Young Guns

There is a load of players who are young, talented, and ready to stand firmly behing King James as the future of the NBA. Some players on the list are already impacting their teams in ways that have made them all-stars and MVP candidates. In order to be eligible for this list, the player must be 24 years old or younger at the date of this articles posting OR have been selected within or after the 2004 NBA draft. 2009 NBA draft candidates will not be included in this list (sorry Blake Griffin). The list will be the top twenty young players to watch. Some players may be better than others today, but we are trying to evaluate their potential for the future as well as today. Cleary a player who has been in the league four years will often be better than a rookie, but that doesn’t mean they will be higher on this list. A player’s future contributions to their teams and the league are the deciding factors here. In descending order:



20. Rodney Stuckey – PG – Detroit Pistons

19. Russell Westbrook – PG – Oklahoma City Thunder

18. Mario Chalmers – PG – Miami Heat

17. Danny Granger – G/F – Indiana Pacers

16. Al Horford – C/PF – Atlanta Hawks

15. Rudy Gay – SF – Memphis Grizzlies

14. LaMarcus Aldridge – PF/C – Portland Trail Blazers

13. Raymond Felton – PG – Charlotte Bobcats

12. Ben Gordon – SG – Chicago Bulls

11. Rajon Rondo – PG – Boston Celtics

10. Josh Smith – F – Atlanta Hawks

09. Michael Beasley – F – Miami Heat

08. Brandon Roy – SG/SF – Portland Trail Blazers

07. Deron Williams – PG – Utah Jazz

06. Greg Oden – C – Portland Trail Blazers

05. O.J. Mayo – PG/SG – Memphis Grizzlies

04. Derrick Rose – PG – Chicago Bulls

03. Chris Paul – PG – New Orleans Hornets

02. Kevin Durant – SG/SF – Oklahoma City Thunder

01. Dwight Howard – C – Orlando Magic

Top 25 Hip Hop Albums So Far

25. Licensed to Ill – Beastie Boys

24. ATLiens – Outkast

23. The Score – Fugees

22. Fear of a Black Planet – Public Enemy

21. Raising Hell – Run DMC

20. Death Certificate – Ice Cube

19. Straight Outta Compton – NWA

18. Criminal Minded – Boogie Down Productions

17. 3 Feet and Rising – De La Soul

16. Blueprint – Jay Z

15. Doggystyle – Snoop Doggy Dog

14. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – Raekwon

13. Below the Heavens – Blu and Exile

12. Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest

11. Black on Both Sides – Mos Def

10. Be – Common

09. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu-Tang Clan

08. The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem

07. It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy

06. Chronic – Dr. Dre

05. Paid in Full - Eric B. and Rakim

04. Ready to Die – Notorious B.I.G.

03. Reasonable Doubt – Jay Z

02. Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest

01. Illmatic - Nas

Mount Rushmore of Sports

I got the idea from ESPN, they are doing a Mt Rushmore of sports, state by state. They also talk about the overall Mt Rushmore of sports. I asked every sports fan i know. Some i agreed with, some I completely disagree with. The great thing about this topic is: if you think seriously, there are no worng answer. The only criteria are influence and performance. The weight you give it is up to you. This is my Mount Rushmore of Sports:



Jackie Robinson,

The Hall of Famer lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track while at UCLA. He broke the MLB color barrier becoming the first black baseball player, which began the process of integration in the sport, in 1947. He was the 1949 NL MVP.







Muhammed Ali,

The three-time World Heavyweight Champion was an Olympic gold medalist and SI's "Sportsman of the Century." He had the personality of all personalities, the swagger that came to define a champion.







Michael Jordan,

The five-time NBA MVP won six NBA titles and was Finals MVP each time he won a title. One of the greatest basketball player of all time. Most influential basketball player of all time.







Vince Lombardi,

Lombardi coached the Packers to five NFL titles, including first two Super Bowls. The Super Bowl trophy is named after him. He has influenced every NFL coach in one way or another.

_________________________________________

Some other contenders that came extremely close to making the final cut

Bill Russell

Babe Ruth

Tiger Woods

Joe Montana

Bill Walsh

Jim Brown

Jerry Rice

Phil Jackson

James Naismith

Willie Mays

Some of the more clever options I heard

Secretariat

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Rocky Balboa

Michael Phelps

My Top Ten FAVORITE Hip Hop Songs

This is different from the greatest hip hop song of all time. This is simply my favorite songs from the Hip Hop genre. They are in descending order, along with a excerpt of my favorite lyrical portion of the song.

10) The Seed (2.0) – The Roots

Knocked up nine months ago

And what she's fittin' to have she don't know

She wants neo soul cause hip hop is old

She don't want no rock'n roll

She want platinum, ice and gold

She want a whole lot of somethin' to fold

If you're an obstacle she'll just drop you cold

Cause one monkey don't stop the show

9) The Way I Am – Eminem

And all of this controversy circles me

And it seems like the media immediately

Points a finger at me (finger at me)...

