and graduate. But uh… time to get out of here.

Stay Hideous
-PB