It's Been A Long Time...

Wow, what'd I miss?

Three weeks this time? Has it been that long? (I didn't look at the previous post, but I think it was the Katrina one.) Sorry y'all. Um, assuming anyone's still checking this.

Just a few things right now off the top of my head.

Eddy Curry to the Knicks: Interesting. Plenty of upside in a 22-year-old legit seven-footer who actually wants to play like a center. Only thing is, didn't the Knicks already throw a lot of money at ANOTHER legit seven-footer (Jerome James) who plays like a center? Now they've got a matched pair of underachievers, both about to START long-term lucrative deals. I don't think I'd be looking for career years from either of them in '05-06.

Getting rid of Tim Thomas was long overdue, as he might be—per dollar, at least—the worst player in the League. But then again, he was coming off the books this year. And while Michael Sweetney was built like the Sta-Puf Marshmallow Man, he had an uncanny knack for coming up with offensive rebounds, getting fouled, and making the free throws. And he was CHEAP, seeing that he was on the rookie scale for a while longer. Who knows, maybe Curry and Crawford will work out like the ex-Warriors in Washington, but somehow I doubt it. I just wholeheartedly hope that Eddy's heart problems are behind him.


The MLB playoffs: Not to sound like my man Phil Mushnick, but did a playoff game REALLY start at 11 p.m. Eastern? Really? Luckiy it wasn't the one that lasted 18 innings, or else it would have cut into Good Morning America. Also cool that the first round was almost exclusively on cable. Sorry, Red Sox fans. (Yes, most people have ESPN, but some of us wish we didn't.)

Interesting to see what happens tonight, because a White Sox/Angels ALCS oughta be about as good for the ratings as a Cardinals/Astros NLCS. It's all good to focus on promoting the big-market teams (or the ones with neat stories) until none of them make the playoffs. Hard to start hyping Angels/Astros now, huh? "Um, yeah, Lance Berkman! Vladimir Guerrero!" Riiight. At this point they have to be praying for the Yankees to survive and go on and face the 'Stros so Roger Clemens can bean Derek Jeter or A-Rod (oh please let that happen).


The NFL: Dude, it's week five and the summer weather just stopped like last week. I'm not ready for football yet. All I really know is a rookie named Cadillac was leading the League in rushing and the Jets dug up Vinnie Testaverde to QB for them again. What, did Joe Namath fail his Breathalyzer?


Gas prices: Look, I thought I understood how high $3 a gallon was. I haven't owned a car in almost 10 years now, but I've done my share of driving rentals on road trips. Filled a Ford Excursion in Portland, pushed Mitsubishi Eclipse drops in L.A. Definitely paid $2-plus per gallon, and lived to tell the tale. Well, last week I had to run out to Jersey for a story, and I rented a car (seeing that it would be cheaper than taking car services both ways). Well, I got to the Dollar on 22nd Street around 10 a.m. to find they only had minivans. Great. Going to suburbia (well, sort of) in a Chrysler Town & Country. All was well until I got back and stopped off to fill it up. Damned if that thing wasn't actually sucking on the nozzle. Ended up putting $18 of regular in it—I took it a little low, never again. I don't understand why anyone would drive in the city (or any other one, for that matter) and I also have NO idea how taxi drivers are making a living, seeing that they haven't raised their rates yet.


Sneakers: Weirdness. Ever since I lost the full-time SLAM gig, I've been out of the sneaker loop. Not getting stuff for free anymore—thank god, because I'm sort of overrun here—and, in fact, I've been trying to clear out space. Until recently. Artist collabs have been popular for a while, but lately three dropped that I HAD to have. First, Nike SB dropped two different pairs of Dunk SB Highs for the Melvins. Now this was just plain weird. The Melvins are in no way a popular band—in fact, their brand of noise/punk/whatever is just about as anti-mainstream as possible. I can barely even think of an equivalent, maybe SLAM doing a special issue on Ben Handlogten. The black pair, covered in art swiped from antiquated tombstones, didn't do much for me. But the white pair—canvas, with what looked like blood bubbling up from the soles—was impossible to leave. Not sure if they'll see the light of day until spring, but once they do, they'll be worn to death.

The other pairs are Vans—Bad Religion Sk8 Highs and Motörhead Rowleys. The Rowleys have pretty much been on my feet since I bought them, and the Sk8 Highs will also get plenty of burn this fall/winter. Guess that means further purging of the pairs here. Shameless plug, if you're in NYC, check out Flight Club, on Greene Street between 8th and Waverly. They're a consignment shop (with some stock from yours truly) that has the best selection of shoes in NYC. Sizes and prices vary, but you can always find gems.


Music: I kinda want to get the Biggie/Frank Sinatra blend CD from Fat Beats, is that bad? I stopped in Virgin this weekend, which is always a mistake, because I can never leave without buying a bunch of stuff. Picked up MF Doom live, the new Fiona Apple, the new Blackalicious, a previously unreleased Coltrane/Monk set, and a disc of Melvins demos (which I'm kind of scared of). Now today I read about another new Coltrane release (on Impulse!). Guess I'm gonna need to go back. Dammit.