Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts

Monday, April 4, 2022

Throwback Jam of the Week: 4/4/22

  Throw on your Phoenix Suns Jersey, and head to the court as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Cedric Ceballos ft. Warren G
Song: Flow On
Album: B-Ball's Best Kept Secrets (1994)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This album was released in 1994 by Epic Records and features a mix of NBA players and rappers performing! Some notable appearances include NBA  Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd and Gary Payton.

Friday, January 8, 2021

Wrapping Up Christmas 2020

 

Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. There is nothing like seeing their little faces light up on that special December morning...even if it's at 4am. I guess that's karma, but every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They typically do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late, but lets look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me this year!
Stocking Stuffers
I've said it a million times before, but I LOVE STOCKING STUFFERS!!! My parents would allow us to open our stockings every Christmas before they got up. I'm sure it was so we would let them sleep in for another hour or so. This year I got some cool TMNT Snapz, Topps Baseball cards and of course candy!
Hickory Farms Gift Box
This is a must have gift for me every year and my wife knows how to please me. Once this box is opened, I tear into it to enjoy my ceremonial Christmas morning breakfast of beef & cheese!
Board/Card Games
This year I received the Blockbuster Movie Party Game, The Office Downsizing Game and DOS! On Christmas night the wife and myself had a blast playing the Blockbuster game after the kids went down to sleep. The oint is to try and guess the title of the movie on your partner's card by having them either give you one word to describe it, recite a quote from it or act it out. The Office game has not been played yet, but it seems to be similar to a game of clue. DOS was also fun! This card game is very similar to UNO, but the rules are a little different which makes this one fun for the whole fam!
The Goonies: Lego Dimensions Game Pack
I love this gift! I had been wanting The Goonies expansion of the Lego Dimensions game for a while now, but the prices have been pretty high. My wife found this at TJ Maxx for $10 and picked it up for me! My kids love the Dimensions game and now I have my own character to play along side their PowerPuff Girls, Batman and Ghostbusters!
Movies
The wife goes DVD/Blu Ray baragin shopping every year at Christmas. She was able to grab me Birds of Prey, IT: Chapter Two, Joker and The Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. The only movie I have seen out of these 4 is Birds of Prey. Looks like I have some late night viewing to do this month.
NBA2K21
I have been wanting a new NBA2K game for years! And when I say years, let me tell you that I was still playing NBA2K13 as of last month. This game looks really cool and I hope to delve into the career mode as soon as possible!
Mini Pac-Man Arcade Game
I have a pretty nice collection of these little arcade games that includes Asteroids, Centipede, Frogger, Galaga and a Stranger Things machine. Now I can add the classic, and one of my favorite arcade games of all time, Pac-Man to the collection.
Vinyl Figures
I had been eyeing that weird "Pizza Venkman" figure for a long time at our local calendar store, but at $20, I was not willing to budge. This one was found in the clearance section for $3 and was gifted to me for my Ghostbusters collection. Of course I had to have a TMNT item in my gifts this year. My wife found this Target exclusive Metalhead Funko POP while she was doing her online Christmas shopping. She thought I would like it...and she was right! This is now on my shelf of Ninja Turtles coolness in my basement next to my other TMNT POPs!
Halloween Gifts From Mom
A few days after Christmas a box arrived from my Mom & Dad. It contained a few gifts for the kids, some money to spend on the family and these two items for me! My Mom got me a Spirit Halloween Store branded Ghostbusters logo sign and she also sent this ice skating Ghost Halloween decoration. We had this decoration in our house when I was growing up! You wind it up and the Ghost skates around the lake while a music box version of the Ghostbusters theme song plays. There is also a switch you can hit that triggers strobing colored light effects in the house & tree and plays an annoying haunting sound. I remember taking the ghost off and playing with him around this haunted house scene. We actually broke the magnet on his bottom off, so my Mom hot glued a new one to his bottom. That magnet is still there today. Not sure why my Mom sent these Halloween decorations in December, but I am thankful!

Well, that's it for this past Christmas. I hope yours was merry, bright and full of good tidings. Merry Christmas!

Monday, September 9, 2019

Throwback Jam of the Week: 9/9/19

Throw on your oversized plaid shirt and grab your Spaulding Basketball as we take you back to the streets of Boston! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Bobby Brown Posse
Song: Drop It On The One
Album: Friday: NBA Jam Session (1994)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: The music video for this song features B. Brown Posse members Harold Travis, DeDe O'Neal, Smoothe Silk, Stylz and Coop B in addition to NBA legends Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis and Stacey Augmon. Heavy Weight Champ Evander Holyfield also makes a cameo appearance!

Friday, March 9, 2018

NBA Jam Session!

