Off The Dome

Progessive change

2009-02-07T02:34:00.022-04:00

We are one week into the annual celebration of Black History and African Heritage Month, so I would like to share a couple of pieces I came across recently (courtesy of YouTuber CB4TW of Raptors Recap).

The first one is Basketball Hall of Famer, Alex English reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr, his experiences growing up during the Civil Rights movement in Columbia, SC, and on President Barack Obama: (***During this video Alex re-counts a personal experience and uses a racial epithet - viewer discretion is advised***)

And next is Raptors NBA TV and Raptors radio broadcast announcer, Paul Jones sharing his thoughts on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama:

I'm gonna leave you with a fun one (courtesy of Heat Daily), unfortunately it never aired due to T-Moblie recently cutting ties with Charles Barkley because of his holiday indiscretions...

Until next time y'all!

- San Fran

2008: Sports Year In Review (In Photos)

2008-12-21T02:51:00.007-04:00

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings everyone!!

From me to you:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/95392-2008-sports-year-in-review-in-photos

Feel free to spread the love and share this link with family and friends. :)

Thanks to all my readers for making my first blog year an enjoyable and successful one!

Have a safe holiday and a great 2009. See you all back here in the new year!

--San Fran

A Night To Remember

2008-11-09T00:44:00.039-04:00

Even though this is mainly a sports blog, I believe I'd be doing myself and my readers a disservice if I didn't share my thoughts on what we witnessed earlier this week (as captured above by Chicago Tribune's Nuccio DiNuzzo). Although, I do find it extremely fitting since I created this blog site and my first entry on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2008.

I have waited a few days to post this because I wanted the reality of it all to set in, and somehow try to express in words what culminated on November 4th, 2008 means to me.

I definitely became more cynical over the past 8 years - and I largely attribute that to what I saw in the American political process while living there during that time frame. I will openly admit I didn't ever think I would see this day. That alone is a resounding statement.

It's not that I don't believe in hope and promise - but some cycles seem as if they'll never end. I am happy and PROUD to admit I was wrong, although I am most happy that my Mother and others from her generation and earlier generations, who are still alive, were able to see this happen.

I can undoubtedly say that Barack Obama's Presidential election win is one of the most POSITIVE memorable moments I have witnessed thus far in my young lifetime. I remember as a 13 year old watching the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and then Nelson Mandela's release from a South African prison after 27 years of imprisonment for fighting against apartheid. Both of these events marked monumental first steps that were taken to begin rectifying Titantic-sized social injustices and intolerable ideologies that had existed for generations.

Without question there are still major, necessary steps to be taken in order to eliminate racism and prejudice, but similar to the moments I just exemplified this definitely marks another monumental step in overcoming negative and bigoted mindsets, lowered expectations, and for many - a sense of hopelessness.

While watching CNN this week in the days after the election, someone in a panel discussion stated that "race wasn't an issue in this election". Personally, I completely disagree with that notion. I prefer to agree with Soledad O'Brien's opinion during that same panel discussion, when she commented that (and I'm paraphrasing here) "Barack's race wasn't a roadblock or hindrance in becoming the President."

To me, by saying "race was not an issue" or when someone says "I don't see colour" - I feel it's minimizing in some way the mistreatment of people of colour over the past 200+ years in North America and that it hasn't been a major obstacle to overcome, or that Barack's win is not as significant of an accomplishment as it truly is. There simply would not have been nearly as many African-Americans voters from various generations, many of them FIRST TIME voters, if race wasn't at least part of the issue. I clearly understand what people likely mean when they make those aforementioned statements, but you HAVE to remember the past in order to fully understand the present, and the future.

Certainly, BHO's qualifications, charisma & demeanor, understanding of key issues, platform, and 'stick-to-it-iveness' with regards to his campaign message were ultimately the reasons he won this 2008 Presidential election. And because of this, I am greatly encouraged that we as a society are getting closer to a day when someone isn't "judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" - but since there is still a need for initiatives such as affirmative action, it's clear that, as a society, we have much more to accomplish.

On January 20, 2009, President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama will become the United States of America's 44th President, and the FIRST African-American to do so. President-Elect Obama represents the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and ALL of the others who have or who continue to fight for civil rights and, just as importantly, he represents the realization that those dreams are now more than just an ideal, more than just words...

They are becoming a reality.

I love this game...it's FAN-tastic!!

2008-11-02T01:01:00.032-03:00

The NBA season has begun and I've watched EVERY one that's been televised here in Canada this week - which means I need some serious ZZZs! Since Tuesday I have been in my total NBA junkie mode, it's like a third Christmas for me (I feel the same way when the NFL season starts too)!

I want to put this on record - I've been extremely excited and impressed with the NBA coverage that the Canadian sports television outlets have been providing for Canadian viewers over the past 2 seasons. During the 7 years I lived south of the border, that was one thing I was fortunate to enjoy, which seriously lacked in Canada - the endless access to NBA and NCAA basketball coverage and games. Now, it may be a while before we get that same level of NCAA coverage here in Canada, but the NBA coverage has been stellar over the past 2 seasons, 1 of which I appreciated from afar (or when I was home on vacation) as I was still living in 'The Land of Opportunity' at that time.

