Coupla Things...
First, Bob found a cool way to support our servicemen. I'll let him talk about it:
So there you go. There are some really good designs out there, and as Bob said, it's for a great cause. Think Christmas gifts people!!!
* Further proof that Chad Ford--basketball writer for ESPN.com--is a fucking idiot. And I quote, after the Iverson/Billups trade: "Whatever you want to say about Joe Dumars, the guy isn't afraid to take risks. Some of them, like drafting Darko Milicic, a little-known 17-year-old, have backfired (though swapping Milicic for the right to draft Rodney Stuckey has mitigated that decision)."
To put into context, Chad Ford was the one who enthusiastically supported the drafting of both Nikoloz Tskiafhailgjeaioefjaealb;jbao (yes, the semicolon is part of his name ;-P ) and Drako Milicic. In fact, Chad Ford was the last person in the world to admit that Darko was a bust, holding out on him for five or six years. So now that he has been absolutely FORCED to admit that Darko was a bust, what does he do? He tries to paint a pretty picture by saying the Darko for Stuckey trade made it all good.
We're going to ignore how pathetic that is Chad. Instead, we're going to go with your statement. So you'd rather have Rodney Stuckey than...Chris Bosh? Carmelo Anthony? Dwyane Wade? David West? BECAUSE THOSE WERE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DRAFTED AFTER DARKO CHAD!!!!
Stop trying to look like you're not an idiot Chad. You are. Accept it, and move on.
* Quick question to Netflix: is there a single web site in the world you don't have a popup ad on? Just wondering.
* I can't decide if if this story is sad, or has a silver lining of, "Oh well, at least he went out on top." I'm going to go with the latter. Congrats on reaching the top of the mountain buddy; I'm glad you went out on top!
* News flash to Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh (both of whom I respect and think are geniuses): In the "NY Knicks v Stephon Marbury" battle, Stephon will win. Make no mistake. He has no pride; he is perfectly happy sitting on his ass all season and collecting $30million. You will not be able to buy him out. Just so you know.
* Two thoughts on this story: 1) Dude, they have regulations for a reason. That some Darwinism there. 2) Wait...you mean Ligers are real? I had no idea! I thought that was a Napolean Dynamite thing!
* Not that I have any room to talk as a Mavs fan, and not that I like to agree with John Hollinger, but man the Spurs are going to suck this year. And not to toot my own horn, but you heard it here first. Just, you know, ignore that Mavs' prediction.
* So I watched the CMAs (Kim's idea, not mine) the other day. Once again, I found myself praying the prayer that I pray every day:
Fellas, we've got it good.
* Finally, my last two topics are pretty serious--one being sad, and one being happy. We'll deal with the sad first.
One of the most influential people in my life died on November 4th. Michael Crichton died at the too young age of 66 from a private and unexpected battle with cancer.
Simply put, Michael Crichton is one of the greatest writers and authors (I see a distinction between the two) who ever lived. He is the author of an incredible number of classics: The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Eaters of the Dead, Congo (don't judge the book by the movie; the book is fantastic, the movie is one of the five worst of all time if not the worst), and of course, Jurassic Park. He is also the creator of ER, and has directed several movies. His works are exceptional, and several of his books I have read over 20 times each.
Crichton was a genius (literally; he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, and got his MD from Harvard Medical School) whose greatest talent was teaching the reader about the science his book dealt with. Time travel, cloning, genetic research, weapons manufacturing--Crichton not only told you fantastic stories about each, but taught his readers the basics so they could follow his work and enjoy his stories more readily. He made complex scientific topics more sensible to the average guy.
Crichton was one of my foremost inspirations into the world of SciFi, and the world was a better place with his work in it. He was a brilliant man, and will be missed.
* Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Gangstalicious. We recently became back to back Champions of Carrolton's Sunday Night Basketball League--one of the most competitive rec leagues in Dallas. There are so many great players who have played on our team--both those on it now and some of the guys who have had to move on--and while there are fantastic things to say about everyone, I've got to give a special shout to without question our MVP, Chris Bishop.
I've been blessed to play with some of the best players in the world in my life--literally, as several of them are or have been in the NBA--and I would rank Chris right up there with them. Chris is an amazing all around player--an unstopable scorer, a great defender, an underrated passer, a fantastic competitor, a great leader--but what truly sets him apart is his play in the open court. If Chris gets the ball on a fast break, there is an 80% chance that he is going to score or get fouled. Think about that for a minute--the best shooters in the NBA shoot 50% from the field. The fact that we can count on Chris at least 80% of the time--even if he's outnumbered 2 to 1--is simply amazing. The two best open court players I've ever played with are Chris and former NBA Dunk Champion and current OKC Thunder SF Desmond Mason. That's how good Chris is.
