http://www.fearthebeard.org The East Bay culture blog with a high basketball IQ. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:12:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A few weeks back DT and I had the pleasure of talking to John Salley, NBA Champion turned media assassin, at some length about his dietary habits and his love of The Bay (more on this in future posts). I'm happy to report that Salley is a good cat and ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4077 I am all for giving underdog countries a chance to go against the big dogs. And I would certainly never hate on Angola. But I do have a beef with FIBA, the international basketball governing body. Your tournament is too big. Too many bad teams. Make the tournament smaller. Harder ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4072 There is no doubt about it. Rick Barry was one of the greatest basketball players in history. There is also no doubt that he was one of the most disliked basketball players in history. This 1983 Sports Illustrated profile of Barry in exile is a fascinating study. Memo to self: ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4066 Lately, I've been obsessed with the concept of personal craftsmanship. You know, taking whatever it is that you do because you like it and really turning it into art. And then letting that art allow you the headspace to find some measure of personal freedom from the world around you. ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4063 The show Shaq Vs is starting to become an accident that I can't look away from. Charles Barkley said it should be called "Shaq Loses" and then went out and lost to Shaq on the links. But last night: Bieber. Dance off. The announcing is virtually unlistenable. The setups are strange, ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4050 File Photo Dateline: Berkeley, California; 4:40am Having lived in the Tenderloin for a number of years, when I awake to the sound of large arms fire, I do what any sensible human being would. Wait until the bang bang stops and then go investigate. In the official uniform of such investigations, hoop ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4034 Photo credit: Derek Kettela for Vogue Vogue magazine features women of color in its pages so rarely that, whenever they do it, it must be a good thing… right? So how should we feel about the fact that Serena Williams, the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, is featured in ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4027 Okay folks. Everybody needs to chill! Here is your conclusive, rumor-squashing evidence that Baron Davis doesn't weigh no 260 pounds. Which, earlier today, an ESPN Insider report from Chris Broussard speculated loudly. Midsummer reports weren't good, as sources said the 6-3 point guard was up to 260 pounds, 45 pounds ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4014 You know at the Emeryville Public Market where fools will give you a little sample of what they're serving up as you stroll through. That's what this is. A little taste of Curry to tide you over until you get the full plate in October. In Exhibit A we see ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=4004 I once heard an interview with Nile Rogers from Chic about how they came to write the disco classic "Le Freak." When the band was first starting out in NY, one night they tried to go to Studio 54 and the doorman wouldn't let them in. So, they went back ... http://www.fearthebeard.org/?p=3989