In 1993 the NBA was on the top of the sports world! Michael Jordan and The Chicago Bulls were on their way to their first three-peat, the Dream Team had dominated the globe in the Barcelona Olympics the summer before and the slam dunk was the most exciting play in sports! Not one to pass on a golden opportunity the NBA created the Jam Session brand.
The first item I remember from this marketing initiative was the "NBA JAM SESSION" VHS tape! It had highlights from the best players in the league at the time. Everyone from Karl Malone to Harold Miner to Alonzo Mourning was featured on this mixtape. I remember going to our local mom & pop rental store, "Video Sights & Sounds" just so we could rent this tape! Now as an adult, I own my own copy. I found this baby at Goodwill for about a quarter. If you ever see one out in the wild for a cheap price, I highly recommend you pick it up! Another thing came from this brand that cemented the world of hip-hop culture with the NBA. This informal partnership led to the next item on my list...
The freakin' "NBA JAM SESSION" album!!! I used to listen to this on my Walkman all the time, especially on trips to basketball practice or basketball camps. There are some pretty big names for the time on here and some pretty fresh cuts! 
The talent roster included Bell Biv DeVoe, Heavy D, Notorious B.I.G., Bobby Brown and Wreckx-N-Effect! Not too shabby for an NBA mix tape. I bought this CD online for about $1 and put it on in the house from time to time so I can relive those athletic golden years when my team in NJ went on to win 2 championships in 3 years. Over that span, we only lost one game and got to go to the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford to watch the Nets play as a reward for our hard work. Because of this I was able to see some of the "JAM SESSION" stars in person like Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson.
The only thing cooler than the soundtrack album quite possibly was the "NBA JAM SESSION" cards that were randomly inserted into the '92-'93 Fleer Ultra packs. I loved checking out the stats on the back and seeing how many jams the top players in the league had amassed over the years. Who knew the Admiral had 155 dunks during the '91-'92 season?  Recently and sadly though the dunk has fallen out of flavor in the NBA. The All-Star Dunk Contest has become mediocre and thanks to the Golden State Warriors, the 3-pointer has become the shot of choice around the league. One day the dunk will again reign supreme, but until that day comes you can relive the glory days of the 90s NBA by watching the "NBA JAM SESSION" highlight tape in all it's glory in the video below!!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Retro Revival Challenge: Event TV

This week the Retro Revival Challenge is to reveal the one annual television event that makes us drop everything we are doing, turn on the TV and become zombies for a few hours! Back in the day there were so many things that were events to us, watching Rudolph at Christmas, The Simpson Sunday nights on FOX and the Super Bowl. But thanks to the invention of DVDs, Netflix, Amazon TV and more, there really isn't any appointment television. I have Rudolph and a hundred other classic Christmas specials on DVD, The Simpsons can be streamed and I have boycotted the Super Bowl every year the Patriots are in it. But there is one event that keeps calling me back...

NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND!!!! This is the one time of the year where you can see all of the top NBA stars showcase their skills in one place! Ever since I can remember, I used to record the entire All-Star weekend on VHS and rewatch it over and over. Everything from the Slam Dunk Contest to the skills challenge to the game itself. I wish I had those tapes in hand today, I would totally watch those with my kids, not only for the athletic feats, but for the amazing commercials! Here are my top memories from those games:

1991-92: Michael Jordan meets Bugs Bunny for the first time!
Oh man, was this an advertising milestone! Not only did it lead to some awesome kicks, but it also gave us the brilliant "Space Jam" movie! I wonder when that sequel is scheduled to hit? Athletic companies always saved there best commercials for this showcase.

NBA All-Star Game 2003: Michael Jordan's final All-Star Game
This was a hard one for me. I idolized Jordan for so many years and his impact on the sports world can never truly be measured. He was the greatest ever and I'd be lying if I said his final All-Star Game didn't bring a tear to my eye.

NBA All-Star Game 2000: Vince Carter wins Slam Dunk Championship
These were the dunks that made you jump out of your chair, freak out uncontrollably and then question what you just saw! Vince Carter brought something no one had ever seen before! He did the reverse 360 windmills, a honey dip, and a between-the-legs dunk off a bounced alley-oop from his cousin Tracy McGrady. But he did it with such ease and smoothness it was ridiculous!

NBA All-Star Game 1992: Magic Returns and wins MVP
This was Magic's one and only game that season. This was supposed to be his final game after finding out he was HIV positive. He scored 25 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists on his way to MVP honors.

NBA All-Star Game 2009: Krypto-Nate defeats Super Dwight
I saw this one go down in 3D! One of the local movie theaters was broadcasting the event in 3D and even though it was on Valentine's weekend, my wife bought us tickets to see the contest. It was amazing! Nate Robinson is one of the most athletic dudes I have ever seen play the game.

NBA All-Star Game 1997: Glen Rice sets scoring record for a quarter
This one sticks out because I had a friend who was a huge Seattle Supersonics fan and he keep arguing and complaining that Gary Payton should have won the MVP that year. Glen Rice set some records, won the award and that is history!

BONUS: NBA All-Star Game 1996: Jordan pulls off Penny Hardaway's pants
I thought this was hilarious when I saw it happen live. I always held onto my pants whenever I stepped out onto the court from that point on.

One of these years I will make it to an NBA All-Star Game. It is one of the top things on my bucket list! Who will make a historic highlight this year? I'll be watching! Now go see what these other Retro Ramblers viewing habits are:
Retro Ramblings: WWE Royal Rumble
The Harvey Mercheum: Loves a parade