Random Rant vol. 45: Tennis shoes are not every sneaker

Its been a long time I shouldn't have left you (to those that still read this blog) and I truly have a random rant for you...This rant is nothing pertaining to anything in popular culture or current news...The rant that has been brewing in my gut for years is why do people call sneakers tennis shoes?...Now I understand at one point in time that the main sneaker that was worn and used for athletic use was actually a tennis shoe...You know the sneaker that was actually for use on a tennis court that professional, avid and amateur tennis players would wear for competition...But in the current 21st century, the year of two thousand and fifteen sneakers are MORE than just tennis shoes...In fact sneakers have been more than just tennis shoes for 90+ years...

One of the most popular shoes of yesteryear and still today is the Converse Chuck Taylor...These shoes were created for basketball use back in the 10s (that's right the 10's as in 1910s) by Chuck Taylor himself who was a basketball player...Now if one of the most popular and most recognizable sneakers that's been around for almost 100 years (created in 1917) is a basketball sneaker then why in the blue, F*$k were and still are referred to as "tennis" shoes?...There have been some genuine tennis shoes that broke into the pop culture and are classic like the Adidas Stan Smith's and that may be the reason why people just refer to sneakers as tennis shoes...But in actuality that's not a good enough reason because it didn't have the popularity of the Chuck Taylor so again I ask the question why are sneakers referred to colloquially as tennis shoes?!

I don't even have an answer I'm just aggravated by old and even younger people in the huge sneaker culture (we currently live in where sneakers can be basketball shoes, skateboard shoes, casual fashion shoes, racquetball shoes, cross fit shoes, running shoes, etc.) referring the comfortable footwear as TENNIS shoes...They are not just tennis shoes in fact they aren't even tennis shoes, they are most of the time basketball sneakers that look nothing like low top (or midcut) tennis shoes...Just call em sneakers that way you don't have to think about putting the sneakers in a particular category...You will just be generalizing all comfy footwear....Damnit man this is incredibly random and petty but I had to get it off my chest....

P.S. The shoe above is actually a tennis shoe that was worn by Roger Federer, a professsional tennis player.

P.S.S. The kicks are called Nike Air Vapor 9 and that colorway & design was a redesign with the Air Vapor 9 and the classic Air Jordan 3 design...for all my sneakerheads...(I wanted these bad but was limited and didn't get them)

peace, peace, peace
(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 44: 'About damn time' Lebron wins (plus article by Bill Simmons)

I became a pseudo Heat fan during the Heat-Pacers series when I found myself really going for the Heat when I watched the playoffs...so I just gave in and told people 'yes' I'm a Heat fan (at the expense of looking like a bandwagon fan)...but I found out the only reason I was a Heat fan was because I was rooting for LeBron James 100%...if LBJ wasn't on the Heat I would have watched the Heat play en route to the Finals like they did in '06 (in actuality they probably wouldn't even be on a championship run if LBJ wasn't on the team) simply as a basketball fan...

I never understood how people began to hate (media and fans) LBJ like he was the anti-christ all because of one decision he decided to publicize on ESPN...Seriously!!!??!! All this hate because he wanted to leave the lowly Cleveland Cavs where they never gave him a substantial no. 2 player to support him, he carried the team to a Finals appearance and 2 consecutive 60+ win seasons...With that said I began to like LBJ even more because everybody had something to criticize him for when he was and is the best player in the league...Since he finally won the title you now start to see the tide change about people's opinions of the 'Chosen One'...read this good article titled 'Lebron Makes LeLeap' by Bill Simmons that nicely talks about LBJ's championship run...(heads up, its a long but good read)
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LeBron Makes LeLeap

Sitting in awe courtside while King James finally figured it all out

By Bill Simmons

You know what saddens me? The funniest clip on YouTube is no longer funny. Yep, you can finally rest in peace, "The Heat Welcome Party" video. Thanks for giving us two sterling years atop the Internet comedy rankings. We're replacing you with a bullpen by committee of old reliables like "I Like Turtles," "Charlie Bit Me," the "It's Still Real to Me, Dammit" guy, Journey's immortal "Separate Ways" video and even the "I Like Turtles" techno remix. You will be buried officially during Monday's championship parade in Miami. We will bury you not once, not twice, not three times … just kidding, we're only burying you once.

Let's hope you don't resurface as something else — something scarier, something more ominous, something on the level of Namath guaranteeing Super Bowl III or Ali promising to defeat Liston. See, the ceiling of "The Heat Welcome Party" slowly changed during the last two games of the 2012 Finals. It's no longer about hubris or a suffocating lack of self-awareness. It might be more of an omen, a warning, a little like the Game of Thrones characters seeing a red comet streak across the sky and saying, Uh-oh, dragons are coming. I mention this only because, like every other non-Miami fan who attended the last two home games, I left that arena muttering to myself, "sh-t … he finally figured it out."

Suddenly "Not one, not two, not three … " doesn't sound so far-fetched. Unless his body betrays him, it's hard to imagine LeBron not using the 2012 playoffs as a launching pad for the next stage of his career … you know, when he starts collecting trophies and climbing up that imaginary historical ladder. We remember NBA stars three different ways: by the entirety of their career, their career's highest peak, and the duration of that peak. Something like 25 players had genuinely great careers, but only seven played at the all-around level that LeBron achieved these past few weeks. Jordan, Russell, Kareem, Magic and Bird kept their peaks going. Wilt got bored. Walton got injured. Now we're here again.

LeBron spent the last nine years juggling various identities — a little Jordan, a little Magic, a little ABA Doc, a little Pippen — never revealing that HE knew what he wanted to be. Even his position was amorphous. Was he a power forward? A small forward? An oversize point guard? What the hell was he? By the end of the 2012 Finals, we had our answer: He's LeBron James. First of a kind. A power point guard who can create his own shot from the perimeter and the low post, a devastating passer who can't be double-teamed, a superior athlete who attacks the rim whenever he wants, an unfathomably durable workhorse on both ends, someone who can defend all five positions (yes, five) at an elite level.

