Jun 30, 2009
Jun 27, 2009
Lockdawg says good bye to the King of Pop...
(SGVN/Staff photo by Walt Mancini)LOS ANGELES - Since the tragic news of legendary entertainer Michael Jackson's death on Thursday June 25, 2009 at the ripe age of 50 broke and was sadly confirmed sending a tidal wave of emotion across the entire landscape of music across the world, the hours have only crept by. Early reports list cardiac arrest as the cause of his passing but results of an autopsy conducted early on Friday still remain several weeks away.
The Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner spokesman Craig Harvey carefully and delicately suggested that Jackson's death did not appear suspicious.
Pasadena Star News staff writer Dan Abendschein wrote on yesterday that Harvey told a throng of news reporters outside the coroners office, "There is no indication of external trauma or foul play."
But speculation of drug abuse that have been fueled by claims from a family friend have begun to raise serious concerns.
The world is spinning motionless without the "moonwalking" self-proclaimed king and this fan has been muted by the reality that the only star that I have ever identified with as a child has left the earth to be with the Almighty.
As a young man, I vividly remember the joy and excitement that would fill my mind whenever I had a chance to see or hear Michael and his brothers on the radio or TV. When he released his most famous album "Thriller" in 1982 I was only six. I would grow up listening to and at times emulating his magical moves and trying desperately to duplicate his empirical impeccable style all the while thoroughly enjoying his musical sounds that changed radio and would eventually help MTV lead music television revolution.
Deprived of a childhood by a father driven by fame and greed Michael still knew that if he could capture the childlike spirit of having fun flying by the seat of your pants he could and would do great things.
Because of his genius throughout the 1980s and 1990s music was fun and interesting and important to me. His classic hits like "The Girl is Mine" and "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" were chart toppers from the beginning and remain treasures for the ear consume.
Later in his life Jackson would face fierce scrutiny from the media because of his reclusive nature. After his not guilty verdict in 2003 on charges of lewd acts with a child under 14, Jackson became more focused with his three children and only recently announced a comeback bid in March of this year, as a way to show his kids how he made money.
Still dazed and confused by this tragedy, I released a video yesterday saying goodbye to a man that I never had the luxury of seeing perform live but one who has touched my soul in a myriad of ways and one who has been a leader in race relations and social consciousness. The world will be little less fantastic without "the gloved one" may he rest in peace forever.
"Good morning world or what's left of it anyway. The world is mourning the loss of the King of Pop. Words still escape this broadcaster, fan. An incredible, incredible hole now stands in the landscape of music, humanity and social movement and correctness. Michael Jackson through his memory and his melody will live forever but his legacy should be in the myriad of ways in which he touched and moved and inspired a nation, a world, a universe. And now we sing his praise and love him and love on him because of his tragic, tragic passing. We'll always, always have him in our hearts and in our lives as long as we remember that it doesn't matter whatever color, creed, religion. It doesn't matter people, we got to live every day for it's fullest intended purpose and never take it for granted because life is too precious. One love, and rest in peace forever Michael Jackson. This is Lockdawg out"
Jun 25, 2009
FIFA CUP USA-SPAIN: USA SHOCKS SPAIN 2-0, ADVANCES TO FIRST FIFA FINAL
The United States men's national soccer team stunned the world of soccer Wednesday evening with a sparkling 2-0 defeat over No. 1 ranked Spain in their semi-final match of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup at Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium in South Africa. The win earned the Americans their first trip to the cup final in team history.
"The U. S. put in a tremendous team effort and were all over the field," said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque in defeat. "We were surprised by how well they played and we have to take our hats off to them."
The Beatles classic song "Come Together" came to mind as news of the amazing American victory filled the airwaves. "Here comes old flattop, he come grooving up slowly..."
Losers of their first two cup matches against Brazil and Italy, team USA was doing just that, moving up slowly, scoring just one goal in those matches together while playing with very little passion making careless defensive miscues.
