Hooligans and sneakers

Again sorry for the lack of recent blogging. I have not had that many interesting stories and the ones I do are really not appropriate to publish on the internet. For better or worse, I am not in Argentina where I can run around writing recklessly about everyone I meet knowing that I will most likely never see them again in my life.

And unfortunately I have became numb to many of the interesting weirdos of NYC, that or I am just too lazy to blog about them. Most likely the latter.

There is a crazy-ass school outside my window that produces gangs of hooligans which loiter around the campus five days a week. The school is a high school, but it is not called a high school. It's called Grand Street Campus, or GSC, which I really enjoy because it reminds me of T.I.'s rap posse, P$C (Pimp $quad Click), and I enjoy anything in life I can remotely relate to hip-hop.

One day while standing on the subway platform on my way to work some of the GSC hooligans were doing hooligan-like activities on the other side of the platform. One knocked the others fitted hat into the tracks. Without hesitation the hatless hooligan jumped into the tracks. A feat I had never seen before. Everyone started freaking out. The hooligans on his side were wildin'. The hooligans on my side began screaming, "You gon' die! You gon' die!" the kid grabbed his hat, put it back on his head, then jumped out of the tracks and calmly brushed his shoulder off.

I hopped on my train and then went to work. I should also note that I am far too infatuated with GSC's logo and school colors and I am 22-year-old male hopelessly chasing after a jersey. It's kinda gay.

I thought that was a good story, but my roommate beat me in the game of "Best story of seeing someone jump in the subway tracks." His tale involved a guy wearing a Patriots jersey, who realized he was on the wrong side of the tracks (literally, not figuratively). He then hopped over both third rails made it to the other side and yelled "That's how much I fucking love the Patriots!"

Going back to GSC... Every day I walk by the school I fantasize about going in the school and volunteering to help their basketball team. I figure I might be able to help a hooligan or two, or at the very least set up an elaborate point-shaving scheme.

My roommate Sep had the same vision, sans sports betting operation, except he has actually done something and is now tutoring some under-privileged middle school kids or something of that sort. Me, I'm still in the fantasizing stage.

Going back to people in Argentina I once wrote recklessly about. My Swiss friend who I know from Buenos Aires Yakub was in NYC recently. After missing the chance to meet up with Yakub for the first few days he was in the city, we finally arranged to meet at NikeTown, per his request. Yakub is a 5'5'' Vin Diesel look-a-like, who always tells me stories about appreciating life. The kind of stories that if my friends told me, I would call them gay, but because they are coming from a Swiss Vin Diesel look-a-like, I value his stories.

He also only spoke to me in Spanish in Argentina and then while he was in the States revealed that he spoke fluent English, in addition to about 20 other languages.

I journeyed to the 5-story NikeTown, met Yakub and his friend Beth, who introduced herself like this: "Hey, I'm Beth. I work for Converse. I can get you 40% off any thing you want in here."

"Wow." I thought to myself. "That's the best introduction I have ever heard in my life."

Even though I live along or actually under the poverty line I knew I had to buy a pair of Lunaracers (see above picture). Plus in NYC it's completely acceptable to live in public housing, be on welfare and still own expensive Nikes. The fact that I was not going to buy the Nikes with government-assisted money probably does hurt my street cred a bit.

Later on in life (a whole three days later to be exact) Beth gave me a tour of Converse's design studios. It was nice. I shook the hand of the NY Times frugal traveler's wife, who works for Converse. It was memorable.

I'll have better, more coherent, possibly more cohesive stories to come...

Odds and ends

Can we just give this man the White House already? If the Heisman wasn't enough, check ESPN's special on Air Jordans. ESPN interviews experts like Jordan Brand designer Tinker Hatfield, famed director Spike Lee, former SLAM editor-at-large Scoop Jackson and Barack Obama.

In case you're curious, all I am looking for in president is a young, basketball-playing, Desmond Howard posing, Jordan wearing man.

On to other people who will greatly affect my life in 2009, not bad stats for future-Cat Brandon Jennings.

Meanwhile former Cat Mustafa Shakur seems to be having the time of his life in Poland.

"Um...Mr. Livengood, Could I...have that money...back? I accidentally choked this guy unconscious and I need pretty much everything I got for my lawyers right now."

There's really no better way to style your hair than having fresh Shane Battier cornrows smoothly transition into a mohawk.

Way old news, but something I completely missed in 2007 was UPS removing left-turns from their delivery routes. This just blows my mind for some reason.

Back to the present, I really like what Stanford is doing off the gymnastics mat.

I'm contemplating planning a trip to New York just to see some Asian gun powder art and have my mind blown by this exhibit.

Yes I do feel much better about myself after killing 30 minutes on the New York Times version of YouTube compared to the real YouTube.

If Mos Def didn't produce "Black on both sides" and he wasn't one half of Blackstar, I would have a lot of questions for the man. The first being why are you acting in a movie where you work in a VHS cassette rental shop with your buddy being an accidentally-magnetized Jack Black, who accidentally erases all the cassettes in the shop.

Washington wrap-up

Here's the delayed wrap-up of Thursday's Wildcats' upset of No. 6 Washington State

What you need to know:
Arizona hit 12-21 (57%) shots from 3-point land to defeat Washington State 76-64, handing the Cougars only their second loss of the season. Bayless had 23, Budinger had 22, pretty much any time that happens the Cats should win. The Cats lead the entire second half and almost the entire game as they held Kyle Weaver to 15 points and Derrick Low to 5 points.

What you don't really need to know:

• It was Zona's first home game since their Jan. 5 loss to Oregon and their first time playing in front of a fully-loaded Zona Zoo -which was depleted by winter break - since the Nov. 28 match-up against Cal State Fullerton.
• Officially it was rally-towel night as the entire McKale waved the towels in the air throughout the game. Unofficially, I declared it Petey Pablo night. Either way it got Jordan Hill excited. "They had those towels waving around, and we're really fired up," Hill said. "We got fired up with them tonight."
• Not worth noting: "Who am I?! Petey Pablo motherfucker!!" If you are going to be a 3-hit wonder, there's no better way to start a song.
• Worth noting: Hill didn't pick up a foul until midway though the second half, opposed to his normal style of picking up two fouls during pre-game lay-ups drills.
• Props to UA for ditching Kanye West's wildly over-played "Stronger" for the intro video and rolling with some lame-ass song I've never heard of. I'm still not sure how, but some how it makes it all less cheesy.
• I love Derrick Low. No homo.
• Kirk Walters checks in at the 12:30 mark of the first half. I take the under on a bet that he plays less than 2 minutes. He comes out at 10:05. Lost by 25 seconds. Dammit.

Saturday's game:
Washington at Arizona

What you need to know:
Arizona shot 70% in the first half and 62% overall to beat Washington State 84-69. Bayless 26, Budinger 25, yeah that'll do it. Each hit 5 threes, Budinger in 10 shots, Bayless in 6! If Bayless didn't have 2 fouls early on, the Cats could've hit 100. Ryan Appleby is a douchebag, yes that is something you need to know. Next week's road games at USC and UCLA should be great games.

