The 411 From 406

I’m a huge fan of lyrical music.  Sure a good beat and melody can get you moving on the dance floor, but for a song to truly “touch” me it’s got to have great lyrics.  I’m also something of a romantic and a family man as you’ll see from my choices.  There are quite certainly other songs that I love from a lyrical standpoint but these stood out as my favorites.

Colorful – The Verve Pipe
This song was featured at the end of the highly underrated Mark Wahlberg movie Rock Star.  As a man who’s married to a woman WAY above my pay grade this song really speaks to me.

The show is over close the story book
There will be no encore
And all the random hands that I have shook
Well they’re reaching for the door
I watch their backs as they leave single file
But you stood stubborn, cheering all the while

I know I can be colorful
I know I can be gray
But I know this loser’s living fortunate
Cause I know you will love me either way

Most were being good for goodness sake
But you wouldn’t pantomime
You are more beautiful when you awake
Than most are in a lifetime
Through the haze that is my memory well
You stayed for drama though you paid for a comedy

I know I can be colorful
I know I can be gray
But I know this loser’s living fortunate
Cause I know you will love me either way

Look ahead as far as you can see
We’ll live in drama but we’ll die in a comedy
I know I can be colorful…

There’s Something In The Way She Moves – James Taylor
If I had to pick one song that represents the way I feel about the wife, this is it.  JT is an incredible singer/songwriter and this is by far my favorite of his tunes.

There’s something in the way she moves,
Or looks my way, or calls my name,
That seems to leave this troubled world behind.
If I’m feeling down and blue,
Or troubled by some foolish game,
She always seems to make me change my mind.

And I feel fine anytime she’s around me now,
She’s around me now
Almost all the time.
And if I’m well you can tell that she’s been with me now,
And she’s been with me now
Quite a long, long time
And I feel fine.

Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning,
And I find myself careening
Into places where I should not let me go.
She has the power to go where no one else can find me,
Yes, and to silently remind me
Of the happiness and good times that I know, you know.
Well I said I just got to know that:

It isn’t what she’s got to say
Or how she thinks or where she’s been.
To me, the words are nice, the way they sound.
I like to hear them best that way -
It doesn’t much matter what they mean,
She says them mostly just to calm me down.

And I feel fine anytime she’s around me now,
She’s around me now
Almost all the time.
If I’m well you can tell that she’s been with me now,
And she’s been with me now
Quite a long,
Long
Time -
Yes, and I feel fine.

Blind Faith – Warrant
I don’t think I can ever make any kind of “favorite song” list without including some 80′s hair metal.  This unreleased classic from Warrant really speaks from the heart… or the hairspray.

Darling I know you’re sleeping
But there’s something that I’ve just got to say
Wonder if you’ll hear me while you’re dreaming
You make a lifetime out of every day
Thanks to you now I know
All my dreams can come true

Blind faith in you, oh yeah,
I got blind faith in you

Your eyes keep things well hidden
Just a hint of what you’re holding inside
And the first day that I met you
I consider the first day of my life
Thanks to you now I know
All my dreams can come true

Blind Faith in you, oh yeah.
I’ve got blind faith in you
And I’m not sure that I deserve
A woman so true,
But I love, that you think I do

With You and Faith, beside me
I’m feelin’ stronger every day

Love Walks In – Van Halen
My favorite band.  My favorite of their albums.  This song captured a moment and to this day every single time I listen to this song I’m back in that moment.  That’s what a great song is all about.

Contact is all that it takes
To change your life, to lose your place in time
Contact. Asleep or awake
Coming around you may wake up to find

Questions deep within your eyes
Now more than ever, you realize

And then you sense a change
Nothin’ feels the same
All your dreams are strange
Love comes walkin’ in
Some kind of alien
Waits for the opening
Simply pulls a string

Another world, some other time
You lay your sanity on the line
Familiar faces, familiar sights
Reach back, remember with all your might

Ooh, and there she stands in a silken gown
Silver lights shinin’ down

And then you sense a change
Nothin’ feels the same
All your dreams are strange
Love comes walkin’ in
Some kind of alien
Waits for the opening
Simply pulls a string
Love comes walkin’ in

Oh, sleep and dream; that’s all I crave
I travel far across the milky way
To my master I become a slave
‘Til we meet again some other day

Where silence speaks as loud as war
Earth returns to what it was before

And then you sense a change
Nothin’ feels the same
All your dreams are strange
Love comes walkin’ in
Some kind of alien
Waits for the opening
Simply pulls a string
Love comes walkin’ in

Love comes walkin’ in
Baby, pull the string
Love comes walkin’ in
Love comes walkin’ in, yeah!

