Today in NYC - Entertainers Basketball Classic Kick off & Family Day

Date:	Saturday, June 12, 2010
Time:	12:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:	Rucker Park
Street:	155th St. & Frederick Douglass (8th Ave)

Chalk it up to a love of Harlem and all things Basketball - plus a zeal for seeing the kids have a ball, while smiling all-day.

This Saturday, Rucker Park will be full with Basketball Lovers, Basketball Players, Children, Celebrities, High School Teams, Rides, Ponies, Horses, Food, Fun, Performances and More. And it's free.

"It's a gift to the community," says Greg Marius, CEO and Founder of the Entertainers Basketball Classic, which puts the Family Day on and, since 1980, has brought Celebrities, Pro Players and Streetball to Harlem's Legendary Rucker Park. "It's more an event to let the community know we appreciate them on a whole, as well as them allowing us to play loud music late in the evening." Laughs Marius

On Saturday, kids can ride Ponies and Horses, get on several rides, eat for free and Play Play Play.

Rap Artist Fat Joe will perform center court at 6pm and the Denver Nuggets Star Carmelo Anthony will be on hand to run a Basketball Clinic for a pre-selected group of Harlem youth (This group has been pre-selected from charitable organizations that serve the youth of Harlem, all availability have been taken)

Entertainers Basketball Classic's Family Day Schedule:

8-11 am – Carmelo Anthony Clinic

12 noon – Mustang All Star Demonstration Game

1:30 pm – Jersey HS Championship

3:00 pm – Celebrity Game

5:00 pm – Bronx A HS Division Championship

6:30 – 8:00 pm – Performance by Fat Joe &
Additional Celebrity Artists

Staying With This Team Through Thick And Thin: A Review Of Mathematically Alive, A Story Of Fandom

A few years ago I heard about an interesting documentary about devout Mets fans like myself. My first thought was INTERVIEW MEEEEEEEEE! But my second thought was WHERE CAN I SEE THIS FILM?

Luckily for me I knew someone who knew the filmmaker and VOILA- I now own the DVD.

The interviews in Mathematically Alive - A Story of Fandom were conducted by filmmakers Joseph Coburn and Katherine Foronjy during the 2005-2006 seasons when it seemed like the Mets were going to take it all the way. And boy oh boy what an emotional time that was for myself and all Mets fans around the world! Throughout the award-winning film (it won Best Documentary at the 2007 New Jersey Film Festival), Coburn and Foronjy encounter die-hard collectors, fans who travel to away games, fans that wait by the players' entrance to speak to their favorite player and a shrink to help explain the insanity of it all.



"We are very social creatures," explains Dr. Daniel Wann, sports psychologist at Murray State University, "and it's very important to us to identify with something larger than the self." Dr. Wann also added that with social aspects of life like family and attending religious institutions on the decline, it only makes sense that sports has crept in to fill that void for many. And trust that no fans are as tightly knit as Mets fans... we're each others' support systems in the bad times and each others' cheerleaders in the good.

Not only did I find this documentary hella-informative, I must recommend it to one and all if for no other reason than to experience the CRAZINESS that is a real, true-orange-and-blue New York Mets fan. For example:

• The collectors who devote entire rooms in their homes to Mets memorabilia
• The guy in Port St. Lucie that painted his house blue and orange
• The chick who dumped her sister's ashes in left field at Shea Stadium
• The ladies that followed Mike Piazza EVERYWHERE he went (in their defense they weren't technically stalkers; most times it was Piazza inviting them!)
• The dude who has the Mets logo ON HIS TOOTH and named his son SEAVER... #iCan't

The film also includes such gems like the guy who exclaimed, "We'd rather be Republicans than Yankee fans," and the other who, after the Mets tanked in the playoffs versus the Cardinals in 2006, said he'd need counseling in the off-season. I cannot make this stuff up!

Dr. Wann makes it a point to say that many of these fans are addicted to their teams similar to how a junkie is addicted to crack. I mean, he didn't use those terms but that's what he was getting at. I think he's right, especially with regards to Mets fan. What else can explain our allegiance to a team that lets us down more often than not? Hell- I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm Jaded and I'm addicted to the New York Mets! But I'm not going to rehab so don't even bother...