So I point one back at 'em, but not the index or pinkie

Or the ring or the thumb, it's the one you put up

When you don't give a fuck, when you won't just put up

With the bullshit they pull, cause they full of shit too

When a dude's gettin bullied and shoots up his school

8) Bonita Applebum – A Tribe Called Quest

If only you can see through your elaborate eyes

Only you and me hon, the love never dies

Satisfaction, I have the right tactics

And if you need them I got crazy prophylactics

7) One Mic – Nas

All I need is one blunt, one page, and one pen

One prayer - tell God forgive for one sin

Matter fact maybe more than one, look back

at all the hatred against me, fuck alla them

Jesus died at age 33, there's thirty-three shots

from twin glocks there's sixteen apiece, that's thirty-two

Which means, one of my guns was holdin 17

Twenty-seven hit your crew, six went into you

6) Renegade – Jay-Z/Eminem

Now who's these king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics

Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics

Usin his music to steer it, sharin his views and his merits

But there's a huge interference - they're sayin you shouldn't hear it

Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit

Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish

But I'm debated disputed hated and viewed in America

as a motherfuckin drug addict - like you didn't experiment?

Now now, that's when you start to stare at who's in the mirror

and see yourself as a kid again, and you get embarrased

And I got nothin to do but make you look stupid as parents

You fuckin do-gooders - too bad you couldn't do good at marriage!

5) I Used to Love H.E.R. – Common

About my people she was teachin me

But not preachin to me

but speakin to me

in a method that was leisurely,

so easily I approached

She dug my rap, that's how we got close

But then she broke to the West coast

4) Never Change – Jay-Z

we colliding with life as we speak

we knee deep in coke, we knee deep in ice

we flood streets wit dope, we keep weed to smoke

we all fish, better teach ya folk

give em money to eat, then next week he's broke

cause when you sleep, he’s reaching for your throat

word on the street, you reap what you sow

not outta fear, but love, love for the game

3) Hip Hop Saved My Life – Lupe Fiasco

Reps Northside so he rocks them braids

Eleven hundred friends on his myspace page

Stack that cheese got seven hundred plays

Producer made him take it down

Said he had to pay

Open mic champ 2 weeks in a row

Ex dboy with a bboy flow

Glow like Leroy you should see boy go

Got a daddy serving life and a brother on The Row

Best homie in the grave

Tatted up while in the cage

Minutemade, got his momma working like a slave

2) Juicy – Notorious BIG

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis

When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this

50 inch screen, money green leather sofa

Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur

Phone bill about two G's flat

No need to worry, my accountant handles that

And my whole crew is loungin'

Celebratin' every day, no more public housin'

1) Life Goes On – Tupac

Two in tha morning

and we still high assed out

screamin' 'thug till I die'before I passed out

but now that your gone

i'm in tha zone

thinkin''I don't wanna die all alone'

but now ya gone

and all I got left are stinkin' memories

I love them niggas to death

i'm drinkin' Hennessy

while tryin' ta make it last

I drank a 5th for that ass

when you passed....cause life goes on

We are Ready to Lead Once More

The Inauguration of President Barack Obama will go down in the hallways of time as the most important inauguration in this country’s complex history. Unofficial numbers of over two million people attended the Inauguration from all over the world. By far the most ever. Partisanship aside, whether Democrat or Republican, Independent or Third Party, liberal or conservative the, the inauguration of a multiracial man that society identifies as black is proof that dreams can come true if you work hard and never give up. It is now, more than ever, tangible that a woman, Native American Indian, Latin American, any other minority or any other representative of historically disenfranchised people can rise up above the critics, above the naysayers, and above the hardships to assume their rightful place in the leadership of their and our nation.

First Lady Michelle Obama came to the White House with a present in hand for First Lady Laura Bush sparked a wonderful symbolism of democracy in that it is capable of producing a peaceful transfer of power.

Now to the speech itself. Normally an inaugural address would be full of poetry. This was poetic and had the a lot rhetorical detail likened to a State of the Union address. It was a powerful and moving speech as President Obama has become known for. Not however, the high flying oratory with little substance that his early speeches of his career had. This speech marked a maturity in Obama. A substantive dynamic to the lyricism that evoked. The President’s message was a summon to responsibility. He assured us that though times are hard and many problems are prevalent in the world, “They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.” He quoted First Corinthians when he said that it is time to “to set aside childish things,” meaning doing away with grievances, ideology, partisanship. Instead he calls to work together and just do what works. The most enthusiastic cheer came when President Obama talked about restoring our place in the world scope: “As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expediency's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.” The line that in time will be echoed along with great inaugural lines such as President Lincoln's "with malice toward none with charity for all," President Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” is when President Obama pronounced, “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.”

The remarkable historic value was summed up when President Obama said, “This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

Overall, an amazing moment in history. When a country who in its history includes slaves building the White House, where in 1838 saw the Trail of Tears, where in 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, where in 1942 Japanese Americans were put in concentration camps in the U.S., where in 1857 saw the Dred Scott Decision, where 1861 saw the start of the Civil War, where 1876 saw the birth of the laws of Jim Crow, where in 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, where in 1963 also saw fire hoses and attack dogs being set loose on protesters in Birmingham, where 1968 saw the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, we now have a country that is firmly behind its new leader and symbol: President Barack Obama.