Jacob – Jackopierce
This entire album is full of introspective stuff like this, but Jacob stands out for me.  I loved this song before I had kids and now that I have children of my own it hits me even harder.

Jacob’s a fine boy
But his parents don’t get along
They hardly talk, when they do
He thinks he’s done something wrong

He heard all the screaming
As he lay down to bed
He should have been sleeping
But he listened instead

They say he’s fine
It’s not his fault
Between the lines he somehow got caught
‘And in our game
It’s more like war
I just don’t think i love you anymore’

He picked up the phone
His tears touched the receiver
His grandmother answered down in Tempe
He told her the story
That his daddy was leaving
She tried to convince him it was nothing he’d done

She said ‘you’re fine
It’s not your fault
Between the lines
You somehow got caught
And in their game
It sounds more like war
I just don’t think she loves him anymore’

Jacob’s a father
And his kids are in teens
He’s done what he could to make meager ends meet
When it comes down to family
It’s the primary goal
To keep the thing working
No matter the toll

His sons heard them screaming
About something he said
He opened the door and invited them in

He said ‘Now sons
It’s not your fault
Between the lines you somehow got caught
So when you’re hurt
You lean on the crutch
But I still love your mother very much’

Chewie Music, The Tops Blind Faith, Colorful, Jackopierce, Jacob, James Taylor, Love Walks In, Mark Wahlberg, Rock Star, The Verve Pipe, There's Something In The Way She Moves, Van Halen, Warrant

A while back, I reviewed a live album by one of my favorite bands Jackopierce.  I don’t buy a ton of music these days (an album here, a song there) but when I find a band that I enjoy I pretty much get everything that’s available by them.  I absolutely LOVE live music, so when I saw that these guys were  putting out another live album I jumped at it.

I bought this one directly from iTunes but it’s also available for purchase on their site as well: http://jackopierce.bigcartel.com/product/mile-high-1035 Here’s the description from iTunes:

Another great live CD for the collection. This was a really fun, loose show – ripe with Colorado references, extended jams, stories and general tomfoolery. Recorded live at the Soiled Dove on May 9, 2009 directly to CD. Though they had to edit out some songs and chatter there are no overdubs, tuning or studio wizardry. What the audience heard is what you you’ll hear.

As I’ve said in the past, I’m a big fan of these guys, but this is not their best offering.  It’s difficult not to compare it to Live From Atlanta but the similarities are too great not to.  The set list is pretty similar though this show is shorter and seems a bit less “organic”.  The chatter between songs isn’t nearly the quality that it is on Atlanta and there are a couple of times where Jack and Carry just seem out of sorts.  As an example Vineyard just seems to stop mid song.  That said, they’ve done that song so many times on so many albums that not hearing it isn’t too much of a loss (though it’s still one of my favorites).

Even though there’s some bad, there’s quite a bit of good as well.   JP’s cover of Please Come To Boston is quickly becoming of my favorites and hearing Jacob live (especially with this intro) is always a treat.  Here’s the full track list:

1 Everything I’m Not
2 Trials
3 Woman As Salvation
4 Valencia
5 Late Shift
6 Jack’s Gratitude
7 Please Come To Boston
8 Forces
9 You Make A Sign!
10 Come On July
11 Swallowing Teeth
12 March
13 Promise Of Summer
14 Weather
15 Vineyard
16 Free
17 Still Awake
18 Wildflower
19 I’ve Seen Him Around…
20 Twinkle My Nose…
21 Jacob Intro
22 Jacob
23 Finest Hour Snippet/Story
24 Get To Know Me

If you’re looking to get your first live Jackopierce album I’d suggest you skip this one and go with Live From The Americas or Live From Atlanta which will both give you a better JP “experience” than this one will.  However, this is definitely not a BAD show by any stretch of the imagination (just not quite as good as those are).  This is a nice mellow show that you can kick back and relax to.  Personally I’m looking forward to whatever these guys put out.