Over everything else, he fully married his physical gifts with his basketball I.Q. and morphed into something of a basketball monster. Remember all those times when we wondered, Why doesn't LeBron just take it to the rack — it seems like he could score whenever he wants? Yup, pretty much. A good example of LeBron's physical dominance this spring: Late in Game 4, when LeBron started limping and finally toppled to the floor, everyone in the arena had the same reaction. Wait, LeBron can get hurt? LeBron feels pain? It was like seeing Michael Myers keel over. When he was carried off, the crowd audibly gasped in disbelief. They're carrying him off? They're carrying LeBron off? I assumed that he belatedly realized he'd blown out his knee because, you know, he's a fu-king cyborg. As it turned out, he only had cramps. Even that seemed kind of amazing. LeBron James gets cramps? LeBron James needs to drink water?

So yeah, everything starts with that remarkable body. If you were creating a basketball player in a science lab, you would create the guy we just watched these past five weeks. When was the last time an NBA player made you say, "Come on, that's not fair"? Maybe Shaq during those three Finals when he kept overpowering the Pacers, Sixers and Nets? That's how LeBron made Celtics fans feel during Game 6's cold-blooded scoring barrage, and that's how he made Oklahoma City fans feel during those last two Finals games. LeBron mastered their defense the same way Tom Brady would solve a nickel zone. Everything slowed down for him, and even better, you could see it slowing down for him. The court turned into his personal chess board. Throw in his superhuman athletic gifts and it almost didn't seem fair.

In Game 4, Miami planted him on the low post and LeBron went Larry Bird 2.0 on us. (For the record, there was never supposed to be a Larry Bird 2.0. We discontinued that model in 1992 and assumed it would never be seen again, much less in an even more devastating form. So … yeah.) In Game 5, he mixed that same low-post game with Dirk Nowitzki's high-post isolation game that worked so well in the 2011 playoffs, going Dirk 2.0 by adding a slash-and-kick component. Of his 13 Game 5 assists, eight resulted in 3s. Throw in his 26 points and LeBron was directly responsible for 60 points last night.

You know what was really scary? I didn't even think he played that well. Game 6 against Boston? A-plus. The first three quarters of Game 4 against Oklahoma City? A-plus-plus. Last night? B-plus … even though he finished with a 26-11-13 in a blowout victory. Something that wasn't totally reflected in the box score other than Miami's made 3s (14 in all): LeBron's brilliance lifted everyone else along with him. It wasn't a coincidence that Miami's supporting guys starting swishing 3s like pop-a-shot free throws. We just watched the same thing happen with the Los Angeles Kings — once Jonathan Quick established himself as the proverbial "hot goalie," his teammates started flying around with an inordinate amount of confidence. They could smell it. Same for Miami those last few games. And all because of LeBron.

In the postgame presser, he mentioned being happy it played out the way it did, that he needed to "hit rock-bottom" before he could become the player he needed to be. I don't believe this for two reasons. First, his jaw-dropping performance in the 2009 playoffs (35.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 9.1 RPG, .510 FG) strongly hinted that this 2012 bloodbath (30.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, the first player ever to average a 30-9-5 twice in the postseason) was coming. His evolution was always headed this way; we just got delayed (and nearly derailed) by 2010's meltdown in the Boston series, then "The Decision," then everything from last year. Second, I can't imagine LeBron would ever repeat the last 23 months. There had to be better ways to get there. During last night's interviews, we kept hearing the same wistful refrain from LeBron, his teammates and even his coach. The last two years weren't fun. Wearing that big bull's-eye and the black cowboy hat wasn't fun. Being booed wasn't fun, being picked apart wasn't fun, being maligned wasn't fun. They spent last season battling the collective vitriol, figuring out how to use it to their advantage … and ultimately failing.

As LeBron admitted last night, it just wasn't him. He wasn't meant to be someone who dunked on opponents and stared defiantly into the stands like a wrestling heel. He lost himself in the process, spent the summer remembering why he liked basketball, rededicated himself, found that same joy … and the rest was history. Even if that sounds like a sweet plot for a sports movie, I'm not buying that LeBron needed that specific sequence to achieve his manifest destiny. Sports would have taken care of that for him. You keep losing the title, you keep going back to the drawing board, you keep trying to get better. Wilt wanted to get past the Celtics. Bird wanted to get past the Sixers. Magic wanted to get past the Celtics. Jordan wanted to get past the Pistons. That's basketball. Eventually, LeBron would realize that losing sucked and spend the summer accordingly. Decision or no Decision.

So what actually changed? For one thing, Dwyane Wade injured his knee and became 70 Percent Of Dwyane Wade, inadvertently solving the "dueling banjos" dilemma. The Heat tried to thwart six decades of NBA history by teaming two alpha dogs together, making them equals and assuming their overwhelming talent would overcome any resulting bumpiness. They were wrong. Basketball doesn't work that way, for the same reason you don't need two transcendent lead guitarists for a rock band. Someone had to learn bass. It ended up being Wade, and only because fate intervened. We'll remember Game 6 of the Boston series for a variety of reasons, but mainly because LeBron looked around and said, I'm going down on my own terms. I'm playing all 48 minutes and scoring 50 points. If we lose, we lose. At least nobody will say that I rolled over. It ended up being the most important two hours of his career. He went out and assassinated the Celtics.

From that moment forward, Dwyane Wade became a glorified sidekick. Everything Miami did offensively went through LeBron. Wade quickly figured out how to coexist, grabbing stray shots and doing anything else the team needed: protecting the rim, crashing the boards, bolting toward the rim for backdoor passes anytime Oklahoma City forgot about him. You couldn't even call him more valuable than Chris Bosh, who reestablished himself in those last seven playoff games as a quality defender, screen-and-roller and inside/outside threat who didn't need the ball to thrive. Was Wade happy about how it played out? Absolutely … because they won. Tellingly, of course, he made a point of mentioning how "difficult" that adjustment was.

