On our way to St. Paul

(from Top, clockwise: Jason Brazwell, Barbara Fant, William Evans, Kim Brazwell, Rasul Elder)

So, I really like my 2010 Writing Wrongs National Poetry Slam Team. Here are a few reasons why

For starters, I actually think we're a good team
Sometimes, that means nothing. Its possible this year is no exception. But I like our chances for four rounds against anybody and that's a good feeling to have. Does that mean we're the favorite to win our bouts? No. Definitely not. But we're definitely not off the radar either. Last year, we had a mix of newbies and vets. But we were immature. And a little in over our heads. And we had the second best finish for a Columbus Team at Nationals ever. Call me a little more optimistic this year. Regardless, I feel like the teams coming out of Columbus this year have the best chance to make semis since the only time Columbus has made semis (2004 I believe). Fun.

We're versatile. Really versatile
Its nice to feel like we have five poets that are completely different from one another. I've also never been on a team that has had the abundance of funny. Actually, I've only had one teammate prior that had consistently funny work (Spike) and since funny poems are a big weakness for me, its beautiful knowing I have a couple of poets that are more than capable.

We're Old
...but we're hungry. This is bittersweet for me because I actually like having rookies go to Nationals and experiencing it for the first time. But there's also something comforting in knowing that there won't be much learning on the fly or that the nerves won't be peaked up for the moment. The least experienced person on the team has competed at 3 Nationals, 2 WOWPS and an IWPS. So we'll see if experience matters for anything.

Our Grand Slam Champ is one the most talented and humble poets that will be at Nationals
And that's how this team carries itself. We're all confident we're decent poets, because we all put the work in. We've all experienced enough slam success that we don't sweat the small stuff anymore. We don't brag about winning local slams. When we do slam, we always slam against each other, because we're more concerned with good competition than we are of having a week to week title. Did I mention we're hungry? Two of us have been on a National Finals stage as individuals. Only one of us was on that one Columbus semis team of forever ago. We all share some disdain for poets that trumpet superficial accomplishments that haven't actually done anything. This team is good on paper. As a team, we haven't done anything. I think we want more, we're capable of it and we're determined to do it.


All this may translate into a couple of 3rd place finishes in our bouts. Or maybe we kick butt...You can never really know at Nationals. I do know I'll have fun either way along with the fact that our team is focused on performing well and leaving lasting impressions on the audience, whatever they may be.


(and yes, the picture is actually a comic book depiction of the team courtesy of Freestyle Komics)

Perspective for Cleveland

My neighbors to the north, sister city of my hometown...I feel you. The shit hurts and most of your reactions are completely justified. You're kind of like the good, blue collar guy that got an Associates Degree and was in the right place at the right time that enabled you to hook up with a supermodel. It was good for a long time, you proposed, she rejected saying she wasn't ready for that commitment and you kept hoping she would change her mind, but you knew that was optimistic on your part. Then she started calling less. Your weekly movie night got cancelled three weeks in a row. You heard rumors of her flirting with Armando the Spaniard Model, but never see them in the same place at the same time. When the break up happens, it crushes you. Part of you hates her for leaving you, part of you thinks she deserves the best, so you walk away with your tail between your legs. Break ups happen everyday, so why is this one so egregious?

Because instead of her coming to you and telling you that it was over, she shows up on the red carpet at Armando's movie premier with a shiny rock on her finger as they make out every five minutes. Then, when a microphone is placed in front of her, she tells the correspondent that Armando just fucked her brains out in the limmo on the way over. And no, ABC did not bleep the *fuck* in time.

You deserve better. You just do. LeBron is a grown man. An intelligent man and well versed man. And obviously, a supremely talented one. But I'm not so sure how self-aware he is. His decision is his own and I can only fault him so much for leaving Cleveland before I see the reason in it. However, this could've been handled so much differently. The way he toyed with the fans can only be comparable to how Kobe Bryant did with Laker fans in 2007. Except, The Lakers already had a closet full of championship rings, Kobe's flirting with other teams only lasted a couple weeks instead of years and he ultimately returned to LA. Wow, I guess they don't compare at all, huh?

There are a couple people burning LeBron jerseys today (though news cameras enable that as much as anything else). As the Right would say, those are the 'fringe' people. There will be a lot more people that will throw their LeBron jerseys and Witness T-Shirts into the back of their closet never to be worn again. And I understand their sentiment.

Dan Gilbert (the Cavs owner) is a different animal altogether. His letter to his fanbase was over the top and emotional, but he also as an individual lost the most in all of this. Will he regret some of things he said? Absolutely. I also think some of the none-childish things he said were true as well.