At the funeral of Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Ethel Kennedy (wife of Robert Kennedy) leaned over to Barack Obama and whispered, "the torch has been passed to you." The then Senator Obama said that chills went his spine at hearing those words. President Obama now firmly has the torch of the entire American People in his hands.

The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Top Ten Best Uniforms In NFL

I have looked at all the teams in the NFL and have compiled a list of the best looking uniforms. I have not included any throw back or previous jerseys or helmets. All alternate jerseys have also been excluded. This means the San Diego Powder Blues and the Jaguar or Raven All Blacks are not included. The uniforms eligible are strictly current (at the time of this being written) color or white jerseys and current helmets. This is not a bias on favorite teams. Simply what i think are the best looking. I have not omitted teams because i don't like them (I'm not a fan of the Steelers at all and really really hate the Chargers). Without further ado:

10) Green Bay Packers - Green/Yellow

Classic green to go with their city name mixed with a non-gross/blinding yellow equals a spot in the top ten. Helmets are not the greatest, thus dropping a couple spots.




9) Minnesota Vikings - Purple/White

Natural combination of purple, white, and golden yellow trimming brings an ironically masculine feel to what normally would be feminine colors. Horned helmet a notch above Green Bay, but below many others.




8) Carolina Panthers - White/Panther Blue

The only "white" jersey on the list. It is a beautiful combination of a white base with Panther blue trim on the numbers and striking panther blue stripe on the sleeve. The helmets are amongst the best in the NFL.




7) Indianapolis Colts - Blue/White

Arguably the best looking natural blue in the NFL. Simple, clean, to the point. It works with the white helmet touched with blue on the stripe and colt logo.




6) San Diego Chargers - Navy Blue/White

The use of bolts on the pants and shoulder stripe are well used. Helmets also incorporate the bolt logo that smoothly represent the Chargers. Good looking navy blue. Though a good looking helmet, it is not one of the best. That's what keeps them off the top 5.




5) Chicago Bears - Dark Navy/White/Orange

An amazing combination of dark navy and white with touches of some of the nicest orange you'll ever see. Clean and classic helmets are amongst the best in the league. The fact that they have GSH (George Stanley Halas) on their sleeve brings historic value.




4) San Francisco 49ers - Cardinal Red/49ers Gold

A deeper red than uniforms of the past mixed with an original gold with white lettering brings a fluid look to the uniform. The "SF" helmets are in the top echelon of helmets.




3) Pittsburgh Steelers - Black/Yellow

Tradition speaks volumes when it comes to the Steelers team. The helmets are unique in that they have the team logo only on one side. Black base with a bold and deep but not blinding yellow catapults this uniform into the top three.





2) Cleveland Browns - Brown/White/Orange

Very close second to the number one. The best orange in the NFL combined with white and some of the nicest brown you'll ever see makes this uniform one of the best. Throw in the very simple yet effective orange helmet guarantees their spot in the top two.





1) Jacksonville Jaguars - Teal/Black

A great looking teal combined with black gives this uniform a beautifully powerful look. The helmets are amongst the best in the NFL. The shoulder sleeve incorporate a full bodied jaguar. And the hip of the pants have the Jaguar head also found on the helmet. Simply the overall best.

Top Ten Images of 2008

2008 was a special year. I have compiled the Top Ten images of the year that tell a portion of the story that was '08.



10) The Pope makes his first visit to the United States. Americans embrace the new Pope on a larger scale for first time during visit.








9) Hurricane Ike, third most destructive hurricane in United States history makes landfall.








8) Republican Presidential Nominee Sen. John McCain gets checked by security as he prepares to board an airplane. An image on the preoccupartion of security in the United States.








7) A Tibetan Buddhist protests at the Chinese Consulate. Many boycotted, protested and tried to stop the Olympic torch from making it to Beijing, China over the issue of Chinese oppression of the Tibetan people.








6) President of the Islam Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmandinejad wears 3D glasses as he is about to watch a program about an Iranian rocket during a visit to Iran's space control center in Tehran.








5) Image of tearful goodbye video of President George W. Bush's final term comes closer to an end.








4) Since 2004, Hillary Clinton was widely the favorite to be the 44th President and first woman President of the United States exits in a telling image as she loses the Democrat Party nomination to Sen. Barack Obama









3) Telling image of a man clutching his parished loved one in the aftermath of a Russian bombing attack in Georgia.










2) Gregory Gochtvott from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania decided to enlist in the National Guard at the age of 40 after he is laid off from his job at the Wachovia Bank during the economic crisis. He was shipped to Iraq in December.











1) Victory and a New Hope. Sen. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States and the first African American U.S. President. What began as a darkhorse chance against Hillary Clinton during the Democratoc Party Primaries on the steps of the Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois transformed into the hope of a nation.