Breaking the Mile High Wall!

I’ve been playing my cousin’s weekly game on a not-so-weekly basis lately, and I haven’t been performing up to par.  Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that my cousin is much more addicted to basketball than I am (which is no easy feat), but that’s not all.  

See, the court they play on is an indoor, wooden job.  At the penthouse.  The windows provide little air to breathe, and the altitude doesn’t help, either.  Now maybe it’s all just imaginary, but I’m always gasping for air whenever I play that place.  As a result, I’ve never been able to pull off my standard high-glitz-high-blitz offensive game.  At least not until last night.

My mantra the whole time was just shoot the damn ball.  Don’t worry about passing or pissing off anybody.  Be a ballhog, and do what you do best.  And I did.  I killed everyone.  Now these guys are REALLY good.  In fact, I’d say more than a few of them are better than me overall.  But nobody shoots like the KING, baby!  I lead my team to two victories, both in situations where we were the underdogs.  I was selfish, I was selfish, but I was also unstoppable.  And I just knew I was born to play this game.

Next up, a TAKING BACK FRIDAY update.  Peace.

Going Pro

Because money’s tight these days (like they’ve always been for the struggling baller,) I’ve decided to seriously go pro with this whole blogging thing.  Because I’m self-centered, I like to think that I live a very interesting life, and that it’d be worth good money to advertisers to have me post my opinions on basically anything that’s under the sun.

That being said, I’ve decided to sign up with Smorty to get the ball rolling on my endeavor to blog for money.  Blog advertising is really big these days, and it’s a huge opportunity for us bloggers out there to make a few bucks doing what we love.  Advertisers who advertise on blogs will be able to reach target niche audiences, and they’re willing to pay to do that.  I’ve gotten very good reviews from friends who’ve used Smorty, and I’m really liking it so far.  They pay you within a week and it’s very easy to use.  

If you’re looking to make a few bucks blogging, I suggest you check Smorty out.  The ball’s in your court. 

Setting Up Shop

As soon as I’m famous enough, I’m going to start my own sports apparel brand.  I don’t have a catchy name yet, or a product in mind (but I’ll probably go the sneakers-route), but someday I will.  And man, I’m going to exploit my fame for all it’s worth to sell my product.  

When that day comes, I’ll probably set up shop online, just because I’m a high-tech kind of guy.  If that’s the case, then I’m going to need a reliable online shopping cart software.  I think Ashop Commerce should do very well for that purpose.  For one thing, it’s one of the easiest to use in the world.  It’s internet-based so there’s no installation, and it’s got tons of great features.  You can also start selling immediately!  Ever hear of the phrase time is money?  Well, you DON’T have to waste your time trying to get the software set up!  Don’t believe me?  Don’t take my word for it.  You can always sign up for the free 10-day trial.  You won’t be sorry.  

Winning By Knowing

Everything in life, if you want to win, requires knowledge.  Knowledge of whatever it is you're doing, of who you're playing against, or playing with.  The same is especially true for making money gambling.  Every serious gambler out there will tell you that if they only knew a couple more things, they'd be millionaires.  

Besides basketball, I've always had a soft spot for online gambling.  Maybe it's the testosterone rush from winning, or beating the odds, but I enjoy it a lot.  Of course, I'd enjoy it more if I won more, or made more money out of it.  If you're planning to play at online casinos, I think it'd be a great idea to check out Pro360.com first.  They give detailed reviews for a lot of  the more than 3000 online casinos out there.  From game play to experience, to trustworthiness to bonuses offered, they'll give you everything you need to know when you're choosing the right online casino for you.  Every player is different, and picking the right casino will probably make your game more enjoyable and even profitable.  

You can also sign up using their bonus banners to get a signup bonus for most casinos!  See, now I've given you the EDGE in knowlEDGE.  Now all you have to do is use it.  Go check out Pro360.com now. 

Taking Back Friday: Two Fridays; 4-2

Let's just say that I'm improving with every game.  People are still seeing me as an amazing shooter, which is good, because they should've seen me before I went down with the injury.  The new guys are seeing me at 80%, I think.  

