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The Album That Saved Pop Music
Is it possible that Michael Jackson’s Thriller is underrated? No, don’t consult your dictionary, I mean underrated in the way you think I mean underrated. Yes, it’s an album that sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, the best-selling recording ever. And for that very, very good reason, it’s well known as a business and…
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Who's on Tap in the NBA?
Last summer, Brandon Jennings looked like a pioneer who would change the way that young men become professional basketball players. Now, he looks like just another teenager with NBA dreams. Jennings, a 19-year-old from Compton, Calif., had signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Arizona. He wasn’t planning on receiving a degree,…
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Is Minnesota Getting Ready to T-Off?
Al Jefferson are you ready for your closeup? That question is premature, but probably not by much. Jefferson is the all-star-caliber power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and if you know his game well, then your Basketball Jones is certifiable. To casual basketball fans, he’s just another good player on a team that is going…
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How I Paid Down $50K In Debt
For years, I told my friends the same thing. “I made this mess; I’ll fix it!” The mess I made wasn’t uncommon; I had gotten myself deep into credit card debt. How deep? About $50K deep. Ugly, I know. But I retired that debt, plus about $15K owed to the IRS, and it took only…
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A Ring on Every Finger
With the Los Angeles Lakers 99-86 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, coach Phil Jackson won his tenth NBA title. Ten titles is a staggering number—it means he now has a ring for every finger—but unless you bleed Boston Celtic green, then Jackson already ranked as the best coach in NBA history. Red…
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Where’s the Magic?
Basketball enthusiasts are missing some of the best basketball-related TV if they don’t flip to the ESPN News channel after each game in the NBA finals. In particular, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy’s comments to reporters are the sort of thing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert wished they had dreamed up. Watching Van Gundy…
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The Speed to Steal
I was trying to take a night off earlier this week from the sporting world, but I wound up at a place with the TV on. The images were too compelling to not tune in. It was a sports highlight show, and they kept rolling a clip of Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder Andrew McCutchen motoring…
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Who is Courtney Lee?
A few weeks ago, I was debating the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense with a business associate. He harrumphed about the Lakers not playing team-oriented basketball because “it’s all just Kobe Bryant taking 40 shots a game.” I corrected him on Bryant’s average shot total—it’s half that, 20.9 field goal attempts per game—and before he could…
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The WNBA Sells Itself or Its Soul?
The WNBA doesn’t begin play until Saturday when the defending champions, the Detroit Shock, and the perennial powerhouse Los Angeles Sparks tip off in a nationally televised game that promises a full slate of action. But earlier this week, the league started its season with a bang. At a press conference in New York City…
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It’s Only One Game. Yeah, Right!
“It’s only one game.” The announcers said it early and often after Game 1 of the NBA finals, a 100-75 thumping by the favored Los Angeles Lakers over the Orlando Magic. The analysts said it after the game, and for all I know the prehistoric monsters in those ubiquitous promos for the Will Ferrell movie,…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
