Chicks Dig the Long Ball

In the past this feat wouldn’t have seemed possible. Even with the magical display put on by Josh Hamilton in the ’08 derby with his 28 homers couldn’t out do Dwight Howard’s gravity defying Superman Slam. But with this past year’s slam dunk disappointment the State Farm Home Run Derby has a chance to shine above the myriad of NBA all-star festivities.

For those who sat and watched this year’s dunk competition, I can only hope that wasn’t the highlight of your night. The 2010 dunk competition had to be the worst all-star festivity since, well, ever.

This year, the MLB has a chance to do something I never thought I’d see, top the dunk competition with the Home Run Derby. Who thought hitting a baseball would outweigh an acrobatic slam dunk?


It was just terrible, Shannon Brown, my dark horse, was supposed to use his NBA leading vertical leaps to wow the audience and steal the show. However he flaked out on me with a rather pedestrian performance in the first round; doing dunks that made Chris Anderson’s 2005 dunk performance not seem nearly as bad.



My friend, Malik, and I had a good laugh about it a few days later. We suggested that the league should have held open tryouts for the public, or maybe just switch to a layup competition starring Steve Nash.

One thing that does bother me about this year’s Home Run Derby is the fact that Nick Swisher is one of the participants. I love Swish, even though he’s a Yankee, he’s a fun guy and his personality is great for baseball; however, the dude has only had one season where he hit over 30 homers and isn’t really known to be a home run hitter.

The voters got it wrong on numerous occasions with this one because, according to an article I read over the weekend, the MLB didn’t even invite the HR king of the first half of the season, Jose Bautista. The dude hits a MLB leading 24 dingers in the first 88 games and yet doesn’t get voted to the all-star team, nor does he get invited to the home run derby. One question: how can the MLB’s HR leader not be in the home run derby? That just doesn’t make sense, and then you add the fact that Nick Swisher was the last AL invitee with nearly half the HR production (15).

Maybe Swish will hit 20 in the first round and go on to win the whole thing, but I seriously doubt it. Either way it goes, this year’s Home Run Derby should be an astronomical improvement on the sham that was the 2010 Dunk Competition.

By Aaron Hilton
follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401

The Year of the Lefty

This year, without a doubt has been the year of the lefty. You can look at the resurgence of David Ortiz to All-Star status, the emergence of Brennan Boesch as well as monster seasons being put together by Justin Morneau, Robbie Cano, and Josh Hamilton; and that’s just AL hitters.

The hitters in the NL have been led by Joey Votto who has finally made an all-star team and is leading the overachieving Reds to a possible first place finish in the NL Central. Then you look at other breakouts like Martin Prado and Angel Pagan (who is a switch hitter who’s absolutely raking from the left side of the plate), as well as stellar first halfs by Andre Ethier and Adam Dunn.

AL pitchers Jon Lester, Cliff Lee, and David Price have utterly dominated their competition and you can’t forget about C.C. and Andy Petite. Then there’s lefty relievers like Scott Downs, Matt Thornton and Phil Coke who are putting together all-star caliber seasons.

In the NL you have the resurgence of Barry Zito, the consistency of Johan Santana and the agelessness of Jaime Moyer to go along with the youthful future aces like Jaime Garcia and Clayton Kershaw. In the bullpen you have guys like Hong-Chih Kuo and Arthur Rhodes who provide a smooth transition to closers like Billy Wagner.

This could be a year in which we see left handers sweep the post season awards. Here’s how I would vote if my opinion mattered (shot out to Marc Spears, Greg Lee, David Squires, and Leon Carter):

AL MVP:
Josh Hamilton – this guy has been through hell and back, was set back in a major way with injuries and a drop in production last year and has re-found his mojo in one of the great storylines of the 2010 season. (Note: this award would’ve gone to Robinson Cano; however, as a Red Sox fan, I just couldn’t bring myself to give it to a Yankee. It was hard enough to give him his due credit).

NL MVP:
Joey Votto – these are his numbers: .314/.422/.589 with 22 HR (tied for NL lead) and 59 runs; now look at everybody’s favorite pick, Albert Pujols: .308/.416/.576 with 64 RBI 21 HR and 55 runs. Votto leads the 3-time MVP in every major slugging category with the exception of RBI (Votto has 60).


AL Cy Young:
Jon Lester – if David Price leads his team to winning the East, then this award goes to him; however, if you look at the Red Sox pitching staff the past three years (including ’10), the one constant has been Lester who has had an ERA below 4.00 and at least 15 wins since ’08. In a year where the Red Sox have dropped like flies, Lester has kept Boston afloat and in the playoff hunt.

