Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sunday, July 3, 2011

RIP Lala

Last Tuesday, my friend "Lala" was murdered here in Phoenix. I still don't think it's really sunk in. First and only time, I hope, that I say a friend of mine was killed. I didn't know much about Lala, that's how it goes with your friends sometimes. While we only hung out about a dozen or so times over the 1 1/2 yrs i knew him...I knew his character. A stand up guy. To me anyways.

A little background. Lala was a former neighbor of mine. He stuck up for me when he didn't have to. Not that I need it, but its appreciated nonetheless. Side Note: It's REALLY hard to tell a bad area from a good area in Phx. Its not like back East. Back East, you might say "I'm White, I shouldn't go there" but out here it blends a bit more. So.......Last year, I lived in the apt complex directly next to his. Separated by a gate. My complex was very mixed, as far as race is concerned. Lala's complex was about 10% Mexican and 90% Black. It was kind of back in the cut and formed a corner that allowed various criminal activity. I had a friend who lived in the apts across the street where i would have to walk through Lala's complex parking lot to get to my boy's spot. That's how I met Lala. One day I'm walking through the parking lot and two kids about 17 or 18 roll up on me. Asking questions. Name? Why are you here? They were not receptive to a white face. Typical Ashby, I told them to fuck off and kept walking. I have no intention of beating a minors ass, no matter how tough he thinks he is.

Side Note: Racism against White people is not isolated in Phx. I have experienced it at LEAST 10 times the last 2 1/2 yrs. And I'm sure dozens of other times I am not aware of. So it goes.

The next day, Lala comes to my spot. He knew my roommate "PR" and had seen us walk through his parking lot before. "PR" is Black/Puerto Rican from NY. A NewRican if ya don't know the term. Lala didn't say anything about the incident but just hung out and smoked a fattie. Gettin a feel for me I guess. He told me that the only white dudes to come to his complex were usually cops. An interesting fact of culture but something   that's not gonna stop me from doing me. I decided that from now on when I walk to my boys spot, I will carry my roomie's 9. In AZ, it is legal for ANYONE to carry a handgun without a permit.

Two days later, I start walking through the complex. A stoop kid whistles like a freakin bird. Kid must've been 12 or so. Before I get through the parking lot, 5 young punks cut me off. Probably between the ages of 16-20. They are within 10 ft and I wonder if I should reach for the 9. But then....I hear a whistle. They all look up. Lala is on the 3rd floor balcony. He gives them the NO sign with his hand waiving back and forth under his neck. They just start walking backwards and let me pass.  A seminal moment in my life. Something I will never forget. Lala controlled that complex. I am not here to say that Lala was a great guy. I don't know. But I KNOW he was a great guy to me. And that's what matters to me.

Btw, the person who killed Lala is in jail and awaiting trial.

RIP Lala

Sunday, June 26, 2011

CONACAF and Tim Howard's problem with them

In case you didn't know....your country's national team played some soccer yesterday. In what has developed into a highly contested battle,  Mexico defeated the United States 4-2 at the Rose Bowl in California. As expected, the crowd was about 80-90% Mexican-American (Insert laughter as you wonder how many of the 91,000 were illegally there. You know I'm right). It was mostly competitive in the first half, as the US jumped to a two goal lead only to see the half end in a 2-2 tie. The second half was all Mexico. While we were able to contain the storm that is Javier Hernandez...it just didn't matter. Congrats to Mexico and onto the World Cup...

Now the piss poor organization that is CONACAF and Tim Howard, the United States ALL-WORLD goalie....

It seems that CONACAF decided to conduct the awards ceremony entirely in Spanish. Yes, the American team playing in California received their silver medals while CONACAF officials spoke a language that as Americans they may not know. It was noted by an AP reporter that Howard was visibly displeased by the ceremony. And he had something to say about it as well. "CONACAF should be ashamed of themselves. I think it was a fucking disgrace that the entire postmatch ceremony was in Spanish. You can bet your ass if we were in Mexico City, it wouldn't be all in English! But that's not why we lost the game. They've got some special players, who put us in some bad situations." CONACAF's spokesman has declined to comment.

Well, this is just a crappy situation. If the audience is 80% Mexican/maybe Mexican-American, then it is very possible the majority of the crowd wouldn't understand English. But i really don't care about that. Why as Americans should we be disrespected by the CONACAF? Why not say the ceremony in English and have a Spanish translator to translate between sentences? Why not show this country a little fucking respect? And while I could also be talking about Pres. Calderon, I'm don't have enough time to tell you what a puppet/brat he is.