People, there are a lot of reasons to come watch this team--David & Bryan's amazing shot blocking, Suki's dizzying play at PG, Sam's back breaking 3 pointers (the "Oh my God, did that 6'5" white boy just hit his third three on us?" look on opponents faces never gets old)--but the excitement you get from watching Chris get the ball on a break, knowing he's going to score, and just wondering how he's going to do it is well worth the price of admission--assuming, of course that there is a price of admission, which there is not. :-)
So congratulations to Gangstalicious for an outstanding feat by being back to back champions. If you want to see some good, free basketball on a Sunday evening, come on out. I promise you'll enjoy yourselves.
I know the "Affliction" t-shirts, made popular by the UFC, are very popular right now. I am not a fan because it is mostly douche bags too afraid to get tattoos that are wearing them (Ed you are obviously excluded from that category), but some of the designs are at least artistically interesting. Well, while on the Crossfit site today I came across a website called OperationPhoenix.com, which led me to another website Forgedclothing.com. Both of these sites had similar styles of t-shirts, but with INFINITELY better causes. Operation Phoenix is a non-profit selling these t-shirts, and taking donations, to provide the United States Marine Corps with functional fitness equipment for training. A very good thing to say the least. Forged clothing was formed by a group of former Navy Seals, and all there clothes are designed off of military insignia (with artistic liberties taken) from Seal teams and various other military branches. Forged has certain shirts that are sold with 100% of the profit going back to the families of servicemen killed in action. My understanding is that all t-shirts donate some of the profit to military families. I figure if you want a trendy cool t-shirt why not get one that is helping the cause instead of putting more money in Dana White's pockets (God love him, he's a good capitalist).
So there you go. There are some really good designs out there, and as Bob said, it's for a great cause. Think Christmas gifts people!!!
* Further proof that Chad Ford--basketball writer for ESPN.com--is a fucking idiot. And I quote, after the Iverson/Billups trade: "Whatever you want to say about Joe Dumars, the guy isn't afraid to take risks. Some of them, like drafting Darko Milicic, a little-known 17-year-old, have backfired (though swapping Milicic for the right to draft Rodney Stuckey has mitigated that decision)."
To put into context, Chad Ford was the one who enthusiastically supported the drafting of both Nikoloz Tskiafhailgjeaioefjaealb;jbao (yes, the semicolon is part of his name ;-P ) and Drako Milicic. In fact, Chad Ford was the last person in the world to admit that Darko was a bust, holding out on him for five or six years. So now that he has been absolutely FORCED to admit that Darko was a bust, what does he do? He tries to paint a pretty picture by saying the Darko for Stuckey trade made it all good.
We're going to ignore how pathetic that is Chad. Instead, we're going to go with your statement. So you'd rather have Rodney Stuckey than...Chris Bosh? Carmelo Anthony? Dwyane Wade? David West? BECAUSE THOSE WERE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DRAFTED AFTER DARKO CHAD!!!!
Stop trying to look like you're not an idiot Chad. You are. Accept it, and move on.
* Quick question to Netflix: is there a single web site in the world you don't have a popup ad on? Just wondering.
* I can't decide if if this story is sad, or has a silver lining of, "Oh well, at least he went out on top." I'm going to go with the latter. Congrats on reaching the top of the mountain buddy; I'm glad you went out on top!
* News flash to Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh (both of whom I respect and think are geniuses): In the "NY Knicks v Stephon Marbury" battle, Stephon will win. Make no mistake. He has no pride; he is perfectly happy sitting on his ass all season and collecting $30million. You will not be able to buy him out. Just so you know.
* Two thoughts on this story: 1) Dude, they have regulations for a reason. That some Darwinism there. 2) Wait...you mean Ligers are real? I had no idea! I thought that was a Napolean Dynamite thing!
* Not that I have any room to talk as a Mavs fan, and not that I like to agree with John Hollinger, but man the Spurs are going to suck this year. And not to toot my own horn, but you heard it here first. Just, you know, ignore that Mavs' prediction.
* So I watched the CMAs (Kim's idea, not mine) the other day. Once again, I found myself praying the prayer that I pray every day:
Lord God, let me thank you--as I do every day--for making me a Man, and not a Woman.Why, you ask? Because I watched Carrie Underwood change clothes at EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK, and Brad Paisley not once changed out of his jeans and sloppily fitting jacket.
Fellas, we've got it good.
* Finally, my last two topics are pretty serious--one being sad, and one being happy. We'll deal with the sad first.
One of the most influential people in my life died on November 4th. Michael Crichton died at the too young age of 66 from a private and unexpected battle with cancer.
