The Greatest Film Made Ever...Ever

Greatness Personified

New Banner

You may have noticed my new banner. It was made by my friend Darcie. She's awesome, her dog is awesome too. You can follow her here: http://www.darcieyoung.blogspot.com/

That is all.

I May Need To Add To My 2011 Hot List

I know I said more patterned ties would be on the docket for this year, but this my friends is a hot tie.

Sports Is My Father

People ask me all the time why I take sports so seriously. I never really thought about it before really, I usually just responded with a sarcastic remark and moved on. In my old age I guess I have been thinking a little more about why I am the way I am, that being awesome and loving sports. The reason I love sports so much, and have a deep passion for all things athletic I guess would have to be my dad. If you think this is one of those sentimental posts where a writer waxes poetic about days gone by of tossing a baseball in the backyard with his dad or shooting hoops in the driveway you’re about to be mistaken. You see I am one of the 38% of children who grew up without a father.

Now allow me to be the first to say that this following statement is not an indictment on my mother or any other single mother in the world. The simple statement is that it is almost impossible for a woman to raise a man. It doesn’t mean the mother is not competent, it just means that she doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a young man growing up. The same is true for my mom. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have without her, but without sports I may not have made it this far either.

I grew up in a house with three sisters and for the first eight and a half years of my life my grandmother lived with us as well. That’s five strong willed women and one awkward little boy. They did all they could to make me feel included and for the most part I was, but at times I felt alone. Until one day when I was a little younger than five years old and saw my first basketball game, like actually WATCHED a game. I saw these strong guys impose their will and I wanted to be them.

I spent my childhood emulating guys like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird, and athletes from other sports like Don Mattingly, Muhammad Ali and of course Sweetness himself Walter Payton. As I got older I learned to break down tapes of these athletes and what I began to do as a very insecure child was to use their confidence and bravado to help me through those awkward years. Jordan’s ability to have unflappable confidence, the bravado of Muhammad Ali, the swagger and the walk of these athletes helped me get through a fatherless childhood. Instead of learning to fix cars from dad I shot jumpers to win games in the NBA Finals, a day of having a father teach me how to talk to girls turned into teaching myself how to field ground balls with pizzazz like Ozzie Smith, suddenly the lack of a dad didn’t hurt anymore. It made me who I was, who I am, and who I will continue to be.

I’ll end this by saying something I never thought I would say. Thank you dad, your absence shaped me for the better. It taught me everything I need to know if I ever have children, it gave me an excuse to sit down that day and watch basketball and change my life and gave me a passion and love that many people can’t say they have, not many people can say they are that lucky.

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST AUNT AND SECOND MOTHER A PUMA COULD ASK FOR.

Black History Month Sneakers

Um...yes please.

A Day Late But The Sentiment Remains The Same

Thank you Rev. King. Your impact is still being felt.

A Statement to America

Saturday January 8th was a day like any other Saturday. I woke up; I drug myself up and down a basketball court in an attempt to relive past attempts at athletic glory; I came home, and took a nap. When I woke up I had a text message that I am still struggling to come to terms with. It was from twitter and it was a link to a breaking news story. I opened it up and learned of the tragic events in Tucson and hoped it was a bad dream. It wasn’t.

Immediately and quite expected the question began to be asked, why? And here is where I am sickened beyond belief in some of my fellow Americans. Rush Limbaugh has come out and stated the shooter has the full support of the Democratic Party, Sarah Palin has yelled blood libel at the journalists who claim her past incendiary remarks may have led to this and I call them both fools. This is not a moment to discuss the political affiliations of the victims, the shooter, or the talking heads on tv fanning the flames of unnecessary rhetoric.

This is first and foremost a moment to remember those who were lost. Six people attending a public event to either support someone they voted for or to give their opinion on how things can better be done. We need to remember those who were wounded, among those congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. To those who claim it was the fault of this party or that party I want you to look at the victims. Republican, democrat, it didn’t matter. The person who is at fault is a deeply troubled man who made a cowardly decision. It’s disrespectful to all who were lost, all who were injured, and to America as a whole. We are better than this. We are better than a group of people who in the midst of a tragedy take the attention off the victims and place it on themselves.

It seems through this whole tragedy that we may have lost our way a bit, but in the words of President Obama when referencing the youngest victim of this tragedy, Christina Taylor Green: "I want America to be as good as she imagined it."
Here’s our first chance America, let’s step up.

Happy 2011 and What to Expect

Well readers it is 2011 which means another year of ridiculousness and outrageous statements from your favorite chocolate bastard. I now present you with things I find to be dope and will sport throughout this year.
2011 is the official year of the bow tie as deemed by the Chocolate Puma.


In an attempt to become the black Don Draper I will rock more fedoras.
Damn right Daniel, the casual jacket is a good look.

More patterned ties instead of the solid look you have all grown accustomed to. Dapper!