Swagga Like Us?

I think it was just last Saturday when I was telling someone about how awkward and weird it is when urban slang gets embraced by mainstream media. I think it was during a basketball game. It's one thing to hear NBA announcers talk about a team's swagger, but this video is just embarrassing. What's next, MSNBC talking about "squalie" and "piff"? How about Fox News dropping "pause" into there daily coverage? Sure, it's funny to see old folks talking about "chicken heads" but only when they know it's a joke.

And also, doesn't everyone want a "not afraid to give hugs"-type President?

'Til Infinity

Jason Kidd is the man. He has probably been my favorite player in the NBA pretty much since he was rookie. I have always loved his ability to pick apart defenses, run a fast break and make something out of nothing. His excellent work ethic, stubborn defending and unparalleled vision were out of this world. You could argue that his work ethic and vision still are top notch. Even with his streaking shooting and the occasional turnover, his on the court efforts made it possible for me to support him (and look the other way) when it came to his off the court problems. He commanded his team the way a quarterback or a holding midfielder should, probing defenses and controlling the tempo of the game to perfection. He's the reason I wore the number 5 during my high school soccer career.

Even before his start in the NBA he was one of my favorite basketball players. I first saw him when he won his second state championship at St. Joes. My dad took us to the State Championships almost every year. Even as a high schooler, he was faking behind the back and throwing no-look passes with pin-point accuracy. While I can't name the other player or remember how it exactly affected the game, I can vividly see his alley-oop in the second half the State Championship.

I followed him through his two seasons at Cal where he went on to break passing records and become an All-American. One of my favorite Jason Kidd moments happened at Cal but it wasn't during a game. We attended Cal baseball games on a regular basis and liked to use Harmon Gym's bathroom because of its cleanliness (obviously). I remember always stopping by the court to watch Cal basketball players take jumpers. One specific time, Kidd was shooting around. I can't remember if he was by himself with a couple teammates but I watched him for what could have been 5 minutes or an hour. I even mustered up the courage to grab a couple stray rebounds for him. It was kind of really awesome.

After college, I watched him win co-Rookie of the Year, and pile on numerous awards and records after that. I followed him most fervently during his relatively successful tenure with the Nets, where he was unable to win a Championship (or an MVP). Unfortunately, Kidd and his teammates just didn't have what it takes to win it all. As the Nets began to fade, and as Kidd got older, I started lining up my new favorite players and following them more closely. I always kept my eye out for Kidd highlights, stat lines and the odd Nets' game, but in all honesty, I had moved on. (This stretch also marked a low-point in my interest in basketball and the return of the Warriors to the playoffs, both of which contributed in me not watching Kidd as much.)

That brings us to now, or to this season anyway. I was against the Dallas trade from the start. I didn't think Kidd matched Dallas' style. I didn't think he was what they needed to make it to the Finals (and I still don't think that). I didn't agree with the terms of the trade and I didn't like the pressure that Kidd would be under because of those terms. And mainly, I just couldn't see myself rooting for the Mavs. As it went, the Mavs didn't do half bad in the regular season and now they're in Round 2 of the playoffs. Even the Sports Guy, who has been bad-mouthing the trade all season long, is finally giving Kidd his due props:

"Q: Does Dallas' thorough shellacking of the Spurs mean that the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade wasn't one of the five worst trades of the decade?

A: You know what? I have to say yes. To be clear: The Mavs still gave up waaaaaaaaay too much and should have fired their coach before shaking things up; there's an 81 percent chance they'd be just as unstoppable with Devin Harris in Kidd's place. But you can't deny Kidd's effect on Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Dirk -- he lives to make them better and they are better. Beyond that, the Mavs have excellent chemistry for the first time I can ever remember. Part of that might be Nowitzki emerging as a leader, but again, maybe that doesn't happen without Kidd.

The most interesting wrinkle to me: Of any "former great," with the possible exception of Karl Malone, Kidd did the best job of accepting his weaknesses and accentuating his strengths. He can't defend good point guards anymore, and he always shot a poor percentage. Fine. But he can run a team. He can make 3-pointers as long as he's wide open. He can advise and lead. He can run fast breaks as well as anyone. He can still jump passing lanes and swipe a dumb pass. He has recreated himself as a still-effective complementary player. That's something that Gary Payton couldn't do, or Chris Webber, or Allen Iverson, or Charles Barkley, or Larry Johnson, or Mitch Richmond, or Glen Rice, or Penny Hardaway, or Jermaine O'Neal. ... I mean, it's hard to say, "I can no longer do everything from A through Z, but I can still do A, D, F, J, K and M, so that's what I will do."