If you want to mark some key match ups on your calander, or in your smartphone - here you go:

--Toronto Raptors television coverage for the 2008-09 regular season (1 link):
http://www.nba.com/raptors/schedule/

--Overall NBA television coverage in Canada for the 2008-09 regular season (2 links):
http://www.nba.com/schedules/national_tv_schedule/index.html
http://www.nba.com/schedules/national_tv_schedule/canada/

In addition to the hilarious Wiser's Whiskey 'Wiserhood' tv spots, I also keep seeing the new Adidas 'Basketball is a Brotherhood' commercials (which started last season as most of my fellow avid basketball fans likely recall). I really like the short clips, they lure you in - hoping they were just a little longer. Well, hope no more - I'm spreading the love! Adidas has put together a cool concept that slickly ties in their marketing campaign which piggybacks off the success and message of the ones from last season.

There are 4 in total that tell the 'Brotherhood' story, which are the source of the 'short clip' TV commercials that we're seeing during the NBA games now, and a bonus video (a pick up game consisting solely of NBA stars!!) that is must watch for any 'NBAddict' like myself.

Check 'em out: The full length versions here on Adidas.TV.

I've also posted some commentary and cool links on two new 'group blogs' that I've been invited to contribute to - be sure to check 'em out:

--HoopHeadsNorth (Basketball talk with a Canadian flavour!)--

--Halifax Sports Portal (Discussion and promotion of the Amateur and Professional sports scene in Halifax, Nova Scotia)--

Until next time my friends...

P.S. - For my American readers: 2 more days...YES YOU CAN! :)

"Don't call it a comeback..."

2008-10-07T20:39:00.024-03:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's been much too long since my last update - but since bills need to be paid, daily life & family responsibilities, vacation (and watching the Summer Olympics - haha), things can get hectic as you all know - I'm sure you'll forgive me. It's now October, which means the Baseball Postseason is in full swing. No disrespect to any of my readers who are baseball fans, but you won't find much MLB love in my posts...click here for the reason why in case you forgot, or need to know.

NFL: Is in full swing!

Boy oh boy, the Tennessee Titans are 5-0 and the San Diego Chargers are 2-3 to start the year...if anyone predicted that, I sure hope you had some quality chips laid down in Vegas or with your local bookie. I gotta point out that the New York Football Giants haven't missed a beat since earning their Super Bowl XLII rings - no 'Super Bowl hangover' so far! Depsite Michael Strahan retiring, losing Osi Umenyiora for the season to injury, and Plaxico Burress getting suspended for this past week - they have just kept on rolling and, like the Titans, are undefeated sitting with a 4-0 record.

The league is WIDE open this year, leaving no shortage of excitement each week. The parity in the league is incredible - enjoy it my friends...enjoy it! We'll talk a lot more about the 'No Fun League' in my entries through the rest of the season.

NHL: 2008-2009 Season has begun!

My beloved New York Rangers are 2-0 to start the regular season thanks to two back-to-back wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic last weekend. I'm quite happy with the Rangers' ability to put the puck on the net, now they need to get the power play clicking! They lost former captain Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, and Brendan Shanahan - but added Markus Naslund, Nikolai Zherdev, and Wade Redden - in addition to having Chris Drury (the newly named team captain) & Scott Gomez in their 2nd season with the Blueshirts. If they can build on the chemistry they've started through training camp, pre-season, and these first two regular season games Rangers fans like myself have a lot to look forward to!

Now, I would be remiss to leave the rest of the league out - especially with SOOO many moves this off season (welcome to the age of the Salary Cap!) both on the ice and behind the bench. Yahoo! Hockey blogger extrodinaire, Puck Daddy (aka Greg Wyshynski), brought my attention to an NHL cyber analyst, who goes by the name SteveDangle.

He has a YouTube channel set up were you can watch and listen to his unique delivery method of breaking down each team for the upcoming season. He also has his own site, HockeyTube.com, that will launch on October 9th.

Talk about a refreshing take on the upcoming season, team by team analysis, delivered in a comedic yet clearly knowledgeable manner. I look forward to the video updates SteveDangle will provide throughout the season. Check him out, I think you'll appreciate it.

Vancouver 2010 - 15 months away:

My girlfriend and I have been seriously thinking about going to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics for quite some time, and earlier last week (Oct. 3rd, 2008) the Ticket Request process for Canadian residents was announced by VANOC (Vancouver Organizing Committee):

VANCOUVER 2010 TICKETING INFORMATION

The great thing is that during this 'Phase I' timeframe all ticket requests are all considered with the same priority so that prospective spectators have time to co-ordinate with friends and family without worrying about scalpers. If the demand exceeds the availability of any of the single sessions or ticket packages VANOC will put all of the requests into a lottery. Ticket Request submitters will be notified in early 2009 if they were successful in attaining tickets. If not, there will be additional opportunities to try and get tickets after 'Phase I' is complete.

If you're interested, be sure to submit your Ticket Request by the 'Phase I' deadline of November 7th, 2008 for your best chance to get tickets.

NBA: I love this game!

The Boston Celtics are the new defenders of the Larry O'Brien Championship trophy, and the 'Redeem Team' came back from Beijing sporting new bling - in the right variety of precious metal this time, not to mention all of the Player and Coach movement throughout the Association. The past six months have certainly been an exciting time in the world of basketball, and I don't expect that to change over the next nine!!