Amazingly, behind the leadership of head coach Bob Bradley, they found a way to "come together" at just the right time with an excellent balance of timely offense and stifling defense.
"When you play a team like Spain you have to work very hard and defend as a group," said Bradley. "We made a special effort to try to control their midfield and not let them get comfortable. When we got the ball we knew we needed to be aggressive."
Read more at Bleacher Report.
"The U. S. put in a tremendous team effort and were all over the field," said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque in defeat. "We were surprised by how well they played and we have to take our hats off to them."
The Beatles classic song "Come Together" came to mind as news of the amazing American victory filled the airwaves. "Here comes old flattop, he come grooving up slowly..."
Losers of their first two cup matches against Brazil and Italy, team USA was doing just that, moving up slowly, scoring just one goal in those matches together while playing with very little passion making careless defensive miscues.
Amazingly, behind the leadership of head coach Bob Bradley, they found a way to "come together" at just the right time with an excellent balance of timely offense and stifling defense.
"When you play a team like Spain you have to work very hard and defend as a group," said Bradley. "We made a special effort to try to control their midfield and not let them get comfortable. When we got the ball we knew we needed to be aggressive."
Read more at Bleacher Report.
Jun 23, 2009
Jun 14, 2009
LAKERS-MAGIC:Lakers One Win Away From 15th NBA Title
The Los Angeles Lakers are now one game away from the 15th NBA title in franchise history after a thrilling 99-91 OT comeback victory in Game Four of the NBA Finals that put the Orlando Magic on the brink of elimination in a 3-1 series hole.
The Lakers could not play defense without fouling in the first half and the Magic took advantage.
Orlando's perimeter shooting would be strongly affected by the return of the Lakers defense in the second half.
After the Magic set NBA records for all-time finals shooting percentages in Game Three, they appeared tight missing several wide open jump shots enroute to shooting just 41.9 percent in Game Four.
Trailing by 12 points at the halfway mark, the Lakers got a much needed boost from the unproven hand of fourth-year forward Trevor Ariza (16 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls) to get back in the game.
In the pivotal third period, Ariza caught fire scoring a baker's dozen on a pair of three-pointers, a dunk, a layup, a running jump shot and notched three out of four free-throw attempts. He also had a steal and two rebounds helping the Lakers to impose their will and forge ahead.
The Lakers outscored the Magic 30-14 in the quarter and took a 67-63 lead into the final period of regulation that set the stage for the spectacular finish and eventual overtime session.
Orlando was also handcuffed by 15 missed opportunities at the free-throw line and 19 turnovers which contributed significantly to their woes.
Read more at Bleacher Report.
The Lakers could not play defense without fouling in the first half and the Magic took advantage.
Orlando's perimeter shooting would be strongly affected by the return of the Lakers defense in the second half.
After the Magic set NBA records for all-time finals shooting percentages in Game Three, they appeared tight missing several wide open jump shots enroute to shooting just 41.9 percent in Game Four.
Trailing by 12 points at the halfway mark, the Lakers got a much needed boost from the unproven hand of fourth-year forward Trevor Ariza (16 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls) to get back in the game.
In the pivotal third period, Ariza caught fire scoring a baker's dozen on a pair of three-pointers, a dunk, a layup, a running jump shot and notched three out of four free-throw attempts. He also had a steal and two rebounds helping the Lakers to impose their will and forge ahead.
The Lakers outscored the Magic 30-14 in the quarter and took a 67-63 lead into the final period of regulation that set the stage for the spectacular finish and eventual overtime session.
Orlando was also handcuffed by 15 missed opportunities at the free-throw line and 19 turnovers which contributed significantly to their woes.
Read more at Bleacher Report.
Jun 10, 2009
Magic-Lakers: Orlando Finds Magic Touch
Staring down the barrel of a 0-6 record in finals franchise futility, the Orlando Magic found their stroke offensively, hit their free-throws down the stretch, and stiffened defensively writing a new chapter in franchise history defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 108-104 in Game Three Tuesday night before capacity Amway Center crowd that was raucous and rowdy from the start.
