Dome Pondering

3 Up 1. General Miley Response to CRT - Critical Race Theory has been completely bastardized and misunderstood for the sake of political gain and influence over the past few weeks. Quite frankly, I'm convinced many don't even truly understand the concept. However, the recent remarks from General Miley on the application of the theory are some that should be sought after and watched.  2. Gabby Thomas - Thomas is an amazing athlete who the country will soon get to know much better once the Olympics begin. For starters, Thomas will be an Olympian. But wait! She is also a Harvard graduate. There's more! She is close to completing a Master's Degree in Epidemiology. Damn! Just all sorts of amazing accomplishments for the young (and obviously gifted) Thomas. 

What. The. Effff. Is this?  No seriously, what are these putrid, unimaginative eyesores that are parading themselves as All-Star jerseys that athletes will place on their bodies for aesthetics in front of a mass audience?  Major League Baseball unveiled these - whatever they are - this week for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game in Colorado. A product of Nike, MLB also decided to double down on...this, by also announcing that this upcoming All-Star Game will be the first where these designs will not just grace the Home Run Derby festivities but will be replacing the long-time tradition of the teams wearing their own uniforms in the actually All-Star Game. Uhhhhhh, yeah. Imagine seeing your favorite player who made the All-Star Game wearing these...ugh.  I understand that the All-Star Game and everything that was its branding guide for the 2021 All-Star Game had to be re-done rather quickly due to the relocation of the event from Atlanta to Denver.  But come on. These could be so much better. 

 --- 3 Years --- Dear Son,  Happy Birthday!!!!!! On this day in 2021, you are now three years old. The Ace experience continues to endure with long days and short years, but every milestone along this journey brings me great joy, tremendous pride, and an overwhelming sense of growth not just for you, but also, for myself.  I sit here punching away at the keyboarding thinking about you entering your fourth year of life, and how much has changed in you over the past three years. Yes, you're only three, but there are days in which you wake up and I am just shocked at how much you grew overnight! There are days where your mother and I look at you in amazement and wonder - uhh, is Ace all of a sudden ready for High School? Of course, we expect more of those moments to come (obviously you will change), but regardless, each one of those split-second finite moments where we see a new evolution of you trotting down the stairs, or fearlessly climb a jungle Jim, or suddenly move a heavy otto

  3 Up 1. Father's Day Weekend - Always an awesome weekend! Much love and celebration to those who do the unquantifiable and incomparable as dads. And of course, the same wishes to those who are standing in as dads, and of course, let's remember those who changed our lives as dads. Happy Father's Day to all of you!  2. Juneteenth Federal Holiday - Well, the unofficial celebration that has been known within a black culture is now a federal holiday. Despite the classic American debacle of granting a new day for federal observance while said holiday is not allowed to be taught in several states,  we'll stay positive. After all, the establishment is not the end goal, just part of the process. And of course, it is a serious step forward. Regardless, I hope you had a chance to reflect on the day this past week.  3. Rachel Scott Gutsy Question - Yoooooooo!!!!! So much kudos to ABC News' Rachel Scott. She stood up, looked Vladimir Putin dead in the eye after her substantia

I haven't done one of these in a while... Quite frankly, these "Corona Times" sort of morphed itself into a new normal - allowing us to not feel strange at all work from home; in grabbing our mask and phone as urgent necessities leaving the house; for standing six feet away from another individual in any setting; to seeing empty seats at sporting events as a good thing; to absorbing and dissecting "the real science" for all updates; for sitting on a zoom call for hours...and on, and on. You get the drift. What is this time?!!  This somehow became life.  Corona Times Corona Times II Corona Times III As I write this, New York State (where I work) and New Jersey (where I now live - imagine the confusion when one state was ahead of the other in rollbacks!!) are now fully open with no COVID restrictions. I sat in my car for almost three hours yesterday in NYC traffic (yes, NYC is back and she is letting you know and feel it) and I found myself less frustrated with th