I've teammed up with my boys Romes & U-E this year to contribute to another blog called 'Hoop Heads North' - a blog especially for you NBA addicts and basketball enthusiasts. Romes kicked off the blog nicely this past summer with some fun stories and tidbits from the offseason. I plan to drop a couple jewels in there this week - so be on the look out for that, and as always feel free to subscribe to that blog as well.

Of course, I'll drop my usual NBA musings here at 'Off The Dome' as well - but two heads...I mean, THREE heads are better than one right?!

Until next time my fellow pro sports fanatics (I promise it'll be MUCH sooner!)

- San Fran

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a strong rhyme to step to"

2008-03-09T19:57:00.032-03:00

Carolina Blue:

I have to start this week's blog entry on a sombre note. I'd like to remember Eve Carson, UNC's student body president, who was senselessly murdered last week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I wish ALL of her family, friends, and UNC students my condolences, thoughts, and prayers at this time. I will never be able to understand how someone can take someone else's life like that.

In fact, I'd like to remember all those students and faculty members who have died @ Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois, Duke, and Auburn over the past several months in these heinous acts of crime...R.I.P...

Tyler Hansbrough...what more can said about 'Psycho T' that hasn't already been said? He's my pick (yes, I'm biased!), as well as MANY others', for the NCAA men's basketball collegiate player of the year. So far The Sporting News agrees, and has named him 'Sporting News Player Of The Year'. Because of that award, he's eligible to have his jersey retired by the school ALREADY! I'd like to note that he's a junior, with another year of eligibility left - if he so chooses, and he still has some of the biggest games in his college career ahead of him over the next month. Tyler is definitely the most intense, driven, and relentless COLLEGE basketball player I have ever watched. I can't wait for all the college games ahead, especially UNC's. There will be no shortage of drama unfolded before our eyes!

After reading an e-mail titled 'We Are Carolina' that my friend Amy, who is a UNC alum, sent me - it just re-inforced ALL the reasons why I carry an internal disdain for Duke University basketball - and basically anything else related to the school :) Feel free to search for 'Peter Rosenberg Duke' on YouTube to get a humourous, if not better, understanding if you need it.

The ACC tournament, and all the other conference tournaments, should be amazing basketball to watch this weekend. This of course is the pre-cursor to 'Selection Sunday' to see where all the chips will fall and how 'the Dance' will shape up. The Madness begins Thursday March 20th, and I hope you all have access to a TV during the work day...I'm sure that's likely not the case, so go check out 'NCAA March Madness on Demand' and sign up ASAP! :)

Husky Pride:

My alma-mater, Saint Mary's University Huskies, went into this past weekend's Atlantic University Sport (AUS) 'Final 6' tournament as the 3rd seed in the AUS conference. My friend Steve and I caught the Friday night games, that included Saint Mary's first game vs. the UPEI Panthers. The Huskies pulled off a nail biting 65-63 victory that had me up and down out of my seat countless times in the 4th quarter. They went on to face the Saint Francis Xavier X-Men on Saturday in a match up that ended with a hard fought 76-64 win for the Huskies, which gave them the ability to advance to the AUS Championship game vs. the #1 seeded Acadia Axemen, who also advanced with a win against the upset seeking Dalhousie Tigers.

On Sunday, for all the marbles, Saint Mary's gutted out a 75-72 victory over the Axemen to win the AUS Championship and guaranteed themselves one of the top 4 spots in the 8 team National Championship tournament this weekend in Ottawa, Ontario.

The 5 time (consecutive) defending champions (an amazing feat!), Carleton Ravens are the #1 seed in the Canadian Inter-University Sport (CIS) 'Final 8' tournament. With the Saint Mary's Huskies' AUS Championship win and regular season record, they earned the 3rd seed, and the Acadia Axemen, despite losing the AUS championship, are entering the tournament as the 5th seed by way of the wildcard and their success during the regular season and playoffs.

'SMU' hasn't won it all since the 1998-'99 season with the squad led by Jonah Taussig and Cory Janes. Let's bring the championship back to Halifax baby!

CIS 'Final 8' Tournament schedule & Canadian TV coverage (all times EST):

Friday, March 14
11:30 Quarterfinal #1: No. 3 Saint Mary's vs. No. 6 Western Ontario
14:00 Quarterfinal #2: No. 2 UBC vs. No. 7 Brock
18:00 Quarterfinal #3: No. 4 Laval vs. No. 5 Acadia (The Score)
20:00 Quarterfinal #4: No. 1 Carleton vs. No. 8 Alberta (The Score / tape delay: 22:00)

Saturday, March 15
11:30 Consolation #1
14:00 Consolation #2
18:00 Semifinal #1 (The Score)
20:00 Semifinal #2 (The Score)

Sunday, March 16
12:30 5th Place
15:30 Final (The Score)

Halifax Rainmen:

Speaking of my beloved hometown of Halifax, I feel it has been a solid inaugural season for the Halifax Rainmen. It's been a quality level of professional basketball and provides a great entertainment value for the spectators. They have averaged just over 2000 fans per home game, based on 12 of the 16 home games (so far) that listed the official attendance on the team's website. They have their 2 final regular season games this week, Thursday and Friday night, before heading to Quebec City for the ABA playoffs beginning March 27th. If you haven't had the chance to see them play yet - make sure you get out to either the game on Thursday or Friday night - both games are a 7:15pm AST start. They're doing a lot of promotions & giveaways this week, so be sure to check it out.

