5 posts tagged “baron davis”
1. Muhammad Ali - The greatest of all time. He's a profit, really. We could all learn a lesson from his position to the Vietnam war, and now - how he serves as an ambassador to his religion during the current war.
2. Manny Pacquiao - He holds the weight of a country on his shoulders and still maintains as arguably the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. I can't really say what his importance is to the Philippines. I can only see the impact that he's had on my community, my friends and the pride that Filipinos exude when talking about him. The thing that I enjoy about Manny is his raw talent. A rare south-paw champ whose strength is unmatched in his weight class. He's a special athlete, possibly even more special to his people considering how few athletes they have. He's all heart with brick hands and endless determination.
He's at the top of his game, representing a country that really has no other superstar. In sports terms: he is to the Philippines, what Soccer is to the country of Brazil. EVERYTHING.
3. Jose Canseco - My childhood hero. I hated when people wrote him off as a clown during the end of his career. Sports bloopers kept showing that highlight of the ball bouncing off his head for a homerun. How about when he used to hit 500 foot home runs like he was swattin' flies. And now that we know that everything he wrote about in "Juiced" was TRUE, I don't have to have those mixed feelings about enjoying those Bash Brother days. Yes, the pitchers were juicing also.
Jose came out with the truth nearly a decade ago and here we are just now getting to the bottom of Roger Clemens story - the greatest pitcher of the modern era, also took roids. Jose did more to help baseball than Bonds or Clemens' records will ever do - he cleaned up the sport. All those managers, team owners, trainers and members of the media who tried to claim that Jose was only writing a book for money and publicity should be ashamed of themselves. They knew baseball's dark secret and tried to paint Jose off as a bafoon in order to maintain the Mcguire/Bonds/Clemens roid head era. While Mcguire saved baseball and Bonds took baseball to the next level, Jose cleaned up the game. More than can be said of the commissioner.
4. Baron Davis - He's brought basketball back to the Bay Area. His game is so West Coast, I couldn't think of a better face to represent the Bay. Even the fact that he was snubbed from this years All-Star game is representative of the often over-looked Bay Area. The basketball fans in the Bay have such a high Hoops IQ, it doesn't really matter what acalades are given to Baron, we just care that he's about to bring 50 wins to Oakland.
5. Bill Bradley - He supports Obama's new style of Politics. I just like him because unlike a lot of corny ass athletes who fall into opportunistic political spots (Jesse Ventura, Arnold, Kevin Johnson?!?!), Bill Bradley was probably born to be in politics, but ended up playing hoops along the way. I really feel like he is in tune with the who he represents and the democratic voters. Did I mention that he is in the Basketball Hall of Fame, went to Princeton, was a Rhodes Scholar and won an Olympic metal? Yeah, these are the kind of well rounded, intelligent folks who endorse Obama.
I almost forgot that I needed to create my 2007 Favorites list. This list is important to me because it reminds me of all of the goodies that I enjoyed this past year. Without further ado...
Online Radio Station: Afternoon Mix on www.Vmix.fr. Live from Paris. Soulful house that never leaves you saying "damn I hate electronica" after an hour of listening. Emphasis on soul music with 4/4 house beats pumping behind it. Very tasteful song selection. I think the commercials in French add to the experience.
Homemade Dish: Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass. Do I love fennel sausage braised in squid ink? Sure! Could I cook it and really be able to enjoy it? NOT. This Miso Chilean Sea Bass I can do. As good as any neighborhood Japanese restaurant. I can't express how easy this dish is. Stepping out of my cooking comfort zone was the hardest part about learning this dish. Could I really eat a white fish after only 7 minutes under a broiler? Apparently yes. This is a once a weeker. Black Cod, Sablefish and Salmon make great substitutes.
1 lb Chilean Sea Bass
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons of white miso paste
3 tablespoons of sugar
Marinate 1-2 hours. Turn on the broiler, place top rack 4-6 inches from broiler. Place fish in a baking dish. 2 minutes skin side up. 6 minutes on the other side. Throw some sesame seeds and green onions and the bugga is good!
Sports Moment: Baron Davis dunk on Andrei Kirilenko in the 2nd round of the Western Conference Playoffs. 'Nuff said.