What you don't really need to know:

• Even though I had tickets, I chose to watch this game at home solely because I didn't feel like standing up for two hours or moving the mile from my apartment to the McKale Center. I never claimed to be a die-hard Cats fan.
• I almost regretted it as the UNC and Maryland women's hoops game went into double OT causing fans at home to miss most of the first half.
• As I laid on my couch in sweatpants eating frozen pizza, I realized I made the right call.
• Never a close game. If the Cats are able to keep playing at this amazing pace, people will call the Washington State game a turning point.
  

Where's P-Mac Nic Wise Moment of the Game: Honestly, Nic Wise is just too good to have silly moments of the game. No longer do fans clinch when he has the ball, knowing something retarded is just around the corner. Coaches and fans alike are now confident when the rock is in his hands as he's matured into a solid point guard. In other words, he sold the fuck out on the WPMNWOTG.

Sneaker Watch: I think Kamyron Brown was wearing Birthday Lebron Vs against UCLA and Tajuan Porter rocked Seattle-edition Air Jordan XX2s.

Good 'ol Duck blogging

As I do with all bad news related to my favorite teams, I've been sweeping Oregon's lackluster season under the blog rug. I figured that if I never mentioned the losses to St. Mary's, Nebraska, Oakland and ASU maybe the NCAA will forget about them too.

I also should thank my friends for not murdering me via text message, Facebook wall post or blogger comments after all those ridiculous losses. You're all much better people than me, because the big man up above (Christopher Wallace) knows I would never let that kind of failure go under the rug if my friends' teams were falling.

I really don't even know what to make of Oregon's shitty start to the season. As Bruce Pascoe points out here, all the numbers indicate they're fine, except for the only numbers that count. I haven't been reading The Oregonian as much as I should be, but I'm assuming John Hunt & Co. are pointing to a possible sophomore slump for Tajuan Porter, Joevan's injury or how huge Aaron Brooks really was. That or nobody gives a fuck since the Blazers are red hot.

Anyways here's the notes from today's UO at UA game, one of the games where I say I don't really care who wins, but I freak out every time Oregon hits a big shot and by the end of the game I'm going all-out for the Ducks.

• Nic Wise is starting. Tajuan Porter is not. I'm no doctor, but I am pretty sure at some point Nic might stole some of Tajuan's powers in a technique not seen since the Monstars stole Sir Charles' powers.
• At the 16:10 mark Jawann flew out of no where and blocked the shit out of Maarty Leunen, Jawann then flew into the base of the hoop. I thought for sure the 83-year-old McClellen would be out 6-8 months, but miraculously he got up and continued to play.
• When Chase Budinger's shot is on...Damn it's just beautiful. Regardless of how many buckets he hits I don't need to see his parents' reaction to every UA possession. Thanks FSN.
• I should throw it out there that I would have gone to this game if it were not part of UA's Holiday Package. I know it makes perfect economical sense to the ticketing department and Tucson locals, but it screws broke UA students.
• I would kill to be in a billiards class with Bryce Taylor and Malik Hairston.
• Who is that left-handed guy who just hit a shot for the Cats? Fendi-something...I am pretty sure most people forget he was on the roster.
• How bizarre is it that Warcraft now sponsors in-game stats?
• Yes I am loving every minute of Oregon's first-half 27-8 run.
• No I don't like seeing Tajuan Porter try to do too much with the ball then settling for a bad shot. His whole style of play is based on shots that need to go in or he looks like the dumbest guy on the court.
• Wow the Cats' weakside D, is just wow...Miserable.
• First half Ducks lead 48-37, shooting 60% from the field and 7-12 from deep. First-half pros: Oregon's shooting, transition game and quick shots inside. Cons: I ran out of ice cream and was forced to downgrade to Cheez-Its as an in-game snack.
• Honestly a huge halftime lunch knocked me out for the first 8 minutes of the second half. Where's P-Mac, Coverage you can count on.
• Cats got it close but Malik Hairston and the Ducks were just too much. Nice bounce-back win 84-74, Ducks.

Where's P-Mac Nic Wise Moment of the Game: I haven't done this in a while and in that 'while' Nic has been lighting it up, including his career-high 17 points Thursday against OSU. However today's WPMNWOTG is Nic's side-of-the-backboard clank with 40 seconds left in the game. After being wide open after a pump-fake Nic set himself up for 3 from the corner and hit straight rubber padding. Weights.

Sneaker Watch: Being at home and not having HD hurts. What also hurts is boring-ass team shoes, which almost, ALMOST make me miss Staf and Marcus Williams...Props to Tajuan on his UO Huarache 2k6s...Everyone else step your game up, it's not like you have to pay for them.

Randomness: OK I don't really read as much as I should, but this book based on 'what if's' got me thinking... What if LeBron went college, he would have murdered everyone right? Who the fuck would have stopped him? I don't see how he would have lost. Ever. They probably would have had to take some of John Wooden's 1960s and 70s wins away and gave them to Bron, just as a token of respect. Obviously we'll never know, but a 20-year R.I.P to Pistol Pete who didn't do bad for himself at LSU in his 3-year career there, averaging 44.2 ppg.

Cats at Illini

Arizona at Illinois...well pretty much at Illinois
Mini-recap:

UA came out like shit...Woke up...Actually Chase snoozed through the whole game...Nic Wise continued to be a beast...After I bashed him last week, Jordan Hill played a hell of a game...Cats win in OT 78-72.

Notes:

• What the fuck is up with Jawann McClellen shaving a "5" in the back of his head. First, it looks completely retarded, second do you need same numeral 18 inches from the 5 on the back of your jersey? Don't get me wrong I love some good art on the back of heads, word to Anthony Mason and Ron Artest, but hair art is something where you either go all out or keep the blade down, no in between. Jamelle Horne I see you too.
• Not related to UA hoops in any way, but I need to throw out this excerpt from the LA Times article:
• Ellerbe pointed to Mayweather's crossover potential by relaying a story about Halloween at the boxer's home. After his childhood of scaled-back Halloweens, Mayweather made three trips to the grocery store to stock up on candy bars for kids in his gated Las Vegas neighborhood. He gave away so many that the children who'd seen him on "Cribs" basked in his generosity by urging him to "make it rain" Snickers, a nod to his public cash displays.
• How the hell does Chase Budinger go the entire regulation without a field goal? Find your fucking shot. I still can't figure out, how a team leader can go a game without a field goal.

Where's P-Mac Nic Wise Moment of the Game: The moment of the game goes to ESPN's announcing crew for sucking Nic's dick throughout the game. "He's the spark plug of the entire team!" "He has such incredible quickness." "His defense is like a cobra strike!" "Another beautiful dime dropped by Nic." Plus many more I forgot, in addition to the lame "He's so wise" puns.

Sneaker Watch: Bayless going from the Lebron Vs in the first half to the Air Jordan Concord XIs in the second half, way to pay homage to the building that Mike built.

