The late Ralph Wiley was one of my favorite writers EVER. If you are unfamiliar with his work, go here to see some of his books, and go here to read a sample article of his. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2004, and so many events have come and gone since then, and for each of them, I wish he was still alive. He'd love to how LeBron James has blossomed, or how Obama was president, or how O.J. Simpson had finally gone to jail. Why do I bring him up now?

I have had the pleasure of befriending his son Cole, who is an up and coming film maker. Cole has a lot of his father in him, and he also unique qualities that his father did not have but probably instilled in him. Cole did some editing for Spike Lee's film, Miracle at St. Anna, and the trailer I am posting below, is from his upcoming movie. So look out for the young brother and read his father's work.

And yes, I have broken my own personal record, by having 3 entries in one day. I'm going on a weekend vacation tomorrow, so i'm getting it all out.

By the Numbers - Cole Wiley

The Wizards finally won!!!

Earlier this week, the normally apolitical Tiger Woods, came out and praised the election of Barack Obama. This was quite a shock to me, because up until now, Tiger had chosen to take the Michael Jordan approach to politics which was to shun it at all costs. So the fact that Tiger would even listen to a question like that, let alone answer it with eloquence, was a monumental event.

In his praise of Obama, Tiger used words like "person of color" and "multiracial", which makes perfect sense since Tiger too falls under that category. On a message board that I frequent, several people started severely criticizing Tiger. They said that he refuses to acknowledge that he is black, they called him a sellout, and they just slammed him as if he had done something wrong, and that offended me deeply. Tiger's late father was black, and his living mother is Thai. We all know that the public perception is that he is 100% black, but in Tiger's mind he has to keep that biracial tag firmly around his neck, as to not disrespect the heritage of either parent.

I guess I am bit sensitive to this issue since my 11 year old son is biracial. When we had the race talk, I explained to him that most people would look at him as being black. I also explained to him that sometimes, the prize for being perceived that way, is a bunch of insults reserved for black people and he said he understood. And then he said to me, "But Daddy I am both right? You're black and mommy's white?". Of course the militant side of me wanted to be like, "Hell no you ain't both, you're black", but that's just not realistic. I told he was bi-racial, but he needed to at least know that to many people that didn't matter and he understood...I think. Its a subject we have to visit continually, because his mother and stepfather say NOTHING on the issue, which is not at all surprising.

I say all this to say, I understand why Tiger doesn't come out and say he's black. I understand why Barack didn't call himself black during his acceptance speech, and I intimately understand my son's line of thought. Whether I agree with them or not is really not the issue. I would just want all of them to respect my views and I'd do the same for them. I don't know how popular my opinion will be, and I certainly will be happy to engage in a dialogue via the comment section. But if it gets disrespectful, a GFY is coming your way.

And now, the teacher will begin to speak:

Did you know my Washington Wizards are the only team without a win in the NBA?

Did you know that I wrote an article? Can you read it please?

Also, if you live in the DC area and you've gone to a physical therapist before, would you mind recommending one for me please? I'd prefer one that's in Northwest DC. My lower back is giving me problems again, and my doctor recommended I go a physical therapist, but all his referrals were in Maryland, which is not close enough to my home or my job. And what good is a blog if I can't get some recommendations right?

I don't have a lot to say today..lots on my mind, and little of it is fit for public viewing.

Phyllis Hyman - What You Won't Do For Love
it isn't the best quality of video, but I still dug it

So last night my lady and I were watching the 200th episode of Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton and Dave Chappelle. This has been one of my favorite shows over the past 14 years, and Chappelle is definitely one of my favorite comedians, so I tuned in because I knew I was going to laugh. Not only was I tuned in intently, but I shunned the first half of Monday Night Football to see this show, so you KNOW that's serious.

