Air Penny Overload pt. VI, Carl English sighting

Another HOH exclusive to drive us non-Harlem residents crazy. I'd say enough with the Foams, but you can't go wrong with the original Orlando color. This latest Foamposite is supposedly close in design to the first retros, but the insoles will have a penny coin print on them. Very cool. An easy pass for me since I don't want to empty out my wallet on eBay, but a real handsome piece of footwear nonetheless.



A few days back, Carl English and team Canada took on USA in a pre-Beijing exhibition game. English looked good for the most part, going right at Kobe Bryant on both ends and getting to the line at a fair rate (where he unfortunately clanged a bunch, but that's beside the point). He still strikes me as a guy who'd be a solid player in the NBA, but he's making money playing ball overseas, and that's not a bad way to get by.



I'm really bummed that I'm not going to be able to watch the UH men's basketball squad this season. I liked what I saw from some of the new guys last year, and with Roderick Flemings coming in, the team could be real exciting. The scuttlebutt is that Flemings could be the best player we've had since Anthony Carter, and I guess there's some merit to those rumblings considering that he was heavily recruited by schools like Kentucky and Georgetown. The general consensus is that he's an NBA prospect in the making, but we'll see. Or in my case, not see.

Colt headed to Washington, the Hawks making some noise

The Redskins picked Brennan up in the 6th round, apparently seeing him as a project of sorts. Translation: they're going to stash him in the weight room for the next 2 seasons. Colt was the only Warrior to get drafted, but perhaps that's not all that surprising after the camps exposed the fact that our receiver corps weren't as freakishly fast as they sometimes appeared. I still figured that Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins would have gotten their numbers called, but at least most everyone ended up inking free agent deals.

I've got a bit of an unrelated sports confession to make. With the Hawks owing their 2008 draft pick to the Suns, I was naturally rooting against them all season long. Imagine my dismay when they eked into the playoffs with the worst record in the 16 team field, thus ensuring that the pick wouldn't be in the lottery. But now that the draft pick is no longer a factor, I can freely root for Joe Johnson, who along with Trix, is my favorite non-Sun in the league. You'd (still) have to be crazy to bet on the Hawks knocking out the Celtics, but it's just so, so sweet watching JJ take apart the league's top team. It simply would've been impossible financially, but sometimes I wonder what could have been had Phoenix kept that Nash, JJ, Trix, STAT core from 04-05 together.



JJ = $$$ Max Money

June Jones, demigod

With our entire receiver corps either graduating or NFL-bound, I guess now is as good a time as ever to address the June Jones situation. Herman Frazier getting the boot is nothing more than petty retribution at this point, as his dismissal brings back neither Jones nor Riley Wallace, quite simply two of the state's most beloved figures during their tenures as UH coaches. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea that the program will truly get a fresh start next season. Jones leaves the team on top at its historical pinnacle, and given the nature of his departure, will always be adored as a savior of sorts who was wrongfully ousted (not entirely true, but more or less) by the irresponsible powers that be. Part of me thinks that Jones sort of deserves the adulation, but having the shadow of a nominal deity looming over the program does nothing in terms of winning football games. On the other hand, if UH hires Greg McMackin and manages to salvage the recruiting effort, I think I'd feel pretty decent about next year's team. It's all about perspective.

For anyone who cares, I've had my Top 25 Albums of 2007 list on the back burner for a while, but it's about done. I'll probably have it up over the weekend sometime.

Thanks Warriors.

To say that the Georgia game was disappointing would be an understatement, but let's not gloss over the vast accomplishments of the team heading into today. You can sort of pick out the fairweather/bandwagon fans, because they're the ones moping around with the "I knew we would lose" and the "we suck again" garbage running out of their mouths. While some fans are making a case that UH never really showed up for the Sugar Bowl, it isn't fair to forget that this squad busted their asses for us and won 12 games in a row to get to New Orleans. Georgia looked and played like a vastly superior program, and they certainly are - we've got inferior facilities, limited funds and resources, a much smaller talent pool to draw from...some would rightfully call it a miracle that we made it as far as we did. Part of me thinks that this season was wonderful because it gave the state something to buzz about and bond over, but the other part of me hates the fact that it gave birth to a legion of fans who really don't care enough about the game or the players to truly appreciate how incredible this season really was. We can all dream, but the fact is that Hawaii isn't going to be a perennial national powerhouse. This was the definitive Cinderella run, and it's a little unfortunate that some fans are quick to forget that we finished 12-1, not 1-12. It's ok to be disappointed, but show some respect for the team. They deserve it.

So in an effort to numb the pain some, I tracked down a copy of the Matt Hughes/Georges St. Pierre fight from this past weekend. Anderson Silva is the one guy in the UFC that simply outclasses anyone you put him in the cage with, but if his fight with Hughes was any indication, GSP is getting back to that level as well. Hughes is clearly in the twilight of his career anyway, but GSP simply dominated all facets of the fight, eventually cranking in an armbar to secure the win. My distaste for Hughes has waned somewhat over the past year or so, but it's really tough to not get behind a guy like GSP, who's an exciting striker, is great on the mat, and is just a super classy dude. I like Serra too, but I really don't see him beating GSP again.



Expect to see GSP running with the welterweight title for a while.

Running the gamut of emotion at Aloha Stadium

1st quarter
J, less than enthused.

score:
Hawaii - 0
Washington - 21






4th quarter
J, losing his mind.

score:
Hawaii - 35
Washington - 28




LOL, good times. Sugar Bowl baby!

Kweli @ Pipeline, UH @ #12 BCS Rankings

My favorite live shows to date:

1) Dance Hall Crashers (Pipeline Cafe, 2003)
2) Talib Kweli (Pipeline Cafe, 2007)
3) No Doubt (Andrews Amphitheater, 2000)
4) Talib Kweli (Pipeline Cafe, 2006)
5) Rufio (Pink Cadillac, 2006)

Being a music fan in Hawaii is tough sometimes, but I guess I've been pretty diligent about catching my favorite acts when they do come down. There's a Lupe Fiasco show on December 27, about a week or so after The Cool drops...I'm thinking that it might be a good opportunity to extend upon some of that post-Christmas afterglow. We'll see.

The latest BCS polls are out, and as of right now, UH is sitting right on that #12 spot. Unbelievable. It's one thing watching the team handle Boise like they did during the 4th quarter of Friday's game, but to think that we're the sole undefeated team left in the nation? Pretty crazy stuff. Of course, all the BCS talk is moot if we don't beat Washington - a team that actually took out Boise State earlier in the year - so hopefully the Warriors will handle their business this Saturday.

Henderson/Silva, UH 10-0, Penny, PHX, and Nas' ugly kicks

Weekend sports musings

Word is that Dan Henderson could be dropping to 185 to face Anderson "Spider" Silva for the middleweight title. Awesome. I suppose I enjoy watching Silva break Rich Franklin's face as much as the next guy, but having Silva fight someone in his league for a change will be compelling stuff. Nothing against Franklin, who's a really great fighter in his own right, but whenever I see him eating Silva's knees in the clinch, I can't help but imagine him yelling, "HELP! HEEELLP!!!"

Speaking of compelling, the UH football game sure as heck made for some good TV on ESPN. A solid win considering that Brennan only took 2 snaps, and I think I actually blacked out for a second when Kelly's second kick went through. Haha. The last time that happened was when Tim Thomas hit the trey to send game 6 of the 2006 Suns/Lakers series into overtime. This coming Friday's game is going to be huge, as Boise State has been looking absurdly good recently. A pair of top 20 WAC teams facing off? Who woulda thunk?

Penny Hardaway can still shoot the rock. Miami @ Jersey on Saturday: 6-6 FG, 4-4 3Pt, 16 points.

I've been watching most of the Suns games, and though they haven't looked particularly good as of yet, they're 8-2 through the first 10 games. So they're having cohesion issues and still playing .800 ball? Considering that they started 1-5 last season, I'll gladly take it. Grant Hill has been better than advertised, Amare, not so much. One thing for sure, it's going to be nasty when this team goes on its annual mid-season tear.


In other news, Nas apparently has some new shoes coming out. And as one might expect, they look really, really bad. Considering how much rappers love sneakers, you'd think that they'd make an effort to put out some nicer shoes. The Game, G-Unit, Nelly...they all release the same ugly kicks. The only dude with halfway decent shoes is Pharrell with his Ice Cream line. Everything else is all f***** up. Still, it's Nas' shoe, and the "Disciple" is a cool name, so maybe I'll consider grabbing a pair when they inevitably end up on Champs' clearance rack.