Why you all aggie?

Truthfully I wasn't even going to post anything about tonight's UA/Texas A&M game. Posting game recaps isn't really my steez any more, even if it was the part of the foundation this blog was built upon.

Then fourth quarter I thought to myself "Y'all don't know my expenses, I gotta buy a bigger place and more baggies, why you all aggie?" from Jay-Z's "Heart of the city." And that's pretty much the only reason I'm recapping this game, because there is a dope Jay-Z line that goes with it.

If I ever was a sports editor, I'd make all my writers lead with lines from Jay-Z and if they ever submitted anything from "Kingdom Come" or any of the "Best of Both Worlds," I'd fire them. Overcoming a 20-point lead to win by 11. Not nearly as important as something Jay-Z said six years ago.

On to the game...

• Kirk Walter started. That's about all you can say about Kirk tonight he started. His box score has more O's than Hov's kitchen in '88, except for the 4 fouls and 2 turnovers he picked up in 8 minutes of action.
• Chase Budinger was on again, but for some reason coach O'Neill loves keeping him on the bench for crucial stretches of the game.
• Nic Wise actually played a solid game, for the first time since...well ever.
• Bayless is really sick, putting up a season high 26 (off 12 shots, he went 10-10 from the line), but I still don't see how he'll be a one-and-done player. He's not NBA sick, yet at least.
• The fans started to go crazy as UA turned the game around at the 12 min mark in the second half. A huge part of me was scared the Zona Zoo would embarrass UA and rush the court for a No. 9 upset. Thank God they didn't
• Jordan Hill sucks. A lot. People love him because he dunks, has braids and is always at every party in Tucson. But at the end of the day he can barely play D and has a basketball IQ that's less than his age. Give me Bret Brielmaier any day of the week.
• Cats comeback and win 78-67, giving the Aggies their first loss of the season.

Where's P-Mac Nic Wise Moment of the Game: Nic played well, what else can I say? Plus the comparison below should be enough comedy for tonight.

Sneaker Watch: Jerryd Bayless and Jawann McClellan wearing the white/navy blue Lebron Vs...Everybody else step your game up.

Bums, Bron and Bees

Apparently the bum described in yesterday's post, may only be half-bum as he might have a job according to Tarny, who writes:

While my bum story might not be that good, but I actually sat with that bum for a half my freshman year at a UA game. The very same bum that Brett ran into on the bus. He's actually not a bum, you may see him selling Eegee's at events like baseball games in the future.

I didn't get season tickets my freshman year, so I went down to buy a scalped one, and this guy was selling them cheap, and his seats were really good...to the right of the student section in the corner. I walk into McKale Center, get a pretzel and soda on Monopoly (Cat card) money and walk to my seat. Low and behold, there is this toothless bastard that sold me a ticket, sitting in the seat right next to it.

Generally when I buy scalped tickets, the scalper isn't going to sit next to me at the game, he's going to the straight to da weedhouse. So it seems this gentleman wasn't selling a seat, he was buying a friend because he talked my fucking ear off before the game even started. He had a copy of Lute's book with him, so this may have actually been my sophomore year (Marijuana effects the memory). He was wearing a Channing Frye white #45 with all the signatures on it and was really really excited about this team, needless to say after a few awkward high-fives I weaseled my way down to the student section behind the band. Of course this was before the first 8 rows were reserved for kids from AEPi.

Seriously I know more readers have crazy bum/Wildcat stories, send 'em in justinadler1@gmail.com.

From bums to Bron, here is the new commercial for the Zoom LeBron Vs. Apparently it's only out in China, but only a few more weeks until it's on every commercial break on TNT.


The commercial is nice and all but I need more Business LeBron. "Hold that, hold that thought, I'm a call you back." Nike, you gotta at least match that line.

Now on to the killer bee, Ghostface, who perfomed at UA tonight. It was a pretty solid show, but I'd like to call out the motherfucker who tried to sneak a wine cooler into the concert. This is Ghostface Killah. The man who worked on "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx." The Wally Champ. The man who broke Ma$e's jaw because he thought the "Ready to Die" album cover was biting the "Illmatic" cover. His Wikipedia entry reads, "Ghostface actually devised a way of dying Wallabees different, interesting colors, which were the height of fashion at the time." The man rocked a golden eagle and golden Versace plate. The man who wore a mask over his face when Wu-Tang came out because the feds were after him. This list could go on for 100 more pages.

How are you going to disrespect all of this and try and bring a fucking wine cooler into his concert? And get caught trying to sneak a wine cooler in the show? Come on now.

Also props to Tony Starks for saying "y'all n*ggas got a pretty ill team" in reference to the Diamondbacks.

Fuck Shawn Marion

Have fun getting blunted with ugly broads elsewhere

You average the most shots on the team, the most minutes on the team. You were set to make $16.4 million this year, that's almost $3 million more than Amaré and over $5 million more than Nash. You're an NBA all-star on a title contender in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. WHAT THE FUCK ELSE DO YOU WANT?!

Thanks for many years of putting up ridiculous numbers and constantly bitching the entire time. Fuck you. Thanks again for now publicly demanding a trade which will allow the Suns to now get a solid 60 cents on the dollar, if we are lucky. Fuck you again.

Peace Shawn Marion, here's hoping you tear your ACL in a Jazz uni on opening night.

Random Sneaker Link of the Day: Native-Americans can now get to stompin' in they Air Native N7s.

Brandon Jennings Hype Machine Article of the Day: I might come back to school in '09 just to watch Jennings.

I need a favor

So the Adidas Gil Zero X Undrcrwn drop tomorrow for a mere $150 according to Slam Magazine. No word on where they are being released. Whoever buys these for me gets...well something incredibly dope that is TBD.

Let me answer a few questions you may have:
Yes these shoes are pretty retarded. No I probably never would wear them. Yes I still really want them. Yeah, I guess I would buy anything attached to Gilbert Arenas' name.

Point out the bounce

Now normally I don't do this but...Media credit: Francisco Medina

This weekend I covered the Arizona Cactus Classic for the Tucson Citizen. This was the second year Tucson has hosted the event which featured an insane amount of high school basketball talent, by insane I mean 23 of the nation's top 100 players in the high school class of 2008.

I thought the Pac-10 Tournament was basketball heaven because you got 4 games in a day, but the Cactus Classic had 79 games spread over three days. It was non-stop ball on six courts at a time (three in the McKale Center and three in the Bear Down Gym).

One of the stars of the show was potential UA recruit Brandon Jennings, who led the tourney in scoring by averaging 28.4 points a game. The kid hung 44 on the Reebok Inland Empire, that's 44 fucking points in 32 minutes.

Jennings is a five-star recruit, ranked 12th on Rivals.com top 150 of '08. He said he's currently between Arizona and UConn.