But there was one moment during the show that was not funny at all, and it stayed with me all night and this morning too. The show was filled with clips from older shows, and one of these clips featured actor Gene Hackman. James Lipton asked him to discuss the circumstances surrounding around his father's departure, and Hackman calmly began to talk. He mentioned that he was outside playing with friends, and his father drove by and kind of waved nonchalantly, and it wasn't until later that he realize that was going to be the last time he ever saw his father. Then, out of nowhere, Hackman had to stop talking because the tears were coming, and he was trying desperately to stop them. Once he had semi-composed himself, he joked around and said, "It's only been 65 years". And THAT is what struck me. 65 years later, his lack of a father, still affects him. That is deep.

In my lifetime I have dated women without fathers, I have good male friends without fathers, and I have even watched my father go through his older years without the benefit of his father's presence, and it is a lot like having a venereal disease(it sounds bad, but bear with me). You can manage the effects, minimize the pain, and on some days you can even forget that its there, but you will never, even shake it completely, and watching Hackman brought that home for me. I am lucky that my father has been a part of my life for all of my 33 years on this earth. And even now, if he was no longer a part of my life, I would be absolutely devastated.

This was meant to be a father appreciation, but I have no idea whether its coming off that way..oh well.

I'm off today, and I have no idea what to do with myself. My doctor's appointment was cancelled, I was supposed to have lunch with dad and my boy Kevin, but I've heard from no one, so I'm sitting here in my living room, in my drawers. Good times. Perhaps I'll watch an episode of Californication now.

Lalah Hathaway and Marcus Miller - When Your Life Was Low

The latest craze in the Washington DC area is people renting out their homes and apartments to out of towners coming here for the January 20th inauguration. My lady and I giving serious thought to getting on board and doing just that, depending how much money we can get. On one side I feel badly for thinking about getting paid, rather than attending Barack Obama's festivities, because I know it will be an historic moment. People off all races will gather, be inspired, feel like one, and all that other good stuff, and I am sure I'd get up in that moment as well...BUT

I hate crowds, I hate people all in my face, and I had not being able to leave when I am ready, and by attending his ceremony, I would surely have to deal with all three, and frankly I am not sure I am ready to taken that far out of comfort zone. Second, not only will have inauguration day (my birthday) off of work, but the previous day is Martin Luther King Day, so we're looking at a four day weekend situation. We could rent out place out, go on a wonderful vacation, and break even financially. Its a win win. We could be somewhere on the beach, appreciating Obama's historic moment, and I gotta tell you, I wouldn't feel badly about it AT ALL. But nothing is final right now.

Not a good sports weekend. There was the flag football fiasco on Saturday morning. Then one of my favorite boxers ever got his ass kicked in what SHOULD be his last fight on Saturday night. And finally my Eagles lost to the Giants last night on national tv. And for good measure, I'll throw in the fact that my beloved Washington Wizards are winless.

'Round Midnight - Ledisi

I do believe I was the victim of discrimination about two hours ago. I just played a flag football for an hour, and not ONCE was I thrown to. I went deep, I went short, I went intermidate, and the our quarterback (who was black) would look at me briefly, then throw to someone else. Sometime that other person was wide open, other times he seemed to be forcing the ball. At least 3 times I went up to him after a play, and said, "Man they are leaving my side wide open", and he did not throw my way. Even two of my teammates commented to me how wide open I was, but still, no catches, no throws my way. So now my mind is working overtime to figure out why he shunned me. I played one game back in September, and then I quit the team because my lady was having pregnancy issues. Then I came back for today's playoff game, and maybe he resented that..who knows. All I know is I got up good and early for this game, and the hardest I worked was when I did sprints prior to the game. Sons of bitches.

I did much better in my second game covering the Wizards. I'm not grading myself this time, I just felt better. Read all about it here.

Rachelle Ferrell - Waiting (live)

I'm 100% sure that I have written about this particular subject before, but given what has happened to me in the last 12 hours, I clearly have to revisit it.

There is a list of things that men cannot do together. I don't make these rules, I never got a memo explaining this things to me, there is no rules coordinator, they are just rules that were magically instilled in my brain and I adhere to them whether I like them or not. As men we don't watch Oprah without a woman somewhere in the house, we don't sit next to each other at the movies, we don't call each other and say happy birthday without saying "man" afterwards, and we don't go to the men's dressing room together. There are others but you get the point.

