Told Y'all I Been Networking!

www.DreAllDay.com

Shout out to the DIME Baller's Network for the post!

http://ballersnetwork.com/p/en/ballers/dre-baldwin-the-journey-makes-the-player/

Bounce Wit' Me

www.DreAllDay.com

Wow, I remember this one so clearly: Late 2000. My team at PSU Abington had practice on a Saturday morning and it was snowing. I drove my '88 Cavalier to the gym and waited in my still-running car for the coaches to show up with the keys to the building.
This was back when I would rock my hoopin sneaks en route to playin ball, so when I hopped out of the Cav, my feet immediately drew attention from teammates.

"Ahh, you got the 'Boings'?!"



The Nike Shox BB4, b.k.a. the "Vince Carters" back then. I was in love with these shoes (exemplified by my wearing them until they literally fell apart 4 years later). The look, the feel, the image of being like VC (who was The Man among NBA Men at the time), all pulled me in, and there was no struggle to do so.

Ever since I donned the Nike Hyperdunks last July, I had only 2 pairs of bball shoes I'd like to wear when (if ever) resting the Hyperdunks: the Nike Flightposite (with the hard space-like outer shell and zip-hidden laces) and the BB4s.

I found out today through SLAM that the VCs are being re-released on April 18. At last, my love has come along.

Politics As Usual

www.DreAllDay.com


I need an encore y'all/ you should welcome me back/ you wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that...

I only write shit when I feel there is efficient or meaningful enough material fro me to put together a good quality post, and it's been about a month since I've had some. I partly blame my use of Twitter. But no matter...

I am in MIA right now, doing a lot of bball networking. I'm in 3 leagues currently and playing pickup when there is a good run to be had (and even in some bad runs occasionally). I may get a team together for some tournaments over the next couple of months; we'll see what materializes.

I have a new Youtube vid that will be going live within an hour of this posting.

One interesting thing about getting to know the bball people around town is seeing a lot of the same players, coaches and referees at different spots as I go to new places. And how different folks see different players really intrigues me.

Personally, I prefer to see a dude play a time or two before I learn "who he is" or where he plays/has played. That way I can objectively decide if a guy is a good player or if he's garbage without thoughts in the back of mind saying, "oh, well he played D1, he must be having an off day," or, "he played pro ball in (fill in country name), maybe he aint goin' hard today." Over the past 12 months, let's say, I've played with/ against 25 dudes who had/ have professional experience during some pickup game, workout, of rec league somewhere in Florida (not considering pro practices or games). Of these 25, 16 were deemed "weak" in my mind before I found out that they play or played in a certain place that, by definition, would deem said player "good." The other 9 were legitimately good players to me at first look, of whom I would, at times, approach and ask where they play at because it's clear that this guy can play. Got it?

This comes to mind now because I have found out, over the past couple of weeks, that some guys I've shared a court with have pro experience or are known around these parts as top-notch performers. You would have to see what I see to completely understand.

Anywho, everything is everything in my world; there are places that I wanna go and I got work to do to get there. You know how to reach me.

All Baskets Are Not Made Equal

www.DreAllDay.com

We all know that there are different levels of basketball one can play at. You know, like high school, college, pro, etc. And we also, rightly, assume that it takes a higher level of skills, talent, and/ or ability to move from one level to another.

Most of us also know that we can only be as good as what we come up against to get what we get. But even I have been guilty of losing sight of that at times. I think writing about it will sharpen my focus, along with, of course, sharing my great wisdom with the world.

The Wire was/ is my favorite TV series of all time, and there is a scene in this show I love that I'm gonna retell right now to support my point. Those of you, who I believe there are many, who are loyal followers of The Wire as I am, bear with me:

Omar is a street thug whose occupation, by his own account is that he "robs drug dealers." Omar is well-known in the streets of Baltimore for his signature long shotgun and fearlessness in his trade, what with every dealer in town knowing what Omar is about and almost all of them wanting Omar dead.

Omar becomes so well feared/ respected for his drug-dealer robbing, he often needn't even brandish his weapon; Omar often simply stands outside of drug stash houses patiently waiting from the temporary hostages to drop their drugs/ money out of the windows just to be left alone by the menace.

One episode of The Wire opens with Omar (who is gay) waking and strolling into his kitchen to enjoy a bowl of cereal, until he realizes that he's out of milk (or maybe it was the cereal that was out?). Apparently Omar's male friend was the one who finished the milk off, and Omar delivers an agitated reminder to his friend before going out to the corner store to get more milk.

Dealers old and young scurry for safety when Omar's presence is noticed walking to the store on this bright sunny day (even though Omar is obviously not looking to do anything but get his milk at the moment). On his way back home after making his corner store purchase, Omar posts up alongside an abandoned house (which we later learn is, at the moment, occupied by dealers hiding from Omar) to smoke a cigarette. In a scene reeking of irony, Omar (whose robbing skills are exemplified by the fact that he is never taken by surprise or "off the clock," so to speak) is startled to see a bag of drugs drop to his feet out of an upstairs window of the abandoned house.

