The Book Has a Site; The Store Hath Returned

We're taking a break in the middle of Dream Week's, um, second week, to make a major announcement about the book that prompted this series in the first place. That would be The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History, our follow-up to the Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Alamanac. It drops on October 26, but as of today, it has a website, with excerpts, previews, images, wallpaper, event listings, and all sorts of other fun and games.

The excerpt widgets (like the Celtics one below) can be embedded and passed around like so much hard candy. They also get bigger and easier to read, if you click around enough. Pretend it's an iPhone.

Other big news: THE STORE IS BACK. We've got prints from both books, limited and otherwise, as well as the shirts we've got left in stock. There are so many bargains to be had that you might break down and cry. We've got some new shirt ideas kicking around, so look for those soon, too. Oh, and there's a contest. Whoever creates the best Allen Iverson paper doll meme image collage gets a free print. For every end, there is a beginning. Tweet them, email them to us, stick them on Tumblr, just make sure we see them.

Good luck topping Big Baby's initial go at it:

It Touched the Ground, Hard

(Your call: Is this A) 9/12 march footage B) my wedding C) proof that we're still secret racists here)

No, we have not all died and gone to heaven. There just hasn't been much NBA to write about, and at this point of the year, the very air around you seems to choke out many attempts to discuss the Association.

That and the next book is bearing down on us, myself and others disappeared to Maine this month for my wedding, and you know, I do have another blog. If SN didn't pay me, my columns on Jordan/David Thompson and The Speech/Serena would've lived here, as would have shorter posts on early athlete development and Brandon Jennings's views on the limits of online authenticity. Sucks for this RSS feed, but not necessarily for you guys.

All of which is a nice transition into some news about the store: For the time being, it's going to take a little breather. It's a one-man operation, and between the store, a move, a dissertation, and the book, that one man fell a little behind. Those of you who are still waiting on orders, they should be out soon, or otherwise accounted for. Don't hesitate to hit up the FD gmail with questions. We'll be back for the season's start with new product, a more streamlined system, and hopefully, a clean slate with any of you who feel wronged.

Enough with the gloominess. This site will begin to pick up soon, especially now that I don't have a wedding to plan. Strangely, I also think that working hard on the book can at times spur activity on here, at least for me. But rest assured that when you need us most, there will be blood. And for heck's sake, read The Baseline. Unless you want it to fail so I have to do all my writing here for free.

You friend,

Shoals

P.S. Can someone help me explain why Gretzky doesn't defy both my "to be the greatest in sports, you must be a dick" and "only Jordan is the consummate best ever" statements? Thanks.

FreeDarko/adidas Super-Bargain!!!!

Some of you may recall the Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose web spots we worked with adidas on. To pass the time this summer, adidas has decided to put some of Big Baby's Dwight Howard art on a shirt.

While the tee's been spotted in the New York store and at this summer's adidas Nations camp in Dallas, there has yet to be an official release. In the meantime, we've been given a limited number to play around with, so here's the special offer: spend $100 or more at the FreeDarko Imperial Outlet, and you'll get one of these FreeDarko/adidas joints before anyone else on your block for one penny. If you want, Big Baby, myself, and any other FD members will sign it for you, too.

Remember, we only have the stock we have, so be sure to check availability before placing your order, unless of course you just feel like buying that Kobe print for the hell of it. Which is always welcome, of course.

Who Invented Silent Radio?

Shoefly trekked all the way out to Seattle just for to see Leonard Cohen perform, and it was good. While here, he also wrote a bunch for Boxiana, and appeared on this week's episode of FreeDarko Presents the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast. Our segment was recorded just after the conclusion of Hawks/Heat, which probably explains a thing or two about the tone. Incidentally, how weird is it that I'm now marking time in terms of playoff games, and each as its own epoch.

Now, the document:



If you would prefer to have this podcast delivered directly to your doorstep, you can utilize either iTunes or the XML feed.