Howard is right though. No getting around it. English would not be used in a ceremony in Mexico City if the US won the Gold Cup there. The United States is probably the only large economic country that an organization like CONACAF would feel comfortable in disrespecting in this manner. That is both true and our fault. We HAVE to be tougher. On everything. Much like the United Nations, CONACAF has no REAL social power but they like to kick dirt in the US's face. And like the tolerant older sibling, we just sit there and allow it. I could delve deeper into this but I feel like I'd be beating a dead horse.

While Tim Howard is one of the top ranked goalies in the world and has showed the cojones to speak on a social/political issue....DO NOT think Mr Howard is without fault. I relay this information from an extremely reliable source who says he is 100% confident about its content....

In 2nd grade, while attending Judd Elementary in NJ, Tim Howard and his friend Jared poured bleach down a water fountain. Tainting the water system and forever ruining my source's favorite fountain after PE. The shame...THE SHAME!!!!!

Im Jus Sayin

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Dear Butch Davis, You may not be fired but you WILL go to HELL!!!

My level of anger at Butch Davis and the coat of hot manure he has put on the University of North Carolina falls nothing short of anger management class requirements! The level of utter disgrace he is causing the ACC is fuckin pathetic. This is the mother fucking ACC! The same conference with 11 Teams in the top 59 of the APR!!! Its the Academic Progress Rankings. Where the "student" meets the "athlete". Where the ACC easily outshines its competition, if you wanna call it that. I know the job of the schools of the Big 6 is to graduate student-athletes. I know that Stanford wins the Sears Cup for overall athletics and I know the SEC has won 5 straight NCAA Football Div 1-A Titles. And I KNOW that the ACC produces the smartest student-athletes, the highest grad rates for their football programs. Its not even close when compared to the other Big Conferences. When you attend an ACC school, you know there is a certain level of class and education being administered. Butch Davis, there is no place for you in my ACC! You are the shit on my tp. The lobbyist lying to our oversight committees. Richard Nixon. Bernie Madoff. You are they, they are you Mr Butch Davis.

9 Major Infractions. An assistant coach in Blake who steered athletes to a certain agent. Fuckin convenient that Gary Wichard, the guilty agent, has now passed away. I don't give a shit if i talk bad about the dead. He deserves it. Mr Wichard was obviously a manipulative, cheating piece of shit. He helped tarnish the great sport of American Football. That's right, American Football. It ours! And if we aren't pissed about the cheaters in college or the greedy owners locking out the NFL then who will be????!!!!! 

UNC sucked though. They were only 8-5. So maybe, just maybe, we wont hear it as a federal case. Like we heard about USC and Ohio St. That would be pathetic on the media's part. UNC had a lot more infractions than USC or OSU. But here's the kicker, Butch Davis is a shitty coach. He isn't half the coach of Tressel or Carroll. So we get mad at cheaters who are good. But we have to have a level field of justice for all of them. We should spit in there goddamn faces! We wanna have them publicly tarred and feathered! Is that just me? I guess I'm just old school. Maybe its just me but if bastards cheat at something I love then I take that personally. McGwire, Bonds, Man-Ram, Tressel, Carroll, and Davis will all rot in hell. They have no integrity for a profession whose revenue is built off of a fan's love. Fans that they decided weren't worth the respect of an honest game. Plain and Simple. 

In the end, I get pissed b/c Davis STOLE recruits other ACC teams had a chance at (definitely VT).  His cheating ways may have cost VT or other ACC schools a real shot at the talent necessary for a run at the National Title. BUT do you get mad at the old lady because her and her walker only cross the street but so fast, do you get pissed at the little person who cant reach that top shelf, do you call out the tard because he/she might be slowing you up?  You don't but the fact remains......Butch Davis CHEATED and STILL only had an 8-5 record!!! I wasn't aware the ACC had a short bus. Coach On Butch Davis...Coach On......with your cute ineffective game plans and your 3rd-5th place bowl games. You're special. You're just so special!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the Federal Govts involvement in sports, I believe there should be a wing of some oversight committee devoted to the execution of cheaters within the major sports. These people took the American public's love of sports, manipulated it into millions of dollars of revenue, dismissed the American people as nothing more than servants to do their bidding, and now are shocked when they get caught!!! HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE NOT EXECUTED???!!!!   And in a CIA Turkish Prison kind of way...