Also - big shout out to the Halifax Rainmen's Eric Crookshank! He was named to the ABA East All-Star team that will be a part of the ABA All Star weekend festivities in Barre, VT on March 21st and 22nd. Eric's had an excellent season and always provides highlight reel dunks and blocks to entertain the crowd - whether at home or on the road! Keep doin' your thing my man, I'm definitely a fan.

Martin Taylor tackle on Eduardo da Silva:

My friend Sanjay and I spoke about this briefly last week and thought this would be a good topic of discussion. Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva suffered a career threatnening injury by Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor in recent Barclay's Premier League (also known as 'EPL' - English Premier League) soccer action.

Be forewarned that it isn't pretty...If you haven't seen the tackle - watch here. To me, it didn't appear to be a dirty play, as much as it was a mis-timed tackle...which makes the whole thing unfortunate. But as we all know, injuries are 'part and parcel' with sports, especially at the highest levels of competition.

Unfortunately, there have been a lot of rumours and stories that have swirled around after the fact - making Martin Taylor look even worse. The media, especially the tabloid/gossip media outlets, published conflicting reports. Essentially, there were reports that Taylor visited da Silva in the hospital after the horrific injury. Da Silva claims the hospital visit by Taylor didn't occur and that the interview and visit was an invention and fabrication by the British paper "The Independent".

FIFA (international soccer's governing body) is also discussing possible additional action against Taylor for causing the injury. Taylor received a 3 game suspension for the tackle.

Arsenal expects Da Silva to be back in action in 9 months time, but with an injury like that - only time and rehab can tell...

Bleacher Report:

I've decided that I would like to take my writing to a larger audience, and short of trying to get a paid freelance/contribution position with a print or online publication, I was looking for an additional outlet outside of my blog. Since the new year, I got that itch to put my thoughts and opinions 'down on paper', so to speak.

I came across a website called BleacherReport.com which I found a few months ago just surfing the web looking for outlets to write and contribute sports related articles. It is exactly what I was looking for, and more. It provides people like myself, who like to write and feel they have a good knowledge of sports, an audience of readers and fellow writers who are looking to consume those very stories and articles that I enjoy writitng.

Feel free to watch for my latest articles on BleacherReport.com. I also added a link labeled 'My Dream Job' over on the right side of my blog, under 'Off others' domes' that'll take you to the same webpage as the link above.

Going forward, I'm going to keep my blog here more like this entry you're reading now - with my opinions and links to interesting articles, stories, etc., whereas what I contribute on BleacherReport.com will be more in the vain of the Tiger Woods write up I posted. That way I'll have two separate venues to share information I like to write about, but I'll try to keep each one unique for my readers.

Who knows, maybe ONE day this could all lead to a paid opportunity...but as they say, don't quit your day job! :)

Enter The Tiger: Is the 'Grand Slam' truly in his sights?

2008-02-25T18:42:00.006-04:00

Well ladies and gentlemen, we are all of 9 weeks into this PGA season and Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods seemingly has taken his dominance on the Tour to another level. With this past weekend's WGC Accenture Match Play Championship title, he has now won 6 straight events including his final 3 from the 2007 season (4 tour events, and 2 non).

Last year during the BMW Championship @ Cog Hill in Lemont, IL my friend Matt and I had the pleasure of watching Tiger paired up with 'Spiderman' Camilo Villegas during the 3rd round of the tournament. That was my first opportunity to see Tiger up close and personal, as we followed him for the round (minus bio breaks, food and beverage pit stops, or when we skipped ahead a hole to get a better view). We even stuck around and watched him get interviewed for XM Radio after his round. Everything I had seen on TV with regards to the size of the gallery that follows him, and the roar of the crowd when he makes an incredible shot was just magnified in person. It's a personal sports moment I won't ever forget, and it also marked the 1st victory in his current 6 event winning streak.

Seriously, is what he does tournament after tournament even humanly possible? I thought golf was a game that was made NOT to be perfected (think Robin Williams' stand up routine), and even though Tiger's game isn't 'perfect' by technicality (he doesn't birdie, or eagle every hole...), he could be the closest thing to perfect the golf world may ever see.

The PGA is made up of the top 150 golfers (Top 125 tournament money earners from the previous year, and 25 conditional tour cards. There are also exemptions given as well, but for the sake of this discussion let's call it 150), who are essentially the best golfers in the world. Any one of them on any given day, any time of day, could put anyone of us 'amateurs' (and I use that term lightly when it comes to my fledgling game) to shame on the links. I would hazard a guess that I'd be so demoralized that I probably wouldn't even want to play golf again if that were to actually happen.

Yet Tiger seems to be able to outlast, overcome, and many times overpower the field in a way that doesn't seem fathomable. He plays with that killer instinct mindset - he wants to win by as many strokes as possible. It's the "it ain't over 'til it's over" attititude to eliminate doubt and second guessing yourself at the end of the match.

Enter the blasphemous talk of capturing the Grand Slam...