Chewie Music Cary Pierce, Denver, Jack O'Neil, Jackopierce, Jacob, Live From Atlanta, Live From The Americas, Mile High, Please Come To Boston, Soilied Dove, Vineyard

Event: WrestleMania X
Date: March 20, 1994
Venue: Madison Square Garden (New York, New York)
Attendance: 18,065

We kick off the show with images from the original WrestleMania.  Little Richard sings America The Beautiful poorly.  Pretty sure he was lip synching and he looks like a damn wax statue.  Scary dude.  We get Jerry “The King” Lawler and Vince McMahon on the mic.

Owen Hart defeated Bret Hart
We get a great recap here pre-match.  Probably the best of the series so far.  We’re then treated to a weak ass fireworks display and then FINALLY nearly 15 minutes after the show started we get the first bell.  Owen playing the heel to perfection.  We start out with some good wrestling and reversals from both guys and right off the bat you know this is going to be a good match.  Great stuff.  Bret takes a whip to the ropes/turnbuckle better than anyone in history.  Great looking Camel Clutch by Owen on Bret that they don’t reference by name.  Course not… then it would be a finishing move.  Awesome match back and forth between both guys.  Owen hits a non-named Tombstone and follows up with an attempt off the top rope which he misses.  Owen goes for a Sharpshooter and Bret reverses it but neither man get it locked on.  Nice innovative spots there.  Bret hurts his knee and Owen starts in.  Figure Four, leg sweeps, etc.  Talk about back and forth action!  Bret hits a superplex off the top.  Owen finally manages to lock in the Sharpshooter and Bret breaks and reverses it.  Bret goes for a victory roll and Owen drops down to get the pin and the victory.  Fucking outstanding match.  It made my Top WrestleMania Matches list as an honorable mention and definitely deserves to be there.

Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon defeated Doink the Clown and Dink
Wow… how in the hell did we get here?  Doink and Bam Bam start out with some standard stuff and eventually Dink and Luna get in on the action.  I mean really… how much can you do with a midget against a regular sized person?  Though I do have to say that seeing a midget go off the top rope is hilarious.  Huge DDT by Doink on Bam Bam.  Doink goes for his finisher but misses.  Bam Bam takes over and hits a head butt off the top for the victory.  So so match, but luckily it was pretty short.  Post match Dink goes after Bam Bam.  He and Luna go to splash dink but they blow the spot.

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Randy Savage defeated Crush (with Mr. Fuji)
In this “falls count anywhere” match you don’t actually lose the match if you’re pinned.  You have to also fail to return to the ring in 60 seconds.  Crush comes to the ring rocking a serious mullet and Savage attacks before the match starts and we’re off.  The first fall comes after about 30 seconds or so which sets the tone for the entire match.  Savage has to make his way back to the ring after being dropped across a retaining fence.  Naturally he makes it back with about 1 second to spare.  Crush goes for the dreaded “salt to the eyes” but it gets reversed.  Savage takes over and hits the elbow.  After dumping Crush to the outside he gets the fall.  Crush back in with 2 seconds to spare.  At this point they begin to battle through the crowd and to the backstage area.  Savage gets a pin and then hogties Crush upside down in the back.  Crush can’t make it back to the ring in time and Savage gets the win.  Decent match, but due to whole “get back in 60 seconds” rule we lose quite a bit of urgency.

WWF Women’s Championship
Alundra Blayze (c) defeated Leilani Kai
Leilani looks like she’s been ridden hard and put away wet.  Pretty typical women’s match for this day and age (pre Diva stuff).  Blaze gets the victory with a German suplex.  Skip this match completely.  The only noteworthy thing about this one is we’re shown Volkoff, Lou Albano, May Young and Moolah in the crowd.

WWF Tag Team Championship
Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo) (with Oscar) defeated The Quebecers (c) (Jacques and Pierre) (with Johnny Polo) by countout
M.O.M. raps on the way to the ring… dear lord.  Johnny Polo (also knows as Raven) leads the Quebecers.  MOM in charge early.  Quebecers make a comeback and pull off a nice move where one body drops the other over the top onto the good guys.  Mabel gets a hot tag and cleans house.  The Quebecers get an impressive looking suplex on Mabel (damn that’s a big dude).  They hit their finisher and Mabel kicks out.  Thankfully this comes to an end when MOM win by countout.  Pretty piss poor match.

WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) (with Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette) defeated Lex Luger by disqualification
Mr. Perfect is the special guest referee and Yokozuna comes to the ring first which sucks – champ should always be in last.  DAMN is Yokozuna big dude.  RIP sir.  Luger gets a real near count with a cross body off the top rope.  Follows that with a HUGE elbow drop.  He then goes for a slam and doesn’t even come close.  Naturally after the failed body slam attempt by Luger, Yoko takes over.  It’s not his fault but being so big his move set is very limited.  He goes into a nerve pinch (rest) hold for a few minutes until Lex gets up and breaks the hold.  At this point, we go into a terribly frustrating portion of the match.  Yoko beats down Luger who gets up, gets some offense in for a minute and then gets beat down by one single punch/kick from Yoko and we follow that up with a minute of a rest hold.  Ugh.  Luger fights back to his feet once again and gets hit with a HUGE belly to belly suplex.  Lex manages to hit Yoko into the exposed turnbuckle.  Luger knocks Yoko off his feet after multiple clotheslines.  Luger then follows that up with a slam (wow) and hits the loaded elbow/forearm.  Yoko out cold.  Cornette and Fuji in to the ring and Luger attacks them and the covers Yoko forever and a day.  Perfect goes to see how Cornette and Fuji are but doesn’t make the count.  Luger gets off of Yoko and goes after Perfect wondering why he’s not counting pushing him in the process.  Perfect then DQs Luger which leads to the crowd starting in on a “bullshit” chant.  I agree folks… fucking terrible.

Earthquake defeated Adam Bomb (with Harvey Wippleman)
Pre-match, Wippelman and Fink (?) get into it.  Why, I have no idea.  Who in the hell wants to see that?  Adam Bomb out and grabs Fink.  Earthquake out to make the save and… oh yeah… to have a match.  He gets the squash victory.  Bad but mercifully quick.

Ladder Match For The WWF Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon (c) defeated Shawn Michaels (with Diesel)
This is the ladder match that started it all.  No rules.  The storyline here is Shawn Michaels has a belt that he claims he is the rightful owner of since he never lost it.  Razor’s got a belt that he won when Shawn vacated his title.  To win, you’ve got to scale the ladder and retrieve both belts.  Outstanding mullet for Shawn who’s led to the ring by Diesel.  Razor’s out to some of my all time favorite entrance music.  No ref in the ring but have a couple outside the ring.  Great back and forth action here at the beginning.  Diesel gets involved and nails Razor on the outside.  He promptly gets removed from ringside for the duration of the match.  This naturally makes no fucking sense cause there are NO RULES in this match, so technically what he did was just fine.  In any case, the match continues and Razor removes the padding from the concrete and immediately gets back body dropped out of the ring onto the exposed floor.  Sucks for you Razor.  HBK gets the ladder and begins laying into Razor.  He hits the “ass out” elbow off the ladder which is hilarious.  HBK slams Razor and then proceeds to splash him off the ladder for a what I consider to be my first true “holy shit” moment in professional wrestling.   Razor turns it around and nails Shawn with the ladder out of the ring.  Razor attempts to climb the ladder but Shawn comes off the turnbuckle knocking Razor off the ladder.  Both men climb the ladder and Razor hits a suplex off the ladder.  At this point, the original ladder is broken and twisted.  Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music and follows that up with a big pile driver.  Shawn then “rides” the ladder out of the corner onto Razor – great spot.  Shawn sets up Razor under the ladder and attempts to climb the ladder.  Razor back up and knocks Shawn off the ladder who gets crotched on the top rope in the process.  Shawn’s leg gets wrapped up in the ropes and he can’t get free to stop Razor from climbing the ladder and grabbing the belts and the victory.  Absolutely AWESOME match which is why it made my Top 10.

WWF Championship
Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna (c) (with Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette)
Roddy Piper is the special guest referee for this match and Yoko once again comes to the ring first.  Interesting to note that this is the second WrestleMania is a row where this is the billed main event.  Nice that we get an actual match this time rather than the screwy “Insert Hulk Hogan As Champ” that we got last year.  Bret’s really limping on his way to the ring selling his injury from his previous match nicely.  Yoko takes over early and is in charge for the majority of the match.  Bret manages some offense and Yoko strikes back to take the advantage.  Piper is REALLY fast with his counts on chokes, count outs, etc.  It’s very weird that for such a big guy, Yokozuna never really sweats.  He’s gassed but not sweating.  Yoko charges into a corner and misses which Bret follows up with a bulldog, a forearm off the 2nd rope and a clothesline leading to a bunch of near falls.  Bret goes for another and is caught with a big belly to belly suplex.  Yoko drags Bret to the corner to go for the Banzai Drop and falls off the ropes?  What the fuck?!?!?  Bret gets the pin without another move.  Absolutely terrible ending to a pretty decent match.  Post match, the locker room empties and comes into the ring to give Bret his props.  Owen comes out and scowls at Bret as the show goes off the air.