So yesterday, my father sent me an email about how excited he was that our next President is a Columbia University grad just like he is. I sent him an email right back, letting him know that a Hampton University grad was next, and then he did the unthinkable. When my father sent me an email back, he said, "The sky's the limit", and then he put a smiley face after that sentence. Now, I understand my father is almost 60 years old, and he might not be fully educated on the rules of engagement when it comes to trading emails with another man, so I can somewhat give him the benefit of the doubt. I also understand that 90% of my correspondence with him takes place over the phone and in person, but a smiley face? Really? As my boy Cliff said, if he's sending this to me, who else is he sending smiley face's too, and how much sex and respect has this cost him this year alone? I expect and welcome this behavior from my mother, but not from the man who continues to teach me how to be a man.

I didn't respond to the email he sent me, because I am verklempt and shell shocked. I want to call and make fun of him, but I don't want to hurt his feelings..then again, I have spent several paragraphs clowning him here, so why stop there? Something must be done though. By the way, the exchange wasn't all bad. The "sky's the limit" reference he made was pretty funny, and it references an exchange between the media and basketball player Micheal Ray Richardson(yes he spelled Micheal that way). Anyway, the Knicks were in a particularly putrid stretch and a reporter asked him this:

REPORTER: What do you think is happening to the team?
RICHARDSON: The ship be sinking.
REPORTER: How far can it sink?
RICHARDSON: Sky's the limit.

Even 25 years later, that is hilarious to me. So my Dad gets major props for referencing this, but that were IMMEDIATELY nullified with that smiley face...

(You Caught Me) Smilin - Sly and the Family Stone

Did you ever wonder what Prince was saying at the end of Darling Nikki? Do you like creepy sounding things? Then watch this and kill two birds with one stone. You can thank me for the nightmares later.

Yesterday while I was on my way to work, I saw three girls and one boy running down the street. They were black, they all had uniforms on, and they seemed to be in the junior high age group. Each of them had a newspaper in their hand, and they were running down the street screaming, "We won, We won, Obama won" as they ran past me. I had mixed emotions about this. On one hand, I admire their enthusiasm, because this COULD quite possibly be the first election they have paid attention to, and if they are inspired in some way, shape or form by Obama's victory, then that is great Perhaps they'll even get into student government or something en route to a political career. I just hope a parent or a teacher explains EVERYTHING to these kids. They need to know the struggle it took to get to this point, they need to understand how Obama won, why he won, and then they need to realize the daunting task ahead. And this isn't an effort to shoot the kids down at all, but if they are old enough to run around with newspapers in their hand, they are certainly old enough to get full detailed explanation. And there are some adults who could stand to receive that lesson too.

Speaking of newspapers, they need to start make newspaper machines that accept dollar bills. On may walk to work to yesterday, I saw at least 5 or 6 machines FULL of newspapers but all I had in my pocket were dollar bills, and since I thought I might be late, I did not stop in a deli, the drug store, or Starbucks to pick one up. I figured I'd be able to get on after work, but clearly I was mistaken. Stores and newspaper machines alike were BONE dry yesterday. In fact, even when the Washington Post announced they were reprinting this special edition, I still couldn't find one. Finally, I went out about 8pm to a corner store, and they had ONE more paper that the owner was nice enough to give me. Personally, I think the newspaper edition that comes out January 20th is way more important but that's just me.

One more thing about newspapers. They were dying a slow death until yesterday, when suddenly Obama's victory gave them a serious shot in the arm. In fact, they need to give the Obama family a percentage of their sales yesterday. We'll see if they can maintain their momentum until inauguration. You see my friends, as good as internets is on a day to day basis, it won't be fun 40 years from now, to get on the computer, pull up the Washington Post archives, and show your kids and grand kids the "Obama-won-the presidency" electronic edition of the paper. But if you have hard, laminated copy to pull out, it just makes things that much more tangible..to me at least.