And that's only scratching the surface. Imagine you're Wade. Imagine you talk Bosh and LeBron into joining YOUR team and living in YOUR city. Imagine that first year going to hell. Imagine coming to the begrudging realization that you're only going as far as LeBron takes you, that — even though it's your city, and you're the one who gets introduced last at every home game — you're going to have to wear the Robin costume. By Game 2 of the Finals, everyone is wondering whether you're the same guy you used to be; meanwhile, you've never had to take a backseat on a basketball court before, and that's what is screwing you up more than anything. By Game 5, you're listening to your fans serenade LeBron with "M-V-P!" chants as he holds two trophies like a hunter holding a couple of deer heads. You're standing on the side, just like Shaq six years ago. Maybe that's what he meant by "difficult."

Just know the situation was resolved organically, much like it was during the 2008 Olympics, when Spain was closing in and Kobe said I got this, followed by everyone else letting him have it. That's just how basketball works. You can't have two guys saying "I got this." Miami figured that out a year late. And if Wade hadn't tweaked his knee, maybe they never would have.

The other twist of fate: Derrick Rose wrecked his knee in Round 1, propelling the Celtics into the Conference Finals … you know, LeBron's nemesis, the bullies who beat him in 2008 and 2010, the grizzled veterans who were convinced that LeBron would always cave when it mattered most. Garnett and Pierce loved pushing his buttons more than anyone. During their final regular-season road trip to Miami, which turned out to be a surprisingly easy win for the Celtics, they spent the last two minutes busting Wade's balls about LeBron. You picked the wrong guy. You'll never win with that guy. LeBron could hear everything. They didn't care. In Game 5 of their playoff series, Garnett and Pierce pushed things a little further, believing that LeBron was ready to cave again. Down the stretch, Garnett muttered derisive obscenities under his breath anytime LeBron was in earshot, then stuffed him at the rim on a pivotal drive. A little bit later, Pierce nailed a back-breaking 3 right in LeBron's mug, then yelled, "I have the balls to take that!" as he trotted back down the floor.

In retrospect, they pushed him too far. The Celtics regarded LeBron with a surprising amount of disdain — that's why Rondo angrily yelped, "Let's go!" before defending LeBron's final drive of regulation in Game 2. LeBron ended up settling for a 21-footer against someone seven inches shorter than him, followed by Rondo strutting back to the huddle and probably telling his teammates, "I knew he didn't have the balls to come at me." They spent that whole series challenging his manhood; by the end of Game 5, they thought they had broken him. Was that what turned him into a serial killer in Game 6? Not entirely … but it definitely helped. I just don't think LeBron makes LeLeap without the bullies from Boston.

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holla,
(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 43: I don't have any lottery luck

I'm not a unlucky or a person that something always bad happens to me but I am unlucky as all get out when it comes to winning...When I say winning I mean I never win a radio call-in contest, a raffle drawing, a sweepstakes, a luck of the draw game of chance or the lottery...I've been playing the $1 scratch offs sparingly for about 4 months...sometimes I'll buy 4 of the same $1 scratch offs or I'll just buy 1 $1 scratch off at a time...I'm tellin you know lie, in about the 25 times I've played the scratch offs I've only won three times (and they were $1 amounts)..

I've known people who have played 3 $1 scratch offs at one time and won on every ticket (even if its just $1 wins)...I've known people who've won $40 and $50 from scratch offs when I can't win a stinkin' $3 from a ticket...So this is what I'm going to do, I'm going to document every day my winnings from buying 2 of the same type of ticket from the same store for a month...just by the law of averages I should win something (but I bet I won't win SQUAT)...my first buys will be this Friday (3.30.12) and I'll document what happens...

signing off, the unfortunate lottery scratch off loser

holla,
(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 42: My hip hop maturation

Its 2012 and hip hop has been around for a solid 30+ years...we've seen the upstart of the genre with Marley Marl, Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 and Kurtis Blow to the golden era of the 80's...the 90's ushered in the 'gangsta rap' era along with the conscience rap emergence...the 90's also had the emergence of the flash, braggadocio rap of Bad Boy and also had the birth of hip hop legends Nas, Jay-Z, 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G...the late 90's and 2000's showed the world that hip hop was incredibly marketable and young black entrepreneurs could become millionaires (shout out to Roc-A-Fella Records, Bad Boy Records, No Limit and Cash Money records)...

Now that I've given you a brief history on hip hop let me get into my maturation of hip hop focusing on Jay-Z...before Jay-Z showed the world that hip hop is not only a young man's game, it was thought that once you hit the age of about 35 that rappers should not create anymore new music...that thought almost seemed to make sense because some of your favorite rappers of yesteryear just didn't produce quality music when they hit their mid 30's...that way of thinking about hip hop is dead!

Eminem was 37 and released a very solid album in 2010 "Recovery" , Jay-Z, 40+ yrs old released a banger album "Watch the Throne" with KanYe in 2011 that had 2 smash hits (Niggas in Paris and Otis) and Nas is still producing great music whether is solo or collab projects...When you see Jay-Z performing at venues like the President's inauguraral ball, Carnegie Hall and becoming the first hip hop act at the Glasonbury Festival, you recognize that hip hop is a well respected genre that will have our favorite artists touring and selling out large venues like The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith til they are in their 60s (damn that's a helleva run-on sentence)...

I'm just glad to see real hip hop and talent will live forever with respect like the other genres...thanx Hov for showing the world that 'you will respect me simple as that' (line from 'The Ruler's Back' from Blueprint album. I probably shouldn't have said that because I just ruined the aura of my creative writing.). Hip Hop forever!

holla,
(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 41: Free yourself, telling truth

I haven't ranted about anything for a while but the recent retarded, racist, non-sensible rambling of Hank Williams Jr. on Fox News morning show has sparked my latest post...Monday ESPN decided not to run the popular theme song for Monday Night Football by Hank Williams Jr. because he compared Obama to Hitler...

now let's be perfectly honest here and let it all out, the reason why you see the blatant disrespect to President Obama (not only by the people of the U.S. but by the people in government) is because a man of color is in power...of course you see people against the president's views in every president's term (a factor what makes the U.S. great)...Bush 43 got criticized a lot (rightfully so because of misguided decisions), Clinton was spoken about negatively because of his marital indiscretions (though I don't see how that would have effected his policies and performance on the job. In fact it didn't because we were thriving financially as a country [damn I miss .99 cent / gallon gas]) and Bush 41 was criticized because of his assumed ulterior motives for starting the gulf war...but I've never seen such unbridled hate, ill-advised insignificant criticism against a president...

you hear every other day how people think he's the anti-christ or he's ruining the country when in fact he's trying to implement policies that get 'shot' down regardless of what's in the policy...Fox News and other media says blatant slick racist shit about him way too often...why don't the Tea Party, super right wingers and other detractors just come out and say it "I don't like President Obama because he's black"...you might as well let it out and stop with all the slick backhanded talk...

