"Money can't buy happiness

but it's a damn good down payment."

My bad to all, I was out of town for a bit and with Memorial Day and everything it's been hectic.

Someone (thanks Chong) sent me this article about David Falk a little bit ago and I never got around to talking about it. David Falk matters to some because he was THE Michael Jordan's agent. An interesting point about Falk's interview with CNBC is, at the end, Falk says,

"... we're dealing in a world where agents are splitting fees with AAU coaches all the time. And it's getting worse. I wanted to meet a college player who I really enjoyed watching this year. So I asked a friend of mine, who is a very powerful man in the game, to introduce me to him. And he said, 'I'd like to help but I can't.' And when I asked why. He said, 'You are three years and $500,000 short.'"

I thought this was especially interesting because all the pub this OJ Mayo "scandal" has received lately. Basically OJ is a basketball phenom who has been heavily recruited since about 7th grade and now he allegedly took gifts or money from an agent/agency. This is funny to me because it really showcases the ignorance of the American public. Really? IF this happened, is it really the first? Who do you think is giving high school/college athletes? Powerhouse agents and boosters. The situation can't be fixed because some of these people are supporting the very schools themselves. (Paul, I meant why this Mayo story specifically, is getting more pub than countless others before him with similar talent levels.)

Please do not pretend like this is a big issue because if it were, there would've been an attempt to "fix" it. And since there hasn't been and won't be an attempt, let's just move on and focus on other things.
I typically don't like Stephen A. Smith (A-Mart's impressions are a different story) , but this article was decent.


I'll update with some pictures of my vacay and some Memorial Day details. For those of you that have it, enjoy Summer break. For my corporate folks, enjoy this hot-ass Arizona weather. I need a Summer out-of-town spot like I need lower gas prices.

"Slide through the 'hood' just to check my dough"

"Trapstar fresh from head to toe,
From toe to ear, the kicks match the cap,
Black t-shirt, yeah it match the strap,"

75 San Diego State students and 96 in all were arrested in connection with a drug bust at good ol' San Diego State University. Authorities said "Two kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash"

Apparently Kenny and some of the fellas over at the Theta Chi house got a little too bold. Whatever happened to secretive drug dealers that didn't like getting locked up? Mass texts, what is this? Must be listening to that "cRap" music too much.

Funny thing is, how much you think the cops spent on the whole operation? Yeah, way more than $60G and that Bush League operation were worth. Oh well, it's only the American people's tax money anyways right?


Also, if anyone needs an easy class for a lit credit at ASU, DO NOT take HST364 "Sex and Society in Modern Europe." Yeah, my bad, I'm an idiot. Professor got me like a creepy dude with a blacked-out conversion van. to catch_a predator style. She'll reel you in with a semi-interesting first day, then ruin your Finals schedule because you have to write a stupid 8-10 page paper about stuff that isn't that interesting.

Paul, I need some Yoko in my life.

"Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out"

Arrested Development

"What-wha-what-what-what's it all about"

For those of you who have not given the show any burn, you have definitely been missing out. If you don't know about Arrested Development, it was one of the most hilarious shows on TV but did not nearly get enough pub, got canceled once, revived, then canceled/shut down again for good. If you're a fan, a movie is supposedly on the back burner somewhere.

These are clips of Will Arnett (Gob from Arrested Development) when he was on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in February.




Eh, I got a kick out of it.

"They said I couldn't play football I was too small"

"They said I couldn't play basketball I wasn't tall,
They said I couldn't play baseball at all,
And now everyday of my life I ball."

You can find these motivational posters in almost every kind of job. They're real common, especially in depressing work environments such as office buildings and schools. I remember these being heavy in the schools for a while, probably still are. Lately, as I'm sure you all know, there have been plenty of fake ones made by random people all over the internet, a simple Google search does it. Most of these are not quite as funny as the creators originally thought. Matter of fact, most of them are pretty mediocre.

I have no idea who came up with this one but I thought it was pretty neat.
For those of you who are a little rusty with their U.S. history, George Washington was kind of a big deal and while other guys in wigs were napping, the Town Destroyer straight put in work on a chilly Christmas Day, 1776. G Dub's motto for the day? "Victory or Death." On 2nd thought, the reasons why I think this poster is hilarious are probably exactly why other countries hate the U.S. Oh well, America is thuggish ruggish even on holidays, what about you?