NL Cy Young:
Jaime Garcia – honestly, my real pick is Josh Johnson of the Marlins but, for the sake of argument (The Year of the Lefty) I’m taking Garcia. He’s leading all NL southpaws in ERA, and he’s only had one game in which he’s allowed more than 3 earned runs. On any other team, he’d be a 1 or 2, but he pitches for the Cardinals who already have Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.

AL Rookie of the Year:
Brennan Boesch – if Boesch doesn’t win this award then it will be a total crime. He leads all rookies in batting average, home runs, RBI, OBP and slugging percentage; if that doesn’t make you rookie of the year, then I don’t know what does.

NL Rookie of the Year:
Jamie Garcia – this is where I think he truly fits. He probably won’t win the Cy Young, and he shouldn’t; however, Garcia has surprised everyone with his dominance of the NL this season. He burst onto the scene out of nowhere – much like Boesch – and has displayed great composure to accompany his filthy breaking ball. He’s a shoe in for the award so far, in my eyes; sorry Jason Heyward.

Some other lefties having a great year: Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, John Danks, Jason Vargas, Carl Crawford, Carlos Gonzalez, Clayton Richard, C.J. Wilson, Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Braden, David DeJesus, James Loney, Aubrey Huff, Will Ohman, Pedro Fliciano, Ryan Sweeny, Shin-Soo Choo, Colby Rasmus, and Kelly Johnson.

By Aaron Hilton
follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401

Bad Boy of the Week

In matters of love vs. money, singer, songwriter, and producer Terius 'The Dream' Nash (right) chose the latter. This man can't love.

First Nivea, then Christina Milian, for such an unattractive man, I don't know how it's possible... but The Dream seems to be a heartbreaker.

After nearly a year of marital bliss Nash is divorcing his wife, singer Christina Milian. With no wedding ring in sight, and rumors circulating that his marriage with Milian is on the rocks, you'd think that Nash would lay low. Regrettably, the singer was photographed coupled up with a woman at a beach in the Caribbean.

A rep for The Dream spoke with USmagazine.com and made this statement:
"Terius 'The-Dream' Nash is saddened to announce that his marriage to Christina Milian was unsuccessful. The couple reached this decision in late 2009, but decided to keep the news private in efforts to protect their baby daughter Violet. They ask for consideration and respect for their family moving forward."
(Check out the article)

The Dreams' marital life seems to be a nightmare... but at least he's having fun at the beach!

Dear Mr. Nash,
Shame on you!

Coco Elle

Way Out of Line: Jesse Jackson

Sometimes I really wonder why people like Jesse Jackson make headlines every couple of weeks…and then I remember the “I want to cut his nuts off” comment and think ‘Yep, now I remember.’

In this week’s episode of Way Out of Line, Jesse Jackson likened Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner, Dan Gilbert, to a slave owner who has just lost his slave, LeBron James.

In the words of Ed Lover, “C’mon Son! Get da fuck outta here wit dat shit!” That has to be the most foolish thing I’ve ever heard, and I’ve listened to just about every song put out by Soulja Boy and Wacka Flocka, so I know what I’m talking about. Last time I checked, slave owners didn’t sign their workers to multi-million dollar contracts and put up posters around the plantation in their honor.

I agreed with everything Rev. Jackson had said about the whole LeBron vs. Gilbert saga up until he threw the lost episode of Roots comparison at me. Did Gilbert go too far and drum up a lot of hostility towards King James, yes. Did he come off like a little kid who doesn’t want to share his toys, yes. But I don’t think you can liken any of that to slavery, that’s just ridiculous. Gilbert didn’t come off as if he owned the King, he was upset that the crowned ‘King’ of Ohio, who had been so loyal to the city, would just turn his back on the fans that supported him his whole life. He didn’t just think LeBron turned his back on the Cavs or Cleveland; he thought James turned his back on the whole state of Ohio.

When you’re a figurehead that’s as influential and iconic as Jesse Jackson, you have to choose your words carefully. There are people that read these things and will follow suit and agree with him, just based on the fact that it’s Jesse Jackson and ‘he must know what he’s talking about.’

Politics and Civil Rights play a significant part in sports and I appreciate the fact that he sounded off on Gilbert. It needed to be done with James doing what he does best, nothing. But I think we went a little too far with his comments, yet again.

I just want to know why black people have to turn everything into a matter of race as a self defense mechanism. Just because Gilbert is white and James is black doesn’t mean that he felt like he owned LeBron; he just felt attached to the man who put Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers back on the map. The guy is allowed to be upset when the player that he’s invested so much money into just up and leaves his ‘home’; and he shouldn’t have to hear talk about being a slave master when he does it.

I have the utmost respect for Rev. Jackson and everything he does for the community, but he took it too far this time. Some thoughts are just better when kept to yourself; you have to know when to put down the mic.