P.S. - and what do you know Hank Williams Jr. has apologized...you know he's not sincere with the apology...what he said on Fox and Friends is what he honestly felt...I know he's trying to save the gig he's had with MNF for years but really why apologize if its not for real...and who's satisfied with a fake apology (this will be the topic for Random Rant vol. 42-Why apologize)

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 40: ATCQ - Midnight Marauders

(I loved the Midnight Marauders cover so much I made my interpretation of the cover)

I just watched the Michael Rapaport directed documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" (don't ask how I saw it but it was excellent) and I began to reminisce about ATCQ's 5 albums they released...I really got nostalgic when I started to hear a couple of songs from their 3rd album "Midnight Marauders"...in my opinion that was there best one, now this is due to the fact that I was first introduced to A Tribe Called Quest on this album...the previous 2 albums were stellar but this album was so dope...from the classic album cover (that i remixed with myself in it) to the incredible songs it was hip hop in its most inventive form...

I can remember the first time I heard the album...I was in the 7th grade (1994) riding in my older cousin's navy blue Toyota Camry...he was playing "Problems" from the cassette deck and I knew from there I had to go and pick up the tape (damn cassette tapes, that's a medium that's now a certified relic. Listen to one now and you wonder how this was considered high quality with all of the 'air' in the sound. Air, you know that low sounding 'shhhhhh' noise you hear.)...I went back and listened to the album again and just as it was in '94 its still dope...Q-Tip is an incredible producer and Phife sounds great over those jazz-infused beats...

Go download it, listen to the cd or even dust off your old tape and listen to the greatness of A Tribe Called Quest...

P.S. - the documentary finally cleared up the 4th member, Jarobi departure from the last 3 albums...i thought he got kicked out but he didn't, peep the documentary to see what happened (Michael Rapaport should pay me for all this free plugging i'm giving him)

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 39: The Crucifiction of LeBron James

I was gonna rant about LeBron's questionable mental approach to high pressure situations but I decided to go a different route...I'm a LeBron fan (not a super fan and not a fan who thinks he's better than MJ. Never that!) and I noticed how he shied away from taking over the game in the 4th quarters of game 3-6...I can not defend his actions (or lack of actions) in the games but I do want to defend how he responds to the media and fans...Ok I understand how people don't like "The Decision" (though 9 million plus people watched it, including the new haters) and I understand people didn't like the coming out party/showcase for the Miami Big 3...but damn the way LeBron is being publicly castrated is ridiculous...

Since the Heat lost the Finals I'm hearing and reading all types of ridiculous comments...Jason Whitlock (writer/reporter) writes how the big 3 should be broken up...what kinda shit is this, they went to the Finals the 1st year together while having little team chemistry (they will gel better in the coming seasons) and he's talking about breaking them up?! C'mon Son! (word to Ed Lover)...then I heard some opinions how Coach Spo should be fired, seriously seriously...he coached 3 stars and low-level role players to the Finals in their 1st year together...this should not even have been discussed let alone considered...but LeBron is being criticized about everything...

he gets criticized about him not shooting the ball in the 4th (rightfully so I gotta agree), criticized about not answering the questions correctly, criticized about not putting all the blame on himself, criticized about predicting to win championships in Miami (isn't that the point of playing the game and the reason he left Cleveland), criticized about the way he walked off the court, criticized about what color suit he had on, etc. etc....I mean damn, he can do no right by the hall of fame players, current players, former teammates and owners (Mo Williams and Dan Gilbert are a bitch-made for their emotional tweets. Go here to read it), NBA fans, the media, I mean by no one....

Charles Barkley disagreed with 'Bron when he said that he's a villain...I disagree with Barkley (I enjoy Barkley on TNT and any other media outlet) because according to the bashing he's been taking all year, he is a villain in the eyes of many in the public...I think LeBron should embrace it and just have the us (Miami Heat) against the world mentality and simply say f**k the hateration (shout out to Mary J. Blige)...

Once LeBron wins 1 championship all of these critical comments and hate will go away (we've seen it with John Elway, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning) and mark my words all of the LeBron haters will turn back into lovers again...I don't really understand why all of the hate from fans and former players when he turned down all the money and stardom in Cleveland so he could play with a better collection of players for less money...keep your head up 'Bron

P.S. - Cleveland sucks because of all this emotional hate...get over it, he left because the organization sucks (Dan Gilbert mainly) and didn't give him any decent help for 7 years and he still took the Cavs to a Finals and 2 consecutive 60 win season with D-League players...did you see what they did this past season?! (finished 19-63 while setting the single season consecutive loss record of 26)...Cleveland has 2 of the top 5 picks in this year's draft, make some good picks and Shut Up! (in Adam Sandler voice)

P.S.S. - Cleveland sucks so bad and are so trivial that even the Mayor of Cleveland makes the Mavs honorary Ohioans. Stupid and childish. That's why the city hasn't won a professional sports title since 1964 with Jim Brown & the Browns. and they won't win won soon neither (Indians-been bad for a while, decent this season but falling quick, Cavs-stink, Browns-worst in AFC north)

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 38: Confessions from a college graduate

As i sit here and contribute more blog posts to this 3 yr old blog i realize that college as a whole is bullshit...In the context of bullshit i mean going to college does not guarantee u getting a job...Hell it doesnt even give u a better chance of getting a job (unless your studying to become a lawyer or doctor...When i was in college they (meaning faculty and ideals of the college) sold me the same bullshit they are still selling kids in college now...The economy wasn't nearly as bad as it is now and it was difficult to get a job then (in 2004)...These universities and colleges do nothing but sell dreams and get money...In essence they are a business, thats it...The only thing they present to 90% of students is a wonderful life experience where you get to meet interesting, diverse people from all around the world...College mainly expands your social skills and social circle...