When asked recently if Tiger thought it was possible to win the Grand Slam, he was quoted as saying "I think you can". As good as Tiger is, there definitely has to be some luck, timing, and good fortune added to that equation in order to pull off the "Triple Crown" of the golf world (that analogy doesn't QUITE work since there are 4 majors, but I'm sure you get my point). The most amazing part is the majority of golf and sports followers think it's possible that he can do it, and if not this season - eventually in his career.

As Tiger himself put it, "I had all four trophies on my mantle at the same time." Referring to the dubbed 'Tiger Slam' that spanned the 2000 & 2001 seasons where he won all 4 majors, but not all in the same calendar year. And as impressive as that was and still is, it's not the true definition of the Grand Slam. That will just have to be one more possibility for Woods as he enters the prime of his career. Just think about how absurd that last sentence sounded: "the prime of his career"??!! He just passed Arnold Palmer yesterday to become Number 4 on the 'Most Career Wins on the PGA Tour' list with his 63rd Tour victory, and he still has his best years ahead of him...Again, that doesn't even seem possible...

So, how will Tiger manage to continue to do the unthinkable? Maybe we'll get our first glimpse into that plan on April 10th in Augusta, GA.

"Back in the day when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore, but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again"

2008-02-16T13:53:00.023-04:00

Back in 1988, I was in Grade 7 (or 7th Grade for my American readers), and I was introduced to one of the biggest consumerism phenomenons of my lifetime. Since then my purchasing habits haven't been the same.

Just to be clear, I'm referring to the once modestly sized running shoe company in Beaverton, Oregon - Nike Inc.

To this day I can't tell you exactly why I have become the 'Nike Addict' I am. I know it's a combination of things - the fact that Michael Jordan wore them, and that they were the first sneakers with 'air' you walk on or see, like the Jordan III or the Air Max I. I thought they were the 'coolest' sneakers ever, and still do - haha. Maybe I'm just a sucker for good marketing? Although, I've never been this brand loyal to ANY other product in my life, and when you think about it - that says a lot.

I can tell you who the first kids in my school were to have the Air Revolution, Air Max Light, and the Jordan V, including the other two I mentioned above. It was like being the first kid on your block with Nintendo's NES system - except that you weren't letting anyone else play your kicks! Everyone just oooed and ahhhed, or picked up your pant leg for a closer look.

My ability to collect and wear Retro versions of those same sneakers gives me a chance to be nostalgic and re-live my adolescence in a small way - to finally get those pair of sneakers I wanted but was never able to own when they first came out. When I rock my Jordan IIIs now, I always have people say "Oh man, I used to have those", or, "I loved those back in the day", or "I had them in white". I guess it's a chance to reminisce without even really thinking about it.

Since it wasn't my hard earned money that were buying them (I wasn't lucky enough to have a paper route at that age - 11/12 years old), I was content with a pair of Air Pegasus @ $79.99. Keep in mind this was 1988/89...Nike had me drinking that magic Kool-Aid, and yep, I'm still drinking it. So thanks Mom, you put me in my first pair of Airs (among many others!) - I definitely won't forget it. :)

Socially & Environmentally Conscious:

Nike has come under a lot of fire over the years for their former practices (some self-admitted or proven and some alleged) of paying poor wages and over working employees in developing countries, allegations of underage labour, and using non-environmentally friendly materials to build their products, which endangered the people building the products and the environment itself once the product was worn out and ready to be thrown away.

I'm sure some of you are thinking, how can you support a company who has been associated with such social ills? Well, as with most major corporations there are positive initiatives and programs that they are involved in, but as we know - negative press is what sticks in our minds, even if those issues have since been addressed and improved upon, or eliminated altogether.

One of Nike's oldest initiatives, started in 1994, was P.L.A.Y (Participate in the Lives of America's/All Youth). The Boys & Girls Club I used to play basketball at on Sunday mornings in my hometown of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was a recipient of charity from that very program around 1998. Nike donated a new basketball court to the Club that was manufactured from recycled rubber from used sneaker soles.

While I was living in Chicago, Illinois, one of the fields we played on in Douglas Park was also donated by Nike, U.S. Soccer Foundation, and FieldTurf in 2004. It cost $500,000 and was built from 75,000 pairs of shoes! The field plays really well, especially in poor weather. We were able to take advantage of starting our rec soccer leagues earlier by playing outside in March & April because of it.

Nike allows people to drop off old and used sneakers of any brand to certain stores and locations through their 'Reuse-a-Shoe' program which they use for creating the very type of courts, fields, and other playing surfaces like they did for the Dartmouth Boys & Girls Club and Douglas Park. The P.L.A.Y. initiative has since been re-named 'Let Me Play'.

I wanted to talk about a Wall Street Journal article that my friend Bryan sent my way yesterday discussing Nike taking their recycling concepts one step further by making an actual sneaker from recycled and environmentally friendly materials, right down to the shoebox. The first shoe in this vain is aptly named Nike 'Trash Talk', which will be worn by the Phoenix Suns' 2 time NBA MVP, and the shoe's spokesperson, Steve Nash. He wore the sneaker for the first time during a game this past Thursday night vs. the Dallas Mavericks (side note: The Suns won the game, and Nash's sneakers and ankles held up just fine - haha).

