Friday, July 9, 2010

CI #93 -- NBA

So it's Miami. Who cares? Not this guy, though there was a time.

As a New Yorker, I'm almost glad that Lebron didn't come here because it would reinforce an offensive Big Apple mantra: We (NY) can buy anything.

That's basically the Yankees' operating strategy. And to be fair, same goes for the Mets -- the Yankees are just better at it. (Lack of salary caps is one of my qualms with baseball).

It's impossible for me to talk about the NBA without sounding like a curmudgeon. Let's try, shall we: The game is boring. It's all flash and no substance. Their shorts are too long. They're practically pants! They make too much money. In my day, the ball wasn't so round.

NBA-fan friends tell me the rule changes over the past couple years have "opened up the game." I believe them. More than anything, my lack of appreciation for the NBA probably stems from two things: 1) no longer being 11 and delusional, thinking I could play even college ball and 2) Who has the freakin' time? I'm still trying to catch up on Breaking Bad.

So it's only fair to ask, When did I like the NBA?

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B: (apparently this is totally serious).

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

CI #92 -- Changes

Every time I'm in a car listening to the radio, I make a resolution: listen to the radio more. Yeah, like the analog kind. No Pandora, no satellite. Old school.

Why? Because even though radio tends to play the same songs, they're songs we don't normally pick for ourselves. Radio is perhaps the most random form of media consumption these days. With a digital TV guide, I barely even flip channels anymore.

The benefit of radio is that you may end up hearing songs you forgot you liked. For me it was 2pac's "Changes" while I was in NC last week. You better believed I pumped the hell out of the Ford Focus speakers.

The man's mellifluous urban poetry got me thinking: This song is the perfect political yardstick. Forget all this first 100 days, first year crap.

So I wonder
What does 2pac's "Changes" say about Barack's changes?