College is the perfect scheme to get thousands of dollars from parents and students to fund the higher ups in the board rooms of the universities and their perspective cities that college is located in...some other bullshit about college is the student athlete...now we all know (or should know) that about only 1% of the student athletes for these schools are going to play sports professionally,so they are kinda excluded in this part of the rant since they will be paid for their talents when they leave college...with that in mind why do these institutions act like they are doing the students/athletes a favor by saying 'your getting an education for free so don't complain about not getting paid'...these universities make money hand over fist off of these students...schools with large football programs are funding the entire athletic department making millions of dollars while the student athletes get jack shit...they are profiting off the athletes name/number (they sell the jerseys=more money), talent on the field/court (ticket sales=more money) and championship titles (if the school wins it helps with recruiting not just student athletes but regular students=more money)....the NCAA rules don't even allow the athletes to work...in my opinion its just legal slavery (profiting from cheap or free labor)...College=money

I loved my 5 years in college but as a whole it was some bullshit financially and career wise...it didn't help me get the job i'm at now and its kinda preventing me from getting a regular part time job (to supplement my low income) from Wal-Mart or somewhere like that because i'm 'over qualified'...what kinda shit is that!?

p.s. - Go Clemson! and read this article I found on the 'net about the same thing i ranted about: http://theurbanrevival.com/2011/05/20/is-college-necessary/

p.s.s. - listen to KanYe West's - Late Registration skits...funny stuff

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 37: Little facts to fill your mind

(cover to coffee table-like book i'm going to drop)

This rant is just going to be random little facts about any and everything...very interesting stuff to fuel your mind so you can win trivia contests at you local bar (word to $25 gift cards at Wild Wing Cafe)...the facts are from a book called "Sorry, Wrong Answer..." by Ron L. Evans...peep it

1. Black boxes in planes are not black - they are orange. This is to help investigators locate it by sight if necessary after a crash. The name was chosen entirely for humor reasons.

2. The sound you hear when you snap your fingers is not caused by the connection of your fingers - it is the sound of your middle finger hitting the base of your thumb.

3. Einstein was awarded the Nobel prize, not for his theory of relativity but for his less well known work on the photoelectric effect of light.

4. There is double jeopardy in this instance. In the U.S., a person can be tried twice for the same crime if it violates both federal and state law. In these cases the 5th amendment is overridden by a 1922 US Supreme Court decision.

5. The "rapture" is not in the Bible! Despite being believed by a large number of protestants (many of whom also believe that only that which is in the Bible can be true) it was actually invented the 1600's by one Cotton Mather - otherwise famous for murdering women by strangling them to death (by hanging) in the Salem witch trials. The term in the Bible commonly mistranslated to the word "rapture" actually comes from the Greek (harpazo) which actually means "caught up" or "taken away" and it refers to one person only (Philip).

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 36: The fab 5

Back in the early 90's college basketball witnessed and was impacted greatly by a revolution of epic proportions...the revolution came by way of 5 black talented ball players that were part of the hip hop culture, The Fab 5 (Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson)...on Sunday, March 13, 2011 ESPN debuted the documentary about the five freshman Michigan Wolverine basketball players that "shocked the world" (to borrow a line from Juwan Howard who borrowed that famous quote from Muhammad Ali)...it was a great documentary (though Chris Webber didn't participate in the film) that took me back to when college basketball had more of an impact on the sports landscape than it does now...

I remember when I was 10 or 11 years old becoming a Michigan fan (due to the influence of my older cousin puttin' me on to the Fab 5)...everything about em was so dope, to the black socks (hard to believe now that was a so odd. I wear black socks often whether i'm playing basketball or not), to the Nike Huarache's & Nike Air Force Max (charles barkley's) and baggy shorts...back in '92 and '93 NO college hoops team had baggy shorts...everybody rocked shorts the John Stockton style (ie. nuthuggers)...to this day the reason I like the Nike Air Force Max so much is because the Fab 5 rocked em...

the impact the Fab 5 had on sports is incredible...they made people either hate or love em there was no in between...I definitely loved em and was hurt when they lost twice in the national championship to Duke and UNC (btw the ACC is still great. UNC '09 champs & Duke '10 champs [though I hate Duke])...when you look at the documentary you'll see the struggles and problems they had to go through, things I didn't know and I've seen about every documentary and story about the Fab 5...if you get a chance look it up, download it, stream it or something because its a good watch...

the thing that pissed me off though is how Michigan had to take the banners down because of the scandal that happened with Chris Webber...it had to do with a man in Detroit giving Chris some money when Chris was at Michigan while the university cashed in on merchandising revenue off of the Fab 5...Michigan didn't back the Fab 5 up they basically shunned them and do what every university/college caught up in a NCAA violation does, turn your back on players/coaches, vacate wins but still gets to keep the cash it earned from the backs of the players/coaches (a rant about NCAA rules especially when it comes to money is coming soon)....

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 35: Randomly rantin'

WARNING: I WILL BE LACING THIS POST WITH FOUL, OBSCENE LANGUAGE

This rant is not about one specific thought its just me blurtin' thoughts out...at my age i've fully figured out who I am and I'm totally comfortable with that...i have shortcomings that I've embraced and realize is a part of me...like I don't show emotions, I don't like to talk about my feelings to anyone nor show emotion...bout the only emotion I show often is happiness through laughter...I guess I still have some 'caveman' qualities or turn of the century man ideologies of showing emotion as a man is a sign of weakness...these emo dudes out here in my opinion favor women rather than men (soft lil bastards)...

