This is awesome. Some dudes latched on to the back of a Jeep and went snowboarding and skiing through NYC during last weekend’s record-breaking storm. Looks mad fun!
Sports
Game Face Fire
Advertising, Sports
This app is off the hook! You can virtually paint your face in your favorite school’s colors, it’s mad fun. I tried it with University of Maryland colors, check it out below. Can’t wait to get home and do this with my kids….
Westchester Knicks
Sports
Yes! The new Knicks D-League team has a home in White Plains! This is my new favorite sports team, straight up. I can’t wait to take my kids to a game at the Westchester County Center. Go Westchester Knicks!!!
Think you got enough skills to make the team? Here’s the tryout info. And peep the intro video with Allan Houston at the County Center. Siiiiicccckkkkkkk.
The Return
Sports
What up, Westcheddar!! Yo listen, my bad. I’ve been neglecting home base for a minute. Please pardon me, I’ve been crazy busy. But I’m going through a big transition now, taking on a new full-time writing job in the marketing/advertising world. And this new gig has forced me to put my music journalism work and also my youth work to the side. The thing is, I’ll never be able to stop writing about music. It’s in my nature to want to share what I think is hot with the masses. So I’ve made the decision to bring back Westcheddar, and start posting again (about music and also comedy, sports, family, etc) regularly in my free time, for the love of the game. As for my youth work, well, I just had a baby (our third boy!!), so that’s not going to really stop anytime soon.
I’m gonna play catch-up for a minute, so please stay with me. Some of the stuff I’ll be posting in the next week or two won’t be brand new, but I gotta make sure it gets some love before I can move forward. Consider the upcoming onslaught of posts a celebration of Westcheddar’s return. Let’s gooooo….
Sick Shot
SportsThis is the most insane ending to a basketball game ever. I’m not even gassing you. This is crazy. And it happened in White Plains, yesterday, at the Westchester County Center. Just watch above as dude from New Rochelle hits the illest buzzer beater ever from half court to upset Mount Vernon in the conference finals. And it’s not your average buzzer beater. Dude from New Ro inbounds the ball with 2.9 seconds left, it gets stolen at half court by MV, then he steals it back on a hustle play and launches it from behind half court for the win with the clock running out. Absolute mayhem in the 914. Watch above.
Listen, I grew up in White Plains, and have been to plenty of big games at the County Center, but never have I seen some shit like this. And for those unfamiliar with the local sports politics in Westchester, New Ro upsetting Mount Vernon is A BIG DEAL. Yo, this might go down as the wildest, most amazing ending in the history of Westchester County sports. Everyone in the country is talking about this shot right now. And rightfully so. It was sick.
You gotta feel bad for Mount Vernon, though. Tough loss, and as ridiculous a shot as it was, it would’ve never happened if they didn’t throw a lazy pass after the steal. But props to New Ro. They came back, and made big run to get themselves in position to win the game. And then, of course, “The Shot.” Holy cow.
An Oral History Of White Men Can’t Jump
Interviews, Sports
Rarely do I post something before actually checking it out, but I know this shit is gonna be a dope read. Grantland’s oral history of White Men Can’t Jump. Wow. One of my favorite movies all time, for sure. I actually was just talking with one of my young dudes at work about this movie. He’s 15, one of the coolest kids I know, plays ball and listens to rap music religiously, and had never seen this movie. I begged him to go home and watch it immediately. Anyway, here’s the link to the oral history. Enjoy.
So Long, Lin
SportsJeremy Lin is gone, and this re-make of Goyte’s “Someboy That I Used To Know” is the best thing that has come out of the whole situation. Dude is hilarious. As for some Westcheddar commentary on Lin leaving, well, I’m personally psyched to have my dude Raymond Felton back, and that the Knicks picked up Cal legend Jason Kidd. Lin will be missed, though. It was exciting having him here, and it would’ve been cool to bring him back, but it is what it is. I’ll never get too bent out of shape over sports, especially the Knicks. It’s not worth the agony. Hope everyone is having a great summer…
On Oral History Of The Dream Team
Interviews, Sports
The Dream Team is probably the illest sports squad ever assembled in history. Jordan, Magic, Bird, Ewing, Barkley, Mullin, Pippen, Malone, Stockton, and the list goes on. It was an insane roster. For the 20th anniversary of their triumphant Olympic appearance, GQ put together an oral history of the Dream Team. It’s a solid read. Check it out…
An Oral History of the Dream Team | GQ
Here are a couple related videos too. First, ESPN’s look back at the Dream Team, followed by the Dream Team’s Top 10 Plays from the 19992 Olympics. Enjoy…
The Dream Team 20th Anniversary | ESPN
The Dream Team Top 10 Plays from the 1992 Olympics
Great NBA Finals going on right now, huh?
Double Clutch
Events, Sports
It’s not often that I literally jump up on my couch filled with joy while watching the Knicks. Usually, I’m throwing the remote in frustration. But it happened yesterday against the Bulls. Twice. Props to Carmelo Anthony for putting on one of the greatest holiday performances Madison Square Garden has ever seen. 43 points, and two enormous 3s. First, to tie and send it to overtime. Then, from the same spot, down by two, to win the game. Watch them both below…
Wow.
The Tanning Interview with Nigel Sylvester
Interviews, Published Material, Sports, Youth
For my latest interview with Steve Stoute’s site The Tanning of America, I had the opportunity to talk to BMX pro Nigel Sylvester. Check the intro, a video of him biking through NYC (he’s from Jamaica, Queens), and the link to the interview below…
African-American professional BMX bike rider Nigel Sylvester is one of the premiere sensations in his rapidly growing sport. A native of Jamaica, Queens, Nigel first got put on to the pro world of BMX at age 12 while watching the X Games on television. He immediately went outside, grabbed his bike, and tried to mimic every trick he had just seen. Since then, his number one passion in life has been riding BMX bikes and embodying the culture that goes along with it. After crafting his style on the streets of New York City, he was noticed by legendary BMX rider Dave Mirra, who gave him his first sponsorship. And now, he is sponsored by enormous brands like Nike 6.0 and Gatorade, and leading the sport of BMX to the next level through his exciting, hip-hop infused videos, filmed worldwide. The catch is that he doesn’t compete anymore. He’s a pro street rider, for real.
In this in-depth interview, Nigel talks about how he handled being called “whiteboy” as a young teenager due to his interest in BMX, his run-ins with the police in New York City parks, his experiences traveling the world as a pro, and his hands on involvement in the production of his BMX videos. Plus, he discusses interracial dating, his love of hip-hop music, how he felt seeing Pharrell ride a BMX bike in N.E.R.D.’s “Provider” music video, and what exactly being a professional BMX bike rider entails for him in 2012.
Westcheddar 