NEXT FRIDAY! DUB LAND UNDERGROUND!

I TURN 30 next Friday so we're putting a show together at Elixir. There will be one more band on there, most likely Cheebahawk. Come down, have a good time. This place is pretty small so if you want to see all of the bands, I recommend getting there earlier. Dawn of War only plays around here every so often so this should be a fun time.

Mahmoud Abdul Rauf turns 41 today...

I was also rocking this dude's jersey in 1994. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, third overall and even won the league's most improved player award in 1993. He is one of only 36 players to record 20 assists in a game over the last 25 years. Rauf has retired a few times and is currently playing basketball in Japan. He is obviously most known for his boycotting of the National Anthem, as pictured. You could call this a turning point in Rauf's career. To each his own, I guess... I really wish I still had that jersey.

Summer of 94

In the summer of 1994, I was riding my bike all over town, playing basketball talking trash, and having fun being thirteen. Above The Rim was a favorite movie of mine that had been released recently. It showcased a West Coast sound that was all too dominant at the time. I think I must have listened to Regulate a few times a day for several months. But there was a lot of good rap music coming out of New York too. I used to record the late night hip-hop shows on the local college radio stations. This song was on there quite often, I really miss these shows. Then again, there isn't nearly as much good rap music coming out now as there was in 1994.

That same Summer, this remix was also bumping a lot, Craig Mack was enjoying all of his fifteen minutes.

Happy 45th Birthday to former Houston Rocket Kenny Smith!!!!!!

Kenny the Jet Smith enjoyed a productive NBA career from 1987-97, most notably 1990-1996 in Houston where he won back to back titles with the Rockets in 1994 and 95. He even garnered a few MVP votes after the 1990-91 season as the Rockets starting point guard. It was also around this time that I became obsessed with basketball and the Houston Rockets. Watching wrestling and cartoons all of the time was starting to get old for me anyway. One of my first and fondest Kenny Smith memory is this dunk contest...

For the next few years, when I would play basketball at the Monroe YMCA, I would imitate the first dunk on their smaller hoops. It was consistently one of my favorite dunks for years to come. What's interesting about Kenny Smith too is that he isn't all that tall at 6'3" so being in several contests made him even more fun too watch. I guess I emulated my inner Kenny Smith for those four months in 2000 when I was dunking on regulation.
Kenny Smith never won any awards and he never even led the leage in any statistical categories. Still, he was a part of back to back championship teams in Houston that some of us still salivate over. It was the team of him, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson that helped keep me interested in watching basketball after the lockout in 99. Smith has also given a hell of a lot of his time to good causes, the Hurricane Katrina benefit game in 2006 being one of the more well known benefits Smith has thrown together. It is good to see someone putting their spotlight to good use. Happy Birthday Jet.

Spring shows in Rochester!!!

Snow is finally about to be gone (hopefully!) and the best time of year will be here once again! Spring and Summer usually feature some of the best tours, free shows, and festivals in this area. Here is a taste of a few upcoming shows...Also don't forget March 18! My 30th birthday bash with Palehorse, Dawn of War, The March, Brass Caskets, and These Eyes at Elixir! Flyer update will be posted on here this weekend. Enterprise Hardcore will have more shows in April and beyond. March 14 and 25 aren't our shows, but they are our friends' so you should check them out anyway. Support local independent bands...

Houston Rockets @ Toronto Raptors November 16, 2003

Watching this triple OT game today on Yes reminded me of the time I went up to Toronto on the bus for the weekend and saw THIS GAME. I remember this was around the time Kobe had his little problem in Denver, he was still on the cover of the Slam Magazine I read on the way to and from TDot that weekend. This would be my only time seeing Yao Ming live and in person. He would provide me with a lot of let downs in years to come. Those days are about to come to close I am pretty sure. This season he is likely to sign an incentive-laden deal with another club, or return to China. Either way, it is time for a new era in Houston. This game sort of featured a Rockets club that was a bridge from the Hakeem/Clutch City era to this new generation. I have no idea what the future will bring for the Rockets, I can only hope that the outcome will be slightly better than the last seven years. With how weak this year's draft crop is, I am still hoping for Houston to sneak into the playoffs with either the seventh or eighth seed.

FAB 5 on ESPN next Weekend...

It isn't very often that I get excited for an ESPN film, but this is going to rule. This is the period in my life when I got completely obsessed over basketball and it will be great to reflect on that time. Not only that, but this airs right after selection Sunday. What better way to get March Madness started. I think it's pretty much common knowledge by now who I'll be rooting for...