Playlist will be provided if we get enough requests, but I am trying to be more discreet with our SUPPORT US BY BUYING AMAZON ITEMS THROUGH THIS SITE campaign.

STORE UPDATE: Jackson for President and Classics are in and mostly shipped, Bron/Kobe (Kobe/Bron) will go out today, about another week on the Durant tee. Thank you for your patience.

Can He Get a Witness?

Right before the regular season ends, FreeDarko pays cloth-y tribute to Kevin Durant's mammoth sophomore campaign . . . and the relative obscurity he's toiled in. Maybe if we move enough of these, he'll get on national television for 2009-10.

Some other store news: Based on popular demand, we've done up limited prints of a few more portraits from the book: Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, and Joe Johnson. We're offering two special deals with these: if you buy two, you get a third free. Or, for those with an excess of wall space or love for the NBA, there's the option of all nine portrait prints for $250.

Be sure to weigh in on the latest version of the Z-graph, and tune in Thursday for another episode of our brand news joint venture podcast. I feel like a fucking octopus right about now.

The Great Debaters

It's the showdown for NBA supremacy that's been brewing all season. Obama's weighed in; our two most involved posts of the season have been about the relationship between the two and how they fit into the same universe, respectively. And now, it's your turn to make your voices heard—first with your wallet, then on your chests, until such day as the thread of these garments unravel. Cop the Bron tee (just narrowly in time for D. Boon's birthday), or the Kobe in support of both his game and his unending attempts to claim Philly.

We're taking pre-orders now, but order promptly and you'll still have your shirt by the start of round one, if not sooner. Hopefully, you'll see someone on the street wearing the other one, and you can either kiss them like Judas or beat them to a fucking pulp. Either way, the conversation continues. God bless America.

Get ready to absorb another brand new shirt in about a week, as well as some portrait prints from the book we've had requests for.

Real Recognize Self

Go to the bright, shiny, new store, cop this shirt, go to a Warriors game, and maybe S-Jax's friends will ask you to pose for a picture with the man himself. That's what happened to reader DR, who was gracious enough to send along the photographic evidence.

And really, seriously. No comments about Ray Allen's suggestion that Bron get political, or my reaction to it? It says there's a post underneath all the announcements.

Crazy Commerce, Commerce Crazed

(Actual post follows the store stuff)

With a lull in the season, what better to do than revamp the FreeDarko store, repress some in-demand tees, and roll out some new prints? Yes, starting last night, you can visit the brand new FD Imperial Marketplace, whose clean and articulate presentation alone should inspire you to cut into your tax payment. Highlights are open editions prints of some Style Guides, at a lower price than the artist's edition ones (see Lamar Odom, above), and re-ups of THE STEPHEN JACKSON TEE YOU EMAIL ME ABOUT EVERY OTHER DAY and the Classic 2.0.



Right now we're taking pre-orders on those, but they should be available in 2-3 weeks. And this is just the first wave: Get ready for some totally original new shirts and more portrait prints in time for the playoffs. The shit you've never seen before. Now, in other news. . .

-Me with a point about GM's

-I can't tell if this quote from Ray Allen regarding Bron Bron's future is inspiring or deeply suspicious, like he's trying to undermine the kid's career so the Celts have a clear path as they fade. From CBS News:

"Mike paved the way for all of us to open up the endorsement door," said Celtics star Ray Allen, another Jordan Brand athlete. "But the one thing that Mike never was is political. I think in today's era, the NBA player has an even greater podium if he chooses to use it. And with Barack Obama being the first black president, it's a great forum. I think that would separate him from anybody who's done this. ... It's great to be a basketball player, but to transcend sports is a big responsibility. If he were able to pull that off -- if he wants to pull that off -- I think that would set him apart."

