The Audacity of Dope

Awesome.

While we patiently wait for Mack & Ryan to release the “Irish Celebration” video, they decided to shoot some quick visuals for their recently released tribute to Seattle Mariners announcing legend, Dave Niehaus.  It’s tough to describe the impact that Niehaus had on any of us sports minded 80’s babies from the 206, but Mack does a great job.  As with all his verses, he has a knack for talking about his own experiences in a way that instantly relate them to our own.

So where were you when you heard Dave’s famous call in ’95?  I was riding in the back of a University Prep athletic van as we headed back from a soccer game (a dub, I’m sure).  We didn’t get to watch the game live but listening to Niehaus’ call was all we needed.  When I saw the highlights later, I already knew EXACTLY how it looked.

RIP Dave.

This is one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen, but damn if I wouldn’t love to try it…

Legos make everything better.

While I’m strictly an Adidas wearer when I’m on the pitch (conversely, no pun, Nike’s only on the court), I must say, the new Nike ad in preparation for the World Cup is incredible.  Peep the release:

BEAVERTON, Ore.– NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today unveils an action-packed film that brings together some of the world’s greatest players to inspire football lovers and sports fans around the world. The epic three-minute “Write the Future” film takes people on a journey that dramatically captures that one moment when headlines are written from a single pass, or one strike can bring a nation eternal happiness, while bringing others to their knees.

Some of the world’s best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Fabio Cannavaro, Franck Ribery, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Patrice Evra, Gerard Pique, Ronaldinho, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Thiago Silva, are featured. Special guest cameos are made by tennis legend Roger Federer and basketball superstar Kobe Bryant. Homer Simpson completes the star-studded cast of appearances. The film will be shown on TV for the first time on May 22nd during the European Club Final.

Directed by renowned Hollywood director and producer Alejandro G. Iñarritu (21 Grams, Babel), this epic football journey unfolds through a match of goal line clearances, game-winning tackles and lightning footwork that literally send a ripple effect across the world.

Football fans around the world will be able to experience the full three-minute film online at nikefootball.com from May 20th at 6pm GMT before it rolls out through global partnerships with Facebook, YouTube and QQ.com on Saturday the 22nd. The spot will then air across 32 countries, sharing the campaign with millions of fans around the world on May 22nd.

This marks the first stage of a journey that will ultimately see fans around the world write their own future through experiences that put them at the center of the action. In June, fans will be able to live like their heroes through a unique experience on nikefootball.com that generates ripple videos and visuals from their own photos and information, placing them at the center stage.

Footballers can then use this creative to build their own Facebook campaign to get noticed and selected for “The Chance” – an elite Nike Academy football camp in partnership with the Barclays Premier League in England that allows players to get scouted and get noticed at the highest level of the game.

“This epic campaign really captures the scale, emotion and impact that one single moment in a football game can have on a player, fan or nation,” said Davide Grasso, NIKE, Vice President of Global Football Marketing. “This is just the beginning of the journey. The next stage allows everyone who loves football to engage and interact in an incredible way.”

The story starts when the viewer is drawn into the heat of battle on the pitch as a ball drops from the air into the path of Didier Drogba. As the world holds its collective breath, Drogba picks his way through sliding defenders and expertly chips the goalkeeper – wild celebrations commence across Africa. But they are curtailed at the last second as Fabio Cannavaro makes a stunning overhead goal line clearance. This game-changing moment propels Cannavaro to pop culture icon complete with television chat show appearances and a song dedicated to his moment of brilliance.

Other global football stars including Wayne Rooney experience how a moment on the pitch can last forever. In one scene, the England striker sees an intercepted pass picked up by midfielder Franck Ribery. The ensuing impact brings a nation to its knees and leaves us to imagine Rooney’s destroyed career and his life as a groundsman, living in a caravan, with Ribery’s image looming large above him on a giant billboard. Fast forward, and Rooney relives the moment, sprints after Ribery and wins the ball back. Personal and national pride restored, we see him receiving a knighthood, with headline-grabbing plaudits, a maternity room full of little Waynes and an effortless table-tennis defeat of Roger Federer. The Rooney ripple effect comes full circle.

Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo is fouled in a game, and as he prepares to take a vital free-kick for Portugal, we flash forward to see the ripple effect if he scores; a stadium named in his honour and a Film Premiere for a movie of his life.

“Every touch you have in a game has the ability to change the entire course of not just those 90 minutes, but your entire tournament or season,” said Cristiano Ronaldo. “One touch of the ball can be an opportunity to leave your mark on the game and write your own future, or equally a moment missed, that creates a legacy for your opponent with their fans.”

Also unveiled is Nike’s supercharged Elite Series football boots providing new levels of performance for players during the tournament. Nike’s Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, CTR360 Maestri, Total90 Laser III and Tiempo Legend III all feature a new performance upper to improve on-field visibility and a reengineered outsole to deliver lightweight performance for every style of player. The Elite Series is available to players at all levels and also incorporates Nike Football+, which features exclusive insider access to the world’s best coaches, players and teams for total game improvement.

Self-explanatory.

