O Converse Chuck Taylor, mais conhecido aqui no Brasil como All Star, faz sucesso há décadas. Não é difícil encontrar gente, por aí, usando. Adultos, crianças e coroas, todos usam.

O tênis se popularizou entre os pretos por causa da prática do basquete, nos EUA. Aqui no Brasil, ficou popular na época dos Bailes Black, nas décadas de 1970 e 1980.

Os Chuck Taylor também são os tênis preferidos dos gangstas da Costa Oeste dos EUA. Não é difícil vê-los nos pés de rappers como Snoop Dogg, The Game, Ice Cube e outros.

“In LA we wearin’ Chucks, not Ballies” -  Tupac, na música California Love.

The Game, que tem aquele símbolo da Chuck Taylor tatuado no pescoço (!), na capa do The Documentary:

Agora uma coisa meio nada a ver, mas que tenho reparado. Os Chuck dos gringos são mais “encorpados”, tem uma silhueta mais bonita e um acabamento melhor.

Peguei duas fotos pra mostrar como os Chucks gringos parecem mais bonitos que os vendidos aqui. Na primeira, Lil Wayne de calça baggy, usando um Chuck cano baixo. Na segunda, Kid Cudi de calça skinny, usando um Chuck cano alto.

(Parece que escolhí de propósito, mas foi coincidência o fato deles estarem com roupas super parecidas. Bem básicas e estaile, por sinal.)

While at the mall last weekend with my wife and kids, my wife gave me ‘The Nod’.  For those of you that are not familiar with ‘The Nod’, let me explain.  In my family, ‘The Nod’ means take off, get away, scram, etc…

We were in the Disney store and she spotted something she wanted to get for the boys.  My 3-year old is very intrigued when we’re out shopping, and has a knack for finding something he wants wherever we go.  This time, my wife gave me ‘The Nod’ so I hightailed it out of there before he could see what she found.

I made my way across the mall’s hallway to the Mounted Memories Factory Outlet.  It’s a great store with some great stuff.  Some of it is very affordable while some is outrageously high-priced.  While I have never made a purchase there, I do enjoy checking out what they have so it was a natural choice for us to burn a few minutes there.

While cruising around the store, I saw a stack of these flyers at the register:

Obviously the headline of the flyer did it’s job as I was instantly intrigued.  Bob Feller and Free Autographs sounds like a great time to me.  He’ll be at the store next week and I have every intention of being there as well.  If you purchase a ball or photo from the store you get a free autograph.  If you walk in with your own item to be signed, it’s $20.00.  

It sounds like I’ll be adding another signed baseball to my collection!!!  Plus, it’s from an in-person appearance!!!  And he’s a Hall of Famer!!!

Stay tuned next week as I bring you the results from the Bob Feller signing.

1986 Fleer Superstar Special with Darryl Strawberry & Tim Raines

What can I say, this is a card featuring two of my favorite players from my favorite baseball era – the 1980’s!!

The card’s theme is ‘Instant Offense’ and I don’t know if a better title could have been established for these two All-star players.

Both Strawberry and Raines were multi-faceted players whose offensive skills were some of the best in the league.  With blazing speed, home run power, and great control at the plate, there was nothing that these guys couldn’t do to ignite offense!!!

Another great card in my Darryl Strawberry player collection has found a new home!!!

The American Hockey League has announced that 2010 AHL All-Star Classic Fan Balloting presented by Reebok will begin Tuesday, December 1, at noon EST, exclusively on the official Web site of the AHL, theahl.com.

Fans will have the opportunity to vote for the most deserving AHL players by visiting theahl.com and completing the official Reebok AHL All-Star Fan Ballot. The players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of both the Canadian AHL All-Star team and the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team at the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 18-19 at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 29 clubs will be represented on the final rosters.

By completing the official ballot, fans will be entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed authentic 2010 AHL All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will each receive an official 2010 AHL All-Star Classic T-shirt.

On-line fan balloting at theahl.com will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 27, 2009.

Of the 488 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Boyes, Dan Boyle, Daniel Briere, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Rick DiPietro, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Tomas Vokoun.

The 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic will feature the 2010 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Monday, January 18 (8:00 p.m. ET) and the 2010 AHL All-Star Game on Tuesday, January 19 (6:00 p.m. ET), and will be televised live nationally in the United States and Canada.

