Throwback Thursday: MJ's Last Shot

In honor of being in Chicago this week's Throwback Thursday comes from the man who had so many great moments in this city: Michael Jordan.

His last shot was on the road in Utah tho lol:

African American Registry Interview

You may have never heard of the African American Registry before but it is a great organization. The Registry is an educational organization whose mission statement is "Uniting Communities through Education, Transforming Communities through Learning." It strives to improve the black community through the education of children, parents, community activists and educators. Its a really cool organization and the website has many resources and information on our great history and heritage.

One of the things that they do is interview people for their video section of the website: The Black Box. Within these interviews they talk with invested members of the Black Community about things of importance to our community. I was honored to be asked to interview last fall. Until last night I had never seen the footage. Thanks to my father Google searching my name we found it. I'm not able to embed the videos to this post so just click the links below to see me talk about a few things. Each video is like a minute and a half long so it won't take up too much of you're time.

HBCU Avantages, Christopher Lynn-Logue | African American Registry


Generation Differences, Christopher Lynn-Logue | African American Registry


Favorite Book, Christopher Lynn-Logue | African American Registry


Working with Parents and Children, Christopher Lynn-Logue | African American Registry

Throwback Thursday: "What You Want" - Ma$e ft Total

I love the 90's. Best Decade Ever!

Anyway I think I'm gonna start a weekly Throwback Thursday to show my love. I'll start today with this video from Ma$e ft. Total.

I love this video because its a dope song, but also because of the opening scene. Look how smooth Ma$e is. I think he started swag, and if he didn't he was the first dude I could remember who had it. #respect

@ 0:52 "I just said that to make you mad" makes me laugh every time.

Oh and did you peep the lines before that? Ma$e: "Where you goin be at?" Shorty: "I'll be in front of the building." Meeting places (and times) were so important in the 90's because everyone didn't have cell phones. Aww #the90s.

Anyway, enjoy:

Honest moment: I'm not the best

Last night (aided by #thefade) I almost tweeted something. It was going to be a completely honest moment. However, rather than spend 140 characters, or a series of 140 explaining it, I decided to post it and expound on it.

So here we go.

When it comes to ladies I've always had this attitude: One in which I considered myself "the best nigga she ever gonna meet in her life." (Was gonna be the original tweet).

Arrogant I know. Honestly I can say that this, for the most part, has been true. At least 3-4 woman have admitted this to me. And there are others who know it but won't readily admit it.

Maybe I'm wrong and I'm not. Either way I firmly believe that that is the attitude one must have when approaching those they like so I'll stand by it.

Anyway I digress.

While that is some extreme honesty (letting ya know how I really feel) that wasn't the most honest I would have been. I woulda followed that tweet with:

I really hate losing.

The losing would have been in reference to girls. When I approach one...I do expect her to like me and want me. Arrogant again I know but most guys feel this way. Maybe that wouldn't have been such an honest tweet after all.

Aight, here's the kicker, the real honest moment that most dudes will never acknowledge:

There are dudes who are on my level and even supersede me...in all aspects.

There you go...I can honestly admit this. The main reason why is because (for the most part) these dudes are on my team or at least cool with me.

I can admit that in the past two years I've lost out on 2 chicks because my teammates scooped them up. I can also admit that it was painful to realize this but eventually I acknowledged it and applauded.

What good are your friends if they aren't better than you? Why have friends if they don't challenge you?

So while I still believe that "I'm the best nigga she ever gonna meet" I'm happy that my friends challenge that and challenge me to be better.

Did I really expound? Maybe not. But I did use more than 140 characters lol.

In the grand scheme of things though...I'm winning...in fact I recently came up on (perhaps) the biggest win of my life.

That mighta been too much but #fuckit I'm just being honest.

Let LeBron Live

Unless you've been under a rock you know that the Miami Heat did not win the NBA title.  