Simply put, Michael Crichton is one of the greatest writers and authors (I see a distinction between the two) who ever lived. He is the author of an incredible number of classics: The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Eaters of the Dead, Congo (don't judge the book by the movie; the book is fantastic, the movie is one of the five worst of all time if not the worst), and of course, Jurassic Park. He is also the creator of ER, and has directed several movies. His works are exceptional, and several of his books I have read over 20 times each.
Crichton was a genius (literally; he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, and got his MD from Harvard Medical School) whose greatest talent was teaching the reader about the science his book dealt with. Time travel, cloning, genetic research, weapons manufacturing--Crichton not only told you fantastic stories about each, but taught his readers the basics so they could follow his work and enjoy his stories more readily. He made complex scientific topics more sensible to the average guy.
Crichton was one of my foremost inspirations into the world of SciFi, and the world was a better place with his work in it. He was a brilliant man, and will be missed.
* Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Gangstalicious. We recently became back to back Champions of Carrolton's Sunday Night Basketball League--one of the most competitive rec leagues in Dallas. There are so many great players who have played on our team--both those on it now and some of the guys who have had to move on--and while there are fantastic things to say about everyone, I've got to give a special shout to without question our MVP, Chris Bishop.
I've been blessed to play with some of the best players in the world in my life--literally, as several of them are or have been in the NBA--and I would rank Chris right up there with them. Chris is an amazing all around player--an unstopable scorer, a great defender, an underrated passer, a fantastic competitor, a great leader--but what truly sets him apart is his play in the open court. If Chris gets the ball on a fast break, there is an 80% chance that he is going to score or get fouled. Think about that for a minute--the best shooters in the NBA shoot 50% from the field. The fact that we can count on Chris at least 80% of the time--even if he's outnumbered 2 to 1--is simply amazing. The two best open court players I've ever played with are Chris and former NBA Dunk Champion and current OKC Thunder SF Desmond Mason. That's how good Chris is.
People, there are a lot of reasons to come watch this team--David & Bryan's amazing shot blocking, Suki's dizzying play at PG, Sam's back breaking 3 pointers (the "Oh my God, did that 6'5" white boy just hit his third three on us?" look on opponents faces never gets old)--but the excitement you get from watching Chris get the ball on a break, knowing he's going to score, and just wondering how he's going to do it is well worth the price of admission--assuming, of course that there is a price of admission, which there is not. :-)
So congratulations to Gangstalicious for an outstanding feat by being back to back champions. If you want to see some good, free basketball on a Sunday evening, come on out. I promise you'll enjoy yourselves.
Labels: Authors, Gangstalicious, Military Charity, NBA
posted by Michael Pondrom at 12:41 AM
5 Comments:
Anyone get sucker punched and have their melon split open? Or does that only happen to Ky-El.
Gangstalicious. Lawls. If they ever make you change the name...McLovin.
I'm literally blown away by the Crichton news. I had no idea. He is HANDS DOWN my all-time favorite author. I have every single one of his books (even the ones penned under a different name AND his non-fiction books) and have read them all numerous times. He was never afraid to tackle ANY topic (whether it be abortion in Case of Need, the airline industry in Airframe, Nanobots in Prey, "reverse" sexual harassment in Disclosure, etc) and even though they weren't in his field of expertise (medicine) he researched so much and is so intelligent that he became a stone cold expert on any topic he covered. His books were always cutting edge, informative, and extremely enjoyable. To this day, my record for fastest reading of a book is Rising Sun, which I read in 3 hours, start to finish in one sitting.
In honor of Michael Crichton, and the countless hours I spent over the last 10-15 years enjoying his books, here is my Top 5 favorite list
1. Congo
2. Rising Sun
3. Sphere
4. Five Patients
5. Timeline
runners up: Prey, The Andromeda Strain, Travels (which has my all-time favorite opening "It is not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksaw. The blade kept snagging the skin, and slipping off the smooth bone of the forehead. If I made a mistake, I slid to one side or the other, and I would not saw precisely down the centre of the nose, the mouth, the chin, the throat. It required tremendous concentration. I had to pay close attention, and at the same time I could not really acknowledge what I was doing, because it was so horrible")
He will be missed
I was saddened to hear about Crichton too. Not only was he a great writer, but he is probably one of the most broadly capable writers that I have ever read. He wrote about a lot of topics AND he wrote them well. A true renaissance man of the writing world.
Bo
I think my favorite Michael Crichton quote comes from his book "State of Fear."
"The only thing worse than a limousine liberal, is a Gulf Stream environmentalist." Think it was the George Morton character.
Mike,
I bought myself the "Gold Team" shirt in white from Forged.com. Great looking shirt, nice and soft (pre-shrunk). They've got some sick designs. Thanks to Bob for finding that.
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