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Category Archives: The Park

It Was All A Dream

It Was All A Dream

 

It was all a dream

I used to read Word Up Magazine

Salt & Pepper and Heavy D up in the limousine

Hanging pictures on my wall…

(Biggie Smalls “Juicy” 1994)

Saturday, December 11, 2010 6:45am

On this day I woke up earlier than I normally would on a Saturday. I was up to take my mother to the airport for her flight to Philly. This was very common because my mother travels back to Philly at least once a month. My wife Jennifer had left about 20 minutes earlier because she had to go in to work, which is rare on a Saturday but it does happen about once or twice a year.

So I got up and just threw on some sweat pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. I brushed my teeth but I didn’t do any grooming past that because I was just going to take her to the airport and come right back home. I got my daughter up, put her coat on, and put her into the car. Normally, I would just get in the car without a coat or shoes on and just roll out of the garage and be on my way. My mother told me that it was really cold out and that I should dress warm so I grabbed my coat and hat as well.

Saturday, December 11, 2010 7:25am

We arrived at the airport and my mother was on the phone. I was getting aggravated because the police were moving us along and I was trying to figure out where she wanted to be dropped off. Then out of nowhere I see my wife Jennifer and brother in-law Jarrett come over to the car as I pulled into an empty space. At that point I was just stoically wondering “what’s going on.” I was still a little foggy because I hadn’t fully woken up yet. Then Jennifer gives me a small bag and says “Merry Christmas!”  I look in the bag to see a printout of tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys football game being played in Dallas on Sunday Night Football.

So…I just sat there and attempted to process what was going on. I’m still a little foggy and confused at this point and I can’t believe this is real. I look over to see my brother in-law with the video camera taping the whole thing and I feel like I’m being “Punk’d.” All I could say and think at this point was “Wow!”

I eventually gathered myself only to realize that I wasn’t dressed for travel, didn’t take a shower, and was totally not mentally prepared to be going on an airplane which I hadn’t done in about 4 years. Well I got over all that, got out of the car and proceeded to get on with it. My wife was super excited screaming “I got you, I did It!”

I grew up in Philly a die-hard Eagles fan. Till this day I eagerly anticipate Sunday afternoons during football season so that I can root for my team.  I don’t care who the coach is or who the players are I have always supported and followed the Eagles.

So when the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones built this new billion-dollar stadium I set the goal to one day attend an Eagles game there. I was excited about seeing this new technologically advanced stadium and I went online several times to see its progress while being built. I figured that one day many years from now I’d be able to make the trip. It would be a sports fans dream.

You see…we have been so focused on getting out of debt that every extra dollar for the last 2 years has gone towards that effort. I had mentally deferred any type of personal indulgence such as this and only held it as a dream. But my wife had other plans.

She had been planning this trip since September when she realized that she’d have some extra money coming to her this month. My wife believes in the here and now and she doesn’t believe in deferring dreams. We usually find a way to compromise and we balance each other really well in that way. This time she decided that aggressively paying off the car can wait and instead of putting the extra money towards that goal she would make one of her husbands dreams come true…Right Now!

And I’m glad she did!  It was such a refreshing interruption of the daily grind and I really needed it.  And it went even deeper than that for me. My wife and my experience in Texas showed me that if you have your priorities in order and you are doing the right things financially that it’s ok to do some things for yourself.

She also showed me that dreams can come true… Right NOW!

Follow this link to see our pictures on Facebook. You don’t need a Facebook account.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067131&id=1288795076&l=e6c354a27d

Chillin in The Park,

Scott Speed

Sports Rap

Sports Rap

I haven’t been to The Neighborhood “Park Bench” in a while to talk sports. So I figured I’d stop by to talk some trash and make some bold predictions. Although I stay busy with family, work, and school I always stay plugged into the latest goings on in the world of sports.

NFL

The Saints and the Colts are about to do battle in the Super Bowl next week. I can’t remember the last time that the two best teams from the NFC and AFC during the regular season both actually made it to the Super Bowl. It should be a really good game. Peyton Manning may be the G.O.A.T when his career is over and it has been amazing to see him and the Colts lose only one game this year with a new coach and new young receivers. Drew Brees and the Saints have been exciting to watch all year as well. Their offense is explosive.