Even the latest Jordan Brand release, the 23rd signature shoe and rumoured to be the last (take that for what you will...), the XX3, was also created with a 'green state of mind'. Using Nike's 'Considered' Design ethos, it's concept is a shoe that reduces waste, is all hand stitched, and uses no solvent based cements/glues - but still a high end on-court performance functioning shoe.

Both the 'Trash Talk' and the Jordan XX3 in the 'All-Star' colorway editions were launched for sale today, during NBA All-Star weekend.

In the Wall Street Journal article, writer Nicholas Casey even details ways Nike is reducing and recycling the use of electricity and water in various factory and headquarter facilities to further their mission and vision of an increasingly 'enviro-minded' company.

Nike CEO Mark Parker appears to be leading the company towards an environmentally and socially conscious mindset that will not only help them improve their bottom line through reducing and re-using raw materials, but improving their societal image and hopefully positioning themselves as an innovator in environmentally conscious developments, such as their 'Considered' Design concept.

As I have gotten older and buy more and more products, I like to know more and more about the companies I am buying products from, how they run their organization, and what they are doing to improve the world we live in. These days I need to know that my $150-$200 for a pair of 'J's' is going towards something other than JUST a profit margin. Call it suppressing a guilty conscious if you will, but I like the direction 'The Swoosh' is headed. Run Nike Run!

"I'm not the run of mill, 'cause for the mill I don't run"

2008-02-12T01:11:00.002-04:00

Post Super Bowl thoughts:

All the confetti has fallen and has since been swept off of the streets of Manhattan's 'Canyon Of Heroes' celebrating the Super Bowl XLII win by the champion New York Giants, but not before cementing itself as one of the most dramatic finishes and one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. My man Burnsy hosted a Super Bowl party I attended with other good friends and it was incredible! The atmosphere was just what you want for a game like that. The house divided by Patriots fans and the rest rooting for the Giants like my boy Scotty, who was the only true Giants fan at the party. The highs and lows through the game were nerve wracking! Every first down, every turnover, every sack, completion, incompletion...each subsequent and conceivably game changing play. They all added to the eventual jubilation of the Giants supporters and the shocked reaction of the Pats fans as Eli Manning eluded a swarm of defenders and got the ball to David Tyree who made the most clutch catch I've ever witnessed, as the drive culminated with Plaxico Burress catching the game winning touchdown, and again when it was official as the game clock hit triple zeros.

It's moments like that is what being a sports fan is all about! It didn't hurt that I had picked the Giants two weeks before the Super Bowl and then went as far as to pick the 3 point spread as well. Yeah, I'm still enjoying the bragging rights from that one! :) It was great to chat to three of my NY Giants fan friends, Ryan, Mike, and John (the latter who is a NY Giants season tickets holder), the next day just to hear how excited they were. John, thanks for all the games @ Giants Stadium I've been able to go to over the past few years - the good and the bad!

I watched NFL Network's hour and a half 'NFL Replay' of Super Bowl XLII just for an early taste of the exclusive sideline and on-field footage NFL Films managed to capture. I definitely plan to get a copy of the Super Bowl XLII DVD to hear everything that we didn't get access to during the game.

I really would like to spend a moment talking about Bill Belichick and how ungracious he was in defeat. His immediate post game comments and his post Super Bowl media conference call gave relatively no credit to the Giants for their victory. The stunt he pulled walking off the field with a second left on the game clock before the final knee was extremely poor sportsmanship. If you have the gall to put your starters BACK IN after you already took them out or 'run up the score' in Week 7 & 8, what else are you willing to do?? Hahaha - We already know the answer to that question don't we? I think it's safe to say his name will be in the sporting news this off season, and it won't be for what the Patriots plan to do with my 49ers' 1st round pick in this year's NFL Entry Draft as much as it likely will be for 'Spygate Revisited'...

Blockbuster NBA trades:

There has been a whirlwind of activity in the NBA since I last posted. Pau Gasol going to the LA Lakers to fill their void in the middle and beyond while Andrew Bynum is sidelined. And the latest blockbuster deal that has sent the 'Big Aristotle', Shaquille O'Neal, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for 'The Matrix', Shawn Marion, and Marcus Banks.

The majority of people I've talked to about this deal are skeptical of it or flat out don't think it's going to help Phoenix get over the hump and into the NBA Finals. I can understand those thoughts - Phoenix plays at a frenetic pace that is too much for Shaq, he didn't do anything all season in Miami to this point, or he's simply too old to be able to contribute.

Personally, I think this trade can get Steve Nash and Co. to the land of Champions. Realistically it all depends on Shaquille's health, but he passed his physical which was mandatory in order for the trade to go through. Futhermore, he WAS hurt over the past few weeks and has been rehabbing extensively. The Phoenix Suns medical staff are the ones who helped revitalize Antonio McDyess' career after his potential career ending knee surgery. Off the court matters such as the impending divorce from his wife Shaunie, and his philosphical differences with Miami Heat coach, Pat Riley, on the direction of the team - namely the team not retaining proven outside shooters like Jason Kapono, could also ultimately lead to a renewed focus and an environment that Shaq could thrive in. Shaquille is also an excellent passer especially when he's double teamed, and with the shooters that the Suns have on their roster, this could prove to be deadly for the competiton once the Suns have built the chemistry they need to have going into the post season.