By Aaron Hilton
You can follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401

Old School Movie of the week: Cliffhanger

The best part of this movie was definitely the beginning. The New York Post referred to the movie as “an avalanche of thrills,” and I must agree, during most of the movie I was sitting at the edge of my seat. The movie takes place in the Rocky Mountains, and gives a breathtaking view throughout the entire movie. The movie which in 1993 was rated R, would surely be rated PG13 today.

Sex? None.

Hot guys and girls? None… unless you’re into Sylvester Stallone.

Killing? Yea, we see a few ketchup packets burst.

But without all the stimulation, sexiness, and high technological advances of movies made in the 21st century, this one has what I love most about old school films. It has a plot, action, and an ending…. Simple yet spectacular, it's about love, death, theft, and most importantly the Rocky Mountain rescue team saving lives. And I can’t believe how young Stallone is.

Check out the clip below, which has a few of my favorite scenes from the movie (editted by a Youtube user who is non-affiliated with this blog).

By Coco Elle

Ms. Jackson is still NASTY!

She may be 44 years old but Janet still has it going on!

After losing her brother a little over a year ago, and playing Patricia in Tyler Perry's hit movie "Why Did I Get Married Too," the singer rocked the stage at the Essence Music Festival this past weekend.

Check out the video below, it's a little blurry but you'll get the point around a minute in. (Silent prayer: I hope my but looks that good when I'm over 40.)

One writer, Mark Marino, posted that Janet is channeling "Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga," etc... little does that author know that Janet was doing this before Gaga or Ms. RiRi turned ten years old.

Dear Mr. Marino, get your facts straight honey... who do you think influenced some of these ladies? Performance wise, she has them beat. There is no way they can top her Velvet Rope concert at Madison Square Garden. Beyonce has the voice. Rihanna has the? Management team and writers??? And Lady Gaga has the talent and weird factor. But Janet Jackson is a born performer, amazing entertainer, and is still fabulous and over 40.

To Mr. Marino and the haters who are telling Janet to 'sit down,' do me a favor and shut up. Now... stare them down Janet. And do like your brother and keep showing them who's bad!

Don't Fall For the Hype

Ok, so King James is still trying to hold everyone hostage on this whole ‘where will he go?’ subject in free agency; however, I’ll give you two reasons why you shouldn’t have allowed yourself to get suckered into the LeBron-mania that’s been going on for nearly a week now.

For starters, he’s not leaving Cleveland. No, I don’t have a reliable source close to LeBron; I haven’t spoken to his mother or his best friend’s barber’s cousin; I just have common sense. I could be totally wrong in all of this, but just look at the facts: he’s never played for a team outside of Ohio his whole life, his family and friends all live there, the Cavs can pay him more than anyone else in the market, and out of the four or five teams that are pursuing him (Cavs, Nets, Knicks, Bulls, Heat) two of those teams didn’t even get close to the playoffs and only one team got past the first round (the Cavaliers).

So the guy is a little frustrated, and the Antawn Jamison trade was a complete bust (duhhhh), that doesn’t mean the guy just up and leaves the Cavaliers. Think about the three major reasons a guy would leave his current team in free agency: money, championships/wins, close to home. The Cavs can offer the most money, they have led the NBA in wins the past two seasons, and they are the closest team to his home in Akron. So tell me why he should leave again?

Oh yeah, I forgot, to go to Wade-County and play second fiddle to his 6’4 clone. No wait, it’s to go play even deeper in the shadow of MJ out in the CHI; or could it be to go and kick it with Jay-Z after every home game (which would likely end in a loss). I’m taking none of the above; the only team that makes a little sense would be Chicago, but I don’t know if he wants to risk going to a young team like the baby-Bulls and trying to be their savior. Besides, the Bulls are more than a LeBron James away from winning a championship.

Reason number two is that he has a quality head coach who won’t take any nonsense back in Cleveland. You look at what Byron Scott did for a team like the Hornets who were reeling from the Katrina tragedy and only had one star in Chris Paul, yet he took that team to new heights and was rewarded with the Coach of the Year award. Pat Riley is the only coach on any of the teams courting the King that has a more impressive résumé, and he coached Byron Scott for 6 years with the LA Lakers. That is to say, great minds think alike and there's no doubt in my mind that Scott uses some of the same techniques as Riley did back in the day, and still uses now. But, like I said, Miami doesn’t look like a realistic possibility for LeBron. That’s D-Wade’s territory.

Now, if I’m wrong, it’ll make me look like a fool; but at least I won’t be wasting every five minutes checking up on the latest LeBron news. It’ll be a surprise, which to me is much better than a relief. I don’t want to be relieved that it’s all over; I want to have my jaw hit the floor so hard it’d make Kanye West cringe. I don’t want to be disappointed if he stays a Cavalier, because that move makes the most sense for him right now. So what do you really lose by joining me and the rest of the Ohio community in assuming LeBron takes back his throne in Cleveland? Nothing, it’s really a win-win situation.

by Aaron Hilton

My Obsession

I have a new obsession and his name is B.O.B.