After Omar returns home and is eating breakfast, Omar's partner sees the bag of drugs and appears to be happy with the take. Omar then disgustingly remarks that he doesn't even want the drugs (which he usually sells back to dealers for cash). Omar's partner asks him why that is, and Omar delivers the lines that tie into my point:

"It's not what you're takin', it's who you takin' it from."

(Partner looks at Omar quizzically, Omar sits up straight and leans in for emphasis):

"How you gon' run wit' the wolves come night if you sportin' wit' the puppies all day?"

What all this means... I get approached by players from time to time that wanna ask me to partake in a half court game or want to "shoot around" with me. Good idea by them-- one can only improve when rubbing elbows with better players-- but not in my best interest. I like to play ball as much as possible under the right conditions, and when I step on the hardwood versus a group of low-level performers, bad things can and will happen (namely, injuries and the draining feeling of losing an amount of that non-replenishable resource, time).

To make it to the highest level of any endeavor, the best and fastest way is to show what we can do while in the presence of the people who are where we want to be. Of course, it is not so simple, usually, to round up that audience.

So we get as close as we can; a woman who wants to act on Broadway does some shows off-Broadway to prove her worth. I'm always looking for the best payers around wherever I'm at; players better than I, because that is the only way (besides practicing on my own) I'll get better-- the challenge of stepping up my performance. So even with as much as I love the challenge of a game of 21, I'd rather fight my way of out the pit bull cage than visit the puppy store.

How To Shoot A Jumpshot

www.DreAllDay.com

Since I've established my presence on Youtube, I have received a plethora of comments, messages and emails from a bunch of young players asking me for advice, ranging from minutiae of the game ('How should I hold my hands when I go for a three-pointer?') to the macro-view of bball ('How do I get confidence playing against bigger players?'). I made clear here that I'm not in the business of advice-giving-- a trainer or coach can tell you what to do and how to do it, not necessarily better than I could, but that's what they, essentially, do. That kinda stuff is like a job in itself. Maybe when I'm 40 I could go into training. But it's obvious to me that some of our young people don't like to think, so I'll break down shooting for you all.

OK, that last sentence was a lie-- hire a trainer or buy a Better Basketball DVD if you need to learn how to shoot-- I'm gonna share an anecdote with you all in hopes that what you read my be able to help you in one way or another.

Hubie Brown is a former NBA coach who now works as an analyst for nationally televised games. Hubie is well know for speaking in the second person. Like, say, the Lakers are playing and Kobe Bryant misses a shot. Hubie may say, "Now you see, this is the way you want to defend Kobe Bryant-- get your hand in his face and make sure you don't foul."

One night years ago, I was watching a game on TNT and Hubie made a great point:

"The question in basketball, as in life, is not 'Can you shoot?' but 'Can you get your shot?'"

Meaning, in layman's terms, it is not about if you have the ability to perform; the more important question is, How will you position yourself for anyone to even know that you can perform?

Having the skills ain't enough-- we still have to create the opportunities to show them off.

Gimme The Loot

www.DreAllDay.com

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from - if you are reading this, and you have a blog or FB page, that means you!

(Note: I kinda cheated on this- I have over 8,000 songs in iTunes and sometimes I download artists' entire albums and don't quite get around to listening to them the whole way through. So if one 'unknown' song was to come up, I skipped to the next song I was familiar with. Okay then.)


IF SOMEONE SAYS, “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Quit Actin' - Young Jeezy

One of those mixtape leftovers from Jeezy. Song concept is kinda cheesy, which is OK since Jeezy didn't put this on an album.

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
We Fly High- Jim Jones

Baaaaalllliiiinnn'!!!! Great match. This is one of my favorite 'energy' songs.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Sly Fox- NaS

Sounds like a good idea, but this NaS track is actually about FOX the TV network and Bill O'Reilly and the like.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Till I Collapse- Eminem

Couldn't have said it better myself.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Ride Or Die- Jay-Z

See above. This song is actually a lot more laid back than the title suggests (also in contrast to the Ruff Ryder album song of the same name).

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
You Ain't Ready To Die- Mobb Deep

Yeah, I don't think any of my friends feel that Dre is ready to die!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Bounce- Lil Flip

Hmmm, didn't match well with this one.

WHAT IS 2+2?
Respect- Notorious B.I.G.

This is one of the few B.I.G. album cuts that I routinely skip over. Actually might be the only one (for the record, I only recognize two B.I.G. albums- "Ready To Die" and "Life After Death-" the cut & paste money-grab shit that has came out over the past 12 years don't count against B.I.G.'s legacy. Including the movie).

