Business…I got bored last week and decided to rename all the arenas in the NBA. Enjoy.
Forgive me for my departure. Actually, it ain’t got nothing to me. Ask my Dell Inspiron 600m (aka The Brain of Bomaniland). Decided to go ghost on me for a few days. Must say, though, that the technician came and took care of me right fast. For that, I’m grateful. I’m not grateful for the days of the runaround I got from the help line in various continents. I actually think I must have caught a lady at the end of her shit and she just said, “fuck it, I’ll say it’s the battery.”
No, it wasn’t the battery.
Anyway, this story came with a moral–I’m addicted to my computer. If you notice that I’m perpetually on IM, you already knew this. I did not. I’ve been so out of touch with the world because I’ve been relying on the Internet to keep me informed and productive for the better part of the last six of seven years. I don’t watch television news, so I had no idea about this port thingy. Didn’t find out that piece above–which I told people would run yesterday–wasn’t running until today because I could not get to my e-mail. And goodness, I’ve been holding the charge on the boPod for dear life, hoping that someone would fix my machine so I could charge it again without having to reformat.
Yeah man, it’s been real in the field like that.
But I’m back.
And now that I’m back, I really don’t have much good to say. Ain’t that somethin?
Actually, that’s not true. On my technologically-imposed “vacation,” I read Art Chamsky’s Blue Blood, his look at the Carolina/Dook rivalry. It’s an interesting read, one I’d recommend for anyone that’s big on college hoops history. There are definitely problems, though. For one, there’s no excuse for him not more fully addressing integration in the rivalry. He talked about how Charlie Scott wound up being Carolina’s first black player–and the first in the ACC if I remember properly–but there should have been more context considering the sit-ins in Greensboro took place a mere 40 or so miles away. Plus, Chamsky made a lot of mention of people’s races for no good reason. Just would randomly throw in that someone was white and leave it at that. What’s the point, pimp?
He also made me raise an eyebrow at how little of Doherty’s mess he documented. I know enough people that could tell you exactly why Doherty got fired and why he should never have been hired again by anyone else. So why doesn’t Chamsky? I’ve lived here for two years and change. He’s a Carolina grad. He’s got to know more than that. As a result, he did little to nothing to dissuade the mistaken impression that malcontented players drove Doherty off. He should have mentioned the details that proved that a desire for dignity made the players refuse to put up with any more abuse. That’s an important delineation to make, especially considering the hell those kids caught for Doherty’s dismissal. That also would have done wonders for AD Dick Baddour, also.
Must say that the book was very balanced, especially considering that Art is a Carolina alum and has written a lot with Coach Smith. But if you want some great stories and a better indication of the amazing jobs Smith and Coach K have done, peep the text. Oh, and it makes it even easier to hate K. As if we needed another reason.
Anyway, that’s that. Shouts to the folks that recommended new music to me. Being without a machine, I haven’t been able to peep it all. In fact, I’ve only been able to peep one record–The Product, done by a group Scarface put together of the same name. Great stuff. Quietly, Face has had a hand in putting together some great groups that never sell any records. For further reference, check out Da Odd Squad’s “Fadanuf Fa Erbody.” Or however it’s spelled.