Oh and its not too late to read my article from yesterday.

The song that about to link below came on my ipod this morning during my run, and I was so inspired that I started running, harder, better, faster and stronger.. Oh, and PLEASE don't blast this song if you're at work. It is totally inappropriate and yes its a bit misogynist, but damn if it isn't effective when you're running.

Xxplosive - Dr. Dre featuring Kurupt, Nate Dogg and Six Two

Election night observations:

1) I saw two men, Juan Williams and Jesse Jackson, barely control their emotions last night as they watched things unfold. One has written extensively about the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle, while the other actively participated in it. Juan Williams was on Fox News talking about the significance of this moment, and his voice cracked more than a few times. Jesse Jackson stood seemingly alone in a sea of Obama supporters, and was weeping uncontrollably in what he probably thought was a private moment, but of course the cameras caught. I've had the pleasure of meeting both men in my life time, and I was really wishing I could be around them. Not so much as a proud black man, but as a writer who would love to get their raw emotions..besides the crying of course. I saw Roland Martin from CNN crying too, but his writing sucks, so I wasn't as moved.

2) Both my parents were crying on the phone when they called me. My mother is always crying these days, so that's not that big, but I have NEVER seen or heard my dad cry before, so this was huge. He cried at his dad's funeral, but I was way too young to remember that. He didn't even cry at my grandmother's funeral, but last night's moment had him doing just that. He explained to me that in 1968, his senior year of college, he was depressed by the murder of MLK, RFK, and just the overall state of race relations. Now 40 years later he was seeing this. Then, after he was done crying, he said to me, that Barack has LOTS of work to do, and he better celebrate quickly, then get to planning.

3) My voting experience was pretty uneventful. I left work at 4, got to the polls around 4:30, waited in line about 45 minutes, then I was out. If I was a camera person, I would have taken pictures and written snazzy captions under each like my friend Nichole, but I dropped the ball on that one. I had my headphones on, and I was listening to a sports podcast.

4) My lady's sister had to call my lady and I and tell us that Obama won. In an effort to avoid the exhausting coverage, we were watching the Rockets/Celtics basketball game Real Housewives of Atlanta(yet another show, my lady has successfully reeled me in on). Every now and then we'd turn to CNN to see the electoral college votes, then we'd switch back. Talk about stimulus overload...

5) One of best and favorite articles I've written for Hoops Addict is now on the site, but due to this Obama juggernaut, I doubt many folks will read it, which I understand, but selfishly speaking it sucks.

6) I would like to extend a personal thank you and middle finger to the jackasses in my neighborhood who drove around honking their horns at 2 and 3 in the morning. I can understand someone drinking champagne last night, or going to a party and getting smashed. But grown folks driving around the streets honking their horns in the middle of the night like NY cab drivers? That's just ridiculous, and it kept me up way longer than necessary.

7)John McCain gave a very eloquent concession speech last night, and he took the high road with Denny Green, when he really didn't have to. But during McCain's speech people were openly booing and cutting him off to chant his name, and McCain was visibly frustrated at this. I felt bad for McCain last night. Up until last year, Republicans, Democrats and Independents all loved McCain for his ability to bring folks together to talk about and solve problems. Now, he is basically the Craig Ehlo to Obama's Jordan, and he'll probably fade into Bolivian. Or perhaps Obama will reach out to him for help..who knows.

7) And last and certainly not least my friends, we will swear in a new president on my birthday son. That means that each and every one of you owe me not only a gift at that point, but a presidential one. Let's make it count people.

There will be time to criticize Obama, there will be time to wonder if he'll make good on all the promises he made, and all that jazz. But today, I'll just appreciate what I'm seeing right now. My father called me just a few minutes ago, and he could hardly hold back his tears. THAT is my barometer for how serious and big this moment is..

So congrats to Barack, Biden and their respective families. And if you all are looking for a writer to document your first 100 days, or your first term, just give me a call...

Cherish the Day - Sade

How do you know whether you are really in love or not? It is based on a little something I like to call, "recovery time".

