i/denti/tee

History

Style

"It's cool, never slippin', when it's moves to make..."

Black Thought - Stay Cool

When I write, I usually start an article with either some poetry from Langston Hughes, or a line from a song that's relevant to the story and or how I feel.

Say word

T-shirts have been a way of self expression for decades, as I can recall doing my best to be different in wearing t-shirts and sneakers that no one else had. Exclusivity is what drove me to search for the shirts and kicks off the beaten path. 

There is a new line of shirts built on a love of music. The brand, i/denti/tee, allows people to create personalized apparel using lyrics that begin with the letter "i". It is packaged in a 12" vinyl album cover, and has a coupon redeemable for 10 songs on iTunes. 

I've come up with a few lyrics that I'd like to see on a tee:

"I've got so much trouble on my mind..." - Chuck D - Welcome to the Terrordome

"I got a mojo too..." - Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coohie Man

"I got soul, and I'm superbad..." - James Brown - Superbad parts 1&2

"I can't deny how the mami's feel..." - Peedi Crakk - Flipside

The Wizard

Pauley Pavilion

A beautiful mind

Life lessons

I've been scared and battered.

My hopes the wind done scattered.

Snow has friz me,

Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they done

Tried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin' -

But I don't care!

I'm still here!

Langston Hughes - Still Here

I graduated from Temple University. However the cherry and white wasn't my first, or second choice for school. Its a bit of a long story, so in short, I was 16 entering my senior year of high school, so when I began to apply for college, I needed my mother's stamp of approval because I was a minor.

The only school that mattered to me was UCLA. I'm a big sports fan and no school has a tradition and history like the Bruins. My problem wasn't picking a school, or grades for that matter, it was convincing mom to let me go 3,000 miles away from home. Without much discussion the decision was made, as the happy medium between UCLA and Howard was none other than Temple.

Now don't get me wrong...I LOVE TU, and I have had the opportunity to live my dream of being on television because of my education, friends, and college family. So while I cheer for the Owls, I have kept a special place in my heart for Yook-LA!

Like my alma mater the University of California Los Angeles has a legendary basketball coach, and I have learned a great deal from them both. For obvious reasons the personal friendship/relationship that I have with Coach John Chaney is something that I could never put a price on or explain. He is a father to all those that have played and worked under him. Coach John Wooden has impacted my life as well, even though I didn't play for him. In fact, I've never met the man, but his teachings and example have helped me in basketball and life.

Coach Wooden has several principles for the game of life, called the pyramid of success. The following are the ones that mean the most to me:

• You must have faith; faith is believing that things will turn out as they should
• Be quick, but don't hurry
• Failing to prepare...is preparing to fail
• There is no substitute for hard work
• There is nothing stronger than gentleness
• You must maintain self-control
• Be loyal to yourself, and all who are depending upon you...keep your self respect
• You must have patience; good things take time
  

The first time I visited the city of angels, I wanted to see all the sights from the HOLLYWOOD sign to Rodeo Drive. However the one place I wanted to go more than anything was UCLA, and the famed Pauley Pavilion where the greatest college basketball program in the world has played for over 40 years.

The school is in Westwood, right next to Bel Air, and Beverly Hills. Walking on that campus was surreal. Not because I always wanted to go there, but because compared to the east coast, THIS is what college life is all about. In a word, WOW, the campus is beautiful, as are the people, and weather. Maybe someday I can attend grad school or film school at the school that for me, never was. In the meantime, its a dream and a fantasy.

World Renowned

Kobe takes the global stage

But someday, somebody'll

stand up and talk about me

and write about me

black and beautiful

and sing about me

and put on plays about me!

I reckon it'll be

me myself

Yes it'll be me!

Langston Hughes

Kobe Bryant is the BEST basketball athlete in the world. Yes this is my biased opinion, however the opening ceremonies of these Olympic Games showed the admiration that China, the largest country on the planet has for him as well. 

It just goes to show you how a child from West Philadelphia, with determination, and dedication, can grow up to become the one person that every other basketball player is measured against. 

Agree or disagree, once play begins on Sunday morning...you can rest assured that Bryant and the men's senior national team are going to do their duty to not only reach the finale, but also win it all, bringing gold back to the United States for basketball, since the Sydney Games in 2000. 

Kobe is new to Olympic competition, however he is no stranger to winning. 

Let the games begin!

Photo: LA Times 

Black Ice

1st on the ice, but not the last
An interview with O'Ree, an NHL icon
AG and Willie O'Ree in West Philadelphia

“No great poet has ever been afraid of being himself.”

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain – Langston Hughes

I have been blesed in my career as a journalist. I have interviewed some of the great names of our past, present, and future. However there are those few instances on the job when I am both honored and humbled. If I had an assignment to interview Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson, Buck O'Neil, or Roberto Clemente, I wouldn't hesitate as they have inspired millions the world over, in life and death. Willie O'Ree integrated the National Hockey League in 1958, and during his visit to Philadelphia yesterday, I not only followed his every move, but I also did my best to give him the respect that he so very well deserves. 

Below is a conversation between he and I of history, respect, dedication, and hard work:

On being the first to integrate the National Hockey League:
“I never thought about it…it didn’t register until later on. I was really excited to play against the Montreal Canadians, who were winning the Stanley Cup during those years. Now I faced a lot of racism, and bigotry, but I always knew who I was. I fought a lot when I played…not because I wanted to, but because I had to. People wanted to know what I was made of.”

On the early years:
“My brother was not only my mentor, but he was also my friend, and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have become a professional hockey player. During my last year of Junior Hockey…in the 1st period a slap shot hit me in my right eye. The doctors told me that I lost 90% of my vision in my right eye and that I would never play hockey again. I’m a left-hand shot, a left wing, so I always had to turn my head to see everything. Back then, the team doctors never checked my eyes, and they never gave eye exams. If they did I would have never played, and I think that today people don’t know that I played on the professional level for 21 years.”

What was it like living in Boston during your playing days?
“I lived in Roxbury, a predominantly black neighborhood, and it was great. I scored my 1st NHL goal on New Years day, January 1, 1961 in the old Boston Garden. The fans there were great…it was when I played on the road in places like New York and Detroit that I experienced racism. And I'm still a [Boston] Bruins fan...a diehard!"

The media created a comparison to Jackie Robinson, talk about that:
“I met Jackie Robinson in 1949. I was 14-years old and he was playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. I told him that I play baseball and hockey. He said that he didn’t realize black kids played hockey, and then he told me, that in whatever I do, to be sure to work hard at it, because there is no substitute for hard work. I then met him again in 1962, at an NAACP luncheon in Los Angeles, and he remembered me.”

Talk about your friendship with Snoop Dogg:
“He is great. Snoop Dogg went on the ice with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and I was asked to attend…after that I had dinner with him and his sons, and we watched the game. His camera crew was there from his show and we had a really good time. He wants to learn the game and start a hockey league. I told him it would take a little time to master and that whatever he needs from me that I’m here to help.”

Watch the video for more on Willie O'Ree: