Years ago, Errol Knight, the once-celebrated star of Gonzaga’s talented basketball program, got into the habit of calling a good friend of mine (who attended Gonzaga at the time) “nigga”. My friend was and is very white. Errol didn’t know my friend’s name; my friend was instantly recognized by Knight each time, and greeted in the same fashion; “ay nigga,” “ay, what up, nigga!”, and so on.

On one memorable occasion, Errol Knight carried his newborn baby into a wild drinking party that was held off-campus. He quickly spotted and approached my friend, and said “Hey nigga, hold my baby,” as he took a monstrous beerbong pull, and then proceeded to take his baby back from my friend.

I just thought I should share that with you, because it is so horrible, irresponsible, and hilarious that I find it impossible not to share with someone. It’s a story that seems so fantastic that one would prefer to assume it never happened. But it did.

Here’s to Errol Knight, my hero.

And you thought Taipei 101 was imposing! Just look at what’s on the menu!:

Daniel Hamermesh:

Fox News reports that during the early rounds at Wimbledon, a lot of second-level, but good-looking female tennis players have been on Center Court, while some of the stars have been relegated to side courts.

An event organizer noted, “It’s not a coincidence that those (on Center Court) are attractive.”

Not at all. The price of TV rights is based on viewership, so the sponsors want to maximize it: “Our preference would always be a Brit or a babe, as this always delivers high viewing figures.”

“Pretty Players, Please” at NYT Freakonomics Blog

My buddy Mike DeGrow (from TheRock a.k.a. Bainbridge Island) appears in this skate video with Josh Kalis, Stevie Williams, and Rob Dyrdek (who I’ve met previously in Paris on the Gumball3000 Rally in 2004). Mike has a pretty long part (from 3:25 to 4:08, approx.) that showcases his effortless grinds and flip-tricks (there’s even a kickflip to frontside 50-50 on a declining ledge thrown in there). Check it out:

When a gentleman is to attend a Red Sox game, it is only fitting that he imbibe gratuitous amounts of hearty spirits beforehand, so as to maintain a jolly demeanor with which to entertain his fellow sporting enthusiasts:

In the style of TheFoggyMonocle.

Big Buck Hunter is taking over my country.

It seems that every night of the week, somewhere, there’s a bar that’s hosting a Big Buck Hunter tournament.

A novel idea for Democrat political strategists: hold a Big Buck Hunter: Safari Edition Tourney at every bar in America on election day, and guarantee Dem victory.

The first thing you think of when you see this photo is “Wow, Michelle Obama could easily dunk on the Duke of Edinburgh in one-on-one hoops.”

She makes him look like a midget.

If you haven’t yet embraced Twitter or felt its power, I strongly recommend you join.

The technology gives you an omniscient voice, a way in instantly and effortlessly broadcast your thoughts to people you know, and people you don’t. I’ll provide you with two examples of ways it can assist you.

Harness the varied knowledge of the collective

I found myself walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood and I wanted something warm to drink. Google wasn’t helpful — I could’ve used Yelp on my mobile phone, but wanted a more personal recommendation. I fired up the Twitter client on my Motorola Q9c and tweeted “Any ideas for a coffee shop on top of Queen Anne Hill?”. Within 3 minutes, I had 3 recommendations, including the place that I ended up going to, El Diablo, where I enjoyed a fantastic Mexican hot cocoa. By asking my Twitter contacts, I harnessed their individual knowledge and made it my own. Those who felt compelled to make a recommendation were those armed with the most suitable knowledge on the subject. Efficient and effective.

Make yourself heard and advance your cause

Whether your cause is saving the world, growing your business, or finding a last-minute lunch date in Manhattan, Twitter allows you to effectively find others who can turn your idea into reality. G. Martin Bingisser, a world-class athlete who dabbles in tax law, happened upon the idea to start a non-profit organization to support Olympic athletes in their training. Once the organization’s website was up and running, he Tweeted:

Our non-profit’s webpage is now online: http://www.evergreenathletic.org/…

Within 15 minutes, he’d already received a small donation, 100% prompted by his Tweet. He didn’t have to make a phonecall or schedule/attend a meeting. All he did was type a few characters.

What can Twitter do for you?

P.S.

You can follow me on Twitter here.

Kellogg’s decision to cut Michael Phelps’ endorsement deal has got people very angry:

“Kellogg’s had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone,” said Rob Kampia, the group’s executive director. “To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that’s safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people.”

-Marijuana Policy Project

Our sitting President has partaken in this same drug as well — does that mean we should impeach him?

Pot activists rip Kellogg Co. for dropping Phelps – USA Today

It’s GRRRRRRRRR-EAT!

According to the cereal company:

…Phelps’s behavior—caught on camera and published Sunday in a British tabloid—is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”

This would be the same company that for decades has been encouraging children to start the day by inhaling sugar by the spoonful.

Yes, it would be a shame to see a 14-time gold medalist’s bong hit tarnish the company’s image.

Kellogg Drops Phelps – Reason

Slow-mo and slow-going, but worth it for the unexpected explosions:

Via Kanye West.

Via Kanye West.

The Foggy Monocle just posted an EPIC bio/roast of pro golfer John Daly.

The author notes that Daly’s Wikipedia entry is chock-full of even more hilarity. Here are a few choice pieces (from Wikipedia):

• Daly claims to have lost $50-$60 million gambling over the past 15 years
• He has admitted the only reason he does not lift weights is because the health club does not let him smoke there.

Some choice quotes:

• “There are probably some things I could do to keep my flexibility up, but I’d rather smoke, drink Diet Cokes and eat.”
• “Seems I used to do everything like I was on a mission. If it was alcohol, I wanted to drink till I couldn’t see straight. If it was golf, I wanted to beat everybody’s brains out. If it was driving, I can get there faster’n you can.”
• “I believe nicotine plus caffeine equals protein.”
• “Some folks say I don’t deserve such a beautiful wife. But hey, I earn money. Surely that is a reason!”

We had some family over for dinner last night, and we all watched the end of the Red Sox/Rays game, in which the Rays were sent to the World Series.

It brings up an interesting subject, sabermetrics, the science of winning baseball games. Many were first introduced to the idea by Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball, which may or may not be made into a feature film. Moneyball describes the statistical analysis and strategy that allowed the Oakland Athletics to win 90 games for multiple seasons, all while maintaining the lowest dollar payroll in Major League Baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rays are a prime example of using sabermetrics to win baseball games. They are the most successful turnaround story in baseball history. In the 2006 offseason, they made some major changes in the front office and management:

Shortly after the season ended, Stuart Sternberg, who bought into the ownership group in 2004, took over from Vince Naimoli as managing general partner, thus taking over executive control of the team. He immediately fired Chuck LaMar, the team’s general manager, and most of the front office. Sternberg decided not to have a de jure General Manager, calling the position “outdated.”

The team focused its rebuilding efforts around young stars:

“…outfielders Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Jonny Gomes, infielder Jorge Cantu (who hit 28 home runs and drove in 117 runs in 2005) and pitcher Scott Kazmir (who finished in the top 5 in the American League in strikeouts). [...] Delmon Young and B.J. Upton — considered two of the best prospects in all of baseball.”

The front office became convinced that the Devil Rays would not contend in 2006 and they traded several veteran players who were not in their future plans for younger players who were expected to contribute more in future seasons.

Beginning anew in 2007, The Devil Rays had the youngest starting lineup since the 1983 Minnesota Twins. Attendance was up, spectacularly.

After all their toil to improve the team, at season’s end in 2006 and 2007, the Devil Rays still had not achieved a good win-loss record. After the 2007 season, they rebranded themselves just “the Rays”, and rolled-out new uniforms. Also, they beefed up their payroll spending, which was a major change as it was approximately $24 million in 2007, lowest in the majors. This allowed them to keep some of their better talent.

This season, their plan has come to fruition. They’re now in the world series, and they have sabermetrics to thank for getting the players that would best contribute to a winning season. Other teams pay up for big-name talent that don’t further the team’s goals.

Rays beat Bosox 3-1, advance to World Series

Reports indicate that sprinter/hurdler Liu Xiang was unable to run his heat because Chinese government officials had worked him so hard in order to get a medal that his body couldn’t handle the training, and he became injured.

Liu Xiang’s Olympic prospects ruined by China’s sports system, claims coach – The Telegraph

I strongly recommend you read this article about Yao Ming’s own oversized contribution to the Chinese, and its effects on his body/career. His career will end much earlier than it could have due to the way the Chinese national team has trained his body into the ground. He’s a patriot, and let the state have its way at the expense of his career. It’s very sad.

Yao has delivered, now it’s China’s turn – Yahoo! Sports