"The one thing that you can't question about our team is our resiliency," said a visibly elated Stan Van Gundy during his post-game news conference after his team narrowly escaped with the four-point must-win at home that turned a 0-2 deficit into a 2-1 sparkling glimmer of hope that extended the championship series.
Orlando's lights-out shooting performance from the field set NBA records for accuracy with an astronomically high 75 percent in the first half and a 62.5 percent average for the game.
It was tale of two halves for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. His championship dreams turned into a bit of a nightmare, after a stellar 21-point shooting display in the first half, the perennial All-Star was ineffective in the second scoring only 10 points thanks to improved close out Orlando defense and an inexplicably poor performance at the free throw line.
In his post-game press conference a contrite Bryant confessed, "My rhythm was off at the charity stripe." Kobe not only led his team in scoring with 31 points and four three-pointers but he also tallied team dishonors in turnovers (four), fouls (five) and free-throws misses (five). "It was a bad night."
After withstanding a ferocious onslaught from the Magic and with only seconds to go the Lakers stood on the brink of putting the Magic into a 0-3 abyss that 88 others before had been unable to overcome in NBA history.
Read more at Bleacher Report
"The one thing that you can't question about our team is our resiliency," said a visibly elated Stan Van Gundy during his post-game news conference after his team narrowly escaped with the four-point must-win at home that turned a 0-2 deficit into a 2-1 sparkling glimmer of hope that extended the championship series.
Orlando's lights-out shooting performance from the field set NBA records for accuracy with an astronomically high 75 percent in the first half and a 62.5 percent average for the game.
It was tale of two halves for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. His championship dreams turned into a bit of a nightmare, after a stellar 21-point shooting display in the first half, the perennial All-Star was ineffective in the second scoring only 10 points thanks to improved close out Orlando defense and an inexplicably poor performance at the free throw line.
In his post-game press conference a contrite Bryant confessed, "My rhythm was off at the charity stripe." Kobe not only led his team in scoring with 31 points and four three-pointers but he also tallied team dishonors in turnovers (four), fouls (five) and free-throws misses (five). "It was a bad night."
After withstanding a ferocious onslaught from the Magic and with only seconds to go the Lakers stood on the brink of putting the Magic into a 0-3 abyss that 88 others before had been unable to overcome in NBA history.
Read more at Bleacher Report
Jun 7, 2009
Can Magic Turn the Trick Or Will Kobe's Focus Be Too Much Again?
After the 25 point thrashing in Game One at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe "Bean" Bryant, the Orlando Magic players and coaches are telling anyone that will listen that they will rebound in Sunday's Game Two at the Staples Center.
The comeback kids from O-town have somehow been able to find their stroke all season after games when they have lost, only losing consecutive games twice all season with their longest losing streak stopping at three. Unfortunately, the Magic franchise has an 0-5 losing streak in the Finals.
"Every team has nights, where you know, you just don't have it." said a confident yet repentant Dwight Howard who only managed a puny 12 points and 14 rebounds in Game One. "I'm pretty sure we'll bounce back with great energy and effort."
Odds on, he is speaking the truth. There is no way the Magic will shoot 29.9 percent from the field, eight for 23 from 3-point range and give up 40 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds Kobe again.
Right?
Read more at Bleacher Report.
The comeback kids from O-town have somehow been able to find their stroke all season after games when they have lost, only losing consecutive games twice all season with their longest losing streak stopping at three. Unfortunately, the Magic franchise has an 0-5 losing streak in the Finals.
"Every team has nights, where you know, you just don't have it." said a confident yet repentant Dwight Howard who only managed a puny 12 points and 14 rebounds in Game One. "I'm pretty sure we'll bounce back with great energy and effort."
Odds on, he is speaking the truth. There is no way the Magic will shoot 29.9 percent from the field, eight for 23 from 3-point range and give up 40 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds Kobe again.
Right?
Read more at Bleacher Report.
Jun 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)