The book covers their early days on the playground, as teammates during international play all the way up to their lives after basketball. The fabled 1979 NCAA Championship game, which many thought as the beginning of their fated careers, was merely a stepping stone toward bigger things to come.

Eventually the storied Lakers-Celtics rivalry will snatch the headlines of national newspapers during its peak. Magic’s HIV Announcement in 1991 and their time spent on the 1992 Dream Team for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain are also covered in this book.

The narrative is an in-depth look at two players who changed the NBA from the moment they started their legendary careers. From humble beginnings to super-stardom, Bird and Magic come from similar backgrounds. It’s no wonder why their paths have crossed more frequently than any other duo in NBA history.

Magic and Bird personified basketball in the 1980′s. Both players had personalities that were polar opposites of each other. Those personalities ultimately embodied the teams they played for. Basketball eventually shifted from being about black and white to being about Celtics and Lakers.

This book is a must read! For any fan of history, this book gives us a glimpse into not just two larger-than-life legends, but the growth of the NBA into an international brand. The book follows the state of the NBA through the early 1980′s into the 1990′s closely. Very well written! Definitely a great break from reading fiction.
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When The Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson (w/ Jackie MacMullan) is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It can be found in hardcover, paperback and audiotape.

It can’t be… Kakkarot, a super saiyan!? It all started with First Impressions. The crudely recorded EP showed glimpses of what could be. With the instrumental track Opaque and killer T&C, Thrice got the ball rolling in a major way. Who knew that a video game melody could unlock such a badass song (not to mention that it had words to it? lol).

And she calls from the doorway… This hard style continued into  The Illusion of Safety. This album literally blew my mind. During this era, there was nothing like a Thrice live show. I’ve probably seen them live 10 times during a three year period. Deadbolt continues to be one of my favorite songs of all time.

They are sick, they are cold. When Artist in the Ambulance came out, my friend Thomas and I ditched class to find them signing albums at Lou’s Records in Encinitas, CA. We booked it, stood in line for an hour and talked to the band about their new stuff for another hour and then drove home listening to their best album yet.

Woke up to a brand new skyline. Their newer stuff after (notably Beggars and Major/Minor) I have a love/hate relationship with even though they’ve become a staple in my relaxation music. I didn’t like it as much because I love the old stuff but as I grew as a person, the music grew with me. That’s not something I can say about a lot of things and I appreciate this the most.

The band has expanded greater than I ever imagined musically. They went from mashing up individual parts to creating melody as a unit. Whatever they do now, I’ll be supporting it.

Dustin, Teppei, Riley and Eddie. Thank you for almost fifteen years of music.

Farewell… for now.
- from Abe, Lester and Mylene

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Thrice: website | Thrice.net and twitter | @OfficialThrice

Both @999HP and myself (@TX3017) take some time off our busy schedules to give you a recap of this month’s posts and a sneak peek of what’s to come in April. Enjoy the video posts? Let us know! We are actually venturing to do a whole lot more!

Being a huge fan of the NBA, I had to tell you all about this.  ESPN has been making great films capturing memorable moments in sports history with their 30 for 30 series and ESPN Films productions. Please watch this documentary. I want to know your thoughts and feelings. I have it on DVR and will watch after I get off work.

The Knicks have a storied history of players that have vendettas against them. Michael Jordan tops the list with one of the most heated playoff rivalries of the 90′s (the other being Reggie Miller vs. The Knicks). Madison Square Garden has been one of Jordan’s favorite places to outright humiliate the competition.

Poor Patrick Ewing on the end of this dunk. He is one of the better centers in NBA history. A true 7 foot wrecking ball. Testament of hard work. However, he will forever be remembered in this posterizing moment of Jordan greatness.

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Footage property of ESPN

For those of you who do now know of the #FF #Followfriday hash tag, let me explain:

The idea of #FollowFriday or #FF is to share with Twitter users people that should be followed. People that should be heard. Someone that is worthy of your attention. In a perfect world, the idea behind this is as follows:

@enterusernamehere: give an explanation of why this person is amazingly awesome and then end with #FollowFriday #FF

Now this may seem ridiculous for me to explain this but this is what it really looks like

@username1 @username2 @username3…..@username999 #FollowFriday #FF

It’s just a list of names! So I’ve decided that I’m going to take this idea to another level and give a deeper insight to the user. This week we have my really good friend and long time sneakerhead DigitalRal. So lets get started!

Eon20xx: Who was the main inspiration for you to start collecting sneakers?

DigitalRal: This really started back when I was in high school (1991-1996) as I was that one kid that only had one pair of shoes for the entire school year. So I took care of my shoes knowing the fact that I would not have another pair till next year. Lots of shoes came out in those years that just had me going crazy. The inspiration was all the pop culture at that time, [fashion] trends, music, all that stuff was the crazy. And at that point in time, Jordan’s were the craze. So I can say that one of the many inspirations is the G.O.A.T himself, Michael Jordan.

E: What is your favorite all time favorite sneaker?

D: Air Jordan XI (11) “Concords,” the shoe that changed the industry and the [sneakerhead] lifestyle as we know it today. Little did anyone know, that the Concords would be later part of pop culture history as the first shoe to integrate patent leather on a basketball shoe.

E: When and for how long have you been sneaker collecting?

D: Officially I would have to say 1996. As that was the year I graduated high school, as well as had my first official job. I was working at a then known movie theater chain. And at that time, Nike was booming with shoes – amongst them was the Air Zoom Turfs. The very first Nike shoe to integrate Air Zoom technology.

E: Why have you collected sneakers and not other things like stamps or pet rocks?

D: Well, I’ve always liked looking nice and dressing nice and sneakers are a craze which I compare to trading cards or even Pokémon. Except with shoes you have them [available] and you can pair them with a nice New Era fitted, some nice jewelry, a t-shirt, or a jacket. The possibilities are endless!

E: How many sneakers do you actually have?

D: I’ve lost count. But I will say I’ve at least owned over 350 pairs of shoes. But now I have slimmed it down to a slender 80 pairs which I’ve worn at least once.

E: Where can people best find your updates and collection?

D: Twitter (@digitalral), Instagram (_digitalral_), and Tumblr (http://digitalral.tumblr.com/)

E: Lastly, any words of wisdom for folks that want to dive into the sneakerhead culture?

D: They are shoes… they are meant to be worn. If you are out to profit, more power to you!

And there you have it friends. Once again, DigitalRal can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Let us know any other questions you would love to ask DigitalRal in the comments below! And if YOU want to be featured, contact us via our Contact page!

I think this post is self-explanatory. I have the best fiancé ever.