The Stars shine this weekend in 'Nawlins:

This weekend is NBA All Star weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana - filled with all the fan favorites like the Sophomore/Rookie Game, Skills challenge, 3 point contest, the Slam Dunk contest, and then the actual All Star game on Sunday. Kevin Garnett has been ruled out of participating in the game because of his recovery of his abdomen injury. Rasheed Wallace has since been named as his replacement. I'm especially looking forward to the Dunk Off this Saturday night, all of the participants have been actively working on their dunks. Rudy Gay has even been gathering ideas from the fans for one of the dunks he plans to use. This should definitely be entertaining!

Here's the TV schedule of events:

Friday 2/15
9pm (EST) on TNT (USA), The Score (Canada)
T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam

Saturday 2/16
8pm (EST) on TNT (USA), TSN (Canada)
NBA All-Star Saturday Night

Sunday 2/17
8pm (EST) on TNT (USA), The Score (Canada)
57th NBA All-Star Game

As always, lemme know what you're thinking - the good, the bad, and the ugly!

"Cooler than a polar bear's toenails..."

2008-02-02T14:31:00.004-04:00

Normally I don't post sports pictures I didn't take...so I won't. :) Although, here's a link to one that David Cannon of Getty Images captured of Tiger Woods with his shades on during his round yesterday in Dubai. This is just a classic to me!

It's been more than a week since I've been able to fill this web page with any of my sporting world insight that I know you've all been dying to read (as you all collectively think: "Yeah, right who does this guy think he is?!"). Well the wait is over - so let's get to it shall we?

My man Austin in JoCy, TN sent me a New York Times story last week about Kenny George, a 7'7'', 360 pound hooper from 'The City of Wind' who's in his junior year with the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs. Austin had a chance to see George first hand when UNC-Asheville were playing his alma-mater, the ETSU Buccaneers. The Bucs won, 89-87, in a match that came down to the wire but George didn't go down quietly going 6-7 from the field for 13 points, 9 boards, 4 dimes, and EIGHT blocks. He's averaging 4.4 blocks on the year, while putting up two separate 10 block efforts this season! I'll definitely be following the rest of Kenny George's college career and beyond now. Thanks for the knowledge Austin.

Golf season is in full swing again, at least professionally speaking. I know that's hard to believe, especially living in the Northeast, but golf is one sport that doesn't seem to really have an off season. For example, Tiger Woods' last 'official' PGA tournament for the 2007 season was 'The Tour Championship' that ended on Sept. 16th (which he won, along with the first ever FedEx Cup). He then played the Presidents Cup later that month in Montreal (USA beat the World team, but Mike Wier did beat Tiger in their head to head match up). After that he played in one of his charity tournaments, the 'Target World Challenge', which ended on Dec. 16th (he won that too). He's already played in the Buick Invitational that wrapped up on Jan. 27th (yes, you guessed it - he also won that!).

And now he's currently overseas playing in the European Tour event 'Dubai Desert Classic' where he's in 4th place going into tomorrow's final round (although he was leading after the 1st two rounds). Ernie Els, who is in the lead, is playing GREAT this tournament and has a healthy 4 stroke lead, but that's why they play the game. With all that said, this golf season is just heating up and the best is yet to come. I've made a conscious decision to hit the driving range and the links more this year - early morning style. I'm on the hunt for some Nike irons in the next couple months - I gotta fill up the new golf bag I got for Christmas :)

It's the eve of the Super Bowl and I really tried my best not to watch much of the "25/8/366" coverage they had on NFL Network, the local Boston affiliates we get here, and the regular sports channel outlets. I'm just not interested in seeing the same story on Wes Welker or Brandon Jacobs that I already saw on Week 6. Plaxico has been 'questionable' every week this year, and you know Belichick isn't going to give you a 'sound bite', so at this point I just want to watch the game. I've already come out and said in my first blog's entry comments that the Giants will win the game. So now I'm going to do my best Plaxico Burress impersonation. He predicted a 23-17 Giants win when asked by a reporter last week, I'm going with a 27-24 Giants win - the difference of a field goal. Your legs better be ready Lawrence Tynes!!

"Like we always do at this time..."

2008-01-23T05:08:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone for your comments and responses. The feedback from my first ever blog entry was more than I ever expected, so thank you for reading and contributing! I hope I am able to provide enough quality reading to keep bringing you back :)

And on with the show...

LeBron's Ode to the Yankees:

Being the 'sneaker head' that I am, I had to share this link. Now as many of you may recall Mr. LeBron James aka King James, LBJ, Bron Bron, Athlete LeBron, Wise LeBron, Kid LeBron, All Business LeBron (ok ok, enough already right?), went to the Cleveland Indians/New York Yankees AL playoff series wearing a Yankees hat. This set off a whole debate amongst Cleveland's sports fan collective. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it - he's been a Yankees fan his whole life. It's not like he plays baseball for the Indians and demands to suit up wearing pinstripes or an 'NY' on his hat as he steps to the plate to hold on to his allegiance...

He has taken his Yankees love to the next level. Nike is releasing an exclusive 'LeBron V (5)' shoe inspired by his favourite 'America's past time' team. The best part is that these kicks are mainly navy blue which is a predominate color in the Cavs jerseys, especially their Alternate road attire. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out to see if he starts rocking these during games this season or post-season for that matter.