First, let's take Ray Ray at face value, since I like the world better that way. And I might be getting confused due to the ol' cut and paste, but—key to this point—LeBron isn't a Jordan Brand guy. He does have the leeway to push, even redefine with an athlete brand means if he feels like it. I think most of us would agree that politics is the easiest way to alienate a bunch of potential consumers. But, while I know Allen is focused on what Obama the FBP can do in office, let's not forget what a marketing sensation Barack was before the election, when through no fault of his own, he created the Nike of politics. Sure, the stances were at times vague, and style may mattered more (or been as much of a statement as) substance. Though there's no denying the fact that Obama awakened something citizen-like in people while offending or boring as few as possible in an election year. If LeBron were to at least give the appearance of political engagement, and of therefore having a constituency at his fingers, that would make him a leader. And then, "brand" hardly seems a sufficient description.

I'm not saying this would be an altogether cynical maneuver. Nor do I think James could realistically call out China at a press conference. But he's got the world's attention, and a team around him that could do some risk-management assessment on what issues he could and could not get near. Maybe this would just turn him into a world-class philathrophist. The Bill Gates of sports. On the other hand, now that (go ahead, bold and attack this statement) so many formerly "black" issues are now publicly acknowledged to be everyone's problems, it's possible to take a stand on public schools, health care, unemployment or housing issues without seeming like a dangerous radical. Sure, Hollywood talks all the time. And yet we've learned to tune them out, question what little authority they have, and wonder why they bother. LeBron James could leverage an entirely new kind of pop culture politics. It would be a risk, but, to follow Ray Allen's reasoning, it would be one hell of a way to get bigger than Jordan and carve out an unmistakable legacy.



All this assumes that LeBron gives a damn. Maybe all he needs is the right mentor to get in his ear. Or to find that one issue where he can afford to take corporate interests. Fuck a petition; could LeBron James have a trade policy, at least when it came to sneakers? Imagine if he got a Nike plant put in Akron. Or, going beyond the usual thirty-second spot, went before Congress and urged them to not leave behind international aid programs. It sounds ridiculous, but then again, so did the idea of everyone wearing Obama all-over print hoodies after Iowa. If Obama was the ultimate feat of politics crossing over into pop culture, why couldn't LeBron—who is a pop culture brand, not just a symbol of athletic excellence—try the inverse?

Of course, none of this happens if LBJ doesn't get invited to the White House a few times, minus a ton of publicity, and with appearance alone laying the gorundwork for both independence and continuity.

Shakin' It Loose

There are going to be some major corporate changes around here in the near-future. The ads will be gone, replaced with a more reader-friendly, transparent strategy that basically just encourages you click on a text link to, say, Amazon before doing your shopping. Trust me, it will be unobtrusive and revolutionary. And we've opened our own super-goofy CAFE PRESS OPERATION, in case you want a mug or the un-named item by its very existence embodies the most general sense of "FD." Debate what it is, maybe even buy it. It's a shop, but also a conceptual piece about internet commerce and branding.

This is not an effort to exploit you, or tarnish our good name. Mostly, times are hard, and I'm looking for ways—ideally low-key or hilarious—to maximize the money I can make off of this site while writing for it close to every day.

SOME BASKETBALL: Dwyane Wade is the Monster's Ball right now, whatever that means. What he did to the Knicks last night was both inhuman and inhumane, and yet way-up-in-the-middle-of-the-air radiant. He's like those movies where vampires turn out to like cotton candy and long walks. I know I've been hard on him in the past, but with LeBron having crested for the moment (or at least our discussion of him), Kobe Kobe, and Durant out, it's time we paid some homage to D-Wade. . . with these links other people gave me!

-Ziller is awed by the forceful classiness of Wade's NBA headshot. Since when do they wear suits in these?

-Those band-aids were a major fashion statement, and now they've been. . . BAND! But seriously folks, this look was positively jarring and frivolously assertive, just the kind of thing I've always wanted from his game. I also think these fall more under the Li'l Wayne category of talisman-like adornment, rather than that old Nelly "you know, it just shows I can flip it like that."

-Finally, some wunder-stats courtesy of TZ: "Wade needs 20 more blocks to break the record for most blocks by a 6'4 or shorter player in a season." (SOURCE). Now that's fucking money.