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
My 1st Song- Jay-Z

Loved the Black Album, right at the beginning of my last year of college.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Let It Burn- Usher

Well-made track by Usher.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
We Don't Give A Fuck- Tony Yayo

Ok... I only like the first verse of this song, done by 50 (..."man up, chump, worryin' is for the weak/ you can hold your own, or get left for dead in the street.")

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
We Go Hard- DMX

A skip-worthy track featuring Cam'Ron.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Comin To See You- Tyrese

I shoulda skipped past this one- I don't even know what this song sounds like.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
My Calling- Jim Jones

This one too.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Greatest Show On Earth- Outkast

Good one, iTunes.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Been Around The World- P. Diddy

Great match!! I like the remix to this song much more, though.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Louder Than A Bomb- Public Enemy

My dad blasted P.E. through our house during my entire childhood. I still know the words to many P.E. songs to this day.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Party Over- Mobb Deep

I don't know this one.

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Say- Timbaland

Timbaland's album had some great production, to say nothing of the mediocre lyricism.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Duffel Bag Boy- Playaz Circle

I don't think I'll die carrying money in a duffel bag. Maybe a briefcase.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Gettin' Money- Paul Wall

Lol, not at all.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Bad Intentions- Dr. Dre

Great Dre track! A good club-going song.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Hot Shit Makin' Ya Bounce- Busta Rhymes

No... nothing makes me cry. Yet.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Still Tippin'- Mike Jones

I fucks wit this song. ("I'm Mike Jones- Who?- Mike Jones...")

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
No More Talk- T.I.

Not being able to express myself through my Internet endeavors would be kinda weird, huh? Not scary though.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Imagine That- R. Kelly

Yeah, imagine that...

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
You Can Never Feel My Pain- Prodigy

I'd change nothing.

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Muh Fucka- Redman

Ha, that's what I may yell out if I get hurt.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Gimme The Loot- Notorious B.I.G.

My dad knows all the words to this album.

Sharing Is Caring

www.DreAllDay.com

* Fist off, as of Feb. 14th, DreAllDay.com shirts will no longer be free. The run has been fun while it has lasted, but anything but free for the DreAllDay staff. so get your orders in while the gettin's good. If you have already sent me an email for a shirt, you will still receive it. After the 14th, I'll be setting up shop for purchasing of DreAllDay shirts.

* On a random note, the Harlem Diplomats group is one of my favorites-- their music painted the walls, so to speak, of my last year and a half of college. While watching a new Cam'Ron music video recently, I stumbled across a clip from the movie "Killa Season." I remember watching this movie for the first time at Wes' crib in North Carolina and us rewinding the below scene about 7 times and laughing hysterically at some of the worst acting I have ever seen (start at the 1:55 mark and watch until the opening credits start!!):

This scene was equally appalling-- and funny!!:





Now back to more serious issues....





Caroline is one of Phu's friends from way back who is a singer. I've met Caroline and we have all hung out-- she was present for the Trivial Pursuit marathon this past summer-- but I had never heard her sing. Caroline has posted some of her skills on YouTube, and if you like hearing a great vocalist, you should check her out here.

Jay Jameson, I met about 2 years ago through playing ball and networking with some fellow players. Jay played college ball at temple and now runs his own training/ workouts/ league/ coaching program out in Landsdale, PA. Jay has more ball handling drills than anyone over ever seen in person, and a very *wet* jumpshot to boot (Wes would co-sign this). From Jay's Facebook profile, he states:

"Don't celebrate holidays or birthdays. I work 7 days a week .. 52 weeks a year.. year after year. I run everyday and i do more basketball drills than any other player on this planet... ( I'm serious about that ). "

Jay's website is here, and his YouTube vids are here. If you are in his area and you need to develop handles or an outside shot, this is the man to see.

27

www.DreAllDay.com

In two days I'll be 27 years old. Twenty-Seven. That's... 3 years away from 30. Thirty!! I have had the feeling over the past month of coming to grips with the fact that nothing is lasting forever. One day I'll be too old to play basketball in local gyms with the "young guys." There will come a time that I'm too old to be an active user of Myspace.com. I could one day have to walk into a doctor's office and explain to the doc what kinda help I need "in the bedroom." These thoughts don't scare or spook me; but they make me think more.

I've gone to a few of Wes' Miami Dade College bball games, and, as a player, I always find myself looking at the participants of both squads and thinking how I would match up against them if we were to be on the same floor some day. My bball-player mind, for example, will say, "I'd easily lock him up/ score on him/ be the best player on such-and-such team." Then the part of my mind that wrote this says, "Dre, you're 6-7 years older than all these dudes!" This, admittedly, is somewhat numbing.