Cleveland, it may not feel like it, but there is precedent for this type of thing. And if you're a big NBA fan, there are two eras/schools of thought that determines how you ultimately feel about this.

I'm 30 years old, so that means my NBA roots are in the 80s and early 90s. Magic and Bird. Players forever linked for their rivalry and competitiveness. However, they would always prefer to beat each other, than play together. Then we get to Michael Jordan. People forget how he used to get pummeled by the Pistons (physically and on the scoreboard). However, Jordan had the competitiveness to say, 'No, we will beat this team with OUR team.' Jordan never once would've considered joining the Pistons. Jordan never hit up his close friend Charles Barkley and said, "Yo, lets get together and get these rings." Actually, the year Barkley won the MVP, Jordan KILLED them in the Finals. That's what I prefer to see. Kobe vs LeBron in Finals is a lot more enticing than Kobe vs LeBron and Bosh and Wade. It just is.

However, there's a new perspective for the NBA player. Shaq was the most prized player in the league, got to the Finals (and beat down) and left for LA. Kevin Garnett (still one of my favorite players of all-time) was as loyal as they come and had nothing to show for it near the end of a Hall of Fame career in Minnesota before being traded to Boston and getting to the Finals twice in 3 years. These are the examples I'm sure LeBron leaned upon before making this decision.

So again, it really seems its more about the delivery of the news than it is about what the decision was. My current favorite player in the NBA, Kevin Durant, announced is contract extension with Oklahoma City thru a tweet. Not only, did it not take an hour (in addition to years of speculation) on National TV to say, but his early commitment also means that Oklahoma City can continue to operate with certainty in growing that team around him, unlike Cleveland with LeBron waffling for so long. But Kevin Durant is a throw back, including how he goes about his business. Maybe, that's the kind of behavior we want to Witness.

On the Real World, Cleveland and the boy that would be King

A few points of information here

I'm a die-hard sports fan, which includes the NBA. I'm a Day One Lakers fan. As in, my biggest sports heartbreak moment ever was when Magic announced his first retirement due to HIV (which would be ahead of #2 Dennis Eckersley giving up a home run to Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series and the Colorado hail mary touchdown against Michigan in 1994). However, I was born in Akron, OH, the shared origin of one LeBron James. That means, when the Cavs play anybody but the Lakers, I root for them.

All that being said, I've got LeBron fatigue like a muthafucka right now. I understand the business of it and that he needs to take care of his family and their interests. But this isn't about taking care of his family (which has become such a canned response any time someone wants more money). He's stated he wants to be a global icon and one imagines Cleveland is not the launch pad to make kids in China buy your sneakers. Still, we here all the loyalty talk that comes out of Team LeBron (and that's his team of managers and agents, not the Cavs mind you). He's been twisting and churning Cleveland fans like a corkscrew to the kidney thru this whole process. A town that's never won an NBA Championship. A town that hasn't won a title of any type since 1964. All of that wore on me. But now, after things have started to sort themselves out, Team LeBron has decided to do a 1 hr TV special on ESPN Thursday Night. A one hour primetime special in what takes 10 seconds to do...I think I'm done. If he leaves that is. If it takes him an extra hour to rip Cleveland's heart out, he probably jumps Art Modell as the most hated man in Cleveland. If he does all this to stay in Cleveland, he just becomes that asshole that took two years (and another hour for good measure) to hold a tortured sports town hostage. Unless he wins another 3 titles (my bad, lol, another, that would imply that he has won some already), I don't see this damage really being undone.

I personally won't be watching. I just can't support the machine anymore. It makes sense for ESPN, they'll get a ton of viewers for it. And supposedly, Team LeBron is selling sponsorships for the event and giving the money to the Boys and Girls Club of America. You hear that? That's the sound of my heart saying I could give a shit. Do I want to know where he goes? Absolutely. I'll be logging onto espn.go.com about 20 minutes after its started to get the news, then I'll probably go back to some homework. My weakness (or rather one of my weaknesses is having the capacity to deal with egos. LeBron is just killing me now. At some point, you have to put your foot down. Even if its a 'hero' from your hometown.

Part wonders if this just more than egomania. Don't get me wrong, this cat is completely inside his own head. But LeBron is 25 years old (despite looking like he's 34). That means he probably doesn't remember too much entertainment before The Real World was created. Reality TV is the new black and even though many of us loathe it (or call our favorite reality shows guilty pleasures), a hell of a lot more people watch Real Housewives of Orange County than they do the History Channels' special on Henry the VIII. So I get it, I just don't like it. I certainly hopes he stays though. I'm married to a woman, born and raised in Cleveland that owns two 'Witness' T-Shirts. LeBron, keep your ass at the crib...for my sake