In a stroke of luck, Kidd might make it the rest of the playoffs -- a postseason that featured a remarkable slew of penetrating point guards -- without facing anyone else who will chew him up like Tony Parker did. In Round 2, Chauncey Billups is a perfect matchup for him, a herky-jerky, physical jump-shooter who Kidd can bump and grind. In Round 3, he'd go against Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown and the Artist Formerly Known As Jordan Farmar, or as I like to call them, the Poop Club Sandwich. In the Finals, he'd get Mo Williams and Boobie Gibson. That's why I see Kidd gaining steam as the playoffs keep going, this rejuvenated Dallas team making the Western Conference finals, and even the Lakers sweating out that Finals berth more than people anticipate.

You know what else? A reader (can't remember his name) pointed out something to me that I passed along in a podcast and now I will mention here: Kidd is the only guy who can defend LeBron and Kobe. Why? They respect him too much. They don't want to kick his butt. It doesn't make them feel good. They settle for jumpers instead of just destroying him off the dribble in a goofy display of guilt and respect. Back in the '60s, Wilt rarely unleashed against Russell because he liked him so much. ... In fact, that was Russell's ploy, to make Wilt like him so he wouldn't annihilate him. I don't think Kidd thinks that way; the situation is what it is. Those guys love him from their Redeem Team days and have no interest in eviscerating him now.

But as strange as this sounds, Jason Kidd's advanced age and declining defensive skills might be Dallas' best chance against the Lakers and Cavs. Call it the Pity Theory. Just wait."

Even though the odds are against him, I hope Kidd can win his championship, even if it's in a reduced role. Hopefully, he can contribute to a Championship team in the same way, if not more integral, that he helped US win the gold medal last summer. But let's face it. I doubt that's going to happen with Dallas and in some odd way, I hope it doesn't happen with Dallas. I'm holding on to the entirely slim and pretty unrealistic chance that he can find his way to a Lebron or Kobe team where he can provide some experience and veteran savvy in limited, but *not* unimportant minutes. For me, that would be ideal and really fun to watch, but for Kidd's sake, I just hope he gets his ring.

Skips On The Record

I try not to watch commercials anymore so I missed this one. Also, more interestingly, three episodes away from the goat.

Gold Soundz

More gold from Videogum. This is Jeff Goldblum's character in Law And Order: Something talking about hip hop like he's Jeff Chang. Get familiar!

I'm Not Worried At All

First off, people make trailers for everything these days. It's weird but it's fine, I guess. In this case, nothing builds up the hype like a deep, ominous voice, cool graphics, and video/audio snippets. 

Point two, CuDi's new mixtape, Dat Kid From Cleveland, is really good. It's not "good" like Asher Roth's mixtape, which I now find mostly un-listen-able, but "good" like A Kid Named CuDi. Probably better. He isn't the strongest rapper but he's got a solid, sing-song flow and he has a good ear for interesting beats. Mainly, he sounds fresh. I'm not saying he's doing things that haven't been done before, but he definitely stands out.

Thirdly, KiD Cudi has declared that his official debut, which is supposed to drop later this year, is going to be his last solo album. True, he has other projects on the horizon but forgive me if I don't believe him. Based on the history of failed rapper retirements (Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Bow Wow, Too $hort, Common, Saigon, The Game, Master P, Ja Rule, DMX, Scarface, to name a few), I'm calling it now: KiD Cudi will have more than one solo album when it's all said and done. 

How Many Others Have Them?

For some reason, I talked about Twitter a lot this weekend. Now, I kind of want one so I can twat just like @EveryoneElse. Something like, "Just signed up. Follow me on Twitter." Was that less than 140 characters?

When I Grow Up

Out of exhaustion and frustration and sheer laziness, I wasn't planning on posting anything today. And then, and then I noticed this video. Oh my. This broadcaster must have had a ball with this piece. It's like the writers and broadcaster had a bet to see who would crack up first. I think this guy won. He straight-faced the entire piece and it was full of tea-baggings and tea-baggers and Dick Armeys.

Is it wrong that I didn't listen to any of the "actual" content? Can I be blamed that my brain was overloaded with "TWSSTWSSTWSSTWSS" at almost seizure-inducing levels? Do I need to grow up?

