BwB 2.0 and Fresh Clothing!!!

Before the explanation, the announcement. Oh, and read my lame, contrived punchline-fest from yesterday. It gets no deeper.

So the line-up for Blogs with Balls 2.0 is pretty much in place, and the trumpet hath been sounded. It'll be a part of Blog World Expo in Vegas, which will allow me to bask in, or court, that vital (if imagined) crossover demographic. Jesus there are a lot of speakers at this thing. I'm on a panel about resolving differences between bloggers and traditional media, and suspect Amy K. Nelson and I are supposed to pick up where we left off at BwB. Yes, I am talking this up like a pro wrestling event.

The video: USA vs. Brazil at the 1987 Pan-American Games. Pre-doom Danny Manning, the amazing young Mr. Robinson. But most of all, holy fuck Brazil's uniforms are amazing. They are at once futuristic and Naismith-esque, while nearly going so far in both directions that these two opposites collide. Innovative uni design—I'm talking design, not just engineering—is an untapped field of exploration.

Have a nice weekend, friends.

Help me Succeed

Good afternoon sportsfans,

As few of you know, I am a couple months away from completing my Ph.D. in psychology. Before I do so, however, I could really use your help with one of my research projects. I am conducting a 5-8 minute study online and I need as many people to participate as possible.

There IS a sports component to this study and I think that you will find it interesting. The only rules for participation are:

1. You cannot be a relative or close friend of mine (you will know too much about my research)
2. You must be 18 years of age or older and be fluent in English.
3. You can only take the study once. Only once.
4. You cannot discuss the study in the comments.

I will make the findings known once I get enough participants.

Oh, one more thing....you won't be asked to give any identifying information except for age and gender. Your identities will be completely confidential.

Eternally grateful for your help,
Dr. LIC

UPDATE: Response was overwhelming and so many people participated that the survey is now closed. Thank you so much for your help. Results coming soon.

Rational, Collaborative Commerce—>

First special thanks to a special someone for helping me figure all these new strategies out. They are far less demeaning for everyone involved.

First, the reborn donation box, up in the left-hand corner, looking terrible for the next few hours. This one's simple, if you remember and I remind you enough: If you have to buy books, or CDs, or text books, or staplers, or whatever, go through these links to buy them and we get a cut. It's that simple. I'm planning to some more equally logical choices, and some might disappear, but this is an easy way to make FD pay without extra cost or any kind of weird suspension of sound financial judgment. However, if you prefer the latter, please do hit up the Cafe Press outlet. Made up mostly of shit that makes us laugh. And there's always the shirts, prints and such.

Why should you do this? Because I'm now hunkering down to write about Don Nelson's latest lunacy, and its near-inevitable overlap with Randolph's rise. But you probably already knew that.

With These Hands

Yes, that's Kevin Pritchard and Mike Born, Portland's head of scouting, with the FD Book. Click to enlarge if you don't believe me. Thanks to Ben for passing along the photo, taken by Michael Tillery of the Portland Observer.

Between this and the upcoming Powell's shindig, I wish we had included more Blazers. And if this volume of ours is now being used as a scouting tool . . . I'll expect a call from someone's front office any day now.

Earlier: Three years of DIY All-Star anthems.

Happened Upon Innocently

In the latest ESPN Mag's Josh Smith feature.