So if there was any team that was built for this "City Connect Series" by Nike it had to be the Arizona Diamondbacks. You know, the team that had pretty sweet uniforms for their inception, won a championship in those uniforms, then decided to get super-experiment-y (should be a word) in their look for every step of the way since then? Yeah, that franchise. The Diamondbacks have brought us super dark grey uniforms, weird gradient designs on the back of the legs, a mix of crazy colors, the phrase "D-Backs" on the chest, and a whole lot of hey, we're Arizona, and we're not afraid to try something new, mannnnnnn!!   So yeah, I thought this design would be the one where Nike dialed it up and really tried to push the boundaries. Instead, they did the opposite in bringing a very simple and sleek design that is so inside-the-box that it was a bit shocking for the Diamondbacks.  Nike went with "Serpientes" across the chest (meaning snakes in Spanish) in a s

3 Up 1. Verda Tettah 40K Scholarship - This story is pretty cool. Tettah, a Harvard-bound senior donated the funds from her 40K scholarship to someone attending community college. Tettah, whose mother attended community college and was able to create a better life for their family through the process, stated she did not need the funds and wanted someone else to have the same opportunity that her mom did. Uhhhhh wow! Just remarkable - we soooo need more stories like this.  2. Darnella Frazier Pulitzer Recognition - In the spectrum of young people doing courageous things, how about this story? The Pulitzer committee awarded Darnelle Frazier a special citation for her video capturing the murder of George Floyd. The video sparked an awakening and social unrest during the summer of 2020. I still can't imagine the burden she carries with her. 3. NCAA Softball and Baseball - It's a shame that college baseball and softball aren't as accepted in popular culture as their collegiate

 You can stand back and see a smile, or try your hardest to see through it all. 

MLB CITY CONNECT SERIES - CHICAGO CUBS The Chicago Cubs were the first team on the list named by Nike that I knew would test my overall love for the Nike Connect Series. For those of you jumping in on this post among the reviews of this series, I am a fan of the concept, I just simply worry about how to navigate altering the aesthetics and imagery of traditional organizations.  The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants - those designs still to be unveiled and are next(!!) - will further push me on this.  Nonetheless, let's get to the Chicago Cubs uniforms, and quite frankly, my worry was proven right. I'm not a fan. 

3 Up 1. U.S. Shipping Surplus Vaccines Abroad - Amazingly, Americans are debating the value of a vaccine to help stop a global pandemic that has crippled our way of life, while there are still supreme shortages throughout the world as the virus rages on. With that said, I outright applaud this effort to begin shipping surplus vaccines abroad to the countries and regions that desperately need the assistance.  2. Simone Biles - Biles won a record seventh United States Gymnastics Championship and should be stated - are we talking this once-in-a-generation athlete for granted? Biles is awesome and continues to do things in the sport that have never been seen, done, or accomplished. Here's to hoping this national treasure keeps crushin' it.  3. Vanessa Bryant - Vanessa Bryant is a boss - and honestly, she needs to be to protect the legacy and likeness of her late husband. I can't imagine what it must feel like to see a shoe that YOU designed for your late daughter, and haven&

It took me a while to put fingers to the keyboard for these thoughts because quite frankly, this hurt. Yes! Despite the obvious clarity of the inevitable result, the elimination of my New York Knicks really gutted me for a few days. I found myself ignoring columns, podcasts, and of course, sports radio because I just knew whatever rhetoric or narratives being pushed through those mediums (most of them) were going to be filled with gotcha-hot-takes, absurd responses, and over-the-top analysis that have little to do with true basketball dissection and more about producing engaging content (nonsense).  Julius Randle is NOT a number 1 option - he proved that this series!!!! The season ended as a failure - a bad taste after what was built up all year!  It might be time to move Randle and Barrett for a legit star!!!  Ahhhh yes, you just gotta love the reaction of some... Here's the truth - the Atlanta Hawks just had more talent than us. Actually, they are damn good, tremendously deep, an