#respect

You also know that LeBron James has been taking the majority of the blame for it. Some might say he's just getting what he deserves. There were so many things from b4 the season (the Decision, the concert style intro) to the Finals (the way he celebrated with Wade, made fun of Dirk, the disappearing act he did in the 4th quarters of this series) even post finals (game 6 postgame interview) that provide justification in people's minds.

Ever since "The Decision" LeBron has arguably become the most hated person in the NBA. I've hated on him all year, consistently calling him LeBama and RTing nearly every insulting tweet about him that crosses my TL:

I'm done hating now though. I'm starting to feel bad for him. If you know me and how hard I hate things you're probably thinking "Wow Chris, really?" Yes, really. 

If there is one thing I can say about this whole LeBron thing is that he has had to deal with a ridiculous, unfair amount of pressure. I hate pressure, more than I hate LeBron, and so I think its time to let up and let them man live. 

Perhaps he made his own bed and now has to lie in it. Perhaps. I'm a little skeptical though.

I will be the first to tell you that LeBron disrespected the fans of Cleveland by announcing on national TV that he was "taking his talents to South Beach." That's the initial reason why I hated him. He could have went about that better for sure.

I also didn't like how he decided to join forces with another elite player (Top 5), rather than try to win it on his own and potentially becoming better than Jordan. I think these are the reasons why most people hate him. Everyone needs to chill.

LeBron carried a team a city on his back for 7 years. He played the best he could (back to back MVP awards) and took them as far as he could with what he had ('07Finals) for as long as he could. Truthfully, he had done everything he could as a Cavalier. They always say once you've done everything you can at a particular job its time to move on to a new challenge. And its not like he demanded a trade, he served out his contract and then moved on. Nothing wrong with that. The way he decided to say it, yea that was bad, but how long can we hate him for that?

Now going to the Heat to play alongside Dwanye Wade doesn't present much of challenge at all, but I think that's exactly what LeBron wanted.

We get on him for not being clutch and for crumbling under the pressure. What if its true and he doesn't like the pressure and having to perform under it. What if he knows he's simply not wired that way (very few people are). So he decided to go to a place with less pressure and that had a guy who is perfectly fine when the heat is on (see what I did there?). In LeBron's mind he was escaping the pressure of having to be the go to guy every night. There's nothing wrong with that either.

Think about anytime you were the go to guy/girl. You may have enjoyed it and may have even been good at it. Eventually I'm sure you got tired of the pressure and expectations. I'm sure that whatever it is that you were relied on to do wasn't being watched and counted on by millions of people. I'm sure that if you had a chance to step out of the pressure cooker you would. You did. LeBron did too.

At some point in the series Jeff Van Gundy said that all LeBron did was change his place of employment and decided to go work with his friends and that if we had the chance to we'd do the same thing. Its absolutely correct. We would. Nothing wrong with that.

Then we have the Jordan comparisons. Well Jordan wouldn't have done that, Jordan would have perform under pressure, la la la. True Jordan would have and did. That's why he's Jordan and LeBron is LeBron. JA Adande wrote that it's us who compare him and want him be the next Jordan or even better. That's what we want but clearly not what LeBron wants. We can't seem to appreciate his greatness as is because we want him to be the next Jordan. He's not. Guess what? Nothing wrong with that either.

LeBron has been under more media scrutiny than any other athlete (maybe person) ever. Everything he does get dissected and blow out of proportion. I mean in game 2 did he really celebrate more than any other player does at a timeout? More than Jet does? 

No. But it was made to seem that way. Even his post finals comments got blown up. If you listen to the whole statement you'd see he wasn't being malicious, he was just stating facts: we all will return to our normal lives. We have.

Its time to ease up on the man. Time to stop expecting him to be something or someone he's not. Let's pull the microscope back. Let's realize that at any given moment he can be the best player on earth. Lets also realize that the Heat are still the best team in the East and will probably represent the conference in the finals for the next few years. Lets let the man live.

Attack of the Slime Monster

Been spending the early part of this Saturday reminiscing about my childhood days. Mid 90's were poppin man. Currently watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.