Being that I’m a die hard Eagles fan I really don’t care who wins but if I’m going to make a bold prediction I guess I have to choose a team.  So, I’m going to go with the Saints. I think that they are a team of destiny this year. I also wouldn’t mind the people of New Orleans getting something to celebrate about. The city really identifies with that team and a victory would be a real morale boost. Another plus is that I’ve met several people from New Orleans since moving to Atlanta and they’ve all been really cool so…

Go Saints!

NBA

I’ve been slow to get into the NBA this season but I’ve been catching some games here and there. Here is what I know.

The Lakers look tough and my Sixers don’t.

Lebron James is a freak of nature but Kobe is still the man.

Shaq needs to retire.

Kevin Durant is next.

D-Wade needs some help.

Derrick Rose is the most athletic PG I’ve ever seen.

The Atlanta Hawks are, surprisingly, really good.

Nate Robinson is only 5’8” and he goes to the hoop like he is 6’8”. Amazing.

A.I is a Sixer again… but they still suck.

Can’t wait for the playoffs.

Bold Prediction: Lakers vs. Celtics in the Finals. Lakers repeat in 7.

NCCA B-Ball

John Wall is the best PG I’ve seen play the college game. 1st pick in next year’s draft.

Villanova is tough. Their guard play is real strong.

Syracuse is playing good ball. Matter of fact the Big East conference as a whole is playing good ball.

Watch out for Georgia Tech in the tournament.

What happened to UNC? I guess they can’t win it every year.

March Madness is the best sporting event of the year for me. One month to go!

Bold Prediction: Kentucky vs. Kansas in the Championship game. John Wall and Kentucky prevail.

Random Thoughts

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.

I hope Floyd and Paquiao figure it out one day. Would be a great fight.

Can’t wait to visit Dallas stadium.

Go Phillies.

Kobe is ice cold.

I Hope Tebow does well in the NFL, just don’t think it will be as a QB. But then again…

Chillin at The Park,

Scott Speed

www.TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

“The Dream Shatterer! Jordan Enters The Hall Of Fame”

“The Dream Shatterer! Jordan Enters The Hall Of Fame”

 

Ay Yo, I shatter your dreams like Jordan

Assault and batter your team…

(“Dream Shatterer” by Big Pun 1998)

“Dream Shatterer” is probably my favorite track by Big Pun, who in my opinion was a great lyricist and one of the best in the rap game during late 90’s. It is a really aggressive track with a fast pace beat and lyrics that force you to nod your head. The best part of the song is the first verse when he tells the competition, “Ay Yo, I shatter your dreams like Jordan.” That right there is a strong statement and you know exactly why if you were anywhere near a television in the 90’s.

Charles Barkley… shattered.

Karl Malone…shattered.

Patrick Ewing…shattered.

John Stockton…shattered.

Reggie Miller… shattered.

Dominique Wilkins… shattered.

These future Hall-Of-Famers are just a few of the names on the list of former NBA players who never won a championship because they played during the Jordan era. Their dreams of champagne showers, parades, and iced out rings were all ruined by Michael Jordan, the “Dream Shatterer.”

It was around 1987/1988 when my buddy Binky aka Glenn Collier got a Jordan Jammer. He became the most popular kid on the block because all of the other kids wanted to get into his yard so that we could play on his Jordan Jammer. The Jordan Jammer back then was what a new Xbox or PS3 is today.  Binky and I became really cool because we were the best 8 and 9-year-old b-ball players in the neighborhood. We would battle one on one all the time. He was Jordan and I was my favorite player, Magic Johnson.

I didn’t like Jordan, partly because everyone else liked him so much. Everyone wanted to “Be Like Mike.”  My cousin Reece, aka Aparicio Giddins, swore that he was Michael Jordan when we were growing up. He had all of the Jordan highlight videos and he would watch them over and over again. He walked, talked, and he even stuck out his tongue like Jordan when we played b-ball. What made it worse was that Jordan and the Bulls beat Magic and the Lakers in the NBA finals in 1990. I couldn’t stand Jordan.

It wasn’t until he came back to the NBA after his brief retirement to play baseball that I realized his greatness. I was a little older by this time and I was starting to play basketball seriously myself so I now understood how amazing of an athlete he was. Jordan was the ultimate competitor and a true professional. Every time the game was on the line you knew who was getting the ball and he always delivered in the clutch.