I missed Jennings' first three games and didn't see him perform until Saturday evening when he played the Texas D1 Ambassadors, where he played at what I would guess to be 10% and still had 30 points despite spending a great part of the first half chilling on the bench. In the game Jennings stood around the entire time, never once sprinting, and often times not making it down to the other end of the court. He would play back-to-back offense or defense, but he didn't seemed intrigued by the possibility of playing the conventional both sides of the floor. I only saw him pass once in the entire game, every other went as follows: stand on perimeter with hands calling for ball, cross, shake, bucket.

He got to the rim effortlessly and easily wet threes. He also managed not play a lick of defense and he spent his time on the bench eating peanut M&Ms. For the record he was rocking some white/varsity red-black Air Jordan XXII Omega, which doesn't come out until June 2. Fucking gangster. I'm assuming he got those as a welcoming gift when he transferred to the Jordan Brand-sponsored Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. or as Jennings called it "the middle of nowhere." Oak Hill is a small private school with approximately 100 students according to Wikipedia. Oak Hill is always ranked No. 1 in the nation for hoops and has produced Melo and Stackhouse among a ton of other NBA players. One of my life goals is to figure out what the fuck they could possibly teach at Oak Hill, since it's a school solely for hoops. I would absolutely kill to sit in on a day of classes.

Aside from going there to work on his grades, which he admits are pretty bad Jennings wants to gain a little more fame to his name. Jennings said: "I want my name to be mentioned in there one day. Hopefully when I leave, people will mention my name with the Carmelos, Stackhouses and Jason Terrys."

Except that Jason Terry didn't go to Oak Hill at least that's what the Internet told me, but I'll let Jennings believe what he wants.

In the championship game, in which Jennings' Belmont Shore lost to the New York Gauchos, Jennings rocked a pair of player-exclusive black and silver Adidas Gil Zero mids to show any potential sponsors that may be that he can ball in all brands. Get your check books out now.

Aside from all the silly crossovers and his ability to jump out of the gym, my personal Brandon Jennings moment of the weekend came after an interview when I bobbled a hand-shake that somehow turned into one of those hand-shake-to-half-hug things people do when they are close to each other, normally not for journalists and their interviewees. After the awkward exchange I didn't look back and kept walking, slightly embarrassed until I remembered that the kid was three years younger than me.

Here is the small article I wrote on him, if you want more, the kid is everywhere, including a 3-page deep highlight reel on YouTube.

More madness:

- Brendon Lavender, the second kid of the '08 class to commit to UA, lost all four of his games, but it's mainly because he was by himself on the team and was forced to play out position at the point. In the one game I really watched of his, he played like trash as I wrote here. Lavender was cool as hell though, an incredibly nice guy and hopefully he'll have better luck in the McKale Center next time.

- It'd be pretty nice to have a college scholarship waiting for you as you enter your freshman year of high school. For Matt Carlino, the No. 1-ranked eigth grader in the nation, that's the case.

- My favorite team of the weekend was the Las Vegas Dog Catchers, mainly because of the sheer insanity that surrounded their team. Their coach, Jamar Clark, had a picked out beard that would rival Freeway or Rick Ross in terms of gullyness. His attire wasn't quite Pat Riley-esque as he opted for the customized Miskeen-looking Dog Catchers shirt, multi-colored Yankees fitted, denim shorts that literally went down to his ankles and a pair of patent-leather maroon-and-orange Air Force Ones. He also earned a few technicals just to prove his thug.

Aside from coach Jamar, the best part of the team was founder Henry Thorns, a grey haired older-black man, who also rocked a customized Dog Catcher tee. Thorns paced back and fourth in the stands shouting claims such as "We always be the best in Vegas" and barking when his team impressed him.

"They also have no class," a parent of the other team said.

The Dog Catchers wore Marcus Banks' name across their jersey to honor the former Dog Catcher, who paid for their bus ride to Tucson.

"To be honest, I never really axed him for one penny," Thorns said. "They just called up asked what we needed."

"'They' meaning Marcus Banks?" I questioned.

"Yeah"

Henry Thorns also talked about how his son, Hank Thorns, was "eating people up" on the court, which he actually was. Hank Thorns was pretty impressive, especially in his Nike ID'd Zoom Flight Fives.

- I'm not sure what team he was on, but I saw a kid with possibly the worst hair cut of all time. The kid had a nappy mo-hawk with a Chevrolet logo etched into the right side and a Famous Stars and Stripes logo cut into the other side. It should be noted that Famous Stars and Stripes is one of, if not my least favorite brand of all time. Any time I see somebody rocking that garbage I lose all respect right off the bat and generally wish death upon them.

- Peyton Siva, I see you. Respect.

Sneaker Watch: A lot of Air Jordan XXIIs...Several P.E. Adidas Gil Zeros...Some kid from the Gauchos was rocking the All-Star gold LBJ IVs...A lot of other dope LBJ IVs...Thorns' Zoom Flight Fives...Whatever Brandon Jennings was rocking including his off-the-court all-black Air Max 360s with lasered etching...Air Jordan Citrus VIIs...Many others which I'm forgetting the high-school kids had a lot of heat, much of which was inaccessible to the general public.

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: We'll he was actually there along with Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger. Nic didn't really do anything too thorough and I was mainly watching the games rather than the spectators, but I did see him block Brandon Jennings' little brother as he tried to dunk on a 5-foot hoop. I guess that's kinda cool.

The only game that matters Vol. Make it rain

And now the third and final chapter of the 'Where's P-Mac' recap of Oregon's run to the Pac-10 title.

I really hate USC fans. The stupid ass "victory" sign, which is called a peace sign in the rest of the nation. The horrible "We are. SC" chants. They just really suck. However I will give props to the 'SC fan who was rocking a customized authentic Miami Heat Harold Miner jersey.
16:15 Aaron Brooks drills a 3 from about 5 feet behind the arc to tie it up at 7.
13:00 Tajuan a.k.a. TP3 a.k.a T-Po a.k.a. Smack your favorite point guard hits his first 3 to put the Ducks up 15-7.
If your son is playing in the Pac-10 Championship game in his senior year after being considered one of the best point guards in a point guard-rich conference you show up to the game early right. Not if your Aaron Brooks' family who arrives at the Staples Center at the 10-minute mark in the first half.
9:30 Lodrick Stewart, who I was calling L Rod Hubbard throughout the Tourney, throws down a dunk of an alley-oop.
Halftime: 37-24, Ducks. All is silent in the Stapler as the 'SC fans have been completely taken out of it.
17:35 Bryce Taylor comes alive in the final game and hits a 3 to put the Ducks up big, 45-24.
15:45 Joevan has another dirty crossover and he trudges his way to the basket for the ugliest lay-up of all time, but it still goes in.
14:15 Tajuan's the shit, nah, nah, he's sewerage. Either way another 3-ball puts the Ducks up 52-30.
11:08 Aaron Brooks buries a 3 from the corner to double the Trojans score 64-32. Unforgivable.
The Ducks band plays the theme of "Ducktales." Much respect.
The Ducks sub in everybody on their bench but the trainers. Who the hell would have thought Ray Schaefer would have played in the Pac-10 Championship game against USC.
Bryce Taylor finishes with 32 on 11-11 from the field, including 7-7 from beyond the arc.
Maarty Leunen's entire family (pictured below) is crying tears of joy. All is right in the world.
Ducks win 81-57. Time for the hoes.
Tajuan Porter Moment of the game sponsored by Nic Wise: The man won Pac-10 Tourney MVP. As a freshman. What's more gangsta than that?