Im Jus Sayin


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Yay we won the lottery! Wait, does that mean we suck???

- In every draft, whether its the much ballyhooed NFL draft or the never watched MLB draft, there is always a team that comes out the draft as the new team "on the rise". Fans will hold out hopes and dream about their suck ass team drafting a Tim Duncan or a Shaq. In hopes of that glory they have never achieved. Sure its possible, but not likely. Hopefully your scouting is money. Now with Thursday's NBA Draft upon us, there are a couple teams who could have the best draft, but only one team can come out as THE team "on the rise". Either Cleveland, currently sitting at picks 1 and 4, or Minnesota, with pick #2, will have the best draft. And without a doubt Minnesota will leave this draft as that new team with all the pub.

Cleveland having the 1st the 4th picks SHOULD get two perennial All-Star players. And anytime you can insert a serious upgrade in talent for 40% of your starters then you had the best draft. Question is: Will the Cavs actually draft two studs? With the 1st pick, they will go with PG Kyrie Irving from Duke or SF Derrick Williams from U of A. Probably Irving. Not because Irving is better than Williams but because a great PG is WAY more important than a scoring SF. So they go Irving. With the 4th pick, Cleveland will address a front line need by scooping C Kanter, out of Kentucky by way of Turkey. A classic footer who is a back to the basket shot changer. If you're not familiar with Kanter, then he is being compared to Bogut out of Milwaukee. Getting a productive center and a game changing PG is definitely the best way to rebuild.   Of course, Kanter could be this years Sam Bowie or Darko Milicic. Who knows? But if Cleveland goes Irving/Kanter then they should feel VERY good about what they've done.

As it stands now, Minnesota has the #2 pick and are entertaining plenty of offers for it. I think they should stay put though. Avoid that temptation of trading it for a veteran with less potential than Derrick Williams. You take Williams and pair him with Kevin Love, who led the NBA in Rebounds, to form a dominant forward tandem for the next 10 yrs. Oh and btw, they got Ricky Rubio to take the trip across the Atlantic with the thought of him and Love becoming this generation's pick and roll version of Stockton to Malone!

So this is how I see Sota' shaking out.  Rubio at PG makes starting PG Johnny Flynn, the #6 pick two yrs ago, expendable. He will be some nice trade bait. Sebastian Telfair, a grizzled veteran of 6 yrs at 25, will teach Rubio the in and outs of Kurt Rambis's O. Assuming they keep Rambis. I hope not, cause his system does not fit the skill set I see in Rubio. At SG they have Wes Johnson, who as the #3 pick in last yrs draft, was able to average 9pts/game as a rookie last year. Not every rookie stud will blow up his first season. I still like Johnson. He is learning and has a TON of athleticism. At SF, you plug in Williams and you trade Beasley. OR you decide Beasley getting 19ppg at 22 yrs of age is too sweet to give up. You trade that 2 pick for a defensive center or a scoring guard that moves Johnson to the bench. At PF, you have Love. You don't worry about that spot and thank god that the same genes that produced a Beach Boy also produced the best rebounder since Rodman. At C, I would have to believe that Anthony Randolph, at 21, will overtake Darko for the starting spot. Oh I failed to mention they also have the #20 pick in the first round! Use that on the best available regardless of position because more than likely it will be used as trade bait. Rubio, Johnson, Williams, Love, and Randolph. starting five. With Flynn, Beasley, and the #20 pick as some serious assets for trade bait. Four of the starting five being top 5 picks in the draft has this TWolves team is reminding me of OKC a couple yrs back. Now if GM Kahn can make the right choices.....we shall see. But one thing is for sure, with Love, Rubio, and Williams/Beasley, this squad is definitely on the rise. Of course, Minnesota has never won anything...so what do i know.

2013 should be Minnesota's year though....Im Jus Sayin

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

With that NBA Title, did Dirk make my All Time Top 10 players?

Before the Conference Finals, Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carisle said he believed Dirk Nowitzki was a Top 10 All Time player in the NBA. I said I was confident he was a top 15-20 player but without a title he couldn't move up. Well congrats to Dirk, cause him and the rest of the Over the Hill Gang (Kidd, Marion, Chandler, Terry) won a title!!! Does that move him into the top 10? IDK

About the rankings. I took into account personal per game stats but only about 1/3 of how I ranked. Titles mattered A LOT. If a player makes the list without a title, then they were transcendent players. There are only 3 players without titles who made the list. The ERA of a player definitely counts! So no George Mikan! Sorry Minneapolis Lakers Fans. LOL. But one thing is for sure, I quantify a whole player. Not just an offensive player.