I have heard a lot of people who are considerably older than me says things like, 'I thought my life was over when I turned 30... but that was just the beginning of my life!' I damn sure hope these people are right (and I'm aware that I still have 3 whole years to get to 30). And I figure, I'm in great physical shape, God willing, I can live well past my 70s. That means my life isn't even halfway over at the Big 3-oh.

But damn, what will I do when I'm not accepting friend requests or posting on Facebook walls??? I don't have any children to mold in my likeness. I know I'll still be able to spend as much time as I like in the gym, but without the huge carrot dangled in front of me nowadays, will I even want to? How will I feel the first time a 21-year-old refers to me as "Old Head?"

Dre Baldwin has some thinking to do. And Happy Birthday to me.

Girlfriend

www.DreAllDay.com

I met Phu (that's my girlfriend, for those who don't know) a little over two years ago when I lived in Philly. We have spent a majority of the time since together, including a lot of back and forths from phlly to NYC, and an epic 20-hour drive to Florida. With Phu, I've experienced some important firsts in my life.

Phu gifted me my first digital camera, and if you follow what I do, you know that my work with cameras plays a big role in my life. That camera, which I still have and use to this day, is the best gift I've ever received from anyone besides my parents.

One of my favorite firsts was my first visit to Miami, the place I knew I wanted to live even before I'd seen it. I remember us walking form 41st & Collins to Johnny Rockets on South Beach (below average food); smarting up and catching a cab back. When wintry weather in the northeast stranded us in Florida for two extra days, Phu had a friend who provided us a place to chill for 48 hours when our other option was to sleep in the airport with the 450 people already setting up camp there.

Phu's ability to connect and make friendly with others is quite underrated, and plays a good contrast to my small-circle-keeping, not-always-so-friendly personality. Maybe one day, some of that will rub off on me.

She helped me find and get a new laptop when my first one began falling apart. That speedy response averted a personal crisis.

Ahh, how can I forget the Blackberry. Phu had a Blackberry when I met her, and though I noticed her emailing and web-browsing over time, having that PDA never seemed like such a big deal to me. My Virgin Mobile camera phone was good enough for me.

Until I had a Blackberry. Now I can't do without it.

Phu has been the sort-of default VP of Merchandising for DreAllDay.com, finding and cultivating a relationship with a good guy at a good company for all the shirts that are out there. Any and all shirts you all receive when I'm away playing ball have been shipped by her. Actaully, the first ever DreAllDay shirt was, in a way, Phu's idea.

She has made life very easy for me, especially with all the travel and don't-know-where-I'll-be-next-month lifestyle that comes with playing ball overseas.

Today is Phu's birthday. I stated before that Dre Baldwin is not a one-man show; Phu has been the silent partner (silent to the outside world, at least) behind me, for good and bad, for the last two-plus years. And I thought you all should know this.

So Phu, Thank You for everything you are and everything you've done. I love you, and Happy Birthday.

Play To Lose

www.DreAllDay.com


DALLAS -- The coach of a Texas high school basketball team that beat another team 100-0 was fired Sunday, the same day he sent an e-mail to a newspaper saying he will not apologize "for a wide-margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity."

The head of Covenant School of Dallas, along with its board chair, regretted the outcome, deeming it "shameful and an embarrassment." Their statement also added that the outcome was not "Christlike" or an "honorable approach to competition."

Situations like this are why I at times don't understand why some folks even engage in competition. In the words of Herm Edwards, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!! HELLO?!?!?"

The team on the losing end of said basketball game, Dallas Academy, had 8 players on its roster and hasn't won a game in four seasons. There was a parent who was there who said "spectators and an assistant coach were cheering wildly as their team edged closer to 100 points." Who gives a damn what the spectators were doing? Should they have been crying for the terrible performance of the Academy? At least according to ESPN, there has not been a statement released by Dallas Academy.

So these muthafuckas (Academy) haven't won a game in 4 years, and now there's a problem with them being beat by 100 points? Why the hell do they even suit up??? And the administration of the WINNING team brings heat on their coach for winning by too much??? This is what I call "Reverse Bitch-Ass-Ness." I mean, if the opponent you're facing is not even fit to compete, what do you do? Roll over and hold your team back from performing at the level they have been taught to perform at?

I'm 100% behind the fired coach on this one. The administrators from Covenant cited Christian principles in their reasoning for the coach firing. I'm not an expert on Christianity, but when there is a game being played-- a competitive one-- you perform at your highest level, and may the best (wo)man win. Right? When a boxer steps into the ring, he is coming to knock the other guy out, not to be just a little bit better than an unprepared opponent.

I'm not surprised that there has been a lot of support for the Academy team for not giving up while being beaten down so badly. And this situation may very well be the last chapter in competitive sports for many of those young women, who would rather not play then suffer this embarrassment again. But dammit, if you're on a basketball team that loses 100-0, and adults are mad at how badly the other team beat you, maybe you should hang up the high tops. Leave the real competition to the competitors.