The biggest problem I'm having right now is with my endurance.  In the coming league, I think I'm going to have to play bursts.  It's going to be an issue because our bench isn't very good, to be totally honest.  It's NOT going to be an issue because our bench THINKS it's very good.  There'll be no shortage of guys who'll want to be taking shots.  That's just sad, I think.  I have no issue with taking a ton of shots.  PROVIDED you make at least 50% of them.  That's the deal break with me.  Make 50%, or don't shoot it.  

I've been consistently making that 50 these past few games.  That half hour of shooting practice really helped.  In my final game, I was scoring everywhere.  The two losses, I chalk up to myself.  I didn't have the endurance to carry on.  It's my superstar complex.  We win because of me, we lose because of me.  That's just how it is. 

Raleigh? Really?

Whenever I think of North Carolina, I think of Michael Jordan.  That's where he attended school, for those of you not in the know.  Now I absolutely loathe MJ, but I can at least respect for his choice of places to live in.  Have you ever been to Raleigh, NC?  It's a beautiful place.  God's country, salt of the earth.  It's just so green and enveloped in nature's beauty and warmth and comfort.  Who wouldn't want to live there?

For those reasons, it's probably a good idea to be looking at Raleigh Real Estate.  You get to have the best of both worlds.. all the conveniences of modern living and all the beauty of Mother Nature, together in one place.  It would be a perfect place to have a family.  If you're serious about having a great environment to have your kids grown up in, a place accessible to fine shopping and dining, with a great golf community as well as a solid school system, Homes in Raleigh, NC should be seriously considered. 

All in all, I wouldn't mind having a place there one day.  The fresh air would do well for my basketball-breathing lungs, but I wouldn't have to sacrifice the modern living standards I've grown used to.  I still dislike MJ, but like I said, GREAT choice on NC.   

Card Me

Hi fellow ballers!  Since I'm still getting my groove on, and I haven't declared for the NBA draft as of yet (harhar), I've decided that I'll do a Magic Johnson and be businessman as well as a baller.  For that reason, I've been thinking about setting up a small online shop for basketball related stuff.  Sell what you know, right?

Except I don't know how I'm going to get paid.  I mean, PayPal works, but I'd rather have the professionalism being able to process credit cards bring, you know.  I want to Process Visa Cards and Mastercards.  I want my store to be a Credit Card Accepting one.  Fortunately, I came across APlusMerchant.com.  With all the bank connections they've got, their the company to approach if you're looking to start accepting credit cards for your business.  Since they cover all sorts of businesses from credit repair firms to travel agencies to even adult sites, you'll need to provide them with your business information and history to get an accurate quote on their services.  Just fill up an application form and they'll get back to you in a couple of days.  

Why A-plus?  Because everything about them is top-notch.  The service, the response times, the rates, the risk handling.. they've got everything covered for you.  In all aspects of life, it's important to find the right teammate.  Any teammate who can cover for you and help you out is an asset.  APlusMerchant.com sure is welcome on my team.

Feeling the Court

I went over to the AH court this morning, around 7am.. that's where the JMA Legacy League is going to happen, and I thought I'd go over and get a feel for things.  

Of course, since it was 7am, the place was cold.  I was freezing my.. basketballs off!  Thank goodness I remembered to do a few pushups to warm up.  After a dozen or so, I was pretty hot under my shirt already.  That's the only time I started shooting.  

First few shots were duds, but after a while, I got into my rhythm.  See, some places are layup places, and some places are J places.  This was definitely a layup place.  I could easily imagine just slashing and finishing here.. which I did, against some poor sucker who agreed to go 1-on-1 with me.  

I'm feeling high-scoring games in the league.  I'll talk more about my team next time.

Keep balling, guys.

Just In Case

Ever since I got my injury, I've been thinking.  No matter how well I take care of myself, accidents WILL happen.  That's why you call them accidents.  Grant Hill never asked to get injured.  You think Kobe wanted Bynum out for eight weeks?  That's why everyone needs insurance.  