General Thoughts

• The Heavenly Bodies beat The Bushwhackers in a dark match.
• Throughout the DVD, we’re showing “WrestleMania Moments” from the previous events.
• I absolutely LOVED Vince McMahon when he was a “just” a ring announcer.  Pure gold on the mic.
• The opener here between Bret and Owen is better then the entire WrestleMania IX card put together.
• The “celebrities” for this event are terrible.  Sy Sperling (the Hair Club For Men guy) and a Bill Clinton lookalike?  Come on.  Rhonda Shear and Donnie Whalberg as timekeeper and announcer?  The one bright spot here is Jenny Garth as the guest timekeeper for the main event… nice.  Love me some 90210.
• The ring sounds completely “hollow” during the counts.
• Pretty sloppy programming as there was a 10 man tag match that was apparently scheduled and scrapped.
• Even though there’s some stinkers in here, the fact that it contains two of my Top WrestleMania Matches makes it a decent show.

Chewie The WrestleMania Project "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, 90210, Adam Bomb, Alundra Blayze, Bam Bam Bigelow, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Crush, Diesel, Dink, Doink The Clown, Earthquake, Harvey Wippleman, Howard Finkel, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Jim Cornette, Johnny Polo, ladder match, Leilani Kai, Lex Luger, Luna Vachon, Mabel, Men On A Mission, Mo, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Perfect, Owen Hart, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Raven, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, The Bushwhackers, The Heavenly Bodies, The Quebecers, Vince McMahon, WWF Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship, WWF Tag Team Championship, WWF Women's Championship, Yokozuna

V For Vendetta (2005)
Another story from comic legend Alan Moore.  Watching this movie I couldn’t help see the similarities with Watchmen (a post “bad shit” look at a city) and recognize just how fucked up Moore really must be.  Natalie Portman plays a great role here as does Hugo Weaving (though he’s clad the entire movie in a mask so all you’re hearing is his iconic voice).  At times this was a very slow flick but that’s to be expected with an adaptation of Moore’s work.  What I will say is I was very much “involved” in the story and there was a very large sense of “How is this going to end?” which is what you’d hope for in a flick like this.  There’s actually very little action in this movie and with the exception of the final showdown with V nothing really to write home about.  That said, if you’re looking for a very cerebral movie and you’re willing to put in the time this was a very enjoyable experience.

Revenge Of The Ninja (1983)
After putting together my list of Top 80′s Action Movies I decided to add this to my Netflix queue to see if it was as good as I remembered it.  If I’m looking at it as a stand alone movie, it’s absolutely fucking terrible.  The dialogue is bad and the plot line is worse.  However… I absolutely LOVED watching this one again and stand by keeping it on my list.  It brought back so many memories and reminded me why I loved ninja movies as a kid.  The action sequences are great (though a little hokey) and the final fight scene which lasts nearly 15 minutes is epic.  If you’re a fan of old school ninja movies with tons of weapons and some lip syncing thrown in for good measure you’ll enjoy this one.

The Break-Up (2006)
It’s not often that the wife and I agree on a flick, but based on the previews and the case (Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston) we thought this might be one that would work.  And it did… for the first 90 minutes or so and then completely fell apart.  When you’re watching one of these types of flicks, you’re waiting for the feel good ending.  I’ve said many times that I’m a “movie ending” guy.  If the flick is great but the ending sucks the flick sucks.  So… in a movie called The Break-Up you’re expecting to see the break up, and then toward the end you’re waiting for the reconciliation.  Unfortunately in this one, we’re not given the payoff.  What we’re left with is some terribly executed “try to be smart” ending that leaves you completely unsatisfied.  Too bad too cause Vince, Jennifer and John Favreau give some outstanding performances.  (And guys… if you’re a Jennifer fan this is the best I remember her looking in a LONG time… wow).  If you’re looking for some giggles watch the first hour and then turn this shit off.