And yes, by the time the 10th grade rolled around I was a yearly contributor to the Air Jordan sneakers gotta have em club. It was something about wearing those sneakers that just made you feel a little bit more confident. Jordan was just that great. I still have a pair or two in my closet till this day. The amazing thing is that when I look at what the children are wearing today I see Air Jordans are still a popular choice. His rep and legacy still lives on even though he retired over 5 years ago.

On Friday September 11, 2009 Michael Jordan will be inducted into the pro basketball Hall Of Fame. He should have his own wing in the building if you ask me. When I watch highlights of him today I realize how close to perfection he was as a basketball player. Tell all the young fans of today that Lebron, Kobe and the rest of them are great players but Jordan was on another level.

The Greatest of All Time!

The Dream Shatterer!

MJ #23

Chillin at The Park (by the courts),

Scott Speed

www.TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

 

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Michael Vick is Back… As An Eagle??!!!???!!!

Michael Vick is Back… As An Eagle??!!!???!!!

Michael Vick will take the football field for the first time since Dec. 2006 on Thursday (8-27-09) as a Philadelphia Eagle. The entire football world will be anxious to see how he performs. I wouldn’t expect much though; it has been over 2 ½ years since he has played in a game so I’m sure that he will be rusty.

When Michael Vick was freed from prison there were many scenarios discussed about what team would take a chance on signing him. As an Eagles fan I didn’t think there was anyway that they would be the team to sign Vick. I had hoped that some team would give him a second chance at a career. I felt like he did his time and deserved a chance. However, when the news broke that he signed with the Eagles I was just as shocked as everyone else.

And I wasn’t excited.

I questioned why the Eagles would take such a risk and position themselves to take so much scrutiny from animal rights activist and the media. I wondered how Donovan McNabb would react to the move and how it might affect team chemistry. It just didn’t make football or public relations since to me at all.

It has also been interesting to listen to the public response to the move. Many people are excited that he is back however many more aren’t. Philly fans seem 50/50 on the move according to a poll that was taken on Philly.com the day after the signing. Some people have the opinion that it was “only dogs” and that they are making too much of a big deal out of dog fighting. They feel that the punishment was too stiff for the crime.

Someone close to me recently shared with me that they just do not understand why so much of a fuss is being made over dogs. This person felt that the life of dogs were valued more than human lives. Then you also have the dog lovers and animal rights activist who feel that Vick should never touch a football field again and cannot forgive the things that he did to those animals.

I personally think that both sides need to expand their perspective on the situation. Vick was not only put in jail for dog fighting. He was put into jail for running an illegal gambling ring as well. I understand that he grew up around dog fighting and did not think it was wrong. I also saw dog fighting as a child and I didn’t know that it was illegal. But when I hear Vick apologist on the radio none of them mention how he brutally tortured and killed those dogs. It’s ok to support him however I don’t think that it is right to act like he did nothing wrong.

I am not a dog lover but I can see how the details of those executions of innocent dogs can deeply hurt those who are. However, I think that Vick paid for his crimes and that they should let him resume his career without so much scrutiny. He lost all of his money and damaged his career. Losing 100 million dollars and sitting in prison for 2 years away from your children will humble anyone. He didn’t just get a slap on the wrist, he paid a heavy price. Vick should not be held hostage by animal rights groups for the remainder of his life.

I’m excited now.

After all the details were revealed I began to get a little excited about the idea of having Vick as a weapon on my team. I also gained a greater respect for the coach and owner of the Eagles for being willing to step up and give Vick a chance. From a football standpoint it is great to have such a talent player added to the roster. From a real life standpoint the reality is that Vick is getting an opportunity to piece his life back together because he is an extremely talented athlete. If he plays well this will all be forgotten in about 2 years. So, for now Vick gets to go back to work and make a good living after spending 2 years in prison. I just wish all ex-cons were so fortunate.

Go Eagles!

Chillin at the Park,

Scott Speed

www.TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

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NBA Rap: The Offseasons Winners & Losers

NBA Rap: The Offseasons Winners & Losers

There has been a lot of player movement around the NBA in the last week or two. Let’s reflect…

Shaq went to the Cavs

Richard Jefferson to the Spurs

Vince Carter to the Magic

Ron Artest to the Lakers

Trevor Ariza to the Rockets

Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to the Pistons

Hedo Turkoglu to the Raptors

Rasheed Wallace to the Celtics

Jason Kidd stayed put with the Mavericks

There are still a few big names left out there in free agency, most notably Allen Iverson and Grant Hill, and I’m sure that there are more trade talks brewing as well.