Beat The Clock

After repeated viewings of Role Models, this scene is possibly my favorite in the movie. (Or maybe it's just my favorite scene that doesn't have anything to do with Ronnie.) Watching this now, I realize that it's much more funny in the context of the film, even though it might make more sense as a stand-alone clip.

Daniel

Bat For Lashes' Two Suns was released a couple days ago but I haven't picked it up yet. This, the first single, is a great song. I've only listened to it a handful times (today) but there's something about the breathy vocals and 80s pop vibe that have really stuck with me. It's not a huge departure from any of the songs off Fur and Gold, one of my favorite albums of 2007, and I mean that in a good way. It's just surreal. The video, which reminds me of some weird, alternative stage performance, is oddly memorizing and compliments the song nicely. If the other tracks on the album are anywhere near this good, I'd say Bat For Lashes will be one of my favorites this year too.

Kick, Push

At times this season I have been okay with the fact that Adebayor might leave Arsenal this summer but after this goal, which probably left Villareal fans having flashbacks of Ronaldinho, I'm not so sure:



Similar to this past weekend, Fabregas placed a nice ball in the box to Ade but all credit should go to the big man for that finish. Because of his size and rugged style of play, it's easy to forget Adebayor has this level of skill and composure. I don't know what has gotten him back on track but after some bland performances this season, but it's good to see glimpses of why this guy was the African Player of the Year.

In regards to the rest of the game, the Gunners only came away with a 1-1 draw (Marcos Senna had a screamer early in the first half) but the crucial away goal puts Arsenal in the driver's seat for the second leg at the Emirates. The team didn't put together a great performance but I wouldn't say it was disappointing. If anything, this minor blip can be used as more motivation to pull out a win in the second leg.

Mr. President

The big news around these parts (um, the entertainment region of the Internet) is that Kumar is no longer on House. That's really big news in my world! I mean, I never watch that show but apparently his character committed suicide so he can go work at the White House. Well that's not exactly how it went down, but you get the gist.

It's pretty cool that he quit his lucrative acting job (maybe temporarily) to pursue more civic duties. While it's an opportunity that probably doesn't present itself to most people, it's cool nonetheless. And after working on Obama's campaign, I'm sure he's qualified for the position of Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison even though I'm not entirely sure what that person does. At any rate, I'm guessing that his time with President Obama will be different than the time he spent with President Bush and Harold.

Like A Boss

When I watched this on SNL yesterday, I wasn't impressed. I thought it wasn't that great but now, I'm not so sure... After a couple repeated listens/viewings, I think it's pretty great actually. Like I mentioned before, the Lonely Island guys are taking ridiculous braggadocio one step further (and in this case taking it literally as well) and it's awesome. Clearly, the Digital Short songs are just music satire and good music satire too. While sometimes the actual jokes in the satire can be hit or miss, the execution and intent are usually solid. "Like A Boss" might not be up there with "Dick In A Box" or "I'm On A Boat", but it was easily in the top two sketches of the relatively unfunny Seth Rogen SNL.


In case you didn't know, "Like A Boss" is based on Slim Thug's "Like A Boss" (not to mention dozens of other songs, including every single song in Rick Ross' catalog):



Maybe I should save this for a separate rant but how stupid is Universal Music Group? They have a ton of content on Youtube but none of it is embeddable. Don't they realize that when people embed videos more people will be able to see those videos, thus generating more awareness of artists and songs? Aren't music videos made for promotional purposes? It's not like they're cashing in on sales of music videos and they're trying to avoid bootlegging. Why not allow embeds? I seriously don't understand this...

... I just did a quick check and found this link. Apparently, I had jumped to the wrong conclusion by assuming it was all Universal's fault, when it's Youtube's fault too. While there isn't a really clear source of this information, Peter Kafka and All Things Digital seem pretty credible, and everything on the Internet is true. But yeah, I think they should put their heads together and come up with a solution to allow embeds. It would be beneficial for both parties and far less annoying for me.

Trick Love The Kids

A clean sheet win in World Cup Qualifying is nothing to take lightly for the US National Team (even though it was against T & T). That's all well and good but it's even better to see Jozy Alitdore not only get the nod, but get a hat trick too. I've been waiting for him to get a chance to shine and this will do wonders for his confidence after having a relatively disappointing year in Spain this season. At just 19 years old, I think he's one of the most promising young American players right now so it'll be interesting to see how far he can go. Hopefully this was just his coming out party.