I don't like being pressured or persuaded into anything I really DON'T wanna do...i don't like when a sales assistant in a clothing store tries to sell me clothes...or a car salesman tries to sell me a car...or those annoying fucks in the vendors in the mall hallways try to sell me some hand cream BS or when someone tries to convince me or corner me into a situation to get what they want...its so cotdamn aggravating

here in the U.S. some holidays are discouraging and cumbersome...like Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas...2 of the 3 holidays i mentioned are supposed to be joyous occasions with friends and family...but for me the past 5 years has been aggravation and mentally draining...having to worry about gifts, if I have enough money for gifts, where I'm going for the holidays, who i'm spending the holidays with, the cold weather, the traffic and the people that cause the traffic...by Dec. 5 I can't wait to celebrate New Years because I wouldn't have to think and deal with this 'gobdy gook' (gobdy gook means 'shit' in PG rated terms)...Valentine's Day is just annoying in every single way (damn i'm like the Valentine's Day Grinch)

fuck the recession, fuck my job, fuck college education (only because it drains people's bank account paying high tuition), damn Sallie Mae and damn these high ass gas prices...10 dollars won't even get me 3 gallons of gas, ugh...

Tosh.0 is a funny show, if you haven't seen it watch it...his commentary about viral videos from the 'net is offensive and hilarious...and i wish Chappelle's Show had a full 3rd season (greatest skit show of the 21st century)...hard to believe its been 5 years since the last episode

and facebook is straight but i'm starting to get bothered that people know so much about me (my relationship status, what i did the night before, who i was with)..i'm really considering just not fuckin with it anymore...

Dudes if you wear skinny or super slim jeans, how is it comfortable for your nuts to breathe?...if I wear dress pants that feel a lil too snug I get incredibly uncomfortable...can't really understand dudes in skinny jeans, seems a lil feminine...

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 34 - Everybody wanna be black but nobody wanna be black

Paraphrased words from the legendary comedian Paul Mooney (one of my all time fav comedians) are still oh so true in the 21st century...the actual phrase Paul Mooney said was "Everybody wanna be a nigga but nobody wanna be a nigga"...this simply means everyone wants to use ideas, styles and the demeanor of black people's culture but nobody actually wants to be black...I think this applies not only to non-black people but even black people (in the literal sense of not wanting to be black)....i don't know if its the lighting or make up (most likely neither) but I'm starting to notice a lot of black entertainers lightening up (M. Jackson style)....below is a picture of Lil Kim in the 90's and now

besides from the hideous plastic surgery jobs that mangled her face and body, notice the blotchy skin around the eyes...Lil Kim is clearly lightening her skin to appear white (i remember when I had a dream I was 'gettin loose' with Lil Kim [Kim from "How many licks" video] and woke up thinking it really happened. Damn Kim, we want that ol Kim back)...now even though Sammy Sosa is not black he's still a man of color (and in some people's eyes he is considered black since his skin is dark) and he's clearly bleaching his skin, look below at his before and now

what the hell Sammy...and he's telling the media that he has a skin disease, I highly doubt that...and here's the latest pic of a black celeb that looks damn near white....

that's Beyonce, now I know she isn't as dark as Sheryl Underwood (black comedienne, google her) but I know she isn't this light...what's really goin' on with black celebs not wanting to have their natural, nice dark or slightly dark skin tone...

when I refer to black people i'm specifically talking about African-Americans (i personally like the term Negro, it sounds powerful)...the African-American culture is one the most borrowed from cultures in all of the world...from the original music, everyday used innovations & inventions, food, slang vernacular, overall 'swag' (don't like using that term because its sooooo overused) and body type (every female now has or wants an ass rather its artificial or natural. Even females want full lips by using botox or surgery) every other culture has borrowed it...but on the flip side of it African-Americans are still the most 'shit' on culture in all of the world...Africans don't want be grouped in with African-Americans, in the U.S. all the other races (non-white) look down on us and some people still think we are the bottom feeders of a North American society...its rather sad

all i'm saying is be proud to be black don't be ashamed...yeah I eat fried chicken, I like watermelon, I want my food spicy, like loud music and like women who are not a size 0...you don't see Italians being ashamed of eating pasta (they are ashamed of 'MTV's Jersey Shore' though) or Asians being ashamed of eating rice...embrace your culture and looks, in the words of James Brown "Say it loud, I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD"

p.s. - Represent Black History Month, learn at least one new thing for the month

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 33: LeBron was Cleveland's economy

At the time I'm writing this rant on Monday, February 7, 2011 the Cleveland Cavs have set an NBA record for consecutive losses in a season at 24...before July 2010 the only, I'm mean the ONLY thing the city of Cleveland had goin for them was LeBron James and the Cavs...the economy stinks, the jobs in the area are either gone or left for another city, all of the sports teams suck (Indians worst in the division and since the Browns returned they haven't had a decent steady QB and only 1 playoff appearance since '99)

when the Cavs drafted LeBron the city had hope...during his tenure in Cleveland he recorded 2 back to back 60 win seasons, took em to a Finals (got swept though) and made the team watchable and competitive...then doomsday happened when he decided to "take his talents to South Beach"...I totally understand why the fans were crying, sobbing, mad at him while burning his jersey...its because they knew he was the only shining light in the entire city...Joakim Noah was prolly telling the truth when he said there's nothing to do in Cleveland, I just stay in my hotel room (i'm paraphrasing)...LeBron was the factor that was keeping businesses and restaurants afloat...people came out to 'Witness' LeBron and when they were out they spent money therefore progressing the economy in the city

Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cavs) knew his team was going to be bad (prolly didn't know they were going to be this HOOORRIBBLE [in my worst Charles Barkley impression]) after Bron Bron left...that was the reason he wrote that scathing email about LeBron and stupidly said the Cavs will win a championship before LeBron does...I feel bad for Cavs fans and Cleveland inhabitants because its seems they have no glimmer of hope...reminds me of this video

so my words to Cleveland are keep hope alive and pray that you get lucky enough to draft another super talent in the draft in the next 5 years...cuz the way its looking this losing streak may get extended to 30 games...DAMN!

p.s. - I hope Cleveland doesn't end up like these pics of Detroit (and these are abondoned churches! There isn't even hope in God's house in D-Town)...