Seeing Ivan Ooze recking havoc reminded me of another purple menace from my childhood: The Slime Monster from Ghost Writer.

#stopitslime

Ghost Writer was an awesome show. Mainly because it was set in Brooklyn, but also because it encouraged reading and writing. I found out later that one of the characters is my prophyte's sister. Attack of the Slime Monster was the last episode of the series and left me with nightmares. Now it brings back great memories.

For your viewing pleasure:

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 1.1

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 1.2

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 1.3

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 2.1

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 2.2

Attack of The Slime Monster part 2.3

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 3.1

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 3.2

Attack of The Slime Monster Part 3.3

"We're All Ambassadors"

This was the main idea of a great conversation I had with a Taxi driver (and no it wasn't on some Taxi Cab Confession foolishness). We were speaking about racial profiling in regards to hailing taxis.

Unlike #beige New Yorkers who can just put there hand out and get one I need the aid of a woman (usually #beige). She puts her hand out and when the taxi stops she opens the door and I come running from behind a lamp post and dive in.

I thought it was a miracle that I was able to hail this taxi without using my normal method. I let the driver know how I felt and thanked him and that's when the conversation started. He told me he takes everyone and gives everyone a chance despite the common (mis)beliefs of his colleagues. He says he does so because he believes that "We're all ambassadors" and if we don't do a good job representing whatever it is we represent it hurts us more than it does anyone else.

For him that means picking up every possible fare so that people don't build a negative perception of taxi drivers. For me it was to not only pay my fare, but tip on top of it so that young black dudes wearing bookbags (my description that night lol) have a chance of getting a cab.

This concept is not new to me at all. I've been taught that while I'm a representation of myself, I'm also a representation of others like: my race, gender, affiliations, what have you. Its always nice to get that reminder though and I appreciated the driver for giving it to me in a new way, telling me I'm an ambassador. He said that we must do the best we can to be the best ambassador possible. I agreed.

It made me think of some of my stringent beliefs when i was younger. I believed that those of us who "make it" have the responsibility of being an outstanding example of our race. We must work the hardest, look and dress the best, know the most and so on. The most important thing I believed was that we must never, never do anything that would cast our race in a negative light, support a stereotype or give #thebeige confirmation. I came to realize that it's impossible to do this all the time (Malcolm X is probably the closest to doing it) and way too much pressure. We're human and we like to have fun.

I know all about this lol. I do my best to be that outstanding example but I fall short a lot. I get drunk, laugh obnoxiously loud, eat fried chicken, say nigga, bob my head when I hear a baseline, jump out of my seat when someone spins on the baseline and throws down a ridiculous dunk, whatever. In any of those moments I'm a poor ambassador. Does it mean that I'm not a good one overall? No. I'm just a young black dude having fun lol. However in most instances I'm aware of my responsibility as an ambassador, and I do my best to represent. At the very least we should all be aware of this. And at best we should try to be the best ambassadors we can.

Bye Shaq

Shaquille O'Neill officially retired today, ending a great career as one of the most dominate players in NBA history. I've always loved Shaq because he was a beast, but mainly because he was so damn fun and funny. Some of my greatest Shaq memories have nothing to do with basketball at all. He was an actor, rapper, comedian and philanthropist. I'll miss him as a player for sure, but maybe moreso for all those other things he brought to the table.

There was Kazaam and Steel:

His great rap album Shaq Diesel:

Possibly the greatest dis track ever: "Kobe, Tell me how my ass taste"



"I'ma horse/Kobe ratted me out now I'm getting a divorce/he said Shaq gave a bitch a mil/I'on do that cuz my name Shaquille"

The many nicknames, The Big Aristotle being my favorite, but Shaqtus is a close second:





The kicks:

The many, many, great moments and quotes:








The good works he did as Shaq-A-Claus.

And of course the way he straight embarrassed people on the court:



I'm gonna miss you big fella, enjoy retirement man.