Sneaker Watch: Adrian Stelly rocked his black/white Air Jordan XVs, which I found out he got from OSU way back in the day for like $25 according to his boy. Champ Oguchi was rocking something ridiculous with yellow laces, no clue what they were.

The only game that matters Vol. Show me my opponent

OK, so this is a pic from the NCAA tourney, but the XVIIs needed their love

Wow. I just realized I am posting these notes from a game that happened two weeks ago tomorrow. Sorry blogosphere, it won't happen again, I swear.

Anyways here are the game notes from Oregon versus Cal in the semi-finals of the Pac-10 Tourny.

• 17:50 Tajuan is flier than a pelican, he wets his first three 6-2, Ducks.
• 16:50 Tajuan is sicker than the third floor on hospitals and he pulls up from deep on a fast break! wet.
• 13:31 TP3 is colder than the motherfuckin' north pole and he burries another trey. In the words of Knocturnal (who may be hanging out with Paul McPherson some where) Super ugly 18-9, Ducks.
• 12:40 Tajuan proves he's human misses a trey.
• Cal's band plays Kansas' "Carry on my wayward son." Incredible.
• 4:49 Joevan "Stay Fresh" Catron crosses over some big white dude, who wasn't half as fresh as him, forcing the man to fall on his ass. He then gets fouled and hits two from the line.
• 1:47 42-21 After Aaron Brooks hits a tough lay-up. The wanna-be $hamrock in front of me yells "That's my boy." No fake $ham, he's not.
• :04 Aaron Brooks drives left throws up an off-balance double-pump jumper. Net. 44-23, Ducks going into the half.
• Holy shit. The Oregon band just played Phil Collins' "Easy lover." Easily one of the top-5 songs of all time.
• 14:13 AB hits TP3 at the top of the arc. Dinero. He gets dough boy. 49-35, Ducks.
• I always assumed that Zona's dog-ho cheerleaders were representative of the whole Pac-10. What hot chick is going to want to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning to practice. However, after seeing all the other Pac-10 cheerleaders I realized Arizona is the only school with beat cheerleaders. What is this?
• Cal's band plays Journey's "Small town girl"
• 2:20 Tajuan is mad nuts. How am I gonna add up all these 3s. He hits back-to-back triples. 74-58, Ducks.
• Final: 81-63

Tajuan Porter Moment of the Game sponsored by Nic Wise:
Chomp. Chomp. Show me my opponent. Way to take a page of out of Weezy's book Tajuan.

The only game that matters Vol. Enter the 12th chamber

Was it hard rooting against the school I attend? The school I have cheered for over the past two years? No, not at all, not when I can barely recognize them in lame navy blue jerseys with horrible white piping. When the opposing team has Aaron Brooks and Tajuan Porter it makes it that much easier.

• The Cats must have only ordered 11 new warm-ups because David Bagga, who is still in the midst of a sophomore slump after his phenomenal freshman year, is rocking a red warm-up while the rest of the team wears navy blue.
• 17:32 Tajuan Porter has four boards already. (cough) Freshman of the year. (cough)
• 15:27 Lute finally realizes that Staf is worthless and gives Nic Wise some burn.
• 15:07 Ernie Kent fights fire with freshness and puts Joevan “Stay Fresh” Catron.
• 12:30 Aaron Brooks (6’0’’) stuffs Ivan Radenovic’ (6’10’’). At this point Radenovic’ should just walk off the court and blow his brains out. Instead he grabs the ball back and misses a lay-up.
• 10:58 An Aaron Brooks 3 makes it 16-9, Ducks.
• 9:40 Brooks wets another 3 then blocks Jawann McClellen. The man fills a stat line quick.
• 8:08 Chase tries to justify his freshman of the year award and strokes a 3 from dead on. 21-16, Ducks.
• 5:29 Jordan Hill brings the Cats within three, 24-21, after an and-1.
• 3:36 Malik Hairston hits a 3 to put the Ducks up 10, 31-21.
• 2:47 I guess I can't officially call him Chase "no-‘D’" Buinger because he blocks Bryce Taylor. Halftime: 34-23, Ducks.
• 18:15 Staf hits a lay-up for his ONLY two of the game. Way to make the most of your second to last basketball game on U.S. soil Staf.
• 13:20 Radenovic’ proves the Stanford game was definitely a fluke and waits until the second half is halfway over to get a bucket. The rest of the second half was Tajuan Porter hitting 3s from anywhere he wanted on the court, while Arizona played half-hearted (except for Jordan Hill).
• Final 69-50, Ducks.

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: As Nic jogged up and down the court playing at three-quarter speed, you could read the thought bubble above his head. “Damn, why the fuck did I commit to this school as a high school freshman?” Let’s be real, Jerryd Bayless is going to come to Tucson next year try to be the next freshman phenom, set a few school records, try to carry the team on his back, destroy all team chemistry, and the Cats will be lucky to be as ‘good’ as they were this year.

Sneaker Watch: Once again Oregon was constrained by their white uniforms…Mustafa Shakur, who brought out black/white Penny IVs in the 2006 Pac-10 Tourney, wore his usual black/red Zoom LeBron IV…Radenovic ’ and Fendi rocked navy blue Air Force 25. Malik Hairston dark green Air Force 25. The random old UCLA fan in front of me wore Gil Zeros with Dockers. Gangster.


One day in the near future I will try to actually break down why I chose to root for the Ducks over the Cats. It's going to take some deep thinking, on a psycho-analysis level, but it will get done. I should also credit goducks.com with the word 'Tajuan-derful,' I wish I could think that hard and be that creative.

Also props to Daniel Dillon for getting suspended for the ever-ambigious "violation of team rules."

The rest of the Pac-10 Tourney recap of Oregon's glorious run will come in due time.

It's a Tajuan-derful life

...Unless you're the Cats.
The Pac-10 Tourney review...In due time.


Go Ducks.

Lute's shakey season continues

Believe it or not, the above picture is not Lute Olson's attempt to draw a straight line. It's actually a mock Richter Scale of the earthquake that shook the Haas Pavilion tonight. Early reports indicate the quake was in no way related to Weezy F. Baby.

UA edged-out a win against the DeVon Hardin-less Cal Bears, which means that if the Cats can pick up a win at Standford on Saturday Lute can keep his 19-year streak of 20 wins and his 22-year streak of 11 Pac-10 wins alive.