Whenever you argue with someone, first there is an internal decision making process. First you decide whether this is an argument worth pursuing, then you think about your tactic during this argument, and then you go in. There is usually arguing, pointing, excitable body language, and sometimes there may even be a little cursing. Neither side really intends to be mean and nasty, they are simply trying to win this argument. Then, after the emotions are emptied, and the points have somewhat been made there is separation time. You've said your piece, and now you want a little bit of space from this person, so you don't murder them and say something you will regret. The time in between this space you take, and when you start taking strides to repair things is called recovery time.

Now, when you are with someone who you don't really care about, that recovery time can took a good three or four days. You will give that person the silent treatment, slam doors and cupboards when they are around, and answer every question with, "its whatever", "do what you want" and " I don't care". Your intent here isn't to make things right with the person, your intent is to hold out and be angry until they give in and apologize first.

But when you are really in love and an you really care about the person, that recovery time is substantially shorter. As soon as the argument is over you start thinking about whether YOU were the cause of the argument, even if it really was not your fault. Then you start thinking of extravagant ways you want to apologize. Then all you want to do is hug that person, and they your thoughts travel to how good it feels to have sex with that person and how hard they make you..., and then you realize that being in good graces with that person is way more important than planting your flag in defiance. So you apologize, an all is well with the world. This whole paragraph sounds real tender I know, but its true. At least for me it is.

Now, let me talk about this Iverson trade right quick. It seems like only yesterday, I was writing about Iverson being traded from Philadelphia and now two years later he gets traded again. Chauncey Billups and Iverson are both basically the same age, and they are both on the downside of their respective careers. Iverson is more of a fast paced player, while Billups is more methodical in his approach. Iverson is a scorer first, a creator second. Billups is a passer first and a shooter second. I think Billups instantly makes Denver better, because he'll get Carmelo Anthony the ball where he wants it, and he'll play better defense. Unfortunately, the Nuggets play in the West with guards like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Baron Davis, so it won't matter, because the Nuggets will still get sent home early.

I think in the long run, the Pistons will be better because of this trade, simply because even at 33, Iverson is a matchup problem for the elite teams in the East. Yes it will take he and Richard Hamilton some time to adjust, and hell no Iverson doesn't play defense well anymore, but still, in the long run, the Pistons will go further with him. If I'm wrong, I'm deleting this post from the blog, so you can't say I told you so.

And HELL NO i'm not talking about the election. I'm sure you know where to go, if you just want to hear someone talk about it, but it damn sure isn't here. I'm sick of it.

Oh, and one of my ladyfriend's good friends now has a workout tips blog. Go check it out.

Under the Cherry Moon - Prince
aka the ultimate song to get a striptease to

I'm not going to get mushy and all that jazz, but had my parents stayed together, this would have been their 35th year of marriage. They only made it to 20, and while that's not bad, it doesn't have the ring(pun intended) of 35 years. Had they stayed together, I could go to ONE place for the holidays, instead of having to disappoint a parent each and every year. On the flip side, they had me and my brother, and knowing them the way I do now, there's no way in hell they could be together. So it all works out I guess...

Monday stuff:

-I went to the doctor's office this morning, and he told me that my kidneys are just fine, and the results from my urine test are golden. Now, I just have to be sure that I continue to watch my cholesterol and I'll be fine. This was the clean bill of health I was waiting for, and although I still have a follow up appointment on December 19th, I'm on the right path..thank God. He even said I drink wine again, but he asked me to be a bit more judicious.

-I always suspected this guy in my office was dirty in some way, shape or form, and just a few minute ago I got confirmation. This dude went to the urinal, did his business, and just let out of the bathroom. No hand washing, no consultation with some soap, and no opening the door with a towel to mask the germs. His hands went from his phallus to the door, and thank God I know better than to touch anything in that bathroom with bare hands. That's how infections get started and spread. I will never shake his hand, set foot in his office or any of that. And this man is at least 55 years old, how do you not know to wash your hands after using the bathroom?