Blog: Thee way tie between Tim Kawakami's Talking Points, Immeatchu and In Praise of Sardlines. They're all great blogs from passionate people. In Prase of Sardlines is hitting an interesting phase of writing because this genius chef is starting his first restaurant in San Francisco. Check him out.
Gadget: iPhone. My friends love em. I just think they look cool.
Essential: iPod Nano given to me from Mom. I use this thing in my car, walking to work, working out, walking the dog, road trips in friends cars (radio converter), and have even considered using it for learning Spanish. This thing is like a staple in my man purse.
Dog Breed I held fascination with for a full year: German Short Haired Pointers. The year before that it was Rottweilers. One day I will have a backyard with lots of dogs. Yes I will.
Mexican Restaurant: Tacubaya. Jicama, grapefruit, avacado in a Spring greens salad. Mixed with a lime vinegrete and topped with toasted pumkin seeds!
Favorite Burrito: La Taqueria. Don't want to start a world war here. Just my personal opinion. The meat is perfectly seasoned. They maintain that fine balance of moisture without being greasy.
TV (Reality): First 48 on A&E. This show is the realest thing on TV right now. They follow detectives to the scene of a crime and give them 48 hours (the majority of murders are solved within this precious time frame) to find the killer.
Music Producer: DJ Mr. V. He's out of the Lil Louie Vega camp. He raps over 4/4 beats and I got to see him tear it up live at Pink. It was one of the most original performances that I've seen in a long time.
Album: M.I.A. - Kala.
Athlete: Bob Sanders. The Troy Polamalu of 2007. Hard hitter whose involved in almost every defensive play. All that at 5 foot 8!
1. How boring was the NBA Playoffs? My basketball season ended not much longer after this:
2. Kobe Bryant should get that trade he's begging for. As a matter of fact he should be traded to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. He'll be in exactly the same predicament that he's in now, except its much colder in Minnesota, with far less celebrities sitting court side.
3. Red Sox fans suck. Badly. My sports political lines are drawn where Red Sox and Lakers fans stand. But, since the Lakers are going through some turmoil (smiling), I've chosen to focus my energy on the phenomenon that is Boston Red Sox fans in the Bay Area.
I would be willing to bet my left pinky toe that half of these bandwagoners weren't Red Sox fans before 2004. If there ever was a team following that redefined the term BANDWAGON, this would be them. In the neighborhood where I live there are dozens of people are sporting "B" hats. I think to myself, where did these people come from? Surely half of Massachusetts couldn't have moved to San Francisco. And, how do so many always end up at my beloved Oakland Colisium for A's vs Red Sox games? And why are they so obnoxious? And why do they all look the same?
Based on the fact that I've never EVER seen a non white Boston fan, you've got to think that the Boston team represents some type of cultural belonging for the squares who choose to join this cult. Is it a coincidence that they all wear their "B" hats the same way... with the dirtier the hat - the better look? Funny thing is that people call the Yankees the evil empire because of Steinbrener's willingness to shell out the dollars but if you look at the 2007 payroll ranking, they're right behind the Yanks in annual payroll.
Rank / Team / 2007 Payroll
| 1. NY Yankees | 195,229,045 |
| 2. Boston | 143,123,714 |
| 11. San Francisco | 90,469,056 |
| 16. Oakland | 79,938,369 |
Red Sox fans: You're the poor man's Yankees. Literally. You've won 1 World Series in the Liveball Era (A's have 8 championships). Your fanbase and city are homogenous and that in itself is questionable. Please, I beg you, put the fake Boston hats away.
Long time no Vox. I have no idea what I did in April, but I guess I was too busy to blog. The buzz around town and amongst my own circle of friends right now is the Golden State Warriors. What they're doing is unbelievable. I'm getting that same feeling of excitement that I felt when the A's finally won a playoff series last year. Adding fuel to the fire is Charles Barkley's comments about GSW fans, the Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland and Sauselito???? I try not to get too caught up in this, unlike many other GSW fans. I realize Charles doesn't really know whats gonna come out of his own mouth at any given time. Besides, whats to be upset about when the Warriors are about to pull off the biggest upset in NBA playoff history.