He’s seemingly attractive, andhis looks are not the only thing that has me clutching my iTouch as I run down the stairs towards the subway.

I’m not a hip-hop fanatic, most of what I know comes from the simple fact that I live in New York, loved Nas as a kid, my brother is “true hip-hop’s” biggest fan, and I took a hip-hop class to fulfill my Arts Gen-Ed requirement sophomore year.

B.O.B. came into my life out of the blue while I was searching through my cousins computer. I came upon his album, added it to my iPod, and since then it’s been love.

The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which was released in April of this year, is a unique collection of songs that you will either love, hate, or not understand.

I became his biggest fan after watching Janelle Monae’s video for the remix to ‘Tightrope,’ which features B.O.B. and Lupe Fiasco. Wearing all white and a sailors hat, he looks his all time best. And in my opinion, the remix would have been a total fail without his verse.

(Check out the video below)

Besides for his good looks and impressive rhymes, B.O.B. demonstrates his singing voice on several songs on his album, including my favorite, "Lovelier Than You," an almost-ballad with one rap verse towards the end, that describes his love for his lady, as he sings“I could never find a lovelier design than you.”

Below is a video of him performing "Lovelier Than You" at Jimmy Kimmel Live.

After watching one of his earlier videos from 2008, it is hard to believe that this is really B.O.B. The rapper, whose real name is Bobby Ray Simmons, has been compared to the likes of Andre 3000 (of OutKast) and Lupe Fiasco. In the video "I'll Be In The Sky," Andre... I mean Bobby Ray shows off his musical skill, he can play the piano, sing and rap. A multi-talented southern rap artist who isn't solely selling albums, making good beats, and doing the batman... B.O.B. is a contender for... well... a title I just made up "a real hip-hop artist." And I like the sound of that, I like it a lot.

... clearly I'm a B.O.B. fan.

Coco Elle

(Relationship) Status Isnt Everything

One of the scariest words in the English dictionary: Commitment.

I am probably one of the worst people to write about this topic but it eventually has to come to the surface so I figured I’d address it now. It seriously seems like every person I know is either in a relationship or dying to be in one. Unfortunately I cannot relate to either, so if you are one of these you’re a step ahead of me.

Relationships contrary to what some have been told aren’t for everyone. Just because you have reached a certain age and everyone around you is coupled up doesn’t mean you’re ready to be in an exclusive relationship. Commitment is more than just a promise because if it is real, it can never be broken. A relationship always deserves the type of dedication given to a friendship, family, or career. Although commitment cannot be compared to either of these things, they all deserve the same amount of work in order to truly work.

Being ready is the first part of making the promise to be with a significant other. This shouldn’t involve the fear of being alone, wanting to have a steady sex life, or even pressure from the people around you. You are the only person who can decide whether the relationship can be taken to another level. If you find that the person you are seeing is worth the risk of being heartbroken over or worth putting effort into then perhaps a relationship is something to consider. I for example am not ready to be someone’s girlfriend, which is why I may not be one for many years to come. This has nothing to do with my exes but more of a personal choice. Well not a choice exactly since just thinking about being in a relationship makes me cringe (and itch).

Either way I’ll be living the good and single life for a while or at least until Travis McCoy finally notices I’m alive. ;-)

...LL

Alicia Keys Takes a Fall

The majority of Americans knows these things:
1. Pregnant women are not supposed to drink anything with caffeine.
2. Pregnant women are not supposed to wear heels.
3. And lastly, pregnant women are not supposed to smoke cigarettes.

The list goes on and on, but clearly Alicia Keys did not get the memo.

When your heels don’t match, I’d rather you go barefoot… but clearly A. Keys loved the pair of red pumps that she wore during her first performance at the BET awards.

Many gasped as she climbed on top of the piano, regardless of the fact that she took off her heels… that is dangerous. A fall could’ve severely hurt her and/or her unborn child.

And as if all that was not enough, the R&B singer performed at the Essence Music Festival while wearing guess what? Heels.

Note to A. Keys: It is summer time… flat sandals are in.

They say the mighty shall fall, well Ms. Alicia Keys, soon to be Mrs. Swizz Beats, took a tumble, and bounced right off of her butt and continued belting out one of my favorite songs from her album, “Love is Blind.”



I will not comment on her relationship with Swizz, some call her a home-wrecker, but who am I to judge? They’re in love and flaunting it… as far as I’m concerned… Keep making music, and please don’t put yourself in a situation like Brittney Spears, I’d hate to see you dragged away from your home with charges like “Reckless Child Endangerment.”

Do me a favor Alicia, take off the heels.

By Coco Elle