No game notes, but here's all you really need:

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: All these DNPs are killing the NWMOTG, so we're gonna have to throw it back to a time when he was just a young Houston hard head all about the scrilla. Today we salute the Nic Wise who rocked the black/red XIs while the rest of the team rocked white team-edition kicks. Seriously though Lute, give Nic some burn he can't be any worse than Staf from behind the arc. (Click the picture below to enlarge)

Sneaker Watch: Mustafa Shakur all-black Zoom LeBron IV...Marcus Williams, Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle white/grey Air Jordan XX2 (I'm thinking about investing in an HD-TV just to see if players are using the interchangeable double stack zoom air or the encapsulated air cushioning system).

UA alum in attendance: ABC's Tom Tolbert, which provoked the following conversation:
My roommate: Is that Fred Durst?
Me: No, but it's one of the few humans in the world on his level of douchiness.

Randomness: Best take on the entire Lute Olson situation...OK, this is the most random art ever...This just sucks...K-Mart has had my respect since he told the Nuggets announcer to introduce him with his JuCo and not Cincy after Cincy dropped Bobby Huggins, dude's a pimp.

Tales from the crib Vol. Fuck the Devils

Jumping straight into it...

• 18:28 Marcus Williams wets a 3, 7-nil, Cats.
• 17:32 Everyone's favorite Serbian misses 2 free throws.
• 16:47 Marcus gets another 3 to put the Cats up 10-2.
• 16:06 Radenovic' redeem himself and hits a pair from the line.
• 14:13 On a break-away Marcus spins to the basket. 14-7, Cat. Marucs has 8 of Zona's 14 points.
• Besides budget issues there is no excuse for ASU to not have their names on the back of their jerseys. This is not a storied basketball program. Right now, four out of the five guys on the court for ASU have lame golden undershirts. Lame.
• If anyone can find me a picture of any college player from the 90's when frayed shooting sleeves were cool, I will send you a 'Where's P-Mac' prize package.
• 12:00 Arizona has eight turnovers in the first eight minutes
• I try to check how many boards Chase Budinger has and this game is hardly acknowledged by CBS and not on ESPN's scoreboard page. Then I realize the Cats are no longer in the top-25. Dammit.
• 10:13 First miss of the night for the Cat as Jawann throws up an air ball from 15 feet.
• 8:36 A Budinger 3 puts the Cats back up 10, 22-12.
• 4:40 Serge Angounou hits another 3, the announcers say he takes the lead for the Devils. No Gary, the Cats are still up 24-20.
• 2:11 No. 11 hits a 3 for ASU. Tie game 28-28.
• 1:31 ASU takes the lead 31-30 and holds it until halftime. I could get into this being the whole reason why I don't love college ball like the NBA, but I don't feel like looking up enough stats to enforce everything.
• Halftime: I couldn't find actual stats to back this up, but I'd assume it looked something like offensive boards: UA: 3 ASU: 92
• 17:50 Nic Wise forgets that he is Nic Wise and clap for Chase after he gets an open dunk
• Much respect to Staf for pulling the most 'g' move you can pull in a basketball game* and switching kicks at halftime.
• * not including anything Nic Wise has ever done
• 16:10 Christian Polk throws up a deep three and catches the bottom of the backboard. Beautiful
• Jeff Pendergraph is a sophomore forward on a very, very weak ASU squad, yet Radenovic' is doing his best to make him look like one of the premier big men in the nation.
• 5:40 Radenovic misses a point-blank put back that could have increased the Cats lead from a pathetic three points, 49-46.
• 4:55 Chase drills a three from the top of the arc, 52-46, Cats.
• 4:10 Serge Angounou hits a 3 as the shot clock sounds to bring the Devils within 3, 49-52.
• 3:39 Marcus Williams lobs the ball to Chase, who goes to the 10th floor (c) Tom Leander, to complete the inbound alley-oop.
• Cats faithful love giving themselves false-hope for the current season by bringing up all the turmoil of the 1997 championship season, such as the 97 squad losing 4 of their last 7 games. This is along the same kind of bullshit lines as coaches telling high-school freshman, "I'm sorry we have to cut you, but did you know Michael Jordan got cut from his freshman high-school basketball team?" That's great and all, but 99.99999999999999999% of freshmen are not Jordan and the 2006 and 2007 Cats are not the 97 Cats.
• 1:36 An ASU three makes it a 1-pt game, 58-57.
• :40 Radenovic who is somehow 88% from the FT line misses the front end of an 1 and 1.
• 2.2 Derek Glasser gets fouled by Marcus on a 3-point attempt as the Devils are down 4, he makes the first two and accidentally makes the third. Nothing can go right for the Devils this season.
• 1.2 Chase goes to the line, hits a pair, that's the ballgame.
• Final 61-58

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: Late in the second half, Chase hits a big three for the Cats, stretching UA's lead back up to over 4. Again no emotion out of Nic. He just sits there, mean muggin' the court. One can only assume it involves Nic thinking knowing he is better than Chase. All I know is that this off-season, Lute and Nic better sit down over a cup of lean and hash things out to a Screw Tape or else Jerryd Bayless better be Jesus fucking Shuttlesworth.
-Anthony Tarnowski contributed to this NWMOTG


Sneaker Watch: Staf 1st half black/red Zoom LeBron IV...Staf 2nd half Air Max Penny I...Nobody else had anything new

Más: I was right last time Aaron Brooks was rocking Jordan B'Loyals...Solid take on this game done in a more professional manner...Did I ever mention I love Oregon...R.I.P. Shaun Livingston.

En media res

I really didn't plan doing shit with this blog until I could figure out how to get a g'd up banner for the top of the page. But I couldn't sit back and watch Aaron Brooks kill at will and not give the man his respect. Right as I awoke from my Saturday night nap, I wake up to AB cutting through three Huskies then throw in a lay-up over his shoulder, chasing that feat of greatness with a deep three and then I seeTajuan Porter clank a three from about 54 feet. Classic 2007 Oregon basketball. Props to the newest member of the Blazers, ex-duck Freddy Jones being at the game, even more props to the white/green XV's in the pic above.

• 11:06 Adrian Oliver jinxes the return of 'Where's P-Mac' with a three to put the Huskies up, 65-64.
• ???? FSN goes clockless and Joevan 'Stay Fresh' Catron goes unconscious, ripping the ball on the defensive end before weaving through defenders and going behind his back before giving the rock up.
• Tajuan Porter draws the defender way behind the arc, misses the shot but gets the foul. He hits all 3 FT attempts, 69-65 Ducks.
• Father of the year award goes to the man who dressed his son in a black Joey Heisman Ducks jersey and introduced the boy at a young age to The Pit. Best parenting ever.
• 8:40 AB gets two at the line to put the ducks up six, 71-65.
• 7:20 Tajuan in transition pulls up for a long 3. No dice.
• 7:01 Tajuan follows the miss with a behind-the-back pass on the break to Malik Hairston.
• 5:19 Ducks go up nine, 80-71, after Tajuan connects on a corner three-ball.
• FSN flashes a stat that Tajuan is just two 3-Pt FGs away from the Jason Kapono record of 82, I fully expect Tajuan to break that in the next 30 seconds.
• 4:37 Quincy Pondexter hits crazy lay up while being fouled by Brooks. I'm still real pissed that Quincy is not Cappie's brother, being the big Cappie Pondexter fan that I claim to be. It's noted that Quincy has between 100-150 sneakers, if his chest didn't read 'Washington,' I would respect this man greatly.
• They flash the ASU highlight of the fans rushing the court after winning their first game in what was an 0-15 Pac-10 season. I can't even make a joke there, ASU rushed the court for their first Pac-10 win in FUCKING February.
• The ducks coast to a victory leading by seven for the final four minutes of the game. 93-85.
• Line of the night: Aaron Brooks 30 on 10-14 shooting, 6 boards, 5 dimes, 4 steals and only 2 turnovers.
• Tajuan only had six 3-pt attempts?