-Please go buy Black Magic DVD that is now available in stores. It tells an excellent story about African-Americans and their struggles/triumphs in the game of basketball. Here's a good review.

-And finally, I would like to thank my ladyfriend for turning me on to the song I am about to link below. I had fallen out of favor with Usher, but this song has me back on the bandwagon..even though I'd much rather hear, Mr. Michael Jackson sing this particular song.

Usher - Here I Stand

So I went to the party yesterday, and I had mixed feelings about the event. My parents were there, my brother and his wife were there, my uncle and his family made an unexpected appearance, and there were also seemingly millions of other kids running around like mad men and women. So that I would not sit around over thinking, I made it a point to keep busy. I cued up the music (Foreign Exchange, go buy it), I snapped numerous pictures, and I tried to crack as many jokes as possible to mask my pain. At one point, my nephew came up to me in his Batman outfit, and spread his arms for a hug, and I picked him up, hugged him tight, and I told him I loved him. Right after I put him down, I felt myself getting choked up, and I put my evacuation plan in motion. I kissed everyone, made sure the family knew which gift was mine, said my goodbyes, and I exited stage left.

About 20 minutes later my father called to check on me, and he said he and my brother were surprised I stayed that long. He also said that it meant a lot to my brother that I even made the effort to show up and my brother confirmed this earlier this evening when he called, and of course that choked me up a little more. I understand that the grieving process takes time, and I know for me to attempt to cheat or shortchange that process is futile. Still, I don't like feeling "abnormal" or feeling like a charity case. I felt the same way after the fire, and it makes me extremely uncomfortable. No one means any harm I know, but still. I like being "regular" you know? If I let my lady guest blog one day, she might feel a different way..but this is how I feel right now at 8:35pm.

Anyway, my nephew is officially 2 today, and one he'll read this and say damn, Rashad really IS crazy. So happy birthday young Nazir.

Today is the birthday party for my 2 year old nephew Nazir. I have known about this party for exactly two weeks, and my decision about whether I should attend has wavered about 22 times. Initially, my answer was hells no. My lady and I had just lost the baby, and the thought of having to be around a bunch of babies was just a bit too much for me to wrap my arms around at that particular moment. Then I thought about how disappointed my brother would be if the rest of the family (including my mother and father) were there, but his big brother was not, so I made the decision to go. Then I thought about how many times someone at the party would ask me if I was ok, or how I holding up, and how much that would annoy the shit out of me, so I again decided to sit it out. My lady had pretty much decided she was NOT going to go, and I totally understood why. But I was jealous that she was able to be so finite with her decision while I flip flopped on mine like John Kerry on the beach.

So on Thursday, I decided I would stop being a punk, and just show up. I got some gift ideas from my brother, I told him I was coming and I pretty comfortable with my decision. If I cry or lose it, at least I'm with family. If my emotions are in check, I will be able to have a great time with family. The irony here, is that I sincerely doubt that my nephew will even remember I was there, let alone appreciate what it took for me to be there. Then again, that type of naivete and cluelessness are what being a kid is all about right? I gotta figure out a way to get back there.

What Child Is This - Vanessa Williams
I know it ain't Christmas, but I love this song

My apologies to Bill Maher...

New rules: If there is a line of five individuals at Starbucks, and you are the fifth person to order a drink, you can NOT hover over the drink pickup area, like you are lion protecting your young. But if you decide that's the course of action you want to take, and you're a portly, obese person, you can't get mad when someone tries to pick up their drink and they accidentally brush you.

This lady ordered her drink last, and had her big stomach and breasts all over the drink pickup area. I attempted to get mine(that's what she said), and she would NOT move, so I had to gangster my way to the drink, and in doing so, I caught the left side of her breast, and she had the nerve to suck her teeth, and act angry, but at no point did she back her big ass up.