NHL All-Star Weekend:

With this year's NHL All-Star festivities just 3 days away in Atlanta, GA, I would be remiss not to discuss it! My girlfriend Kelly, who is also a huge sports nut, sent me an excellent article written by 'Hockey Night In Canada' commentator and CBC.ca columnist, Scott Morrison.

Morrison discusses the NHL All Star Saturday Night Super Skills Competition, specifically on all the things the NHL has done to try and make this the most entertaining NHL All Star skills competition yet! I applaud the League's choices and updates to the existing competitons to make it more fresh and exciting for the fans - because at the end of the day - it should be all about us right?!

Be sure to check it out this weekend if you'll be near a TV:

Sat. Jan 26
Dodge/NHL SuperSkills Competiton
NHL Young Stars Game
On TV: CBC (Canada) 6:30pm EST, Versus (USA) 7pm EST

Sun. Jan 27
56th NHL All Star Game
On TV: CBC (Canada) 6pm EST, Versus (USA) 6pm EST

Hope to see you all back here next week for my next update - post NHL All-Star festivities and 1st weekend of Super Bowl hype...How many times will we hear about Tom Brady's foot up until kick off on Super Bowl Sunday? I wonder if there's an 'over/under' or 'line' for that you can bet on in Vegas?

Blog Initiation

2008-01-21T18:55:00.002-04:00

First of all, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone. Our world is a better place from the vision, message, and legacy he left for us to follow. We certainly haven't fulfilled his dream entirely yet, but we're getting there day by day. Thank you Dr. King.

Now, this is my first official post and foray into the world of blogging...yes, isn't that exciting...(***cricket noises in silence***) so, with that said, no point in delaying what I came here to do, and what you all came here to read (hopefully!).

I've always found the early new year to be a great time for professional sports fans. At this point on the calander the NFL Playoffs are well underway, and soon marks the unofficial halfway point of the NBA and NHL seasons with both All Star weekend events around the corner. You may be saying to yourself "What about the crazy number of free agent signings in Major League Baseball? That's exciting!". Well, as you'll soon learn about me if you don't already know me personally - I'm no longer a TRUE baseball fan.

I still go to MLB games and enjoy taking in an afternoon or evening at the ball park. NOTHING beats LIVE sporting events. I was fortunate enough to live in Chicago for a year during this past 2007 baseball season, and took in as many Cubbies and White Sox games as I could...but since the strike season of 1994, I have not been able to warm up to baseball again.

Now, to clarify - yes, the NBA had a temporary work stoppage/lockout in 1998, and the NHL had a temporary work stoppage/lockout in the 1994/1995 season, as well as the season-cancelling lockout in 2004/2005. So, why am I still an avid fan of puck and the 'Association'? Well, that's because they had the decency to NOT start the season or just cancel it altogether. Not play 70% of the games and then decide to call it quits like MLB did in 1994 (And yes Mark, if you're reading, the Expos would have beat your Braves to win the NL East, and eventually advance to the World Series in '94!). That will forever leave a nasty taste in my mouth. Worse than the one you get from eating burned popcorn.

My beloved Montreal Expos managed to get the short end of the stick once again that year, and unfortunately that was the beginning of the ending for them as a franchise, and for me as a fan of baseball. Not to mention steroids - but we'll save that foder for a future post :)

Well, now that I've gotten that off my chest (for the moment...) let's look at the upcoming match up we've been given for the 1st day of glutony in 2008, aka Super Bowl Sunday. The New York Football Giants (in the words of the great Chris Berman) vs. the New England Patriots. We could talk all day about the Patriots and all the things they have accomplished this season: all-time league records, team records, individual records, etc. - but since you've gotten that all year long, and you'll continue to get even more of that during the most hyped '2 week span' in all of sports, I'm going to choose to focus on the underdog, which they have been all season long.

The Giants were not expected to be in this position this year, most pre-season prognosticators had them middle of the pack, going 8-8 in a best case scenario. Then you had Tiki Barber trading in the shoulder pads for the microphone, and his constant criticism of Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and Plaxico Burress. They had the most impressive loss you'll ever see vs. the Patriots on the last week of the regular season. Since then they have reeled off 3 straight playoff wins on the road, knocking off the top 2 seeded teams in the NFC in the process. I honestly believe if the Giants can continue to play the way they have - they can be the ones holding the Lombardi trophy after the game on the evening of February 3rd.

Just announced on 'NBA on TNT' as I'm writing this entry:
Rudy Gay, Jamario Moon, Dwight Howard, and Gerald Green have now been officially announced as the contestants in this year's Sprite NBA Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All Star festivities in the 'Big Easy' next month. I'm definitely looking forward to this - especially since the NBA is allowing fans to have some live input on judging, and to also see if Jamario is able to put on the same type of show (or better!) that all Raptors followers have seen ever since he got inserted into the starting line up in mid November.

Well, time to sign off and finish watching my Chicago Bulls take on the Memphis Grizzlies...hopefully this won't result in a loss. Then I gotta get to the gym before they close @ 10pm - just under 2 hours from now - plenty of time :)

Thanks for reading - please leave comments, opinions, love letters, hate mail - whatever you feel.

Peace!