Chewie Movie Reviews, Spoilers Alan Moore, bad ending, comic book movie, Hugo Weaving, Jennifer Anniston, John Favreau, Natalie Portman, Revenge Of The Ninja, Sho Kosugi, The Break-Up, V For Vendetta, Vince Vaughn

BOOK DETAIL/INFORMATION:

This is the sixth Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker.  It was originally published in 1980.  The book’s title character Rachel Wallace would go on to be a recurring character in the Spenser universe.

Preceded By: The Judas Goat
Followed By: Early Autumn

PLOT SUMMARY:
Rachel Wallace is a lesbian feminist author who hires Spenser for a security detail.  She’s completely biased against him and his macho ways and eventually fires him.  Afterwards, she is kidnapped and “The Code” kicks in and Spenser takes it upon himself to rescue her.

COMMENTARY:
This is a pretty straight forward Spenser novel which is to say that I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Parker deals with some pretty heavy issues for the time.  Sure these days lesbians in the media are a dime a dozen, but back when this was published in 1980 they were few and far between.  The first time I read this I don’t recall enjoying this one all that much, but years later when re-reading for this blog I find that this stretch (from Mortal Stakes through A Savage Place) are some of my favorites.  As always, Parker makes me laugh at least a couple of times during each novel.  One instance between Spenser and Rachel in particular had me rolling:

“I am told you are quite tough.”
“You betcha,” I said.  “I was debating here today whether  to have lobster Savannah or just eat one of the chairs.”

I’m a big fan of the Spenser “universe” as a whole and it’s always nice to see the origin of the characters which pop up from time to time.  Now that Dr. Parker is gone there won’t be any more entries into the Spenser series but we can always go back and read his older works.  If you haven’t yet, this is a good one to check out.

Chewie Book Reviews code, Early Autumn, incredible dialogue, Rachel Wallace, Robert B. Parker, Spenser, Susan Silverman, The Judas Goat

One last LeBron-centric post and then I’ll be done on the topic for the foreseeable future.

• People say that Gilbert’s response makes him look ridiculous.  Personally I think it makes him look like an owner who gives a shit.  Sure he may scare away a couple of potential free agents with that blast, but I’m guessing in the end it may show how passionate he is.
• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m not upset that James is leaving Cleveland.  He’s earned the right to go where he feels he’s in the best situation.  What I take issue with is the public bitch slap of Cleveland on national TV.  There’s a way to handle your “bidness” and James simply didn’t do it.
• To that end, I think LeBron’s been getting some very bad advice for the last year.  An “adult” would never have allowed him to conduct himself in this manner.
• Not sure what the tone is like outside of Cleveland, but in my eyes with last night’s move, he went from Jordan comparisons to Pippen comparisons.  Even if he starts winning he’ll never have been “the man”.
• I think it’s effing hilarious that LeBron’s got a “donate” button on his website.  If you’re donating to King James you’re dumber than a box of hammers.
• LeBron seemed genuinely shocked last night when shown images of his jersey being burned.  Really?  He didn’t see that coming?
• It won’t happen, but it would be awesome if Cleveland sold out every game next year.
• LeBron (or more likely his people) called the paparazzi to ensure that they’d be on hand for his arrival at 3:00 AM last night.  Come on dude.
• Speaking of calling… LeBron never even called the Cavs personally and informed them of his decision.  Sack up dude.  I said that you don’t owe Cleveland anything, but you owe the Cavs that.
• I saw tweet that rang true today: “Born here. Raised here. Played here. Betrayed here.”
• Anytime I can reference one of my favorite movies I will: “It’s all on the wheel… it all comes around.”
• One last thought… I was a CAVS fan long before LeBron James, and I’ll continue to be a CAVS fan now that he’s gone.

Chewie Commentary, Sports Cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, Lebron James, Michael Jordon, paparazzi

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that tonight LeBron James went on ESPN during prime time and told the world that he was going to be leaving Cleveland for greener pastures with the Miami Heat.  If I’m being honest, the decision didn’t really come as much of a surprise to this Cleveland fan.  I can’t blame James for wanting to put himself in the best situation.  That’s his right not only as an athlete, but also as a businessman.  What I can and DO fault him for is the method in which he carried out he defection from Cleveland.