Nic Wise moment of the Game: I can't even imagine what Nic Wise does on the weekends but it's probably not even acceptable to be published on the Internet.

Sneaker Watch: If the ever was any criticism about Oregon basketball it would have to be their weak kick game with their white jerseys. Generic team edition shoes, you can do better than that. Although I'm pretty sure Aaron Brooks was rocking some white/green Jordan B'Loyals.

Question of the night: My friend Andy calling to ask if you take Brooks or Durant with the No. 1 pick in the draft. No brainer, Brooks.

Thanks for nothing

Today was Senior Day which is basically like when an award show honors Two-and-a-half Men, why the fuck should we honor something that's at best mediocre and usually just sucks. Staf, I won't miss you and Ivan, I'm going to try to make one of those cool Men-in-Black memory eraser devices in an attempt to forget I ever had to watch you. Jerryd Bayless can't put on a Cats uniform soon enough for me. Here are the notes from the final home game of the 2007 season. For the record: the USC notes didn't happen because Antione Cason forced me stop the blogging presses. I apologize.

• 18:35 UCLA jump ahead 6-0 in a contest where both teams are wearing their away jerseys. Lute can't take it and calls a timeout to confirm Radenovic' is a real human and not just a hologram that players can drive through and rebound over.
• Whoever creates the "Zona Screw," the Zona Zoo's flier consisting of analysis and chants for the game, needs to note how I just wrote "their away jerseys." I don't know how you can make it to college and still write, "Arizona looks to swing momentum back to there side on senior day." Come on now.
• 16:48 Radenovic' misses his first lay-up of the game. I underestimated ol' Ivan, I would have taken the under on him missing a lay-up in the first three minutes of the game.
• 12:10 Darren Collison buries his second straight 3-pointer to put the Bruins up 23-11.
• Wilbur who came out in the game with some retarded, cheap UA shorts found his authentic joints and is now proudly cheering on Zona. He's also sporting a new #7 for the second game in a row.
• 10:08 Shakur is not disgracing himself on Senior Day. He wets two 3-pointers in a row to bring the Cats within six, 17-23.
• 8:46 Jordan Hill, who needs a gangsta nickname badly, has an emphatic two-handed dunk to make it 23 all.
• 6:38 Darren Collison finds Lorenzo Mata for an alley-oop to put UCLA back up seven, 30-23.
• Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton and Channing Frye make what I assume to be a little detour to see the Cats play before heading up to Vegas to take part in all the debauchery that is NBA All-Star Weekend. If I were in their shoes, well one, I'd be pissed because Luke wears L.A. Gears, but I'd bring a suitcase full of one million dollars, straight cash homey. Then I would just see how much fun I could have blowing it all in one night. That'd probably make for a sick blog post.
• 5:33 Staf drives to the paint and does...well what Staf does every fucking time. This time Darren Collison is called for the foul, but the point of the story is that Staf re-injures his right ankle, which has been bothering him for two weeks now.
• Enter Nic Wise, who checks into the game sans his cape headband.
• The dude behind me is proudly holding a sign that reads, "Tim Hardaway for President." I have no clue why he made this sign, granted it's funny as hell, but germane to absolutely nothing at the game. I would rather have Tim Hardaway as president, not because of the war in Iraq, knocking down the towers, or anything else college kids/Jadakiss loves to hate Bush for, but simply because Hardaway's "killer cross-over" was that sick.
  
• 2:48 After doing nothing and looking like a complete G while doing it, Nic is taken out of the game for Daniel Dillon.
• 1:42 I have no idea why, but Jawann does not check into the game until this point. What the hell is going on Lute.
• Marcus Williams gets an open lay-up as the buzzer sounds.
  
• Somehow the Cats are only down one at the half, 35-34.
• The greatest halftime event of all time happens when my friend Craig wins a Zona'd-out Vespa. I looked every where on the Internet and couldn't find a picture of it. Picture candy-apple red paint with huge UA logos all over it. And it's a fucking Vespa! I'll get some pictures and post them soon enough.
  
• Things to officially note about Craig:
  
• 1. He is a loyal bears fan.
• 2. He has been to almost every Cats game and has not removed one game-day wristband from his arm. Ever.
• 3. He skipped our 4:30 English class on Thursday to get in line for the 8:30 USC game.
• Feel free to make your own lame caption, that would have still not been funny a few years ago, about this picture of Staf getting his Justin Timberlake on.
• As I walk around the McKale Center in my Steve Kerr Chicago Bulls jersey a man selling Eegees icees tells me that he has the same jersey and jokes that I stole his. I actually saw the three-toothed man laying in a campus park while wearing the jersey. I assumed he was a g'd-up bum, although the line between bum and Eegees vendor is very, very gray.
• 15:16 Josh Shipp sneaks back door and finishes a sick alley-oop from Arron Afflalo. 47-40, UCLA.
• 13:15 I have no real evidence to back this up but I'm pretty sure Marcus Williams never makes his free-throw attempt on and-1s. It's weird that the leading scorer and a man who is deadly from the elbow cannot hit a free throw. The Cats are within four, 46-50.
• 7:03 Darren Collison sinks a 3 with a second on the shot clock. 60-50, UCLA.
• 5:43 With the Cats down 12 Chase hits a three and gets fouled in the act. He hits the free throw, 56-64, UCLA.
• 3:35 Michael Roll hits another 3 for UCLA as the shot clock expires. Lute goes insane as the Bruins continue to pull away, 61-74.
• I hope somebody from Staf's family got a picture of Staf in his final game at McKale as he stood at the line with 2:15 on the clock. It be as godly as Mike's 6.6-second picture, but if I'm from Philly and playing in my last home game, that's a pretty cool pic.
• The Cats lose 81-66 and drop to 17-9, 8-7 on the season.
  
• The seniors are honored post game. My friend and I are the only ones booing Radenovic' who finished the game with a stellar 4 points and 3 boards, the final two boards coming in the last 1:30 of the game.
  
• I will give it up to Staf for having a solid game, 17 points, 6 dimes, 4 boards, and only 2 turnovers.
  
• Props to Darren Collison who dropped 17 and had a career-high 15 dimes to go with it.

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: When Chase Budinger hit a huge 3-pointer and was fouled in front of his own bench, everyone hopped off the bench to pick him up and give him a few high-fives. Everyone except Nic Wise. Why the fuck would Nic get off the bench to congratulate him, Nic could have done that himself. Easily. In fact, I'm sure Nic could have done it much better and probably got at least 5 points out of it.