Tickets for the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic – which include admission to both the Skills Competition and the AHL All-Star Game as well as an official commemorative All-Star Classic event program – are $49 (rows 1-12 in all sections) and $42 (rows 13-24 in all sections). To purchase tickets call (207) 775-3458, visit the Cumberland County Civic Center Box Office or go on-line at portlandpirates.com.

*** FROM THE NOBODY ASKED OUR OPINION FILE***

As far as we’re concerned, Bobby Sanguinetti, currently on recall with the Rangers, is the top scoring defenseman in the AHL and should absolutely get voted in for the second straight year. Ordinarily, we would add P.A. Parenteau to that list, but in our opinion he is a graduate and you’ve seen the last of him in the AHL. Corey Locke leads the AHL in scoring, so that’s a no-brainer. Dane Byers has had a good season and deserves consideration as does Chad Johnson. But in our opinion, Dale Weise should get your votes as well. Weise has been all over the ice both offensively and defensively. He has moved up from third line to top line with the Pack, not just because of Parenteau’s call up, but because he’s earned it. With Sanguinetti in New York, and Parenteau out of the picture, that puts Weise second on the team in scoring. His seven goals is second only to Locke’s 11 and he has 10 assists which is third only to Locke (21) and Sanguinetti (16). You also have to bear in mind that earlier in the season, Weise was not getting nearly the minutes he is getting now and is rewarding Ken Gernander’s faith with solid production. Weise also happens to lead the team in plus/minus with a plus-9 and is second in shooting percentage at 0.167%.

Pudge Rodriguez turns 38 years old today.

Still a favorite of all Florida Marlins fans, Pudge Rodriguez should go down as one of the greatest players from his era!!

With a resume that includes 1 Most Valuable Player Award, 7 Silver Slugger awards, 13 Gold Gloves, and 14 All-star games, one has to wonder where Pudge ranks in the conversation about the game’s greatest catchers.

Through the 2009 baseball season, Rodriguez has tallied 2,711 hits, 1,308 runs scored, 305 home runs, 1,264 RBI, and he even has 125 stolen bases to his credit.

As he continues to climb towards a few more baseball milestones, it seems like his election into baseball’s Hall of Fame is inevitable.  One thing is for certain:  He has my vote!!!

Happy Birthday Pudge!!!

For those of you who don’t know I’m a big sports fan, especially when it comes to NBA. And with me being a designer I look everywhere for inspiration. Well today I watched some old clips from the 1996 All-Star game and that reminded me  how ill the jerseys were from that year. I’ve always wanted the Jordan jersey from the ‘96 All Star game but I can never find it anywhere online. I’ve been patiently waiting for Mitchell and Ness to retro it but I see that they’re not making any effort so I’ll just have to find a vintage joint.

I have mad respect for the artist who designed this jersey. Why can’t any recent All-Star jersey be designed to this caliber, it seems like they get worst by the year. This colorway gives me mad inspiration for a few designs that I had a hard time choosing colors for. But on another note the picture below is pure greatness, I would be dumb excited if I could ever get my hands on all of that vintage All-Star Apparel.

One day I’ll get my hands on this jersey. I wonder if they even made this in a size 40? But if anybody comes across this jersey in a size 40 or 44 hit me up with a email(ladieslovetj@gmail.com). Also contact me if you find any matching apparel like the hat or the shorts for example. And when I do finally get my hands on this jersey I’m going to rock it just like MJ did lol, except I’m going to have on a Red Ski Collection Varsity instead of the Bulls jacket, but the jersey will be under the jacket with the white 11’s on my feet!

~Young Astro~

First let me just say Happy Thanksgiving to you all reading this blog. In the past year and a half things have grown a lot and I’m just thankful for all of you interested and supporting the cause.

Anyways, it’s about that time again… you know, for another Weekly Thursday Freebie. Continuing where we left off from last week, we got the 3rd and final free mixtape from Chops. This one has a pretty comprensive list of artists from all over the country. It’s a pretty packed release so this should help add to your music collection quite a bit.