James obviously doesn’t care what it’s going to do to the city and when it boils right down to it he shouldn’t.  That issue should have been dealt with long ago by the city’s politicians.  I guess what irritates me the most is that I got duped.  I got fooled into believing that words like “loyalty” meant something to LeBron.  And PLEASE don’t lump me in with those people that feels LeBron “owes” Cleveland something… he doesn’t.  What I don’t like is the fact that for years he told us THIS is where he wanted to be, that he wanted to put Akron/Cleveland on the map, etc.  I’ll give him one thing… at least he didn’t follow the money.  He’s going where he feels that he’s got the best chance to win a championship.  Good for him.

What really floors me about this whole situation is how James seems to no longer care about his legacy.  I was always under the impression that he wanted to be known as the best ever.  With this move, he just cemented the fact that he’ll never be known that way.  Even if he wins a slew of NBA championships now, he’ll be known as “one of the guys” rather than “THE guy who could elevate his team.”  I’m not sure if he knows that quite yet.  Who knows… maybe he doesn’t care.  Two days ago he was trying to get Chris Bosh to come to Cleveland.  Now he’s turned from the King to a follower.  All I know is James better take his family (mom included) and leave town never to return.  I hate to say it, but it’s no longer safe for him here.  There are too many crazies in this town.  One thing’s for sure… Art Modell is a happy guy tonight.  He’s no longer the most hated guy in Cleveland history.

When I logged on to the Cavs site tonight I was greeted with this open letter from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.  I’m archiving it here cause quite frankly I don’t think it’ll be around long.  Regardless of how everything plays out, THIS is the kind of owner that I want running the show.  Not sure how long this link will be active, but for now you can view it here: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

Rock on Dan Gilbert – my respect just went up tenfold.

For those too lazy to click on the link, I’ll leave you with Mr. Gilbert’s letter and one final thought.  Get a good night’s sleep Cleveland… if there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s bouncing back.  See you on the flip side.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….

Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Chewie Commentary, Sports Art Modell, Chris Bosh, Cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, ESPN, Lebron James, Miami Heat, NBA

LeBron James is going on ESPN tonight to tell the world where he’ll be playing next year.  I’m to the point now where I’m completely sick of the sports angle of the story and quite frankly I just want to get it done with.  However, there’s another angle to this story that folks in Cleveland aren’t really talking about, and honestly for the city of Cleveland it’s probably more important than bringing a championship here.  Economic viability.

According to Reuters, Cleveland is already the “Most Miserable City In The USA” – and that’s WITH King James here leading the Cavs.  Can you even imagine what would happen when he leaves?  I can very easily see the following scenario unfold over the next 2-3 years.

1. James leaves and the Cavs turn into the Clippers of the east.
2. Dan Gilbert, a great businessman, knows when to cut his losses and sells the team.  New owner not nearly as willing to spend money to build a winner.
3. Fans stop coming downtown cause they’re too bitter about losing James and can’t stand to see a team that no longer has a chance to win, let alone bring any free agents.
4. The Indians are still miles away from being a contender having an ownership that simply will not spend money and gets pissed at the fans for not supporting them.
5. The Browns, even though they have a “loyal to a fault” fan base, STILL only have 8 home games a year.
6. Businesses continue to leave downtown Cleveland and it begins to share more and more similarities with Detroit.
7. We finally get our casino, but it’s about 10 years too late.

Perhaps I’ve missed it, but has Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson said ANYTHING about LeBron?  If it were me I’d be on his doorstep offering him anything he wanted.  Key to the city?  You got it.  LeBron James Avenue?  No problem.  You want a helipad added to the Q so you can fly from Akron to Cleveland on game day?  Yessir.  I’m not going to go into a “Frank Jackson sucks” rant here, but if he’s NOT doing this kind of stuff, it just tells me that he has absolutely no idea how important LeBron is to his city’s viability.

I sure do hope I’m wrong, but I’m not seeing great things on the horizon for the city I love so much.

Chewie Commentary Cleveland, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, downtown, economy sucks, ESPN, Frank Jackson, Lebron James, mayor, Reuters

So Lebron James is going to have a press conference Thursday evening at 9:00 on ESPN to let us know where he’ll be playing next season.  As a lifelong Cavs fan I can confidently say, “Who fucking cares.”  I can’t even begin to tell you how sick of this story I am.  For MONTHS now I’ve been subject to hearing about this story every single day.  Every day since he and the rest of the Cavs choked away their chance at a championship that is.  Every day since LeBron simply stopped playing.