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 32: Emo Facebookin'

I guess this is just another instance of my grumpy old man personality poking his crotchety head out, but people letting their emotions and little gripes out on their Facebook status' is annoying as hell...now I shouldn't be annoyed or aggravated or disgruntled about this because Facebook allows you to get out your frustrations and socialize with friends and family but DAMN!... most of the time I don't wanna hear about it...

I see status posts about "how someone did me wrong and they are some backstabbing people that I know so forth and so on" or "today my best friend didn't listen to my problems so I'm going to tell all of the 'Facebook fam' (FBF for short) about my trials"...boo freakin hoo!!! ...i don't wanna hear about your little emotional problems with your boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, long lost friend, enemy that used to be your friend, etc. ...i like reading status posts about funny stuff, current event happenings or where/what your doing (even though that's kinda of irrelevant and trivial)...

I know this rant will do nothing to deter some emo Facebook status updates, I just had to let my 'old man' feelings out...F'n emo Facebookers....

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 31: Do ATL rappers like jail?

It seems like if you are an artist (rappers more than R&B artists) in Atlanta you are destined to get locked up...to end the 2010 year T.I. goes back to jail for violating probation when he got caught with extasy pills in his pocket while driving his Bentley (why is he driving is my first question, if I had the cash money he has I wouldn't drive anywhere I'll have a driver on-call 24 hrs a day)...he was already locked up most of the year anyway and he got relocked up...

then Gucci Mane was locked up in 2010 and was bout to get locked up AGAIN before the end of 2010 for nearly takin' the charge for Waka Flocka's gun and weed in Waka's house...I guess Waka felt guilty and didn't wanna run from the 'fuzz' cuz he turned himself in at the beginning of 2011 for the charges..I just read instead of going to jail Gucci is in a mental institute or something like that...

then the R&B artists from yesteryear and the present are also getting locked up...i don't think Lyfe Jennings is from Atlanta (but he was livin' there or rather his baby moms lives in the A), he gets locked up for outrunning the police in car chase after he kicked the door in to get at his baby moms while brandishing a gun...this might be his third strike but i'm not sure...one thing i'm sure of is we won't hear anymore original songs from Mr. Jennings in the near future, life imitates art cuz he definitely is a Statistic (you see what I did there)...

then to round out the Atlanta correctional facility all-stars is T.I.'s wife Tiny formerly from the group, Xscape (from Atlanta)...she nearly got some time for having weed on her when Tip Harris (T.I. for those not in the know) got pulled over when driving his Bentley (refer to the top of the post for T.I.'s problem)...these mishaps are just in the last 3 months, its recent history!!!

All I know is the ATL music scene is about to be done because it seems all the music artists in the A are getting locked up constantly...damn, where's the Dungeon Family when you need em to spit some knowledge to the new generation (Big Boi's solo album is dope btw)...who's gonna be next in Brick Squad to get fed time? (brrr, hey, boww boww and all the other retarded adlibs) ...sad

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 30: The Vick Redemption

"The world's back on my d**k, I'm Mike Vick'n it"...lyrics from the always on point emcee from Yonkers, NY, Jadakiss that sum up Michael Vick's incredible comeback this season (check the verse here from Jadakiss & Styles P - So Appalled freestyle)...when the Eagles picked up Vick most of the general public thought that this was an insane move for the Eagles organization...many people thought he didn't deserve to play, he shouldn't have the opportunity to correct his life or shouldn't even get a second chance to redeem himself (crazy to me because he killed dogs not people, though he did deserve to be punished. Here's my hierarchy of life: 1) humans 2) most animals 3) bugs and rodents 4) child sex offenders)...I must say though I'm a Cowboy fan (damn we are struggling and look bad this season) who's team is in the same division as the Eagles, I enjoy watching the Philadelphia Eagles play with Michael Vick at QB...

I like to see when anybody can correct their bad decisions or misfortune and turn it into a 'rags to riches' -esque story...although in Michael Vick's case he already had riches so its a 'riches to rags back to riches' story...i said in a previous rant that once he started winning games all of those animal loving Philadelphians that boycotted outside of Lincoln Financial Field would go away and whatta ya know, you see no boycotting of Vick now...in America regardless of your crime or mishap if you produce money or win games you get forgiven...don't get me wrong, their are some people that still wanna see Vick fail and stumble...its just that you don't hear them now because he's doin so well on and off the field...

The Monday Night Football game against the Redskins further solidified Vick's redemption as he threw for 4 TDs and ran for 2...even if you're a hater you must recognize and realize Vick is an incredibly talented QB that the NFL has never seen before and right now is 1 of the top 10 QBs in the league...Vick congrats and maybe Nike will be calling you for an endorsement deal again...

p.s. - remember haters gonna hate

holla,
(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 29 - Haters gonna hate

It seems in this year of 2010 (that's damn near over unbelievably, gone by super fast) that hate is at a fever pitch...the term hatin', player hatin' (player hatin degree = Phd) and haters was popularized by hip hop (that popularizes every ill trend in the world) in the 90's and now in 2010 the term is widely used because of the extreme hatin' going on...

i see people hatin' on LeBron James....hell all he did was as a free agent select a team he wanted to play for because the Cavs were not gonna win a title anytime soon (just being honest)...ok people may not like "The Decision" he had on ESPN but personally I don't understand why people hate on it...he was a free agent that everybody and their momma wanted to know where he was gonna play the next few years of his career, might as well capitalize on the event...he's a good guy that does all the right things and after one 'bad' career move he's now the villain...

people hate on Nicki Minaj...i personally don't listen to all of her own music because its geared more towards the pop crowd and ladies (check youtube for "Check it out" and "Right thru me") but when she's featured on other artist's tracks she kills it...point blank, she can actually rap (check her verse on Kanye West - Monster)...i see celebrity females, internet message board females and regular meet on the street females hatin hard on Minaj...I understand why Lil Kim is hatin because Nicki used to be her in the 90's (skillful rapper with much sex appeal and buzz) and she wants that top spot back...i just read something about Gloria Velez (video vixen, i'd rather call em video hoes, that was on the Big Pimpin video, Luke Freak show video where she was 'carpet munching' another female, etc.) talkin ish about Nicki fake butt (btw no dude cares if a female's butt is fake, just as long as its nice) and talent as a rapper...she's another female hatin because of Nicki's popularity and that's where she wants to be...

all i'm sayin' is pour all of the haterade out your glass and get on your own grind...hatin' is nothing but jealousy in a different package...here's a rundown of some other people being hate on in 2010...