The official song of the 2010 World Cup gets a more universal remix and a dope video from Nabil Elderkin.  I wish I was headed to South Africa, but I’m already scheming on Brazil 2014…

Fresh off the Winter Olympics, ESPN.com has jump started my anticipation for the world’s next big sporting event (March Madness isn’t quite international) by posting up their Top 50 Players of the 2010 World Cup.  Peep the article for a breakdown of each player, but here’s the list:

NO.     PLAYER
1     Lionel Messi, Argentina
2     Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
3     Wayne Rooney, England
4     Kaka, Brazil
5     Xavi, Spain
6     Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast
7     Andres Iniesta, Spain
8     Fernando Torres, Spain
9     Steven Gerrard, England
10     Michael Essien, Ghana
11     David Villa, Spain
12     Franck Ribery, France
13     Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon
14     Luis Fabiano, Brazil
15     Iker Casillas, Spain
16     Cesc Fabregas, Spain
17     Gianluigi Buffon, Italy
18     Dani Alves, Brazil
19     Nemanja Vidic, Serbia
20     Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands
21     Maicon, Brazil
22     Frank Lampard, England
23     Andrea Pirlo, Italy
24     Carlos Tevez, Argentina
25     Robin van Persie, Netherlands
26     Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina
27     Diego Forlan, Uruguay
28     Thierry Henry, France
29     Sergio Aguero, Argentina
30     Michael Ballack, Germany
31     Julio Cesar, Brazil
32     Arjen Robben, Netherlands
33     Gerard Pique, Spain
34     Miroslav Klose, Germany
35     Lucio, Brazil
36     Javier Mascherano, Argentina
37     John Terry, England
38     David Silva, Spain
39     Carles Puyol, Spain
40     Nicolas Anelka, France
41     Ashley Cole, England
42     Patrice Evra, France
43     Marek Hamsik, Slovakia
44     Karim Benzema, France
45     Yoann Gourcuff, France
46     Daniele De Rossi, Italy
47     Philipp Lahm, Germany
48     Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast
49     Giorgio Chiellini, Italy
50     Landon Donovan, United States

I’m glad to see my favorite players (van Persie, Cesc, and Didier Drogba) all well represented, but overall, I think this list is surprisingly solid.  David Silva should definitely be higher and some of the bigger names aren’t as good as they used to be, but ESPN did a pretty good job.  What do you think?

Ok, I tried to hold out.  I watched the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics and aside from a few cool moments, I concluded that it was far inferior to Beijing’s pageantry a few years earlier (though my Canadian friend astutely pointed out, “at least ours was real“).  I thought the lack of an electric superstar that the summer games seem filled with wouldn’t hold my attention.  And while Kanye is probably constructing a blog post about the figure skating outfits as we speak, it’s safe to say us sports lovers don’t usually get too involved with ballet on ice.  Besides, with it being NBA All-Star Weekend, Valentine’s Day, and my birthday all rolled into one, there was no way that I’d get wrapped up in the Olympics, right?

Wrong.

Even if the sports are questionable at times (curling is actually really interesting…for about 20 minutes) and even if the weather isn’t cooperating, there’s still something incredible about the Olympics.  These athletes spend every waking moment of their lives working towards one moment, and to see them either thrive or fail with such high stakes at play is riveting.  Plus, I know a lot of sports fans cringe at the “puff pieces” that NBC packages with the Games, but eff it, I like ’em.  If you watched the report on Alexandre Bilodeau‘s handicapped brother and didn’t root for him to win Canada’s first gold on home soil, you have no soul.  His run in the moguls was the most exciting, and fulfilling, part of the whole weekend, hands down.  Well, aside from this week’s Sound Session of course.

Check out the latest episode featuring new music from Cypress Hill, Nas & Damian Marley, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Nneka, B.o.B, El Prez, and more, plus a special Throwback for those who may not have had the Valentine’s Day they were after.  Enjoy:

Show #246 (2-14-10)

1. Emilio Rojas ft. Styles P & Asher Roth – “Bold & Arrogant (Remix)”
2. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon – “Our Dreams”
3. Cypress Hill – “It Ain’t Nothin’”
4. Madlib & Guilty Simpson – “American Dream & Future (OJ Simpson Remix)”
5. Kooley High ft. Median – “Solitude”
6. El Prez – “Burger Time”
7. Nas & Damian Marley – “Strong Will Continue”
8. Freeway & Jake One ft. Raekwon – “One Thing” (Local Music)
9. Blue Scholars – “Michelle Malkin” (Local Music)
10. Marv Won – “The Way It Goes”
11. Sean Price – “Figure Four”
12. No Clue – “Ima Mash” (Local Music)
13. Consequence – “Sounds G.O.O.D. 2 Me”
14. B.o.B – “Down For Y’all”
15. Erykah Badu – “Window Seat”
16. AB ft. Black Milk – “Reppin’ For You”
17. Rhymefest ft. Phonte – “Say Wassup”
18. Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi – “Tightrope”
19. D’Angelo – “One Mo’Gin” (Throwback of the Week)
20. H.O.P.E. – “Me&Her”
21. Nneka – “Come With Me”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?mn4ydhkcymt
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/72622761dc9efd99/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/wo3lbiqbi3vb)

If there are any problems with the links or if you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Those of you who know me in real life have probably heard me talk (at length) about a style of working out called crossfit.  Ever since the homey Dru introduced it to me, I’ve been a fan.  In short, it focuses on simple movements performed at a high level for short periods of time.  It’s way more efficient and challenging than simply lifting weights and I would recommend everyone check it out, regardless of your level of fitness.

Seattle people should come check it out tomorrow at the grand opening for Dru’s new space.  Foundation Crossfit has been around for a few years, but come check out the new spot and find out about these workouts that will change your life.  Tomorrow’s schedule is as follows:

See you there.