Sneaker Watch: Mustafa Shakur finished his McKale Center career in the black/red Zoom LeBron IV...Ivan Radenovic' failed miserably in some white/red Air Force 25s...JawannMcClellen white/red Air Force 90...Daniel Dillon black/red Air Force 90...Jordan Hill black/Carolina blue Jordan Melo 5.5...Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook white/royal blue Adidas Gil Zero Mid...Luc Richard Mbah a Moute royal blue Adidas Pro Model S...Marcus Williams wore some the same all-black Nikes that I may never be able to figure out.

On a random note, why the hell is Britney Spears rocking a Fila hoody?

Cats, snakes, chickens, ducks, elderly people and twerkers I presents to you...Round II

The rematch. No. 13 Oregon hosting No. 24 Arizona in a Coaches vs. Cancer game where both coaches are sporting the Larry David look and wearing sneakers with dress pants. I've decided that before I die I need to sit amongst the Pit Crew in the McArthur Court, it's like the Zona Zoo, except much bigger and with energy. Also random props to Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis for being pulled over with marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. Some notes from the afternoon.

• 17.10 Jordan Hill gets his first block of the game, Chase is starting a cold missing all three of his first 3-ball attempts.
• 15.28 Tajuan "I've never seen a 3 I didn't like" Porter already has two misses from NBA plus five feet 3-point land. It's 9-4, Cats, after a 7-0 UA run.

• 14:25 Marcus Williams does not miss from the elbow. Ever. 11-4 Cats.
• 12:35 Maarty Leunen hits a 3 to put the Ducks up 14-13.
• 11:48 Tajuan buries a stupid-long 3-pointer, 17-15 Ducks. Lute doesn't even wait for the media time out and calls one himself.
• Joey Harrington, Ahmad Rashad aka Bobby Moore and God himself, Phil Knight are all sitting courtside supporting their team.
• 5:20 A Bryce Taylor dunk makes it 25-23, Ducks.
• 4:40 Tajuan jacks up his 237th 3-pointer of the game from about 40 feet out and draws straight air. Bryce Taylor follows up the disaster with a dunk with the foul.28-23 Ducks.
• 4:00 Mitch Platt goes up for a fastbreak lay-up and gets swatted by Shakur. For as much shit as I give Staf, nobody in the Pac-10 can fuck with his transition defense.
• 3:21 Radenovic misses a lay-up and The Pit chants "USA USA USA." I've never been more impressed with a college, I log online and begin to fill out transfer papers.
• :50 Bryce Taylor hits a 3 from dead center to put the Ducks up 10 36-26.
• 2.7 Jordan Hill launches an inbound pass a full 94 feet to nobody. Ducks ball underneath their own hoop.
• 2.7 Aaron Brookes finds Bryce Taylor for an easy lay-up 38-28, Ducks at the half.
• 3-pt FG UA 1-7 ORE 5-12
• Chase leads the Cats with 13 on 6-10 shooting.
• Bryce Taylor has 14, shooting 6-9.
• Maarty Leunen has 10 connecting on 2-3 of his 3's. Also worth noting is that he is not foreign, despite being a big white guy who can hit a 3. One of the brilliant ABC announcers keeps alluding to his European upbringing despite the fact that he was born in Washington, according to Oregon's athletics web site.
• 17.55 After threes from Chase and Marcus the Cats trail by 2, 38-40.
  
• 15.03 Oregon gets up 9, 47-38, after a Leuen 3 and shitty Cats turnovers. Staf gets angry and does what he does best. He drives right side throws up a bullshit shot and eventually draws a foul. He hits one of his two attempts after being bombarded with chants of "Urkel."
• 14.09 Chamberlain Oguchi misses an open lay-up, grabs his own board and steps out of bounds. Well done Champ, well done. 47-42, Ducks.
  
• The Pit begins chants of "Chase is ugly."
  
• 12.15 Joevan Catron should stick to slanging customized Nikes and Tims. Catron turns it over, then has Chase rebound a Jawaan miss over him and put the ball back. Catron gets out-rebounded on the block by Radenovic! and then fouled the ol' Serbian. At the end of it all it's 51-52, Ducks.
• It's noted that Malik Hairston only considered Nike schools when picking colleges. I cry tears of pride for the man I've never met in my life.
  
• 8.22 Tajuan pulls up from 20 to hit a 3-pointer on 2 on none fastbreak. Ruthless. 64-55, Ducks.
  
• 4.44 Jawann gets his first 3 of the game, 64-66, Ducks.
  
• 3.52 Chase hits a jumper to tie it at 66 all.
  
• 3.15 A Marcus Williams hook give the Cats their first lead in a very long time 68-66.
  
• 2.23 Aaron Brookes continues his off-week with an airball. Chase grabs the rebound, throws a gorgeous outlet to Marcus Williams who gets a tough bucket and a foul. He misses the and-1 but steals the ball back to find Chase for a 3 to make it a five point posession.
  
• 1.39 Malik Hairston responds with a three, 69-73, Cats.
  
• 1.00 With a minute left Tajuan jacks up and misses another retardedly long 3 completely out of the sync of any offense. I love it.
  
• :59 Aaron Brookes is now rocking a band-aid on his face á la Nelly. He connects on a purr of free throws to pull the Ducks to within two, 73-71.
• 22.2 Tajuan buries a 3 from the corner to put the Ducks on top 74-73.
  
• Ernie Kent is down for the count after being bull-dozed by a ref. He gets back up because he is as much a soldier as he is an unloyal husband.
• Enter the takeover of the 'Where's P-Mac' anti-heroes.
  
• 6.0 Ivan motherfucking Radenovic actually hits a tough shot to put the Cats up 75-74.
• 2.9 Staf takes a charge on Aaron Brookes to get the ball back to the Cats.
  
• Chase hits both attempts on a one and one.
  
• The ball is inbounded to Tajuan who turns it over before he can jack up a shot. Game over. Cats win 77-74.
  

Nic Wise Moment of the Game: I'm going to have to rely on my mind reading skills for today's NWMOTG. Today's moment is when Nic walked off the court and thought to himself, "Why the fuck am I even going to my classes," after not logging a minute in the second straight game. Nic you gotta do what you gotta do. Even if that means you have to start boycotting classes again to send a message to the team.

Sneaker Watch: The coaches wasted their opportunity and wore running shoes. Come on Coach Kent, you have a great shoe-customizer on your bench, don't let all that potential go to waste....Marcus Williams black/silver Air Jordan Retro V (below)...Nothing else too exciting, at least from what I could tell from my 20'' television.

Not that I would buy them anyways

Here is the new commercial for the Air Jordan XX2. I watched it three times and I'm not sure I get everything about it. It's no where near as incredible as the Air Jordan XXI commercial, even the music was better in the XXI, but it still ain't that bad.

Also much respect to With Leather for this gem.