Back to the documentary... one thing I noticed that was rather troubling, was how even the super devout fanatics began to doubt and poo-poo the team as soon as they performed poorly. After Game 3 against the Cardinals the interviewees were already walking away defeated. IT WAS ONLY GAME THREE- why the long face???

See, this is why we lose! All these "fans" sending their bad juju to the team at the first sign of disappointment. Someone even said, "Even when we're winning I'm always waiting for someone to knock us down." FOR REAL, THO? Girl, BYE! We don't need your kind fucking it up for the team... can you believe this mess?

*deep cleansing breaths*

All in all I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary (even though the players' faces had to be scrambled out of the shots!) and would recommend it to anyone who loves the Mets, loves sports and enjoys watching crazy fans act, well, crazy!

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Mathematically Alive - A Story of Fandom (2007). Directed and produced by Joseph Coburn & Katherine Foronjy. Now available on DVD. Photos courtesy of the filmmakers.

Lakers-Celtics: Rivalry Renewed

Somebody wake me the hell up!!! Throw some ice water on me or somethin'. I waited 21 years for my Celtics to get back to the NBA Finals vs the Lakers in '08 and now they're about to get busy once again 23 years later in 2010. That NBA rivalry between 84-87 was definitely the best that I've witnessed in my lifetime. The Lakers stars back then were Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Kurt Rambis, Jamaal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo and Michael Cooper. Celtics came to the court with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell, Gerald Henderson and Robert Parish. The Celtics were coached by KC Jones and the Lakers by Pat Riley.



This years total cast of characters doesn't have the star power of that cast, but damn sure will bring as excitement once they tip-off. My Celtics squad returns the starting 5 that won the title in '08 with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. No one expected them to get back to the NBA Finals. No one!!! The Lakers as the defending '09 champions have Kobe Bryant who is arguably the best player in the game right now. The rest of the LA roster is a bunch of misfits. To be very honest, who cares about the rest of the squad??? Aiiight, they have basically the same squad from '08 with Gasol, Odom & Fisher. Having a 'somewhat healthy Andrew Bynum and the acquisition of Ron Artest in the '09 offseason was significant in propelling them back into the Finals. I respect the Lakers squad, but I don't like them at all. I can't help it cuz it's in my blood.



Even though I grew up in DC and constantly saw the Bullets, I became a Celtics fan. That's primarily because of my dad and granddad. My grandfolks lived in Roxbury, MA when I was real young. On those winter school breaks as a youngster, pop would take me from DC to Boston to visit the grandfolks for the holidays. Pops aint one for driving, so we always flew. During those trips we would find our way to the Boston Garden. There I was laced with a Nate 'Tiny' Archibald jersey, other Celtic trinkets andI quickly embraced the green and white as my team.



I grew up with tons of Celtics memorabilia and apparel. I personally have an autograph book with signatures of Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, Bailey Howell, Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell, John Havlicek & a ton other Celtics greats. I got all of those on my own walking various arenas before games when the Celtics were warming up. So understand that a second NBA Finals appearance in 3 seasons is a kid's dream. I've been to tons of Celtics games in my lifetime. I've flown to playoff games in other cities, home openers in Boston and more games vs the Bullets/Wizards than I can count since I do live in the DC area. I went to Game 2 of the '08 NBA Finals and my hope is to somehow get to Boston for a game this series. It might take a wing and a prayer, but I'm gonna find a way.



I cheered for a Celtics squad in '07 that won a total of 24 games and now they're going for their 2nd title in 3 years. Talk about the ping pong balls bouncing your way. I was mad when we didn't get the number one pick and a chance to get Greg Oden. One word: fortunate. Thanks Danny Ainge for the GM power moves, we all appreciate ya. I sure as hell never expected to be cheering for KG and Ray Allen in Celtic green. It almost seems unbelievable.



With all that being said, a brotha is full of energy anticipating the opening tip-off on Thursday night. Once it's all said and done I expect my Celtics squad to send Kobe home lookin' sad just like they did in '08. It's time to raise championship banner #18.



My prediction for the 2010 NBA Finals... Boston Celtics in 6. Just a reminder, I did predict a Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals back in Oct... Don't believe me? Click here...





Peace-N-Love...

G. Mo