New rules: Unless you can show me a 10 bullet point list of how its done, you cannot walk around saying that you put country first more than anyone else. McCain and Palin are killing me with these signs everywhere claiming they are doing this, yet no one bothers to ask them how they accomplish this. Better yet, aside from a young spry William Ayers in his prime and criminals, who DOESN'T put their country first? We live here, we spend money here, we pay taxes, etc, so just shut the hell up with that bull

New rules: If Michelle and Barack Obama send me another email asking me for money and support, I am unleashing the fury on their inbox come November 5th. Whether they win or lose the election, I (and all 10 of my friends) will send them emails four or five times a day, with updates in my life: Rashad just brushed up against a monstrous breast at Starbucks; Rashad is two seconds away from getting some great sex; Rashad is a little light in the wallet and needs a donation. If they can do it to me, I can do it right back to them and I will.

New rules: Girlfriends/wives have to always buy clothes for their man/husband. My lady bought me this black shirt on Tuesday, and initially I was skeptical. It was a bit young (read: small) on me, and I felt like Common for a second. But today when I put it on, loosened up a bit, and fit perfectly, and I have gotten a compliment on it already. I never get compliments on things that I buy, but whenever m'lady hooks me up, all of sudden I feel special. So dear, if you're reading this (and you better be), if you could buy all of my shirt and slacks now, that would be terrific.

Stevie Wonder, live on Soul Train, performing, "Perfect Angel" and "Lovin You" during a tribute to Minnie Ripperton(1979):

First off, please read my game notes from last night. Again, even if you aren't a bball fan, just look at it and forward them to someone, so hoopsaddict can their numbers up.

If I had to grade my performance last night after covering my first professional NBA game, I'd give myself a C+. I did not expect to, but I definitely had that deer in headlights look on more than one occasion. It wasn't so much that I was starstruck, I was just overwhelmed by the pace of things. All of the journalists seem to know exactly where to go, how long to stay, which players to talk, where the food was, etc. I felt like I was two steps slow the whole night, I and I guess I should allow myself some leeway since this was my first GAME, not a practice and not summer league. That being said, I already have my strategy program for the next game, and I will NOT be caught off guard like that again.

In other news, as I type this blog, I am trying to upload some items to my ipod including the Sports Guy podcast and the new John Legend, and for some odd reason, my cord is not working, and it is pissing me off. It didn't work last night before I went to bed, and it damn sure isn't working this morning. I've become so spoiled and dependent on this damn thing, that I don't know how to act when its broken. Now I have to try to listen to both of these things at work, which is damn near impossible.

I missed the 30 minute Obama infomercial last night, although my lady said I didn't miss much. Did anyone else see it? I gotta tell you, it takes some balls and some arrogance to delay the World Series (congrats to you Lex and bfnh), and spend 30 minutes talking about yourself. I wonder if there will be some sort of backlash. I can't say even if I was home, that I would have watched that.

Poor Georgie - MC Lyte

I was so excited about covering this event tonight, that I go zero sleep. I attempted to go to bed about 12:30 or so, but I ended up talking and joking around with my lady for 30 minutes then she fell asleep. Then, as is the case with being awake in the middle of the night, I started thinking about all kinds of things. I thought about how I would do tomorrow, I thought about how my son is doing out in Arizona(long story), I am still worried about lady and her health, I'm worried about MY health..as you can imagine this was a bit overwhelming, so I got my ass up and went out to the couch.

I was much too tired and lazy to get on the computer to download all types of fancy adult movies or read about sports, so I turned on the television. I watched a special on the Calzaghe/Jones that's' coming up next weekend, then I caught a bit of The Departed, and then I watched an entire Sportscenter, and before long I looked up and it was 4:45am. I did not want to go back, get in the bed, and wake up my lady, so I forced myself to sleep on the couch, and it worked for 5 minutes, before my lady came and go me and told me to go to bed. By the time I fell asleep, it was damn near 5:30. I got out of bed at 7:30, and I arrived to work at 8:27. Why am I chronicling all this? Because clearly I want your pity and sympathy, because I am dead tired and between work and the game tonight, my day won't end until 10pm.

I can't say I'm in the mood to write much more. So I'll end with music. This is Dave Brubeck and Al Jarreau performing, "Take Five"