Here’s the tracklist:

Bun B ft Lil Wayne, CHOPS – Damn Im Cold
Young Jeezy – National Anthem
Chamillionaire – We Breakin Up
Bun B – Keep It 100
Cowboy ft Young Buck, All Star – Flossin
Keak Da Sneak ft San Quinn, Bra Heff, CHOPS – I Get It In
San Quinn – Double Dose of Gangster
CHOPS & Kanye West – Live Ya Life
Chamillionaire – MM5 Intro
Kapone ft Lil Weavah, San Quinn – Here Comes Trouble
All City – Get Out My Way
Fabolous, Magno, Paul Cain – Smokin n Sippin
San Quinn ft Mistah Fab, CHOPS, Too Short – Devoted
The Game ft Ice Cube, WC, E-40, Crooked I, Paul Wall, Chingy, Lil Rob, Techniec – Lowrider
Lil Weavah ft CHOPS – My Rims
Keak Da Sneak & San Quinn ft CHOPS – The Streets Dont Lie
Sway – Stereo
Johnny Spanish – Shining
CHOPS – In Love With Your Momma
DJ Clue, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Bun B – Grill and Woman
Keak Da Sneak & San Quinn ft CHOPS – Welcome To Scokland

Link after the jump!

Get it HERE!

Os meus All Star favoritos

Puma

T-shirt Rip Curl

Chapéu Rip Curl

All Star London

Mais Converse

Sweatshirt Converse

Sapatos Pedro Garcia

Ray-Ban

Vogue

Persol

Ray-Ban

© My photos

GCI Open Day: uma espreitadela ao que aí vem: colecções Primavera/Verão 2010

1988 Topps Eddie Murray

 This one may be a contender for my ‘Fab 5′ when I complete my Eddie Murray player collection!!

I have always enjoyed the 1988 design.  A little on the bland side, the overall look of the card has a vintage feel to it.  While not being heavy on the graphic element, Topps did a very nice job of making the card’s design elements flow.  Starting with the color schemes used, they added the team colors into the card’s headline and banner in the lower right corners.  When adding the player photos, they put them on top of the graphic which makes the player’s image really pop off of the card.

1988 was a solid year for Murray.  He played in all but one game and managed to hit .284 while collecting 171 hits.  He was also able to crush 27 doubles, 28 home runs, and drive in 84 runs.  Murray’s amazing ‘batting eye’ was once again on display in ‘88 as he struck out just 78 times in 681 plate appearances. 

For some reason I have a strong aversion to making lists.  Maybe it’s because once you actually write things down your day becomes that much more daunting.  Maybe that’s a reflection on my organization skills or a lack of being goal-oriented, but it never fails to surprise me that I will, without fail, have that much more to do after I take inventory of what needs to be done.  I have an idea of what must be done, but it really hits home once pen hits paper.

That’s kind of how I felt after looking at these teams and left with the task of taking a flyer on who would win this fantastical battle.  I always knew both of these schools had a roster of talent that was pretty impressive, but after actually seeing this team in written form…wow.

I am in no way the type of historian or expert about these schools that my two comrades are.  I simply love sports and hopefully know a fair amount to make a rational decision based on what is presented before me.  No matter what, in the words of any little league mom you would run into during the course of a career, we’d all be winners to see this epic battle take place.

Let the games begin…

OFFENSE

Quarterback – Advantage PUSH

If I had to pick for an overall body of work, it’s Barker.  If I compared them each at their peak, it’s Campbell.  If this game were going to actually happen, neither would be relied upon to do much but handoff and try to not get killed by either side’s linebackers. In a game of field position battles and field goals, these two are going to take a backseat and be that “game manager” type that both can excel in if taken at their best.

Running Backs – Advantage AUBURN

Any sports-liking male who is roughly mid to late 20’s remembers the Saturday-morning cartoon ProStars (It’s all about helping kids!) where the best in professional sports athletes at the time banded together – in animated form no less – to fight crime, protect the environment, and help children with trivial pre-adolescent matters like battling mad scientists and working to rid the world of rainforest destruction.  I’m not exactly sure whether this was some type of off-season activity which perhaps later inspired the likes of Ryan Klesko and Ray Lewis (he was just there to help, right?).

Watch this. Yes, this is was really on TV.  Free, too.

Needless to say any, I have all the respect in the world for Alexander.  Travesty that Ron Dayne was drafted before him in 2000.   But animated Bo Jackson just KO’ed an evil forest robot with a gigantic log!  Sorry Shaun, Bo was a little better on the field too.

Receivers – Advantage ALABAMA

While neither school would boast of their receivers as their most prized position group (skip down to defensive squads for a tick then rejoin me once you’ve been able to compose your blown mind), Palmer is one of those rare college talents that in my opinion one of the better offensive weapons any SEC school has had in a long, long time. Have to take him for his return ability which in a game like this with two scary defenses is vital for field position.