Happy Birthday Easton, you're getting up in years.

Coach, I pulled a hammy

Rockies vs. Padres last night, 6 and a half hour long MLB game, 22 innings! Yes, 22. They only scored 3 runs. You know some guys were thinking of ways to get home early...

That got me wondering, and the longest MLB game ever was on May 1, 1920 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves, 26 innings. The game went so long they had to call it because it got too dark.

Most definitely could have used this at the ballpark...

"Shawty want a thug...

Bottles in the club..."

Great weekend. Lots of good people.
First off, Jaeho, GREAT look showing us a great time in Scottsdale at Geisha House and PCL. If you've never rolled with Timmy before, you just wouldn't understand. He kept the Belvedere flowing like it was on tap! Didn't even matter that there were a few of your standard Scottsdale tools and douche bags scattered throughout. THANK YOU TIMMY.
And if you guys haven't had a chance to check out Hob Nob on Chandler and 56th, it doesn't miss. It's a sports bar with all the TVs you would ever need and delicious food. Paul and Timmy, great recommendation and thanks for waiting up.

If you guys have ever been pleasantly surprised by a smaller than usual kickback then you know exactly what I'm talking about. There had to be less than 20 people. But good people + me = one of the better times I've had at a kickback. Kyle, Monte, Travis, thanks for your house fellas, a great time was had by all. GA boys do it right, held it down. Falling up, really?

Justin stomps entertainment centers and pushes washing machines like it's nobody's business.
Janae, put the Frutézia down!
Kelsey, maybe try not to get in the way when people are kicking beer cups because Flippy cup officially sucks.

"I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man."

The past couple years, people have devoted an incredible amount of ink to the alleged downfall of hip-hop. If you've frequented the blogs in my can't miss list, you'll recall that a little while ago, DeWitz (...Been Around the World...) and Kellen (1993) talked about rap's current whereabouts. They offered up their $0.04 so I thought I'd chime in with my own little 2 piece because as of late, this is something that's been on my mind a bit. Although different, for my purposes, I use hip-hop and rap interchangeably. Bear with me here, it's the 2nd Act of the music series.
First and foremost, hip-hop has always been the self-titled "voice of the streets," a way of verbalizing what is happening and putting them in verse. The 20/20 of the streets if you will. So when people talk about how the quality of hip-hop has changed for the worse, I think that is a misleading statement. True, the quality of rap's content has changed, but the musicality is still there; strong, if not stronger than ever.
In an abbreviated timeline of hip-hop, Run DMC brought rap to mainstream America and they were entertainers in the truest sense of the word. They rapped about everything current because they were trying to get you jumpin' while listening to their message. N.W.A. rapped about the government and the police, because that's what was affecting them. Nowadays, people complain about rappers only talking about material things, how they glorify alcohol, drugs, and sex. While I don't necessarily condone the message, the blame, if you want to call it that, must be placed on modern culture and hip-hop consumers, all you listeners. Rap talks about what is current and relevant, and the biggest thing nowadays, is rampant hypercommercialism. That includes everything that anybody in a developed country thinks about whether consciously or subconsciously. The, "my neighbor just copped a Benz." Also, "my watch game isn't quite right, I need that Patek P in my life." "My Coach and Via Spiga aren't right, time for some Louis V and Louboutin." It's everyone's "need" to have whatever is hottest out right now. Blame that.
People who complain about a lack of substance in the lyrics do forget, musicians are business people. And yes, while some are in it for the love of music, if your music isn't getting spins and you're not selling units, then you can't expect to put food on the table. I'm sure a lot of you can think of the 'Should've Made It' cats. Who is really trying to hold down a 9 to 5 and sing at the same time?
The days of hip-hop solely as an art form are long gone (other than a select few). Artistic integrity has been long been "compromised." What people must realize is that these artists and groups are business people first, and musicians second. They rap and sing about what sells. You cannot fault them for giving the people what they want and hence, that is the reason we're listening to rapping billboards nowadays.

"Big money in this bitch if you didn't knew.
Big business minus the business suit."


P.S. Congrats to DeWitz and the Sendai squad for locking down 1st place during the regular season. Let's get it during the playoffs.