Is he a great basketball player?  Sure he is but he’s won exactly the same amount of NBA championships as I have… ZERO.  Am I bitter?  Sure I’m bitter.  I’m a Cleveland fan who’s been fucked over so many times by the sports Gods that I’m sick of it.

• The Drive
• The Fumble
• The Jordan Shot Over Ehlo
• The 95 Indians
• The 97 Indians
• Art Modell Moving The Browns

Need I go on?  Needless to say I’m sick and tired of being on the short end of the sports spectrum.  So I see this going down in one of two ways.

1. LeBron gets to the end of his ego-inflating TV time and tells the world that he’s decided that even though he loves Cleveland/Akron, he’s decided to do, “What’s best for him, his family and his career” and go play with [Insert Team Here].
2. LeBron gets to the end of his ego-inflating TV time and tells the world that he’s decided that he love “home” so much he’s going to stay in a Cleveland uniform.

Quite honestly, I’ve got huge issues with either.

In scenario #1, he instantly becomes the biggest dick in sports history by essentially “breaking up” with a city on national TV.  Come on dude… even Tiger Woods has more class than that.  And I’m not just talking Cleveland fans here.  Sure we’ll be pissed, but let’s face it, we can handle it.  I’m thinking this is the kind of stuff that the whole sports world will look at and be like, “What a dick move that was.”  Art Modell is PRAYING for this to happen.  He’ll no longer be the most hated dude in C-Town.

In scenario #2, he instantly (again) becomes the biggest legend in Cleveland sports.  But he cements (at least in my mind) the fact that he’s got the biggest ego that I’ve ever seen.  Again… I’m not calling into question how good he is as a basketball player.  He’s awesome.  In fact, he’s the second best player I’ve ever seen play (behind Jordan).  And therein lies the problem.  I don’t recall Michael Jordon, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, etc. EVER holding an hour long, prime time event just to tell the world what his decision is.  Hell, in Kobe’s case, it took RAPE for people to care this much.  But at least Kobe’s a winner… LeBron can’t say that much yet.

So… I spose I’ve come this far, I might as well make a prediction.  I’m thinking at the end of it all, LeBron is going to stay.  Based on the fact that his ego is just SO damn big I can’t see him taking the kind of publicity hit that scenario #1 would induce.  If he’s going to leave Cleveland, I’m guessing he would have done it nice and quietly and then moved on to other things.

I had a co-worker bring up an interesting (though I think pretty far-fetched) theory.  Maybe… just maybe, LeBron is going onto TV to tell the world just how damn great Cleveland is and he thinks the rest of the world should stop making “Mistake By The Lake” references and reminding us that our river caught on fire.  Yeah… like I said… pretty far fetched.

In all fairness, the one GOOD thing that I see coming out of all of this is the Boys and Girls Club of America is getting all the proceeds from any advertising dollars spent during LeBron’s hour on ESPN.  That’s a good thing.  One more way to enforce on our young children that ego pays.

Chewie Commentary, Sports athlete, Cleveland, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Craig Ehlo, ego, ESPN, Lebron James, Michael Jordon, NBA, press conference, The Drive, The Fumble, Tiger Woods

So it’s Independence Day weekend.  That means (among other things), a day off work, cookouts, family and FIREWORKS!  The wife absolutely LOVES them and she takes the opportunity to see just as many shows as possible.  I believe this year we’ve got Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings lined up.

The boys love them as well (though I think they’re more enamored with the fact that they get to stay up past bedtime).  Being Super Dad, I figured I’d look into getting a few that we could light off in the backyard and ran across this law:

Sparklers, trick noisemakers & novelties are exempt under Ohio law. Other consumer fireworks may be sold to Ohio residents upon execution of a form agreeing to take the items out to the state within 48 hours, or to out-of state residents upon execution of a form agreeing to take the items out the state within 72 hours.

So what you’re telling me is I can BUY them but can’t set them off?  Unless of course I’m going to take them out of the state.  Hey, thanks Ohio… that’s convenient.

Chewie Random Stuff 4th Of July, fireworks, Independence Day, Mom, my boys, O, Ohio, Super Dad