Offensive Line/TE – Advantage AUBURN

I’d take Bama’s two tackles over Auburn’s but the overall strength of this Tiger interior line puts them a notch above.  Plus, Gandy and McNeil are nothing to sneeze at.  With running attacks being the driving force on each of these offenses, both tight ends offer great outside blocking with a reliable short-range target.  Push there in my humble opinion.

DEFENSE – Advantage ALABAMA

I decided to go with a cumulative review since both gentlemen decided to use different front seven formations for which might be a little tough to compare head-to-head.

OK.  Seriously these lineups are a little overwhelming to really even ponder their existence.  Honestly both D-Lines and secondaries are pretty stout with anchoring tackles, premier edge rushers, shut-down corners, and extremely versatile safeties.  The linebacking corps on each squad could each out-play a normal Pro Bowl lineup.  The difference maker in my opinion is Alabama playing one of the scariest 3-4 fronts I’ve ever seen with one of the better nose tackles in recent memory plugging the line and letting these man-beasts run wild.

SPECIAL TEAMS – Advantage PUSH

Great kickers who might provide the only scoring of the game and punters who will no doubt get a lot of action and determine crucial field position in this defensive-heavy battle.  Sounds cliché, but these 4 gentlemen will ultimately decide this game.

PREDICTION

I would be shocked if anyone cracked double-digits in this game.  I would be really surprised if anyone found the end zone unless it’s a defensive touchdown.  Neither team will have the time or ability to pass the ball.  Alabama has the better defense and Auburn the better offense in my opinion, so the most intriguing part for me would be Bo trying to find any hole with this front seven lining up opposite him.  In the end, I give the edge to both defenses shutting their counterpart All-Stars down and this becomes a game of field position and who can generate turnovers.  In a game like that I’ll always go with the better defense.  Alabama will find a way to get their offense in field goal range more than Auburn and that is all they will need.

Alabama wins 6-0.

In modern baseball, Jim Kaat’s career, from 1959 to ‘83, spanned the most presidential administrations: seven, from Dwight D. Eisenhower through Ronald Reagan.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

no mercadão com meu all star!

Oi gente!

Bom, antes de escrever qualquer coisa tenho que falar que eu acho que tô na segunda fase da FUVEST!Consegui fazer 52 pontos! Tô muito feliz! Ah, e nessa foto eu to indo pro mercado comprar uns biscoitos pra ir fazer a prova… nem reparem na minha cara de abatida por favor xD…

Bom… hj eu tava dando uma olhada no Flickr e achei uma gaorta muito interessante que personaliza tênis, principalmente All star que são minha paixão! Amei os tênis que ela fez e resolvi postar aqui, pra galera ver como a criatividade pode ser algo supreendente!

Eu espero que vocês gostem! admito que não sou daquelas que andam por aí de salto e tals… o que eu gosto mesmo é de um bom e prático tênis! Não há nada melhor! É confortável, leve suave e combina com quase tudo… menos com saias e vestidos… só mesmo um all star de cano longo e olhe lá! xD

Bom, espero que vocês curtam muito o trabalho dela… ah e mais uma coisa pra defender os tênis! Eles são um dos poucos adereços que realmente podem ter nossa cara… e isso a LuCy provou! xDD

Eu não usaria esse, mas admito que é bue fofo!

Vaquinha! *-*

garota

M-A-R-A-V-I-L-H-O-S-O!

Pura arte!

ESSE É MEU!*-*

O perfil da garota é: LuCky LuCy … Lá vc pode ver muito mais do trabalho dela! Tem cada all star… um mais lindo q o outro! *-*

Olhãm gentchêm…

A féixxxta de lançamento da minha coleçãozita em parceiia com a Converve (beijo galarãm!), vai ser no Bar Secreto, Daft Punk e Justice vão tocar, Preta Gil vai cantar e vai ser lindo, ok!
Aí vão oixxx modeloxxx pra vocêxxx babarem:

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Tá fácil, né?!
Mentira gente… Lógico que vocês já sabem. Mas é que hoje eu passei quese que a  tarde inteira brincando de customizar All-Star no site da Converse, e não é que (pro meu gosto!) achei que esses aí em cima ficaram bem legais!
Espero que tenham gostado do meu lado designer (hohohoho! ) e…,  se o pessoal da Converse All-Star ver isso e quiser chamar um humilde blogueiro pra trocar uma idéia…estamos aí (modestíssimo e ofereciiiidooo! hehehe ) !!