So who are the winners and losers so far this offseason? How are they positioned in the chase for a title in 2010?

We all know that these moves are being made with one thing in mind. Knocking off Kobe and the Lakers.  The Spurs made a nice move adding the athletic 20 ppg. (points per game) scorer Richard Jefferson to there big 3 Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. There ability to contend out West will depend on Manu Ginobili’s health. Unfortunately for the Rockets Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady can’t seem to avoid the injury bug. The addition of Trevor Ariza will not have as much of an impact if he doesn’t have a star to play off of. He only averaged 9 ppg. last season and 11ppg. in the playoffs as a role player. The other teams out West have been quiet and have kept their teams in tact outside of adding a few draft picks. However, I think that Denver and San Antonio will pose the biggest threat to the Lakers next season.

The Lakers, a.k.a the defending champs, made the best move out West in my opinion by adding Ron Artest. Despite his reputation as a hot head Ron Artest brings a physical defensive presence to the Lakers, which they were lacking. Artest will also guard the other teams best wing player so that Kobe won’t have too, which frees him up to concentrate on getting buckets. Signing Lamar Odom should also be a priority.

With all that said I think the Lakers will represent the West in the Championship in 2010.

Most people were disappointed that we didn’t get the Kobe vs. Lebron showdown in the championship this year, including myself. So the Cavs did what everyone seems to do when they want to get a ring. They got Shaq. It worked for the Lakers. It worked for the Heat. But… it won’t work for Lebron and the Cavs. They need a versatile big man who can guard out on the perimeter. I don’t think Orlando got any better by replacing Hedo Turkoglu with Vince Carter. Hedo was there go to player in the clutch and he hit big shots for them all season long.  He could run the pick and roll, hit the 3, or get to the lane. And he was a matchup problem for most teams at 6’10’’.  They also lost key back ups like Courtney Lee and big man Marcin Gortat. I think that Detroit is just confused after breaking up that title team and trading their leader, Chauncey Billups.  The other teams in the east are all a player or three from seriously competing.

The Boston Celtics added versatile big man Rasheed Wallace (A Philly Public League product like myself) and are said to be close to signing Grant Hill. With the addition of Sheed and the return of a healthy Kevin Garnett the Celtics will be tough to beat next season. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were a tough out last year without those two!

I’m picking Boston to represent the East in the 2010 Championship series.

So, the Lakers and Celtics are my big winners so far this offseason and they look poised to meet in the finals for the second time in three seasons.

What do you think? Let the argument’s, I mean discussions, begin.

Chillin at The Park,

Scott Speed

TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

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Kobe Bryant. Like Mike…Not Quite.

Kobe Bryant. Like Mike…Not Quite.

I remember back in 2000 arguing with my homies and my brothers about whether Kobe Bryant would one day dethrone MJ as the G.O.A.T. My homie Chip and I argued that hands down Kobe had what it took. I mean, his game was so sick at such a young age. He displayed skills at 21 that took MJ years to acquire… A nice jumper, a sick handle, and of course the hops and athleticism to match. To top it all off he already had 2 Championships. Six was definitely in reach.

He was destined to be the greatest…right?

Well, here we are in 2009 with Kobe on the doorstep of winning his 4th title and I don’t think he will come close to taking the title of G.O.AT away from MJ.

I don’t buy the argument that Kobe only has 3 rings because he played with Shaq, as if he had nothing to do with it and Shaq was a one-man show. The truth is Shaq wouldn’t have won 3 rings if he didn’t have Kobe on his team as well (actually neither of them would have anything if wasn’t for Big Shot Rob, Robert Horry, hitting some big time clutch shots).  MJ, Magic, and Larry each had future hall of famers as teammates and would not have won a championship otherwise. 

However, even if Kobe does get to 6 Championships the fact will remain that during the Shaq Kobe era Kobe was Robin to Shaq’s Batman. Shaq was the primary offensive option. It was Shaqs team. Obviously, MJ played the primary role in each of his 6 championship runs. Something I don’t think Kobe will ever be able to say.

Yes I think Kobe is a great player, and yes I think he will go down as one of the greatest of all time but if you say he is Like Mike I have to say… Not Quite.

Agree or disagree?

Speak your mind! Leave a comment.

Chillin at The Park,

Scott Speed

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