Pres. Obama - trying to bring a little change but gets constant hate from all sides (dems, repubs and the Tea Baggers in the Tea Party)

Jersey Shore cast - i agree they are retarded but they are hilarious because of their stupidity

Miami Heat - all they did is compose a team of great talent, its Chicago Bulls 96-98 v.2 (except not as great, greatest 1-2 combination in basketball ever)

Howard Stern - greatest radio talent this earth will ever have but gets shit on by cookie cutter tabloid shows like Extra, other TV celebrity magazine shows and mainstream media for his boldness and out-of-the-box entertainment

Good lookin females - other females just hate other females in general but really hate females that are fine wine dimes (come to think of it damn a dime, they even hate on 8's)

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 28: Common - Be album circa 2005

You know when you talk to your parents or aunts & uncles they tell you that the music they listen to is better than what we listen to...well I knew I would eventually be that person that would say that to people younger than me but I didn't know it would happen this fast...i'm only 28 years old and I say that the music (hip hop music I'm speaking of) of the 90's and early early 00's was better than the mainstream stuff now...

they also say that an artist's album had to be good from start to finish because there was no such thing as tracking or fast forwarding an album (even though if you had vinyl you could change a song by picking up the needle and moving it)...you couldn't fast forward a 8-track cassette (my dad still has one [not in use though] and he actually owns an 8-track adapter for a cassette car stereo, damn that's throwback) so all the content had to be good, no filler songs...now that is true because even in the 90's hip hop artists had filler songs on albums...

but I wanna speak about an album that came out in 2005 that's a classic album for the artist and genre...that album is Common's "Be"...from start to finish the songs are impactful, full of lyrics, artistry and originality...produced mainly by KanYe West, Common went back to his soulful hip hop roots (unlike the eclectic "Electric Circus" album that I still think was dope)...you can actually listen to the album all the way through without tracking one song (a rare event in this era of the music industry)...if you haven't listened to it in a while I recommend you go back in the archives and give it another listen...its dope ish

p.s. - Soulja Boy sucks (there goes my old man hate flaring up again)

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 27: The hand you're dealt

As my birthday approaches in less than one month (i'll be one year closer to 30) I have learned a couple things in my young life...like people are born with incredible talents, some people are genuine down right a**holes, there is genuine evil and kindness in the world, money controls and dictates everything in the world (well I know at least in the United States) and most people have to deal with things simply because it was the hand they were dealt...its a cliched phrase but I actually whole-heartedly believe this...

I've met people that do nothing but good, kind to people and try to walk the 'right' path in life but things never quite work out the way it should...for example i noticed a person that goes the extra mile for others while shorting themselves short on luxury but can never get the same treatment in return...in fact they get shitted on when they ask for a little favor and the person they just helped will not return the favor...its akin to the middle child syndrome (its not really a syndrome i just couldn't think of another word)...the middle child in some families seems to always get the short end of the proverbial stick in family situations...

on the other end of the spectrum there are people that don't put any effort into anything they do but always seem to get 'the breaks' in life...these people may shit on others all day and will be the guy that will win a scratch off lottery ticket for $100,000...this will have you thinking 'how in the hell does he get the breaks and he treats people like bovine excrement'...i think this is the reason why some people don't like celebutantes/actresses like Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Richie, etc. because they get everything handed to them for doing basically nothing while exhibiting horrible behavior...but that's the hand the were dealt (rather silver spoon they were fed with)....

its a unfair part of life but its actual...people are dealt a certain hand in life and its their choice to deal with it or fold under the unfortunate situation they were given (damn I have alot of euphemisms in this rant relating to cards)...i guess that's what life is

holla,

(4o)ur

Random Rant vol. 26: People are A$%holes pt.2

Here's the 2nd installation of the people are assholes rant...with the developments of oil spill and the large oil company (BP) trying to fix the mess they could have prevented, brings me to the point that money creates larger assholes (A*$hole + Big money = Larger A#$hole)...We all know that money runs the world but I think we are getting to a point money controls every facet of our life...i read about how BP neglected aging equipment, pressured employees not to report problems and cut short or delayed inspections to reduce production costs...i understand that the point of a business is to make money but damn these oil companies are already making PROFITS in the BILLIONS of dollars...

the higher ups in the oil companies could give a F*$& about safety and environment (pertaining to if there's an oil spill it would ruin the ecosystem in the ocean therefore f'n up the food supply for seafood lovers)...they just care about the bottom line, profits!...i wanna make crazy amounts of money like the next man but if it comes at the expense of seriously hurting or killing people (workers have died on the oil rig and workers are having difficulty breathing trying to clean up the spill) then i don't want it...

which brings me to the next point, war...the people that fund and start wars are complete rhinoceros pizzel (quote from Coming to America, Semmi said it)...they don't start wars to protect the country or give people freedom from tyrannical governments, no they do it because you can make cold hard cash from wars...these f$&*ers could give 2 cents about how the people in war are living (this includes soldiers, soldiers families, civilians in the country of the war)...they just know they are going to make a millions and billions of dollars...this current Iraqi Freedom fiasco is now at a cost of a TRILLION dollars to taxpayers (damn I hate taxes [sales, car, luxury, food, alcohol. Surprisingly there's no tax on gas, interesting])... imagine the money war companies are making (Tony Stark would have made a killing this past decade if he were a real person)...fuck these dicks...

p.s. - We should get out of "Vietnam 2.0" (the current war we are in) because I've come to the conclusion that these middle eastern dudes will fight forever until the end of time and you can't win (they will kill themselves at will and raise their kids to do the same. How can you fight that!?)...also i don't think that that part of the world needs or wants a democratic, free will society like us so we should just leave em alone and cut our losses...

holla,

(4o)ur