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #19

1970 Topps - Card #189 – AKA – ‘The Thurman Munson Rookie Card’

Thurman Munson - An 11-year veteran and 7-time All-star, Munson’s life and career were tragically cut short when he passed away at the age of just 32.  A Rookie of the Year and MVP Award winner, Munson was a fan favorite for the New York Yankees.  He was a solid all-around player that had a knack for making key defensive plays while also driving in runs and hitting home runs.  Munson was a member of the Yankees championship teams of 1977 and 1978.

Dave McDonald – McDonald played in just 33 games between 1969-1971.  McDonald has 6 career hits, 1 of which is a home run.  He also drove in 6 runs while scoring 3 himself.

1981 Fleer Jim Palmer

Not a great, but not a terrible card for Fleer’s debut set.

While the photography lacks detail, it is a decent posed photo of Palmer.  Judging by the background of the picture, I think it would be safe to guess that this picture was taken during Spring Training.

1981 was Palmer’s 16th season in the majors.  For the year he 7-8 while starting just 22 games for ‘The Birds’.

Another card to scratch off of my needs list – YES!!!

With the acquisition of this card I am now just 2 cards away from completing my Fergie Jenkins player collection.

When I set out to collect every card issued by a major card company from Fergie’s playing days, I never knew how enjoyable this goal would be.  Starting with zero cards, it was fun to shop for my ‘needs’ and along the way my appreciation for Fergie and his stellar pitching career sky rocketed.  This collection has taken longer to complete due to the age and condition of the cards I needed, but this extra time has allowed me more opportunities to learn about and enjoy stories focusing on Fergie.

Today I can proudly say that Ferguson Jenkins is my favorite pitcher of all-time!!!

And these are the final 2 cards I need to complete my player collection that honors his legendary career:

1966 Topps - Rookie card

1969 Topps

I have every intention of completing this collection by the end of the year.  It won’t be easy, but it will be fun!!!

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #18

1975 Topps - Card #616 – AKA – ‘The Jim Rice Rookie Card’

Dave Augustine – Augustine appeared in just 29 games in the big leagues.  As a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he has a career batting average of .207 with 6 hits and 4 runs scored while getting just 29 plate appearances.

Pepe Mangual - A 6-year veteran that played in both Montreal and New York, Mangual was a utility outfielder with a knack for stealing bases.  For his career, Mangual amassed 235 hits, scored 155 runs, and stole 64 bases. 

Jim Rice – The newest member of the Hall of Fame was a 8-time All-star and 1-time winner of the MVP award.  Rice enjoyed a 16-year career as a member of the Boston Red Sox.  His career numbers include 2,452 hits, 1,249 runs scored, 1,451 RBI, and 382 home runs.  In his MVP season of 1978, Rice collected 213 hits with a .315 batting average.  He also smacked 46 home runs, 25 doubles, scored 121 runs, and drove in 139.  Rice played in the 1986 World Series but lost to the eventual champion New York Mets.

John Scott – Scott’s brief career spanned three years but he only appeared in 118 games.  After two terrible seasons with the Padres, Scott played his final, and best, season with the Blue Jays.  Scott is a career .222 hitter.  His resume includes 56 hits, 26 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 15 RBI, and 2 home runs.

1982 Topps Home Run Leaders

This card celebrates the top home run hitters from the 1981 baseball season.

Mike Schmidt led all hitters with his 31 dingers during the 1981 campaign.  In the American League, there was a 4-way tie for the league leader spot at just 22.  The group included Tony Armas, Dwight Evans, Bobby Grich, and Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.

It’s amazing how much the game has changed over time.  During the 2009 baseball season 23 players had more than Schmidt’s tally of 31.  And there were well over 70 players to eclipse Murray’s league best 22.

Just six days after Selena Gomez & The Scene stole the show at the House of Blues in San Diego, they took the stage once more, in preparation for their 2010 tour, at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA earlier this evening. Hollywood Record’s all boy band, All Star opened for the show.

hmm we like what we hear. Do you guys think Selena and her band are ready to take on a nationwide tour for the upcoming year?

This appears to be a ‘No-Brainer’.  Ken Griffey Jr will gain entry into Baseball’s Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility.

With a resume to back it up, Griffey is one of the best players from the last 20 years.  His ability to hit, run, field, throw, and crush home runs makes him a solid ‘5-tool Player’.  His ability to excel in an extraordinary manner in each of these aspects of the game makes him a very rare talent indeed.

I cannot imagine that he will have to wait long once he is officially added to the Hall of Fame ballot.

And when he gets enshrined, this is the hat he should be wearing!!