20.  Charles Barkley- "I am not a role model" but I am the best 6'4" PF of All Time!
19.  Jason Kidd- I did not beat my wife and that is not why I was traded from Phx. Nash says Thanks.
18.  Kevin Garnett- "The Kid" changed the culture in Boston. Got a Title. Contenders every year.
17.  Chris Webber-Long Shorts. Fab Five. Culturally he ranks 3. His smooth PF game was revolutionary!!!!
16.  Hakeem Olajuwon-Akeem from the Phi Slamma Jamma. 2x champ and father of drop step jumper                              
15.  Shaquille O'Neal-BIG MAN. used his size. 4 titles. If he could hit FTs, he would be at LEAST #2!!!!!
14.  Scottie Pippen-Best Wing Man EVER. In every sense. East Finals Gm 7 shut down PG Mark Jackson.
13.  John Stockton-Dirty? No. Tough as nails? Yes. Pain in ass? Yes. 1st in Assists All Time. Yes.
12.  Dirk Nowitzki-Greatest European Player EVER! Has a legit argument as Greatest Shooter Ever.
11.  Lew Alcindor-Sky Hook. #1 Scorer of All time. 6 time champ.
10.  David Robinson-2 titles. Scoring Champ. Just as good on Defense. 98 Finals, NYN avg 80.1ppg.
 9.   Jerry West- 8 time 1st team All-NBA. 1 time Champ. Oh...And he's the freakin LOGO!!!!!!
 8.   Bill Russell- 5 time MVP. 11 time NBA Champ. 1 time victim of time period in this rating.
 7.   Oscar Robertson- 1962 30.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 11.4 apg!!!! 1 Time champ. 9 Time All NBA.
 6.   Tim Duncan- 4 Time Champ. The Big Fundamental. Could EASILY have better career numbers.
 5.   Kobe Bryant- Da Black Mamba. Closest thing to Jordan, since Jordan. 5 NBA Titles.
 4.   Larry Bird- 3 Time NBA Champ. 1986 3pt Contest "Who's playing for second?". Pimpin
 3.   Wilt Chamberlain- Slept with 20,000 women. Created a disease. Called "Wiltis". Its why you itch. lol
 2.   Earvin "Magic" Johnson-Rookie yr. Replaced Kareem. Triple double as a ROOKIE CENTER!!!!!!
 1.   Michael Jordan- 6 Rings. could've been 9 if not for the Birmingham Barons. We miss your Greatness!

Im Jus Sayin

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Why Lebron Sucks?

Crying...as usual
I feel this may be a popular topic in the blogosphere.

Lets start.....

1. The nickname. King. seriously, he named himself King. If you are the douche who proclaims his own nickname then you SUCK!

2. You have a one hour special on ESPN about your free agency decision. It is single handily the most arrogant thing ANY athlete has EVER done. So Lebron, You SUCK! Btw, have you seen Jim Gray lately? Me neither.

3. The entrance of James, Bosh, and Wade with pyrotechnics and the proclamation of 6 or 7 rings was disgusting. He is a self centered, childish, unaccomplished fool. Now rewind to a couple days ago, DWade and Lebron are leaving practice and coughing. Laughing and sneezing. Making fun of the superstar who doesn't act childish or talk shit, Dirk Nowitzki. I feel bad for DWade. He is just as good as Lebron. But he has that personality that lets himself morph into more evil stronger personalities around him. THAT is why DWade coughed. That is why he thinks its cool to be the villain....Lebron, You SUCK!!!

4. Lebron said this yesterday. "All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm gonna continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point."  I believe he has let us know how he feels about the everyday fan...the fan that pays his salary...the fan that USED to buy his jersey. and that is why Lebron SUCKS!!!!



5. Finally....the 4th quarter. First at 17.8 PPG in the NBA Finals, he had the LARGEST dropoff from a regular season average in the history of the NBA! Now while that sucks, it doesnt suck as much as Lebron's unwillingness to step up in the 4th quarter of the Finals. 6 Finals Games...18pts in those 4th quarters....while Dirk had 62 pts....10.3 per 4th quarter!!!! Btw, his 62 pts actually equalled Lebrons AND DWades pts in the 4th quarters1!!!!! Uhhhhh....case in point....Lebron, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!

It's just a shame a man with SOOOOO much talent can SUCK SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!


Im Jus Sayin