I think a pretty good place to check out would be Advantage Term Life.  Any good coach knows a team's got to have information and statistics on whatever they're up against.  Getting the right policy for you will help you Save Money on Insurance.  Advantage Term Life can help you with that information, especially about the different type of insurance policies out there (term, whole life, universal, etc).  Once you've chosen the right plan for you, next on the game plan is figuring out just how much it's going to cost you.  You can use Advantage Term Life's contacts with tons of different insurance companies out there to compare policies and contracts from different insurance companies.  You want to see which Insurance Quotes work with your budget.  We're not all in the NBA, right?  

To make the right play, you need to know as much as you can.  You can also use Advantage Term Life to compare Insurance Plans Pros and Cons.  So what point am I trying to make here?  Accidents happen, and it's best to be prepared, but you've got to do it with an informed mind.  The master baller has spoken, now LISTEN.  

Pro-Ballin?

More like pro-blogging.  I recently signed with Blogsvertise.com to help finance my balling adventures.  The way I understand it, Blogsvertise.com lets you review products and services on your blog, then they pay you for it.  I can do that.  I'll put a basketball spin on everything, a new perspective if you will.  It'll probably make for some really fun reading. 

It feels like I just go signed to the NBA of blogging (I'm getting paid,) so I'm excited about this opportunity.  I mean, with all the great basketball gear out there, some extra cash would come in handy.  Besides, people always tell me I'm way too opinionated for my own good. 

Personally, I think this is a fantastic opportunity.  I get to make money doing something I love to do.  Imagine getting paid to blog.  FANTASTIC.  I'll let you know how things work out with Blogsvertise.com!  Woohoo! 

Getting There!

As you all know, I recently came from an injury, and am just getting back into playing form.  I did terribly my first night back, (read the previous post) and it's been nagging on me ever since.  I'd been saving going to this game with my cousin for when I got better because the level of play is so much higher, but I couldn't stand the thought of a losing January any longer.

So I suited up.  Did OK the first game.. I had the most rebounds and assists out of everyone (I was reading Magic's autobiography) before the game, and we won that one.  My second game, we also won, but this time, I was scoring a LOT more.  My jumper wasn't right, even though all my shots were going in easy, so I'll have to fix that.  Gotta work on the form.

Third game was mine.  Enough said. 

Strangely enough, I wasn't the best player, nor the top scorer that night.  The level of play is that high.  Out of 11 players, I'd rank myself 4th, to be honest.  Some of those guys.. wow.

Record:

3-0.

Fan Voice!

I can't believe it!  I actually have readers for this thing.. well, here are my responses to your comments!

Onyxx wants to know how tall I am, but it's OK if I don't want to share because I'm ashamed of my short stature haha!

Well, I'm 5'8'', around 155lbs, I play all positions, depending on the need and matchup. 

Janus wants to thank me for dropping by his site, and to explain how injuries affect one's game.

Well Janus, thanks for dropping by MY site!  I always forget how bad coming from injuries is, but it's really something I don't want to be remembering often.

Zarine thinks my shoes are cool!

Well, they look sort of like boxing shoes, but the support and stability is amazing!  I'd definitely recommend these shoes for anyone looking to play some ball. 

Taking Back Friday VII : An Ugly Start

So I just got back from my very first game ever since the injury, and I stunk up the gym.  It was like learning how to play all over again.  Like some people said, I guess you CAN lose talent.  Unbelievable.  I kept telling myself that the whole time.  Unbelievable.

My footwork was off, so was my handle, my shots wouldn't go in.  DAMN.

I had moments of brilliance when I felt like my old self, but most of the time, I was breathing way too hard for a Friday night pick-up game.  Sigh.  In the end it comes down to this: THREE LOSSES, ONE WIN.

Before 2008 : 11-3

Since: 1-3

Gotta make that up.  

Steve Nash Workout

As promised, HERE is Steve Nash's workout.  

I have to be honest, I haven't tried it yet.  Let me know how it works out for you, alright?  Peace.